“It’s not about black and white. It’s about right and wrong,” pleads wealthy lawyer Elliott Anderson (Kevin Costner) before a courtroom in defense of maintaining sole custody of his biracial granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell). Up until this moment, Black or White almost works. The entire film has been building to this moment, the linchpin of […]
Born in Madrid, Fernando Operé calls himself “one of those weirdos”: a grad student who, upon receiving his Ph.D. from UVA in 1975, remained on campus as he moved up the ranks from assistant to associate and finally full professor of Spanish in 2002. But for Operé, who still speaks with the thick accent of […]
After leading the Supremes to 12 No. 1 singles in the 1960s, Diana Ross began a solo career that has spanned five decades, piling up dozens of hit songs that are still dance floor anthems and soft rock inspirations including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Touch Me in the Morning,” “I’m Coming Out” and “Endless […]
For those yearning for the days of yore, when C’ville was an unknown but up-and-coming music town, yearn no further than February 7 at The Southern Café and Music Hall. That’s the night Pat McGee will reconvene his band in Charlottesville for the first time since the venerable Trax nightclub was torn down in 2002. […]
Jason Pollock has achieved more fame making music than most people ever dream of. As a member of ’90s post-grunge rock band Seven Mary Three, he toured the world and played to tens of thousands. He co-wrote the band’s 1997 Billboard Top 100 No. 1 hit “Cumbersome,” as well as its No. 7 hit that […]
Deemed “three of the finest folk violinists anywhere” by The Washington Post, Celtic Fiddle Festival is a touring trio of Irish fiddlers that takes the art of playing very seriously. The “violinists” are accompanied by Nicholas Quemener, a master open-tune guitarist, for a musical set that showcases a fascinating blend of traditional, international and individual […]
In a culture of designer cowboy boots and custom fitted blue jeans, Corey Smith breaks the mold and brings some grit and authenticity back to the country scene. Raised in the rolling hills of Jefferson, Georgia, Smith sings about experiences from rural Southern life. With nine albums to his credit, the country star has amassed […]
It’s man vs. monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s enigmatic sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood star as two astronauts on their way to Jupiter aboard a sentient, computer-controlled spacecraft. From its iconic soundtrack to the tackling of evolution, artificial intelligence and extraterrestrial life, this 1968 epic continues to grow a cult […]
Jason Isbell is enjoying the afterglow of redemption. The lauded country-rock tunesmith is still touring behind his career-defining 2013 album Southeastern, an effort that earned overdue recognition for an artist who turned his demons into a poignantly captivating sonic statement. Ubiquitously praised by critics, the album led to Isbell taking top honors at the Americana […]
What a rare pleasure it is to experience something that is truly, unmistakably awful. No, really; in an age where the knowing, ironic wink of an eye or a single act of ham-handed self deprecation is applauded even if the story is unwatchable, we have forgotten the cathartic joy that comes from watching an unambiguously […]