Page 56 March 2015 Big month in entertainment By Craig Goossen March is a month that marks perfection for our city. The weather, spring training baseball and the general hustle and bustle of the peak of our season have the city bursting at the seams with energy. The city is firing on all cylinders. It’s churning momentum from the world-class events earlier in the year and jam-packed with endless options. March is the ideal time to be adventurous with your entertainment choices, so indulge in our city at its most lush state and the payoff will certainly be grand. The music mix below highlights acts a bit off the beaten path, but gigs worthy of putting in your calendar as a focal point of the evening or the exclamation point on your fun-filled day. Take a listen and you may find a track that gets you over to one of these music venues to enjoy a concert in the beauty of our city on a perfect March night. MARCO BENEVENTO AT THE SHOW (2014) The New Jersey born pianist, and a New York City jazz veteran with extensive experimental rock scene credibility has just released his most exciting work: Swift. The album title, a nod to producer Richard Swift, is a grooved out party record that’s poised to play out perfectly on the tight floor of the Rhythm Room on Indian School Road. Benevento will perform on Wednesday, March 4 at the Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. The show is for guests 21 and older and tickets are $12. VIET CONG CONTINENTAL SHELF (2015) The hype machine’s in full effect for this Canadian band, and they couldn’t be more deserving of the love. Pub Rock is a venue already weird in the best of ways and seeing Viet Cong there will definitely take the weirdness up quite a few notches. Viet Cong will perform on Sunday, March 8 at Pub Rock, 8005 E. Roosevelt St. in Scottsdale. All ages are welcome and tickets are $12. DESTRUCTION UNIT BLAME (2013) This is an Arizona band with an international reach that stretches deep into the underground. Spoiler alert: Destruction Unit is not a pop band. Destruction Unit will perform on Thursday, March 19 at Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave. in downtown Phoenix. The show is for people 16 and older and tickets are $12. LA LUZ CALL ME IN THE DAY (2013) These young women from Seattle will roll through Phoenix, hit the stage just west of Arcadia on Indian School Road and make you a fan forever. A great ticket that will feature La Luz’s hazy pop gems and a fully stacked bill which also features Dent May and The Love Me Nots. La Luz will perform on Monday, March 23 at the Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. The show is for all ages and tickets are $12. LUKE SWEENEY SYMPATHY FOR THE NIGHT (2014) This is a midweek sleeper of a show and a tremendous excuse to get downtown and enjoy the city and all its attractions. Last Exit Live is a tiny joint on Central Avenue, just a short jump from great eateries and cocktail parlors downtown. Blue Hound, The Duce and Bitter & Twisted are just a few of the worthy options in the neighborhood. Luke Sweeney will perform on Wednesday, March 25 at Last Exit Live, 717 S. Central Ave. in downtown Phoenix. The show is for guests 21 and older and tickets are $10. All acts are subject to change. Check with the venue prior to attending. Be a part of Arcadia Home & Design , a special pull-out section in the April edition of Arcadia News . This go-to guide features captivating stories about families, homeowners and their homes in Arcadia. Contact Roni Mier at 602-840-6379 or roni@arcadianews.com for more information.   Mid-Century Modern     B Backyard A Outdoor Sanctuary S  Y S  Y O   El Chaparral A Sweet Home Porch G Y  the look of Fall 2015 Home & Design Guide Themes AUGUST - CONSTRUCTION & REMODEL Ad space and design 7/14 @ Noon Print-ready art due 7/17 @ 5 p.m. OCTOBER - ART & FURNITURE Ad space and design 9/14 @ Noon Print-ready art due 9/17 @ 5 p.m. APRIL - THE GREAT OUTDOORS Ad space and design 3/13 @ Noon Print-ready art due 3/17 @ 5 p.m. JUNE - YOUR INNER SANCTUARY Ad space and design 5/15 @ Noon Print-ready art due 5/18 @ 5 p.m. DECEMBER - DESIGN & DECOR Ad space and design 11/13 @ Noon Print-ready art due 11/17 @ 5 p.m.   tury Modern tury Modern tury Backyard Backyard B Backyard B Outdoor Outdoor Sanctuary Sanctuary Mid- Cen tury     Backyard Backyard Outdoor Outdoor Sanctuary Sanctuary Sanctuary S  Y El Chaparral A Sweet Home Sweet Home Sweet Home A Sweet Home A Porch Porch Porch the look of Fall The gift of The gift of Smaller Spaces Phoenix H  50,000 affluent readers are waiting to discover you.

Page 57 March 2015 McFarland, USA a hit with moviegoers of all age groups By Steven and Dan Wirtel Father and son review film, giving multi- generational perspective McFarland, USA (PG) Release date: February 20 STEVE’S REVIEW McFarland, USA is about an unlikely coach and an even more unlikely group of kids forming a cross-country team in 1987. Disney produced the movie, but this is a layered story within a story that is more nuanced than a typical Disney film. It is like Chariots of Fire meets The Mighty Ducks. Several major themes are intertwined: the immigrant experience, redemption, triumph of the underdog and cultural assimilation. If you like running, this movie is like an easy middle distance tempo run. There are certainly better movies about the immigrants’ experience and working under inhumane conditions to create a better future for their children (e.g., A Better Life ), but this is Disney. The edges have been softened. Still, I wouldn’t miss the movie simply because it was partially sanitized. This is a movie worth sharing with your loved ones. I have to admit, I did find it a little difficult to believe Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Coach White. I am biased (and showing my age), but Costner’s body of work challenges the notion that he could ever fit into this tiny, poor Hispanic community. Costner is the only marquee actor in the film. The film could have done well without Costner, and perhaps have even been enhanced, if the actor playing Coach White had been a relative unknown to bolster the overlooked, underdog ethos of the film. Yes, the movie is formulaic and the ending is predictable. Yes, the movie leans hard on the trope of the immigrant trying to get ahead, but that shouldn’t keep you away from this film. If you come in with the right expectations and an open mind, this film will sneak up and beguile you with its optimism and positive message. And by the way, I don’t recall a single swear word, act of violence, drinking or drug use in the entire film. Perhaps the most uplifting element of the film is the epilogue. All seven members of that first cross-country team went on to college, the first in each of their families, and several of the members came back to coach at McFarland High School. Coach White went on to build a legacy of cross-country teams until he retired in 2003. DAN’S REVIEW McFarland, USA , starring Kevin Costner, is a true story about Coach Jim White and how he helped change the lives of seven young men, and how those young men and their families changed his life. In 1987, Coach White was fired as a football coach in Boise, Idaho and moved his family to the only place that offered him another coaching job: McFarland, California. The majority of the people living in McFarland are Hispanic families whose primary source of income is obtained from crop picking. Jim White’s family initially feels out of place in McFarland. However, as the year unfolds, Coach White instills a sense of pride and confidence in seven young men as he coaches them in cross-country. In turn, the young men and their families show him the real meaning of family. By the end of 1987, lives were changed and they accomplished more than they thought possible. I felt the movie was a realistic portrayal of a cross-country team facing a challenging season. Sure, the movie felt predictable at times, but overall the message was positive and upbeat. Kevin Costner did a good job in his portrayal of Coach White and it was encouraging to see that all of his team members went to college. All in all, if you like sports movies, or if you are a runner, I recommend McFarland, USA . arcadianews.com