Film & Theater

Thumbnail image for Richard Montoya’s Federal Jazz Project Hits a Strong Note for San Diego

Richard Montoya’s Federal Jazz Project Hits a Strong Note for San Diego

by Source 05.03.2013 Culture

By Victor Payan

San Diego-born playwright Richard Montoya has been on a prolific hot streak for the past several years. His expert mix of weight and whimsy have made him a favorite of local audiences, and his latest play, Federal Jazz Project, is yet another winner.  A collaboration with local jazz master Gilbert Castellanos, Federal Jazz Project delivers a verbal and musical tour de force that digs into the dark underbelly of World War II-era San Diego and provides a fascinating history tour of America’s Finest City.

Fans of local lore and lovers of great jazz should rush out to see Federal Jazz Project before it concludes its World Premiere run at the San Diego Repertory Theatre this Sunday at 2pm.

Federal Jazz Project shines on many levels and features some brilliant writing by Montoya.  Stellar live music by a Castellanos-led jazz quintet and strong performances by a capable cast round out the story of Kidd (Joe Hernandez-Kolski), an idealistic impresario, whose hopes of launching the careers of two singing and dancing sisters named San Diego and Tijuana, played Lorraine Castellanos and Claudia Gomez, are thwarted by the guardians of San Diego’s military-industrial complex.

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Thumbnail image for Desde la Logan’s Las Monthly Ondas May Edition: Cinco de Mayo is Not Mexican Independence Day

Desde la Logan’s Las Monthly Ondas May Edition: Cinco de Mayo is Not Mexican Independence Day

by Brent E. Beltrán 04.30.2013 Arts

By Brent E. Beltrán

Cinco de Mayo commemorates El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla) where in 1862 a ragtag Mexican army lead by General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated a much superior and better equipped force of the French army. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. It’s not even a significant holiday in Mexico except in the state of Puebla where the battle took place.

After the great liberal Mexican president Benito Juarez decided to stop paying Mexico’s foreign debt for two years to help it’s near bankrupt national treasury France’s Napoleon III, pissed off by this move, decided to invade and build up it’s empire.

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Thumbnail image for The Starting Line – GOP’s Lincoln Club Smear Campaign Suggests The “R” in Republican Stands for Racism

The Starting Line – GOP’s Lincoln Club Smear Campaign Suggests The “R” in Republican Stands for Racism

by Doug Porter 04.24.2013 Columns

By Doug Porter

Voters for the upcoming City Council runoff elections got a familiar sounding piece of mail this week. They’re getting campaign literature crafted by and credited to the Lincoln Club of San Diego, making many of the same claims made in the primary by the shadowy PAC calling itself San Diego County Voters for Progress and Reform.

Never mind that these claims have been debunked. Never mind that the group behind the original mailer tried (and failed) to fool voters into thinking the propaganda was somehow from the City of San Diego by putting an official looking logo at the top.

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Thumbnail image for The Starting Line – Koch Brothers’ Coachella Failure-fest Set for this Weekend

The Starting Line – Koch Brothers’ Coachella Failure-fest Set for this Weekend

by Doug Porter 04.23.2013 Arts

By Doug Porter

This weekend (Apr 28-29) hundreds of business executives and wealthy conservative donors will descend upon the Coachella Valley, hoping to forge a strategy to turn last fall’s drubbing of conservative candidates into future victories. I imagine the crowd will be considerably different from what locals have seen over the past two weeks.

Since 2003 billionaire industrialists David and Charles Koch have been hosting regular retreats at luxury resorts seeking to focus the resources and energy of wealthy and politically ambitious conservatives in the US.

Their latest invitation-only gathering, originally scheduled for January, was postponed.

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Thumbnail image for “Everything Comes from the Streets” Documents Lowriding in San Diego Premier

“Everything Comes from the Streets” Documents Lowriding in San Diego Premier

by Source 04.18.2013 Activism

Registration Required

A new documentary that traces the origins and history of lowriding in San Diego

by Alberto López Pulido

“Everything Comes From the Streets” feature the lives and voices of the pioneers of the lowrider movement in the borderlands of San Diego and Tijuana that brought forth a unique Chicana and Chicano lowrider aesthetic and expression.

This documentary challenges past interpretations of the California Lowrider Scene that has been dominated by lowrider history from Los Angeles and instead highlights the importance of Jacket Clubs, Car Customizers, the U.S.-Mexico border, Women, the Chicano Movement and the establishment of Chicano Park in the history of Chicano San Diego that brought forth a unique lowrider story and movement for California history and the American Southwest.

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Thumbnail image for The Starting Line – Mission Valley Hilton Hotel Management Tactics Prompt Employee Hunger Strike

The Starting Line – Mission Valley Hilton Hotel Management Tactics Prompt Employee Hunger Strike

by Doug Porter 04.05.2013 Columns

Employees and the community supporters at the Mission Valley Hilton will be engaging in a five day hunger strike starting today in protest of a decision by the property’s new management company to dismiss nine long term hotel workers.

