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FILM 14 Watts No Riot. Funny Games is the feel-bad movie of the year. By ANDY KLEIN.
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10 Degree in Devastation. Is L.A. Unified’s ruin of an Echo Park neighborhood really necessary? By ASHLEY ARCHIBALD.
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FRONTLINES 6 An Academy-worthy Performance. ALAN MITTELSTAEDT observes as City Hall exposes young police recruits to the political facts of life, in L.A.SNIPER.
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EAT 27 Tasty Tradition. Chin Go Gae serves Korean goat dishes with gusto. By RICHARD FOSS.
7 DAYS & LISTINGS 28
8 Bulldozers vs. Community. The battle to save Eco-Village. By JOANNA LIN.
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Co-op Advertising Director Spencer Cooper Music & Entertainment Sales Manager Jon Bookatz
Truth and Consequences. NATALIE NICHOLS looks at recent autobiographies and finds only fiction.
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9 Journalist JACOB WEISBERG talks about the “tragedy” of Bush, the legacy of Buckley, and life online.
Just a Band. DENNIS ROMERO writes that Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is a duo of hip-hop pranksters with a defiant message, in GROUNDSWELL.
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liot Spitzer has exited the public stage, but he leaves plenty of questions behind. We’re particularly interested to learn how the whole investigation fell into place, and what role, if any, political interference may have played in bringing down one of the top enemies of often-wayward corporate America. We know, we read the stories too. An astute banker detected some unusual activity in the New York governor’s accounts and alerted federal authorities. The shuffling of money into shell corporations smelled like kickbacks and political corruption. In the end, surprised FBI and IRS agents followed the money and uncovered a semi-elaborate means to pay for high-end prostitutes. Before it’s all over and Spitzer vanishes from the public light at age 48, we hope to learn the names and ranks of all public officials who played any role in this matter. And don’t dismiss us as your armchair-variety conspiracy buffs. We’re generally wellgrounded in reality and find the official story so far somewhat plausible, but it sure wouldn’t surprise us to learn that a darker side of the Republican Party engineered this scheme to dump one of its most visible and persistent thorns. As attorney general, Spitzer nailed big-name Wall Street thugs and the Gambino organized-crime family with equal vigor. He gained a national reputation. Remember the 2006 race for attorney general in California, when Jerry Brown vowed to stake out similar high ground as Spitzer against environmental and big-business crooks? The Spitzer investigation began last July, a month or so before the resignations of two of the GOP’s most tainted masterminds of political plots to bring down their enemies, Karl Rove and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. We know the AG’s Office signed off on the investigation, which is protocol since it involved a high-ranking public official. But no one is saying what, if anything, Gonzales knew about Spitzer and his prostitutes when he resigned last August. Whatever new and alarming facts emerge in the weeks ahead, the scope of this political and personal tragedy will only come into view when we learn the full extent of Spitzer’s excesses, and how such a public figure expected to hide his secret life from the prying New York media, his security detail – and his enemies. And, we might just find that someone else beat the observant banker to tip off authorities. The demise of a promising political career should trouble us all. If politics influenced the decision to bring him down, that would be more troubling still. ✶
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Nader Truths [Re: Editorial: “Go Home, Ralph,” March 6] Ralph Nader isn’t the problem. The leadership of the Democratic Party is. They have abandoned their base constituency. If either Gore or Kerry had spent as much of their resources attacking GWB as they did against Nader, GWB would never have become president. The reason they go apoplectic by Nader’s actions is that he embarrasses them by exposing them for the phonies they are. They are no less beholden to the corporate interests than the Republicans are. They are not running on a platform that does anything for their constituency. They are just claiming that they will not be as bad as the Republicans. Look at the record. Bill Clinton sold out everybody who supported him. He sold out the gays when he folded on changing the military policy. He sold out the African Americans when he folded on the appointment of Lani Guinier and fired his appointed surgeon general over a minor incident. He sold out labor, and his own party in Congress, when he ramrodded NAFTA and WTO into law against the congressional leadership of his own party. He sold out his base constituency with “welfare reform.” Clinton was more effective in bringing us right wing legislation than Reagan. It is unlikely that any Republican president, even Reagan, could have passed those measures through a Democratically-controlled Congress. With Democrats like Clinton, we don’t need Republicans. While the Democrats keep raving
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about how Nader was responsible for Gore’s loss, they never even mention that it was Ted Kennedy who was most responsible for the “Reagan Revolution.” Reagan was not considered to be strong candidate, but his chances were sharply enhanced when Ted Kennedy split the Democratic Party by challenging a sitting Democratic president, and when he was soundly beaten by Carter in the primaries, he split the party by refusing to support his own party’s candidate. If not for Kennedy’s actions it is unlikely that there ever would have been a “Reagan Revolution.” If Nader doesn’t campaign, who will tell us the truth? SANFORD THIER MARINA DEL REY
Bill’s Wife Syndrome Regarding Joe Bialek’s letter “Change Agent” [Feb. 28], who and where would Hillary be if she had not married Bill Clinton? Certainly not a U.S. senator from New York and certainly not a presidential candidate. KIRK MUSE MESA, ARIZONA
Compulsory Thinking Robert Van De Walle’s letter [Feb. 14] arguing that “our free market provided nearly all educational needs from colonial days until well until the 19th century” looks back to a mythical golden age before government messed things up. In fact, until well into the 19th century, the chilMARCH 13~19, 2008
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dren of well-to-do families went to school, but most children received little or no education at all. Sunday schools were started by some churches to provide rudimentary literacy instruction to poor people, mainly children, who worked in factories six days a week. By the mid-19th century, the campaigns for compulsory public education and against child labor were directly linked to each other. People supported both issues for humanitarian reasons, but what moved government to act was the argument that an industrial society needed an educated work force. It took government regulation to force manufacturers to give up their cheap child labor in order to get better-qualified workers 12 years later. The first compulsory school attendance laws weren’t passed until 1852, in Massachusetts, and New York in 1853. It wasn’t until 1918 that all states had laws requiring children to attend at least elementary school. It wasn’t until the 20th century that most states extended compulsory education laws to the age of 16. From 1900 to 1996, the percentage of teenagers who graduated from high school increased from about 6 percent to about 85 percent. A basic, standardized, free education for all children is part of what makes it possible for a diverse people to function as one nation. It is also an essential element for an advanced industrialized society. If some of that education takes place in religious-based schools or home schools, fine, but government has a crucial role in CITYBEAT 5
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ensuring that all children are educated and in setting minimum standards. The idea that it can happen without laws and public (i.e., tax) financing is just libertarian romanticism based on a selective reading of history. BURT WALLRICH LOS ANGELES
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~ LAW AND DISORDER: THE MAYOR VOWS TO BUST THE BUDGET FOR MORE COPS ~
An Academy-worthy Performance Exposing young police recruits to the political facts of life ~ B Y A L A N M I T T E L S TA E D T ~
IT’S ANNOYING WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE are used as pawns or props or whatever political mischief the 50 uptight police recruits served on Tuesday morning. Watching these 20-somethings stand nearly motionless for more than a half hour, any humanitarian bystander would have wanted to offer them some water and yell out, “Relax, take off the silly hats – and dream on about keeping your job in L.A. in six months.” It seemed demeaning to make these young men and women march around like figures on a war map, but then, wait a minute, that is what’s going on at City Hall right now. The imagery and timing – trans-
lated, the phoniness and calculating nature – of the mayor’s press conference at the police academy in Elysian Park made for powerful theater for Los Angeles, teetering on the brink of financial disaster. You might see your neighborhood library shut down, and the baseball program disbanded at your local park, but dammit, you’ll be safe when you go out at night with nothing to do. Maybe your favorite cop will organize a dominoes tournament at the donut shop. Tuesday morning was a dark time to be having these thoughts. In 90 minutes, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would be attending the funeral of L.A. High School CITYBEAT
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football star Jamiel Shaw. So who could blame him for seeking refuge in the largely make-believe world of the Police Academy field, where sound bites about making good on those better-times promises about hiring 1,000 cops by 2010 overshadowed specifics about where the heck the money would come from to hire hundreds of new cops. And with the killing of 17-year-old Jamiel and a recent toll of other high-profile killings of children, including 6-yearold Lavareay Elzy, who was shot in the head in the Harbor Gateway area and 13year-old Anthony Escobar, killed in Echo Park, the moment seemed right for the mayor to be reassuring about his plans to do whatever it takes to strong-arm any reluctant city council members to keep his police hiring program intact. Councilman Bill Rosendahl, playing the good soldier, said he would support spending money on the new recruits and face whatever consequences that might mean for the city budget. He once again touted his proposal to raise money for the sinking city budget by jacking up parking rates on meters citywide from 25 cents to a buck. The mayor endorsed the idea. “That’s $100 million down and $400 milMARCH 13~19, 2008
go,” said the mayor, in response to Rosendahl’s now familiar theme: “There’s gold in the gutters.” Another idea for you to consider, Bill: Why not increase the fare on downtown DASH buses to $1 for well-to-do passengers and keep it a quarter for students and the downtrodden? Councilmember Jack Weiss, who would walk backwards off a cliff if that’s what it took to keep the mayor’s support for his run for City Attorney, said he, too, would be willing to face whatever budget horrors await his commitment to stay the course on cops. Jack, maybe some extra bucks could be made by turning one-way Olympic and Pico into toll roads. But those poor cadets. They’ll learn soon enough that the tough road ahead includes the obstacle course known as City Hall, and whether the mayor and his council allies can really keep intact their vow to hire 500 more police officers by 2010. It certainly is not a done deal. To get there, the mayor and City Council must come up with a realistic plan to cut $400 million or more from next year’s budget. Layoffs – despite the mayor’s warnings to department heads Wednesday – are nearly impossible to pull off in L.A. because of the unwieldy rules that force out 8 8
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Bulldozers vs. Community Will L.A. Unified live up to its promise to Eco-Village? ~ BY JOANNA LIN ~ THE LOS ANGELES ECO-VILLAGE IS talking up its shared streets project, a county-funded initiative to promote a more livable, communal neighborhood through widened sidewalks and slowed car traffic. But whether people attending the dedication ceremony next Thursday, March 20, are in a festive mood depends on an announcement coming down the night before. Word is expected on a proposed public school that threatens to break apart the very neighborhood the Eco-Village has tried to bring together. The L.A. Unified School District will announce next Wednesday its preferred site for a new elementary school. One of the two sites under consideration includes part of the Eco-Village’s two-block neighborhood, located off of Vermont Avenue. “A kind of organic cohesiveness, a certain kind of neighborhood integrity, would be lost or impaired,” says Lara Morrison, who has lived at the Eco-Village for about a decade, about the would-be school on White House Place. Morrison is not alone in her concerns. Over the past two months, hundreds of community members have attended three meetings with L.A. Unified on the issue. Eco-Villagers and their supporters have written letters to city and school board officials. Nearly 800 people, from Los Angeles to New Orleans to Osnabrueck, Germany, have signed an online petition to save the Eco-Village from eminent domain.
(Sniper cont’d) workers with the least seniority, and then opens up lower-ranking jobs in other departments. It takes so long to invoke the complicated process that saner councilmembers avoid it and wait for the return of grander times. Can you imagine the outcry if 100 well-established city hall staffers got the boot to make room for cadets who had barely filled out their job applications? And, in an upcoming election year with the mayor and City Council fighting for survival? Besides, if the killing slows, it will be much easier to slow the pace of police hiring, too. Let’s just hope the real pawns Tuesday were not young Jamiel, Lavareay and Anthony. Political careers must not be built on their gravestones.
MAD JENNY VS. GO AWAY McCORMACK The solution to Election Day hang-ups that disenfranchise thousands of voters is simple: Do away with single-day voting. It creates way too much strain on the Registrar of Voters, particularly in L.A. County, with its 4,012 precincts. Spread out voting over a week, and the more relaxed pace would help resolve the problems, most of which stem from overwork. An extra benefit: millions more people will vote. But no one called L.A. Sniper to testify at last Friday’s legislative hearing convened by the Senate Select Committee on the Integrity of Elections at the Ronald Reagan state office building downtown. The chair of the committee – State Sen. Jenny Oropeza (D-Redondo Beach) – showed up demanding the head of L.A.
For Robyn Morningstar, the past two out. And I think people really believed, and months have been all too familiar. Her I believed, that … it would be counterhome is among the 32 multifamily and productive to take them out. Why would three single-family housing units that L.A. you go after a group that actually connects Unified would acquire for Central Region to the community, provides assistance to the Elementary School No. 20. It is also among community and gets people involved in enthe homes L.A. Unified considered 21 vironmental issues, particularly children?” years ago. But Tom Calhoun, development man“I have to admit I am very depressed. ager for the district’s central region, has anIt’s really taken its toll to go through this other take on the matter: “In the schoolagain,” says Morningstar, a law librarian who siting business, you never say never.” has lived on South Madison Avenue for 22 In choosing a preferred site for the years. school, Calhoun says L.A. Unified is lookMorningstar is ing to “minimize her neighborhood impacts on the SEE ‘DEGREE OF watch’s block captain, ★ community at all ★ DESTRUCTION,’ PAGE 10 and worries a school costs.” Right now, would devastate her he and his develcommunity. opment team are weighing their options, “We have a stable community; we’ve considering the Eco-Village neighborhood been here a long time,” she says. “We acand another site just one block north. tually know each other – that is somewhat Both proposed sites would use land rare – and yet they’re targeting us.” the district already owns. Whereas the site Morningstar recalled that when L.A. on White House Place would absorb the priUnified came to her neighborhood in 1987 mary center into a 950-seat school, the – bringing with it the White House Place other site, next to Virgil Middle School, Primary Center that now serves 189 prewould create 800 seats and maintain the prischool and kindergarten students – thenmary center. The Virgil site would take school board representative Jackie Goldberg five commercial but no residential proppromised it would be the last time. erties. Goldberg remembers her promise, Some community members have questoo. tioned the district’s need for additional “We did make a commitment to them,” schools at all, citing declining enrollment and deep budget cuts. Calhoun and district she says. “We spent a tremendous amount officials project enrollment climbing by of time negotiating with them, working it
2014, and say they are building for the long-term needs of the community. Not everyone agrees what is in the community’s best long-term interests. “Looking at long-term needs, 50 to 100 years, we definitely need another school,” says Caroline Sim, the city’s assistant project manager for the Hollywood and Central Region in the Community Redevelopment Agency. “At the same time, I personally don’t know if another school is needed in the area.” There are four elementary schools in addition to the primary center in the area. Frank del Olmo Elementary School is one block west of both proposed sites. Sim says the Beverly-Vermont community has not seen its share of the city’s rampant redevelopment and that another school would hinder such efforts, which she says have so far only come from the Eco-Village. “That area needs other kinds of redevelopment,” she says. “I don’t know if having a school in an area that’s been kind of stagnant is a good idea for redevelopment as a whole for the neighborhood.” Sim credits L.A. Unified for listening to the community and looking at a number of site options for the school. She says the Virgil site best appeases the community and the CRA. City Councilmember Eric Garcetti has endorsed the Virgil site for having a lower impact on the community than the White House Place site. ✶
County’s ex-registrar Conny McCormack, who oversaw the office in the run-up to the election. In her opening remarks, she said her office was preoccupied with recertifying the InkaVote voting machine and overlooked the troubled, double-bubble ballot. The same ballot was given to people who registered as non-partisans, but wanted to vote in the Democratic or American Independent primaries. For their ballot to count, these voters needed to fill in a bubble at the top, noting their party selection. A fair number of voters, Secretary of State Debra Bowen testified, don’t even know the difference between an independent, which the non-partisans are, and members of the American Independent Party. In her cross-examination, Mad Jenny Oropeza would have none of Go Away McCormack’s excuses about running out of time.
stood at his podium and chided board members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for refusing to meet with him to review the $80 million, 10-year contract to install turnstiles at Red Line subway stations and some light-rail stations. Too bad Reed didn’t hire a lobbyist. Lobbyist Barna Szabo rang up a tab of $7,500 in the final three months of 2007 schmoozing the Metro board on behalf of turnstile operator Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. Not a huge amount of money, but considering Cubic was the only firm in the running and there was only one opponent of the plan from day one, board member Richard Katz, you’re left wondering what Szabo did to earn his keep. Turns out, his biggest challenge didn’t crop up until the new year when former MetroLink honcho Richard Stanger unloaded on the turnstile project and questioned nearly every assumption made by Metro about its cost and safety. Then Szabo stepped in: “My hope was to see if we could calm the waters.” Unfortunately for opponents, his style centers on hard work and countering every argument. His arsenal doesn’t include the sleazy tactics often associated with lobbyists. “No dinners, no gifts, no tickets,” says Szabo. “All they get from me is information, e-mails and faxes, and if that doesn’t do it, the heck with it.” Good enough. But board members still should have given Reed and other opponents more of their time. ✶
Mad Jenny: “Did you go back to the county board of supervisors for additional assistance to get the other work done that you thought was necessary?” Go Away: “Let me … .” Mad Jenny: “Did you or did you not?” Go Away: “We were all putting in 12-hour days.” Mad Jenny: “I’m asking if you asked for additional support. I want to know where the buck stops. Did you go to the supervisors to ask them for help?” Go Away: “Senator.” Mad Jenny: “Yes or no?” Go Away: “I would like to answer with more than a yes or no.” Mad Jenny: “As long as yes or no is in the answer.” CITYBEAT
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Go Away: “The election process is extremely complex. It’s not like you go out on the street and get help and have 20 people come in who don’t know anything about the process. We have hundreds of people in the registrar’s office – all of whom were working very hard to make this February 5 election go off as well as it did. It’s not something where you can say, ‘Let me have some help,’ and in comes the cavalry. It doesn’t work that way in an election.” Mad Jenny: “You said you were stretched thin, and therefore did not go through what you acknowledge now was a necessary evaluation? You’re saying only the people you have are qualified to evaluate that kind of change? Is that your testimony?” Go Away: “I won’t have you do that to me. You’re trying to put words in my mouth.” Mad Jenny: “I’m just asking you what the judgment of your department was.” Go Away: “I just gave it to you.” It got pretty heated, with the women talking over one another. At one point, state Sen. Ron Calderon, a Montebello Democrat, tried to restore calm, saying he thought Go Away McCormack had already answered Mad Jenny’s questions. He was ignored. Showing he’s a fast learner, acting elections chief Dean Logan fared much better under the wilting crossfire of Oropeza. When asked if he would ask the Board of Supervisors for help if he runs into a similar problem with the June election, Logan, without hesitation, said yes.
BUYING ACCESS TO THE METRO BOARD Two weeks ago, transit advocate Bart Reed
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Send ammo or insults to BigAl@lasniper.com.
The journalist on the ‘tragedy’ of Bush, the passing of Buckley, and watching from the Internet THE BUSH PRESIDENCY IS NEARLY AT an end. And George W. Bush sounds nearly as anxious as anyone else to see him with his feet up back home in Crawford, Texas. As Clinton, McCain, and Obama battle to be his successor, many have now begun to look back at the Bush years. Not with nostalgia but, in many cases, with utter disbelief, as he leaves behind an unfinished war, a broken Republican Party, and long-term damage to his country’s reputation. With his public approval ratings stuck in the low-30s, it’s difficult for anyone beyond the ideological GOP base to call Bush’s two terms a wild success. Journalist Jacob Weisberg presents his own vivid analysis in a new book, The Bush Tragedy (Random House), wherein the Bush saga is given Shakespearean dimension. It is G.W. as Henry V, keeping his father’s influence at bay, operating recklessly, tragically. Weisberg, the editor-in-chief of Slate, first saw Bush up close while covering the 2000 presidential race, where he witnessed a candidate alarmingly “incurious” and “aggressively ignorant.” If the scale of Bush’s failures surprised even his toughest critics, the roots to a Bush “tragedy” were already well established, and the repercussions will be felt by the rest of us long after he leaves the Oval Office in January. –Steve Appleford
CityBeat: How did you end up with the word “tragedy” in regards to George W. Bush? Jacob Weisberg: It’s trying to give the story a Shakespearean dimension. I’m saying it in the sense that there is a poignant human drama and a dynastic story. There is more depth to Bush’s failure than a lot of people think. Would you describe it as a human-sized tragedy, or a national tragedy? It’s a global tragedy, in the sense that Bush has done such harm to America’s status in the world, and American power and prestige. It’s been harmful to America’s interests and also global interests in a lot of ways. But there’s some range there. I think there’s a personal tragedy, a family tragedy, and a national and international one. Do you think he has any awareness of this? Yes. But I don’t know how much denial he’s really in. I think he has this way of coping that basically keeps the reality of how unsuccessful his presidency has been at bay. He’s very focused on the issue of historical vindication now. He’s making constant indirect references to that – in terms of his reading and talking about Truman. He is clearly very focused on finding some sort of vindication, including this desperate lastminute attempt to broker some Mideast peace agreement, which seems very unlikely. He certainly recognizes that he’s unpopular and poorly regarded. Do I think
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he accepts himself that he’s failed? No. Does he have a lot of help in avoiding that kind of acceptance? I think so. The presidency is a very isolating job. Presidents get progressively more isolated over time. They don’t do a tremendous amount to fight isolation. It can end up overwhelming them. And I think he’s done very little to resist it. He’s surrounded himself with yes-people and has indicated very little interest in hearing the other side, and hearing negativity and being challenged. Wouldn’t you say there’s a little bit of tragedy in most presidencies? That’s a fair comment. There haven’t been a lot of wholly successful presidencies ever. You obviously have the Kennedy tragedy in that he was assassinated, the Lincoln tragedy. But even with the presidencies that didn’t end in an obvious tragic way, there’s some element of poignancy – tragedy that goes beyond the sort of balance sheet of what was right or wrong. Some presidents really lacked that dimension too. I don’t think the Carter presidency had any tragic dimension – he was just kind of an unsuccessful president. Bush’s father was neither a successful nor tragic figure – he was just kind of a mediocre president. I don’t think his presidency did have that depth. What about Bill Clinton, who was very popular when he left office, but did so with a certain amount of shame? There’s a lot of that sense about the Clinton presidency – that he squandered so much of his position at the end with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. It was impressive how much he was able to do, and how much he fought back from that. Although he was a successful president in a lot of respects, he couldn’t elect a successor. And, depending on what happens with Hillary, I think he would consider it a tragedy if Clintonism didn’t go beyond his own presidency. When you covered Bush in 2000, what did you MARCH 13~19, 2008
notice about him – and were you surprised by the kind of president he turned out to be? In the largest sense, I wasn’t surprised. Though I thought he was likeable in many respects, I didn’t think he had the capacity to be a good president. He was too incurious, too aggressively ignorant about things, and I didn’t think he was likely to have the substantive understanding about issues you absolutely need in this age to be president. In another sense, I was surprised. I thought he would be a much more centrist figure. He was a centrist governor in Texas: he had a lot of Democratic support, he tried to govern from the center. I thought he’d try to do the same thing as president. I was surprised that he governed from the right as much as he did. Where does Vice President Cheney fit into all this? I think [Bush] probably does feel pretty betrayed by Cheney. How explicit he’s been about that, I don’t know. But Cheney has clearly lost the biggest part of his influence in the White House in the last year or two, and I definitely get the sense that Bush has soured on him and doesn’t trust him the way he did. Nixon once called George Herbert Walker Bush “the kind of person you appoint to things.” Is that the kind of thing George W. was rebelling against – the polite, patrician side of the family? Very much so. He’s really molded himself in opposition to his father, both in terms of his personality and approach and his way of making decisions, and also in terms of substantive issues – particularly in foreign policy. He’s really defined his own worldview in opposition to his father. Is part of the “tragedy” that George W. kept his father at arm’s length when he really could have used his advice? I think so, in that the father was really trying to get through to him. Particularly on the eve of the war, and when the war was going badly, he was really trying to reach the son with some advice. He was in a tricky position. He didn’t want to foist it on him.
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But the son just wasn’t interested in hearing anything from his father. One way of describing the tragedy is the son set out to vindicate the family by repudiating his father’s policies. He ended up making his father look like a much better president, but has probably brought the family dynasty to an end. Any thoughts on the passing of William F. Buckley? Yes, I knew Buckley a little bit. He came off as a tremendously appealing figure, partly because he had this tolerance for his opponents and because he took pleasure in political debate. But also because he was such a polymath and took pleasure in so many different parts of life – he could be a political pundit, but not have his life totally defined by politics. In that sense, he’s a model for political journalists. I once watched him being interviewed on Hannity & Colmes, and it was interesting to see him struggle to get down to the level of Sean Hannity. He was intellectually serious, and he followed his own views to their conclusion. He ended up opposing the war, and he was for drug legalization. He was the opposite of an ideological Republican as we know them now. He didn’t take the position that reflexively worked best for the Republican Party. He was a principled conservative. Every election cycle, the Internet seems to grow more important in terms of how we elect presidents and deal with the press. How has it worked out this year? I first started covering a presidential campaign for Slate in 1996, which is right after we started. That year and every presidential election since, I’ve said this is the year that the presidential election will be defined by the Internet. And this time it may actually be true! [Laughs] The biggest thing that has happened is that the political conversation has really moved online. If you’re not online, there’s really no way to participate in the big political conversation in this country. ✶
PHOTOGRAPH BY OSCAR ZAGAL
~ THE VILLANUEVAS GIVE LOW MARKS TO THE STALLED SCHOOL-BUILDING PROGRAM ~
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Degree in Devastation Is L.A. Unified’s ruin of an Echo Park neighborhood really necessary? ★ BY ASHLEY AR CHIBALD
JAMES VILLANUEVA AND HIS FATHER RECLINED ON their lawn chairs, taking in the view from the front porch of their Echo Park home. They chatted idly over the newspaper spread out over Antonio Villanueva’s lap. Muted traffic noise from nearby Alvarado Street could barely be heard above the sounds of life in the four homes behind them, where they lived with 10 other family members. For nearly three decades, this modest property near Dodger Stadium had been home for various members of the immigrant family. Two men showed up that day bearing news that would shake up the lives of the Villanuevas and dozens of others in their neighborhood. They were officials from the Los Angeles Unified School District, and they had come to talk money. On the spot, they offered Antonio Villanueva $700,000 for his property. Other folks on the block heard similar offers. This was to be the site of L.A.’s newest elementary school. Word of a new school had filled the rumor mill along these hilly streets for months. The latest rumblings that Antonio Villaneuva had heard suggested the campus would be built a few blocks down, near Clinton Street. Talk filtering out of community meetings said nothing about it moving to their block, or that it might gobble up the property that the Villanuevas shared with their 10 cousins. But now James and his father wondered if they had missed a crucial update. After all, the school district officials had scheduled the two-hour meetings at the inconvenient time of 4 p.m., when James, his brother Jesus, and his father were all at work. On this day nearly four years ago, Antonio chose not to believe that these men posed any threat to him and his family. Leaning over to his son, Antonio said, “They’re stupid. Let’s just wait and see what happens.” A year later, the family was served an eminent domain notice that they would be evicted from the house in which they had lived for 26 years. They ended up moving around the block, and have now joined other Echo Park community members engaged in a legal battle entering its third year over the massive swath of 49 mostly modest stucco homes that the school district has swallowed up in this once tight-knit neighborhood. Declining elementary school enrollment and fierce local opposition raise questions not only about the dis-
trict’s tactics in the name of its aggressive building program, but whether the upheaval in the neighborhood was even necessary. It’s hard to imagine that voters – if they could have known about the ruin it would mean for dozens of families here – would have generously approved three bond measures, totaling nearly $10 billion. The seized homes have now stood empty for two years, falling into disrepair and acting as a magnet for homeless vagrants and drug users. In an attempt to keep out unwanted visitors, the windows and doors of every home have been shuttered, but ineffectively so. Holes in the wood and glass show where intruders have breached the flimsy defenses in search of copper wire and other building materials, or just a place to sleep. The area is cordoned off by a chain-link fence covered in black plastic, that taggers have covered in spray paint, giving it the flavor of a third world city. The area is full of the ghosts of happier times, when extended families lived together and worked to build the neighborhood into a safe and vibrant place for their children and grandchildren. Today, there is only desolation, with the neighborhood serving as a battlefield on which L.A. Unified is fighting residents who are insisting that might does not equal right. The battle’s already claimed serious casualties. Many of the older ex-residents, some struggling with diabetes and other illnesses, could not physically or financially persist in the defense against the school district’s onslaught. Many families abandoned ship early in the conflict, leaving carefully maintained homes to be overrun with weeds and rot, shingles falling and drainage pipes hanging askew. The former residents have scattered, some relocating to Riverside, where experts hired by the school district assured them they could find comparable housing to that which was taken from them. Some abandoned the area altogether. Relocation checks, required by eminent domain law in California, were sent as far as Ecuador. One woman recently saw her former place of employment – the Ambassador Hotel – devoured by the school district, and now lost her home, too. “Now we’re looking at an area that’s blighted, empty,” says Mitch O’Farrell, district director of constituent services for City Councilmember Eric Garcetti’s office.
