Cover Story: Stuff Buffs
From the Pez Museum to the Donut Shrine, a guide to local celebrations of the weird and wonderful.

News: Falun Idols
What's wrong with believing in the healing power of meditation, herbal medicine and right living? Well, if you live in modern-day China and try to talk about it publicly, everything.

Public Eye: Bye, neighbor: The Strong Neighborhoods Initiative gains more opposition.

Biter: On the anniversary of Pigpen's death, Biter reconsiders a few grave matters.

Techsploits: I'm Searching.

In Focus: Clueless about squatting? The Desi scene? The Asian American Film Festival sets the record straight.

Too Weird: Dreaming of vampires, waking to nanobugs, writer Zack Stentz gets his first big-screen credit in 'Agent Cody Banks.'

Gerry Meandering: Gus Van Sant returns to the avant-garde with 'Gerry.'

Tapeworms: Gaspar Noé's powerful but unspeakable shocker 'Irreversible' arrives.

Quest Best: Cinequest wraps 2003 with awards and attendance boost.

Court and Spark: In 'Laurel Canyon,' Frances McDormand plays an unrepentant 1970s-ite living in the present.

Every Breath He Takes: The anti-'Amélie' camp would enjoy Audrey Tautou's stalker comedy/thriller 'He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.'

Beauty and the Beat: Former Go-Go Belinda Carlisle answers the burning question: What's punk got to do with it?

Aural Fixation: With a big turnout at the Edge, an EP on the way and a new alliance with Gary Avila, it's all good for Insolence.

What's in a Name: At Maurizio's Authentic Italian Ristorante, the real flavor is the personality of Maurizio himself.

'Miz' En Scène: 'Les Misérables' statistics and influence are bigger than life.