Sacha Baron Cohen's resemblance to an elongated Charlie Chaplin may be a key to The Dictator; he's a funny figure but a chilly one. The Dictator also borrows from Chaplin's A King in New York, with its hereditary monarch stranded in the city. And Cohen has, as critic Robert Warshow wrote of Chaplin, a cold heart visible in the most genial moments—never more so than with his newest character. » Read More

Among California's great unsolved mysteries: an attempted murder on May 24, 1990, occurring not 40 miles from this valley. Earth First! advocate Judi Bari and her fellow passenger Darryl Cherney were seriously injured in a car bombing. They were a pair of guitar- and fiddle-playing activists, in the middle of a huge protest against what Cherney describes today as the "cut and run" savaging of the North Coast redwoods. » Read More

If The Avengers featured British pensioners, it would be The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Senior citizens deserve this reward; they're good and faithful moviegoers. Based on Deborah Moggach's novel These Foolish Things, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a summit for British thespians as several distinguished elders meet in a story held together by a peeling retirement hotel in Jaipur, a Raj-era ruin. » Read More

Ask someone about their earliest memories, and chances are they will include the first time they rode a bike. Even if you haven't ridden a bike in years, it is more than likely that if you hopped back on, it would all come back to you in an instant. After all, as the saying goes, "It's just like riding a bike, you never forget.' Two new exhibits currently on display at the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University pay homage to this humble yet amazing contraption. » Read More

Last year, things seemed to be going well for Eric Victorino. His group the Limousines, already a Bay Area favorite and a breakout alt-radio success, was invited to tour the United States and then Europe with the Sounds. He had two acclaimed books of poetry under his belt, and yet another outlet as an artist whose gritty, punk-rock-style drawings were in demand. » Read More

The Sexual Disaster Industry involves federal and local government, conservative religion, so-called morality organizations, right-wing think tanks, victim-parade daytime talk shows and news programs looking for a bump ("Isn't it awful the way people go to topless coffee bars? Film at 11!"). Honorable mention goes to the psychotherapy profession (current motto: "You're sure you were never molested?") and nighttime adrenalin-rush crime shows like CSI. » Read More

OK, so print's dying, but someone forgot to tell our readers. They cast more votes for more establishments in more categories than at any time in Metro's history. The winners represent an informative slice of life in Silicon Valley in 2012, the year we're all supposed to die-let's just hope someone forgets to remind the Aztec gods. » Read More

This month, the sonic heroes at KFJC-FM (89.7) are programming their 32nd annual Month of Mayhem, a sordid menagerie of delightfully self-indulgent special programs that unfold all month long. This eclectic station at Foothill College celebrated its 50th anniversary a few years ago, and the Month of Mayhem is always one of the highlights of the year. For 2012, the station will present specials on Hank Williams, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Fela Kuti and John Cage. And that only scratches the surface. » Read More

Before you start cooking with cannabis, however, you need to educate yourself on two things. The first is the proper color of cannabutter. Some people believe that the greener it is, the better it is, but unfortunately, having nuclear-green cannabutter does not denote a "stronger" cannabutter with a higher "potency," as most patients are led to believe. » Read More

Every other week, I see another national news story naming San Francisco as Silicon Valley and no mention of San Jose. As Silicon Valley companies continue to move up the peninsula, It adds weight to the falsehood that San Francisco is Silicon Valley's Namesake City. And why not: San Jose remains an enigma to most of the nation, thanks to city officials' inability to tie city landmarks to the Silicon Valley handle. » Read More