Serial and the Burden of Proof
A former prosecutor in Alaska reflects on the recently concluded Serial podcast.
RSS Feed
The Gambler: When the Dealing's Done
It’s unlikely that many people buying tickets for this will have seen the 1974 film on which it is based. Which is just as well.
Cover Art: chevrolet a lo cubano
See more photography by Jaume Escofet here.
Centerfold: For better or for worse
Rob Benigno is an illustrator from Niagara County who recently completed a BFA at the Cleveland Institute of Art. This piece is a commentary on fracking for natural gas, recently banned in New York State.
View more of his work at RobBenigno.com
Spotlight: DJ Yama
Between serving dishes of pollo guisado and pernil at the brand new Buffalo Supper Club on Niagara Street—run by her friends and family—22 year old Kieta Yamaguchi steps aside to chat on the phone about her other job; moonlighting as DJ Yama. She started DJing in high school after she replied to an ad on Facebook looking for a female DJ. “Those first parties we were wearing big white tees, Nike Air Force Ones or Jordans and bamboo earrings. Not much has changed I guess!” she says, laughing over the phone.
Bread, Onions, and the Buffer Zone
This past summer, after I’d met Joe Giambra for the first time, my cousin Tom said, “You’ve heard Bread and Onions, right?” After I told him that I hadn’t and he was done giving me that look people in the know give to an amateur, Giambra personally gave me a copy of the CD. Based on Tom’s adamant nudge, I gave it a listen.
UNBROKEN: Hero in Hell
Angelina Jolie’s film is a chronicle of fear and pain.
BIG EYES: Art for the Masses
Don’t get the wrong idea when I tell you that Big Eyes is the new film from Tim Burton…
The Public Questionnaire: Loraine O'Donnell
The irrepressible Loraine O’Donnell submits to our questioning…
We've Got the Toys
A plea to Santa to bring the kids here to enjoy all our region’s shiny new things…
At the Movies
What’s playing in local cinemas this week.
Jim Norton and Buffalo: Miserable Together
Jim Norton, comedy’s creepy uncle with the heart of gold, sits in a cab in Brooklyn on his way to shoot a guest-starring role on Deadbeat, a series on Hulu Plus. He’s contemplating why he has booked four straight days of shows in chilly Buffalo to ring in 2015. He did a similar run of gigs in Buffalo during New Year’s 2013, but sought a more tropical environment in 2014.
Looking Backward: Christmastime on Main Street, 1965
- The Christmastime crowds on Main Street in 1965 were typical, almost unremarkable—downtowns and village centers, not suburban malls, were still the premier shopping destination for most Americans.
- Hengerer’s, Hens & Kelly, LL Berger, Neisner Bros., Gamler’s, Baker’s Shoes, and the Century Theatre, all pictured in this image, were jamming with business.
Mapping History at the Central Library
Got maps? The downtown library has a passel of great old ones of Buffalo and environs on display. Treasures from the Rare Books Room.
Illness as Metaphor
Eula Biss’s book on immunity and inoculation brings science and sanity to a debate plagued by magical thinking.
INTO THE WOODS: Wishful Thinking
This Into the Woods is most likely to play best for the choir of the already converted.
Lawrence Brose Sentenced to Probation
Last week Lawrence Brose stood in the well of the courtroom before United States District Court Chief Judge William Skretny and learned that two years of probation would be his punishment after six years…
Cuba Libre
For decades the US government accused Cuba of sponsoring terrorism. The arrow was pointed in the wrong direction.
The Imitation Game review
A skillful and entertaining telling of the life of codebreaking mathematician Alan Turing.
Dominque Harris Memorial Show
[HARDCORE] Dominque Harris, aged 19, was gunned down in the Langfield projects last month. Over what? Deep down inside, I don’t need to know why because #BlackLivesMatter. On Sunday, December 28 at Broadway Joe’s, there will be a memorial concert featuring At Worlds End, Bungler, Constructing the Titan, and many more—with the proceeds going to assist his family with funeral costs. It’s been a month since his murder and since then more young people in our city have met the same fate. Six in 11 days.