LOS ANGELES — A grave 12-year-old African girl, abducted from her village by vicious armed rebels and forced to wage war as a child soldier, guides the viewer through the horrors of Canadian director Kim Nguyen's engrossing Oscar-nominated drama "War Witch." Managing to be neither sentimental nor sensationalistic, the film tells its story from the heart, and from the simple, straightforward viewpoint of young heroine Komona, warmly played by the talented Rachel Mwanza in her screen debut.

“Beautiful Creatures” is yet another addition to the unendurable genre of “Twilight” wannabes. The fact that “Twilight” could inspire so many shameless copycats in both the mediums of film and literature is a true testament to the moribund state of originality. Compared to the effortless “I Am Number Four” and the inexplicably laughable “Red Riding Hood,” “Beautiful Creatures” may not be the worst of the “Twilight” rip-offs. Heck, it’s actually a major step up from any of the five “Twilight” movies. But not even the occasional impressive set piece or clever twist can save “Beautiful Creatures” from its perceptible longing to be the next fantasy romance phenomenon.

“Beautiful Creatures” is yet another addition to the unendurable genre of “Twilight” wannabes. The fact that “Twilight” could inspire so many shameless copycats in both the mediums of film and literature is a true testament to the moribund state of originality. Compared to the effortless “I Am Number Four” and the inexplicably laughable “Red Riding Hood,” “Beautiful Creatures” may not be the worst of the “Twilight” rip-offs. Heck, it’s actually a major step up from any of the five “Twilight” movies. But not even the occasional impressive set piece or clever twist can save “Beautiful Creatures” from its perceptible longing to be the next fantasy romance phenomenon.

Super Bowl Sunday surely is one of the meatiest eating days of the year. But it’s still somewhat surprising the lengths some people will go to push their game day feed over the top. Last year, for example, some enthusiastic carnivores went as far as to build football arena replicas out of deli meats, cheese and bread.

‘The Last Stand’

A true-crime author stumbles onto something beyond his beat in Scott Derrickson’s “Sinister,” which follows Ethan Hawke’s Ellison Oswalt as he grows increasingly obsessed with a missing-girl case he hopes will lead to a bestselling book. Occasionally stupid (stretching even fright-flick conventions) but scary nonetheless, the pic should please horror fans.

A true-crime author stumbles onto something beyond his beat in Scott Derrickson’s “Sinister,” which follows Ethan Hawke’s Ellison Oswalt as he grows increasingly obsessed with a missing-girl case he hopes will lead to a bestselling book. Occasionally stupid (stretching even fright-flick conventions) but scary nonetheless, the pic should please horror fans.

So you think you know steaks? And maybe you do.

You may be among the thousands of Arizona parents who bought pencils, notebooks, and backpacks last month to help your kids get ready for that first day of school. But with all the supply checklists, did you remember to check the grade for your child’s school?

Fred Barlam’s response to Jonathan Butcher’s guest commentary on education is just classic... classic elitist educator.

Fred Barlam’s response to Jonathan Butcher’s guest commentary on education is just classic... classic elitist educator.

I recently spent two glorious barbecue-filled weeks in Austin, where I happily cooked for 1,200 hungry folks at a food festival.

I read Jonathan Butcher’s guest commentary on education, “An Abbott and Costello routine: Who’s on ...49th” in the AFN on June 25. I have also read other education commentaries by Butcher, the person who the Goldwater Institute touts as their education director.

Looking for something new to throw on the grill this Fourth of July? How about a sizzling Denver cut or a couple juicy slices of teres major?

Looking for something new to throw on the grill this Fourth of July? How about a sizzling Denver cut or a couple juicy slices of teres major?

This is how I imagine legendary comedians Abbott and Costello would discuss public education:

Ready to meet the new meat?

Three points about Goldwater Institute’s Jonathan Butcher’s column on education funding in Arizona:

Three points about Goldwater Institute’s Jonathan Butcher’s column on education funding in Arizona:

On April 4, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed an expansion to Arizona’s education savings account program and drew attention to a subject that affects all Arizona educators and students.

All this angst over “pink slime” has made one thing clear: We don’t always know what we’re getting when we bite into a big juicy burger.