“We the Animals,” a beautiful dream

Share: Filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar’s whimsical and potent feature film “We the Animals” hit Netflix at the beginning of this year after its limited run in theaters.  Based on the 2011 Justin Torres novel, the film follows Jonah (Evan Rosado) in a powerful debut performance. Jonah is the youngest of three brothers growing up in a mixed-race, working class family in upstate New York, stumbling along a turbulent road to self-discovery. After an awards season of immense critical praise for the generic, feel-good examination of race …

Around the World in an afternoon: PCC International Fair

Share: Traditional Japanese Taiko drum beats resounded as students poured out of their classes. What was a barren concrete quad just hours earlier became a colorful, lively array of tables. Each individual booth showcased a different linguistic culture represented by the foreign language departments on campus, as well as local and on-campus groups that promote global awareness. Lines quickly formed to engage with the variety of crafts and heritage information and, perhaps most enthusiastically, to sample the diverse foods. Follow:

Delicious ‘Asian Fusion’ chicken…by a white girl

Share: Certain foods, when done right, can facilitate religious experiences. Fried chicken is one of those foods. So I jumped at the chance to review one of Old Pasadena’s most recent additions, Daddy’s Chicken Shack. A Houston native, co-owner and co-founder Pace Webb first made a splash in the Los Angeles culinary business with her fine-dining catering company, Taste of Pace. What began as a one-time request for sliders by a client, turned into a joke with her father: to set him up for retirement …

Dan Modern Chinese: Basic but lively

Share: Hidden within the downtown atmosphere of Lake St. in Pasadena, just a 15-minute walk from campus, lies the upscale, vine-covered, British-themed atmosphere of the Commons Courtyard. Amidst the Philz Coffee and Williams Sonoma, facing the classic red English telephone booth, sits the simple, home-cooked Chinese fare of Dan Modern Chinese. The latest restaurant from local restaurateur James Kim, which opened in November of last year, delivered in aesthetic modernity. The décor is, well, barely there. The ambience is a sterile scene of white walls, …

Filmmaker’s superpower is doing, well, everything

Share: When Xavier Kai DuBose appears, he’s cool and collected with a massive backpack on his back and a skateboard in his hand. He’s friendly; he feels familiar. His eyes, though visible and attentive, are tucked behind gently shaded sunglasses. His smile is out in the open though, it’s wide and gleaming, even brighter than the glint of his septum ring. DuBose’s shirt is emblazoned with an intricate galaxy, a smattering of bleach and several colors of paint, his own personal design. Creating handmade galaxy-inspired …