Curtains

In Review: Favorite Theater Experiences of 2011

By Julie Peterson Fri., Dec. 30 2011 at 4:23 PM
Categories: Curtains, Theater, Top Ten List

tenbest2011.jpg
​Though it's been a wild, wonderful year of theatergoing, and the very best shows were better than ever, I found it unusually easy to narrow the best down to fewer than 20. For what that's worth.



Also, let's acknowledge that we're talking about live, ephemeral art here. Unfortunately, if you missed any of these productions while they were running, you can't use our glowing reviews to guide you to enjoy them now.

I hope you got to see some fabulous stuff that I'm sorry to have missed. And that you'll spread the word when you come across a gem in the months to come -- word of mouth is the best, srsly, and our artists need it.

10. The Borrowers
Childsplay's faithful but innovative version of the classic children's books was anchored by a super cast, especially longtime co-stars Jon Gentry and Debra K. Stevens as heroine Arrietty's tiny little parents.


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Actors Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Billy Elliot, Childsplay, Class 6 Theatre, Eric Boudreau, Head: The Musical, In the Wake of the Bounty, Kim Porter, Lyle the Crocodile, Matt & Ben, Mr. Marmalade, Munched, PHX:fringe Festival, Soul Invictus, Space 55, Ten Chimneys, The Borrowers, This, venue 104
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Top Ten List

Top 10 Movies Shot in (and around) Phoenix

By Bryan Scott Dugan Wed., Jul. 13 2011 at 3:06 PM
Categories: Top Ten List
littlemisssunshine.jpg
​Hitchcock, Steve Carell, Barbara Streisand, and Queen Latifah may not have much in common, but they have all ventured to Phoenix for the sake of the movie industry. 

And while working in the middle of the desert and struggling through daily summer shoots isn't all that glamorous, each of these stars landed box office hits from their time spent in the Valley of the Sun. 

From a classic American thriller to a transsexual-focused dramedy, Phoenix has been used as the backdrop in these 10 films ...

1. Little Miss Sunshine
Everyone was rooting for Olive to out-do her botox-filled beauty pageant competition after the family's hellish journey from New Mexico (which was really Arizona) to California.

See who else made the cut after the jump.


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A Home at the End of the World, A Star is Born, Arizona State University, Little Miss Sunshine, Psycho, Raising Arizona, Taxi, The Nutty Professor, The War of the Worlds, Transamerica, Wayne's World
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Curtains

In Review: Top Valley Theater Moments of 2010

By Julie Peterson Thu., Dec. 30 2010 at 8:00 AM
Categories: Curtains, Theater, Top Ten List
Oh, 2010, how is it that you can have gone by so quickly, yet we can still be so glad to see you go? What I will miss, even though they're already all a blur, are the many great shows the year brought -- and even the dozens of just okay ones. There were more than ten transcendent moments to remember and choose from, and for that I'm extra-grateful. Let's count it down!
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clockwise from bottom right: Actors Theatre, Ron Nachtwey, Tim Trumble, iTheatre Collaborative, Laura Durant, Sarah Rodgers, John Groseclose, Meribeth Reeves
Some of Curtains' favorite 2010 memories, clockwise from bottom right: Nilaja Sun in No Child, a scene from Zanna, Don't!, Big Love, Charles Sohn and Jacqueline Gaston in The Play About the Baby, Lillian Castillo and D. Scott Withers in Hairspray, Shandi Mortenson in Once on This Island, Kirk Jackson, Yetide Badaki, and Oliver Wadsworth -- the entire cast of Shipwrecked!, and Nathalie Cadieux in Unnecessary Farce.
​

10. The chemistry between the leads in Arizona Broadway Theatre's Footloose. Even from our not-super-close table in ABT's massive dinner-theater mainstage space, there was no denying the simultaneously radiant and wholesome sparks given off by David Errigo Jr. and Jessica Kaufman -- a flame that (among other fine performances and production elements) helped make a mainstream, vanilla musical a lot more interesting.

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10 best, Phoenix theater, Top 10
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Top Ten List

The 10 Best Holiday Movies Ever

By Cyndi Coon Mon., Nov. 29 2010 at 1:30 PM
Categories: Film, Top Ten List
loveactually.jpg
Love Actually
​ The turkey was barely out of the oven, and already far too many television stations were busy pumping out countless holiday releases (that never quite made it to the big screen) featuring whats-his-name-type actors and low budget special effects. And somehow we love them.

Despite their early arrivals and doomed plot lines, these flicks are what get us into the holiday spirit -- days before December even arrives. But let's be real: The duds are a waste of time. So we're here to outline a few that you'll need to set the DVR to record. Here, friends, are the 10 best holiday movies. Period.
 

10. Love Actually: With so many separate stories playing out at the same time in this movie you are sure to find a character you can identify with. The slut, the cheater, the little kid love, gay love discovered -- it's all in there.

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Holiday, Top Ten Movies
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Top Ten List

Top 5 Video Games as Art

By Jonathan McNamara Mon., May 31 2010 at 8:00 AM
Categories: Top Ten List
elshaddaiscreengrab.jpg
Ignition
A screen grab from El Shaddai.
​This month, a video game studio called Ignition released screen shots of their next project: a game called El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. Game play details and plot are sparse, but one thing is certain. It looks beautiful.

Players dance across floating platforms in polarized purples and greens. Texturally the graphics resemble pastel drawings more than commonplace cel-shading.

All this graphical overload got us thinking about other games that go beyond pushing buttons to give players a look at something beautiful. Submitted for your perusal are our picks for the top 5 video games as art ...

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El Shaddai, Katamari Damacy, Level 5, Ninokuni, No More Heroes, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, Studio Ghibli, Suda 51
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Top Ten List

Top 10 Pick-Up Lines at an SB 1070 Protest

By Laura Hahnefeld Fri., May 28 2010 at 10:01 AM
Categories: Top Ten List
lovethyneighbor.jpg
​Arizona's new anti-immigration law, SB 1070, has many folks hot and bothered -- taking their outrage to the streets with sweat-inducing marches, candlelight vigils, and impassioned posters. With the flames of emotion ignited, even the most prudish of protesters has to admit to being just a little turned on, setting their sights on a cause of a more natural nature: the hook-up. Hey, we're all human.


Top 10 Pick-Up Lines at an SB 1070 Protest

10. I'm for civil rights, too. Rights here in my pants.

9. I feel like a Border Patrol agent, 'cause I'm totally checking you out.


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anti-immigration law, Arizona, pick-up lines, sb 1070
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