Hundreds packed the Del Mar on Saturday night, April 14, for the Seventh Annual Secret Film Fest, a delectable 12-hour run of movies from around the world. Among the eclectic mix were Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, Morgan Spurlock’s surprisingly poignant documentary about the annual convention of comic book geeks, and The Raid: Redemption, an Indonesian martial arts thriller wherein a rookie cop must bust out of an apartment building full of underworld thugs after a special task force mission goes horribly awry.

Kimberly and Foster Gamble never meant to mislead anyone, according to a team member from the controversial movie ‘Thrive.’ And the pair will respond to concerns about the locally made cult documentary when they have time.

In recent years, Santa Cruz has developed an active and vibrant tech community—in fact, tech has become so prominent so quickly, new startups are sprouting up all over town.

Firehose will always be associated with Mike Watt’s beloved hometown of San Pedro, but the truth is that if it weren’t for Santa Cruz, the band never would have existed.

ONE HUNDRED fifty miles off the coast of Baja California, jagged Guadalupe Island climbs more than 4,000 feet above the Pacific. Throughout the year elephant seals, Guadalupe fur seals and scores of seabirds call this volcanic island home. They dive for fish in the island’s rich waters and use the secluded shoreline to escape white sharks, recuperate from migration and raise their young. Today, the isolated landmass supports a thriving community of rare plants and animals. But it wasn’t always this way.

One reader defends a local documentary film and says being crazy is nothing special. Other readers take a close look at the occupation of 75 River Street.

Results from our 2012 reader survey on the best of Santa Cruz community life.

Santa Cruz Weekly  readers weigh in on the best of all things health- and fitness-related in Santa Cruz County.

Results of Santa Cruz Weekly‘s 2012 Reader Survey on the best shopping and services in Santa Cruz County