Following weeks of protests, including a sit-in where 20 people were arrested, employees at the Mission Valley Hilton Hotel were elated last month after hearing that their jobs would not be eliminated as part of a takeover of the property by Evolution Hospitality/ Tarsadia Hotels.

What they didn’t know is that the new managers would subject all the employees to immediate E-Verify background checks. Nine long term workers are now facing dismissal as soon as next Tuesday. Those employees believe they are being targeted for standing up for their rights as immigrant workers.

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Thumbnail image for Nay to Hate and Yea to Culture at ECC

Nay to Hate and Yea to Culture at ECC

by Ernie McCray 03.21.2013 Arts

Board meetings are usually not my cup of tea. But I attended one, not too long ago, at the Educational Cultural Complex (ECC) and as I sat there, anticipating data reports and budget considerations and other matters that might lead me to want to cop some Z’s, I experienced a few moments that absolutely captivated me.

Like, all of a sudden, from behind me, during a section of the meeting that highlighted “Community Connections,” I hear a woman walking towards the stage belting out:

“They call it stormy Monday

but Tuesday’s just as bad.”

And the next thing I know my shoulders are gliding from side to side and my head is doing likewise and my size 14 feet are patting along with my fingers that are popping to the beat and right away three more singers got me leaning forward in my seat with:

“Wednesday’s worse and Thursday’s also sad.”

Oh, such sweet music from my past. For a moment my mind began to stray to times when I had my moments up there where those singers stirred my spirit in song.

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Thumbnail image for It Almost Always Rains on the Second Day of the San Diego Latino Film Festival (in Otherwise Sunny Southern California)

It Almost Always Rains on the Second Day of the San Diego Latino Film Festival (in Otherwise Sunny Southern California)

by Source 03.20.2013 Culture

By Mukul Khurana

It’s true! As long as I can remember, it has rained in normally sunny San Diego. This year was no different. The weather forecast predicted rain at around 10:00 PM. On the dot, on the way to the opening party at Café Sevilla it started raining heavily. O.K.—so it might not always be the second day…

But that didn’t stop hard-working Lou Diamond Phillips, Sergio Arau, and Yareli Arizmendi from making appearances and mingling. As the San Diego Latino Film Festival celebrated it’s 20th year in 2013, the party kicked off another great year of Latino films, art, and music.

As we wrap up 11 days of culture, it is a good idea to reflect as to what two decades of the festival have brought us. A lot has happened from the days of a student film festival held at the University of California San Diego.

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Thumbnail image for Award-winning film “Greedy Lying Bastards” pulls back curtain on corporate-funded climate denialism

Award-winning film “Greedy Lying Bastards” pulls back curtain on corporate-funded climate denialism

by Source 03.15.2013 Culture

Pay no attention to the Koch behind the curtain

By Eclectablog / Daily Kos

Greedy Lying Bastards is a new documentary released to theaters this past week that reveals the intentional, corporate-funded deception campaign that has shaped our conversation about climate change in profound and dangerous ways. While it’s long been known that the fossil fuel industry — “Big Oil” — has been throwing up a smokescreen (pardon the pun) to confuse the debate over the existence of human-caused climate change, Greedy Lying Bastards picks up where Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth left off to show us just how deliberate and well-funded this effort has been.

The film has already won numerous awards including the 2012 Burbank Film Festival, the Eco-Award at the 2012 Boston Film Festival and was an official selection at the 2012 United Nations Film Festival, 2012 Bahamas International Film Festival and 2012 Costa Rica International Film Festival.

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Thumbnail image for Filly Brown at the San Diego Latino Film Festival: A Hero’s Journey to Authenticity

Filly Brown at the San Diego Latino Film Festival: A Hero’s Journey to Authenticity

by Source 03.15.2013 Culture

Including interviews with Lou Diamond Phillips and Gina Rodriguez

by Alejandra Enciso Guzmán

The San Diego Latino Film Festival is celebrating it’s 20th consecutive year of hard work and film screenings from all over Latin America in the United States. A remarkable effort–small or low budget films which often depend solely on word of mouth, get the opportunity to receive an important amount of exposure during the festival, and even, maybe, a distributor. Such was the case of the Cuban film Juan de los muertos (Juan of the dead) a dark humored comedy that was a part of the 2012 Latino film festival and earned the Goya Award, the premier film award in Spain, as well as ‘Best foreign picture’ and other prestigious international awards.

Filly Brown, a hit from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, was a much anticipated premiere for the community. The big names in the cast include Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, late singer Jenni Rivera and rising star Gina Rodriguez as Filly Brown. The film follows Filly Brown’s trajectory as an amateur rapper from inner city Los Angeles who seeks to enter the world of hip hop stardom with her striking lyrics.

