Review: David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’ peers into the mind of a hitman
Cold, emotionless, calculated. The killer is a man with a set of rules. “Stick to the plan,” he reminds himself. “Forbid empathy,” his internal monologue tells him. “Anticipate, don’t improvise.” But when a job goes wrong and matters get personal, he finds himself abandoning the code he typically lives by. It’s a sort of archetype…
Review: Sweet and simple, ‘The Holdovers’ has the makings of a holiday classic
From the crackles and pops of its retro opening title cards, “The Holdovers” quietly announces itself as a throwback to a bygone era of filmmaking. Countering the sentiment that “they don’t make them like they used to,” director Alexander Payne’s latest is a straightforward, nostalgic type of coming-of-age story about a group of students and…
Legal cannabis job market facing new hurdles
More than 400,000 jobs are supported by the legal cannabis industry, according to a 2023 report conducted by the cannabis job platform Vangst. The metrics of jobs within the cannabis industry are complicated to track. Because cannabis is still illegal at a federal level, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics are barred from counting legal…
Value of Medical Cards Goes Beyond Financial Savings
In Arizona, our medical marijuana program got its start via voter initiative. Proposition 203 was passed by voters in 2010. Arizona voters also passed a medical marijuana law in 1996, but the law was not implemented due to the conflict with federal laws. This slap to the face of democracy led to voters passing the…
‘Into the Spider-Verse’ swings onto the stage
Since slinging its way onto the silver screen on Dec. 14, 2018, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” has captured the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture, the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and the hearts of fans. Fans of the award-winning film can immerse themselves in a new way on Sunday, Nov. 5,…
Liz Phair fetes 30 years of ‘Exile in Guyville’
Singer-songwriter Liz Phair didn’t realize her musical response to The Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main St.” would make the impact it did 30 years ago. Regarded as a “feminist landmark,” Phair’s 1993 debut “Exile in Guyville” is just as meaningful to her. “It’s practically provided me an entire career, if you think about it,” she…
Laughing Stock: Paul Green’s lots more than a clean comic
Fans of Clean Comedy’s Vail Laughs and Marana Laughs will discover a whole new kind of fun when Paul Green comes to their stages this week. A longtime improviser and musician, he brings an interactive dimension to his show. It’s as if Dana Carvey dropped in on “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” but with audience…
Hot Picks Week of Nov. 2
TUCSON FILM FESTIVAL NOV. 2 TO NOV. 5 The Tucson Film Festival opens at The Loft on Thursday then spreads to other venues. Leading off the event is the Arizona premiere of “Kiss the Future,” a feature-length documentary about artists and musicians in Sarajevo during the 1990s siege, and their efforts to persuade U2 to…
It’s all about peace at Cloud Nine
Life is tough. It’s exacerbated by the nightly news, podcasts and talk radio. Even electronics are against us, with its blue lights preventing our brains from settling down. “So many people spend so much of their day in front of a screen, and then they have a screen in their car, and they have a…
Radio: Same as it ever was
Back in the 1980s, I used to write articles for magazines. It required a bit of traveling, something I never really enjoyed. Back then (when there was no internet, no streaming, and limited cable), if you were a music fan and you wanted to stay current, you had two options — MTV and local FM…
May Pang recalls 18 months with John Lennon
When May Pang and John Lennon spent the “Lost Weekend” together, she didn’t — and couldn’t — know they were making history. She captured the 18-month period through her camera lens. She’ll share those photos with fans during a two-day, free exhibition, “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang,” at Anticus in Scottsdale from…
TENWEST returns to make an impact
TENWEST Impact Festival is an exchange of ideas, among entrepreneurs, tech innovators, students, educators, writers, visual artists, community leaders and musicians. Founded in 2015 by Startup Tucson and produced by Ranch House Media each November, this year’s iteration runs from Saturday, Nov. 4, to Friday, Nov. 10. “It’s an impact festival,” said Matt Baquet, lead…
