Arts

After The California Downpour, 'The Drought' Offers Some Dry Reading

6:03pm December 05, 2014

by Jason Heller

It rained in California this week. That might not sound like news, but the state is experiencing a record-setting drought. Jason Heller turns to science fiction to reflect on the strange weather.

Nicolas Cage stars as rogue CIA agent Evan Lake in the spy thriller Dying of the Light.

Arts

'Dying Of The Light': A Disputed Production, A Disappointing Product

2:06pm December 05, 2014

by Tomas Hachard

The film, disavowed by its director and writer Paul Schrader after clashes with the studio, stars Nicolas Cage as a CIA officer who believes the agency has lost its moral direction.

Arts

Prayers And Holy Water Can't Exorcise The Terrifying 'Babadook'

1:42pm December 05, 2014

by David Edelstein

In the Australian chiller, a bogeyman announces himself in a rhyming, pop-up book on a 7-year-old's shelf. But the real horror is that the boy's mom, a grieving widow, is battling psychic demons.

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Aksel Hennie and Wes Bentley star as offshore divers in Pioneer.

Arts

A Claustrophobic 'Pioneer' From A Land Suddenly Grown Rich

1:36pm December 05, 2014

by Ella Taylor

The Norwegian thriller follows divers deep beneath the sea, where powerful forces above drive those trapped together to question nearly every aspect of their experience.

Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed in Wild.

Arts

A 'Wild' Trek Made A Bit Too Neatly

1:25pm December 05, 2014

by Mark Jenkins

The film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail takes Reese Witherspoon into new territory but never quite achieves the fierceness to which it aspires.

Leza One paints a mural on a wall of Jose de Diego Middle School in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. It's a project that coincides with the citywide Art Basel fair.

A Miami School Goes From Blank Canvas To Mural-Covered

1:07pm December 05, 2014

by Greg Allen

Jose de Diego Middle School has large expanses of facade that are almost begging for decoration. To raise funds for arts education at the school, artists are helping transform its walls with paint.

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Arts

Suzan-Lori Parks' New Play, 'Father Comes Home From The Wars'

1:07pm December 05, 2014

by Michele Norris

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is finishing a run on her latest work, "Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1,2 & 3)" at The Public Theater in New York.

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Arts

UNCSA's "Dying For It," Tiny House Expedition, Jeremy B. Jones, and Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra

1:00pm December 05, 2014

by David Ford

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In Inherent Vice, Joaquin Phoenix (left) plays a burned-out hippie private eye, while Josh Brolin is a Los Angeles Police Department detective -- Lt. Detective "Bigfoot" Bjornsen -- who is investigating a murder and kidnapping case.

Arts

After Decades Acting, Josh Brolin Still Wonders If He's 'Good Enough'

9:34am December 05, 2014

Brolin co-stars in an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's novel Inherent Vice. He says as an actor he's always wondering: "Can I live up to what this person has written? There's always a fear around that."

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A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Holiday Encores Edition

9:15am December 05, 2014

by Linda Holmes

This week, we have two past segments to revisit: a look at our favorite and least favorite holiday pop culture, and a listen to some seasonal music.

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