Adventurous Cartoonists & Far-Out Comics Thursday, May 27, 2010

Cinefamily explores the art of underground comic books in "Adventurous Cartoonists & Far-Out Comics," an afternoon of book signings, talks and film by hosted by Dan Nadel, author of the new anthology Art in Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures, 1940-1980. Johnny Ryan (Angry Youth Comix) interviews Real Deal author Lawrence Hubbard, a.k.a. Rawdog; Sharon Rudahl, John Thompson and Barbara "Willy" Mendes participate in a panel discussion on subversive works of the 1960s; and the ever-awesome Jamie Hernandez, co-creator of groundbreaking alt-comic Love & Rockets, screens Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1949 A Letter To Three Wives, about a woman who informs her friends by mail that she's run off with one of their husbands (but which one?). Discussion with Hernandez follows, moderated by cartoonist Sammy Harkham. Fun fact: Bauhaus spin-off band Love & Rockets named themselves after the Hernandez Bros' book. Cinefamily, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A.; Sun., May 30, 5 p.m.; $10. (323) 655-2510. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, May 28, 2010.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 11:11 AM, ,

Rock'n Comic Con Monday, May 24, 2010

Cyndi Lauper may have merged rock & roll and wrestling in 1984 when she snagged the WWF's Captain Lou Albano to co-star in her MTV video "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," but self-described e-commerce trend-setter Animation-ink.com has forged the forces of rock & roll and comic books into an unprecedented alliance of ultimate geekery for Rock'n Comic Con 2010. Never mind the dealers, panels and artists alley (de rigueur for sci-fi/fantasy fans), nor the after-hours parties (for whom, exactly?). This con rocks out with its coccyx out when pelvis-pulsing '80s acts like Dramarama, A Flock of Seagulls, and When in Rome take to the stage to perform their greatest hit. Stan Lee's likely to be wandering around, too. Excelsior! Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena; Fri-Sun., May 28-30; $30, $70 3-day pass; separate admission fee applies to one-hit wonders. Tickets online at rockncomiccon.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, May 28, 2010.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 12:28 PM, ,

Jack Stevenson Sunday, May 16, 2010

Coinciding with the publication of his latest book, Scandinavian Blue: The Erotic Cinema of Sweden and Denmark in the 1960s and 1970s, author and film collector Jack Stevenson presents two nights of sextastic cinema guaranteed to blow your mind. Upon its release, the 1966 flick Venom sent Danish authorities into a frenzy with its tale of an amoral hedonist and his homemade porn movies; turns out, the film's purported condemnation of immorality led to the end of Denmark's film-censorship laws. Back here at home, drugs take the blame for a century of sex offenses in "Movies With Roots in Hell: The Effects of Drugs on American Cinema," Stevenson's titillating survey of celluloid propaganda, from silent-film psychedelia to 1970s paranoia. Cinefamily, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A.; Sun., May 16, 8 p.m., $12 (Venom); Mon., May 17, 8 p.m., $12 ("Movies With Roots in Hell"). (323) 655-2510, cinefamily.org. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, May 14, 2010.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 5:09 PM, ,

La Lupa Italian Cultural Arts Festival Monday, May 10, 2010

Move over, San Gennaro. There's a new heritage fest in town, and it's out to prove that Italians aren't all meatball-eating guidos. La Lupa Italian Cultural Arts Festival combines both the contemporary and traditional arts into a boot-shaped cornucopia of culture, including dance performances; poetry readings; short-film screenings; the folk music of southern Italy by MUSICàNTICA; scenes from original one-act plays by Italian and Italian-American playwrights; excerpts from Franco D'Alessandro's play Roman Nights, about Tennessee Williams' relationship with actress Anna Magnani; a children's program with "Pinocchio" performed in verse; and Italian language lessons. Food, too; probably meatballs. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; Sat.-Sun., May 15-16; $20, kids under 10 free. (323) 769-5808, lalupafest.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, May 14, 2010.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 1:21 PM, ,

Santa Monica Festival Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Go green at the 19th annual Santa Monica Festival, a celebration of all things environmental, including interactive workshops, musical performances and a "living library," courtesy the Santa Monica Public Library, wherein actual humans posing as books answer your questions about life, the universe and everything. (Books you can "check out" for 30-minute chats include Fat Activist, Ex Gang Member and Homeless Advocate.) Performers set to rock your environmentally friendly socks: Latin/African combo Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, Clarita and the Arte Flamenco Dance Theatre, and Living Sisters a.k.a. Becky Stark, Eleni Mandell and Alex Lilly, plus a Gaelic Gathering's traditional Irish reels, jigs and hornpipes. The "zero-waste festival" comes complete with a complimentary bicycle valet, a raffle for a brand new bike, and master of ceremonies Boise Thomas, host of Alter Eco on Discovery's spinoff channel Planet Green. Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica; Sat., May 8, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; free. (310) 458-8350, smgov.net/arts. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, May 7, 2010.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 9:01 PM, ,