Film Review: We’re the Millers

We’re the Millers has the kind of story that can be hammered out in about 15 minutes, if its writers follow the “Save the Cat” formula. (Read this outline before you see it and you’ll actually see the story beats play out when you watch the movie.) The central plot—a pot dealer recruits three people […]

ARTS Pick: All’s Well that Ends Well

The Bard is back with All’s Well that Ends Well, in a cunning adaptation of everyone’s favorite story, Cinderella. Though the title seems to hint towards “happily ever after,” this dark fairytale adopts elements of comedy and tragedy for a bittersweet study on the fickle human heart. Filled with clever wit, trademark soliloquies, and fun-filled […]

ARTS Pick: Barhoppers

Belly up after work with local playwrights and thespians as part of the 17th Barhoppers theater series. This dramatic Charlottesville staple brings its “stage” to some favorite eateries for an evening of live skits, tasty bites, and ongoing libations. Featuring captivating original scripts, and faces you know, to start the week off with sidesplitting comedy […]

ARTS Pick: Disney Junior Live

As an intro to the Disney classics, Disney Junior Live: Pirate and Princess Adventure is an icon-filled mix of glass slippers, tiaras, and swashbuckling, high seas adventures matched with special appearances by Cinderella, Peter Pan, and the notorious Captain Hook. Characters from the hit series “Sofia the First” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” […]

ARTS Pick: The Shine Brothers

L.A. sunshine pop meets dirty woven “psych-my-delic” harmonies when The Shine Brothers climb on stage this week. Claiming influences as irreverent and eclectic as “conflict, nature, enlightenment, revenge, and sugar” the garage rock ensemble, fronted by Nate Ryan of The Black Angels, is known for its rollicking live show. Girl Choir and Big Air, a […]

Pun Picks: NO BS! Brass

As a musician, I have been aware of vibrant music scenes across the country including Seattle, Asheville, Knoxville, Burlington, Boston, Atlanta, and of course our very own Charlottesville, VA. In recent years I have become more and more intrigued with Richmond’s scene. “RVA All Day“ is what the serious musicians in Richmond, VA, say when […]

Interview: Bruce Hornsby brings together a band of seasoned players

Bruce Hornsby is a man of many talents. A master pianist with a playful imagination, his scores have won countless awards and adulation, and he has collaborated with and inspired musicians of all genres, from Ricky Skaggs to Tupac Shakur. When he is not blending bluegrass, jazz, soul, and pop into his own signature sound, […]

Tapestries by Klaus Anselm and Joan Griffin at McGuffey Art Center

The abstract and stylized tapestries of Klaus Anselm and Joan Griffin, currently on display at the McGuffey Art Center, are indisputably beautiful objects. They have clear pleasing palettes, unexpected bright intense colors, soft surfaces, and an odd but familiar resolution. Anselm’s tapestries are mostly geometric abstractions, overlapping squares, curves, and quadrilaterals that fill each composition. Griffin’s […]

ARTS Pick: Miss Julie

One midsummer’s eve, Julie, an upper class woman, and Jean, a valet at her father’s estate, struggle with misguided passion for each other and their own romanticized ideas of escape. Gorilla Theater Productions presents Miss Julie, by August Strindberg, a play about the tensions of class, desire, and the hunger for power. Through 8/11  $7-10, […]