Arts & Entertainment

A&E

Identity Thief's lack-luster plotline leaves few laughing

By Zafar Shaw | February 27, 2013

In my book, Melissa McCarthy can do no wrong. From her breakout gig in Bridesmaids to her most recent role as a big-haired Florida swindler in Identity Thief, McCarthy has proven that brazen bodily humor can actually work.

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A&E

Wretched red carpet choices make for ceremony's most miserable fashion year in ages

By Sofia Economopolous | February 27, 2013

Of all the Oscar ceremonies I’ve seen in my days, this year’s turned out to be the greatest fashion disappointment yet.

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A&E

'Thao Nguyen & The Get Down Stay Down' on its way up

By Emily Benedict | February 27, 2013

The folk rock band Thao & The Get Down Stay Down originated in a town familiar to most University students — Falls Church, Va., or in other words “NOVA.” The group has since moved past its Commonwealth roots and is now based in San Francisco, but still remains relatively unknown after the release of their full length album We the Common.

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A&E

And the Oscars go to...

By Jamie Shalvey | February 27, 2013

What’s funny about a grown man playing with sock puppets, singing about female nudity in movies and joking about abusive relationships?

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A&E

From hepcats to hipsters

By James Cassar | February 27, 2013

We’ve all heard of them. Several shops in Downtown Charlottesville cater to their every sepia-toned whim.

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A&E

The Punch Brothers blast through the typical and give us the profound

By Catherine Jessee | February 27, 2013

There are few things more entertaining than a prodigious mandolin player. Chris Thile, mover and shaker of the Punch Brothers, is one such musician.

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A&E

British theater company ‘Complicite’ takes U.Va. backstage with Q&A session

By Ben Willis | February 25, 2013

When it comes to live theater, performances can go one of two directions. Most commonly, productions take a straightforward approach, one featuring well-stocked sets, costumed performers and a linear plot.

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A&E

Vive le cinema

By Liz Carleton | February 20, 2013

The joie de vivre embodied by French filmmakers — especially during the silent era and the dawn of the New Wave — has profoundly altered the course of cinematic history.

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A&E

Latest LiveArts production spurs 'speech and debate'

By Ty Vanover | February 20, 2013

Let’s be honest. It’s pretty difficult to point to a film, play or television show centered around high school that doesn’t present what is colloquially known as “our turbulent years” in a melodramatic, angst-ridden way — looking at you, Perks of Being a Wallflower.

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A&E

Marvelous 'Monologues'

By Katie Zimmerman | February 20, 2013

I had no idea what to expect when I first attended a performance of The Vagina Monologues, a collection of monologues dedicated completely to — you guessed it — vaginas.

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A&E

Bruce Willis series deserves to 'Die Hard'

By Will Mullany | February 20, 2013

Slopping through the trash-heap that is action cinema, 1988‘s Die Hard is one of the very few precious jewels that can be found.

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A&E

'Haven' more 'Safe' than spectacular

February 20, 2013

When I walked into newly released romance film Safe Haven I didn’t have high expectations by any standard, so I wasn’t surprised when the film turned out to be exactly like every other Nicholas Sparks inspired movie — ridden with clichés and marked by low-quality plot development.

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A&E

The year of Queen B

February 20, 2013

Life Is But a Dream, a new HBO documentary exploring the journey of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as an artist, wife and mother, is a rousing and inspiring success story sure to appeal to both die-hard fans and new converts.

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A&E

Jeff rocks the Jefferson

By Harper McGrath | February 20, 2013

Even in a crowd of so-called hipsters, I entered the floor of the Jefferson Theater Feb. 4 with a sense of smugness unparalleled by any other concertgoer there.

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A&E

Jukebox the Ghost knocks 'em dead at the Southern

By Ali Jawetz | February 20, 2013

When Ben Thornewill, the vocalist for the Philadelphia-born, Brooklyn-based trio Jukebox the Ghost, abruptly stopped playing piano mid-song during the group’s Feb.

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A&E

Not a 'belieber'

By Conor Sheehey | February 20, 2013

As a general rule, it’s safe to say acoustic albums are a bad idea. Whether you’re a mainstream chart-topper or a soulful indie crooner, you’re bound to have something to gain from an instrumental or electronic arrangement that consists of more than the endless strumming of guitar strings.

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A&E

U.Va. Faculty Go to the Movies: Gary Gallagher on Lincoln

By Stephanie Dodge | February 17, 2013

Arts & Entertainment is back again with our new series, U.Va. Faculty Go to the Movies, where we get exclusive interviews with your favorite faculty members about the movies you care about the most.

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A&E

Midlife-focused movie offers middling entertainment

By Liz Carleton | February 14, 2013

This is 40 is the sequel to 2007’s Knocked Up, except, this time, Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) try to navigate the complications of turning 40, years after the events of Knocked Up. In pop culture today, the mid-life crisis has become an accepted reality, and sometimes even an indulgence or a moment of spiritual transition.

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A&E

A&E chats with fourth-year College student, Charlottesville local bluegrass musician

By Bonni Dinerstein | February 10, 2013

Carleigh Nesbit, a fourth-year College student and Charlottesville native, has finally come of age in the local music scene.

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A&E

Deer caught in the headlights: Live performance thrills

By Eugenie Quan | February 7, 2013

I sometimes find it astounding that a few short minutes of deliberately placed melodic notes and well-chosen words can so easily capture emotions universal to mankind.