New reviews, small screen, and special screenings
Justin Bartha and Nicolas Cage make their cavalier way through a pale reflection of Raiders of the Lost Ark. New review Sci-fi gets real and ‘National Treasure’ doesn’t National Treasure Dir. John Turteltaub; writ. Jim Kouf, Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley; feat. Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Plummer…
All the world’s a stage
It’s not Mommy Dearest, it’s Annette Bening in a “bravura performance” as an aging London theater diva exacting humorous revenge on a gold-digging suitor. Annette Bening compresses a lifetime of emotions into an entertaining revenge comedy When a fawning admirer tells Julia Lambert, grande dame of the English stage, that she ought to be in…
A collection of b-sides
Bill Murray plays at being a waiter in one of the vignettes in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes, just released on DVD. Jim Jarmusch reflects on the DVD release of ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’ Indie filmmaking legend Jim Jarmusch wouldn’t be shocked that his latest film, Coffee and Cigarettes, went largely unseen in central Texas. He…
Recent reviews
After the Sunset Dir. Brett Ratner; writ. Paul Zbyszewski, Craig Rosenberg; feat. Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle, Obbar Babatundé (R) After the Sunset’s cast ought to guarantee something, but the film’s story is about as fresh as they come from Hollywood these days Brosnan’s reluctant criminal is trying to get out of…
Armchair Cinephile
Have a home-vid-y little Christmas I’m a firm – tyrannical, even - believer in the “no Christmas spirit before Thanksgiving” standard, despite the fact that I come from staunch Yule-lovin’ stock. Now that the season is official, though, I couldn’t be happier at the arrival on disc of Elf (New Line), which is already looking like…
A sweet tooth
The Judson and Segovia families are mainstays in San Antonio’s candy manufacturing history. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Judson, Segovia carry on SA’s candy tradition The sweet story of San Antonio begins in colonial México with the convents founded by Spanish orders; it was from these sheltered precincts that the arte del dulce spread. The nuns…
Who’s got the power?
City Public Service plans to add to its stable of power plants near Braunig Lake. The utility wants to build a $1 billion, 750-megawatt coal-fired power plant. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) CPS’ coal plant fuels debate about energy policy Drive through rural southeastern Bexar County and you can see City Public Service’s coal- and gas-fired…
Shiny, happy fruitcake
So good, you won’t even know it’s fruitcake: panettone, rife with fruit, but never cloying. (Photo by Julie Barnett) Embrace the glowing emerald-green cherries Is there any dessert more maligned than the holiday fruitcake? Yet, even as they tell their jokes and chortle like insiders, many people secretly love a fruitcake. Some feign disgust even…
Snow and drag shows: It must be the holidays
Upcoming holiday feasts and festivals Snow in SA? San Antonio hasn’t had a significant snowfall in nearly 20 years, but Azúca, 713 S. Alamo, is simulating the winter experience with “Have a Christmas in the Caribbean” on December 3 at 7pm. There will be piles of snow in the outside dining area where guests can…
In the doghouse
Animal rights supporters Margaret Redford Malone (left) and D’Ann Trethan hold up posters of a recent Express-News article during a protest against the City’s animal control policies. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Citizens howl about city pound Hundreds of concerned citizens poured into the SBC Technology Center at St. Mary’s University last week – so many…
Más y más
Los Lobos: taking the multi-guest album to new heights with The Ride Los Lobos cruise into their fourth decade together Things get complicated when you follow someone’s life for three decades. People grow older, wiser (hopefully), and as they take on new responsibilities, they gain new insights, new ways of understanding the world around them.…
Verse chorus verse
Nirvana at an early gig, with Jason Everman (extreme left) on guitar. With new box set, Nirvana cleans the vaults and comes as they were When the surviving Beatles carpet-bombed the holiday season in 1995 with their multi-media Anthology series, the hoopla presented rabid fans with a dilemma. On one hand, it was gratifying to…
Dog food
A portrait of the young dog as poet Dog Men Poets have one of the most intensely loyal followings on the local scene, and it’s easy to understand why. They’re a polished, energetic, musically accomplished ensemble and their folk-funk synthesis appeals to fans of both singer-songwriter sensitivity and R&B danceability. On their new album, Birth…
Sound and the Fury
A week on the scene Mariachi Mania Mariachi fans are in for a treat this weekend as Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, the legendary 107-year-old ensemble, makes its annual appearance in the Alamo City as part of a three-day mariachi extravaganza featuring workshops, vocal and group competitions, performances and a mariachi mass. For a decade now,…
Hello, she’s Dolly
The real deal comes to Texas “I love you, Dolly!” “I love you too, honey. But I thought I told you to wait out in the truck.” — Dolly Parton at a San Francisco concert, 2003 Dolly Parton Meet Dolly Parton. She’s one honky-tonk angel that can rope ’em in better than any prize-winning cattle…
Pump up the volume
OIL, at Triangle Project Space through December 17, features the work of six contemporary Mexican artists. In the forground is an untitled work by Jose Dávila. (Photos by Mark Greenberg) ‘OIL’ drills into the American empire and comes up with gold Sitting around a cozy fire with drinks not three weeks after the recent presidential…
Artifacts
News and notes from the San Antonio art scene The little economic engine that could Southtown, the historic neighborhood south of the Alamo bounded roughly by Durango, South St. Mary’s/South Presa, Flores, and Probandt, has earned a garland this holiday season. The Texas Downtown Association has named its 13-year-old community fundraiser Art in the Hood…
All ears
Break Out Your Wallets In my book, buying Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Whatever presents before, say, December 20 is a mark of anal retentiveness. (Mothers are excluded from this rule of thumb.) But for those who like to get the shopping out of the way so they can grin smugly at the rest of us, a few suggestions for…
Take thy sword to thine own scenes
A bleached Colin Farrell outshines cast and crew in Oliver Stone’s Alexander. ‘Alexander’ is a convoluted slog through pop history that would make ‘National Geographic’ proud Though not the Thanksgiving turkey forecast by some critics, Oliver Stone’s Alexander is nevertheless far, far from great. Like this summer’s classically themed stinker, Troy, Stone’s film never manages…
