Movie review: The Post triumphs with a truth-seeking narrative

Alfred Hitchcock once noted that Steven Spielberg “is the first one of us who doesn’t see the proscenium arch,” referring to his ability to expand the visual and metaphorical limits of what could be displayed on a screen. The late-career political films of Spielberg would already be remarkable on their own terms, even if they […]

Album reviews: Girlpool, Say Sue Me, Novella and Sloan Peterson

Girlpool Powerplant (Anti-) Philadelphia-by-way-of-California duo Girlpool released Powerplant in May, and it was probably a great summer heartbreak album, all intertwining guitars and fragile voices. Opener “123” comes in like a lamb and revs up to lion level at the chorus—but it’s a sweet, sad lion. The soft/loud ratio remains pretty constant throughout Powerplant, and […]

ARTS Pick: The Opera House

When legendary soprano Leontyne Price appeared at the reopening of the Metropolitan Opera in 1966, she could only be upstaged by the stage itself. It was the beginning of a new era in a new location for the Met, and The Opera House documents the cultural impact of the venue’s last 50 years with behind-the-scenes […]

ARTS Picks: Playback Theater

Have you ever imagined watching a movie or stage play about your own life? Drama, humor and self-reflection are sure to combine when Playback Theater hosts a fundraiser for the Charlottesville Players Guild in which the actors connect with audience members, learn about their lives, then construct and perform improv scenes based on the details. […]

ARTS Pick: The Honey Dewdrops

Most descriptions of The Honey Dewdrops point to an honesty in the duo’s music—a sound they refer to as rock and reel. Conduits of the Americana tradition, Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish (former C’ville locals) have been touring for almost 10 years, perfecting tunes that enlighten the soul with songs such as “Guitars,” a tribute […]

ARTS Picks: New Year, New Vibes Part 1

Local hip-hop artists gather to celebrate when SGtheDJ presents New Year, New Vibes Part 1, the first showcase of 2018 hosted by DenzyFromDaBlock and featuring Dino Jones, Gio Dolla (Str8CrudBoyz), P.G. (Cedric Jones), Murda Delinquent and Save Game (Savion Garcia) in a Trapseekers edition loaded with talent. Thursday, January 11. $10, 8pm. The Ante Room, […]

Murad Khan Mumtaz transcends divisions with Musavvari paintings

Growing up in a family of artists and architects in Lahore, Pakistan, Murad Khan Mumtaz, a visual artist who practices the tradition of so-called Indian miniature painting, says the act of creating things came naturally. “My father, who is a practicing architect, has more or less single-handedly tried to revive local indigenous practices, which were […]

Movie review: I, Tonya looks beyond mockery in the skating scandal

Forget everything you think you knew about Tonya Harding. While you’re at it, forget everything you’ve seen about I, Tonya, a deep dive into the infamous assault on Nancy Kerrigan leading up to the figure skating competition in the 1994 Olympics. The film is being sold partially as a tabloidy trash-watch, a Lifetime movie with […]

Matthew Burtner-Rita Dove collaboration takes flight

What was the last thing you made? Be honest with yourself. Perhaps you made dinner last night, but think hard about the last time you spent an afternoon knitting, strumming a guitar or doodling in a sketchbook. Maybe instead you’ve been reading, listening to albums, looking at paintings or watching “Stranger Things” on Netflix? Are […]

Chicho Lorenzo paints through barriers at local exit

When painter and muralist Chicho Lorenzo saw the 7′ tall retaining wall along Barracks Road near the 250 bypass, he knew exactly what he wanted to paint. “Maybe two years ago, I was commissioned to paint a mural for a military school,” Lorenzo says. “I had an idea for an image of two teachers standing […]