When Marvel first sold the film rights to its biggest properties —Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four—it was not yet aware of the gold mine that awaited it with The Avengers series. And at first, Sony and Fox were doing interesting things with their acquisitions; the first two Spider-Man movies by Sam Raimi are industry-defining milestones for […]
When Marvel first sold the film rights to its biggest properties —Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four—it was not yet aware of the gold mine that awaited it with The Avengers series. And at first, Sony and Fox were doing interesting things with their acquisitions; the first two Spider-Man movies by Sam Raimi are industry-defining milestones for […]
Craig Pullin, Deputy Trudy Wiegel’s bespectacled, slack-jawed boyfriend in the cult comedy “Reno 911!,” isn’t who fans thought he was. Pullin, played by comedian Kyle Dunnigan, is a serial-killing mastermind hiding behind a clueless veneer in both the Comedy Central half-hour sitcom and the feature film Reno 911!: Miami. But Dunnigan, who’ll perform at The […]
Experience the splendor of well-loved hits from film, theater and television with Pops at The Paramount, performed by the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia. The program, directed by Kate Tamarkin, includes John Lunn’s “Suite for Downton Abbey,” selections from John Williams’ score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Arnold Schoenberg’s “I Dreamed […]
Belly dancer Joy Rayman loves to improvise during a performance. During a recent gig at McGuffey Art Center, she was completely absorbed in the music, snaking her arms and undulating her hips, when she felt her coin belt loosen. Not wanting to pause and interrupt the flow of the dance, she kept moving. The belt […]
Throughout the last four centuries, publishers, editors and artists have created a vast range of textual interpretations of William Shakespeare’s works—from original printings and family-friendly versions to Romeo and Juliet translated into social media posts, complete with emojis. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, UVA’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library has […]
These days it’s rare to find a musical style that remains provincial, but the greater D.C. area’s grip on go-go is still the heart of the genre. Tight funk blended into hip-hop call and response sets the boogie in motion for the Double Faces Gogo Band, formed in C’ville as a tribute to the musical […]
After leaving Pale Blue Dot two years ago, Tony LaRocco returns from a stint of self-discovery to front the local quartet once again. The modern pop group reveals its soul through lyrics that reflect a sense of nature, space and Buddhist precepts, and its latest EP, Telescopes, produced by Daughtry guitarist Brian Craddock, fuses creative […]
For the first time in his impressive career, the Shane Black formula never clicks. The Nice Guys, a somewhat enjoyable mystery-comedy, feels more like a filmmaker doing an impression of the writer-director than the work of the man himself. First, an assessment of what makes Black’s work stand out. More than any other modern filmmaker, […]
Josh Ritter is on the road again after the release of his eighth studio album, Sermon on the Rocks, which has received a considerable amount of praise. It marks a transformation for Ritter, who, according to Rolling Stone, is “fully reimagining his own art while still holding close to what’s always made him special.” In […]
Made popular in the 1930s and ’40s, gypsy jazz is in the middle of a renaissance, and Baltimore’s Michael Joseph Harris (left) is bringing it to the stage in two formations. His traditional band, Hot Club, relies on the classic repertoire, while Ultrafaux is guided by modern inspirations and original compositions and brings in the […]