Treasures á la carte
Golden Wok’s dim sum puts pleasure on plates
The Crème de la W-I-P
The Crème de la W-I-P By Laurie Dietrich Jump-Start and Dance Umbrella celebrate National Dance Month with a choreographers’ showcase Did you know May is National Dance Month? Who decides these things, anyway? Not that there shouldn’t be a month devoted to dance, but why May, particularly? Is this a Mayday, fun-and-frolic connection? Perhaps someone…
Achilles to Olympus: Bring it on
It takes real cash to be Spartan: Brad Pitt plays a bronzed, maxim-spouting Achilles in Wolfgang Petersen’s $175-million toga-and-breastplate fantasy, Troy. Achilles to Olympus: Bring it on By Gregg Barrios Homer’s epic tale gets the Nike treatment “Sing, O Goddess, the anger of Achilles the son of Paleas that brought countless ills on the Achaeans.”…
Scope
“Upside-Downside” by Charlie Morris, is one of a few abstract works in an otherwise overtly political show. The new series, Duped, which contains elements of Pop and surrealism, is on display at REM Gallery in the Blue Star Art Complex through July. Scope By Elaine Wolff Painter Charlie Morris takes aim at our self-deceptions Up…
Monster mash
Hugh Jackman, instead of playing an oppressed mutant, plays a mutant-monster hunter in Van Helsing, a film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. Monster mash By John DeFore ‘Van Helsing’: all the ingredients but none of the taste Back in the golden days of monster movies, one monster was enough. The actors playing them were…
New review
Long-lost Puss in Boots cozies up to Shrek in a charming sequel to the green ogre’s blockbuster debut. New review By Elaine Wolff Shrek 2 With Shrek 2, the creative team that concocted the perfect antithesis to all that saccharine fairy-tale princess crap Disney hawked to a generation of impressionable little girls has left the…
A spider’s hole
Michele, played by Giuseppe Cristiano, is a young boy in the moving kidnapping story directed by Gabrielle Salvatores. A spider’s hole By Steven G. Kellman A young Italian boy confronts the unethical world of adults I’m Not Scared (Io non ho paura) begins much the way that Emanuele Crialese’s 2002 film Respiro begins. At an…
Armchair Cinephile
Armchair Cinephile John DeFore on DVD Bergman’s remedies for blockbuster-itis It’s summertime, folks, and we all know what that means: big, expensive, rollercoaster movies that don’t demand a shred of mental involvement. Some summers, you can ride the coaster without throwing up – the thrills are thrilling and the lack of subtlety isn’t an insult.…
Recent Reviews
Battle of Algiers Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo; writ. Gillo Pontecorvo, Franco Solinas, based on a book by Yacef Saadi; feat. Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Samia Kerbash, Mohamed Ben Kassen (NR) Watching Gillo Pontecorvo’s classic film, The Battle of Algiers nearly 40 years after its initial release is both exhilarating and educational. There is not…
Border woes
Border woes By Abraham Mahshie Underfunded and uncertain, US-VISIT holds more questions than answers Karla Ramirez, a Mexican national, underwent an extensive background check and fingerprinting in order to be declared safe by the United States government. Yet, under the proposed US-VISIT program, Ramirez, who since 1999 has used her laser visa to cross the…
Treasures á la carte
Clockwise from bottom: Ha Goul, shrimp dumpling; Sui My, pork dumpling; Cha Sui Bao, BBQ pork steamed bun; Nor Mei Gai, steamed rice cake with pork sausage and shrimp; Dim Sum fried noodle; Bo Nay tea; and Cha Sui So, BBQ pork pastry (center)(Photo by Mark Greenberg) Treasures á la carte By Ron Bechtol Golden…
Out from under the radar
The Silver Dollar is one of five clubs previously off-limits to Air Force personnel. The Air Force lifted the ban May 12.(Photo by Lisa Sorg) Out from under the radar By Lisa Sorg Five gay clubs no longer off-limits to military For more than a decade, you could enter the Saint or the Silver Dollar,…
Brand name boredom
