Petaluma filmmaker Tom Wyrsch has a hit on his hands. His documentary double bill about two gone-but-not-forgotten San Francisco attractions, “Remembering Playland at the Beach” and “Sutro’s, the Palace at Land’s End,” have played to full houses and long lines at Santa Rosa’s Summerfield Cinemas. That has happened not just [...]
Christina Baker, an assistant professor in the American Multi-cultural Studies department at Sonoma State University, found a teachable moment in this year’s Academy Award nominations. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar, as best supporting actress as the mammy in “Gone With [...]
Welcome to world of Woody, the guy who said, “Not only is there no God, but try finding a plumber on Sunday.” He has a way with a phrase. To him, a noise in the pipes sounds like somebody’s sawing a trombone in half. And he’s not afraid [...]
The Academy Awards are approaching on Feb. 26, and movie buffs are guessing who will win what. So, just for today, I am turning the ARTS blog over to movie fan, arts advocate and retired marketing executive Larry Carlin of Santa Rosa, to offer his views on the [...]
How long does it take to watch a good move? As little as seven minutes, if you pick the right movie. Summerfield Cinemas in Santa Rosa will screen A collection of 10 of the best short films starting Friday, Feb. 10, all nominated for 2012 Academy Awards, and [...]
The story of Dominic Agius is a tragic one. A talented young local musician, Dominic died of a heroin overdose Feb. 14, 2011, in Costa Mesa. He had gone to Southern California in hopes of getting clean and sober at a center called Sober Living by the Sea. [...]
The 15th annual Sonoma International Film Festival, will pay tribute to innovative filmmaker John Waters, hosting the American director, author, actor and photographer April 14 at the Sonoma Veteran's Memorial Building. Waters, best-known for the 1988 film “Hairspray,” will perform the latest version of his evolving one-man show, [...]
What happens when a satirist tangles with a tyrant? John Hodge, best-known for his “Trainspotting” screenplay, has a written a new play about an imaginary 1938 encounter between Josef Stalin and dissident Russian playwright Mikhail Bulgakov. In the play, Bulgakov — stalked by the secret police — is offered a [...]
This Christmas season, the ugly dogs will have their day. "Worst in Show," an hour-long documentary by two local filmmakers about the annual, wildly popular "World's Ugliest Dog Contest" in Petaluma, comes out Dec. 13, on DVD, released by Breaking Glass Pictures. The film, made by Don Lewis [...]
What is art? Whether it’s oil on canvas or actors on stage, dancers on their toes or comedians doing stand-up, Press Democrat staff writer Dan Taylor covers the fine and lively arts in Northern California. Meet the people, go behind the scenes and get ahead on what’s coming up.