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“It’s a disgrace.” One of the project’s early backers, former school board member for District 5, David Tokofsky, thinks so, too. “One thing you can feel free to ream the school district on is the condition of the site today.”
THE NUMBERS GAME In 2004, Tokofsky helped usher in this plan for the contested site, known as site 9A. Armed with new bond money and overcrowded school conditions, Tokofsky and the other board members began the push to build a school in Echo Park. The goal, he says, was to relieve two overcrowded elementary schools in the area, Rosemont and Union. Voters had passed three bonds by this point, Measure BB, Measure K, and Measure R – worth $9.6 billion. A fourth, Measure Y, would be passed in 2005. To the school district, it totaled a voter-given mandate to continue construction. “The mayor lost his housing bond, but if you ask people in this town if we should be building schools, they said yes four times,” Tokofsky says. Maybe, replied the Echo Park community, but only if that school is needed. Opponents of the new school organized themselves into the Right Site Coalition, headed up by Elysian Heights resident Christine Peters and represented by attorney Robert Silverstein. Together with the Echo Park Historical Society and several of the displaced former residents, they went to court to challenge the project. The coalition recently won an appeal to stop the bulldozing of the abandoned homes and businesses, while the second of two lawsuits continues in court. The project, expected to start in 2005, has been delayed now for more than two years. “We have argued for the last three or four years that this school project is not needed. And despite the propaganda from LAUSD, we know from LAUSD’s own internal demographic studies that the school age student population is plummeting,” says Silverstein. The decrease of elementary school-aged students is at the heart of the coalition’s argument. All of the local elementary schools are losing students at a rapid rate, to the point that the principal of Rosemont Elementary was campaigning to solicit new students to fill empty desks
and classrooms for the last school year. According to L.A. Unified, Rosemont lost 487 students between the 2002-2003 and 2006-2007 school years. Union Elementary, another facility that the Echo Park school is meant to relieve, lost more than 738 students. Two more schools close by, Elysian Heights and Clifford Elementary have only 268 and 174 students, respectively. Of Elysian Heights’s 25 classrooms, only nine are in use. But neither of these underused schools are appropriate relocation choices in the eyes of the school district. “The idea is to build a neighborhood, not to increase public transportation use or school buses,” Tokofsky says. If you want a neighborhood school, Tokofsky says, you must put one in the Echo Park neighborhood. And, although the demographics look as though they’re decreasing now, the problem of overcrowded schools that was so endemic in Los Angeles has not gone away, it’s just not as bad as it was, Tokofsky says. Just because enrollment isn’t as high doesn’t mean it’s low enough. “It’s like saying less people are being born in Calcutta,” he says. “[Enrollment changes have] decreased from a Rosemont of 1,700 to 1,000. That’s not a happy, bucolic nirvana.” The school planned for site 9A is meant to relieve five elementary schools in the area: Commonwealth Elementary, Union Elementary, Rosemont Elementary, Lafayette Primary Center and Lake Street Primary Center. Of these five schools, three are on what the district calls a 4-track calendar, meaning that school is in session year-round, but teaching different kids. The district expects elementary enrollment to increase again in the near future, and if that is the case, Rosemont and Lake Street would also be forced back onto a 4-track school year. The problem with 4-track is simple, Tokofsky says. Kids don’t learn. A 4-track elementary school system means that the school year is 163 days long versus the usual 180. The lost 17 days are made up by lengthening the school days. The problems spring from the fact that school stops every 10 weeks to allow new students to come in. The schools only have enough books for one set of students at a time, so those students who’ve already had 17 fewer days to retain the information can’t reinforce it at home: They have to turn their books in every 10 weeks. When the kids come back, they aren’t coming back to the same classrooms, which limits the teachers’ abilities to make a safe, consistent learning environment. “If you were trying to teach children that everything in life is transitory, that’s a good thing to do. We don’t need to be Bedouins,” Tokofsky says. Christine Peters spearheaded the Right Site Coalition, and while she agrees that a 4-track school system won’t do anybody any favors, she says that the rhetoric the school district is putting forth concerning “neighborhood” schools contradicts the school-relief plan the district has laid out. “Union and Commonwealth are in Koreatown. It’s not anywhere near Echo Park,” she says. “There is no way to justify other than through LAUSD logic, how those schools are going to benefit by building a school in Echo Park.” For that matter, if 1,000-person schools are so abhorrent, why is the Echo Park facility being envisioned to hold over 800 students? “That’s the thing, the whole jargon of LAUSD. They argue that they want small neighborhood schools for our children,” Peters says. “If you don’t want children going to a 900-seat school, why are you building one in Echo Park?”
TAKING ON L.A. UNIFIED The lines that delineate the boundaries of site 9A hew the neighborhood in half. Occupied houses share fences with homes that have been abandoned now for years. From her place on Santa Ynez Street, Gloria Delgado can easily see the shuttered windows. She’s lived there since the 1960s, like many of the residents who were forced out. “I’m just so glad they didn’t take my home,” she says. “I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Others, like Ana Baragan, weren’t so lucky. She and her family moved into the neighborhood in the late ’80s when it faced another set o f urban ills. She would find broken syringes in the alley behind her house, left by the gangs that prowled there in the night. She and her neighbors took action. They petitioned and got signatures to close down the alleyway, and organized a neighborhood watch to keep the area safe. “We bought the house thinking it was the house we were going live in for all our lives,” she says. So the Baragans joined the 15 other families to fight the encroaching school district. They had all heard similar pitches from the district’s men offering them money.
And it wasn’t only financial advice they shared. Recalls James Villanueva: “They said, ‘[Your neighbors are] not going to get far because you can’t win against the state. Whoever’s doing that is just going to take your money, you’re better off just settling.’” They were told that their wages would be garnished and that they might get less for their property if they fought the takeover. Many residents caved under the pressure. They just didn’t see it coming, Peters says. “They were never part of the notification because they were never in the search area. We community volunteers had to go doorto-door and tell people they had just been selected as this preferred site and they had never been involved in the community process.” Residents of site 9A felt cut out of the decision-making process, says Mitch O’Farrell, district director of constituent services for Councilmember Eric Garcetti’s office. “This exact site was decided upon at a fifth public meeting and it was presented for the first time as an option at that meeting. It was a hybrid location as part of a previously considered location along with additional blocks,” O’Farrell says. “The people who actually lived at the selected location were not part of the meeting because they felt that the option had already been disqualified.” By the time the community was informed, what became known dispassionately as site 9A had already been given the dubious honor of “preferred site” status, Peters says. Their only hope was to rally the community and go to one of the school district meetings and speak out against what they considered an unnecessary seizure of their homes. Unfortunately for them, the speakers’ roster had already been filled by proponents of the school. Not one dissenting voice was heard at the meeting. “The day of the school board meeting, we started getting calls from people saying we don’t get to speak publicly,” O’Farrell says. “The district organized the speakers that day for the hearing and they were all in favor.” The school began to appear to be a juggernaut that the community couldn’t stop; they could only get out of the way. “People got scared,” Jesus Villanueva said. “The tactics they were using, you can’t say they’re illegal, but they were bad business practices.” As the school board prepared to approve the request for eminent domain, the community was kept in the dark. All notices sent to the primarily Spanish and Tagalogspeaking neighborhood were in English. The documents were posted in other languages at the local library. Meetings were held during or immediately after many residents got off from work, so attendance was poor. Even when they could get to the meetings, the Villanuevas say, their complaints went unheard. “They have to go through the motions so they can say they’re letting us speak. But they’re not hearing us,” James Villanueva says. “Even when you can show up, they don’t make it easy. We were told that they weren’t there to answer our questions, just to let us say how we feel.” Even that wasn’t easy much of the time. James showed up promptly for what was supposed to be a school board meeting, only to find that it had been postponed for Superintendent Ray Romer’s retirement party. He was asked to come back later that evening. In the face of opposition, the school district points out that even people in Echo Park voted for Measure K, the bond that is funding this project. James Villanueva certainly did. “I voted for them to get more money, but I didn’t think it was going to be like that. You would think it’s for education, but it doesn’t actually work out that way,” James says. “It was supposed to go for the kids to get better equipment and Internet and stuff, and they’re not going to get it.” The move wasn’t easy on anyone. To stay in the area and make payments on the second mortgage they had to take out on their single house, the Villanueva sons had to take second jobs. James works as a graphic designer fulltime and a carpenter on the weekends, and Jesse repairs cars on the side after he finishes his work as a diesel mechanic. The third brother, Gasper, is an accountant. Their father, Antonio, was on the verge of retirement before the costs associated with the house forced him to return parttime as a jeweler. “We are all busy, and hardly have anytime right now for ourselves and family,” James writes in an e-mail. Ana moved into her new home in Sylmar two years ago when the school district forced her out of her place in site 9A. The Baragans were among the last families to leave after a long fight that ended with an eviction notice. Despite the time that’s passed, she is still feeling the loss of her life CITYBEAT
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in Echo Park. “I looked through the window of my new home and I felt like crying,” she says.
DREAMS OF MOVING HOME AGAIN Looking back on that first meeting of 15 families at La Fonda, a restaurant that would also be demolished in less than a year, Jesus Villanueva remembers how terrified they felt. Fighting L.A. Unified in court would take money and time, which could be used to rebuild their lives elsewhere. “We don’t even know how things work, but we weren’t easily scared, and that was our thing,” he said. “They can’t do this.” The Right Site Coalition’s first lawsuit against the school district was not filed to challenge the eminent domain – that is an impossible suit. Instead, their lawyer, Robert Silverstein, decided that he would insist that the district follow the letter of the law on the construction, whatever that may mean in terms of delays for the opening. The first point of contention was the California Environmental Quality Act. By California law, all major construction projects are required to go through the Environmental Impact Report process, an intensive look at the effects of the project on the environment, economy, and resident quality of life. The school district had not prepared an EIR for the site, so Silverstein sued to force them to do so in 2005. That round lasted through December 2006 when the court decided in favor of the Right Site Coalition, stripping the school district of its rights to build until they filed an environmental report. The second lawsuit was filed in reaction to that EIR. “That report was so shoddy and done with such bad faith that we sued again,” Silverstein said. That suit began in July 2007 and is yet to be resolved. However, as this second lawsuit began to wind its way through the courts, the school district decided to take action on the site that it now legally owned. In July 2007, bulldozers began knocking down the two commercial properties, La Fonda Restaurant and a tire store. It was the Villanuevas who first saw the bulldozers and ran to call Peters and Silverstein. By then, the two commercial properties were gone and the bulldozers had turned toward the houses. Silverstein immediately sought an emergency injunction to force L.A. Unified to wait out the contested EIR lawsuit before knocking down any more homes. The first court refused, but last month, an appellate court handed down the emergency order Silverstein had been looking for. “The Court of Appeals stepped in, agreed with us, and stopped the demolition. It came down with the decision that the trial judge had made a mistake, and the homes are protected for now,” Silverstein says. Tom Calhoun, L.A. Unified’s development manager for the central region, sees the lawsuits as unnecessary and ultimately fruitless delays. “We own the land, we’re going to build the school,” he says. One of the main points of contention over the EIR is that the school district is a self-certifying agency that has the power to approve its own decisions. The EIR that was prepared for the school district was approved by the school board. As the district waits for the lawsuits to end, the clock ticks closer to 2010, the projected opening of the school. The clock is also ticking on the school district’s budget. Already, with the rising costs of construction materials, the district has been forced to cut funds to 18 other schools it plans to build in other areas. To finish all the schools as planned, the district would need another $1.2 to $1.8 billion, Calhoun says. It doesn’t help that the Echo Park School acts as a constant drain on the district’s cash pool. “We’re suffering damages to the tune of $110,000 a week because it’s been languishing in this state for about a year,” Calhoun says. Even if the Right Site Coalition wins in court, there is no guarantee that the families could get their properties back, even if they wanted to. The homes appear mostly unsound after standing empty for over two years. “It would be an amazing thing if we could get the school district to admit that times have changed and the need has changed and that this isn’t the time to be building a school there. We would have to acknowledge that because of their intentional neglect of the properties, a lot of them will not be salvageable at this point,” Peters says. The Villanueva family now lives around the block and, as much as Antonio Villanueva dreams about it, moving home again isn’t likely. After all of the court cases and time and money spent on winning against the district, they were never actually fighting to win back the rights to their property. Unless, of course, they wage yet another fight and prove wrong the school district lawyer who paid them a visit a year or so ago. “We asked him if we could buy our property back if they don’t build a school there. He said no,” James says. “My dad was fighting to stay.” ✶
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Watts No Riot ‘Funny Games’ is the feel-bad movie of the year ~ BY ANDY KLEIN ~ ~ AUSTRIAN PREMISES: NAOMI WATTS PREPARES FOR TORTURE IN MICHAEL HANEKE’S FILM ~
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AVE YOU EVER BEEN TAUNTED BY a bully? (I’ll assume you have, at least once in your life.) And, the angrier you got, the more it encouraged him, because, after all, his entire motivation was to push your buttons? You had the choice of passively accepting humiliation or escalating a hopeless situation. Well, any masochists out there who are feeling the pull of nostalgia for such moments can rejoice! For the mere price of a movie ticket, you can relive those rancid memories … by subjecting yourself to Michael Haneke’s Funny Games. Those of you who have followed the Austrian director’s career will recall that he made a movie called Funny Games 11 years ago. His new film bears the same title, because it is a more-or-less shot-for-shot remake, except with an English-speaking cast this time around. Yes, in Haneke’s mind, it’s a film so nice, he had to make it twice. To a healthy human mind, however, it’s one of the most repugnant, unpleasant, sadistic movies ever made. No matter what virtues of craft one can find within, no matter what themes lie beneath, Funny Games is aesthetically indefensible. When the German-language version was released here in 1999, I was given a VHS copy – how last century! – which I found so thoroughly unpleasant that I shut it off after about a half hour. My job at the time didn’t require that I be the one to review it: This was one of perhaps a half dozen times in 20 years that I bailed on a film, and the only time I’ve ever bailed that early. The plot of Funny Games couldn’t be simpler or more linear. Ann (Naomi Watts) and George (Tim Roth) are a wealthy couple driving to their palatial vacation house with their prepubescent son Georgie (Devon Gearhart) and their big friendly dog. They run into a neighbor, who is accompanied by two overly polite young guests named Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet). The neighbor’s manner seems stilted and ill at ease. Shortly thereafter, Peter arrives at the door, saying his hosts have sent him to borrow a few eggs. Ann obliges, but he breaks one set of eggs … and then another … all the time apologizing fulsomely and being more and more presumptuous. Ann finally loses patience and asks him to leave, but he refuses and keeps apologizing. When both George and Paul show up, things escalate into actual physical violence, and the family begins to realize that these guys are psychopaths, who find only one thing more enjoyable than inflicting physical pain – and that’s total psychological humiliation. At this point we’re about 25 minutes in, and the re-
maining hour and a quarter simply elaborates and intensifies what has already transpired: Always oozing preppy, upper-class gentleness of manner, Peter and Paul are two cool cats worrying their three captive mice for the sheer pleasure of it. There is some suspense, as we wonder whether one of the family will manage to escape or contact the police, but even that is part of the sadistic game Haneke is playing on the viewer as surely as Peter and Paul on their victims. There are three or four moments when Haneke has characters break the fourth wall, in essence reminding us that this is a movie. In some movies, such breaches serve to let the audience off the hook. But here – particularly in the final such scene – they only remind us that these “funny games” are rigged; the filmmaker wants us to suffer, and our natural hopes of relief are laughably naive. It is bizarre and extraordinary that an American studio – even an art house division like Warner Independent Pictures – would make such a relentlessly unsellable film. Presumably the participation of Watts – who is also listed as a producer – got it greenlighted. But, Watts notwithstanding, it’s hard to imagine anyone being eager to see Funny Games, and harder to imagine even the most devout fan of “torture porn” digging it … though it’s interesting to ponder what Haneke’s reaction would be to the latter.
FILM Indeed, the movie is clearly intended to be some kind of indictment of Hollywood violence and the audience’s seemingly inexhaustible hunger for ever-escalating shocks. Haneke would probably feel both appalled and vindicated if a viewer got pleasure from it: “See? I was right: you’re unthinking sheep who revel in blood without any sense of the real-life consequences!” Haneke wins either way: If, like me, your reaction is anger at the filmmaker, well, then he’s done his job. He meant to push your buttons, and push them he did … like the bully in the first paragraph. And the realization that he will feed off your most outraged condemnations can only make you angrier, thus feeding him more. I should mention that, in between his two versions of Funny Games, the director has made a series of first-rate movies – including Time of the Wolf, Code Unknown, and Caché – that often deal with similar issues, but in a more conventional and satisfying way. The brilliant Caché likewise forces a comfortable, bourgeois family to confront the violence they have been complicit in creating – both specifically and as a matter of class. It has one moment CITYBEAT
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of sheer jump-from-your-seat violence, which is all the more effective for being in contrast to what surrounds it. But now I begin to wonder whether, for the last decade, Haneke has been applying his talent to more “acceptable” work just to get a chance to remake Funny Games in English. In a recent L.A. Times interview, he said that the movie was always “intended for an English-language audience because the subject matter – the consumption of violence – is most prevalent in English-language filmmaking … . Because the [original] film was in German it just didn’t reach the audience for which it was intended.” Interestingly, the passage of time has added a new, more urgent layer of subtext: The invasion of the two young men could be read as a metaphor for the U.S. behavior in the Middle East. The intruders are “nice,” seemingly well-intentioned, polite, and impossible to stop. They begin with small acts of provocation that eventually cause a response – which they then use to justify their subsequent mayhem. That may be interesting … but it doesn’t make me want to change my assessment of the film. Watts is terrific, the other actors do excellent work, and the movie was shot by Darius Khondji (Delicatessen, Se7en), one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers to have emerged in the last two decades. But their work is all in service of making the audience feel bad with no redeeming positive quality. There are few things that freak me out more than when I feel I may be sounding like Michael Medved, whose philosophy and priorities I deplore. I’m not a knee-jerk happy-face critic, nor do I believe that there is some golden “single goal” that all films must meet. Movies can provide knowledge; they can provoke laughter, cleansing tears, excitement, crystallized reality, intellectual stimulation, transcendent moments of emotional catharsis, fresh perspectives, and a finite number of other worthwhile reactions. Few films do all, but I do believe that a work of art has to serve at least one of these many goals. Not on my list is “rubbing the audience’s noses in a hopeless world of shit” – which is all Funny Games comes up with. ✶
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Funny Games. Written and directed by Michael Haneke. With Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, and Devon Gearhart. Opens Friday citywide.
SCOTT GREEN
AMERICA’S #1 MOVIE!
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AN ADRENALINE RUSH FROM START TO FINISH.
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CARRIE KEAGAN, NGTV
~ JUSTIFIABLE PARANOIA: ALEX (GABE NEVINS) SEEKS SOLITUDE IN THE WILD ~
Paranoid Angels Two indie auteurs take different approaches to high school melodrama
NOW SHOWING - CHECK DIRECTORIES FOR LISTINGS
~ BY ANDY KLEIN ~ A
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F THE TWO FILMS FROM Warner Independent Pictures opening this week, Snow Angels is the more upbeat, lighthearted offering … only because the other one is Funny Games (see Film feature on page 14). In any other context, this new drama from David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls) would seem, well, downbeat and heavyhearted. The first scene might actually make you think you were watching a comedy: The members of the world’s worst high school marching band, having just butchered Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” are being upbraided by their decidedly odd coach (Tom Noonan): “Do you feel it? Do you have a sledgehammer in your heart?” Some of the kids, including trombonist Arthur (Michael Angarano), try to suppress giggles, but suddenly all mirth disappears when they all hear a gunshot in the distance. We leap back four weeks: Arthur’s parents (Jeannetta Arnette, Griffin Dunne) are splitting up, which adds to his standard-issue teen angst. He’d rather hang out at the restaurant where he works as a busboy. Among the waitresses there is Annie (Kate Beckinsale), on whom he’s had a crush ever since she was his babysitter. Annie is a newly single mom, doing her best to look after Tara (Grace Hudson), her four-year-old. Annie has thrown out her husband, Glenn (Sam Rockwell), who attempted suicide a few months earlier and is clearly still unstable. Glenn has become so pathetic (and scary) that it’s hard to imagine how Annie hooked up with him in the first place. (Annie’s explanatory line – “He used to make me laugh” – is one of the film’s few hackneyed moments.) He gamely takes on a low-rent job and finds solace in religion, but nothing less than rejoining his wife and daughter will satisfy him … and that’s not going to happen. While all the adults seem incapable of successful romantic couplings – there’s lots of cheating going on – Arthur gets his first real girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby). That’s the only sign of hope on screen, as the rest of the characters head inexorably toward the gunshot incident that began the film. Snow Angels is a well-meaning, well-crafted drama – its interweaving of adult and adolescent storylines is a bit reminiscent of Ang Lee’s The Ice
Storm, but transpiring in a far less affluent milieu. The characters are nicely drawn, but at the end it’s hard not to wonder just what the point was. Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park has some similar plot points, but is far more intriguing. Except for his few truly commercial efforts (Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester), Van Sant has always had a taste for experimentation. Paranoid Park is stylistically related to Elephant and Last Days and (thank goodness) qualitatively closer to the former than the latter. Alex (Gabe Nevins) is part of the skateboarding crowd at his Portland high school. When a railroad security guard is killed and the police find evidence linking it to a skateboard, Alex becomes convinced that Det. Lu (Dan Liu) considers him a suspect. Early on, Alex’s voiceover narration apologizes for telling the story out of order, but he’s trying to get it down on paper as well as he can. And so the film – always closely tied to his POV, proceeds out of order, sometimes backtracking and repeating earlier scenes that take on far different import in a new context. Van Sant manages to draw us into his protagonist’s world much more intimately than Green, partly thanks to cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who has created other hypnotically involving subjective worlds for, among others, Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love) and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe). Paranoid Park has much less plot activity going on than Snow Angels, yet stays longer in your memory. Like Elephant, it’s a triumph of style and mood over story. ✶ Snow Angels. Directed by David Gordon Green. Screenplay by David Gordon Green; based on the novel by Stewart O’Nan. With Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Jeannetta Arnette, Nicky Katt, Amy Sedaris, and Olivia Thirlby. Opens Friday at The Landmark West Los Angeles and Pacific’s Arclight. Paranoid Park. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Screenplay by Gus Van Sant; based on the novel by Blake Nelson. With Gabe Nevins, Jake Miller, Taylor Momsen, and Dan Liu. Opens Friday at The Landmark, Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Laemmle’s Monica 4, and Laemmle’s Town Center 5.
MARCH 13~19, 2008
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fectly satisfying, if not jump-up-and-down brilliant. (Andy Klein) (Citywide)
ICON
…ALL IN THIS TEA
“DISTURBING!”
A por trait of a man obsessed, this documentary follows tea exporter David Lee Hoffman as he journeys through the hills and valleys of China, devoting his life to searching out the greatest tea leaves the country’s farms have to offer. Jovial and energetic, he’s a fine ambassador for the myriad smells and tastes of the world’s most popular beverage ... and just why are we watching this? The best that can be said for …All in This Tea is that it certainly makes one thirsty, yearning for that inviting liquid swirling in those tiny cups, but filmmakers Les Blank and Gina Leibrecht can’t quite spin one man’s passion for subtle delicacies into cinematic gold. Hoffman is eloquent and obviously well-traveled: He’d be a fabulous guide, no matter where in the world you found yourselves. Ironically, for a man who can traipse up and down miles and miles of tiny mountain trails, Hoffman simply can’t carry an entire movie on his shoulders. (Joshua Sindell) (Laemmle’s Grande 4)
Ben Mittleman’s emotionally naked documentar y about his 2000 open hear t surger y appears more cathar tic for him than for us, failing to transcend in the manner of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking or Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Cancer. But Mittleman, who shot the film himself, is an honest chronicler of his own miser y, cr ying into the camera and rolling tape on his therapy sessions and post-op difficulties. Brave and resilient, the former actor succeeds in putting an ever yman face on challenges that seem cosmically unfair even if, to some degree, it’s the fate of us all. Mittleman is haunted by his violin-playing father’s identical mitral valve surger y in 1966, and Ben’s ordeal doesn’t spare him from tending to other ailing family members, including his mother Anne and his longtime girlfriend Valerie. But Mittleman overestimates our interest in ancillary friends and family members, which slows things down and diver ts focus from the main characters. Because there are no atheists on a pre-op gurney, the Long Island-born Mittleman rediscovers his Judaism (“bringing the big guns to the table”) and tries to curr y favor with the karma police by handing a homeless man $10 while driving to the hospital. Faced with his own mor tality, of course, Mittleman has a right to cope the best way he sees fit, including turning on a video camera. Inevitably, he wants to know, “Why me?” But, courageously exposing his fears without politicizing or angling for pity, he’s too self-aware to think there’s an answer. (Mark Keizer) (Laemmle’s Music Hall 3)
“HORRIFYING!” Time Out New York
“TERRIFYING!” The New York Times Magazine
“SHOCKING!” UGO.com
MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes – Text FUNNY with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)
STARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 14 µ WEST LOS ANGELES The Landmark at W. Pico & Westwood 310/281-8233 www.landmarktheatres.com FREE PARKING
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CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES.
A“ delightful champagne cocktail of a comedy!” LEAH ROZEN, PEOPLE
P ure romantic
“
fantasy!
Amy Adams and Frances McDormand make a great pair!” CARINA CHOCANO, LOS ANGELES TIMES
ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER
ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE
FRANCES MCDORMAND
AMY ADAMS
MISS P ETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY
DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO!
Every Woman Will Have Her Day.
PREMIERE ENGAGEMENTS NOW PLAYING! µ HOLLYWOOD ArcLight Hollywood at Sunset & Vine 323/464-4226 4 hours validated parking -$2 µ BEVERLY HILLS Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 323/692-0829 #209 4 hours on-site validated parking only $2.00.
