A Powerful Remembrance: 'Roma,' Alfonso Cuarón's Tribute to His Family's Servant During His Childhood, Packs a Wallop

Dec 12, 2018 18:00  |  Bob Grimm

Five years after his Oscar-winning Gravity , director Alfonso Cuarón returns with a decidedly different film in Roma . On a smaller—but no less effective—scale, Roma is a moving tribute to the female servant Cuarón grew up with during the early 1970s in the Mexico City suburb of Roma.

Cuarón, who claims 90...

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Home Video Review: Ben Stiller Shows Off His Serious Side by Directing Showtime's Series 'Escape at Dannemora'

Dec 12, 2018 10:20  |  Bob Grimm

Director Ben Stiller gets serious with Escape at Dannemora , a Showtime series based upon the real 2015 escape of two dangerous convicts from prison in upstate New York.

Benicio del Toro and Paul Dano are perfect as Richard Matt and David Sweat, two nutballs who get prison employee Tilly Mitchell (a te...

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The South in the 1960s: Two Fantastic Stars Redeem a Screenplay That Plays It Too Safe in 'Green Book'

Dec 06, 2018 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

One of the directors of Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary goes solo for Green Book , his first “serious” feature effort.

Director Peter Farrelly, sans little brother Bobby, gives us a film that’s essentially a remake of Driving Miss Daisy with the roles reversed, starring Aragorn (Viggo Morten...

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Schools in Trouble: A New Report Card Shows That a Third of the State's School Districts Need Help

Dec 10, 2018 08:00  |  Ricardo Cano, CALmatters

So many school districts are struggling to deliver the basics of an equal opportunity for education that one in three statewide has been targeted for special assistance, according to a comprehensive state report card released by the California Department of Education last week.

The state identified 3...

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After the Shaking: Last Week's Alaska Earthquake Shows the Importance of Preparation and Monitoring

Dec 04, 2018 17:15  |  Emily Benson, High Country News

At 8:29 a.m. on Nov. 30, part of the rock slab underneath the water 7 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, shifted, causing a magnitude 7 earthquake . As Anchorage was preparing for the day, the quake ripped apart roads , shattered windows and ruptured water and gas lines in and around the city. While official...

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The #MeToo Movement Continues: The California Democratic Party Chairman's Resignation Shows Bad Behavior Has Yet to Be Revealed

Dec 03, 2018 12:15  |  Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters

The resignation of California Democratic Party chairman Eric Bauman comes at a particularly emotional moment in California politics—on the heels of historic wins for Democrats and after a year of bipartisan reckoning over the apparent culture of sexual bullying within the political class.

Bauman beca...

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Know Your Neighbors: Meet Gina Bikales, the Woman Running the Show

Dec 12, 2018 15:30  |  Anita Rufus

At 69, Gina Bikales is the embodiment of the word “indefatigable”: She’s seemingly incapable of being tired out.

Gina leads Script2Stage2Screen (S2S2S), the theater company which presents staged readings of new works at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Rancho Mirage. (Disclosure: I have acted wit...

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Savage Love: My Conservative Brother Told Our Family About the NSFW Tumblr Blog My Wife and I Have; Any Advice on Handling Christmas?

Dec 12, 2018 12:00  |  Dan Savage

I’m straight and married but not boring, and I am heading to my parents’ house for our first family Christmas since my asshole MAGA brother “stumbled over” the Tumblr blog where the wife and I posted about our sexual adventures. (Pics of MMF threesomes and cross-dressing/pegging sessions, plus some ...

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The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Dec. 6, 2018!

Dec 06, 2018 08:00  |  Staff

On this week's peppermint-scented weekly Independent comics page: Apoca Clips watches as Li'l Trumpy gets jealous; Red Meat ponders a prospective horror film; This Modern World listens as the president insists there is NO COLLUSION; Jen Sorenson examines the refugee cycle; and (Th)ink looks at the dif...

