With the current glut of superheroes, franchises, and remakes at movie theaters, a film like Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza stands out by default simply for being low-key, unpredictable, and featuring normal- looking people. It’s also low on narrative cohesion and depth, and still sticks out. In short, Licorice Pizza is enjoyable with a strong […]
With the current glut of superheroes, franchises, and remakes at movie theaters, a film like Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza stands out by default simply for being low-key, unpredictable, and featuring normal- looking people. It’s also low on narrative cohesion and depth, and still sticks out. In short, Licorice Pizza is enjoyable with a strong […]
Film writer Justin Humphreys remembers Peter Bogdanovich, who passed away on Thursday, January 6, at age 82. His tribute is followed by a re-posting of his 2018 interview with Bogdanovich in preview of that year’s Virginia Film Festival. Peter Bogdanovich: He was the cinema Peter Bogdanovich was the cinema—both a brilliant director, and a historian […]
Shifting shape “By studying art and making art, we place ourselves into a centuries-long continuum of observers and visual speakers,” says art educator and painter Susan Patrick. “We begin to understand previous and current cultures through drawn, painted, and sculpted images.” Patrick, who is on staff at Village School, has decades of experience teaching art […]
For art’s sake: Let your imagination run wild at Arts Underground, a night of free-flowing creativity inside The Looking Glass. Grab a drink from the colorful bar as you descend into Dripstone Cave for artmaking (materials are available for a la carte purchase). Feeling blocked? Wander through the immersive museum for inspiration, or loosen up […]
Fast friends: Local musician Matthew O’Donnell treats every performance like it’s a gathering of close friends. His band, Blue Ridge Bards, plays traditional Celtic folk with a modern energy, infusing it with rock, pop, country, and jazz. The group’s live show mixes things up between accordion, kick drum, bouzouki, and tin whistle, and includes a […]
Screen to stage: Duo Dailey & Vincent have been performing their medley of traditional country, gospel, and bluegrass for audiences for over 10 years. Recently, Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s harmonies were broadcast nationwide on their weekly RFD-TV series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show,” which boasts five seasons. The Grand Ole Opry members will perform songs […]
By James Keith Ford “Before social media, finding other spooky folks wasn’t easy,” recalls Bill Hunt. Then he discovered the goth scene at Charlottesville sushi spot Tokyo Rose. “Descending into that dark basement, I was amazed to see dozens of strangers clad all in black. It was the first time in my life that I […]
Didn’t it feel good to see that first live show after nearly a year without live music? The return of concerts this summer fall and marked one major bright spot in 2021, a year that was otherwise filled with uncertainty. (In some cases, even festivals came back!) But the pseudo-post-pandemic music scene looks much different. […]
Clown around: He’s tall, wears white face paint, and…he’s really sad. Puddles Pity Party features a morose seven-foot-tall clown with a hidden talent—he sings. Puddles’ booming baritone and operatic rendition of Sia’s “Chandelier” earned him a trip to the quarterfinals on the 12th season of “America’s Got Talent,” and his “Still Sequestered” streaming show has […]
On pointe: Christmastime favorite The Royal Ballet’s HD broadcast of The Nutcracker follows Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker doll as they battle the Mouse King, journey through the Kingdom of Sweets, and dance with a delightful array of characters. Tchaikovsky’s beloved music accompanies Peter Wright’s production of the Russian classic. Thursday 12/30. $11–15, 7pm. The […]