µ CENTURY CITY AMC Century 15 310/289-4AMC 3 hrs free parking. Additional 2 hr parking $3.00 with AMC validation. § SANTA MONICA AMC Loews Broadway 4 800/FANDANGO #706
BEAUFORT As a small group of Israeli soldiers prepare to evacuate the old Crusader castle known as Beaufort, effectively putting an end to 18 years of Israeli occupation of Lebanon, the real human cost of the war begins to manifest itself. The soldiers, led by a young Liraz Liberti (Oshri Cohen), are not necessarily of one mind, par ticularly on the subject of retreat, giving a provocative richness to their interactions that emphasizes the human over the didactic and political. But war is still war, even in its waning days, and the increasing bombardment of Hezbollah mortars promises to make the occupation’s final hours ever y bit as dangerous and deadly as its first. That the Oscar-nominated film practically drips with authenticity should be no surprise – writer/director Joseph Cedar is both an Orthodox Jew and a veteran of the very war he depicts on screen. He is also a supremely talented storyteller and filmmaker, getting the ver y best, not only from his fine cast, but from his t echnical contributors. The eerie widescreen photography vacillates between the claustrophobic and the agoraphobic, capturing the maddening sense of being trapped in a cage on a sprawling plain. On the downside, the picture is a bit overlong and occasionally too preoccupied with details that don’t necessarily translate beyond Israeli borders – disputed or otherwise. But the achievement remains enormously impressive, head and shoulders above the usual “guys at an outpost” scenario that has been a part of the cinematic war vernacular since the silent era. (Wade Major) (Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, Laemmle’s Town Center 5, Laemmle’s One Colorado)
µ WEST LOS ANGELES The Bridge Cinema De Lux 310/568-3375 µ SHERMAN OAKS ArcLight Sherman Oaks at the Galleria 818/501-0753
∂ ALHAMBRA Edwards ∂ CORONA Edwards Corona ∂ LONG BEACH Edwards Long µ ORANGE Cinemark Century £ § SANTA BARBARA Paseo Nuevo Renaissance Stadium 14 Beach Stadium 26 Cinemas Stadium 25 800/FANDANGO #913 Cinemas 805/963-9503 Crossings Stadium 18 800/FANDANGO #438 800/FANDANGO #148 800/FANDANGO #1723 ∂ SANTA CLARITA § PALM SPRINGS Camelot ∂ ALISO VIEJO Edwards Edwards Canyon Country Theatres 760/325-6565 § LONG BEACH ¥ COVINA AMC Covina 30 Aliso Viejo Stadium 20 Stadium 10 Cinemas United Artists Marketplace µ PASADENA Pacific’s Paseo 626/974-8600 800/FANDANGO #116 800/FANDANGO #509 Stadium 14 626/568-8888 #206 800/FANDANGO #124 µ FOOTHILL RANCH ∂ ANAHEIM HILLS Edwards Regal Cinemas Foothill SIMI VALLEY Regal Cinemas µ § MANHATTAN BEACH µ RANCHO MIRAGE Cinemark Anaheim Hills 14 Civic Center Stadium 16 Pacific’s Manhattan Village Towne Center Stadium 22 Century 15 @ The River 800/FANDANGO #117 800/FANDANGO #164 310/607-0007 #056 800/FANDANGO #135 760/862-9997 ∂ BREA Edwards Brea ∂ MISSION VIEJO µ GLENDALE Mann 10 § REDLANDS Krikorian’s Redlands µ VENTURA Cinemark Century Stadium 22 Cinemas Downtown 10 805/641-6500 Edwards Kaleidoscope Theatres at The Exchange Cinema 14 909/793-6393 800/FANDANGO #120 Stadium 10 Cinemas 818/549-0045 £ § VICTORVILLE Cinemark Movies 10 µ RIVERSIDE Regal Cinemas 800/FANDANGO #149 § BUENA PARK HUNTINGTON BEACH £ 800/FANDANGO #1182 Riverside Plaza Stadium 16 Krikorian’s Metroplex 18 ∂ MONROVIA Krikorian’s Cinemark Century 20 800/FANDANGO #1722 ∂ WEST COVINA Edwards 714/826-7469 Monrovia Cinema 12 Bella Terra 714/895-3456 West Covina Stadium 18 ¥ ROLLING HILLS AMC 626/305-7469 ¥ BURBANK AMC ∂ IRVINE Edwards Westpark 800/FANDANGO #171 Rolling Hills 310/289-4262 Burbank 16 818/953-9800 Cinema 8 800/FANDANGO #144 ∂ NEWPORT BEACH § WEST HILLS Laemmle’s ¥ ROLLING HILLS ESTATES Regency Lido Cinema CAMARILLO µ LA HABRA Fallbrook 7 818/340-8710 Regal Cinemas The Avenue 949/673-8350 Regency Paseo Camarillo Regal Cinemas La Habra Stadium 13 800/FANDANGO #158 ∂ WESTLAKE VILLAGE £ ¥ ONTARIO AMC Ontario Cinemas 805/383-2267 Marketplace Stadium 16 Mann Village 8 805/379-2299 Mills 30 909/484-3000 § SAN CLEMENTE Krikorian’s 800/FANDANGO #145 µ CHATSWORTH Pacific’s San Clemente Cinema 6 ¥ WOODLAND HILLS AMC ∂ ONTARIO Edwards Ontario Winnetka Stadium 21 ∂ LA VERNE Edwards 949/661-7469 Promenade 16 818/883-2AMC Palace Stadium 22 818/501-5121 #095 La Verne Stadium 12 800/FANDANGO #153 800/FANDANGO #146 µ CLAREMONT ¥ ORANGE AMC 30 At The Laemmle’s Claremont 5 § LANCASTER Cinemark 22 CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES THIS ENGAGEMENT Block 714/769-4AMC 909/621-5500 800/FANDANGO #1103
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Attention movielovers: For more on this extraordinary film and others like it, visit – a new place for movielovers.
Dr. Seuss’s goofy, but extremely faithful, elephant Hor ton (voice of Jim Carrey) becomes the guardian of Who-ville, an eensy-eensy-beansy world located on a speck of pollen (or something) on a flower. A meddling marsupial (Carol Burnett) convinces the other animals of Nool that Horton is bonkers, eventually hiring vulture Vlad (Will Arnett) to steal the flower. Meanwhile, the mayor of Whoville (Steve Carell) also risks being labeled crazy for communicating with the big pachyderm in the sky. This latest animated version of Dr. Seuss’s second Hor ton book – Chuck Jones did a wonderful short version back in 1970 – benefits from a terrific voice cast. The computer animation is less faithful to Seuss’s distinctive style, except for a couple of brief inserted sequences. Technically the animation is often impressive: directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Mar tino make sure we see both mist and splashing water early on. Carrey is par ticularly good, with many of the best lines sounding improvised. For adults, the funniest sequence may the deliberately ill-dubbed anime-like mar tial ar ts fantasy. The whole is per-
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DYING TO LIVE: THE JOURNEY INTO A MAN’S OPEN HEART
FLASH POINT Hardboiled cop Ma (Donnie Yen) and undercover partner Hua Sheng (Louis Koo) tr y to bring down three crime-lord brothers (Ray Lui, Collin Chou, Xing Yu) by any means possible. Yen (Hero, Wing Chun), who also served as action choreographer, reteams here with director Wilson Yip for what feels like an unofficial sequel to their powerhouse 2005 SPL (a.k.a. Kill Zone). After a good opening fight scene, the first half of the film slows down for too much not-very-inventive plot material. But then the action picks up again, climaxing in a huge and riveting chase/gunfight/martial arts sequence, with Yen and Chou (The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions) beating the living crap out of each other. (Michael Haneke would be appalled by how much pleasure I got from it.) Outside of the fights, the film is by the numbers, but it’s an okay set of numbers to be guided by. Kent Cheng and Fan Bing Bing costar. (Andy Klein) (Regency Fairfax; ImaginAsian Theatre, 251 S. Main St., downtown L.A., 213-6171033. Theimaginasian.com/la)
twists and turns to avoid cliché ... and generally succeeds. Still, while being completely watchable, there’s ver y little about Little Chenier that isn’t as old as the swamp itself. (Joshua Sindell) (Laemmle’s Sunset 5)
NEVER BACK DOWN Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) has a bad habit of getting into fights. Thanks to YouTube, his reputation follows him to Florida, where the family has relocated so his little brother can attend a tennis academy. Naturally, the boss (Cam Gigandet) of the local fight club wants a piece of him, while both of them want a piece of a hot blonde named Baja (Amber Heard). But Jake’s too wild and untamed to have a chance at either … unless he lets a retired mixed-mar tial ar ts champion (Djimon Hounsou) teach him a thing or two. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this deplorable pile of tricked-up trash is basically rehashed Karate Kid for the UFC/Fight Club generation, jazzed up with Fast and the Furious attitude. Faris seems to have been cast precisely because he recalls a young Tom Cruise, and ever yone else has been cast because they have either ripped abs or perky boobs. Avoid at all costs and send a message to the cowards who greenlight junk like this. (Wade Major) (Citywide)
SLEEPWALKING Joleen (Charlize Theron) is a single, broke mom, who dates truckers and pot dealers; her idea of good parenting is moving sleeping 12-year-old Tara (AnnaSophia Robb, a tense blonde with stern eyebrows and a pointed chin) out of the bedroom before boning her latest onenight stand. Homeless, she invades the squalid digs of her construction-worker brother, James (Nick Stahl), and then ditches, leaving him with Tara, a note, and a promise to come back in a month. And then things get really bad, as the desperate uncle and niece hit the road and tr y to find safe haven with ... Dennis Hopper?! For his directorial debut, Bill Maher – no, not that one – traffics in Cinema du Miser y: Ever y plot point is a punch in the gut, and we crawl away empty. Zac Stanford’s screenplay works only as data in support of Murphy’s Law. The great tragedies star men and women railing against the dying of their dreams, but Stanford and Maher give us three simple grunts, who can’t see beyond the next sunrise. The movie’s only achievement is its detailed and oppressive gloom. In the course of an afternoon, the weather turns from snowstorms to fierce sunshine and back, depending on which feels worse. Just as rapidly, Maher decides it’s time to put this film out of our misery with a nonsensical pat ending. His big idea is that Today can be the First Day of their New Lives. Which leads to two questions: What was wrong with yesterday? And: Are you kidding me? (Amy Nicholson) (Pacific’s ArcLight, AMC Centur y 15, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Pacific’s ArcLight Galleria)
LITTLE CHENIER Down in a Louisiana bayou, troubled Beaux (Johnathon Schaech) runs a bait shop and cares for his mentally disabled brother, Pemon (Fred Koehler), in the absence of their gadabout parents. The pair live in a small Cajun community, where ever yone’s up in one another’s business, but order is maintained by genial sheriff Kline Labauve (Chris Mulkey), whose son, Carl (Jeremy Davidson), shows none of the old man’s smar ts or good qualities and nurtures a lifelong dislike for both Beaux and his brother. When a neighbor’s calf turns up mutilated, newly promoted lawman Carl suspects Pemon is to blame, despite all evidence to the contrary. Twisting justice for his own ends, Carl eventually finds a reason to throw Pemon in jail, where the latter is severely beaten, throwing Beaux into a desperate and defiant rage to restore law and order in a community that prides itself on its laissez-faire standards. Adapted from Jace Johnson’s shor t stor y, director Bethany Ashton Wolf’s film nicely evokes the heat and leisurely pace of life in the bayou, but le bon temps never quite roule in Johnson’s melodrama, which grows increasingly heated and high-pitched. We’re clearly in Tennessee Williams and John Steinbeck countr y here, but with a plot that takes
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10,000 BC The hunter-warriors in Roland Emmerich’s prehistoric epic may not climb astride saber-toothed tigers for their intercontinental journey over snowy mountains, through steamy jungles and across sandy deserts, but they come close, and they might as well have. Although the filmmakers “never intended for 10,000 BC to be a documentar y,” they take poetic license to a ridiculous degree in this tale about unlikely leader D’Leh (Steven Strait) and blue-eyed beauty Evolet (Camilla Belle), whom he pursues to the ends of the earth, in order to save her from marauding slave traders. There is some interesting commentar y on the fluidity of prophecy here, but it’s buried within the continuing ludicrousness, both anachronistic and logical: D’Leh and his tribe speak modern English; shaggy-haired woolly mammoths aid the building of pyramids in the hot African desert; and would-be rescuers freely enter and escape prisons where thousands of slaves are held. Authenticity isn’t the point here, but there’s a limit. Both Jurassic Park and last March’s record-breaking 300 are touchstones for the action (although production on this project did predate the latter), but despite wowing special effects, 10,000 BC is just,
well, boring. A better template would have been Apocalypto, which at least vied for historical (and linguistic) accuracy and still at turns crackled with tension and pounded with excitement. But then Apocalypto barely cracked $50 million, hardly satisfactory for the $885-million-grossing Emmerich. (Annlee Ellingson) (Citywide)
THE UNFORESEEN Often contrasted favorably to Davis Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth, documentarian Laura Dunn’s poetic exposé on the development of Austin, Texas, her hometown, layers beautiful imager y – of both natural and urban landscapes – over a stor y of ambition and greed. With no voiceover or inter title narration – and no identification of the talking heads during the opening – it’s unclear at first what Dunn’s subject even is. The problem continues as the film reaches a false climax early on, revisiting an inspiring all-night community meeting in the 1970s that saved Austin’s natural hot Barton Springs from a massive suburban development upriver. It was only a temporar y victor y for the environmental movement, however, after sympathetic governor Ann Richards was replaced by one George W. Bush, and the real-estate industr y hired power ful lobbyist Dick Brown, whose face is obscured during an inter view, as he assembles model warplanes. With a cursor y and unsatisfactor y description of the Savings & Loan crisis of the 1980s, the confusion continues with the bankruptcy trial of vilified developer Gar y Bradley (who, to his and Dunn’s credit, gives a for thright and at times even moving inter view) and draws biological analogies to blood-vessel growth and cancer. While unfocused, The Unforeseen is ultimately also too narrow. Although the filmmakers – executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford among them – claim their subject is a microcosm of similar struggles taking place in communities across the countr y, The Unforeseen lacks the universality – nay, the global view – of the Gore por trait. (Annlee Ellingson) (Nuar t)
ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: Doomsday. Twenty-five years after the deadly Reaper virus is contained in a quarantined Scotland, it resur faces in London. Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, and Adrian Lester head the government team sent into the Hibernian no-man’s-land to look for a cure. Neil Marshall (The Descent) directs his own script; the cast also includes Alexander Siddig and Malcolm McDowell. (AK) (Citywide)
SHOWTIMES March 14-20 Note: Times are p.m., and daily, unless otherwise indicated. All times are subject to c hange without notice.
BURBANK AMC Burbank 16, 140 E Palm Av, (818) 9539800. 10,000 B.C. Fri 10:50 a.m., 12:10, 1:35, 3, 4:20, 5:50, 7:15, 8:40, 10:05, 11:35; Sat 10:50 a.m., 1:35, 4:20, 7:15, 8:40, 10:05, 11:35; Sun 10:50 a.m., 12:10, 1:35, 3, 4:20, 5:50, 7:15, 8:40, 10:05; Mon-Tue 1:55, 3:15, 4:40, 6:05, 7:15, 8:45, 9:55. The Bank Job Fri-Sun 10:55 a.m., 1:40, 4:25, 7:10, 9:55; Mon-Tue 2:40, 5:30, 8:20. Be Kind Rewind Fri 11:55 a.m., 2:30, 5:05, 7:45, 10:30; Sat 3:10, 5:50, 8:25, 11; Sun 11:55 a.m., 2:30, 5:05, 7:45, 10:20; Mon-Tue 1:40, 4:05, 6:50, 9:15. College Road Trip Fri-Sat 10:50 a.m., 1:10, 3:30, 5:55, 8:15, 10:45; Sun 10:50 a.m., 1:10, 3:30, 5:55, 8:15; Mon-Tue 1:30, 3:40, 5:50, 8, 10:15. Doomsday Fri 10:30 a.m., 12:45, 3:25, 6:05, 9, 11:50; Sat 12:20, 3:15, 6:05, 9, 11:50; Sun 12:30, 3:15, 6:05, 9; Mon-Tue 1, 3:35, 6:10, 8:50. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri 10:30 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 12:55, 1:30, 3:15, 3:55, 5:45, 6:20, 8:10, 8:55, 10:35, 11:20; Sat 10:30 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 12:55, 1:30, 3:20, 3:55, 5:45, 6:20, 8:10, 8:55, 10:35, 11:20; Sun 10:30 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 12:55, 1:30, 3:20, 3:55, 5:45, 6:20, 8:10, 8:55, 10:35; Mon-Tue 1:10, 1:50, 3:25, 4, 5:40, 6:20, 8:10, 8:40, 10:30. Funny Games Fri-Sun 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:35, 7:25, 10:10; Mon-Tue 1:25, 4:10, 6:55, 9:30. Metropolitan Opera: Peter Grimes Sat only, 10:30 a.m.
Metropolitan Opera: Peter Grimes - Encore Sun only, noon. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri-Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:35, 10; Mon-Tue 1:05, 3:20, 5:35, 7:50, 10:10. Never Back Down Fri 10:35 a.m., 1:25, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15, midnight; Sat-Sun 10:35 a.m., 1:25, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15; Mon-Tue 1:45, 4:30, 7:20, 10:05. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sat 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:50, 7:40, 10:40; Sun 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:50, 7:40, 10:30; Mon-Tue 1:35, 4:15, 7, 9:40. Penelope Fri 10:40 a.m., 1:05, 3:20, 5:40, 8:05, 10:25; Sat 10:40 a.m., 1:05, 3:25, 5:40, 8:05, 10:25; Sun 4:15, 7, 9:20; Mon-Tue 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:05, 10:25. Semi-Pro Fri-Sun 11:50 a.m., 2:15, 4:40, 7:05, 9:30; Mon-Tue 2:35, 4:50, 7:05, 9:20. Vantage Point Fri-Sun 11:20 a.m., 1:45, 4:10, 6:35, 9:05; Mon-Tue 2:05, 4:20, 6:35, 9:10. AMC Burbank Town Center 8, 210 E Magnolia Bl, (818) 953-9800. Call theater for titles and showtimes. AMC Burbank Town Center 6, 770 N First St, (818) 953-9800. 10,000 B.C. Fri 2:20, 5:10, 8, 10:50; Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m., 2:20, 5:10, 8, 10:50; Mon-Thur 2:40, 5:20, 8. College Road Trip Fri 2:10, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10; SatSun 11:50 a.m., 2:10, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10; MonThur 2:25, 4:35, 6:50, 9. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sun 12:15, 2:40, 5:05, 7:30, 9:55; Mon-Thur 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45. No Country for Old Men Fri 1:15, 4:05, 7:05, 10; Sat 11:05 a.m., 2, 4:50, 7:40, 10:30; Sun 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:40, 7:25, 10:10; Mon-Thur 1:45, 4:40, 7:25, 10:10. Step Up 2 the Streets Fri noon, 2:25, 4:45, 7:15, 9:45; Sat-Sun 11:55 a.m., 2:15, 4:35, 7:05, 9:30; Mon-Thur 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8, 10:20. Vantage Point Fri-Sat 12:40, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55, 10:20; Sun 12:40, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55; Mon-Thur 1:10, 3:25, 5:40, 7:55.
CULVER CITY, MARINA DEL REY The Bridge: Cinema De Lux & IMAX Theater, The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, 6081 Center Dr, Westchester, (310) 568-3375. 10,000 B.C. Fri 11:45 a.m., 1:25, 2:25, 4:05, 5:05, 6:45, 7:45, 9:25, 10:25, midnight; Sat 10:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:25, 2:25, 4:05, 5:05, 6:45, 7:45, 9:25, 10:25, midnight; Sun 10:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:25, 2:25, 4:05, 5:05, 6:45, 7:45, 9:25, 10:25; Mon-Thur 11:45 a.m., 1:25, 2:25, 4:05, 5:05, 6:45, 7:45, 9:25, 10:25. The Bank Job Fri 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:25 a.m.; Sat 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:25 a.m.; Sun 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45. College Road Trip Fri-Sat noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7, 9:20, 11:30; Sun-Thur noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7, 9:20. Doomsday Fri-Sat noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10, 12:25 a.m.; Sun-Thur noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri noon, 12:30, 1, 2:15, 2:45, 3:15, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 9, 10, 11:15, 12:15 a.m.; Sat 10:15 a.m., 10:45 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1, 2:15, 2:45, 3:15, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 9, 10, 11:15, 12:15 a.m.; Sun 10:15 a.m., 10:45 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1, 2:15, 2:45, 3:15, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 9, 10; Mon-Thur noon, 12:30, 1, 2:15, 2:45, 3:15, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 9, 10. Easter in Bunnyland Sat-Sun 10 a.m. Funny Games Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 2:05, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50, 12:25 a.m.; Sun-Thur 11:30 a.m., 2:05, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50. Jumper Fri-Sat 7:45, 10:05, 12:25 a.m.; Sun-Thur 7:45, 10:05. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri 12:50, 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50, 12:05 a.m.; Sat 10:30 a.m., 12:50, 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50, 12:05 a.m.; Sun 10:30 a.m., 12:50, 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50; Mon-Thur 12:50, 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50. Never Back Down Fri 1:15, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:20 a.m.; Sat 10:30 a.m., 1:15, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:20 a.m.; Sun 10:30 a.m., 1:15, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Mon-Thur 1:15, 4:15, 7, 9:45. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:30 a.m.; Sat 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:30 a.m.; Sun 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45. Semi-Pro Fri-Sat 12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:25, 11:45; Sun-Thur 12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:25. U2 3D Fri-Sat 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30, midnight; Sun-Thur 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30. Vantage Point Fri-Sat noon, 2:25, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40, 12:05 a.m.; Sun-Thur noon, 2:25, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40. Culver Plaza Theatre, 9919 Washington Blvd, (310) 836-5516. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Fri-Sat 11:55 a.m., 4:25; Sun 11:55 a.m., 4:25, 9:30; Mon-Thur 4:25. The Band’s Visit Fri-Sun 12:10, 2:05, 3:55, 6, 7:50, 9:45; Mon-Thur 12:10, 2:05, 3:55, 6, 7:50. In Bruges Fri-Sun 12:20, 2:35, 5:05, 7:30, 9:40; Mon-Thur 12:20, 2:35, 5:05, 7:30. Jodhaa Akbar Fri-Sat 4:30, 8:30; Sun-Thur 1:30, 6:30. Jumper 11:40 a.m., 8:05. Juno Fri-Sat 2:20, 7:05, 9:35; Sun-Thur 2:20, 7:05. No Country for Old Men Fri-Sun 2:30, 7:20, 9:50; Mon-Thur 2:30, 7:20.
The Spiderwick Chronicles 12:15, 5:10. Step Up 2 the Streets Fri-Sat noon, 2:25; Sun 10; Mon-Thur 11:55 a.m. There Will Be Blood Fri-Sat 1:30, 5:05, 9:55; SunThur 1:30, 5:05. Loews Cineplex Marina Marketplace, 13455 Maxella Av, (310) 827-9588. Call theater for titles and showtimes. Pacific Culver Stadium 12, 9500 Culver Bl, (310) 855-7519. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sun noon, 1:25, 2:50, 4:25, 5:25, 7:20, 8:20, 10, 11; MonThur 1:20, 2, 4:25, 5:25, 7:20, 8:20, 10. The Bank Job Fri-Sun 2:55, 5:35, 8:10, 10:50; Mon-Thur 2:50, 5:35, 8:10, 10:40. Be Kind Rewind Fri-Sun 1:40, 4:35, 7:15, 9:45; Mon-Thur 1:50, 4:35, 7:15, 9:45. College Road Trip Fri-Sun 11:35 a.m., 2:15, 4:55, 7:10, 9:40; Mon-Thur 2:20, 4:55, 7:10, 9:40. Doomsday Fri-Sun 2:35, 5:15, 8:05, 10:45; Mon-Thur 2:30, 5:15, 8:05, 10:35. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sun 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2, 3, 4:30, 5:30, 7, 8, 9:30, 10:30; Mon-Thur 1, 2, 3:20, 4:30, 5:40, 7, 8, 9:30, 10:20. Never Back Down Fri-Sun 1:45, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10; Mon-Thur 1:40, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sun 1:20, 4:05, 7:05, 10:15; Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:05, 7:05, 10:15. Semi-Pro Fri-Sun 12:05, 2:45, 5, 7:25, 9:50; MonThur 2:10, 5, 7:25, 9:50. Vantage Point Fri-Sun 12:25, 2:40, 5:20, 7:45, 10:05; Mon-Thur 1:05, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:05. UA Marina, 4335 Glencoe Av, (310) 823-1721. 10,000 B.C. 10:50 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 1:30, 2, 4:10, 4:40, 7:10, 7:40, 9:50, 10:20. The Bank Job 11:40 a.m., 2:30, 5:10, 7:50, 10:30. Doomsday 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 5, 8, 10:40. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! 9:40 a.m., noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:40. Never Back Down 11 a.m., 1:50, 4:30, 7:30, 10:10.
Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex, 345 S Figueroa St, (213) 617-0268. 10,000 B.C. Fri 5, 7:30, 9:55; Sat-Sun 1:45, 5, 7:30, 9:55; Mon-Thur 5, 7:30. All in This Tea Fri 5:30, 7:45, 10; Sat-Sun 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10; Mon-Thur 5:30, 7:45. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri 5:10, 7:20, 9:20; Sat-Sun 1, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:20; Mon-Thur 5:10, 7:20. Vantage Point Fri 5:40, 7:50, 9:55; Sat-Sun 1:20, 3:30, 5:40, 7:50, 9:55; Mon-Thur 5:40, 7:50. Magic Johnson Theaters, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4020 Marlton Av, (323) 290-5900. Call theater for titles and showtimes. University Village 3, 3323 S Hoover St, (213) 748-6321. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sat 12:30, 3, 5:30, 8, 10:30, 12:45 a.m.; Sun-Thur 12:30, 3, 5:30, 8, 10:30. College Road Trip 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sat 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45, midnight; Sun-Thur 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45. The Savages Fri-Sat midnight.
HOLLYWOOD
17
l
HIGH PRAISE FOR “THE
MOST ENTERTAINING HEIST MOVIE IN YEARS!” Richard Roeper, AT THE MOVIES WITH EBERT & ROEPER
THIS
“NOW IS THE WAY TO MAKE A , CRIME THRILLER! IT’S
SLICK LIGHTNING-FAST, IT’S THE REAL DEAL!” IT’S
Jeffrey Jeffrey Lyons, Lyons, NBC/REEL NBC/REEL TALK TALK
“THE
BEST
CAPER MOVIE TO COME OUT IN A LONG TIME AND ONE MOVIES OF THE OF THE YEAR!”
BEST
“HAS EVERYTHING ADULT ACTION FANS
COULD WANT.
IT MAKES THE OCEAN’S FILMS LOOK LIKE CHILD’S PLAY.” Michael Sragow, BALTIMORE BALTIMORE SUN SUN Michael Sragow,
“WICKEDLY
THRILLING!” Craig Outhier, Craig Outhier, ORANGE ORANGE COUNTY COUNTY REGISTER REGISTER
“MASTERFUL!” Kevin Kevin Crust, Crust, LOS LOS ANGELES ANGELES TIMES TIMES
BEST MOVIE
“THE OF THE YEAR!”
