Sunday, March 1, 2015
Tres Noches
Posted on Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 11:26 AM
On the cusp of the Cuban slave rebellion, a mixed-race woman in 19th century Cuba woos a white man by using her religion — Santería, a blend of Yoruba mythology, Catholicism and in-digenous tradition. During a 40-day Uruguayan Carnival in Montevideo, an illiterate 11-year-old newsboy of African descent learns to read from the newspaper office's night janitor, a seemingly magical character. In a Caracas, Venezuela, housing project, a 9-year-old boy of European, Af-rican and indigenous descent despairs over his curly hair as his school's picture day looms, and tries to straighten it: Enter blow dryers, mayonnaise and fed-up mom.
Three films, encompassing the theme "African Heritage in Latin America," comprise the heart of the 17th Annual International Latino Film Festival, March 3 through 5, co-hosted by College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University. Guest speaker Dr. Armando Chávez-Rivera — journalist, Spanish professor and Cuban literature expert — introduces each film. He and a host of moderators and panelists lead discussion afterward. The films (Spanish with English subtitles) are free for SPAN/HIST/ES 396 and SPAN 99A students, and $5 (at the door) for eve-ryone else. Each night runs from 6 to 10:20 p.m. at the Minor Theatre in Arcata.
March 3: Cecilia (Humberto Solás, 1982)
March 4: A Dios Momo | Goodbye Momo (Leonardo Ricagni, 2006)
March 5: Pelo Malo | Bad Hair (Mariana Rondón, 2013)
— Heidi Walters
Friday, February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy, Bigfoot Hunter
Posted By Grant Scott-Goforth on Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 5:31 PM
If you’re feeling nostalgic about Leonard Nimoy, take a look back at his In Search of… episode featuring local legend Bigfoot. Most of it centers on Sasquatch investigators and sightings in Oregon and Washington, but Nimoy also features footage from the Patterson-Gimlin film which was (arguably) filmed in Humboldt County.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
That Time The Foo Fighters Played Arcata
Posted By Jennifer Savage on Thu, Feb 26, 2015 at 1:12 PM
The story starts off slagging on Arcata as a place "where not much happens," before launching into a description of how "the town became a footnote on the story of arguably the biggest band on the planet." Complete with quotes from our own Johnny "DJ Red" Ferrington and former Journal staffer Bob Doran (who wrote for the Union at the time), we're treated to what it was like, way back when.
The owners of the Jambalaya thought it was a joke when they got the call. Dave Grohl wanted to play with his new band the following night? A man who, with Nirvana, had catalyzed a total rewiring of guitar music – from the goonish, oversexed, poodle-haired pomp of 1980 rock to the viciously raw nihilism of grunge, defining a generation along the way – wanted to debut his highly anticipated new music at the 220-capacity Jambalaya? Here in sleepy Arcata?And the by-all-accounts blistering set wasn't the end of it. The Foos also went bowling! DJ Red took slight issue with the NME version of this story, noting on his Facebook page that he invited Grohl and the band to come bowling with a group of Arcata Bowl regulars. "Dave was an excellent bowler, and the fact that he accepted my offer (really, it was a challenge) is testament to what a down-to-earth dude he is."
On the downside, you can't bowl in Arcata any more and the Foo Fighters aren't likely to return any time soon. On the upside, pizza by the slice! And we still have a relatively rockin' scene, for a place "where not much happens." And who knows? Given what a down-to-earth dude he is, maybe Grohl and company'll get the itch to return to their roots once again...
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Hello, Cowboy
Posted on Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 11:22 AM
Mel Brooks never met a genre he didn't want to mess with. But those old Westerns (spaghetti or otherwise) that played on TV Saturday afternoons were already pretty nuts. From Italians in red-face to hookers with hearts of gold, it's a wonder it took Brooks until 1974 to make his glorious sendup Blazing Saddles. See it in all its big-screen glory on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Eureka Theater ($5).
And Brooks, with fellow screenwriter Richard Pryor, hits all the buttons on the elevator. Harvey Korman is the corrupt politician, Gene Wilder is the washed-up gunslinger, Madeline Kahn is the Dietrich-esque German saloon siren, Brooks shows up as a Yiddish-speaking Native American and Cleavon Little is the new African-American sheriff in town. Of course.
The one-liners, slapstick, sight gags and musical numbers are gold. Kahn's "I'm Tired" number all but steals the movie, which is saying something given the hams with whom she's working. The faint of heart should steel themselves for racist townspeople (it's the '70s and Pryor is on board, so brace for n-bombs, folks) and a guy punching out a horse. It's hilarious right to the beyond meta ending and the final ride into the sunset.
— Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Red Carpet Moment
Posted on Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 9:51 AM
Before you get caught up in Oscar fever, see if the next Martin Scorsese, Kathryn Bigelow or Billy Wilder is waiting to be discovered at Humboldt State University right now. Go beyond indie on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre when the HSU Film Showcase gets rolling (free). It's the premiere of eight student films, and who knows, maybe the beginning of a legacy.
Then on Sunday, Feb. 22, it's the gowns, the tuxes, the flashbulbs! The air kisses and barely disguised rivalries! And that's just in the lobby. Make an entrance at the Eureka Theater at 5 p.m. for the Red Carpet Gala ($30, $25 advance). Unless you want to watch the Oscars on the couch with Cheeto-stained fingers and nobody to appreciate your spot-on predictions. Again.
