Film review: Machete Kills makes little sense and is a lot of fun

The early reviews for Machete Kills have largely been unkind, and the big gripe appears to be that Machete Kills is too long, too repetitive, and too super violent. How many of these critics have seen a Robert Rodriguez movie before? I think that if you choose to see a Rodriguez film—whether your editor directs […]

Installation artist Patrick Dougherty twists twigs and tames volunteers

If you’ve been in the vicinity of the Ruth Caplin Theatre and the Arts Commons at UVA, you’ve no doubt noticed some unusual activity in the bowl-shaped area between the buildings. Renowned installation artist Patrick Dougherty, together with a group of community and UVA volunteers, is hard at work weaving a sculpture made from locally harvested […]

ARTS Pick: Gary Clark Jr.

With over 15 years of acclaim under his belt, it’s hard to believe Gary Clark Jr. is just releasing his debut album, Blak and Blu. His natural prowess on guitar first surfaced during his childhood in Austin, Texas, a city that declared an official Gary Clark Jr. Day while he was still in his teens. Prodigy […]

ARTS Pick: TechnoSonics XIV

Computers and synthesizers are hardly new, yet the face of music is constantly changing thanks to the evolution of electronics. This week, UVA puts its stamp on the computerized art form with TechnoSonics XIV, a collaboration between composition and computer technologies faculty and the drama and dance department as they take on the frontier of […]

The mysterious Godspeed You Black Emperor! reunited and on tour

Formed in Montreal in the late ’90s, the band Godspeed You Black Emperor! took its name from a documentary about Japanese motorcycle gangs. The group added musicians and instruments as it grew, at one point totaling 15 members before whittling down to a nine-person line-up with two drummers, three guitarists, a bassist, and a three-piece […]

C’ville Art Blog: The quirky and fantastical universe of Rob Browning

Rob Browning‘s paintings currently on display at PVCC‘s South Gallery is a less coherent series than his recent show at Warm Springs Gallery. However I find the variety of painting executions to be much more appealing. The content of this show is strange and disjointed. Some images like Mermaid are eerie and surreal. Others are […]

Film review: Tom Hanks anchors the tension in the riveting Captain Phillips

Sometimes when watching a movie that’s emotionally distressing, one has to ask, “Just how much pain can we watch these characters endure? What’s the endgame here?” Director Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips is one of those movies. It stars Tom Hanks as the titular captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama that was laid siege by […]

ARTS Pick: Fall enchantment at Chroma Projects

A fantastical set of exhibitions that are singular to the Chroma Projects gallery, “The Forest ” by Jean Peacock, “Cahier Memoire” by Lillian Fitzgerald, and “Man with a Cello” by Blake Hurt all work upon the imagery of fairytales and the playful interpretations of the psyche. The whimsical forms in Jean Peacock’s work are a mix of Doctor […]