Animals reworks a well-tread kidnapping thriller
Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo) directs this script he co-wrote about LA mayoral candidate Mark Kimball (Affleck) and his wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), who believe their son, Denny (Christopher Woodley), has been kidnapped. They’re instructed to pay $7 million or their son dies. The problem is they’re broke because—unbeknownst to Abigail—Mark has…
San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden debuts inaugural Cake-a-Palooza fundraiser
More than 225 dessert enthusiasts descended upon the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden on Oct. 3, each carrying a cake and a pizza box. They arrived in droves for the garden’s inaugural Cake-a-Palooza fundraiser. The fundraiser idea blossomed when a garden staff member showed Executive Director Janine Stillman a video of thousands of people bringing…
Doug Jones to attend screening of Pan’s Labyrinth Oct. 19
The Central Coast Film Society (CCFS) presents Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth as a fundraiser on Oct. 18. The film has been called an Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, and follows Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who might be the reincarnation of Princess Moanna, whose father is the king of the underworld and who built…
Modest Mouse plays Avila Beach
Where does the time go? It freaks me out that Modest Mouse got its start way back in the early ’90s, founded by then-teenager Isaac Brock (lead vocals, guitar) with Eric Judy (bass) and Jeremiah Green (drums). Like a lot of youthful suburban bands, things started slowly with DIY/punk venues. Judy left the band in…
Ha-Chan, Shake You Booty explores grief and healing
Josef Kubota Wladyka directs this script he co-wrote with Nicholas Huynh about Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), who loved competitive ballroom dancing with her husband, Luis (Alejandro Edda), in the Tokyo dance scene, but after losing Luis to a heart attack, she isolates herself. Nine months later, her sister Yuki (Yoh Yoshida) and friend Hiromi (Yukiko “You”…
Organist Chris Elliot accompanies The General Oct. 22
Cal Poly Arts and the Forbes Organ Series will screen Buster Keaton’s 1926 silent action thriller The General at the San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Oct. 22 (7:30 p.m.; $35 at calpolyarts.org). “This isn’t just a prewritten orchestration set to film, but rather Elliott’s original accompanying compositions, performed live on the Forbes…
Marilyn Rodger is the right choice for San Luis Coastal
The El Moro Democratic Club has endorsed Marilyn Rodger, and we believe she is the best candidate for San Luis Coastal Unified School District (SLCUSD) Trustee Area 1. The El Moro Club covers Los Osos, Morro Bay, and the North Coast of SLO County. Marilyn has a proven record as an advocate for all children…
Sea turtle sculpture unveiled Oct. 15 at Avila Beach
A bronze, life-size leatherback sea turtle sculpture by Pamela Blotner and John Pearson is having its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. Leatherbacks can grow to 8 feet long and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Located at Avila Beach Community Park adjacent to the corner of Front and San Juan streets, the…
The Lucas Museum includes Lance LaSpina’s Frank Frazetta documentary
The Force is strong with Atascadero-based filmmaker and storyboard artist Lance LaSpina, whose 2003 documentary Frazetta: Painting with Fire was recently tapped to be screened on permanent rotation in Star Wars creator George Lucas’ brand-new LA-based Lucas Museum of Narrative Art that opened to the public last month. Frank Frazetta (1928-2010) is known as the…
Spare Time Books expands with fantastical café
Carla Cary wasn’t planning to open a coffee shop when she purchased Spare Time Books in downtown Paso Robles in April 2023. She just wanted to create a little corner of the world where readers could escape into their favorite stories. After renovating the bookstore, complete with celestial decorations and an atmosphere inspired by fantasy…
Pacific Wildlife Care faces record influx of starving seabirds
Kelley Boland has seen plenty of common murres during her years at Pacific Wildlife Care, but never anything like this. “This is the most common-murre pulse into the clinic that we’ve ever seen,” Boland, the nonprofit’s development coordinator, told New Times. “We saw a big pulse of common murres that’s sort of similar to this…
County planner Claire Momberger is Grover Beach’s newest City Council member
With Grover Beach poised to make critical decisions on development and water supply, expertise in those avenues won San Luis Obispo County Senior Planner Claire Momberger a seat on the City Council. “I’m an environmental scientist that spent most of my time looking into water resource management and water resource planning,” Momberger told City Council…
Former TAAG chair jailed early as advisory group faces dissolution
Former Templeton Area Advisory Group (TAAG) Chair David Leader began serving his 30-day jail sentence nearly three weeks early after admitting to two violations of his felony probation. Leader, 71, was taken into custody on Oct. 8, despite originally being scheduled to report to San Luis Obispo County Jail on Oct. 31. Meanwhile, the county Board…
SLO County counters federal proposal to redesign Head Start
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors pushed back against the Trump administration’s proposal to overhaul Head Start—the federally funded program serving pregnant mothers, infants, and toddlers. In a 4-1 motion at the Oct. 6 meeting, supervisors approved sending a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy…
Morro Bay rejects effort to remove license plate readers amid privacy concerns
The Morro Bay City Council decided to maintain its automated license plate reader program on Oct. 13, despite a contentious discussion about government surveillance, data retention, and information sharing with outside law enforcement agencies. A motion to discontinue the program failed to secure majority support, leaving the cameras operating while city staff prepares possible revisions…