Scott Scott Mantz, Mantz, ACCESS ACCESS HOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD
ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, 6360 Sunset Bl, (323) 464-4226. Be Kind Rewind Fri-Tue 11:25 a.m., 2:05, 5:15, 8:05, 10:35. La Dolce Vita Tue only, 8. Doomsday Fri 2:20, 5, 8, 10:40; Sat-Tue 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 5, 8, 10:40. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Mon 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30, 1:10, 2:15, 3, 4, 4:45, 5:30, 7:15, 7:50, 8:40, 9:45, 10:30, 11:20; Tue 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30, 1:10, 2:15, 3, 4, 4:45, 5:30, 7:50, 8:30, 10:30, 11:20. In Bruges Fri-Tue 1:30, 4:10, 7:40, 10:10. Married Life Fri-Tue 11:15 a.m., 1:35. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri-Sun 11:10 a.m., 12:15, 1:20, 2:35, 4:20, 5:35, 7:10, 8:35, 9:50, 11:15; Mon 11:10 a.m., 12:15, 1:20, 2:35, 4:20, 4:55, 7:10, 9:50; Tue 11:10 a.m., 12:15, 1:20, 2:35, 4:20, 5:35, 7:10, 8:35, 9:50, 11:15. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sun 1:25, 4:15, 7:05, 10:25; Mon 4:15, 7:05, 10:25; Tue 1:25, 4:15, 7:05, 10:25. Semi-Pro Fri-Tue 11:20 a.m., 1:40, 4:50, 7:30, 10. Sleepwalking Fri-Tue 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:20, 10:20. Snow Angels Fri 11 a.m., 2, 5, 8, 11:05; Sat-Tue 11:35 a.m., 2:25, 5:25, 8:25, 11:05. There Will Be Blood Fri-Tue 4:05, 7:25, 10:45. Vantage Point Fri-Tue 11:05 a.m., 1:45, 4:25, 8:15, 10:55. Grauman’s Chinese, 6925 Hollywood Bl, (323) 464-8111. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Wed 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30; Thur 1:30, 4:30. Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Av, (323) 6642169. The Bank Job 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. Funny Games 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Tue 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. Under the Same Moon Wed-Thur 2, 4:30, 7,
L
12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15; Sun-Thur 10 a.m., 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7. Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14, 189 The Grove Dr, Third St & Fairfax Av, (323) 692-0829. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sun 10:40 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:30, 2, 2:35, 4:15, 4:50, 5:35, 7:05, 7:45, 8:30, 9:50, 10:25, 11:10; Mon 10:40 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30, 2, 4:15, 4:50, 7:05, 7:45, 9:50, 10:25; Tue-Thur 10:40 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:30, 2, 2:35, 4:15, 4:50, 5:35, 7:05, 7:45, 8:30, 9:50, 10:25, 11:10. The Bank Job 11:15 a.m., 2:45, 5:40, 8:25, 11:05. College Road Trip 11:50 a.m., 2:05, 4:25, 7, 9:30. Doomsday 11:40 a.m., 2:25, 5:30, 8:15, 10:55. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., noon, 12:50, 2:10, 2:50, 3:20,
Mark Mark Rahner, Rahner, SEATTLE SEATTLE TIMES TIMES
DOWNTOWN & SOUTH L.A.
MARCH 13~19, 2008
9:30. Mann Chinese 6, 6801 Hollywood Bl, (323) 461-3331. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30, 3:30, 5:30, 6:30, 8:30, 9:30, 11:15; Sun-Thur 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30, 3:30, 5:30, 6:30, 8:30, 9:30. The Bank Job 1:20, 4:20, 7, 9:50. Diary of the Dead Sun-Tue 5:20, 7:40, 10:10; Wed 10:10. Jumper Fri-Tue noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:10, 9:40; Wed noon, 7:10, 9:40; Thur noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:10, 9:40. Never Back Down 1:10, 4:10, 7:20, 10:20. The Spiderwick Chronicles Fri-Mon 12:20, 2:50; Wed-Thur 12:20, 2:50. Pacific’s El Capitan, 6838 Hollywood Bl, (323) 467-7674. College Road Trip Fri-Sat 10 a.m.,
EXHILARATING! FIRST-RATE!”
“
Steven Steven Schaefer, Schaefer, BOSTON BOSTON HERALD HERALD
JASON STATHAM
The true story of a heist gone wrong... in all the right ways.
WRITTEN BY
DICK CLEMENT & IAN LA FRENAIS
www.lionsgate.com/thebankjob F WESTWOOD AMC Avco (310) 475-0711 Daily: 2:05 • 4:35 • 7:05 • 9:45 Sat. & Sun.: 11:30 • 2:05 • 4:35 • 7:05 • 9:45
LHOLLYWOOD Mann Chinese 6 (323) 777-FILM #059 Daily: 1:20 • 4:20 • 7:00 • 9:50
F SANTA MONICA AMC Loews Broadway 4 (800) FANDANGO #706 Fri. 1:45 • 4:30 • 7:15 • 10:00 Sat. & Sun. 11:15 • 1:45 • 4:30 • 7:15 • 10:00 Mon.-Thurs. 1:40 • 4:10 • 6:50 • 9:40
F LOS ANGELES AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 (800) FANDANGO #703 Fri.- Sun.: 11:45 • 2:15 • 5:00 • 7:35 • 10:15 Mon. & Tues.: 2:15 • 5:00 • 7:35 • 10:15
LL.A./BEVERLY HILLS Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 (323) 692-0829 (#209) Daily: 11:15 • 2:45 • 5:40 • 8:25 • 11:05
L
CITYBEAT
F CENTURY CITY AMC Century 15 (310) 289-4AMC Fri. & Sat.: 10:45 • 1:30 • 4:30 • 7:40 • 10:35 Sun.: 10:45 • 1:30 4:30 • 7:40 • 10:25 Mon.- Thurs.: 2:05 • 4:55 • 7:40 • 10:25
F UNIVERSAL CITY CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX (800) FANDANGO #707 Fri.- Sun.: 11:25 • 2:10 • 5:00 • 7:50 • 10:40 Mon. & Tues.: 2:10 • 5:00 • 7:50 • 10:40
F WEST LOS ANGELES The Bridge Cinema De Lux (310) 568-3375 Daily: 1:30 • 4:15 • 7:00 • 9:45 Fri. & Sat. Late Show: 12:25am Sat. & Sun.: 10:45 • 1:30 • 4:15 • 7:00 • 9:45 LSHERMAN OAKS ArcLight Sherman Oaks at the Galleria (818) 501-0753 Fri.- Tues.: 11:15 • 2:00 • 4:40 • 7:30 • 10:10
AND AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE!
F
4:40, 5:15, 5:50, 7:10, 7:40, 8:10, 9:35, 10:10, 10:40. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day 11:30 a.m., 2:20, 5:10, 7:35, 10:05. Never Back Down 11 a.m., 1:50, 4:55, 7:55, 10:50. The Other Boleyn Girl 10:50 a.m., 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15. Semi-Pro 12:40, 3:10, 5:45, 8:05, 10:30. Vantage Point Fri-Tue 12:30, 3, 5:25, 7:50, 10:20; Wed 10:45 a.m., 1:20, 4:05, 10:20; Thur 12:30, 3, 5:25, 7:50, 10:20. Regent Showcase, 614 N La Brea Av, (323) 934-2944. No Country for Old Men Fri 5, 7:30; Sat-Sun 2:30, 5, 7:30; Mon-Thur 5, 7:30. Vine, 6321 Hollywood Bl, (323) 463-6819. Call theater for titles and showtimes. Vista, 4473 Sunset, (323) 660-6639. 10,000 B.C. Fri 4:20, 7, 9:40; Sat-Sun 1:40, 4:20, 7, 9:40; Mon-Thur 4:20, 7, 9:40.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, UNIVERSAL CITY Century 8, 12827 Victory Bl, (818) 508-6004. 10,000 B.C. 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:25, 7, 9:40. College Road Trip 10:35 a.m., 12:45, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:35. Doomsday 11:20 a.m., 2, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! 11:15 a.m., 1:25, 3:35, 5:45, 7:55, 10:10. Never Back Down 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10:05. Semi-Pro 10:45 a.m., 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10. The Spiderwick Chronicles Fri-Wed 10:30 a.m., 12:50, 3:10, 5:40. Step Up 2 the Streets Fri-Wed 8, 10:20. Vantage Point 10:50 a.m., 1:05, 3:20, 5:35, 7:50,
10:15. Loews CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX, 100 Universal City Dr at Universal CityWalk, (818) 5080588; IMAX Theater (818) 760-8100. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sat 11:20 a.m., 12:50, 1:55, 2:50, 3:45, 4:45, 5:40, 6:40, 7:40, 8:35, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:10 a.m.; Sun 11:20 a.m., 12:50, 1:55, 2:50, 3:45, 4:45, 5:40, 6:40, 7:40, 8:35, 9:30, 10:30; Mon-Tue 12:50, 1:55, 2:50, 3:45, 4:45, 5:40, 6:40, 7:40, 8:35, 9:30, 10:30. The Bank Job Fri-Sun 11:25 a.m., 2:10, 5, 7:50, 10:40; Mon-Tue 2:10, 5, 7:50, 10:40. Be Kind Rewind Fri-Tue 4:40, 7:10, 9:45. College Road Trip Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 12:20, 1:50, 2:45, 4:10, 5:10, 6:30, 7:30, 9, 10, 11:20, 12:20 a.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m., 12:20, 1:50, 2:45, 4:10, 5:10, 6:30, 7:30, 9, 10; MonTue 12:20, 1:50, 2:45, 4:10, 5:10, 6:30, 7:30, 9, 10. Doomsday Fri-Sun 11:35 a.m., 2:20, 5:05, 7:55, 10:45; Mon-Tue 2:20, 4:55, 7:55, 10:45. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sat 11:15 a.m., 12:15, 1, 1:40, 2:30, 3:30, 4, 4:50, 5:50, 6:20, 7:20, 8:20, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50, 11:15, 12:15 a.m.; Sun 11:15 a.m., 12:15, 1, 1:40, 2:30, 3:30, 4, 4:50, 5:50, 6:20, 7:20, 8:20, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50; Mon-Tue 12:15, 1, 1:40, 2:30, 3:30, 4, 4:50, 5:50, 6:20, 7:20, 8:20, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50. The Eye Fri-Tue 12:45, 3:20, 5:55, 8:25, 10:55. Fool’s Gold Fri-Tue noon. Jumper Fri-Sat 11:20 a.m., 1:35, 3:50, 6:10, 8:40, 11:10; Sun 11:20 a.m., 1:35, 3:50, 6:10, 8:40; Mon-Tue 1:35, 3:50, 6:10, 8:40. Never Back Down Fri-Sat 11:50 a.m., 1:10, 4, 6:50, 9:40, 10:35, 12:30 a.m.; Sun 11:50 a.m., 1:10, 4, 6:50, 9:40, 10:35; Mon-Tue 1:10, 4, 6:50, 9:40. Semi-Pro Fri-Sat 11:40 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7, 9:20, 11:45; Sun 11:40 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7, 9:20; MonTue 2, 4:30, 7, 9:20.
“A CLASSY ROMANTIC COCKTAIL...” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, Owen Gleiberman
“A wonderful, dramatic and powerful saga of the“ .”dangers of absolute power. The cast is impeccable.” WNBC'S REEL TALK, Jeffrey Lyons
Now Playlng WEST LOS ANGELES The Landmark At Pico & Westwood Blvd. 310/281-8233 On 2 Screens Daily 11:00 AM, 12:00, 1:45, 2:45, 4:30, 5:30, 7:15, 8:15 & 9:55 PM
WESTWOOD The Majestic Crest 310/474-7866 Daily 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00 PM $2 All-day parking at 10866 Glendon Ave. with validation.
The Spiderwick Chronicles Fri-Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:05; Mon-Tue 2:05. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The IMAX Experience IMAX Fri-Sun 1:20, 3:40, 6; IMAX MonTue 12:30, 2:55, 5:05, 7:15. Step Up 2 the Streets Fri-Sun 12:30, 3, 5:20, 7:45, 10:15; Mon-Tue 12:35, 3, 5:20, 7:45, 10:15. U2 3D IMAX Fri-Sun 8:15, 10:20; IMAX MonTue 9:35. Vantage Point Fri-Tue 12:40, 3:10, 5:30, 8, 10:25.
NORTHRIDGE, CHATSWORTH, GRANADA HILLS Mann Granada Hills, Devonshire St & Balboa Av, (818) 363-3679. 10,000 B.C. 11:10 a.m., 1:10, 1:50, 3:50, 4:30, 6:50, 7:30, 9:50, 10:20. College Road Trip 11:50 a.m., 2:10, 4:20, 6:40, 9. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! 11 a.m., noon, 1:20, 2:20, 3:40, 4:40, 6, 7, 8:30, 9:30. Never Back Down 11:30 a.m., 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:30. The Other Boleyn Girl 12:40, 3:30, 6:30, 9:40. Semi-Pro 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8, 10:10. Vantage Point 12:30, 3:10, 5:30, 7:50, 10. Pacific’s Northridge Fashion Center All Stadium 10, 9400 N Shirley Av, (818) 501-5121. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sat 1:35, 4:15, 7:45, 10:25; Sun 1:35, 4:15, 7:45, 10:10; Mon-Thur 1:35, 4:15, 7, 9:35. The Bank Job Fri-Sun 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55; MonThur 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 9:40. College Road Trip Fri-Sun 1:45, 4:35, 7:05, 9:30; Mon-Thur 1:45, 4:35, 7:05, 9:20. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sat 12:20, 1:20, 2:50, 3:45, 5:20, 5:55, 7:35, 8:15, 10, 10:30; Sun 12:20, 1:20, 2:50, 3:45, 5:20, 5:55, 7:35, 8:30, 10; Mon 12:20, 1:20, 2:50, 3:45, 5:20, 5:55, 7:35, 8:30, 9:45; Tue-Thur 12:20, 1:20, 2:50, 3:45, 5:20, 5:55, 7:35, 8:30, 10. Jumper Fri-Sat 12:45, 3:10, 5:30, 8, 10:25; Sun-Thur 12:45, 3:10, 5:30, 8, 10. Never Back Down Fri-Sat 1, 4:05, 7:20, 10:10; Sun 1, 4:05, 7:20, 10:05; Mon-Thur 1, 4:05, 7:20, 9:50. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sun 1:10, 4:25, 7:15, 10:05; Mon-Thur 1:10, 4:25, 7:15, 9:45. Semi-Pro Fri-Sat 12:55, 3:15, 5:40, 8:05, 10:20; Sun-Thur 12:55, 3:15, 5:40, 8:05, 10:10. Vantage Point Fri-Sun 12:35, 2:55, 5:10, 7:50, 10:15; Mon-Thur 12:35, 2:55, 5:10, 7:50, 10:05. Pacific’s Winnetka All Stadium 21, 9201 Winnetka Av, Chatsworth, (818) 501-5121. 10,000 B.C. Fri 12:15, 2:30, 3, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7:15, 8, 8:35, 9:55, 10:40; Sat 11:05 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:15, 2:30, 3, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7:15, 8, 8:35, 9:55, 10:40; Sun 11:05 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:15, 2:30, 3, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7:15, 8, 8:35, 9:55, 10:35; Mon-Tue 12:15, 2:30, 3, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7:15, 8, 8:35, 9:55, 10:35. The Bank Job Fri-Tue 2:10, 4:55, 7:40, 10:30. Be Kind Rewind Fri 12:15, 2:45, 5:25, 8:05, 10:40; Sat-Sun 11:55 a.m., 2:45, 5:25, 8:05, 10:40; Mon-Tue 12:15, 2:45, 5:25, 8:05, 10:40. College Road Trip Fri-Tue 2:25, 4:50, 7:20, 9:40. Definitely, Maybe Fri-Sat 2:15, 5, 7:50, 10:45; Sun-Tue 2:15, 5, 7:50, 10:35. Doomsday Fri 2, 4:40, 7:30, 10:15; Sat-Sun 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:30, 10:15; Mon-Tue 2, 4:40, 7:30, 10:15. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri noon, 12:35, 1:40, 2:30, 3:10, 4:20, 5:05, 5:45, 7, 7:45, 8:30, 9:30, 10:20, 10:50; Sat 11 a.m., noon, 12:35, 1:40, 2:30, 3:10, 4:20, 5:05, 5:45, 7, 7:45, 8:30, 9:30, 10:20, 10:50; Sun 11 a.m., noon, 12:35, 1:40, 2:30, 3:10, 4:20, 5:05, 5:45, 7, 7:45, 8:30, 9:30, 10:20; Mon-Tue noon, 12:35, 1:40, 2:30, 3:10, 4:20, 5:05, 5:45, 7, 7:45, 8:30, 9:30, 10:20. Fool’s Gold Fri-Tue 1:45. Funny Games Fri-Tue 1:30, 4:25, 7:10, 9:50. Jumper Fri-Tue 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10. Juno Fri-Tue 2:15, 4:50, 7:25, 10:05. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri-Sat 12:50, 3:15, 5:40, 8:10, 10:35; Sun-Tue 12:50, 3:15, 5:40, 8:10, 10:30. Never Back Down Fri-Tue 1:50, 4:45, 7:35, 10:25. Penelope Fri-Tue 2:05, 4:35, 7:15, 9:35. Semi-Pro Fri 2:10, 4:40, 7:05, 9:45; Sat-Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:10, 4:40, 7:05, 9:45; Mon-Tue 2:10, 4:40, 7:05, 9:45. The Spiderwick Chronicles Fri noon, 2:20, 4:55, 7:25, 10; Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:25, 10; Mon-Tue noon, 2:20, 4:55, 7:25, 10. Step Up 2 the Streets Fri-Tue 12:05, 2:35, 5:20, 7:55, 10:25. Vantage Point Fri-Tue 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:35.
Free Parking
SANTA MONICA AMC Santa Monica 7 • 310/289-4AMC Digital Projection Fri-Sun 11:00 AM, 1:50, 4:40, 7:30 & 10:15 PM Mon-Thur 2:00, 4:50, 7:30 & 10:10 PM 4 Hours Validated Parking - $2 SHERMAN OAKS L.A./BEVERLY HILLS Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 • 323/692-0829 #209 Arclight Sherman Oaks At The Galleria 818/501-0753 Daily 10:50 AM, 1:40, 4:30, 7:20 & 10:15 PM Daily 11:20 AM, 2:05, 5:05, 7:55 & 10:40 PM HOLLYWOOD ArcLight Hollywood At Sunset & Vine 323/464-4226 Daily 1:35, 4:15, 7:05 & 10:25 PM
4 Hours On-Site Validated Parking Only $2.00
4 Hours Validated Parking–Free
WEST LOS ANGELES The Bridge Cinema De Lux 310/568-3375 Digital Projection Fri, Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 & 9:45 PM Sat & Sun 10:45 AM, 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 & 9:45 PM Fri & Sat Late Show 12:30 AM
AndForAt A Theater Near You Additional Information Check Local Listings
SANTA MONICA AMC Santa Monica 7, 1310 Third Street Promenade, (310) 395-3030. College Road Trip FriSun 12:05, 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40; Mon 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:45; Tue 2:30, 4:50, 10:15; WedThur 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:45. Doomsday Fri-Sun 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 5, 7:45, 10:30; Mon-Thur 1:40, 4:20, 7, 9:50.
CITYBEAT
L
18
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sun 10:45 a.m., 12:20, 1:15, 3, 3:40, 5:20, 6, 7:40, 8:15, 10, 10:40; Mon-Thur 1:15, 3, 3:40, 5:20, 6, 7:40, 8:15, 10. Jumper Fri-Sun 10:55 a.m., 1:05, 3:25, 5:40, 8:05, 10:25; Mon-Thur 1, 3:25, 5:40, 7:50, 10:05. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:30, 10:15; Mon-Thur 2, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10. Penelope Fri-Sun 11:40 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7, 9:20; Mon-Thur 1:10, 3:20, 5:35, 7:45, 10. Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex, 1332 Second St, (310) 394-9741. Funny Games 1:25, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55. Girls Rock! Sat-Sun 11 a.m. Juno 1:55, 7:20. Married Life 12:50, 3:05, 5:20, 7:40, 10. No Country for Old Men 4:30, 9:45. Paranoid Park 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:15. Summer Palace Sat-Sun 11 a.m. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation Sat-Sun 11 a.m. The Yiddish Theater: A Love Story Sat-Sun 11 a.m. Loews Cineplex Broadway, 1441 Third Street Promenade, (310) 458-1506. The Bank Job Fri 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10; Sat-Sun 11:15 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10; Mon-Thur 1:40, 4:10, 6:50, 9:40. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri 2:15, 4:40, 7, 9:20; Sat-Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 4:40, 7, 9:20; Mon-Thur 2:15, 4:40, 7, 9:20. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:15; Sat-Sun 11 a.m., 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:15; Mon-Wed 1:30, 4, 6:30, 9; Thur 1:30, 4, 10. There Will Be Blood Fri 2:55, 6:20, 9:45; SatSun 11:30 a.m., 2:55, 6:20, 9:45; Mon-Thur 2:30, 6:10, 9:30. Mann Criterion, 1313 Third Street Promenade, (310) 395-1599. 10,000 B.C. 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2, 3, 4:30, 5:30, 7:10, 8, 9:40, 10:30. Be Kind Rewind Fri-Tue 2:30, 7:50; Thur 2:30, 7:50. Definitely, Maybe Fri-Tue noon, 5, 10:20; Thur noon, 5, 10:20. Never Back Down 11:15 a.m., 1:50, 4:20, 7:30, 10:10. Semi-Pro 12:20, 2:40, 4:50, 7:20, 10. Vantage Point 11:50 a.m., 2:10, 4:40, 7, 9:50.
SHERMAN OAKS, ENCINO ArcLight Sherman Oaks, 15301 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 501-0753. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sun 11:10 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30, 1:45, 2:30, 3:05, 4:20, 5:10, 5:40, 7:05, 8:15, 8:45, 9:40, 10:50, 11:30. The Bank Job Fri-Sun 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10. College Road Trip Fri-Sun noon, 2:20, 4:35, 7:45, 10. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:40, 1:15, 2:10, 2:55, 3:30, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7, 7:50, 8:30, 9:30, 10:15, 11. Funny Games Fri-Sun 11:25 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:40, 10:20. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri-Sun 11:35 a.m., 1:55, 4:15, 7:25, 9:45. Never Back Down Fri-Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:35, 5:20, 8:10, 10:55. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sun 11:20 a.m., 2:05, 5:05, 7:55, 10:40. Penelope Fri-Sun 11:55 a.m., 2:45, 5:30, 8, 10:30. Semi-Pro Fri-Sun 11:30 a.m., 1:50, 4:10, 7:15, 9:35. Sleepwalking Fri-Sun 12:10, 2:40, 5:25, 8:05, 10:35. Vantage Point Fri-Sun 12:05, 2:25, 4:55, 7:20, 10:05. Laemmle’s Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Bl, Encino, (818) 981-9811. The Band’s Visit noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:40. Beaufort 1:20, 4:40, 8. The Counterfeiters 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10. Paranoid Park 12:40, 3, 5:20, 7:50, 10. There Will Be Blood 4:30. La vie en rose (French w/e.s.t.) 1:10, 8:10. Mann Plant 16, 7876 Van Nuys Bl, Panorama City, (818) 779-0323. 10,000 B.C. 11:10 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 1:10, 1:50, 2:30, 3:50, 4:30, 5:10, 6:30, 7:10, 7:50, 9:10, 9:50, 10:30. The Bank Job 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10. College Road Trip 11:40 a.m., 12:20, 2, 2:40, 4:20, 5, 6:40, 7:20, 9, 9:40. Doomsday 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 4:05, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8, 9, 9:30, 10, 10:30. Never Back Down 11 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:20, 10. Penelope 11:20 a.m., 1:45, 4:20, 6:50, 9:20. Semi-Pro 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20. The Spiderwick Chronicles 11:15 a.m., 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15. Step Up 2 the Streets 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15. Pacific’s Sherman Oaks 5, 14424 Millbank St,
l MARCH 13~19, 2008
Sherman Oaks, (818) 501-5121. Be Kind Rewind 1:45, 4:30, 7:30, 10:05. Doomsday 1:25, 4:40, 7:25, 10:05. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:40. Married Life 1:55, 4:25, 7:15, 9:50. No Country for Old Men 1:15, 4:05, 7, 9:55.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, BEVERLY HILLS, CENTURY CITY AMC Century City 15, 10250 Santa Monica Bl, (310) 277-2011. 10,000 B.C. Fri-Sat 10:25 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 1:10, 2:10, 4:10, 5:05, 7, 8, 9:55, 10:55, 12:30 a.m.; Sun 10:25 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 1:10, 2:10, 4:10, 5:05, 7, 8, 9:55, 10:45; Mon 1:35, 2:20, 4:20, 5:05, 7:05, 7:50, 9:50, 10:30; Tue 1:15, 2:20, 4, 5:05, 7:50, 9:40, 10:30; Wed-Thur 1:35, 2:20, 4:20, 5:05, 7:05, 7:50, 9:50, 10:30. The Bank Job Fri-Sat 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:30, 7:40, 10:35; Sun 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:30, 7:40, 10:25; Mon-Thur 2:05, 4:55, 7:40, 10:25. College Road Trip Fri-Sun 10:05 a.m., 12:20, 2:40, 5, 7:35, 10; Mon-Thur 2:35, 5, 7:25, 9:45. Definitely, Maybe Fri-Sat 9:55 a.m., 12:55, 4:05, 7:05, 10:10; Sun 9:55 a.m., 12:55, 4:05, 7:05, 10:05; Mon-Wed 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:05; Thur 1, 3:45, 10:05. Doomsday Fri-Sat 10:55 a.m., 1:40, 4:35, 7:30, 10:25, 12:50 a.m.; Sun 10:55 a.m., 1:40, 4:35, 7:30, 10:15; Mon-Thur 2, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sat 9:40 a.m., 10:15 a.m., noon, 12:40, 2:25, 3:10, 4:50, 5:40, 7:15, 8:10, 9:50, 10:40, 12:25 a.m.; Sun 9:40 a.m., 10:15 a.m., noon, 12:40, 2:25, 3:10, 4:50, 5:40, 7:15, 8:10, 9:40, 10:35; Mon-Thur 1, 2:10, 3:15, 4:35, 5:30, 7, 7:45, 9:25, 10:10. Jumper Fri-Sat 10:35 a.m., 4:40, 10:45; Sun 4:40, 10:40; Mon-Thur 4:30, 10:20. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri-Sat 9:45 a.m., 12:05, 2:20, 4:45, 7:20, 10:05; Sun 9:45 a.m., 12:05, 2:20, 4:45, 7:20, 9:50; Mon-Thur 2:15, 4:50, 7:20, 9:55. Never Back Down Fri-Sat 11 a.m., 1:55, 4:55, 8:05, 11; Sun 11 a.m., 1:55, 4:55, 8:05, 10:45; Mon-Thur 1:50, 4:40, 7:35, 10:25. No Country for Old Men Fri-Sat 2:45, 12:10 a.m.; Sun 2:45; Mon-Tue 2:25; Wed 1:15; Thur 2:25. Semi-Pro Fri-Sat 10:10 a.m., 12:30, 2:55, 5:25, 7:50, 10:20; Sun 10:10 a.m., 12:30, 2:55, 5:25, 7:50, 10:10; Mon-Thur 2:55, 5:25, 7:55, 10:20. Sleepwalking Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m., 1:25, 4:25, 7:45, 10:30, 12:55 a.m.; Sun 10:30 a.m., 1:25, 4:25, 7:45, 10:30; Mon-Thur 1:40, 4:25, 7:15, 10. Step Up 2 the Streets Fri-Sat 9:50 a.m., 12:15, 5:30, 7:55, 10:30; Sun 9:50 a.m., 12:15, 7:55, 10:30; Mon-Tue 5:20, 8:05, 10:30; Wed 4:05, 10:30; Thur 5:20, 8:05, 10:30. There Will Be Blood Fri-Sun 1, 7:10; Mon-Thur 1:05, 6:45. Vantage Point Fri-Sat 10 a.m., 12:25, 2:50, 5:35, 8:15, 10:50; Sun 10 a.m., 12:25, 2:50, 5:35, 8:15, 10:40; Mon-Thur 2:50, 5:35, 8, 10:15. Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Bl, (310) 274-6869. Beaufort Fri 5:10, 8:15; SatSun 1:45, 5:10, 8:15; Mon-Thur 5:10, 8:15. The Duchess of Langeais Fri 7; Sat-Sun 12:30, 3:45, 7; Mon-Thur 7. Dying to Live 2006 Fri 5, 7:30, 10; Sat-Sun noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10; Mon-Thur 5, 7:30, 10. Santoori: The Music Man 10. Laemmle’s Sunset 5 Theatre, 8000 Sunset Bl, (323) 848-3500. CJ7 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:35, 9:55. Funny Games 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55. Last Stop for Paul 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45. Little Chenier 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45. Paranoid Park 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10. Beverly Center 13 Cinemas, 8522 Beverly Blvd., Suite 835, (310) 652-7760. 27 Dresses 12:20, 3, 5:40, 8, 10:20. Be Kind Rewind 12:50, 3:10, 5:30, 8, 10:10. Charlie Bartlett 1, 3:10, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50. Definitely, Maybe noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10. Diary of the Dead 12:40, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:10. Enchanted 12:10, 2:30. Jumper 12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7:10, 9:10. Juno 12:20, 2:40, 5, 7:40, 10. Michael Clayton 1:20, 4:20, 7:10, 9:40. The Orphanage 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30. Penelope noon, 2:20, 4:30, 6:40, 8:50. Persepolis 12:40, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30. The Spiderwick Chronicles 12:10, 2:20, 4:30, 6:50, 9. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins 4:50, 7:30, 9:50.
