A Masterpiece of Filmmaking: Barry Jenkins' Directing and Regina King's Performance Make 'Beale Street' an Instant Classic

Jan 17, 2019 10:30  |  Bob Grimm

If Beale Street Could Talk is one of the last year’s most beautiful, most well-rounded, and most enriching cinematic experiences—and it begs to be seen on a big movie screen. Based on the James Baldwin novel, and directed by Barry Jenkins ( Moonlight ), it’s a stirring family drama focusing on young bl...

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PSIFF: Palm Springs' Film Fest Is Especially Good at Spotlighting Foreign Films on the Oscars Short List

Jan 15, 2019 21:30  |  Josh Bell

As more and more countries submit official selections to the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film category, the showcase for those submissions at the Palm Springs International Film Festival has taken on greater prominence within the festival.

This year’s recently concluded event featured 43 of the 87 ...

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Home Video Review: Director Paul Feig Rebounds From 'Ghostbusters' With Darker Comedy 'A Simple Favor'

Jan 15, 2019 12:50  |  Bob Grimm

I missed A Simple Favor during its theatrical release—and it’s a film that provides many pleasant surprises.

This is director Paul Feig’s follow-up to his execrable Ghostbusters , and quite a change of pace from his straightforward comedies ( Bridesmaids , Spy , The Heat ). While this is also classified as a c...

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Guillermo's Story: An Attempted-Murder Victim Talks About the Frustrations and Fears Inflicted By Our Slow Legal System

Jan 17, 2019 14:00  |  Kevin Fitzgerald

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Jason Stone, in a calm, subdued tone, asked Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Day: “Were you working on Sept. 16, 2017?”

“Yes,” Day replied.

Deputy Day was the first witness to testify during the long-awaited preliminary hearing at Indio’s Larson Justice...

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Investing and Paying Down Debt: The Newsom Administration Decides What to Do With an Expected Record Surplus

Jan 16, 2019 19:00  |  Judy Lin, CALmatters

What would you do with a $21.4 billion windfall?

That’s essentially the question California is confronting amid record surplus projections during Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first year in office.

On one hand, the former San Francisco mayor showcased his progressive agenda by setting ambitious goals for univer...

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Cannabis in the CV: Local Experts Predict Pains and Lots of Gains for the Industry in 2019

Jan 16, 2019 17:20  |  Robin Goins

The California cannabis industry is now in its second year of legalization—and excitement within the industry is building. Experts in the Coachella Valley have been diligently preparing their forecasts for 2019—so we decided to ask them what they’re expecting to happen.

One leader in the industry is ...

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The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Jan. 17, 2019!

Jan 17, 2019 08:00  |  Staff

The government shutdown is on the mind of most of the weekly Independent comic page's esteemed cartoonists this week, as This Modern World looks at life in the Stupidverse during the shutdown, while Jen Sorensen ponders Trump's actions, and Apoca Clips asks Li'l Trumpy his thoughts about this "greates...

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Savage Love: My Boyfriend Wants to Explore Small Penis Humiliation; Is This a Sign of Body Dysmorphia?

Jan 16, 2019 12:00  |  Dan Savage

I’m a middle-aged man dating a younger guy. He wanted to be a “boy” to a Dom top daddy, and I was happy to oblige. The sex is amazing, and we click as people, too. Then a couple of days ago, he told me he wanted to explore small penis humiliation (SPH). I was taken aback—not by the request, but beca...

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The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Jan. 10, 2019!

Jan 10, 2019 08:00  |  Staff

On this week's rich and creamy weekly Independent comics page: This Modern World informs us that Donald J. Trump, detective-in-chief, is on the border-wall case; Jen Sorensen ponders the use of the word "unlikable" regarding women in politics; (Th)ink examines the other presidents Trump has spoken to ...

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A Star Turn: Judith Chapman Is Stunning as Tallulah Bankhead in Desert Rose's 'Looped'

Jan 19, 2019 14:10  |  Bonnie Gilgallon

Most valley theater-lovers are familiar with the work of Judith Chapman, either through her work onstage in The Belle of Amherst and Blythe Spirit , or stints on soap operas like The Young and the Restless . Striking, intense and always fully committed to her character, Chapman is a force to be reckoned w...

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A Trip Back in Time: Dezart Performs' 'Perfect Arrangement' Perfectly Captures the Charm and Terror of the 1950s

Jan 13, 2019 10:20  |  Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume

Ah, the 1950s. The fashions alone … what a time!—and Dezart Performs has brought it all to life with Perfect Arrangement , now playing at the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club.

The two-week run is sold out—yes, the whole run! You might try phoning the company and seeing if there ar...

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Telling the Valley's Story: A Rare Mural Is Coming to Palm Springs, Thanks to St. Paul in the Desert Church

Jan 10, 2019 16:30  |  Brian Blueskye

Palm Springs’ Church of St. Paul in the Desert wants to help tell the Coachella Valley’s story.

Working with the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission, the Church of St. Paul and artist Bernard Hoyes have begun work on a community mural, “Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters.”

On a recent visit to the in-pro...

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Old People Rocking Their Shit: Three Friends From the SF Punk Scene and a Local-Music Veteran Join Forces for the Hot Patooties

Jan 16, 2019 13:15  |  Brian Blueskye

When three friends involved in the San Francisco punk-rock scene moved to the desert, they decided they needed to get together and have some fun.

The result of that fun is the Hot Patooties, a newly formed band that consists of former San Francisco musicians Nettie Hammar (vocals), Beth Allen (guitar...

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The Lucky 13: Daniel Scopelitis, aka Fantasma Satanica

Jan 15, 2019 14:00  |  Brian Blueskye

When I first started going to the open-mic shows at The Hood Bar and Pizza, I was constantly taken back by Daniel Scopelitis. Sometimes performing under the moniker of Fantasma Satanica, Scopelitis is often in costume, with face paint, and performs various songs with an instrumental track. Scopeliti...

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Subatomic: A Chat With Mike Warner, the Man Who (Literally) Wrote the Book on Playlists

Jan 10, 2019 13:00  |  Alex Harrington

It’s 2019, and the way we listen to music has changed. We moved from vinyl to cassette, then from CDs to MP3s and now streaming. How we enjoy music has evolved—and not only is it easier to find music to listen to than ever before; it’s easy to share it with others as well.

I recently spoke with strea...

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On Cocktails: It's Cold (for the Desert, at Least), so That Means People Are Craving a Good Hot Toddy

Jan 18, 2019 09:00  |  Kevin Carlow

“Dr.” Eli Perkins was arrested by a California sheriff and a platoon of deputized vigilantes in 1882 and summarily sentenced to “hang by the neck until dead” for a number of crimes, the least of which was “quackery.”

This is a partial transcript of his last medicine show, taken by a surreptitious ste...

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Caesar Cervisia: Our Beer Writer Finds the Local Beer Scene in the Coachella Valley to Be Rather Frustrating

Jan 17, 2019 13:00  |  Brett Newton

Ladies and gentlemen, residents of and visitors to the Coachella Valley: The state of craft beer in our fine desert community is … meh.

Let's start where it makes the most sense: Our breweries. I'm going to need to leave much to the imagination here, because I work for one of them, and that presents ...

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Vine Social: Have You Ever Tried an Orange Wine? No? Well, Perhaps You Should

Jan 15, 2019 11:45  |  Katie Finn

The first time I tasted an orange wine was about seven years ago while I was living in Napa. I was working with Tommy Fogarty, of Thomas Fogarty Winery out of Santa Cruz, attempting to sell Santa Cruz wines—a daunting task in Napa, to say the least. However, there was no better person to tackle the ...

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