Arts & Culture

Forgive me for the column you’re about to read (hopefully in full, but realistically about halfway through). If you’ve had the pleasure of reading my weekly column last year, then you know that I overexaggerate, overreact and generally talk about anything and everything as long as I can somehow relate it to Arts and Entertainment. […]

Plenty of pre-release buzz has surrounded “The Master” due to its subject matter and the similarities to Scientology. Lancaster Dodd, one of the film’s protagonists, does exhibit many of the characteristics and philosophies of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. But more than anything else, this film is a meticulously executed character study that highlights strange […]

Artist: Grizzly Bear Album: Shields With their last two albums, Grizzly Bear found a happy medium between catchy hooks and more emotional songwriting. That formula hasn’t changed much with the band’s newest record, Shields, but this time around they make a genuine effort to branch out even more with varied instrumentation and complex song structures. […]

ALBUMS How to Dress Well – Total Loss A moody, off-shore weather system of an album consisting of early ‘90s R&B melodies and atmospheric, washed-out effects, this is the sophomore effort of How to Dress Well, a.k.a. Tom Krell. At times, the vocals are tenuous, but for the most part they do a good job […]

Friday, Sept. 14, 2012: There is no prevailing archetype of concertgoer here at the Sunrise Mall in Sacramento. In the enclosed concert venue in the parking lot, old couples sit near the stage, tapping their toes; young punk girls with ripped leggings sway back and forth in the bleachers; parents bounce toddlers on their shoulders; […]

Artist: Matthew Dear Album: Beams Rating: 4.5 Detroit Electronic producer Matthew Dear’s latest album Beams is the perfect complement to the late summer state of mind. Its eleven lush, highly danceable songs add up to a guilt-free, enjoyable experience; yet each track is laced with an underlying nervousness — a twitchy experimentation aspect that reminds one […]

What a long, strange trip it’s been for Sleeping Dogs. Once thought to be dead in the water, this sandbox game miraculously came back from development hell, overcame cancellations and even changed owners. Now that Square Enix officially released the game, it can be said Sleeping Dogs is worth all the trouble. Developer United Front Games […]

Artist: Divine Fits Album: A Thing Called Divine Fits         Rating: 4 The term “supergroup” has always been something of a misnomer considering the quality of music attached to the famed moniker. Jay-Z and Kanye West didn’t take the rap world by storm with last year’s Watch the Throne, and similarly Divine Fits won’t reign supreme […]

“Babeylon,” KDVS’ new house used for house shows, started off its year of entertainment with KDVS PRESENTS: Twin Steps, G. Green and Lotion on September 7. The night began exactly at 8:35 p.m. and ended precisely at 11:23 p.m., with Lotion, a local Davis band, causing jaws to drop as they poured lotion on audience […]

There is a reason the word “television” carries more weight today than “movies,”  and AMC’s “Breaking Bad” has played no small part in it. It may be true that the trend for well-written, inventive cable dramas started long before Walter White’s journey from cancer-ridden schoolteacher to psychotic drug lord widened the scope of the small screen. […]

All it took was 10 seconds into the trailer for me to immediately know I would have to see “Pitch Perfect.” It’s in my nature to watch anything that revolves around singing and competition, or is led by funny women. But after “Bridesmaids” this year, I didn’t know if comical genius could even be reproduced […]

The annual KVIE Art Auction is including the work of 16 Davis artists in its collection from Sept. 28 to 30, with three of these artists winning the juror award. Each year, Northern Californian households have the opportunity to tune into a parade of expression on their public access channel KVIE. The channel hosts Northern […]