WESTWOOD, WEST L.A. AMC Avco Center, 10840 Wilshire Bl, (310) 475-0711. The Bank Job Fri 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:45; Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m., 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:45; Mon-Thur 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:45. Definitely, Maybe Fri 1:50, 4:25, 7, 9:35; SatSun 11:15 a.m., 1:50, 4:25, 7, 9:35; Mon-Thur
1:50, 4:25, 7, 9:35. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30; Sat-Sun 10:40 a.m., 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30; Mon-Thur 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30. In Bruges Fri 2:15, 4:45, 7:15, 9:50; Sat-Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 4:45, 7:15, 9:50; Mon-Thur 2:15, 4:45, 7:15, 9:50. Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Bl, (310) 477-5581. The Counterfeiters 12:30, 2:50, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15. Landmark’s Nuart Theater, 11272 Santa Monica Bl, (310) 281-8223. Jurassic Park Fri only, midnight. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sat only, midnight. The Unforeseen Fri-Sun noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10; Mon-Thur 5, 7:30, 10. Landmark’s Regent, 1045 Broxton Av, (310) 281-8223. College Road Trip 2:30, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30. The Landmark West Los Angeles, 10850 W Pico Bl, (310) 281-8223. The Band’s Visit 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30. Be Kind Rewind Fri-Tue 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10. Charlie Bartlett Fri-Mon 11:50 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; Tue 11:50 a.m., 2:20, 10:20. Funny Games noon, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20. In Bruges Fri-Tue 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:15; Wed 12:15, 2:45, 10:15; Thur 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:15. Juno Fri-Tue 11:45 a.m., 2:10, 4:40, 7:15, 9:45; Wed 2:10, 4:40, 10:20; Thur 11:45 a.m., 2:10, 4:40, 7:15, 9:45. Married Life 11 a.m., 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:10. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Tue 11 a.m., noon, 1:45, 2:45, 4:30, 5:30, 7:15, 8:15, 9:55; Wed 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55; Thur 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 5:30, 7:15, 8:15, 9:55. Paranoid Park 11:40 a.m., 1:45, 3:50, 6, 8:05, 10:15. Penelope Fri-Tue 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7, 9:15; Wed 12:15, 2:30, 10; Thur 12:15, 2:30, 4:45. Snow Angels 11:30 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:35, 10:10. Under the Same Moon Wed-Thur 11:10 a.m., 12:20, 1:50, 3, 4:30, 5:40, 7:10, 8:15, 9:45. Majestic Crest Theater, 1262 Westwood Bl, (310) 474-7866. The Other Boleyn Girl 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10. Mann Bruin, 948 Broxton Av, (310) 208-8998. Never Back Down Fri-Mon 11:20 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:20, 10; Wed-Thur 11:20 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:20, 10. Mann Festival 1, 10887 Lindbrook Av, (310) 2084575. Never Back Down Tue only, 11:20 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:20, 10. Vantage Point Fri-Mon 12:30, 2:45, 5, 7:10, 9:30; Wed-Thur 12:30, 2:45, 5, 7:10, 9:30. Mann Village, 961 Broxton Av, (310) 208-5576. 10,000 B.C. 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10.
WOODLAND HILLS, WEST HILLS, TARZANA AMC Promenade 16, 21801 Oxnard St, Woodland Hills, (818) 883-2262. Metropolitan Opera: Peter Grimes Sat only, 10:30 a.m.. Metropolitan Opera: Peter Grimes - Encore Sun only, noon. Laemmle’s Fallbrook 7 Cinemas, Fallbrook Mall, 6731 Fallbrook Av, West Hills, (818) 340-8710. The Band’s Visit Fri-Sun noon, 2:20, 4:40, 7, 9:20; Mon-Tue 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8; Wed 10:55 a.m., 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8; Thur 1, 3:20, 5:40, 8. The Counterfeiters Fri-Sun 12:30, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 10; Mon-Tue 1:30, 3:50, 6:15, 8:40; Wed 11 a.m., 1:30, 3:50, 6:15, 8:40; Thur 1:30, 3:50, 6:15, 8:40. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! Fri-Sun 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:30; Mon-Tue 1:10, 3:30, 5:50, 8:15; Wed 10:45 a.m., 1:10, 3:30, 5:50, 8:15; Thur 1:10, 3:30, 5:50, 8:15. Funny Games Fri-Sun 1:20, 4:10, 7, 9:40; MonTue 2:20, 5:10, 8; Wed 11:30 a.m., 2:20, 5:10, 8; Thur 2:20, 5:10, 8. Gamyam Sun only, 10 a.m. In Bruges Fri-Sun 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 9:50; MonThur noon, 2:30, 5:20, 8:10. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Fri-Sun 12:10, 2:45, 5:05, 7:30, 9:55; Mon-Tue 1:20, 3:45, 6:05, 8:30; Wed 11:10 a.m., 1:20, 3:45, 6:05, 8:30; Thur 1:20, 3:45, 6:05, 8:30. The Other Boleyn Girl Fri-Sun 1:40, 4:30, 7:20; Mon-Thur noon, 2:40, 5:30, 8:20.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS THURSDAY, MARCH 13 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Av, Santa Monica, (323) 466-3456. Aerotheatre.com. Satyajit Ray’s Masterpieces – Song of the Little Road (Pather Panchali), 7:30. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-3456. Egyptiantheatre.com. Mario Bava: Poems of Love and Death – Black Sunday (La Maschera del Demonio)
(1960), 7:30; followed by Black Sabbath (Tre Volti della Paura). Introduction by The Howling director Joe Dante. In the Spielberg Theatre: Oscar-Nominated Live Action and Animated Shorts – live action shorts, 7:30; animated shorts, 10. ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, 6360 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 464-1478. Arclightcinemas.com. AFI’s Directors Screenings – Snow Angels, 8; followed by Q&A with director David Gordon Green. CineFamily at the Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N Fair fax Av, Hollywood, (323) 6552520. Silentmovietheatre.com. Busby Berkeley Dreams – Gold Diggers of 1933, 8. Echo Park Film Center, 1200 N Alvarado St, Echo Park, (213) 484-8846. Echoparkfilmcenter.org. Sleepwalking through the Mekong, 8; filmmakers and Dengue Fever band members, in person. L.A. County Museum of Art, Leo S. Bing Theatre, 5905 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323)8576010. Lacma.org. Reel Epics: The Films of Béla Tarr – Family Nest, 7:30; The Prefab People, 9:20. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Bl, L.A., (323) 938-4038. Newbevcinema.com. Beat the Devil, 7:30; The Caine Mutiny, 9:20.
FRIDAY, MARCH 14 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre Satyajit Ray’s Masterpieces – The Unvanquished (Aparajito), 7:30; followed by The World of Apu (Apur Sansar). American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre Mario Bava: Poems of Love and Death – Five Dolls for an August Moon (5 Bambole per la Luna d’Agosto), 7:30; followed by Blood and Black Lace (Sei Donne per l’Assassino). CineFamily at the Silent Movie Theatre Local Flavor: Les Blank’s Food Films – Program One – Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, 7:30; followed by A Well-Spent Life and Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers. Charles Bronson: The Sacred Monster – Hard Times, 10:30. Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Bl, second level, Hollywood, (323) 817-3456. Cinespace.info. Dinner & a Movie – Into the Wild, 8. Film in a restaurant/bar setting; call for reservations. Echo Park Film Center HollyShorts Film Festival Monthly Screening, 8; filmmakers in attendance. Hammer Museum, UCLA Film & Telivision Archive at the Billy Wilder Theatre, 10899 Wilshire Bl, L.A. Info: (310) 2063456 or Hammer.ucla.edu. 18th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema – Persian Carpet (Farsh-e Irani), 7:30. L.A. County Museum of Art, Leo S. Bing Theatre Reel Epics: The Films of Béla Tarr – The Outsider (1981), 7:30. Landmark’s Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Bl, West L.A., (310) 281-8223. Landmarktheatres.com. Jurassic Park, midnight. New Beverly Cinema Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, 7:30; Final Exam, 9:20. The New Center for Psychoanalysis, 2014 Sawtelle Bl, L.A., (310) 478-6541. Newcenter forpsychoanalysis.org. Friday Night at the Movies – The Treatment, 7:30; followed by discussion with screenwriter Daniel Saul Housman and psychologist Joan Lachkar. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St, El Segundo, (310) 322-2592. Otmh.org. We’re Not Dressing, 8:15; musical comedy with shorts.
SATURDAY, MARCH 15 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre Satyajit Ray’s Masterpieces – The Music Room (Jalsaghar), 7:30; followed by The Lonely Wife (Charulata). American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre Mario Bava: Poems of Love and Death – Lisa and the Devil (La Casa dell’Esorcismo), 7:30; followed by Baron Blood (Gli Orrori del Castello di Norimberga). Introduction by The Howling director Joe Dante. Discussion between films with producer Alfredo Leone. CineFamily at the Silent Movie Theatre A Coat, a Hat and a Gun: Philip Marlow, Film Noir’s Private Detective – Lady in the Lake, 1. Dardenne Brothers: Family Business – The Son, 7:30. HolyFuckingShit:
Funkadelic Fairy Tales – Abar, The First Black Superman, 10:30. Cinespace Dinner & a Movie – Into the Wild, 8. Film in a restaurant/bar setting; call for reservations. Hammer Museum, UCLA Film & Telivision Archive at the Billy Wilder Theatre 18th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema – Tehran Has No More Pomegranates! (Tehran Anar Nadarad), 7:30. Landmark’s Nuart Theatre The Rocky Horror Picture Show, midnight; with live per formance by Sins O’ the Flesh. New Beverly Cinema Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, 3:50, 7:30; Final Exam, 5:40, 9:20. Amoeba Midnights – Can’t Hardly Wait, midnight. Old Town Music Hall We’re Not Dressing, 2:30, 8:15; musical comedy with shorts.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre Audrey Tautou Sneak Preview – Priceless (Hors de Prix), 7:30; followed by Amelie. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre Hollywood Singing and Dancing, 7:30; followed by discussion with actress Shirley Jones and director Mark McLaughlin. Co-presented by Dance Camera West and DIVA.
“ G RADE
ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood The Parallax View, 8. CineFamily at the Silent Movie Theatre Mary Pickford: America’s Sweetheart – My Best Girl, 8. New Beverly Cinema The Monster Squad, 7:30; Night of the Creeps, 9:15.
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A ! C APTIVATING! ”
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
“...FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.” Kyle Smith, New York Post
SUNDAY, MARCH 16 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre 2007’s Best Underrated Films / The King of the Overlooked Double Feature – King of California, 7:30; followed by The King of Kong. Discussion between films with California director Mike Cahill and Kong director Seth Gordon. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre Mario Bava: Poems of Love and Death – Kidnapped (L’Uomo e il Bambino), 7:30; followed by Shock (Schock). CineFamily at the Silent Movie Theatre Ozu’s Early Comedies – Tokyo Chorus, 7. You Hit Like a Girl: The Ladies of Kung Fu – Yes, Madam, 9:30. Echo Park Film Center Works in Progress: Narrative, 7. Monthly workshop/lecture series for new and established filmmakers. Hammer Museum, UCLA Film & Telivision Archive at the Billy Wilder Theatre Wire, Tape and Rubber Band Style: The Effects Word of L.B. Abbott – The Poseidon Adventure, 7; followed by Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. LA FilmForum at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-3456. Lafilmforum.wordpress.com. SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT, Part II: Works of the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative, 7. Including shorts Slides, At the Academy, Shepherd’s Bush, Film No. 1, Dresden Dynamo, Versailles I & II, Silver Surfer and Footsteps. New Beverly Cinema A Hard Day’s Night, 3:10, 7:30; Across the Universe, 5, 9:20. Old Town Music Hall We’re Not Dressing, 2:30; musical comedy with shorts.
MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes – Text SNOW with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)
EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS START FRIDAY, MARCH 14 HOLLYWOOD
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Q&As with director David Gordon Green this Friday, 3/14 at ArcLight Hollywood following the 5:25 & 8:25 PM shows, and this Saturday, 3/15 at The Landmark following the 11:30 AM show.
American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre Mods & Rockers Special / Rutles 30th Anniversary Official Celebration – All You Need Is Cash, 7:30, 10:30. First showing followed by discussion with Rutles Eric Idle, Neil Innes and Ricky Fataar. Moderated by producer Martin Lewis. Introduction to second showing by Rutles members, but no Q&A to follow. ArcLight Cinemas Sherman Oaks, 15301 Venutra Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 5017033. Arclightcinemas.com. AFI’s Sports at the Movies – Hoosiers, 7:30. New Beverly Cinema A Hard Day’s Night, 7:30; Across the Universe, 9:20. Wadsworth Theatre, Veterans Administration grounds, 11301 Wilshire Bl, bldg 226, Westwood, (310) 479-3636. Wadsworththeatre.com. Reel Talk with Stephen Farber – 21, 7; followed by discussion with director Robert Luketic.
MARCH 13~19, 2008
THE LANDMARK AT W. PICO & WESTWOOD
323/464-4226 Fri-Sun, Mon-Tues 11:35 AM • 2:25 • 5:25 • 8:25 & 11:05 PM 4 hours validated parking -$2
MONDAY, MARCH 17
CineFamily at the Silent Movie Theatre Jim Henson’s Commercials & Experiments, 8. Shorts, commercials and other rarities from the Henson vault. L.A. County Museum of Art Tuesday Matinees – House of Numbers, 1. New Beverly Cinema A Hard Day’s Night, 7:30; Across the Universe, 9:20. Pacific Design Center, Silver Screen Theatre, 8687 Melrose Av, Green Building, second floor, West Hollywood, (310) 652-3472. King Corn, 7:30. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A., (310) 440-4500. Skirball.org. Classic Films – Rock, Rock, Rock, 1:30.
WEST LOS ANGELES
AT SUNSET & VINE
WE’RE ALWAYS ON
CITYBEAT
~ WORSHIP NO ONE: DAN LE SAC AND SCROOBIUS PIP ~
Just a Band Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is a duo of hip-hop pranksters with a defiant message ~ BY DENNIS ROMERO ~
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HEN DAN LE SAC vs. Scroobius Pip posted a MySpace video of an audition for X Factor, the U.K. version of American Idol, fans at shows begged them to reprise the hilarious, out-of-key rendition: The song was “Ain’t No Fun” by Snoop Dogg et. al., whose tamer lyrics include, “When I met you last night baby/Before you opened up your gap/I had respect for ya lady/But now I take it all back.” Now, imagine those words coming from the cerebral, beard-framed mouth of a lanky British white boy (Pip) who’s swaying to a barbershop-style, hand-snapped beat and spitting this West Coast gangsta anthem a cappella. Trouble is, that horrified look on judge Sharon Osbourne’s face, that how-did-you-even-get-into-the-building grilling from Simon Cowell – it was all edited in. The video is a hoax.
VARESE SARABANDE
N O W AVA I L A B L E A T B E S T B U Y
GROUNDSWELL “We would have loved to have gone on and done ‘Ain’t No Fun’ in front of Simon Cowell,” says rapper Pip, 26. “We’re getting people requesting that at shows. So far we’ve resisted. But it’s definitely worth doing someday as a cover. Because of our sound, it’s fun to interpret.” The duo of Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip has thus emerged defiantly – almost as anti-rap pranksters. It’s not too often that a hip-hop act tells its fans to hold back, be modest. Pip urges listeners, “When I say, ‘Hey,’ thou shalt not say, ‘Ho’ … Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches, and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be,” on the duo’s breakout single, “Thou Shalt Always Kill.” It slays other sacred cows as well: “Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were: The Beatles – were just a band/Led Zeppelin – just a band/The Beach Boys – just a band/The Sex Pistols – just a band/The Clash – just a band …” And for that, fans and critics have been waving their hands in the air – like they really do care. The video for “Thou Shalt …” has had more than 1.2 million views on YouTube. The single was re-
ARGENT “GREATEST – SINGLES COLLECTION” After the Zombies broke up, keyboardist/songwriter Rod Argent for a new band in 1969, which incorporated more classical, jazz and art rock influences, in line with Argent’s musical training. This first collection of greatest hits since 1976 contains the top five smash “Hold Your Head Up”, Argent’s version of “Liar” and “God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You”.
Store Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10am-9pm • Fri. & Sat. 10am-10pm • Sun. 11am-7pm
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leased digitally this week, along with the punkish “Beat That My Heart Skipped,” in the states via Cold Sweat Records. The pair is working on a debut album for a May release in the U.K., with the United States and Japan to follow. And, in addition to a Monday performance at the Roxy (see below), Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is coming to the most influential music showcase in America, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, on April 25. Dan, 28, and Pip are both from a town in Essex, England, and had known each other for years before collaborating. Pip worked at a record store to save up enough to put out his own spoken-word poetry album. He quit and toured the country, living out of his van. Dan had been evolving in the studio on his own, making electronic beats. One day Dan, unbeknownst to Pip, took one of the rapper’s spoken word recordings and put it to his own music – and the pairing was born. “Hearing those dance beats, my work sounded completely new and original,” Pip says. “The music seemed to fit comfortably. Although we’re talking some harsh subjects, it is accessible because of the way Dan makes the beats.” It remains to be seen whether the duo’s brainy, somewhat emo style of rhyming over progressive electronic beats will play stateside, however. (“Emo,” Pip argues, “is a hideous term”). Gentlemanly, mealy-mouthed, British hip-hop has a hard time here. Of course, emo rapper the Streets, grime MC Dizzee Rascal, and indie brat Lady Sovereign have opened doors for U.K. rap. And Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is truly flipping the script, bringing poetry, satire, and an electronic edge to the table in a way that’s rarely done outside America’s Def Jux-Rhymesayers-Stones Throw axis of indie hip-hop. “We’re not trying to replicate American hip-hop,” Pip says. “For us it is about the content. I want the words to be clear.” ✶ Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip performs Monday at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 18+. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets $14. Info: theroxyonsunset.com.
MARCH 13~19, 2008
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LARRY ‘DARKMAN’ CLARK
DISCOVER NEW SOUNDS* GREG LASWELL How The Day Sounds EP (VANGUARD / WELK)
$7.99 Save $
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Greg Laswell reveals another chapter in his musical and emotional journey with How The Day Sounds, that is openly transitional from its spotlight on Laswell's elegantly expressive piano playing to the sense of healing and moving that resonates throughout its course. Laswell has been featured on NPR, the iTunes “Indie Spotlight,” Yahoo!'s “Who's Next” viewers choice program, and the video for “Sing, Theresa Says” (from Through Toledo) met with critical praise on mtvU.
~ FEMME FATALE: SEDGWICK LIVES AGAIN ~
Edie Agonistes BLACK SPADE
David J. of Bauhaus sets Warhol superstar’s sad life to music
To Serve With Love (OM RECORDS / ADA)
$10.00 Save $
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~ BY RON GARMON ~
Black Spade's music is a melting pot of sounds hailing from St. Louis by way of NY, Detroit, LA, and everywhere that hip-hop has carved a distinctive and influential sound for itself. Spade's one-man team approach is full of burbling synths and offkilter drums while his voice slides smoothly over choruses coated in multi-tracked vocals and skipping, roughshod drums.
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HE ’60S ARE NOW LIKE the vast and partially-looted tomb of a dead deity. The major idols – Dylan, Lennon, Ali – having long since been hauled away, the lesser iconography now fall to crowbar and cart. The short, vacant life of Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick was the subject of the recent, much-reviled film Factory Girl, the script of which no less than Lou Reed termed the work of “whores” and “illiterate retards.” Lou, whose song “Femme Fatale” is gorgeous tribute to this ephemeral beauty, summed up much of the movie’s critical reception. The fabled socialite knew agonies far worse than any imaginable by hard-sweating WGA proletariat. Suffering from an outsized fortune, dazzling good looks, and a spooky-rich Old American bloodline, Sedgwick first attracted notice on the arm of the equally spectral Warhol, who
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Special edition DVD digipak with 20 page booklet and bonus CD. This film brilliantly documents a key moment in Heavy Metal history. Fight was the first musical project put together by Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford shortly after he left that genredefining band. The War Of Words: The Film DVD weaves behind the scenes, hand held and pro-shot footage of rehearsals, demo recordings, studio sessions and interviews climaxing with a full length concert (compiled from shows filmed at 18 venues in 15 select cities) during Fight's 1993/1994 Nailed to the Road / War of Words World Tour. The CD is also available featuring Fight, Live in Paris, France October 30, 1993.
LIVE starred her in many of his static wallpaper-art films that exploited the girl’s absent drone and old-money cachet as much as her pallid loveliness. Edie’s numb charisma spread far outside the art ghetto, and she was briefly celebrated as a great American fleur de mal before a drug overdose took her life in 1971 at age 28. Attempts to reconcile Edie’s breathtaking face with the medicated pain of her voice began with her semi-biographical last movie, Ciao! Manhattan and continue today in the multimedia capers now running at the Met Theater under the title Silver for Gold. David J., between recording a Bauhaus reunion album and prepping for a Love and Rockets reunion show at Coachella later this summer, spent much of the last few years tinkering with script and score for this unusual presentation. The result is part postpunk operetta, part soap-opera wallow that takes its title from Sedgwick’s habit of spray-painting her blonde hair silver to match Warhol’s. Familiar sugary airs from Bizet’s Carmen lulled an elegantly turned-out pre-curtain audience on opening night last Thursday, March 6. There was a single set
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consisting of a sofa, an ashtray, and a small table, but the theater’s walls looked barely enough to contain Monique Jenkinson’s feline dynamism as Edie. Stretching, lunging, and yowling in a dead-on replica of the scene-baby’s affectless yap, she dominates script and multimedia bric-a-brac, even giving the score a run for its money. Her performance is the only thing imposing unity on the piece’s jigsaw structure. Edie’s rambling monologues (composed and delivered with greater pungency than the historical Edie was accustomed) are punctuated with long musical interludes by David J. and backup and behind-the-scrim rants conducted in broad transatlantic accents by a horse-headed fellow in a wheelchair. Yes. This startling character is Nohric, a “wounded healer” chorus commenting on Edie’s woes, with the heiress herself reimagined by J. as Persephone, and her meaningless trawl through fame represented as the latter’s travails in the Underworld. Orpheus and Fabergé eggs were invoked, as readers of Bulfinch joined with smellers of bullshit for a few sidelong glances in the audience. The tunes were strong, as expected, with J.’s immemorial knack for angular melodies and off-kilter sentiments finding a few suitable pegs in this familiar tragedy of a Poor Little Rich Girl. By the time the ravaged, ravishing Ms. Jenkinson climbed into the lap of the otherly-abled equine and rolled away forever, I was happy for the sympathy of even a bad metaphor. The guy with the boombox I passed later that night was thickset and smiled evilly at me over a dirty goatee as he staked out his chunk of downtown pavement. Stubby fingers fished inside his rags, produced a worn cassette, jammed it into the fat black machine and stabbed play. Out roared Alice Cooper’s forgotten gigolo anthem “Wish I Were Born in Beverly Hills.” It sounded like one final caviar prayer before champagne dreamland. ✶
David J.’s Silver for Gold runs through Sunday at the Met Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Ave.,, Hollywood. Call (323) 957-1152 for information.
Nirvana
Neighborhood Shopping & Lifestyle Guide
CULVER CITY
Follow the path to...
France. It’s the first time that designers were interested in the function of furniture, not just the aesthetics."
From its roots in the entertainment industry to its rich, cultural heritage, dynamic Culver City has small town charm while enjoying the amenities of a big city. Located in western Los Angeles County, its lovely residential neighborhoods are home to approximately 40,000 residents. It encompasses approximately 5 square miles and has convenient access to the regional network of high-volume freeways (I-405 San Diego and I-10 Santa Monica freeways). Nearly 370,000 households are situated within a five mile radius. Culver City has attracted a vibrant artistic community offering live theatre, art galleries, music and dance, as well as a burgeoning array of restaurants and retail for all tastes and budgets, from traditional to cutting edge. It is just minutes from Los Angeles International Airport, Marina del Rey and the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downtown Los Angeles, making it ideal for residents, business, and visitors alike.
French 50's & 60's/ Galerie Sommerlath 9608 Venice Blvd Culver City, CA 90232 (310)838-0102 www.french50s60s.com
French furniture of the 1950s and 60s is currently enjoying a renaissance of interest and enthusiasm with designers and collectors. There is a "joie de vivre" which resonates through the designs of this period. The industrial aesthetic that Modernism adopted came out of the manufacturing processes. French designs of the 50s and 60s are light with more acute angles than American and Danish designs which feature broader angles and heavier shapes. "It’s creative and contrary to what was being done just before during the 30s and 40s," according to French 50s & 60s owner, Michele Sommerlath. "It was a new era of industrial design in
La Ballona Mexican Restaurant 3843 Main Street Culver City, CA 90232 (310)558-9336 La Ballona Mexican Restaurant is a familyrun establishment that’s been part of Culver City for over 30 years. Expect friendly service, great tasting food, lunch specials and fair prices. And don’t forget to ask for Juan’s Special Margarita which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The restaurant can fit large groups easily and what’s more the place has a fun, high energy atmosphere. After 30 years, expect only the best dining experience at La Ballona.