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A Campy Christmas Indeed: Desert Rose's 'Crawfords' Is a Silly and Hilarious Drag-Infused Holiday Musical

Dec 01, 2018 12:10  |  Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume

Ah, yes, Christmas With the Crawfords … could the title sound any more Norman Rockwell-idyllic? But the very fact that Desert Rose Playhouse has chosen this play as its annual Christmas show should immediately arouse deep suspicion, because this theater has become known for twisting one’s head.

This of...

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Holiday Happenings: There Are a Lot of Festive Things to Do in December; Here's a Quick Primer

Nov 29, 2018 12:00  |  Brian Blueskye

The holidays are here again—and that means there are a whole lot of Christmas-themed events going on.

While we could fill pages upon pages of this newspaper with lists of things to do in December, we’ve selected seven of the most intriguing events for your consideration.

Palm Springs Festival of Light...

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Santa Comes to Cathedral City: Snow Fest Promises Holiday Cheer for All

Nov 28, 2018 17:00  |  Dwight Hendricks

What says “Christmas” more than candy canes, hot chocolate, Santa’s Village and a slide made of “snow”? While I don’t know the answer to that question, I do know that all of this can be found at the North Pole Village during the second annual Snow-Fest in Cathedral City on Saturday, Dec. 8.

And to cl...

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The Lucky 13: Jeremy Parsons, Lead Vocalist of Mega Sun

Dec 12, 2018 10:45  |  Brian Blueskye

Jeremy Parsons is the lead vocalist of Mega Sun—even though his girlfriend tells me that he hates being in the spotlight. Thanks in part to his low-chugging bass tone and unique vocal style, Mega Sun has become one of the best bands to arrive on the music scene in recent years. For more information ...

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Twenty Years, One Album, Countless Amazing Shows: The Hellions Are This Year's Best of Coachella Valley Legacy Award Honoree

Dec 05, 2018 12:30  |  Brian Blueskye

Two decades ago, a group of friends who grew up together started a band called The Hellions—and they’re still rocking the local music scene today.

Although the Hellions have endured lineup changes at various points, the current group—Angel Lua (vocals/guitar), Bob Llamas (drums), Jamie Hargate (guita...

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The Blueskye Report, December 2018: Lyle Lovett, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Bill Engvall, Black Crystal Wolf Kids—and a Whole Lot More!

Nov 30, 2018 12:00  |  Brian Blueskye

The Christmas season is upon us! It’s a magical yet busy time of the year—so be sure to escape the hustle and bustle, and take in some great events.

The McCallum Theatre has an excellent December schedule. At 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 2 , country icons Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen will be performing. While ...

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The Indy Endorsement: The Cinnamon Brown Sugar Breakfast Tart at Wilma and Frieda

Dec 05, 2018 15:15  |  Jimmy Boegle

What: The cinnamon brown sugar breakfast tart

Where: Wilma and Frieda, 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; also at 73575 El Paseo Drive, Palm Desert

How much: $4.95

Contact: 760-992-5080 (Palm Springs); 760-773-2807 (Palm Desert); wilmafrieda.com

Why: They’re delicious—and very affordable.

When I heard tha...

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Restaurant News Bites: Bongo Johnny's Finds a New Home; Antigua Opens in Former Gyoro-Gyoro Space; Introducing T&T Innovation Kitchen; and More!

Nov 27, 2018 14:46  |  Jimmy Boegle

Bongo Johnny’s Moving Into Former Café Europa Space; Antigua Opens in Former Gyoro-Gyoro Spot

When it comes to some restaurant spaces in downtown Palm Springs, the only constant is change.

Witness the second-floor space at 301 N. Palm Canyon Drive, across from the Hyatt. In recent years, it’s housed b...

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On Cocktails: Let's Raise a Toast to the Great Charles H. Baker and the Other Cocktail-Writing Greats

Nov 19, 2018 10:50  |  Kevin Carlow

All those we list cannot please every reader, naturally … anisette, kümmel, tequila, Hawai’ian okolehao—all have their enemies and champions. No, the best we can hope to do is thumb over our battered field book, our odd scrawled-upon bar chits, menus and scraps of notes from bygone days, and constru...

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