Films this WeekCheck out the movies playing locallyReviews Movie Times Santa Cruz area movie theaters > New This Week PAPER TOWNS Although Cara Delevingne’s eyebrows were the first to make a name for the young fashion model, now on virtually every surface—magazine, billboard, music video—the storyline for Paper Towns gleans interesting...

He’s what we need, more hardcore Democrats. Old-school, ’70s-style Democrats. Tony Dolan, Santa Cruz, Freelancer               I think people are kind of blinded by this love of Hillary Clinton and don’t want to consider him. He’s definitely one to look into. Carrah Mahan, Santa Cruz, Retail ...

Calling all Merlot lovers—Hunter Hill has released its 2013 estate Merlot ($25)—and a superb one it is, too.   It’s a wine that has all the delicious qualities of a well-crafted Merlot; nuanced notes of coffee, tobacco and spice, and rich fruit flavors of plum, strawberry and cherry. With a perfect amount of acidity, this merlot...

Indie duo Wye Oak reinvent themselves on new album ‘Shriek’ Just about everything Baltimore duo Wye Oak were known for—heavily dynamic songwriting; folk-rock instrumentation; hooky, passionate melodies—went out the window on last year’s Shriek. For longtime fans of the band, it was a little confusing what exactly the band, made up of Jenn Wasner and Andy...

Local cult fave keeps getting bigger and better An eclectic market that can fill almost any need, AJ’s Market and Natural Foods rivals those fancy gas stations of Italy or France, where you can munch on a grilled panini or croque monsieur while you fuel up your car. There is often a line at the deli...

Ageing detective vs. memory in lyrical ‘Mr. Holmes’ In the canon of famous literary characters, few have been so gleefully adulterated over the years as Sherlock Holmes. The brilliant, eccentric “consulting detective,” first conceived of by Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1880s, has proved irresistible to countless other writers trying their hands at Holmesian-style tales, among...

Golden beets with buffalo mozzarella, plus single-malt whiskies and award-winning local Chardonnays From the new Kevita beet and apple cider vinegar tonic to our favorite artisanal purple kraut, we are steeped in beets this summer. Nothing was quite as ravishing as a recent salad in which I sliced roasted golden beets from Dirty Girl Produce atop...

Hannah Lash on composing orchestral piece ‘Eating Flowers’ for Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Hannah Lash started composing music at the age of 4, and in less than 30 years she has hit full stride. Lash will complete several dozen commissioned works during this year, perform her own harp concerto at Carnegie Hall, and bring the...

As New Horizons reaches the end of the solar system, a Santa Cruz scientist says its findings are full of surprises Francis Nimmo is the spaciest guy in Santa Cruz, at least for the past few weeks. As one of an elite group of researchers working on the first satellite to visit Pluto and the solar...

Even rising floodwaters can’t keep Pokey LaFarge from tunneling into the history of early American roots music Pokey LaFarge is in his office in St. Louis, Missouri, dealing with an unexpected mess. The singer-songwriter has just walked in and found the place flooded. “It’s been raining like hell for about a week,” he tells me over...