Worst. Oscars. Ever.

Each year we think the Oscars can’t possibly be worse than the year before. And then each year, it’s so much worse than the year before (except last year; nothing will ever out-worse Billy Crystal and his non-eyebrows). Straight up: I will pay for the next Academy Awards ceremony if they bring back Franco and […]

ARTS Preview: Horsefang

Saturday night’s line-up at the Tea Bazaar is an unusual but promising mix. After several years of dormancy, Horsefang have returned, and their dusty, instrumental doom-metal riffs seem as vital as ever. They’re joined by Mike Gangloff, whose career oscillates between two unlikely poles: the rural twang of Appalachian traditionalism and the mind-expanding drones of […]

ARTS Preview: Weird Mob

Friday night is the live debut of Weird Mob, but the bands’ members may look familiar to Charlottesville concert-goers; the towns’ most adorable power-pop power-couple, Dave Gibson and Renee Reighart, previously played together in the now-defunct Hilarious Posters, and have also helped fill out the line-up of Adam Brock’s Borrowed Beams of Light project, all […]

ARTS Pick: Notes on High

Faith lift Get on board the soul elevator with Kiss FM’s Chucky Hayes of “Total Praise with Chucky Hayes” fame as he hosts Notes on High, a Gospel Showcase. This night of inspirational music features four local choirs sending up a variety of praiseworthy tunes as they carry the torch of gospel tradition forward. The […]

ARTS Pick: Oscar Experience: Charlottesville

Dream category If you thought the Oscars were out of reach, think again. The Virginia Film Festival is offering a chance to get in the running for your own Oscar prize. The glitz, the glam, and an abundance of Hollywood-inspired dishes crafted by Glass Haus Kitchen come out at this year’s fourth annual Oscar Experience: […]

ARTS Pick: God’s Ear

The best new plays are always hard to categorize, and Jenny Schwartz’s God’s Ear is no exception. Staged by UVA’s drama department, it is a powerful and intentionally disjointed examination of deep loss and finding ways to cope.

Film Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

When did the demon dogs of hell stop merely influencing movie stars and studios and begin pulling the strings? To reiterate the inescapable point, A Good Day to Die Hard is a piece of shit.