The theater and the Humboldt-Del Norte Film commission are putting on the ritz with schmoozing in the lobby and a big-screen broadcast of the Academy Awards. Servers will be sweeping in with trays of all sorts of tasty finger foods from Brett Shuler Fine Catering (mingle, converse, but don't lose sight of those canapés), and that schmancy bar will be cranking out glamorous cocktails all evening. Folks at home will be yawning through commercials, but you'll be watching the drama onstage as presenters hand out Humboldt's own awards. Have a speech prepared just in case (unless you're Leonardo DiCaprio), act surprised (unless you're Meryl Streep) and don't forget to thank your mom.
— Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
With a Capital V
Posted on Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 9:49 AM
On Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. at the D Street Community Center in Arcata, keep the V-Day momentum going with the annual performance of founder Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues, directed by Carly Sherman ($10, $8 seniors and students).
The play, which has seen updates, revisions and controversy over the years since its first off-Broadway performance in 1996, was born from interviews with some 200 women. It features a number of female characters talking about life, love and lady parts. They cover birth, sex, menstruation, orgasms, sex work, rape and the c-word. It's a lot, so good thing it's funny, too. Ensler's empowering messages about female sexuality and identity fit right in with V-Day's mission of raising funds and awareness to end violence against women and girls. Who can't get behind that?
— Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
Friday, February 13, 2015
Swingers
Posted on Fri, Feb 13, 2015 at 4:00 AM
Did you blow Valentine's Day? Don't despair, you can fix this. Have a night out on the day after without the rom-com pressure or smug couples.
Now that the swing craze of the '90s is over, we can enjoy it without feeling smarmy. Big-band big shots Swing Fever are at the Morris Graves Museum of Art on Sunday, Feb. 15 from 2 to 5 p.m. ($5). Get your heart pumping with an afternoon of dancing to tunes from the 1930s to the 1950s played live with vocals from crooner Denise Perrier. It's post-retro-retro fabulous with tons of meet-cute potential.
Rest your dogs for a couple of hours and you'll still make it in plenty of time for the Celtic Fiddle Festival at the Van Duzer Theatre at 8 p.m ($35, $25 kids, $5 HSU students). Sure, "violin music" is a little on the nose for romance, but this is fiddle. Totally different deal from that weird guy at the restaurant who wouldn't leave your table. The members of the quartet hail from all over. Kevin Burke of Ireland, Andre Brunét of Quebec and Bretons Christian Lemaître and Nicholas Quémener make it look easy, chatting and laughing as they skip across borders to take you through myriad styles of fiddling and guitar.
See? Better the second time around.
— Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Metal Hearts
Posted on Thu, Feb 12, 2015 at 4:00 AM
Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about romance — let's open this thing up to all kinds of love. You could, for example, spend the evening with a sister. No, not the one who looks just like you and steals your eyeliner and boyfriends, but the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the ones who do all the fundraisers and would totally steal your eyeliner and boyfriends if you don't lock them down. Join the Sisters on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the Bayside Grange Hall for Shot to the Heart Bingo ($15, 18 and up).
If the song title brings back images of men and women in tight pants and big hair, good. Use that. The evening's theme and the Gods of Rock Costume Contest is all about '70s and '80s rock and metal. Tease your do, streak your blush and show up as your favorite rock star or group for a chance to win a prize. In a couple? A trio? A quartet? Whatever a table of five is called? Get your stories straight for Cupid's Cutest Couple, a game-show competition for more prizes. Not lucky in love? That's OK, maybe you'll have a better shot with the bingo mini games.
Since nothing says love like a home-cooked meal, this is a potluck party. Whip up a dish to share and scribble down the ingredients on a card, just in case of allergies. You'll be swapping recipes and basking in love before you can say "Bon Jovi."
— Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
Thursday, February 5, 2015
You and Me...
Posted By Grant Scott-Goforth on Thu, Feb 5, 2015 at 12:22 PM
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Claws: UPDATE
Posted on Wed, Feb 4, 2015 at 11:41 AM
Ready to come out of your shell? Good. Then tie on a bib and get your crackers and picks ready for the Eureka Crab Crawl Festival. The crackdown begins its sideways trip through downtown on Friday, Feb. 6 from 5 to 9 p.m. with the crab crawl. It's like a bar crawl, but classier and with seafood. Participating restaurants and bars (go to www.eurekamainstreet.org for a list) will be serving up "crabby hour" specialties and cocktails for you to graze as you wander.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, skitter over to the C Street Market Place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the main event, the crab festival. Bring the family (but not the dog) for crab racing, demonstrations (how do the pros pick a crab?) and, of course, plenty of vendors selling goodies of the crustacean persuasion and beer and wine to wash it all down. Rest your tummy until 6:30 p.m., when the 1957 Roger Corman cult monster movie Attack of the Crab Monsters takes over the Eureka Theater (free, donations accepted). Attack of anything is always fun, but these are giant crabs and they want to eat your brains. (See young woman trapped in enormous claw above.) Evidently, the creatures also absorb the knowledge and memories of their victims — does that include how tasty crab is with a little melted butter? Deep stuff from the deep, people. See it again at 7:45 p.m. and catch all the cinematic nuances.
— Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