Cheeseburger, cheeseburger. You can’t go wrong with a cheeseburger, unless you are eating a totally flava-less corporate-tasting concoction at Billy T’s. (Photo by Laura McKenzie) Brand name boredom By Laura Fries Billy T’s specializes in processed fare lacking soul I had always wondered why Billy T’s isn’t more crowded. It’s fully loaded with all the…
Food for thought
Food for thought By Elaine Wolff “It’s not much of an exhibit,” I was cautioned on my way to see Food for Thought, on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art through the end of the month. With a handful of treats by Carmen Lomas Garza, Rupert Garcia, and Andy Warhol, that’s not exactly…
Lavender & Wein
Lavender & Wein Maifest Maifest will be held Friday, May 21 from 7-8pm at Beethoven Halle and Garten, 422 Pereida. Attractions include authentic German food, music, drink, and dance. The festival is hosted by the Beethoven Maennerchor. Free. Info: 222-1521, or hdkriese@swbell.net, www.beethovenmaennerchor.com. Lavender Festival The Lavender Festival will be held Saturday, May 22 and…
Snapshots of selective assimilation
Images from San Antonio native Al Rendon, one of three photographers participating in Transnational Lives in San Antonio, an exhibit opening in June at the Instituto de México. The show documents the culture of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans who “simultaneously keep feet in both worlds.” Snapshots of selective assimilation By Elaine Wolff Images from three photographers…
Sound and the Fury
Sound and the Fury a week on the scene Original sin In recent months, Sin 13 has been dogged by neighborhood complaints that have brought police officers, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commissioners, and the fire marshal to the club. For the last two weeks, the goth-and-electroclash mecca has been forced to operate on a BYOB basis,…
Ice cream spaceship
Irish painter Paul Doran spreads thick, pastel-colored piles of paint across small panels to create abstract dream-scapes. Doran’s work is on view along with sculpture and mixed media work by Jason Rogenes and Hunt Rettig. Ice cream spaceship By Catherine Walworth Finesilver’s new show is delicious and elevating Finesilver Gallery has just unleashed a new…
Shades of Grae
The Roots: hip-hop heroes who’ve become calculating mercenaries Shades of Grae By M. Solis On the Roots’ Okay Player Tour, Jean Grae brings the faith Jean Grae is all about faith. As displayed on her two previous releases, this cerebral, underground hip-hop MC’s rhymes are 21st-century double-dutch couplets that chronicle the parables of modern sistahood.…
Artifacts
Artifacts News and notes from the San Antonio art scene I got a brand new pair of rollerskates, you got a brand new … … key to StoneMetal Press. Studio operators Le Green and Kathleen Baker Pittman are accepting applications for the Keyholder Open Studio Program, which offers printmakers 24-hour access to a Charles Brand…
New year’s resolutions
New year’s resolutions By Gilbert Garcia With their Dallas-based band Bedhead, brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane explored the emotional possibilities of droning, interweaving guitars and dramatic ensemble dynamics. In 1998, they let Bedhead die a noble death, and – along with longtime cohort Peter Schmidt (Funland) – formed the New Year with Come guitarist Chris…
Wheel of feeble fortune
Buttercup’s Joe Reyes, Jamie Roadman, Eric Sanden, and Odie. The band plays every Monday night as part of Grackle Mundys at the Wiggle Room. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Wheel of feeble fortune By Gilbert Garcia Grackle Mundy invites the audience to work without a net The first thing you learn when you arrive at Taco…
Todd plays god
Todd plays god By Rob Trucks Todd Rundgren says that he doesn’t play rock ‘n’ roll (and he’s probably right), but that doesn’t mean his live performances aren’t full-on, highly stylized productions performed for devotees who follow his every onstage move with revivalist fervor. The 55-year-old pop innovator’s current 50-date excursion through America comes as…
