Juicy story too subdued in lovely but listless ‘Effie Gray' The first time Emma Thompson wrote a movie script she won an Oscar for her smart and lively adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. She doesn’t have the good fortune to collaborate with Jane Austen on her new film, Effie Gray, but she does have a fascinating...

Chef Zachary Mazi brings fine dining to the pop-up scene y LionFish Supperclub Chef Zachary Mazi and owner Tighe Melville like to experiment, adhering to no specific cuisine or cooking style except simply “farm to fork.” So they’ve thrived in the increasingly popular pop-up scene, which is giving restaurateurs a new freedom to create without having...

Hot Stone Stars prides themselves on getting out there and playing music that they wrote from the heart, the old-fashioned way: jamming together until the songs take shape. The real trick is getting people there to hear it. “If people get to our show, they love us,” says bassist Michael Lazarus. “They follow us and like...

Win tickets to see Bad Religion at the Catalyst Club on SantaCruz.com Formed in 1979 in a garage in the San Fernando Valley, Bad Religion is one of the longest-running and most commercially successful of all the punk bands. Drawing early inspiration from the Germs, the Ramones, and the Clash, Bad Religion also infuses its sound...

Public shaming is more popular than ever, thanks to social media. But Jon Ronson’s new book asks what it says about the shamers In 2013, while waiting for her plane to depart from Heathrow airport for South Africa, Justine Sacco wrote a badly worded tweet in which she intended to make fun of white privilege. She...

Why gum can actually be good for you “Take that gum out of your mouth!” my loving but vociferous Italian grandmother (is there any other kind?) told my five-year-old self. “It’s a dirty habit!” But despite the adult warnings that gum would stay in my stomach for seven years if I swallowed it, and despite my...

Outdoor dining at Laili, plus notes from the Persian New Year Many an atrium in Rome would envy the courtyard of Laili. Atmospheric and cosmopolitan, the long outdoor seating area is well appointed with heat lamps and enclosed by vine-covered walls. In short, this al fresco dining spot is romantic, spacious, and allows for comfortable conversation....

How laid-back indie-folk collective Phox stumbled into a career A few years back at South by Southwest, Matt Holmen from Wisconsin indie-folk-pop group Phox recalls feeling a lot of anxiety. It wasn’t anything related to the performance. It’s what happened after. Labels, managers and lawyers came up to them, wanting to make deals with the group....

New study challenges conventional wisdom about homelessness in Santa Cruz A new study finds most homeless people come to Santa Cruz for the same reasons as those with homes—for the excellent climate, the beaches, the open spaces, and the tolerant, progressive culture. Contrary to what many consider the “magnet effect” that Santa Cruz has for...

A drop of good news about local water won’t be enough to offset a long drought As California struggles through its worst drought ever and Gov. Jerry Brown has mandated 25 percent water cuts for everyone, the situation in Santa Cruz is better than you might expect. The county’s main reservoir, Loch Lomond, had a water...