Weird and Wild (With Nazi Zombies!): 'Overlord' Compellingly Melds a World War II Film With a Zombie Movie

Nov 15, 2018 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

American soldiers get up close and personal with mutant Nazi soldiers in Overlord , one of the weirder films to make it to the big screen in 2018.

J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot company have come up with something peculiar here. While initial reports had this one as a Cloverfield movie, it is not: It’s a ...

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Home Video Review: 'Blindspotting' Is a Daring Dark Comedy Featuring a Compelling Writing/Acting Duo

Nov 13, 2018 15:15  |  Bob Grimm

Collin (Daveed Diggs), a man on his last few days of probation, faces a challenge when he not only witnesses a cop shooting a suspect in the back; he also winds up being in the presence of another person shooting off a firearm, multiple acts of violence, and more things that would get him thrown bac...

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Insulting a Legend: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Is an Embarrassing, Milquetoast Movie That Resorts to Fakery Regarding the Life of Freddie Mercury

Nov 08, 2018 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

Rami Malek gives it his all as Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of Queen, in Bohemian Rhapsody . Oh, and there’s a competent re-creation of Queen’s Live Aid domination.

Unfortunately, those are the only good things one can say about this embarrassing effort to memorialize an incredible person and ...

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Dem Domination: After This Year's Elections, the California Legislature Is Many Different Shades of Blue

Nov 15, 2018 16:20  |  Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters

The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats for decades, will be even bluer when the new class is sworn in. Exactly how many more Democrats have been elected is still not certain,  because it takes a long time to count votes in California . But all signs point toward growing Democratic caucuse...

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Vote By Mail? You Should Make Sure Your Ballot Was Accepted and Counted

Nov 13, 2018 14:45  |  By Elizabeth Castillo, CALmatters

Millions of Californians dropped off their ballots on Tuesday or mailed them in, but they might want to double-check online—because a missing or a mismatched signature could void their vote.

Counties are contacting voters because they’re now required by law to do outreach. Still, voters should confirm o...

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Snapshot: The Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships Sets Up Shop at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden

Nov 09, 2018 14:45  |  Kevin Fitzgerald

According to lore, pickleball was invented in 1965. Three friends who lived on Bainbridge Island, off the Seattle coastline, needed a new summer diversion for their children. The game, it’s said, got its name one of the friends’ family dogs, Pickles.

Once you get past the strange-sounding moniker, yo...

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The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Nov. 15, 2018!

Nov 15, 2018 08:00  |  Staff

On this week's tequila-soaked weekly Independent comics page: (Th)ink bemoans the pay received by the prisoners who are on California's fire lines; This Modern World looks at the latest from The Unbelievable Trump; Jen Sorenson sighs as she examines America then vs. now; Apoca Clips watches as Li'l Tr...

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Know Your Neighbors: Meet Robyne Taylor, a Champion of Women's Labor Rights—and Animals

Nov 14, 2018 15:30  |  Anita Rufus

Some people are heroes without meaning to be, and modestly claim afterward: “We got lucky!”

Robyne McCarthy Taylor was flying for Qantas, based in her native Australia. Born and raised in Victoria, Robyne, now 66, joined Qantas after trying a secretarial job in Melbourne after high school.

“I was 21 w...

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Savage Love: How Can I Meet Women Who Will Let Me Tie Them Up?

Nov 14, 2018 12:00  |  Dan Savage

I’ve always wanted to tie girls up, but I can never convince a woman to let me. Lately, I’ve been exploring “bondage singles” sites online, but I’m totally new to this.

How do I know which ones I can trust? There are hundreds of profiles, but it’s hard for me to believe I can really just answer an ad...

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Terrifyingly Timely: After the Election and Another Shooting, Dezart Performs' 'Church and State' Is a Powerful, Near-Flawless Production

Nov 10, 2018 10:00  |  Bonnie Gilgallon

After a decade of Dezart Performs producing excellent, thought-provoking plays, one would expect artistic director Michael Shaw to open the company’s 11th season with something special—but the production of Jason Odell Williams’ Church and State goes beyond special; it’s spectacular.

Shaw once again de...

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Western Lit: A New Novel Follows Two Wanderers on a Westward Journey to Find Mythic Beasts

Nov 07, 2018 16:30  |  Jamison Pfeifer, High Country News

About two-thirds of the way into Carys Davies’ folkloric novel West , the widowed farmer John Cyrus Bellman recalls a riverboat encounter with a Dutch land agent and the agent’s wife. The unpolished farmer offered them a pithy description of his westward journey: “I am seeking a creature entirely unkn...

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A Clinic on Acting as Actors: Coyote StageWorks Kicks Off Its 10th Season in Fantastic Fashion With 'The Understudy'

Nov 03, 2018 15:25  |  Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume

Until now, I was always haunted by the line about “first-nighting” in that song “Autumn in New York.” But after seeing Coyote StageWorks’ newest show at the lovely Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs, The Understudy , I think we’ve got New York beat: Mix a gorgeous mellow fall evening, a packed house of...

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The Lucky 13: Joel Daniel, Trombonist for Spankshaft

Nov 13, 2018 14:51  |  Brian Blueskye

High-desert ska band Spankshaft put out the long-awaited album Beasts and Goddesses earlier this year—and it was well worth the wait. Despite a series of recent lineup changes, including the departure of drummer Russel Waldron and bassist Brent Simpson, Spankshaft is soldiering on, including shows at ...

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The Lucky 13: T-Lick, of Hip-Hop Duo Off Kilter

Nov 08, 2018 16:42  |  Brian Blueskye

Off Kilter performed at the September CV Independent Presents show at The Hood Bar and Pizza with The Bermuda and Kosha Dillz. It was the duo’s first full live set (after some open-mic appearances at The Hood and the Big Rock Pub)—and they were fantastic. They recently arrived in the Coachella Valley ...

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The Blueskye Report, November 2018: Travis Tritt, Paula Abdul, Johnny Mathis, Starcrawler—and a Whole Bunch More!

Oct 30, 2018 16:15  |  Brian Blueskye

November is here, which means the weather has been cooling off, and the holiday season is about to arrive. It also means the Coachella Valley and high desert are full of great events.

Speaking of great events: The McCallum Theatre has a busy November, including shows by Lea DeLaria and Jake Shimabuku...

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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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The Indy Endorsement: The Spiced Jurgielewicz Duck at 4 Saints

Nov 15, 2018 16:20  |  Jimmy Boegle

What: The spiced Jurgielewicz duck

Where: 4 Saints, inside the Kimpton Rowan Hotel, 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs

How much: $37

Contact: 760-392-2020; www.4saintspalmsprings.com

Why: The nuance.

Sometimes when I’m hungry, I want to head to the civilized human equivalent of a feed trough and eat .  Other...

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Vine Social: South African Wines Are Hard to Find—and They're Unapologetically Eccentric

Nov 15, 2018 14:15  |  Katie Finn

People often ask me what my favorite wine is. For me, that’s like asking me to pick a favorite child; on most days, that would be impossible. So much of what I drink depends on the weather, or what I’m eating, or my mood in general.

I do, however, have a favorite wine-producing country, and it might ...

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