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3843 Main Street Culver City • 310.558.9336 MARCH 13~19, 2008
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Truth and ‘Consequences’ ~ BY NATALIE NICHOLS ~
R
EALITY SELLS. AND, apparently, book publishers are still so hooked on the cash dreams of true confessions, they’ll risk repeated bouts of fake-memoir scandal to give the public what it wants. In 2006, it was James Frey, who fabricated large chunks of his drug-addiction memoir A Million Little Pieces, and JT LeRoy, who wasn’t even a real person. Two weeks ago, Belgium’s Misha Defonseca admitted that her 1997 book, Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years, wasn’t a true story of escaping the Nazis by living with a pack of wolves. And last week we learned that halfwhite/half-Native American author Margaret B. Jones’s acclaimed new Love and Consequences, her memoir of gangsta life as a South Central L.A. foster child, was totally made up. Jones is really Margaret Seltzer, a white chick from Sherman Oaks. She had no foster parent named Big Mom, no surrogate homies with whom to sling drugs and tote guns. Seltzer’s real sister clued in the world after The New York Times published a feature on Jones. But the writer apparently has been affecting her “homegirl” persona for many years, which might be why such otherwise intelligent people as her agent, publisher Riverhead Books, lots of critics, and NYT freelance reporter Mimi Read were fooled. Also, memoirs sell better than fiction, so maybe the book people were blinded by the dollar signs in their eyes. But, seriously: Jones was brought up by some grandmotherly African American lady named Big Mom? I’m no savvy Big Apple publishing exec, but that’s nearly as unbelievable as being raised by wolves. On March 5, the NYT explained why Read couldn’t better fact-check her Jones profile: “Because Ms. Seltzer told Ms. Read that her foster siblings were dead, in prison or no longer in touch, it was difficult for Ms. Read to find people to interview.” How quickly they forget. Wasn’t this the paper duped by reporter Jayson Blair, who had similar excuses for why his sources couldn’t be reached? Is it really that arduous to, say, ask Big Mom’s real name and see if any such foster mother existed in the L.A. system? Seltzer told the NYT that she wanted to give “a voice to people who people don’t listen to.” But that’s both conde-
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scending and self-aggrandizing. Books like Monster Kody Scott’s Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member have already proven that people are interested in the voices of ghetto experience. And if Seltzer was moved to write Love and Consequences partly because of people she met while doing gang outreach in L.A. (if she ever actually did do gang outreach), she could’ve taken the approach of Wall Street Journal reporter Alex Kotlowitz, whose 1992 There Are No Children Here recounts the story of two real boys growing up in Chicago’s notorious Cabrini-Green housing project. It’s tempting to think Seltzer simply couldn’t be bothered to do interviews and transcribe tape and all that other boring nonfiction stuff. But this isn’t about laziness. It’s more a case of a pathological liar (she even fibbed about her degree from the University of Oregon, which she attended without graduating) finding the perfect lucrative outlet for her fantasies. She wouldn’t have taken Kotlowitz’s tack, because Love and Consequences is all about her. And the people who enabled that fantasy had, not only stereotypical ideas of South Central life, but also their own fantasies about how compelling this “outsider” tale would be on the talk-show circuit. Maybe these days a story isn’t worth anything unless it really happened to someone. But if the goal is to shed light on a situation most people don’t see – rather than, say, make big bucks – it’s not yet impossible to do that with fiction. Look at HBO’s just-concluded series The Wire, an often brutal dissection of Baltimore’s mean streets and troubled institutions. Former police reporter David Simon’s creation delved deeply, and affectingly, into the problems and relationships that plague an urban environment, examining them on an intensely personal level as well as a broader systemic one. Sure, Seltzer doubtless didn’t have the skillz to come up with a story as good as Simon’s. But I don’t buy her stance as a misguided do-gooder. She seems more like the print version of a reality-show contestant, someone who covets the spotlight, who needs attention to prove she exists. Apparently, publishing companies need this type of author as well, so maybe they should just invent a new genre – enhanced confessional, perhaps? – and run with it. ✶
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Solo Soaring Nilaja Sun delivers 16 rich characters and a night of laughs and tears in ‘No Child …’ ~ BY DON SHIRLEY ~
M
OST SOLO SHOWS ARE assumed guilty until proven innocent. Each one-person effort has to demonstrate that it’s not just a cheap vanity project. Many of them flunk. But No Child …, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and its creator and sole performer Nilaja Sun may go to the head of the class. Watching Sun play 16 characters at the fictional Malcolm X High School in the Bronx, it’s clear that such shows don’t have to be mere stunts. That Sun’s small, lithe frame can house so many different people and points of view reinforces an essential theatrical premise – that for a few brief moments of human contact inside the same space, we can begin to enter experiences and perspectives that are far from our own, as well as those that are relatively close. Sun has extensive experience as an “artist teacher” at New York City public schools. Here, she depicts herself working with a group of struggling sophomores. Most of them have never seen a play – but she’s asking them to be in one. And not just any play. She asks them to participate in Our Country’s Good, which is about a group of convicts in 18th century Australia who were transformed by their own experience of acting in a play. And so this group of contemporary teenagers, who are often treated almost like prisoners on their security-conscious campus, takes on the roles of prisoners from another century. Besides playing herself, Sun portrays students, teachers, their principal, and their ancient janitor, whose commentary serves as the play’s structural skeleton. She changes postures and voices and accents with unerring precision and rapidfire dexterity, under the direction of Hal Brooks. The show lasts barely more than an hour – brevity is an important virtue in most solo shows. But it’s one of the richest hours in recent theatrical memory. It isn’t just an agglomeration of characters. It has a natural arc that arouses big laughs but ends by producing plenty of misty eyes. As the title indicates, the show is a wry critique of the Bush administration’s test-obsessed No Child
Left Behind policy, but it’s also a tribute to the distinctive powers of theater in the schools. Sibyl Wickersheimer is credited as the local scenic designer of Center Theatre Group’s production. Apparently there were some big changes in the set since the original off-Broadway production, where the set was described as spartan. Still, Wickersheimer’s set is properly redolent of a stale classroom, with no hint of overproduction. The performance begins with a cell phone warning that sounds like one of the announcements over a school’s P.A. system. However, at the performance I saw, the old janitor began the play by noting “the beautiful silence” of the school hallway in early morning, before the kids file in, and sure enough – a cell phone from someone in the audience shattered that silence. Grrr. While we’re on that subject, let me briefly describe a telephonic intrusion into another performance a few weeks ago. Although I heard no ring-tone, the woman immediately behind me suddenly started talking. I turned around and found her slightly bent over, in a half-hearted attempt to muffle the noise as she conducted a conversation via her headset phone. She must have assumed that by sparing us the sound of the phone actually ringing, she could go ahead and jabber in the theater. I set her straight, and she quickly ended the conversation – while her adolescent daughter watched from the next seat. During intermission, standing at the side of the theater, I watched the woman from afar. Her headset still emitted a little blinking blue light. I again reminded her of the rules just as the second act began. What theatergoers need is an Every Phone Left Behind law. ✶
No Child…, Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. (213) 628-2772. CenterTheatreGroup.org.
For more reviews by Don Shirley, see Stage listings, page 32. MARCH 13~19, 2008
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LIKE EXPLORING OPPOSITE ENDS of the cultural spectrum. I recently reviewed Woo Lae Oak, which offers modern Korean cuisine in sumptuous surroundings. There the menu was expansive, the service gracious, and the bill appropriate to Beverly Hills dining. That experience was still fresh in my mind when I visited Chin Go Gae, a restaurant with spartan decoration, brusque service, and only 10 items on the menu. There didn’t really need to be that many, because when we were there everyone at every table ordered the same two items: roasted goat or goat stew. Weirdly, those are the only two entrées that are not translated into English on the menu. Goat is highly regarded as health food in Korea, but not that popular here – they may not have translated it because they thought only Koreans would want it. That was what we came for, so we ordered it both ways ($13.50 each). Since we like variety, we also ordered bibimbap ($10.50), the dish of rice, vegetables, and egg cooked in a stone bowl. Our servers bustled around after we ordered, connecting electric grills to the fixtures that dangled above our table, then left us to drink barley tea and await the appetizers known as banchan. As is usual in Korean restaurants, we didn’t wait long. The banchan was small, only seven dishes rather than the 15 or so you routinely encounter, but it suited the rustic cuisine here. Most were moderately spiced, with the heat turned up only on the napa cabbage kimchee and red pepper octopus. That kimchee was unusually good, fermented in the traditional manner that gives the broth a full flavor and slight effervescence. Our server returned with a bowl of mild soup and our goat courses, which she set on the burners to heat. We drank the soup while wondering just what was supposed to happen next. Was the goat ready immediately, or did it need to simmer for a while? Our server’s English was fragmentary, but she conveyed that we should wait a few minutes. Meanwhile, we were distracted by the arrival of bibimbap, a pretty arrangement of rice and vegetables in the traditional hot stone
crock. The simple flavors were rich and earthy, but the crock was too cool – the rice didn’t form a crispy crust the way it is supposed to. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. After a while one of the servers decided the bubbling red broth looked right, and added a large handful of greens – sesame leaves, perilla, and something else I didn’t recognize. She stirred it and then served out bowls, explaining to us that the roast goat that had been sautéing was also ready. The chunks of goat meat seemed to be mixed with the same greens that had been added to the soup, but the effect was different. The sautéed goat was like top quality carnitas, slightly chewy but with a richer, fuller flavor, and the peppery and minty herbs added much the same dimension that cilantro does to Mexican food. We liked it by itself and with the gochujang, the soybean and red pepper paste that is a popular table condiment. The soup had plenty of rich, peppery flavor, and the goat that had cooked in that broth was slightly more tender and a whole lot hotter. The broth and goat meat were a perfect match, the strong flavors fully complementing each other. Though the self-professed spice wimp at our table ate only half of her soup before concentrating on the roast goat, I chowed down with gusto on both. It was hot but not blistering, and when it got too intense I cooled down with a shot of crisp soju. When we were almost full, our server came over with more greens and some rice, which she added to the broth. After a few more minutes of cooking, this became a deep, thick vegetable stew, and though we were already almost full, we ate the last morsels. What had looked like an insurmountable pile of food was reduced to dribs and drabs. It was a feast of big, simple flavors well combined, true to an ancient tradition. Stylish? No, but darn tasty. ✶
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MARCH 13~19, 2008
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CITYBEAT
ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES
7
DAYS IN L.A.
THURSDAY 13
FRIDAY 14
SATURDAY 15
SUNDAY 16
G R AT E F U L G A B B I N G
BEHIND THE SCREENS
M U T U - A L A P P R E C I AT I O N
B E AT I N G B O R E D O M S
Stephen Sondheim has been called “the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater” by The New York Times’ Frank Rich. Is it any wonder, then, that the two get along? The creative force behind A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd gabs it up with the Butcher of Broadway at UCLA’s Royce Hall for A Little Night Conversation, a rare public conversation between the famous friends (8 p.m.; $38-$74; Royce Hall, Westwood, 310-825-2101; Uclalive.org). If you’d rather see a real play, just down a couple blocks from UCLA, our own Don Shirley recommends Neil LaBute’s “masterfully assembled” Some Girl(s) at Westwood’s Geffen Playhouse (8 p.m.; $69; 10866 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, 310-208-5454; Geffenplayhouse.com).
Fans who’ve worn out all the extra features on their cherished special-edition DVD sets of Friday Night Lights or Buffy the Vampire Slayer should tune in this month to “Paley Fest.” Hosted by the Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio, the two-week-long event trots out the cast and creators of popular TV shows to talk about their work to the public. The Elvis ’68 Comeback Special 40th Anniversary, with Priscilla Presley and producer/director Steve Binder, starts things off tonight, followed by Pushing Daisies on Saturday and “The Comedy World of Judd Apatow & Friends” on Monday, March 17. $45. Cinerama Dome at ArcLight, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. Info: (866) 468-3399 or Paleycenter.org.
From Theresa Sapergia’s floating animals at Cerasoli Gallery to Anna Sew Hoy’s giant sculpture of an armcast at LA><ART, a healthy number of female artists open exhibits in Culver City today. Direct interrogation of feminine representation, meanwhile, has commanded much of Wangechi Mutu’s attentions. The Kenyan-born artist – also due to speak Thursday, March 13 at the Hammer – presents Little Touched, featuring new drawings, collage, and sculptures, at Culver City’s Susanne Vielmetter Projects. Oh, and a glass of hazelnut brown on me to anybody who drops by the Helms Building and finds out when that damn Father’s Office is finally going to open. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Free. 5795 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, (323) 933-2117. Vielmetter.com.
This oughta be fun. The Boredoms were once named “the most out-there band in the world” by the ever-declarative folks at Allmusic, and although such a statement couldn’t be more wrong – “the most outthere band that Modest Mouse fans have in their record collections” would be more accurate – Japan’s noise rock champs have always kept it delightfully weird. The group has taken on many forms since its founding in 1986, their last major reinvention being the discovery of tribal drumming on 2000’s Vision Creation Newsun. They present their latest sonic explorations tonight at the Fonda. 8 p.m. $20. Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-0808. Henryfondatheater.com.
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Written and edited by Alfred Lee MONDAY 17
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The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has led to a brief and wondrous whirlwind for the book’s author, Junot Díaz, since his first novel was published in September. I haven’t read the thing, but it’s easy to see from his previous short story work – which moves briskly with a mix of street slang, Spanish phrases, and pop culture references – why a critical phenomenon was only a matter of time. The National Book Critics Circle Award winner is about a misunderstood fat nerd – I’m picturing the Dominican Star Wars Kid – and his family. Díaz reads at the Hammer tonight. 7 p.m. Free. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, (310) 443-7000. Hammer.ucla.edu.
It takes a certain kind of genius to earn a fake oversized frog its own U.S. Postal Service stamp and star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but then that was the magic of Jim Henson. Henson may be inseparable from the international icons he created, but his decades-long career also produced a steady stream of oddities. A selection of shorts, commercials, and other experimental rarities from the Henson vault are being promised at the Silent Movie Theatre, including an industrial film for Wilson’s Meat and a 35mm print of the Academy Award-nominated Time Piece. 8 p.m. $12. Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N Fairfax Ave., L.A., (323) 655-2510. Silentmovietheatre.com.
“De gustibus non est disputandum (in matters of taste there is no dispute),” said some Roman who probably liked crappy music and thought Catullus was a great poet. Likely to disagree with that age-old maxim are the ar tists being showcased at Tastemakers. The exhibition, created and installed by FIDM in a temporary space at Hollywood & Highland Center, features local talent in the worlds of fashion, art, design, and architecture, as picked by Laurie Pike, Los Angeles magazine’s style editor. March 19-30, noon-6 p.m. Free. Tastemaker Gallery, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 801-0100. Lamagtastemakers.com.
MARCH 13~19, 2008
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We know you’re a good driver and you keep your eyes squarely on the road, but curator Emi Fontana hopes her exhibit “Women in the City” will catch your attention the same way advertisers catch Angelenos: through your windshield. The ongoing exhibit, which debuted this February in tandem with BCAM, features the work of female artists in familiar venues: from billboards, videotrons, and marquees to newspaper pullout sections and the Huntington Library’s botanical gardens. The project features the first crop of female artists who made a big splash on the international art scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s: Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler, and Cindy Sherman. “I wanted to find the roots of women’s power in the art world and recontextualize it in a different situation,” Fontana says. For some of these artists, this just meant reprising and re-presenting their work. Holzer’s truisms on marquees and inflammatory essays now pasted alongside Virgin Atlantic ads were always meant to be public art. But for this exhibit, she translated her work for Spanish-speaking Angelenos, while maintaining a tone somewhere in the murky space between Kenneth Cole and Mao: “Trust visions that don’t feature buckets of blood.” Other works that are being exhibited publicly for the first time draw new layers of meaning from their carefully chosen settings. Kruger’s self-portraits as a B-movie star cheekily grace a billboard in Hollywood. Lawler’s sound installation mimics a bird call, which would be cheesy if appropriate enough in the botanical gardens, except that her recitation of the names of male artists pokes fun at patriarchal privilege in the art world. If some of the works themselves date back to nearly 30 years ago, the mode of linking their sprawl from Santa Monica to downtown is very up-to-date. “The website gives the show its unity,” says Fontana. The site features a Google map of the various works, and video clips showcasing their urban context. For Fontana, just the experience of organizing and curating this exhibit was its own lesson in the dynamics of public space. “I learned how difficult it is. It was interesting and challenging competing with advertisers,” she says. “For us it was not easy.” –Emma Gallegos Women in the City. Free. Locations throughout the L.A. area. Womeninthecity.org. ~
HOW TO LIST WITH US Listings in “7 Days” and our world-famous calendar are accepted for arts and community events in the greater Los Angeles area. The deadline to be considered for “7 Days” is at least two weeks in advance of the event. Send all information to: “7 Days,” Los Angeles CityBeat, 5209 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. Fax to (323) 938-1661, or e-mail calendar@lacitybeat.com. No phone calls, please.
ROCK CRITIC’S CHOICE
Nada Surf Few bands in the last decade have rolled with the punches as gracefully as Brooklyn’s Nada Surf. Initially dismissed as a major-label/MTV version of Pavement – remember “Popular”? – the band has since recorded for indie labels with results befitting the best the underground has to offer, with current disc (its fifth) Lucky supplying some of singer Matthew Caws’s most heartfelt vocals to date … and some of his most restless and yearning lyrics. Watching Nada Surf mature into a great band has been a rewarding experience … and live, the group is a consistent pleasure. (Wed. at the Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. With the Little Ones.) ~ NADA SURF ~ Staccato Notes: Irish rock combo The Answer made quite the noise in Britain last year with their debut album Rise’s classic-rock chops, all Zepp-tastic noise and chugging Free/Bad Co. licks. Spaceland ain’t the Forum, but it will have to do for now. (Wed. at Club NME @ Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake.) And the mighty Clutch is back this week, playing their increasingly-skilled blend of metal and blues. (Thur. at the Music Box @ Fonda, with Murder by Death, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, and Hex Machine.)
UPCOMING IN-STORES at AMOEBA! All shows are FREE and ALL AGES! For full calendar of events visit: AMOEBA.COM
Monday • March 17 • 6pm
–Joshua Sindell
NEON NEON Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals and producer Boom Bip celebrate the release of Stainless Style — out March 18th on Lex Records. The album is themed around the life of John Delorean and features Spank Rock, Yo Majesty and Fat Lip.
Nature’s Wonder Caregiver’s Group
Wed • March 19 • 7pm
CARL STONE Stone is one of the pioneers of live computer music and has been hailed by the Village Voice as “the king of sampling and one of the “best composers living (in the USA) today.” His new CD Al Noor is out now on Tone Music.
Monday • March 24 • 7pm
JIM WHITE His new CD Transnormal Skiperoo is out now on Luaka Bop. Performing at The Silent Movie Theater on March 25th (presented by KCRW).
Natures Wonder allows for spirited mind to find inner peace and tranquility in a healthy and stress free atmosphere
Times are p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Listing order does not necessarily indicate billing order. All events subject to sudden (hopefully not violent) changes.
For additional listings, visit WWW.LACITYBEAT.COM
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Tuesday • March 25 • 7pm
CARLA BOZULICH’S EVANGELISTA Best known as the singer of Gerladine Fibbers, Bozulich is back with her new group Evangelista. Their debut album Hello, Voyager is saturated in savagely raw and beautiful soundscapes anchored by Carla’s stunning vocals (out now on Constellation).
Thursday • March 27 • 7pm
THE CHAPIN SISTERS The sisters celebrate their new album Lake Bottom LP (out March 18th on Plain Recordings) with a live set at Amoeba. And catch them during their Monday night residency in March at the Echo!
WEEKLY DJ SETS! MANDALA WEDNESDAYS • 7-10PM RESONANCE FRIDAYS • 8-9:30PM AMOEBA MUSIC
DJ adventures curated by DJ JUN!
AMOEBA MUSIC 6400 SUNSET BLVD. (323) 245-6400 MON-SAT 10:30AM-11PM • SUN 11AM-9PM BUY-SELL-TRADE: CDS, LPS, DVDS, VIDEOS, LASERS, TAPES, POSTERS, 45S, 78S, MEMORABILIA & MUCH, MUCH MORE!
AMOEBA.COM CITYBEAT
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SOUNDS ROCK, POP, ACOUSTIC Alex’s Bar, 2913 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, (562) 434-8292. Alexsbar.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: Comedy Night. Fri: Phil Shane. Sat: Ollin. Sun: Future of the Ghost, Vaudeville. Wed: Sugarlight Girls. Avalon Hollywood, 1735 N Vine St, Hollywood, (323) 462-8900. Avalonhollywood.com. Fri: Spider After Dark with Anthony Attalla. Sat: Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, A Day to Remember, Protest the Hero. Boardner’s of Hollywood, 1652 N Cherokee Av, Hollywood, (323) 462-9621. Boardners.com. Thur: Perversion. Fri: Dekada. Sat: Bar Sinister. Mon: Blue Mondays. Tue: Institution Tuesdays. Wed: Club Moscow. Bordello, 901 E First St, downtown L.A., (213) 6873766. Bordellobar.com. Mon: Warpaint, Micky Adams, All Neon Like. Tue: Ari Hest, Angie Mattson, Peculiar Pretzelmen, The Lisps, 8. Wed: Capital K. Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City, (310) 398-2583. Boulevardmusic.com. Call for showtimes. Sat: Bernie Pearl, Mike Barry. Sun: Cerves McNeill. Café-Club Fais Do-Do, 5257 W Adams Bl, L.A., (323) 954-8080. Faisdodo.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Dr, Agoura Hills, (818) 879-5016. Canyonclub.net. Shows at 8 unless otherwise noted. Thur: Stan Ridgeway. Fri: Aquabats, Supernova. Sat: Which One’s Pink? Sun: Three Bad Jacks, The Chop Tops, Devil Doll, Shaun Kama & the Kings of the Wild Frontier, Avenue Saints. Cat Club, 8911 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 657-0888. Myspace.com/thecatclub. Shows at 8. Thur: Ben Justus, Wildcat, Go Sundays, Audra Hardt, The Drills, Starfuckers. Fri: Monte Pittman, Serial Miller, Minnesota 13, Tequila Hounds, Amplication, Burning Sky. Sat: Otherwise, Johnny Six Pack, Matt Beal, The Chase, Avenue A, Looters. Mon: Skylar & Catapult Fuxsion, Taylor, Mia Sable, The Cold Hill Side. Tue: Celia Chavez, Kelly McGrath, Lindzie Taylor, Mallory Trunnell, Lindsey Sample. Wed: Ali Zjana, Melissa Chester, Sarah Ault, Soul Cloud. CIA, 11334 Burbank Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 5066353. Ciabnormalarts.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Cinema Bar, 3967 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City, (310) 390-1328. Myspace.com/thecinemabar. Shows at 9 unless noted. Thur: Laura Martin, 9:30. Fri: 247, 9:30. Sat: Cheatin’ Kind, 9:30. Sun: WXSW, 9:30. Mon: Charlie Vargas, 9:30. Tue: Duane Jarvis and the Cinematics, 9:30. Wed: Dafni, Ruthann Friedman, 9:30. Cobalt Café, 22047 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, (818) 348-3789. Cobaltcafe.com. Thur: Duke Nucomb Forever, Axel Folley, Politikal Dekline, Rejected Allies, Rott, Bad Mouth, Brain Freeze, Rotting Out, Daal Zabub, 6:30. Fri: Lost Remorse, Exodin, Leathal Dosage, Tormentor, Nuerotoxin, Plastered, Rattlehead, 6:30. Sat: Twelve O’ Clock in English, Cold War Transmission, Forest Television, Nevea Tears, The Messenger, Culprit, LoveHateHero, 6:20. Sun: Listen Children, Consider Her Dead, Earned in Blood, A Hero’s Pledge, Avarice, What Angels Do to Tread, 6:30. Tue: Open Reading. The Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Bl, Altadena, (626) 398-7917. Coffeegallery.com. Thur: Stephanie Bettman & Her Boys, 8. Fri: We 5 and Friends, 8. Sat: Bella Sorella, 7. Sun: The Buccaneers, 7. Cowboy Palace Saloon, 21635 Devonshire St, Chatsworth, (818) 341-0166. Cowboypalace.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: Debra Lee. Fri: J.D. Bernal. Sat: Raining Horseshoes. Sun: Brant Vogel. Tue: J.D. Bernal. Wed: David Reeves Carpenter. The Derby, 4500 Los Feliz Bl, Los Feliz, (323) 6638979. Clubderby.com. Thur: Minibike, Watson 66, The Harbingers, Matt Cline, 9:40; VIP Lounge: Don E Sachs, Robert Bachelor, 9. Fri: Cantus Capella,
