‘Beau Is Afraid’ amuses and confuses in odd audacious odyssey

Share: There’s little to be afraid of in “Beau Is Afraid,” a surprisingly not-so-scary comedy from one of the most exciting horror directors, Ari Aster. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, it’s the sort of comedy where everyone, including the audience, is in on the joke. Everyone except for Beau, who is relentlessly tortured by any and every absurd creative choice Aster could imagine. Not every ambitious idea works in the film’s favor, yet the ungodly fever dream remains hilarious in a perverse, perturbed sense of humor. Beau …

Board President accused of attempting to terminate Superintendent-President

Share: Former PCC Trustees and the Management Association voiced concerns about Board President Sandra Chen Lau’s alleged attempts to overreach and terminate the current contract of Superintendent-President Dr. Erika Endrijonas at the joint Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting with Associated Students on April 19. Following the election of new trustees Steve Gibson, Kristine Kwong, and Alton Wang and the promotion of Chen Lau to Board President in June 2022, the Board did not formally extend Endrijonas’ contract another year, former PCC President Jack Scott said …

Board of Trustees end Covid state of emergency

Share: The Pasadena City College Board of Trustees passed a resolution to end the Covid state of emergency for the Pasadena Area Community College District in a meeting on April 19. The passing of this resolution will end the vaccine requirement and measures like masking, social distancing, and other Covid modifications for the PCC community by Oct. 31.  This decision comes following the Pasadena City Council’s vote to end the local state of emergency on March 6, L.A. County’s declaration to end the state of …

As vampire stories go, ‘Renfield’ kinda sucks

Share: Chris Mckay’s modern day Dracula horror-comedy is one to be remembered, if not for the wonderful talent of the people in front of and behind the camera, then for its lackluster plot.  What began as a wonderfully delightful movie filled with equal parts comedy and drama, ended in a less than satisfying way, leaving the audience wanting more from such a spectacular cast. Nicolas Cage delivers us a Dracula that far exceeded all expectations, a terrifying yet hilarious performance that undoubtedly became one of …

Lancers continue slump, but playoffs aren’t far away

Share: Despite being on a losing streak, PCC’s baseball team is confident in getting the Lancers in shape and ready for the playoffs.  On April 14, PCC played Chaffey College and, while the Lancers had a steady start to the game, only allowing one run in the first 4 innings, they continued to make moves in the batter’s box. Although they made it on base frequently, the hard part was getting home.  “That’s a triple, that’s a triple,” an audience member cheered as first baseman, …

‘The Secret Conversations’ does more for McGovern than it does for Ava Gardner

Share: Some 34 years after she was dubbed “The Most Beautiful Animal Alive,” a financially struggling, physically ailing Ava Gardner contracted a journalist to ghostwrite her memoir as the less humiliating alternative to pawning off her old jewels. So began the working relationship between writer Peter Evans and Gardner. The relationship would span across a year and ultimately culminated with Gardner abruptly withdrawing her permission to publish. This didn’t stop Evans’s estate from posthumously publishing “Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations,” in 2013. The book was …

Eclectic artists bring originality to intimate songwriter showcase

Share: “Songwriter showcase” evokes an image of a one-man band in a quiet, Dylanesque acoustic set, but PCC’s Songwriter Showcase was far from a quiet and predictable event. Hosted by the Music Entrepreneurship class, the PCC Songwriter Showcase featured original music from PCC students whose influences range from The Grateful Dead to Radiohead to Pantera and every genre and style in between on Wednesday, April 12 in Westerbeck Recital Hall. Nine acts, both solo and group, performed at the showcase: The Friendly Strangers, Rafael Hutajulu, …

Pouring rain puts the madness in March Madness

Share: During the month of March rain poured down on us nearly everyday, though this was great for flowers, it was seemingly not so great for our athletes.  Throughout the month many games were getting delayed left and right. Leading to softball and baseball to go on stretches of playing 3-4 games back to back due to the delays. For track athletes however, most had to power through the competition. Liz Ghazanchian, the Captain of PCC’s Track and Field team, spoke of her experience competing …