Eating on a budget is important to most college students, and Joyce’s Coffee Shop makes it easy. While the busy city bustles around CSUN, Joyce’s provides Northridge with a small neighborhood feel, so people of all ages can get away from the hectic city vibe and enjoy a quality cup of coffee served by a kind and friendly waitress. Walking into Joyce’s, patrons will notice its quaint, old school décor. With wood paneling, calming yellow walls, and floral wallpaper; it… Read more

Chatsworth’s Winnetka 21 Theater recently premiered the largest movie screen in the San Fernando Valley. Audiences could experience the largest movie screen in the Valley for the first time midnight May 6, for the opening weekend of Thor 3D. The screen measures at 71 feet by 41 feet 9 inches and is Pacific Theaters’ first large screen format auditorium, according to Eddie Garcia with Allison PR. Winnetka has screens of varying sizes in their theater, but the average movie screen… Read more

With great flexibility, movement and an array of music, Aszure Barton and Artists left the audience of their VPAC show on Saturday mesmerized by their stunning modern dance performance. Aszure Barton, a Canada native, is the founder and director of the Aszure Barton & Artists dance project, currently based in New York. Since its formation in 2002, this performance team has become an internationally recognized group, known for their arresting choreography for stage and film. The 105-minute show Saturday was… Read more

The simplistic subtly showcased in “Somewhere” solidifies Sofia Coppola as a bonafide filmmaker. Rarely does a director rebound so successfully and gracefully from a film like “Marie Antoinette.” Sofia, like her Academy Award winning father Francis Ford Coppola with his gangster films, has created charismatic characters, hopeless human beings who are saved by remarkable women. “Somewhere” feels like a European film- minimalistic, yet mesmerizing. With only four films thus far in her career, Coppola debuted with a spectacular adaptation of… Read more

Graphic novel “The Reconcilers” delivers a story that is unique in delivery but difficult to keep up with due to its complex details and facts. The creators of the novel are a team of comic-book veterans that include writer Erik Jensen, Neal Adams, and artist Shepherd Hendrix. Set in the year 2165, “The Reconcilers” offers readers a futuristic view of the world and the dark age that results from corporate takeovers. An anarchist’s paradise, the society described in the graphic… Read more

Very few actors can capture compelling, conniving characters effectively. Yet Kevin Spacey succeeds once more in a memorable performance as Jack Abramoff in “Casino Jack.” Like Humphrey Bogart, Alec Guiness, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro before him, Spacey has seamlessly transitioned from celebrated character actor to Academy Award–winning superstar. “Casino Jack” was inspired by true events as lobbyist Abramoff and his business partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) sprouted as worldwide-headline sensations after a disastrous scandal… Read more

Dec. 9 What: West 3rd Street Holiday Party When: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Where: West 3rd Street Merchants, 8300 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 Price: Free For more info: Call (800) 799-4014 Description: The third annual holiday party will take place between Fairfax Ave. and La Cienega Blvd. Dec. 10 What: Radio City Christmas Spectacular When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, 777 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Price: $35 For more info: Email feedbackradiocity@thegarden.com Description: See the… Read more

Bonded brothers overcome all obstacles in “The Fighter” to achieving a solid knockout and persevere in trying to make boxing history. Director of the film “Three Kings,” David O. Russell delivers a haymaker of a hit with a Rocky-like feel, but with a more realistic touch in the sense of capturing the world of the working class. A substantial true story about light welterweight, Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his older half-brother, former boxer Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale), who battles… Read more

Instead of the conventional format, this month’s recommendations look a little different to include the numerous new releases that are coming out in December just in times for the awards season. The five best films to look into include: 1) “Black Swan” (Dec. 1, limited release) 2) “The Fighter” (Dec. 10, limited release) 3) ”Casino Jack” (Dec. 17, limited release) 4)  “How Do You Know” (Dec. 17) 5)  “Somewhere” (Dec. 22) All five shine as award contenders. Oscar winner James… Read more