THE ART OF SURVIVAL
Espíritu Artist Alex Rubio’s portraits chronicle the life’s struggle of a burn victim The muse for Alex Rubio’s most recent work sought out the painter at his West Side studio. Omar Ali Oyervides was drawn to Rubio because he saw himself in his paintings, recognizing his own burned flesh in their thick texture and…
ARTIFACTS
News and notes from the San Antonio art scene Painter, sculptor, curator, and native son Alejandro Diaz returns to the Alamo City to present his first solo effort in San Antonio in seven years. Diaz left town in 1997, two years after dubbing his humble Southtown living room “Sala Diaz” – today an internationally recognized…
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
A scene from HBO’s Angels in America (courtesy photo) Tony Kushner’s stairway to heaven screens on cable channel HBO When the Oscars are handed out next year, the best and most innovative American film of 2003 won’t be among the honored. The reason is simple: Angels in America is a original film made for…
NEW REVIEWS
Paul Walker in Timeline (courtesy photo) Timeline Dir. Richard Donner; writ. Jeff Maguire, George Nolfi, based on a novel by Michael Crichton; feat. Paul Walker, Frances O’Connor, Gerard Butler, Billy Connolly, Ethan Embry, Anna Friel (PG-13) Time travel is not only possible; it is inevitable. We are, willy-nilly, propelled forward every second of every…
Armchair Cinephile
Christmas and Capers Ready or not, the carols-and-tinsel season is upon us; time for schlocky sentiment, shameless commercialism, and sometimes edgy family reunions. Fear not, for a secret weapon has just landed on the home video shelves: A Christmas Story (Warner) now boasts a decent (read: widescreen and with fun bonus features) DVD edition,…
RECENT REVIEWS
Bad Santa Dir. Terry Zwigoff; writ. John Requa & Glenn Ficarra; feat. Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Bernie Mac, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, John Ritter (R) Bad Santa is vile. Snot-dripping and alley-pukey, pants-pissing and rotgut-swilling vile. It does not have redeeming social merit; it will not enrich your soul or teach you the meaning…
BLIND FAITH
Blind Boys of Alabama The gospel according to the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama The Blind Boys of Alabama are in Ireland, but Clarence Fountain is stuck in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. The septuagenarian founder of the legendary gospel vocal group recently came down with a case of pneumonia and had to take a break…
HALL OF LAME
Pop… not Top What kind of rock institution twice inducts David Crosby, but has no room for the Sex Pistols? In an early ’90s interview with Musician magazine, Neil Young argued that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should shut down for a few years. As Young saw it, the Hall had run…
OFF THE WALL
On Tuesday, November 18, Michael Jackson dropped Number Ones, an 18-track post-Motown greatest hits package featuring jewels like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You,” and “Billie Jean.” If the fact that Number Ones also features “One More Chance,” a new cut written and produced by R. Kelly, didn’t raise red flags…
GRASS ROOTS APPEAL
Alison Krauss If anyone can be credited with setting the plate for the current bluegrass revival, it’s Alison Krauss. A musical prodigy who signed with Rounder Records at age 14, the Champaign, Illinois, native combined a fiddling virtuosity with the Appalachian vocal purity of a young Dolly Parton. Working on a parallel track to…
SOUND AND THE FURY
a week on the scene SUBTERRANEAN SOUND Call it a dance floor, call it more drinking room, whatever. The Davenport (200 E. Houston, 354-1202) recently renovated its lower-level lounge to accommodate patrons who really want to get down. The remodeled room now allows patrons to cozy up to the DJ and two turntables tucked neatly…
