Roger Ebert was my first film critic —really, the first non-fiction writer of any kind whose work I devoured. My parents had Pauline Kael, but for my generation Ebert was the gateway drug to film study and appreciation, best sampled in his 1,000-page annual anthologies of reviews, which were an encyclopedic and insightful peek into [...]
Students of local non-profit Light House Studio received high honors this week in competition against filmmakers of all ages, from more than 50 countries. Reid Hildebrand and classmates, writer Conor Kyle, sound and assistant cameraman Greg Nachmanovtich, and production assistants Elisha Courts and Mitz Germershausen won the Grand Jury’s Bronze World Medal at the New York Festivals International Television [...]
Still glowing With global warming now confirmed, the weather is sure to go straight to hot, with scorching beach-worthy weather breaking out any day now. Getting ahead of that first sunburn, The Embers are headlining Surf on the Turf, an inland beach bash complete with dancing, dinner, and drinks. The quintessential band of the sand [...]
05/18/2013 10:00 pm The Pollocks Fellini’s #9, Charlottesville VA
Last year, the Tom Tom Founder’s Festival debuted with a bold music line-up. While Josh Ritter delivered a spirited performance to a full house at the Haven, scattered shows by national acts, like the Walkmen and Futurebirds, were underattended. This year Tom Tom organizers are shifting the focus to local and regional bands, and beefing [...]
The 17th-century never looked as wildly seductive as it does within the world of Aphra Behn. There’s a war in the background of Liz Duffy Adams’ Or, but more importantly, Behn—a spy, poet, and key feminist writer—moves in a social circle marked by cross-dressing and free love.
What goes around If you think that bureaucracy and red tape are absurd, Czech playwright Václav Havel couldn’t agree more. And in his Soviet-era satire The Memorandum, everything from language to human sociality becomes ridiculous. When office worker Josef Gross finds a memo written in the supposedly efficient Ptydepe language that’s impossible to discern, he [...]
Wonderful, Glorious attempts to continue this trend, but isn’t quite as successful. “Accident Prone”’s down-tempo guitars and Everett’s sedated, melodic vocals are beautifully unusual, and the way he channels Johnny Cash’s mumbling vocal on the dreamy guitar-driven ballad “On the Ropes,” is nothing short of eerie.
Playing it forward A year behind bars during the early years was not entirely lost time for Felipe Coronel. It gave him the focus to hone his talents, and the motivation to take a few political science classes, both of which transformed him into a deeply political, determined, and charitable artist. Finding new ways to [...]
Jimmy Fallon isn’t the answer. Fallon, who was just named as Jay Leno’s replacement on “The Tonight Show,” is likeable enough. But he’s not the solution to NBC’s ratings woes—in February sweeps, the network posted its worst rating among the coveted 18 to 49 demographic ever—because it doesn’t matter who occupies the seat on “The Tonight Show.” The [...]
It’s spring, and you know what that means: A young man’s fancy turns lightly to thoughts of love. Tennyson doesn’t appear to have thought of the old men or women at all, so let’s assume they’re all thinking about baseball, or as I call it at home, love. Normally I wouldn’t put together a post [...]
Chick flicks Critics talk a lot about the male cinematic gaze and the masculine domination of film throughout the medium’s history. So where do women fit in the modern progressive landscape? The Bantam Theater, in collaboration with Richmond’s Studio Two Three, presents Females and the Frame, a 70-minute program of regionally and internationally-produced short films [...]
Louisiana heat With musical roots in rock and the soulful blues of the deep south, Marc Broussard may be the right elixir to spark a somewhat latent spring fever. Since the spontaneous beginning of his musical career at age 5 (when he got on-stage with his father’s band), Broussard’s singing and songwriting has evolved into [...]
The newly-founded Reckless Theatre Company—not to be confused with the New York-based group of the same name—is the project of a trio of UVA Drama majors, Ahmad Helmy, Anne Connelly, and Adam Santalla. The troupe was founded this year with the intention of bringing theatrical events to the wider community while sharpening their dramatic skills. Their [...]
The Harrisonburg-based music festival MACRoCk celebrates its 16th year this weekend with yet another solid line-up of local, regional, and touring indie-rock bands. Initially founded as the “Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference,” MACRoCk has now severed ties with JMU and local station WXJM, but remains committed to throwing a killer annual festival. This year’s roster includes [...]
Uber achiever The richly talented Jessye Norman is not a standard singer. To clarify, she does sing standards, as well as opera and Broadway ballads, but she refuses to align herself with any stereotype. Her set list consists of classics by Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Bernstein, but Norman innovates through the sheer power of [...]
First Fridays is a monthly art event featuring exhibit openings at many Downtown art galleries and additional exhibition venues. Several spaces offer receptions. Listings are compiled in collaboration with Piedmont Council for the Arts. To list an exhibit, please send information two weeks before opening to arts@c-ville.com. First Fridays April 5 The Bridge PAI 209 [...]
Sleight of head The story of a neglected child who seeks solace in a fantasy life, Quidam is the ninth Cirque du Soleil production to take to the road after its inception in 1996. Originally branded by the image of a headless man holding an umbrella, the show is filled with extraordinary characters whose tricks [...]
Forget that this story recalls not only Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but also Robert Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters and John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There?—better known to most people as Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World or John Carpenter’s The Thing. Because, really, this story is about liking boys. And Jesus, sort of.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are in many ways teachers, instructing fans on the history of black music. During the Charlottesville tour stop, they pedantically described the traditional instruments they broke out at various points during the show and explained—somewhat laboriously—the meaning of several songs.
The romantic’s notion of running away with the circus was Steven Warner’s real life for almost four years. He lived in a train car, learned everyone’s role, and immersed himself in every aspect of production, even handling the animals.
Frederick and Lucy S. Herman began collecting drawings as college students, and over the ensuing 50 years amassed a considerable collection of more than 250 works on paper that showcase the myriad techniques and approaches within the field.
Victory laugh In 2007, when MTV’s sketch comedy and surprise hit “Human Giant” was just underway, Aziz Ansari seemed the likely breakout star among the trio at the show’s helm. His trajectory in the following two years would prove this—paying comedic dues in the Judd Apatow flick Funny People, cropping up on fan favorite “Scrubs,” [...]