New reviews
Cinematic Satan’s sink in a surfeit of special effects Constantine Dir. Francis Lawrence; writ. Kevin Brodbin, Frank A. Cappello; feat. Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Max Baker, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare (R) The horror film has long been the last bastion of religion in mainstream cinema. Now, with Constantine…
An odd egg
The pickled egg is sentimental, ornamental, and monumentally tasty In my college days in Ripon, Wisconsin, the extroverts could always be found flirting over pitchers at Benders or moshing on the dance floor at the Spot. But the quieter types, the philosophy majors, political science junkies, and anthropology students, were generally down the street, elbows…
Queso a-go-go
Adobo Taco Co’s. tacos de pescado adobo, marinated fish tacos in adobo sauce with onion and cilantro. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Adobo needs to work on its special sauce, but it definitely has the cheese With decor that seems equal parts IKEA (light fixtures and chairs) and Mexican market (bark-paper hangings and objects in copper,…
All You Can Eat
News and notes from the San Antonio food scene Circa 1900, 1900 San Pedro, has expanded to include a club and a fully-stocked bar serving beer, 100 wines, and various liquors. While Circa 1900’s upscale atmosphere includes piano music, the restaurant’s more rambunctious side can be found at Club Circa, which hosts dance music, jazz,…
Men with huevos don’t eat eggs
Which came first, The Birds or the eggs? Alfred Hitchcock, whose father sold poultry, dreaded eggs throughout his life. “I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened – they revolt me,” said the master of cinematic terror. “That round white thing without any holes – have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk…
Try a Grigio with your pirog
Vatrushka, borscht, kasha, and kotlets — local food events More chocolate, more wine After filling up on chocolate and wine this Valentine’s day, head out to Texas Hills Vineyard for a second dose of February’s favorite foods. The vineyard just released their 2004 Pinot Grigio and will celebrate by teaming up with Dr. Chocolate to…
Kinky reggaeton
DJ Papote heats up the dance floor at Club Insomnia. (Photos by Mark Greenberg) DJ Papote brings his Puerto Rican hip-hop melange to the local dance scene Ever since hip-hop conquered the planet, proponents of African-American music have been waiting for the next big thing. Neo-soul, two-step, and ghettoteck have come and gone and the…
A place to shine
Sheldon DeSouza Jr., Edgar Ward, Selina Affram, and Leroy “J.R.” Johnson, perform a scene in the St. Philip’s College production of A Place to Stand, by San Antonio playwright Vincent Hardy. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Actor and director Vincent Hardy finds the perfect niche at St. Phillip’s College “This is one of San Antonio’s hidden…
Sound and the Fury
A week on the scene Model citizens While in St. Louis over the Christmas holidays, the members of local synth-pop favorites Hyperbubble saw a group they accurately describe as a “pretty boy electro-goth dance duo.” They proceeded to invite that duo, called Femme Fatality, for a gig in SA. On Tuesday, February 22, Femme Fatality…
No contempt for court, lawyers, or tv actors
Television star Gregory Harrison stars as brilliant and charming mick lawyer Billy Flynn, flanked by jail vixens in the award-winning musical Chicago, coming to the Majestic Theatre February 22. ‘Chicago’ star Gregory Harrison makes lemonade from lemons in courtrooms, television, and theater Television makes smaller stars than Hollywood, it’s been theorized, because the actors just…
All Ears
The world’s alleys and forests, in your living room These recordings were not processed, the insects actually sound like this! Those words would be out of place in the liner notes of a typical CD release. But Broken Hearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia is in no way typical. A straight recording of insect…
Web Exclusive:Armchair Cinephile
Ossie Davis, R.I.P. If we needed any reason to observe Black History Month this year, we are given a sad one by the passing of Ossie Davis, an actor as influential offscreen as on. Along with his wife of almost 60 years, Ruby Dee, Davis commanded respect while standing up for the rights of African…
A star is archived
Pola Negri’s passion survives at St. Mary’s University library He belonged to the Catholic Society of Mary; she belonged to Hollywood. He was the director of the film department at St. Mary’s University; she was a dark-eyed star of the silent film era, remembered for her smoldering roles and a brief but intense love affair…
CD Spotlight
Dead reckoning There’s a particularly tough kind of creative pressure involved when everyone expects your next work to be the one that delivers – to represent your artistic coming-of-age. Artistic inspiration is inevitably elusive, but among critics and A&R reps, it’s often treated as something that can be planned and anticipated. Coming off the great…
Hollywood’s Holocaust
A scene from Facing Windows Despite a fear of alienating viewers, American films have become a primary vehicle for coming to terms with Hitler’s final solution According to Tim LaHaye’s enormously popular Left Behind novels, apocalyptic rapture is imminent, as soon as every Jew converts or dies. It might soon be too late to attend…
Blood and guts
Blood Brothers Indecipherable in Seattle One of the great contradictions about the Blood Brothers is that they put serious effort into crafting evocative, unsettling lyrics that their two maniacal singers render nearly indecipherable. Seattle’s premier polyrhythmic punk band, the Brothers make such an art form of jarring tempo shifts and slasher-flick shrieks that you’d be…
Better late, and light, than never
Samsara, above, a 2001 film set in the Himalayas screens Friday at SAMA’s Asian Film Festival. Tokyo Godfathers, 2003’s popular animated tale of three homeless characters who find a baby, screens on Sunday. SAMA’s Asian Film Festival takes no risks, but it beats a kick in the head Movie buffs who pay attention to the…
That’s a wrap
The low-down on this week’s premieres Keanu Reeves travels to the depths of hell and attempts to match wits with Lucifer a la 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, in Constantine, a film based on the DC comic book Hellblazer. Along for the demonic detour into the underworld is actress Rachel Weisz (Runaway Jury), who is looking…
Recent reviews
Aliens of the Deep Dir. James Cameron Titanic’s James Cameron returns to the screens – this time the 3D IMAX – with a flashy meditation on the natural majesty of the ocean. Two teams, one of marine biologists and one of NASA researchers, accompany Cameron on a voyage to the Mid-Ocean Ridge to observe how…
Special screenings
Institute of Texan Culture’s Classics of Black Cinema festival heads a long list of upcoming cinematic treats A Century of Black Cinema Celebrate Black History Month at the Institute of Texan Culture’s Classics of Black Cinema festival. Included in ITC’s daily admission price is A Century of Black Cinema, a documentary examining the impact and…