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Thumbnail image for “I Am a Man” at the San Diego Rep

“I Am a Man” at the San Diego Rep

by Ernie McCray 03.12.2013 Columns

A few of us actors got together on a Monday night to rehearse playwright Omayo’s drama, “I Am a Man,” in preparation for dramatic readings of the piece at the San Diego Repertory Theater on Monday, March 18th, and Tuesday, March 19th at 7:00 PM. The San Diego Rep is presenting the drama in collaboration with the Vagabond Theatre Project.
Each evening’s performances support “The Mountaintop,” a play by Katori Hall, which has been pleasing theater goers for weeks now at the Rep. It’s a must see about Martin Luther King’s last night before he was taken from us in Memphis.

Our play keeps Martin’s spirit alive as it is based on the travails of the black sanitation workers who, back in February 12, 1968, staged a wildcat strike backing their demands for equal pay, better working conditions and recognition of their union.

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Thumbnail image for The Curtain Closes on Birch North Park Theatre?

The Curtain Closes on Birch North Park Theatre?

by John P. Anderson 03.03.2013 Business

The intersection of 30th Street and University Avenue is the physical center of North Park, as well as the hub the commercial and cultural activity in the neighborhood.  In the early 1900s this corner earned the moniker of “Busy Corner“, a title that would be fitting today as well.  Standing at Busy Corner throughout the years would give a clear view of the many changes that have occurred throughout the decades since the first homes and businesses appeared in the first decade of the 1900s.

In 2012, after filing for bankruptcy, the Lyric Opera  sold the mortgage note on the property to David Cohen, owner of the West Coast Tavern that is housed in the front of the theatre building.  Mr. Cohen is now trying to foreclose on the Lyric Opera and take ownership of the building.  A hearing on the issue took place before Judge Margaret Mann in downtown San Diego on Wednesday, February 27th, but no ruling was issued and the case will be continued on March 7.

Pending a decision in court there are many possibilities for the future of the space but no clear direction.

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Thumbnail image for Gang Girl at ECC

Gang Girl at ECC

by Ernie McCray 02.13.2013 Culture

“Gang Girl”
Friday, March 1, 2013
ECC (Education Cultural Center)
4343 Ocean View Blvd.
Showtime 7pm

“Gang Girl: The Story of a 22-Year-Old Girl in the LA Bloods Gang,” is a work of art in the form of a documentary that I had heard about and now I’m glad that I have the opportunity to see it, thanks to the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists. They’re bringing it to town so that all who care can spend an evening exploring critical issues and strengths in the lives of inner-city youth and their families.

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Thumbnail image for Desde la Logan: Las Monthly Ondas February Edition featuring The HeART of Loteria

Desde la Logan: Las Monthly Ondas February Edition featuring The HeART of Loteria

by Brent E. Beltrán 02.01.2013 Activism

If you’re of Mexican descent then at some point in your life you have probably played the ubiquitous game Loteria. For those who are not Mexican Loteria is somewhat similar to Bingo except you use numbered playing cards with iconic images on them such as La Calavera, El Borracho, El Catrín, La Luna, El Diablito, La Muerte and many others instead of numbered balls.

Ruben Torres, who I wrote about in a previous column called Love Thy Neighbor. It’s Not About Charity, It’s About Humanity, has teamed up with a collective of creative Southern Cali folks to curate a massive art exhibit, to be held at the Centro Cultural de la Raza, called The HeART of Loteria.

Ruben told me that “the opening reception is meant to celebrate a family tradition through art, performance, food and Loteria game play. It is meant to be an experience that is rich with Loteria inspired imagery and art. There will be about 200 art pieces that will be featured, created by artists from all walks of life. There will be two main experiences – inside and outside.

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Thumbnail image for “War Horse” at the Segerstrom Center: Puppetry Gallops to a Different Level

“War Horse” at the Segerstrom Center: Puppetry Gallops to a Different Level

by Source 02.01.2013 Culture

by Alejandra Enciso Guzmán

The five Tony award winner War Horse opened last week at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa California. Segerstrom Hall shined, filled to its maximum capacity with almost 3,000 souls. Over the course of two and a half hours, theater goers enjoyed the ups and downs of this complex story situated in England during World War I.

Albert, sixteen, gets a foal thanks to his father Albert’s gambling win. Joey the foal comes alive onstage. It is a puppet made out of mostly cane which has been soaked, bent and stained a light cinnamon color. Three puppeteers– one for the head, one for the torso and one for the tail, bring Joey to life with breathing, neighing and puffing sounds… simply fascinating! The puppeteers wear overalls and boots of the same color. Even though they are seen all the time onstage, the handling is so fine, so delicate, they disappear into the puppet.