MARCH 13~19, 2008
A.M. Session, The Stex Jebba, Grayson Wray Project, 8:45; VIP Lounge: Red Host, Side Show Rubies, 9:45. Sun: Sunday Swing. Mon: Jonny Vs the Ninjas, Tom O’Grady, Knuckle, Samich, The Black Eyes, Noah, Sugarman; VIP Lounge: Live Reggae. Wed: Immoor, Shattered Atom, Audra Mae, Knife World, Ice Rod, 8:50. Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-6111. Thedragonfly.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. The Echo, 1822 Sunset Bl, Echo Park, (213) 4138200. Attheecho.com. Thur: Beach House, Papercuts, 6:30; It the Echoplex: Acid Mothers Temple, Danava, 10. Fri: Club Underground, 9. Sat: Hang The DJs, 10. Sun: Grand Ole Echo, The Cousin Lovers, Parklane Twin, Buffalo California, 5; Par t Time Punks, 10. Mon: The Chapin Sisters, Summer Darling, Biillinairs, Love Grenades, 8:30. Tue: The Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, McCarthy Trenching, 8:30. Wed: Born Ruffians, Cadence Weapon, Rumspringa, 8:30; In the Echoplex: The Dub Club, 9. El Cid, 4212 W Sunset Bl, L.A., (323) 668-0318. Elcidla.com. Thur: Victory Variety Hour, 10. Sat: Club Macondo, 10. Sun: Club Berfday, 10. Mon: Garage Comedy, 8. Tue: Open Mike, 7. El Rey, 5515 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 936-6400/4790. Theelrey.com. Shows at 8. Thur: The Pillows, The Noodles, The Outline, 7. Fri: Particle, 8. Sat: Poxy Boggards, Merry Wives of Windsor, 7:30. Wed: Carbon/Silicon, Matt Pond PA, 8. 14 Below, 1348 14th St, Santa Monica, (310) 4515040. 14below.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: Wickhead, My Evolution, The Most Power ful Hand, Myzewell. Fri: BloMaggy Adeleye, Shanta Loecker, Little Machines, Helicopter Rounds, Ript, 8. Sat: The Monthlies & Friends. Sun: Alisdair’s Conquer. Tue: Acoustic Tuesday, 9. Genghis Cohen, 740 N Fairfax Av, West Hollywood, (323) 653-0640. Genghiscohen.com. Thur: Laura Bradley, Daniel Capellaro, Ryan Hill, 8. Fri: Stefan Marks, Nikki Forova, Jane Carrey Band, 7:30. Sat: The Mighty Echoes, Richard Julian w/ Mitchell Froom, Sara Haze, 8. Mon: Brian Green Band, The Goop, 8. Tue: Chelsea Lena, Keri Gulbranson, Jeanne Jolly, 8. Wed: Jewel & Blaire, Isley Juber Matthew Moon, 8. The Gig, 7302 Melrose Av, L.A., (323) 936-4440. Liveatthegig.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Good Hurt, 12249 Venice Bl, West L.A., (310) 3901076. Goodhurt.net. Fri: Wave Array, Hasner, Casa Do Samba, 10. Sat: Light Chemist, Disarm the Speaker, Majority Lost, Anatomy of Her, 9:45. Sun: Starlit, 8:30. Mon: The Rhythm Coffin, City City, Clyde Bonnie Clyde, The Big Cool, 8:45. Hallenbeck’s General Store & Café, 5510 Cahuenga Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 985-5916. Hallenbecks.net. Tue: Open Mike, 7. The Hotel Café, 1623 N Cahuenga Bl, Hollywood, (323) 461-2040. Hotelcafe.com. Thur: Lady Danville, Until June, Ryan Calhoun, Aaron Beaumont, Kelly Dalton, 7. Fri: Tyrone Wells, Andy Grammer, Brett Bixby, The Life of Riley, Port, 7. Sat: Alice Smith, David Ryan Harris, Tony Lucca, Eli Goldsmith, 7. Sun: Anahita, Dave Lowensohn, The Brendan Hines, 8. Mon: Emily Wells, Laura Marling, Leslie and The Badgers, Emy Reynolds, 7. Tue: Rachael Yamagata, 8:30 & 10:30. Wed: Test Your Reflex, Kate Walsh, Freddie Stevenson, Casper, 7. House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (323) 848-5100. Hob.com. Thur: Whole Lotta Rosies, Lights, Chinese Democracy, Rock Bottom, British Beat, 8. Fri- Sun: Bad Religion, Flipper, Revolution Mother, 8:30. Key Club, 9039 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 274-5800. Keyclub.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: The Ifficials, 7. Fri: Fishbone, Rebelution, B Foundation, 8. Sat: Three Bad Jacks, Chop Tops, Devil Doll, Shaun Kama, 7:30. Mon: Bourbon Saints, 8:30. Tue: Ruby, 8. Wed: Black Tide, Daughters of Mara, Vaylor, 7. King King, 6555 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 9609234. Kingkinghollywood.com. Thur: Elevaters, The Get Up, The Argyle Pimps, 8. Fri: Bazaar, 10. Sat: Tony Powell, DJ Kemal, 10. Tue: Descargo con Tim-
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ba with Sono-Lux and DJ Saoco, 10. Wed: Mortified, 8. Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 463-0204. Knittingfactory.com. See also Knitting Factory AlterKnit Lounge. Thur: Twiztid, Boondoz, Project Born, DJ Clay, 7; In the Front: Driving East, Lunar Fiction, Joy in Tomorrow, Silent Envy, 7. Fri: Teen Project Benefit, 8; In the Front: Teen Project Benefit, 8. Sat: Volto!, Magnetico, 8; In The Front: Wild Youth, Hayes Field, The Atma, Radio Parade, 8. Sun: Karen Williams, 7. Tue: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Locks, 8; In The Front: The Velvet Teen, Aloha, 8. Wed: DJ David Vendetta & Violinist Micah, 7; In the Front: Dead to Me, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Femurs, Gentlemen Prefer Blood, 7. Knitting Factory AlterKnit Lounge, 7021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 463-0204. Knittingfactory.com. See also Knitting Factory. Thur: Around the Corner, Young Animals, Terence Leclere, Yes Means Yes, 7:30. Sat: An Angle, 7:30. Tue: Inverse, Rozaline, 7; Bluebeat Lounge, 9. Kulak’s Woodshed, 5230 1/2 Laurel Canyon Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 766-9913. Kulakswoodshed.com. Thur: Jill Sobule and Friends, 8. Fri: L.A. Indie Music Spotlight, 8. Sat: Lindsay Tomasic and Friends, 8. Mon: Open Mic with Lisa Turner, 7. Wed: Community Acoustic Jam, 8. Largo, 432 N Fairfax Av, L.A., (323) 852-1073/1851. Largo-la.com. Call for showtimes. Thur-Fri: Nellie McKay. Tue: Paul Kelly. Little Temple, 4519 Santa Monica Bl, L.A., (323) 660-4540. Littletemple.com. See also Temple Bar. Shows at 9. Thur-Wed: Call for info. The Malibu Inn Bar and Restaurant, 22969 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, (310) 456-6060. Malibuinn.com. Shows at 8. Thur: Albino, 8. Fri: Eric McFadden Trio, 8. Sun: The Itals, One Drop Redemption, Wayne, Jobson Host, 6. Mon: Sall’s Gap Band, 8. McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 828-4497. Mccabes.com. Sun: Dan Crow, Niall de Burca, 11 a.m.; Eric Bibb, 7. The Mint, 6010 W Pico Bl, L.A., (323) 954-9400. Themintla.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, 575 S Fairfax Av, L.A., (323) 935-1577. MollymalonesLA.com. Thur: The Northstar Session, The Mighty Regis, The Dirges, 8:30. Fri: Reyna Larson, Jessica Callahan, The Meadows, The Good Fiction, 8. Sat: McCrea Adams, James Fuchs, The Ro Chambeaux Show, The White Buffalo, 8. Sun: The Abbreviated Truth, The Mighty Regis, 9. Mon: The Dirges, Thomas Allen-Bagpiper, Slugger O’Toole, The Mighty Regis, Carney, 12:30. Tue: Dave Wilson, Puppies and Kittens, The Youngs, The Heartstring Symphony, 8. Wed: River of Suns, Jane Carrey Band, Phillip Sayce, 8. Mr. T’s Bowl, 5621 1/2 N Figueroa St, Highland Park, (323) 256-7561. Mrtsbowl.tripod.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: Family Tree Analog, Happy Dwarf, Walk in Medical, Marvelous Toy. Fri: The Magazines, Vise Virsa, The Sundowners, Ojos Rojos, 9:30. Sat: Night Shift. Sun: Lauren Modery, 9. Mon: The Homebillies, Banna Beag Mall. Wed: Antigone, The Dumps, Monolidic, Millionkids. Portfolio Coffeehouse, 2300 E Fourth St, Long Beach, (562) 434-2486. Portfoliocoffeehouse.com. Fri: Kevin Shima, 9. Sat: Baracca da Bossa, 9. Wed: Open Mic, 9. Room 5 Lounge, 143 N La Brea Av, second floor, Hollywood, (323) 938-2504. Room5lounge.com. Thur: Mark Franco, 8. Fri: Acoustic Playhouse, 12. Sun: Brad Stewart, 7. Mon: Acoustic Mondays, 8. Tue: Best of Both Worlds, Kala Balch, 50 Cent Haircut, 8. Wed: Infamous Stringudsters, Penny Reel, Naimee Coleman, Lucy Schwartz, 7. The Roxy, 9009 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 276-2222. Theroxyonsunset.com. Thur: Impel, 100 Ft Snowman, Jack left Town, Pigmoney, 7:15; In the Rox: Year of the Dragon, Dirty Walt, Yeti, 9. Fri: The Binary Obsession, King Arthurs Court, Authentic Sellout, 7:15; In the Rox: The Small Hours, 9. Sat: In the Rox: Cipes and the People, Keltronix, Sarah Tea, Curious Primate! 9. Mon: Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Emmy the Great, Riz MC, 8. Tue: Switches, Castledoor, Glacier Hiking, 8. Wed: Matthew Santos, John West, Megan Jacobs, Lisa Donnelly, 7:30. Safari Sam’s, 5214 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 6667267. Safari-sams.com. Thur: Mike Watt and The Missingmen, Arc Welders, the D*Magg’s, OO Soul, Woolly Bandits, Mike Keneally, 8. Fri: Lords of Altamont, Kitten DeVille, Gamblers Mark, Dayna Delux, Violet Valentine, Masuimi Max, Hollywood Geisha, Laura Byrnes, Micheline Love, Robert Miranda, Satoki, 8. Sat: Sweet Electra, DJ Marcello, Cunning, Cubiky, DJ Ane, Automatico, 8. Sun: Brunch Americana with Buzz Campell, Hot Rod Lincoln, Six Pack to Go, The Del-Fi’s, noon; Big Moves, Pistol Pistol, Waiting 4 Wyatt, Down for the Count, 7. Mon: The Young Royals, Spectre, Red Again, Snew, 8. Wed: The Word Pimpstress, Dirt & Banks, Mudluscious, Renfield, 8. Scene Bar, 806 E Colorado St, Glendale, (818) 241-7029. Thescenebar.com. Shows at 9. Thur: Chingalera, Killing Bees, The Mossy Breakup. Fri: Smash Fashion, Peachfuzz, The Hitz, The Dirty City Brothers. Sat: Jackson United, The Dirges. Sun: Shiloe, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Amps on Ten, Goodbye Ian. Mon: Downtown/Union, Shammer’d, Codpiece, Tommy Peacock and The Gas. Tue: Les Blanks, Service Group, Masterslave. Wed: Yakuza, National Sunday Law, Geronimo, Nadja, Fight Amp. Silverlake Lounge, 2906 Sunset Bl, Silver Lake, (323) 666-2407. Foldsilverlake.com. Thur: Seismic Waves, Olin and the Moon, Great Gleaming Sea, 9. Tue: Kingsize, Man and the Motorcar, The Active Set, 9. Wed: Headlights, Evangelicals, Actress, 9. The Smell, 247 S Main St, L.A., (213) 625-4325. Thesmell.org. Shows at 9. Fri: Ariel Pink, Clang Quartet, BoyZone, Bobb Bruno, Jeremy Drake, David Rothbaum. Tue: The New Bloods, Magic Johnson, Ima Gymnist. Wed: Famous Amos, The Muggabears. Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Bl, Silver Lake, (213) 833-2843. Clubspaceland.com. Shows at 8:30 unless otherwise noted. Thur: Ms Garvey & The Hootennany All Stars, Old War Shrt, Slings, Famous Bob Rokos. Fri: You Me and Iowa, Pacific Ocean Fire, The Drowning Men, The Antiques. Sat: Firebug, Sierra Swan. Mon: Voxhaul Broadcast, The Pigeon Detectives, Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong, My Pet Saddle. Wed: Club NME. Taix 321 Lounge, 1911 W Sunset Bl, L.A., (213) 4841265. Taixfrench.com. Shows at 10:30. Thur: Vim,
T h e W o r ld- Fa m o us C i rc us, Is home to some of the Largest and hottest parties in the city Los Angeles! Every week Circus brings the best DJs to the decks! Circus is LA's largest nightclub featuring 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor clubbing. The sound at Circus is HUGE featuring a 120,000-watt EAW Avalon sound system. Circus also features seven separate areas, ten fully stocked bars, outdoor patio, private bungalow and VIP lounge. A big new night of Big Top electro and house attractions:
DJ Irene The first lady of American DJ culture returns to her musical birthplace at 6655 Santa Monica Boulevard. Irene is the queen of jackhammer “hard house” (and the best-selling woman in mix-CD-land), but in the last few years she has branched out into progressive and melodic sounds. Her recent music studies have taken her to new, cinematic destinations, so expect the unexpected Saturday at Circus Disco. –Dennis Romero
MARCH 15
DJ IRENE
Red presents DJ Irene with Kosho, Hendo and Brian McGuire, Saturday at Circus Disco, 6655 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, 21+. Doors 9 p.m. Tickets $10 advance. Info: nexxez.com.
★★★ THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS ★★★ THURSDAY, MARCH 13 Respect is a give and take of drum ’n’ bass at Jimmy's Lounge, 6202 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. This week: AK1200. 18+. Info: respectdrumandbass.com. Root Down digs deeper than commercial hip-hop with WyaTT Case, Miles, and Loslito at Little Temple, 4519 Santa Monica Bl, Silver Lake, (818) 7596374. This week: Aloe Blacc. 21+. Info: rootdownclub.com. Afro Funke takes you to the motherland of dance music with organic grooves at Zanzibar, 1301 Fifth St, Santa Monica. This week: MZA. 21+. Info: afrofunke.com.
MARCH 22
FRIDAY, MARCH 14 Spider After Dark goes after-hours for the post-red-carpet crowd at Spider Club, 1735 N Vine St, Hollywood. This week: Anthony Attalla. 21+. Info: avalonhollywood.com.
SATURDAY, MARCH 15
GEORGE ACOSTA
Avaland anchors Hollywood nightlife with superior sound at Avalon Hollywood, 1735 N Vine St, Hollywood. This week: Victor Calderone. 21+. Info: avalonhollywood.com. Giant flaunts oversized DJs at Vanguard, 6021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Benny Benassi. 21+. Info: giantclub.com. Red raves up the biggest room in town at Circus Disco, 6655 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. This week: DJ Irene. 21+. Info: nexxez.com. Balance feng-shuis your house at King King, 6555 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Tony Powell. 21+. Info: balance-la.com.
MARCH 29
SUNDAY, MARCH 16 Deep gets down with Marques Wyatt’s all-stars at Vanguard, 6021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Louie Vega. 21+. Info: deep-la.com. Moonshadows Blue Lounge has the ocean motion of DJs Mick Cole, Julien Couly, and Jean Louis, at Moonshadows, 20356 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu. Info: moonshadowsmalibu.com.
MONDAY, MARCH 17 Monday Social lubricates the dance biz with e-music by Freddy Be, Mick Cole, and global guests at Nacional, 1645 Wilcox Av, Hollywood. 21+. Info: budbrothers.com.
TUESDAY, MARCH 18
SUPER8 and TAB
Dim Mak Tuesdays has anti-DJ Steve Aoki and the celebutantes who mix for him at Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 817-3456. 21+. Info: cinespace.info.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19 Therapy takes the right steps with local house hero Scott K and friends at Tokio, 1640 N Cahuenga Bl, Hollywood. 21+. Info: balance-la.com. Dub Club has existential dance music producer Tom Chasteen and friends at The Echo, 1822 Sunset Bl, Echo Park, (213) 413-8200. 21+. Info: attheecho.com. –Dennis Romero
MARCH 13~19, 2008
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CIRCUS is located at 6655 Santa Monica Blvd. 2 blocks east of Highland Ave. Behind Arena
323.462.1291 • www.circusdisco.com 9pm-4am • 21+ • Tickets available at groovetickets.com
CITYBEAT
JAZZ, BLUES, LATIN Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia, (626) 447-9349. Arcadiabluesclub.com. Shows at 9:30 and 11:30. Fri: This Side Up. Sat: Rod Piazza. Babe’s & Ricky’s Inn, 4339 Leimert Bl, Leimert Park, (323) 295-9112. Bluesbar.com. Thur: Jam Session with Mama’s Boys. Fri-Sat: Mighty Balls of Fire. Mon: Jam Night, Mickey Champion. Back Room at Henri’s, 21601 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, (818) 348-5582. Shows at 8. ThurWed: Call for info. The Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Bl, Studio City,
JAZZ CRITIC’S CHOICE
Tenor Truth The Texas-born tenor saxophonist Billy Harper started coming to L.A. in 1966, when he lit up Royce Hall with the Gil Evans Orchestra. Evans made Harper one of the main solo voices in the former’s epochal Svengali album of ’73. A tenure with Max Roach further seasoned Harper, who has long been one of the greatest living tenor saxophonists. His strong voice on the horn clearly carries a spiritual dimension. Harper makes a rare visit, as he continues through Saturday at the Jazz Bakery. Don’t you dare miss him. Blues singer and guitarist Eric Bibb – something of a Taj Mahal lite – is at McCabe’s Sunday, singing of men, mules, and the ~ BILLY HARPER ~ Holy Spirit. Guitarist Robben Ford isn’t much of a singer but he’s a hell of a jazz-informed blues guitarist. He’s got Gary Novak supplying drum heat on Ford’s new Truth (Concord) CD and the two of them supply incentive to see Ford at Catalina’s, Friday to Sunday. Improvisational guitarist Tom McNalley, fresh from a New York interlude where he had a month-long intensive playing with Ornette Coleman, is at Dangerous Curve (1020 E. Fourth Pl., downtown L.A., 213-617-8483; 7 p.m.; $7-10) Sunday. Talk about getting’ mean on your instrument … John Pizzarelli, heir to a formidable swing guitar heritage, sings and (let’s hope) plays in tribute to Sinatra at the Disney on Sunday. Tuesday at the Bakery, Mike Melvoin, one of our most accomplished jazz pianists, leads his trio. From classical pieces to the keyboards on “Good Vibrations,” Melvoin’s got a lot under his musical belt buckle. –Kirk Silsbee
THEATER CRITIC’S CHOICE ED KRIEGER
Nice Guy Eddie, Courtney Chambers. Fri: The Polynesian Paradise Dancers, Connie J, Vermouth. Sat: The Neighborhood Bullys, Silverface Champs. Wed: Madame Pamita, Mike Stinson, Danny B. Harvey. Tangier Lounge, 2138 Hillhurst Av, L.A., (323) 6668666. Tangierrestaurant.net. Wed: Sara Melson. Temple Bar, 1026 Wilshire Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 393-6611. Templebarlive.com. Thur: Knossos, Tony Khalife, Delhi 2 Dublin, DJ Tej Gill, 9. Fri: Verbal Threat, U-N-I, The Antidotes, Hassahn Phenomenon, DJ Spill, DJ 7, 9. Sat: Destani Wolf, Elijah Emanuel & The Revelation, DJ Anthony Valdez, 10. Sun: Soul Expressions, 9. Mon: Malpractice, 8:30. Tue: Preeta & The Peacemakers, Cipes & The People, The Luminaries, 9. Wed: Cassorla, Bruno Mars, Young Church, 9. Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 276-6168. Troubadour.com. Thur: Brother Ali, Abstract Rude, Toki Wright, BK One. Fri: Canon, The Histories, Meals For Children. Sat: Blue Sky Reality, Skee, Ofelia, Audra Hardt, Delta Rose, 8. Mon: Jason Collett. Tue: Shawn Mullins, Pieta Brown, 8:30. Wed: The Vines. UnUrban Coffee House, 3301 W Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 315-0056. Unurban.com. Fri: UnUrban Open Mike, 7:30. Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 358-1880. Viperroom.com. Thur: Who Rides the Tiger, Thinking Aloud, Kingsly, Born the Sky. Fri: Hi Stereo, Feed the Kitty, Off the Deep End, Cory Phillips. Sat: Jack Ruby, Hillbilly Herald, Tommy Peacock, Frankly Speaking, Valentyne. Mon: The Voom Blooms, Neon Neon, Jim Noir, Oppenheimer, Last Days of April, 8. Tue: South of Earth, Capra, Kongos, Stealing Love Jones, 8. Wed: Love Campaign, Halestorm, 8:30. Viva Cantina, 900 Riverside Dr, Burbank, (818) 845-2425. Vivacantina.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Whisky a Go-Go, 8901 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 652-4202. Whiskyagogo.com. Thur: Tiffany J, Chris Mouch, Eebony Browne, MK, Cipes and The People, Jeremiah St. Clair. Fri: Wednesday Rising, Xavier Miller, Bhi Bhiman, Scientific Lifestyle, Alright Alright, The Invisible People, Jersey Versus. Sat: Crost, Standing Strong, Bloodline, Kaustic, 7. Sun: Divine Heresy, Darksun, Sangre, Black Chapel, Interseed, Gravity Clutch, Epokah. Mon: Rose Rossi, 8. Zeropoint, 1049 E 32nd St, L.A. Zeropointspace.org. Thur-Wed: Call for info. –Ashley Archibald
‘Crime and Punishment’
~ BEN HUNTER ~
This adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s novel, by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, strips the sprawling story down to its bare bones, using only three actors and 90 minutes to express its essence. This boil-it-down philosophy works better in the theater than the more reverential but cluttered approach that was used in Circle X’s production of The Brothers Karamazov two years ago. Paul Witten, who’s a versatile presence here as the police inspector, the victim, and Raskolnikov’s drunken friend, was in Circle X’s production as well. Ben Hunter’s Raskolnokov is charismatically tormented, and Suzanne Friedline plays his mother, his prostitute friend and his second victim. Ken Sawyer’s direction for Actors Co-op and the work of his talented designers envelop theatergoers in a swirl of moody sights and sounds. –Don Shirley
Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood, (323) 462-8460. Actorsco-op.org. Fris.-Sats. at 8 p.m.; Suns. at 2:30 p.m.; March 15 at 2:30 p.m. Closes Apr. 13.
For info, see Jazz, Blues, Latin; Rock, Pop, Acoustic; and Concerts listings.
(818) 980-1615. Thebakedpotato.com. Shows at 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Thur: Doug Doppler Group, Adrian Galysh, Maureen Baker Okuye, Glen Sobel, Keven Chown, 9. Fri: The Dean Brown Band. Sat: Michael Thompson Super Group. Sun: Brandon Fields Allstars. Mon: Monday Night Jammmz. Tue: Cartaya’s Enclave. Wed: The Kevin Eubanks Group. B.B. King’s Blues Club, 1000 Universal Center Dr, Universal City, (818) 622-5464. Bbkingclubs.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Blue Café, 210 Promenade, Long Beach, (562) 983-7111. Thebluecafe.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: Army of Darkness, Veralynn, Sean F. Kennedy & The 3 Min Fix, Banned from MI.5, 8; In the Blue: The Guilty Parties, Capt. Squeegee & The Soapsuds, Half Past Two, 7:30. Fri: Kamikaze Airlines, Ugly Duckling, Pigeon John, Argyle Pimps, Triple Helix; In the Blue: Live Music. Sat: Marty Rose, 10; In the Blue: Live Music. Sun: Box Car Seven, Phat Cat Swinger, Lee Press On & The Nails, 7; In the Blue: Road Kill Kings, Smoking Revolvers, Rocken Dead, 8:30. Tue: Strictly the Business; In the Blue: Live Music. Wed: Live Music; In the Blue: Live Music. Café Boogaloo, 1238 Hermosa Av, Hermosa Beach, (310) 318-2324. Boogaloo.com. Fri: Harper, 9:30. Sat: The Soul of John Black, 9:30. Café Metropol, 923 E Third St, downtown L.A., (213) 613-1537. Roccoinla.com. Fri: Bert Karl Trio, 8. Sat: Nick Mancini Collective, 8.
Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-2210. Catalinajazzclub.com. Shows at 8:30 & 10:30 unless noted. Fri-Sun: Robben Ford. Charlie O’s, 13725 Victory Bl, Van Nuys, (818) 994-3058. Charlieos.com. Thur: Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra. Fri: Zand Musa Quartet. Sat: Doug Webb Quartet. Sun: Charles Owen Quartet. Mon: Roger Neumann Rather Large Band. Tue: Bob McChesney Quintet. Wed: Denise Donatelli Quartet. Cozy’s Bar & Grill, 14058 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 986-6000. Cozysblues.com. Thur: James Norton Tribute, 9. Fri: Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers, 9:45. Sat: Bill Magee Blues Band, 9:45. Mon: Pro Blues Jam, 9. Tue: Kings and Queens of the Underground, 9. Wed: CSON Lounge, 9. Csardas, 5820 Melrose Av, Hollywood, (323) 9626434. Mon: The Harmony Club Jam Session, 8. El Floridita, 1253 N Vine St, Hollywood, (323) 8718612. Elfloridita.com. Fri: Jam Sessions with Orquesta Charangoa. Sat: Salsa bands. Mon: Johnny Polanco y Su Orquesta Amistad. Wed: Cuban Jam Session with Conjunto Guama. Harvelle’s, 1432 Fourth St, Santa Monica, (310) 3951676. Harvelles.com. Thur: The Jeff Jensen Band, 9:30. Fri: Terry Evans, 9:30. Sat: Z-Tribe, 9:30. Sun: The Toledo Show, 9:30. Mon: All-Star Pro Jam, 9. Tue: Bongo Fury, 9:30. Wed: House of Vibe, 9:30. JAX, 339 N. Brand Bl, Glendale, (818) 500-1604.
Jaxbarandgrill.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Av, Culver City, (310) 271-9039. Jazzbakery.com. Shows at 8 & 9:30 unless specified. Thur-Sat: Billy Harper Quintet. Sun: Pasadena City College Jazz Ensembles, 4. Tue: Mike Melvoin, Tony Dumas, Ralph Penland, 8 & 9:30. Wed: Eliane Elias, 8 & 9:30. La Granada, 17 S First St, Alhambra, (626) 227-2572. Letsdancela.com. Thur: Salsa Dance, 10. Fri-Sat: Salsa Central. Sun: Ballroom Dance. Mon: Samba, 8:30. Tue: Salsa Dancing, 10. La Vé Lee, 12514 Ventura Bl, Studio City, (818) 9808158. Laveleejazzclub.com. Shows at 8:30 & 10:30. Thur: Steve Weingart, Eric Valentine, Kevin Levi, Carlitos Del Puerto. Fri: Steven Aghaian, Alan Hinds, Rufus Philpot, Steve Weingart. Sat: Katia Moraes, Sambaguru. Tue: Marco Mendoza, Joey Heredia, Renato Neto. Wed: Sweet E, Wendy Fraser and Band. Miceli’s, 1646 N Las Palmas Av, Hollywood, (323) 466-3430. Micelisrestaurant.com. Live performances at 6. Thur-Wed: Call for info. 2nd Street Jazz, 366 E Second St, downtown L.A., (323) 680-0047. Myspace.com/landon2ndstreetlivejazz. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Spazio, 14755 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 7288400. Spazio.la. Shows at 8. Thur: Francisco Aguabella Quintet. Fri: Susie Hansen Latin Jazz Quintet. Sat: Teka New Bossa Quintet. Sun: Sunday Brunch; Scott Peters Quartet. Mon: Ernie Draffin Trio. Tue: John Pisano’s Guitar Night with Frank Potenza. Wed: Tateng Katengig Trio. Vibrato Grill Jazz, 2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel Air, (310) 474-9400. Vibratogrilljazz.com. Thur: Hot Club Combo. Fri: Barbara Morrison. Sat: Frank Marocco. Sun: Brentwood School Jazz Band. Tue: Carol Robbins. Wed: Josh Nelson/Pat Senatore duo. –Emma Gallegos
CONCERTS MARCH 13-19 Note: Unless otherwise indicated, tickets are available through Ticketmaster, (213) 480-3232 or Ticketmaster.com.
