Screens Old clichés never die
They just get made into movies. Exhibit A: Rent By the time Hair made it to the screen, in 1979, the ’60s celebration of bell-bottoms and love beads seemed like a project in Aquarian paleontology. Rent, too, has had a history of aborted adaptations since its first performance on the New York stage in 1996.…
Screens Function follows form
To make a better world, a group of Madison revolutionaries began with the street S.C.A.B., a small art-and-revolution cadre born on the streets of Madison, Wisconsin, may never become a household name, but if it does it will likely be because Brian Standing’s 2000 documentary Pedalphiles (released this fall by Prolefeed studios and available on…
Screens Armchair cinephile
Reeling in the decades Big anniversaries are always considered ample excuse for a new DVD edition of a film, but 20th Century Fox just hit an anniversary trifecta, in which three titles they could have promoted together anyway, as some of the most noteworthy musicals penned by Rodgers & Hammerstein, celebrate their 40th, 50th, and…
Screens Special screenings
But you must eat the gnocchi! Gerard Depardieu and Uma Thurman in Vatel. 17th-century feasting Vatel Dir. Roland Joffé (2000) As an enticing appetizer for the Realm of Illusion exhibit, the McNay Art Museum presents Vatel, the tale of a famous French chef (reportedly the distant ancestor of Bistro Vatel’s Damien Watel) who woos Louis…
Screens That’s a wrap
The low-down on this week’s premieres It’s slim pickin’s at the box office after Thanksgiving as only one wide-release film and one limited-release film hit San Antonio theaters this week. I guess people don’t like going to the movies after gaining a few pounds on cornbread dressing, pumpkin pie, and leftover turkey. Either that, or…
News Party lines
Pie in the sky NASCAR. Major League Baseball. The NFL. Shops and movie theaters and bars and restaurants and condos and hotels. It’s a mind-boggling project that developer Holly Hills has presented, and I’m not sure I believe it. Holly Hills plans to build a sports and entertainment mecca near the SBC Center on the…
Food & Drink How high the moon
If you can get a table, don’t miss the Eclipse Café’s crispy chicken To get into Eclipse at waxing times, you may first have to get in to Eclipse at waning times: The restaurant accepts no reservations unless you’re a “preferred customer.” How do you get to be a preferred customer? Go early and go…
News Speed reads
Medicaid cuts would hurt Texas More than three-quarters of the patients at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital downtown rely on Medicaid to pay for their health care, which made it a fitting backdrop for a press conference called by U.S. Representative Charlie Gonzalez (D-San Antonio) to discuss the proposed Medicaid budget cuts facing Congress. Texas…
Food & Drink Fry ‘em brown
Homemade jelly doughnuts, sweet enough to satisfy a worried soul In telling its history, the doughnut likes to drop names. It slyly mentions that Washington Irving, in 1809, first printed the word “doughnut” in reference to “balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog’s fat.” Though the doughnut recognizes distant cousins in the andagi of Japan,…
News Another war on poverty
Web Exclusive Former Senator John Edwards speaks about America’s underprivileged The deadly winds of Hurricane Katrina exposed the ugly face of poverty in the United States, former Senator John Edwards told an enraptured audience last week at Laurie Auditorium. When bad things happen to poor people, it is harder for them to recover, and poverty…
Food & Drink Meatless in Steer City
More alive by the minute – Raw foodists claim uncooked food gives a body more energy, better skin, and a faster metabolism Who wants to eat between 70 and 100 percent of their food uncooked? Apparently, many people do. A whole industry of restaurants, books, and retailers is developing around the movement, which vows to…
Feature Bitter pills
How will funding changes affect SA’s ability to care for its poorest AIDS patients? When County Judge Nelson Wolff announced that Bexar County’s AIDS funding would soon be under new management, the San Antonio AIDS Foundation had this reaction: “It can’t be worse.” That’s not too surprising, considering the history of the County’s AIDS funding.…
Food & Drink All you can eat
Current Online news politics culture News and notes from the San Antonio food scene The Vivaldi of wines Wines from Becker Vineyards are the centerpiece of a dinner at Francesca’s, 16641 La Cantera Parkway, Thursday, December 8. Reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 7 o’clock dinner. Vineyard owner Richard Becker has recently released…
Arts Goin’ my way?