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Thumbnail image for Clybourne Park at the San Diego Repertory Theatre – A Review of the Friday Night Performance

Clybourne Park at the San Diego Repertory Theatre – A Review of the Friday Night Performance

by Source 01.20.2013 Film & Theater

By Jim Bliesner

The first act of Clybourn Park, now at the San Diego Repertory Theatre is about “white flight” or “block busting” set in 1959. The second act is about “gentrification” and “new urbanism” set in 2009. In the first act a black family is buying a home in a traditionally Caucasian neighborhood. In the second act, the same house is being sold by a black couple to a young Caucasian couple moving back into the city wanting to remodel and add onto the old house. If this was San Diego the play would be called Sherman Heights or Golden Hill and cover the same period. The play is about a real phenomenon across the American urban landscape and alive today.

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Thumbnail image for Desde la Logan: January Happenings in Barrio Logan and Beyond

Desde la Logan: January Happenings in Barrio Logan and Beyond

by Brent E. Beltrán 01.11.2013 Activism

Sometimes I take for granted the things that are happening in my barrio and the surrounding areas. I consider myself lucky to live in a community that cherishes culture in all it’s varied forms. I have Chicano Park, The Roots Factory, The Spot Barrio Logan and The Voz Alta Project all within two blocks of my apartment. My community is a living creature, alive and vibrant, with culture oozing out of it’s streets and alleys like sweat from a worker’s brow. For the most part I know what is going on around here.

Because I usually know the haps in Logan I sometimes fail to realize that others may not know what’s going on. Therefore as a service to not only my community but also the greater San Diego community at large I will regularly compile a list of cultural and activism related events that will be taking place. This list will not only feature events taking place in Barrio Logan and the rest of the Historic Barrio District but events elsewhere in San Diego that I think readers of this column and San Diego Free Press should consider attending. Most will be hosted by the places I normally frequent (and places I should frequent normally) and many will be related to Chicanismo, Native issues, lefty causes and other stuff that I’m down for. Please support these grassroots cultural happenings, spaces and organizations by attending their events and, if so inclined, throw a few bucks their way.

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Thumbnail image for Film Review: Smiling Through the Apocalypse, and the Sixties (at the Palm Spring Films Festival, January 3-13)

Film Review: Smiling Through the Apocalypse, and the Sixties (at the Palm Spring Films Festival, January 3-13)

by Source 01.11.2013 Culture

By Bob Dorn

Apparently, we made it through the Apocalypse. It wasn’t the most recent one, predicted to accompany the exhaustion of the Mayan and Olmec peoples’ Long Count calendar last December. Instead, it was the one so many of us lived through starting some 50 years ago, the one we like to say lasted a decade, the 60s.

Back then, half of us seemed to aspire to higher consciousness and the other half of us learned to run from people who told us to travel astrally, or to go to Vietnam to kill Vietnamese, or to get a PhD in business management or to go out of our minds simply to find out what that might be like.

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Thumbnail image for The Starting Line – The Sound of One Hand Clapping at UT-San Diego

The Starting Line – The Sound of One Hand Clapping at UT-San Diego

by Doug Porter 01.09.2013 Columns

We’ll start off today by talking about UT-San Diego, always one of my favorite topics. With advent of the New Year there are changes afoot at our local daily newspaper, changes that have me scratching my head… But hey, they’re the experts, right?

I learned via Twitter yesterday that Manchester’s minions are now required to gain management approval should any TV or radio station ask them to comment on pretty much anything. It seems as though UT-San Diego has done a deal with Clear Channel, one of the mega-corporate media meisters. Although they operate a half-dozen or so outlets locally, what we’re really talking about is giving KOGO (home to Rush Limbaugh and other righties in San Diego) and XTRA Sports radio first shot at any UT staffers.

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Thumbnail image for SDFP Exclusive – Jean Marc Barr: Cruise Control, Soul Grind, and Jack Kerouac

SDFP Exclusive – Jean Marc Barr: Cruise Control, Soul Grind, and Jack Kerouac

by Source 12.30.2012 Culture

By Micaela Shafer Porte

Jean Marc Barr, international French/American film actor and director, and part-time Pacific Beach, California local, loves Pacific Beach for its mellowness and great skateboarding.  “San Diego is the place where ‘nothing’ is supposed to happen.  It is a nice break from my hectic life, living out of suitcase, travelling around the world. “  He is here for the holidays, in preparation for attending the Sundance  Independent Film Festival 2013, in his latest role as Jack Kerouac  in the film, Big Sur, which is being presented on January 23.

“I started skateboarding late in life, at the age of 42, because I was inspired by my nephew, Oliver, and I needed a physical activity to keep me in shape during my stays with my family in California.  Entering my 40’s, I felt “vulnerable,” so wanted to try a new sport, a dangerous one, as a challenge…”

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