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Clutch, Murder by Death, Maylene Sons of Disaster and Hex Machine, Thur, Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, at 7. (323) 464-0808. Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Thur, Honda Center, 2695 E Katella Av, Anaheim, at 6:30. (714) 7042400. Temptations & Four Tops, Thur, The Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E Katella Av, Anaheim, at 7:30. (714) 712-2700. Gipsy Kings, Fri-Sat, Cerritos Center, 12700 Center Court Dr, Cerritos, at 8. (800) 300-4345. Joan Sebastian, Fri-Sun, Gibson Amphitheatre at Uni-
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STAGE OPENING THIS WEEK Dietrich & Chevalier, the Musical. Romance between a German actress and French singer is depicted in this musical. Written by Jerry Mayer. Directed by Chris DeCarlo. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St, Santa Monica, (800) 838-6006. Opens Sun at 7. Suns at 3 & 7. Closes May 3. Fafalo. Ziggurat Theatre presents this comic fantasy about a most unlikely candidate who is crowned king, told with puppets and Balinese masks. Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 842-5737. Ziggurattheatre.org. Opens Fri at 8. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes Apr 13. The Full Monty. Santa Monica Theatre Guild presents the musical adaptation of the comedic British film, about a group of unemployed steelworkers preparing to present their own Chippendales-style show. Book by Terrence McNally. Music and lyrics by David Yazbek. Directed by Anne Gesling. MorganWixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 828-7519. Morgan-wixson.org. Opens Fri at 8. FrisSats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes Apr 12. Invasion of the Minnesota Normals. An ordinary ’50s
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versal CityWalk, 100 Universal City Pl, Universal City, at 8:15. (818) 622-4440. Winger, Fri, Crash Mansion, 1024 Grand Av, downtown L.A., at 8. (213) 747-0999. Angels & Airwaves, Sat, The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Bl, L.A., at 7:30. (213) 380-5005. Perú Negro, Sat, UCLA Live at Royce Hall, Westwood, at 8. (310) 825-2101. Ramp, The Rebirth, Sat, Crash Mansion at 9. Boredoms, Sun, See 7 Days in L.A. Foot Foot, Pwrfl Power, Capillary Action, Sun, Pehrspace, 325 Glendale Bl, Historic Filipinotown. (213) 483-7347. Tom McNalley, Michelle Webb, Careful of the Drifting, Sun, Dangerous Cur ve, 1020 E Fourth Pl, downtown L.A., at 7. (213) 617-8483. John Pizzarelli, Sun, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Av, downtown L.A., at 7:30. (213) 972-7211. Matchbox Twenty, Alanis Morissette, Mute Math, Sun, Staples Center, 1111 S Figueroa St, downtown L.A., at 7:30. (877) 305-1111. Explosions in the Sky, Mon, The Wiltern at 9. Neon Neon, Mon, Amoeba Music, 6400 W Sunset Bl, Hollywood, at 6. (323) 245-6400. Kinky, Money Mark, Tue, Mayan, 1038 S Hill St, L.A., at 9. (213) 746-4287. Nada Surf with The Little Ones, Wed, Music Box @ Fonda at 8. Carl Stone, Wed, Amoeba Music at 7. –Emma Gallegos
MARCH 13~19, 2008
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TV EYE
The Other Lost War Although many of us might insist the hellish War on Drugs goes all the way back to the 1930s, writer/director Kevin Booth chose to start his stunning documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope, now playing on Showtime, with Richard Nixon’s reorganization of drug enforcement in the early 1970s, and chronicles the catalogue of failure, corruption, racism, wrecked lives, and billions of dollars spent to absolutely no avail ever since. Do not look for any mealy-mouthed, “fair and balanced” TV news approach. With just a couple of exceptions (like the insane drug warrior Sheriff Joe Arpaio), no one interviewed in the two hour investigation, including ex-cops and former DEA agents, has a good word to say about this country’s criminal demonization of recreational drugs, and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that, at best, the drug war is a destructive farce, and may possibly be an exercise in institutional greed and calculated authoritarian larceny. American Drug War talks to dozens of individuals with stories to tell, including Tommy Chong at one end of the scale to Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, who attempted to decriminalize drugs at the other – with everyone from former Drug Czars to anonymous crack-heads in between – plus a stunning jailhouse interview by phone with Freeway Ricky Ross, the L.A. crack kingpin, who only discovered, after he was busted, that he was fronting for the CIA. The show is nothing short of a must-see indictment of the insanity of the U.S. drug policy. –Mick Farren Showtime, Thursday at 9 p.m., Mon. at 12:30 a.m.
housewife encounters former test subjects of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Directed by Melissa Denton. The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 960-5771. Plays411.com/mninvasion. Opens Thur at 8. ThursSats at 8. Closes Apr 19. Secrets of the Trade. An ambitious Long Island kid who dreams of a career on Broadway hopes that his idol can give it to him. Written by Jonathan Tolins. Directed by Matt Shakman. With John Glover. Black Dahlia Theatre, 5453 W Pico Bl, L.A. Info: (800) 8383006 or Thedahlia.com. Opens Sat at 8. WedsSats at 8; Suns at 7. Closes Apr 20. Shame. A man wracked with grief over the death of his lover and shame of his homosexuality has a dialogue with Jesus. Created by Stephen Morey and Paul Rebillot. Directed by William Stanford. Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. Info: (323) 960-1057 or Plays411.com/shame. Opens Thur at 8. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3 & 7. Closes March 23. The Violet Hour. A fledgling World War I-era publisher trying to decide which work to print for a first title comes across a mysterious machine that predicts the future of the play’s protagonists. Written by Richard Greenberg. Directed by Stuart Rogers. Theatre Tribe, 5267 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood, (800) 838-6006. Theatretribe.com. Opens Fri at 8. Thurs-Sats at 8. Closes Apr 19. –Ed Carrasco and Alfred Lee
★★★ CONTINUING ★★★ Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Dario Fo’s dated Italian radicalism is injected with current American references in Diana Wyenn’s staging of Fo’s tale of a clever agitator (Taras Los) who goes incognito in a police headquarters, investigating the titled incident. The quick-talking actors freely admit the artifice of the updates. It works reasonably well. Unknown Theater, 1110 N Seward St, Hollywood, (323) 466-7781. Unknowntheater.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 6. Closes March 29. (Don Shirley) Alice Sit-by-the-Fire. In James M. Barrie’s 1905 comedy, a British couple returns from years in India to reunite with their growing children. Misunderstandings multiply in a delightfully funny second act, but the third act provides a lyrical sense of generations exchanging roles. Joe Olivieri’s cast, with Alley Mills and Orson Bean, is remarkable. Pacific Resident Theatre, 705 1/2 Venice Bl, Venice, (310) 822-8392. Pacificresidenttheatre.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes Apr 20. (DS) Black & Bluestein. In 1963, a black doctor offers to buy a house in a white, mostly Jewish St. Louis suburb. The house is owned by the developer and his liberal wife, who face opposition from neighbors and relatives. Jerry Mayer’s meatier-than-usual autobiographical tale achieves considerable pungency, despite a few clunky components. The Other Space, Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St, Santa Monica. Info: (800) 838-3006 or Santamonicaplayhouse.com. Sats 3 & 8; Suns 3 & 7. Closes May 3. (DS) The Brig. Kenneth H. Brown’s landmark 1963 drama presents one harrowing day in the hellhole where four Marines monitor and govern every move of 10 fellow Marines, who are imprisoned for unknown infractions and forbidden to say one word to each other. Tom Lillard choreographs a grim, dehumanizing but remarkably riveting spectacle. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Bl, West L.A., (310) 477-2055. Odysseytheatre.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. March 12, 19, & 26 at 8; March 23 at 7. Closes Apr 13. (DS) Bus Stop. Brian McDonald’s revival of William Inge’s 1955 depiction of one stormy night in a small-town Kansas diner features a flawless cast, offering a rewarding layover for travelers who have survived the grueling weather on the way from L.A. to Ventura. Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E Main St, Ventura, (805) 667-2900. Rubicontheatre.org. Weds at 2 & 7; Thurs-Fris at 8; Sats at 2 & 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 16. (DS) Carnage. Adam Simon and Tim Robbins have barely updated their 1987 satire of two types of televangelists – the greedy (V.J. Foster) and the political (Justin Zsebe). But the vitality of Beth Milles’s staging lifts it above relic status. And the Actors’ Gang’s current high-ceilinged space gives the show’s spectacle and final gravitas more breathing room. Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Bl, Culver City, (310) 838-4264. Theactorsgang.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes March 29. (DS) The Common Air. Alex Lyras convincingly plays six men who meet, one by one, during an 18-hour air-
port security incident, in sequence: Iraqi American cabbie, gay art dealer, hyped-up attorney, hip-hop DJ, Texas philosophy prof, and Iraqi American caterer – whose tale is the least plausible. Written by Lyras and director Robert McCaskill. Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. Info: (323) 9604443 or Thecommonair.com. Fris-Sats at 8. Resumes March 28. Closes Apr 26. (DS) The Dead. The Richard Nelson/Shaun Davey musical, based on a James Joyce story and set primarily at a party in a parlor in 1904 Dublin, is better suited to this small venue than it was to the Ahmanson Theatre in 2000. Charles Otte’s staging, with Rob Nagle as the narrating Gabriel, is usually intriguing, occasionally joyful, more often melancholy. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 882-6912. Openfist.org. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes Apr 12. (DS) Dickie & Babe: The Truth About Leopold & Loeb. Daniel Henning’s extensively researched script about the famous ’20s murderers (Aaron Himelstein, Nick Niven), also directed by Henning, is steeped in psychological and sociological veracity and begins to sag only near the ending. The excessively young casting of the victim is a rare misstep. The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre, 6500 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 661-9827. Theblank.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 30. (DS) Edge. The usual pitfalls of solo shows about famous people have seldom been as obvious as in Paul Alexander’s whiney, repetitive script about Sylvia Plath (Angelica Torn). Unless you’re up for more than two hours of bitter, pre-suicidal rants about the men in Plath’s life, I suggest waiting for a revival of the twoactress Plath play, Letters Home. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S Sepulveda Bl, L.A., (310) 4772055. Odysseytheatre.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 16. (DS) The Flu Season. Will Eno examines a brief romance between two patients (Tim Wright, Jamey Hood) at a mental hospital. A syrupy narrator named Prologue (Michael McColl) and a caustic playwright named Epilogue (Christopher Goodson) comment. Staged for Circle X Theatre by Jonathan Westerberg, the wordplay is clever – but so what? [Inside] the Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Bl E, Hollywood, (323) 461-3673. Fordtheatres.org. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2 & 7. Closes March 29. (DS) A Good Smoke. At first Don Cummings’s Production Company premiere of his play about a New Jersey family with multiple addictions feels overly familiar. But Barbara Gruen’s relentless performance as the matriarch overcomes all resistance, just as she does in her acridly funny pitched battles with her would-be independent son (Henry Gummer). The Chandler Studio Theatre Center, 12443 Chandler Bl, Valley Village, (800) 838-3006. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes March 29. (DS) Harm’s Way. As an Army prosecutor (Jack Stehlin) investigates U.S. killings of Iraqi civilians, his unstable daughter (Katie Lowes) runs off with the AWOL suspect (Ben Bowen). Despite a cliched, coincidencedriven reporter character, Shem Bitterman’s second go at a military investigator/troubled daughter play beats the first, Man.Gov. Circus Theatricals Studio Theatre at the Hayworth, 2511 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 960-1054. Circustheatricals.com. Sats at 8. Closes March 15. (DS) Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress. Even Bart DeLorenzo’s direction and the gimmick of secondary characters who join Rivers in her downgraded dressing room don’t make this much more than a Rivers routine. Her jokes about sex among seniors are her funniest, but nothing rises above rather self-obsessed chatter. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Av, Westwood, (310) 2082028. Geffenplayhouse.com. Tues-Thurs at 7:30; Fris at 8; Sats at 4 & 8; Suns at 2 & 7. Closes Apr 6. (DS) The Last Schwartz. A domineering older sister, three brothers, and two mates meet in upstate New York for the anniversary of a father’s death in Deborah Zoe Laufer’s comedy, which overcomes feelings of déjà vu with sharp dialogue and carefully timed revelations. Lee Sankowich’s staging is immensely helpful at illuminating the mishegas. Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Av, L.A. Info: (323) 960-7789 or Plays411.com/schwartz. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes Apr 27. (DS) Man.Gov. Shem Bitterman, whose The Job was a hit for Circus Theatricals, returns with a depiction of a Washington-based inspector of Iraqi arms in the pre-war period. The performances are more convincing than the script, which has an implausible ending and a tawdry subplot about the inspector’s daughter’s affair with his persecutor. Circus Theatricals Studio Theatre at the Hayworth, 2511 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 960-1054. Circustheatricals.com. Fris at 8. Closes
March 14. (DS) The Marvelous Wonderettes. Four queens (Bets Malone, Kim Huber, Julie Dixon Jackson, Kirsten Chandler) of the L.A. musical stage vie to become queen of a 1958 high school prom in the first act of Roger Bean’s mirthful musicalette, using period hits. Later, the women re-unite with new problems, ’60s songs and costumes. Fun but formulaic. El Portal Forum Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood. Info: (888) 505-7469, Tix.com, or Marvelouswonderettes.com. Thurs-Fris at 8; Sats at 3 & 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 30. (DS) No Child…. See Stage feature review. On an Average Day. Jack (Stef Tovar) returns to his childhood home, occupied only by his brother Bobby (Johnny Clark), an accused murderer. They haven’t seen each other in 18 years. The reunion is chaotic but not very plausible in John Kolvenbach’s play, staged by Ron Klier for VS. Theatre. And what’s with the Kennedyesque, WBish names? Elephant Performance Lab, 6324 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 860-3283. Elephantstageworks.com. ThursSats at 8; Suns at 7. Closes March 22. (DS) Othello. Fran Bennett tries to convince us that she’s a male general – and an irresistible lover for a Desdemona (Nell Geisslinger) who looks four decades younger. The strain shows in L.A. Women’s Shakespeare’s effor t, but not in director Lisa Wolpe’s portrait of Iago or Mary Cobb’s as Brabantio. The drab set fails to reinforce the ’30s Italian setting. Boston Court Theatre, 70 N Mentor Av, Pasadena, (626) 683-6883. Bostoncourt.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 23. (DS) Poe-Fest. Zombie Joe directs two of his Poe adaptations in repertory: The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart augmented by a brief performance of the poem “The Bells.” In both, the role of the narrator shifts swiftly among all the actors, who present emphatically punctuated performances with remarkable visual and verbal precision. ZJU Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 202-4120. Zombiejoes.com. Fri at 8:30 & 10:30; Sat at 6:30 & 8:30; Sun at 4:30 & 6:30. Closes March 16. (DS) Point Break Live! The New Rock Theater takeoff on the 1991 Hollywood thriller Point Break adds a tsunami of comedy to the original story, about an FBI agent (who’s cast nightly from the audience and gets to read cue cards) investigating a gang of bank-robbing L.A. surfers. Wicked caricatures and bare-bones action sequences abound. Charlie O’s in the Alexandria Hotel, 501 S Spring St, downtown L.A., (866) 811-4111. Theatermania.com. SatsSuns at 7. (DS) Poor Beast in the Rain. The man who lured another’s wife to England returns to their small Irish town, where nearly everyone who hangs out at a betting parlor is still reeling, years later. Billy Roche’s play, staged by Wilson Milam for Salem K Theatre, has some strong performances but doesn’t amount to much, withering along with the characters. Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Av, L.A., (323) 9604420. Salemktheatreco.org. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes March 16. (DS) Ravensridge. Playwright T.S. Cook sends two striking West Virginia workers (Vaughn Armstrong, Emily Adams) to post-Commie Russia in 1992, pursuing the fugitive (Jon Sklaroff) who owns their plant. After a contrived offstage incident, they get some sympathy from a local cop (Robert Trebor), but the play’s odd structure blunts its power. Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Av, South Pasadena, (866) 811-4111. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes March 30. (DS) Red Herring. Michael Hollinger’s ambitious farce, set in 1952, mixes Joe McCarthy’s daughter’s fling with a Soviet spy, affairs between two FBI agents and between a landlady and her Russian fisherman tenant, and more. Act 1 breeziness turns more strained as complications mount in Act 2, but Andrew Barnicle’s cast is very good. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787. Lagunaplayhouse.com. Tues-Fris at 8; Sats at 2 & 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 16. (DS) Robots vs. Fake Robots. Glamorous robots rule four millennia from now, and people are hapless outcasts. One of these flesh-and-blood pariahs (Steven Connell) is curious about life as a robot. Playwright David Largman Murray and director Emily Weisberg wittily concentrate on the perils of dehumanization, but some of the details are lost or unclear. The Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 Second St, Santa Monica, (310) 396-3680. Powerhousetheatre.com. Fris-Sats at 8; Sats at 10:30; Suns at 7. Closes March 15. (DS) The Saint Plays. The first two or three of Erik Ehn’s five playlets inspired by stories about saints are relatively lucid, as well as replete with striking visual and aural imagery. But the fourth and especially the world premiere fifth playlet descend into near-total
atre, 7051-B, Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 9571884. Celebrationtheatre.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes Apr 6. (DS) Thrill Me. Stephen Dolginoff’s musical about Leopold (Stewart W. Calhoun) and Loeb (Alex Schemmer), the 1920s gay couple who murdered a boy. Leopold talks in flashback from his parole hearing, adding a fictitious motive. The two performances in Nick DeGruccio’s Havok Theatre staging are strong, but the one-piano score is a bit prosaic. Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. Info: (323) 960-4429 or Plays411.com/thrillme. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3 & 7. Closes March 16. (DS) Victory. The U.S. premiere of Athol Fugard’s short, moving, deeply pessimistic play is in the expert hands of director Stephen Sachs. A Fugard-like exteacher (Morlan Higgins) in a small South African town confronts the teenage daughter (Tinasha Kajese) of his late housekeeper and a burglar (Lovensky JeanBaptiste) after they break into his house. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Av, Hollywood, (323) 6631525. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes March 23. (DS) Wicked. New actors occupy four major roles in the Stephen Schwartz/Winnie Holzman musical steamroller about the formative years of Oz’s witches. Most important are Caissie Levy as a crackerjack Elphaba and Jo Anne Worley, perfectly suited to the overbearing cackles of Madame Morrible. I like the show more each time I see it. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (213) 365-3500. BroadwayLA.org. Call for performance schedule. (DS)
incoherence. Anne Justine D’Zmura’s arena-style staging is often entrancing. National Guard Armory, 854 E Seventh St, Long Beach. Info: (562) 985-5526 or Calrep.org. Tues-Thurs at 7; Fris-Sats at 8. Closes March 15. (DS) Sexy Laundry. Middle-aged Alice (Frances Fisher) tries to heat up her marriage by booking a swank hotel room for fantasy games with her glum husband (Paul Ben-Victor), using Sex for Dummies. Directed by Gary Blumsack, Michele Riml’s comedy is predictable but well-crafted, emphasizing moods – not nudes. The actors are superb. The Hayworth Theatre, 2509 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (213) 389-9860. Thehayworth.com. Thurs-Sats at 8. Closes March 16. (DS) Some Girl(s). Neil LaBute’s masterfully assembled series of encounters between a soon-to-be-married cad (Mark Feuerstein) and four ex-girlfriends might sound Neil Simonish, but a final surprise widens the focus beyond this one guy to comment on our sometimes cannibalistic culture. LaBute’s Rolling Stonesaccented staging is a sour delight. Geffen Playhouse, Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, 10866 Le Conte Av, Westwood, (310) 208-5454. Gef fenplayhouse.com. Tues-Thurs at 8; Fris at 7:30; Sats at 3:30 & 8; Suns at 2:30 & 7:30. Closes March 16. (DS) Stupid Kids. John C. Russell’s loose homage to Rebel Without a Cause, set in the ’80s, adds a Patti Smith-influenced lesbian (Kelly Schumann) who idolizes Judy (Tessa Thompson), MTV-style choreography, and recordings of angry period sounds. Michael Grant Terry and Ryan Spahn play the two guys. Michael Matthews directs stylishly. Celebration The-
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Mind, Body, Spirit
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ApartmentRentals
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Apartment/ Condos/Lofts
KOREATOWN: 213-3847047, $905+up Large single, ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED, Totally remodeled. A/C, Fridge, stove, refrigerator, ceramic tiles. Gated Entry, Gated Parking Available. Elevator, Laundry room. 509 S Manhattan Pl. 213-384-7047 KOREATOWN: 213-3896631 , Bachelors $800 & up. ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED. Remodeled, refrigerator, Pool, Gated Entry. Laundry Room, Gated Parking Available. 245 S Reno St.
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NO HO ARTS DISTRICT LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE: Single $945, Jr 1 BD $985+up. ALL UTILITIES PAID, Totally remodeled. A/C, Fridge, stove. Laundry, Balcony, Ceramic tile, Gated Entry. & Parking. 5751 Camellia Ave. 818-7616620. 2 WEEKS FREE WITH ONE YEAR LEASE
MISSION HILLS: 818-920-3753 , Single $895+up. Newer building, totally remodeled, gated entry & parking, A/C, Dishwasher, Stove, Fridge, Laundry room, Balconies, 9929 Sepulveda Blvd.
TARZANA: 818-708-9554, $925 Large Jr One Bedrooms, Totally Remodeled, Air Cond, Fridge. Pool, Gated Parking & Entry, Laundry Room, No Pets. ASK ABOUT MOVE IN SPECIALS. 18552 Collins St THE PLACE TO STAY IS PALMS/WEST LA! 1BD $1350+up. 2BD $1675. Newer Building, Gated Entry & Subterranean Parking, 2 Elevators, Air Cond. Fridge, Stove, D/W, Laundry Room, 3848 Overland. 310-8393647
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R E N TA L S
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TARZANA: 818-708-9554, $925 Large Jr One Bedrooms, Totally Remodeled, Air Cond, Fridge. Pool, Gated Parking & Entry, Laundry Room, No Pets. ASK ABOUT MOVE IN SPECIALS. 18552 Collins St
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MARCH 13~19, 2008
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THE PLACE TO STAY IS PALMS/WEST LA! 1BD $1350+up. 2BD $1675. Newer Building, Gated Entry & Subterranean Parking, 2 Elevators, Air Cond. Fridge, Stove, D/W, Laundry Room, 3848 Overland. 310-839-3647 WEST LA: Single $1225, 1BD $1550. Parking, Gated Entry, Balconies, Laundry Room, Fridge and Stove, Some totally remodeled. ASK ABOUT MOVE IN SPECIALS. 1755 Purdue Ave. 310-479-1079
KOREATOWN: 213-384-7047, $905+up Large single, ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED, Totally remodeled. A/C, Fridge, stove, refrigerator, ceramic tiles. Gated Entry, Gated Parking Available. Elevator, Laundry room. 509 S Manhattan Pl. 213-384-7047 KOREATOWN: 213-389-6631 , Bachelors $800 & up. ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED. Remodeled, refrigerator, Pool, Gated Entry. Laundry Room, Gated Parking Available. 245 S Reno St.
THE PLACE TO STAY IS PALMS/WEST LA! 1BD $1350+up. 2BD $1675. Newer Building, Gated Entry & Subterranean Parking, 2 Elevators, Air Cond. Fridge, Stove, D/W, Laundry Room, 3848 Overland. 310-839-3647 WEST LA: Single $1225, 1BD $1550. Parking, Gated Entry, Balconies, Laundry Room, Fridge and Stove, Some totally remodeled. ASK ABOUT MOVE IN SPECIALS. 1755 Purdue Ave. 310-479-1079
ApartmentRentals
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6220 WEST 3RD STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90036
FREE WILL ASTROLOGYBy Rob Brezsny
Week of March 13 He "cleans up well" is prison lingo. It refers to a convict who, upon leaving jail, is able to overhaul his appearance and demeanor so thoroughly that no one can tell he has served time. I believe that in the coming weeks you will have access to another version of this skill. You will so completely erase the traces of your own personal version of "incarceration" that everyone will assume that you've always been a free bird.
problems fit into one of three categories: ordinary but interesting; bizarre and interesting; bizarre but dull. What's your style, Leo? Even if you're normally the "ordinary but interesting" type, I suspect that you've entered, at least temporarily, the ranks of the "bizarre but interesting" crowd. There's a big potential perk to this development. It may supply you with a steady flow of colorful melodrama, allowing you to win friends and influence people as you regale them with tales of your strangely entertaining life.
TAURUS
VIRGO
ARIES
(March 21-April 19)
(April 20-May 20)
In an effort to create safer streets, some European towns are getting rid of traffic signs and stoplights. The theory is that if drivers have no visible aides to guide them, they will slow down and be more considerate. "What we want is for people to be confused," says an official of the German town of Bohmte. "When they're confused, they'll be more alert and drive more carefully." In this spirit, and in accordance with your astrological omens, I suggest that you spend a week exploring the virtues of living without any rules. Instead, rely on your intuition about what's most righteous and authentic to do in every situation. Proceed on a case-by-case basis, without invoking general principles or overarching theories.
GEMINI
(May 21-June 20)
Before you attempt a quantum leap of faith over the yawning abyss, please remove your 500 pounds of defense mechanisms first. Your success in soaring the whole distance will require you to be free of emotional baggage. As long as you fulfill this simple prerequisite, I'm in favor of you risking the transition. It's about time you summoned more zeal to follow the path with heart, even if that path resumes on the other side of the great divide.
CANCER
(June 21-July 22)
There's a place in Venezuela where lightning storms rage 10 hours a night, 150 days of the year. It's where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo. Humans put their lives at risk to be near this persistent storm. The upside of the phenomenon is that it generates a significant portion of our planet's ozone, and produces so much light that it helps ships navigate up to 250 miles away. If you encounter anything with a metaphorical resemblance to the Catatumbo lightning in the coming days, I suggest you enjoy it from a distance. That way, it'll provide you with all of its benefits and none of its dangers.
LEO
(July 23-Aug. 22)
A psychotherapist friend told me that most of his clients'
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Having friendly arguments will be an excellent strategy for generating clarity in the coming days. Since everyone has a piece of the truth but no one has more than a piece of the truth, the whole story will have to be assembled from a variety of fragments. I foresee you and your cohorts banging your partial truths together, fighting and collaborating in an untidy quest to transcend each of your own narrow perspectives. Your mantra is William Blake's assertion that "without contraries there is no progression."
LIBRA
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
George W. Bush is the most unpopular U.S. president in history. His 19 percent approval rating in February was even worse than that of the king of disgrace, Richard Nixon. A growing consensus among historians also suggests that Bush is the worst president ever. The debacle of the Iraq invasion is the chief factor in that appraisal, but there's so much more. To name a few: the plunging value of the dollar, the stupendous national debt, the rapid degeneration of the environment, the catastrophic loss of civil liberties, and the abuse of human rights. And yet Bush has done one wonderful deed that has been unsung: He has poured billions of dollars of aid into Africa, more than any previous president. In accordance with your current astrological omens, Libra, I challenge you to do what I just did: Look for redemption in an influence that has created a mess or broken your heart.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
A heterosexual man who is seeking a partner often doesn't want a woman to be complete unto herself; he hopes she'll feel inadequate and lost without him. Similarly, many hetero women demand that their men be absolutely dependent on them. Those of the gay persuasion aren't necessarily any different; quite a few also prefer their consorts to be unable to thrive alone. But there are also plenty of people who want their intimate relationships to be an alliance of strong, equal, independent partners. Where do you stand on this issue, Scorpio? It's an ideal time for you to cultivate a longing for a bond in which you are complete
unto yourself and your partner is complete unto himself or herself.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Hello, I am Vimala Blavatsky, the Winter Witch. Rob Brezsny asked me to make a guest appearance in your horoscope. Since spring is imminent, I'll soon be retiring from my public work and will begin the research, meditations, and prayers that will prepare for the new round of therapeutic magic I'll offer next winter. But I'm still available for a while longer to help you finish any work you've been doing in the following areas: building solid psychological foundations, taking total responsibility for your fate, pruning away extraneous wishes and dead-end dreams, and getting down to the core of every issue. How have you been progressing on those tasks? If you need a boost, send out a telepathic request for me to appear in your dreams. I'll be there.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
The editors of the Our Dumb Century claim there are 40,000 jokes crammed into the book's 256 pages. It took 12 people two years to come up with this humor onslaught, they say, or four and a half jokes per person per day. I advise you to triple that output in the coming week, Capricorn. Even if you don't normally think of yourself as a comedian, the astrological omens suggest that you will be funnier than you've ever been. That's fortunate, because in order to get the most out of the upcoming opportunities, you should unleash a flood of wit and hilarity.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
"The composer Stravinsky had written a new piece with a difficult violin passage," writes Thomas Powers, quoted in the book Sunbeams. "After it had been in rehearsal for several weeks, the solo violinist came to Stravinsky and said he was sorry, he had tried his best, the passage was too difficult, no violinist could play it. Stravinsky said, 'I understand that. What I am after is the sound of someone trying to play it.'" Keep this story close to your heart in the coming week, Aquarius. It will give you the proper perspective as you, too, go about the work of doing the best you can at a task that is virtually impossible to perfect.
PISCES
(Feb. 19-March 20)
A century before the New Age movement began, French playwright Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was conversing with the dead. I want to tell you what the spirit of Galileo told him at a sĐ&#x17E;ance, because it's the perfect message for you to hear right now: "You know what I would do if I were in your place? I'd drink from the milk basin of the Milky Way; I'd swallow comets; I'd lunch on dawn; I'd dine on day and I'd sup on night; I'd invite myself, splendid table-companion that I am, to the banquet of all the glories, and I'd salute God as my host! I'd work up a magnificent hunger, an enormous thirst, and I'd race through the drunken spaces between the spheres singing the fearsome drinking song of eternity." (Source: Conversations with Eternity, translated by John Chambers.)
In addition to the horoscopes you're reading here, Rob Brezsny offers EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES and Daily Text Message Horoscopes. To access them online, go to RealAstrology.com. The Expanded Audio Horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700. Rob's main website is at FreeWillAstrology.com. Check out his book, "Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings" "I've seen the future of American literature, and its name is Rob Brezsny." - Tom Robbins, author of "Jitterbug Perfume" and "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates"
MedicalResearch
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