Urbanhitchhiker.com wants to make the old symbol of freedom the new symbol of responsible urbanites Are you tired of the long wait in morning rush-hour traffic? Would you like to save money on gas, while saving the planet? Look no farther than your personal computer; a new website promises to help you do just that.…
Music Sound and the Fury
A week on the scene Blonk slates Dutch vocalist Jaap Blonk is one of the preeminent sound poets in contemporary avant-garde music, a fearless composer and multi-media artist who uses his voice as an improvisational instrument. On Friday, December 2, the 52-year-old Blonk will perform two sets at the Wiggle Room (2301 S. Presa), one…
Arts Inspiration inverted
Vietnam War. What is it good for? Art and criticism, natch Take something familiar, turn it on its head, and you’ll make a statement. It may be trite to say that all three of Artpace’s newest residency exhibitions are acute reversals, but it is also true that they evoke a potent response in the viewer.…
News Power vacuum
Latino voter turnout, representation hinges on education Texas is one of the nation’s fastest-growing states in Latino population; a third of its citizens are of Hispanic descent. Yet, the state legislature doesn’t look like its constituency; of 173 Texas lawmakers, only 21 percent are Latinos. “Potential has been unrealized,” said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the…
Arts Lost and found in Mexico
Trail of Feathers is the story of one man’s death and another’s redemption Have you read Veronica? a friend recently inquired. No, I said wryly. I haven’t had time to take in Mary Gaitskill’s National Book Award nominee, but I did read the New York Times’ book review. Such are our over-scheduled lives, and so…
Music Mash Notes
Local emcee gets steady rotation in Europe Scott Walsh has called many cities home. Born in Atlanta and raised in Houston, Walsh made stops in Florida, Colorado, Austin, and Corpus Christi before finally settling in San Antonio. The 30-year-old father of two, currently generating international buzz as the emcee Notes, ultimately chose the Alamo City…
Arts Social intercourse
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend It’s official: The Christmas season has begun, as evidenced by the Christmas Tree Lighting in Alamo Plaza the day after Thanksgiving, an event sponsored by H-E-B. As a few of Santa’s elves serenaded the gathering crowd, some of the city’s notable names and faces filtered into the VIP area,…
Music All ears
Both sides of the gift-giving fence God bless the record industry for giving us the boxed set. Not only do they look swell under a Christmas tree, they often eliminate (or at least diminish) the old “does she have this?” dilemma. Sure, Mom may have all of Abba’s albums, but does she have the outtakes,…
Arts In the round
News and notes from the San Antonio theater scene It’s “Holiday Entertainment” time again. Which, of course, still primarily means “Christmas.” If you like more traditional holiday fare, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is once again presenting Octavio Solis’ La Posada Magica, directed by Marisela Barrera. This is the third production of the Guadalupe’s Target…
Music CD Spotlight
Lucky star Writers sometimes refer to Madonna as a rock star, but she’s a pop star all the way. Here’s how you can tell: While rock icons such as Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, Mick Jagger, Joe Strummer, and John Fogerty eventually had to contend with the fact that their sound and sensibility went out of…
Screens Natural born predator
Nontraditional hunting video follows blood trail from Texas to Africa In 2003, while tracking a herd of elephants on 880,000 acres in Zimbabwe known as the Save River Conservancy, San Antonian Razor Dobbs followed closely behind Gordon Duncan, professional hunter and guide for the Shangaan Tribe. It was Dobbs’ third bow-hunting trip in South Africa.…
Music Current Choice
Fake out The world is filled with competent songwriters, but how many of them know the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning? With his song “Greyhound Bus,” Charlie Roadman -leader of the Austin/San Antonio ensemble F For Fake — proves that his command of logic is every bit as sure as his serpentine songcraft. Roadman…
