Matt Coker
OC Weekly
Costa Mesa, CA, United States
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Past articles by Matt:
Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest’s German Bands Help Get Your Oom-Pah-Pah On
There are several Oktoberfests around here. (Click here for Greg Nagel’s recent roundup.) Many have traditional German beer. Many have traditional German food. However, if you want a guarantee that… → Read More
OC Film Fiesta Celebrates 10 Years While Looking Ahead to 10 More
Look around all corners of Santa Ana, and you will see signs of a strong DIY spirit, a sensibility that also permeates the film festival that began there 10… → Read More
I’m Your God Now [Special Screenings, Sept. 26-Oct. 3]
The Skin I Live In. The Pedro Almodóvar retrospective continues with his 2011 thriller about a renowned surgeon (Antonio Banderas) keeping a woman (Elena… → Read More
Huntington Beach Film Festival Rolls With the Changes
Change is in the air yet again for the 14th-annual Huntington Beach Film Festival, which was known as the SoCal Independent Film Festival until 2016. → Read More
Huntington Beach’s DENM Drops “Blow It Up” Video
When I first heard the instrumental opening the new video for “Blow It Up” from Huntington Beach’s DENM, I thought someone had loaded Sublime’s “Doin’ Time/ → Read More
2019 Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell Beats My EV in Range, But
The guy who dropped off my 2019 Toyota Mirai test vehicle was as impressed as anyone with the hydrogen fuel cell-powered sedan, which should please the Japanese automaker if the ads near the top of my… → Read More
We’re Voting Pedro 2020 [Special Screenings, Sept. 19-26]
Downton Abbey. Michael Engler’s continuing story of the Crawley family, which owns a large estate in the English countryside of the early 20th century. → Read More
Ty Herndon Keeps Using His Country Music Talents for LGBTQ Causes
Ty Herndon’s appearance at Saturday’s 50th anniversary benefit show for the Los Angeles LGBT Center at the Greek Theatre is just one recent example of his… → Read More
Live Nation Rolls Out “End of Summer No Bummer” Ticket Discounts
Live Nation is rolling out its “End of Summer No Bummer” promotion, which offers tickets at $25 or less–with no extra fees. The Observatory is Santa Ana is among the venues with: Gasolina (Sept. 27). → Read More
Man of Guit-Steel: Meet the Luthier Who Helped Junior Brown Create His Signature Instrument(s)
The first thing you will notice when Junior Brown takes the Coach House stage Friday night is the impeccable, pressed suit and tie under his pristine cowboy… → Read More
Real Housewives of Madrid [Special Screenings, Sept. 12-19]
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s new rockumentary looks at the career of the singer who was in her early twenties in… → Read More
Cambodia Town Film Festival Explores Days Before, During and After the Khmer Rouge
Rap music, “thug life,” mental health, refugee struggles and heritage protection are among the subjects explored during the seventh-annual Cambodia Town Film… → Read More
Justin Chon Continues His Maturity as a Filmmaker with Ms. Purple
You may know Justin Chon as an actor in vehicles ranging from the Disney Channel’s Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior and Nickelodeon’s Just Jordan to The Twilight… → Read More
2020 Soul X-Line Crosses the Style, Roominess and Value Boxes
My love affair with the Kia Soul extends back to 2015, with my first test drive of an electric vehicle version, and that passion continued with a hybrid and… → Read More
Young Man With a Horn [Special Screenings, Sept. 5-12]
Best of Summer 4DX Flicks. Special effects come to your theater seat, as you’ll experience wind, fog, rain, lightning, vibrations, snow and scents to match what is onscreen. The lineup: Aladdin. → Read More
Need a Light? [Special Screenings, Aug. 29-Sept. 5]
Ne Zha. First-time director Yang You (a.k.a. Jio Zi) also wrote what is currently the highest-grossing animated feature in Chinese film history. → Read More
R. Scott Moxley’s Reporting Cited in The Atlantic’s New Kamala Harris Takedown
In a takedown of Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris for The Atlantic, staff writer Conor Friedersdorf cites troubling criminal justice moves by the California senator that have been exposed… → Read More
Danny Gokey Goes from American Idol to Bolsa Chica State Beach
An American Idol alum sings along a Huntington Beach shore Saturday, but before launching into your jokes about oversized shorts, a metal detector and an unscrubbed Sanjaya Malakar… → Read More
Union Musicians #BandTogether Outside D23 Expo in Anaheim
Besides feasting their eyes on exclusive merchandise, the newest Star Wars Episode 9–The Rise of Skywalker trailer and panels featuring the casts and crews behind upcoming Disney… → Read More
Permission to Step All Over? Sugar Ray is Back with New Album Little Yachty
The first ever Weekly Badge of Musical Promotion Courage goes to Sugar Ray’s representatives, who recently suggested we check out the new album by the ’90s… → Read More