It almost goes without saying that the Oscars tend to disappoint, year in and year out. In my humble opinion, the Academy gets it wrong far more often than right, and the lengthy award ceremony itself has been upstaged as of late by the much leaner and meaner Golden Globes boozefest.
I’ll probably be one of the first journalists to go ahead and confirm that no, the usual suspects on 2013 best albums lists won’t be making a return appearance in this article.
“The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them,” the great French poet Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in his 1939 memoir “Wind, Sand and Stars.” This issue lies at the heart of “Her,” the latest cinematic effort from writer-director Spike Jonze. The film, which blurs the line between romantic comedy and heavy drama, showcases the terrific power of technology in helping us to cope with trauma and create human connections, but it also emphasizes the limitations of systems and machines in offering a rich and sustainable lifestyle.
Since hip-hop has splintered into so many subgenres and regional offshoots, it would be impossible to tie it up with one neat, concise narrative for 2013.
Based on the true story of Ron Woodroof’s efforts to distribute medication to treat AIDS in the 1980s, the latest Matthew McConaughey film “Dallas Buyers Club” plays out with the vivacity that the story calls for.
Kim Jong-Il. A name that induces fear in some, hatred in others, and yet, the highest reverence in many.
The Mowgli’s, an eight-person alternative rock band from California, kept the Jefferson Theater full Tuesday night.
If you’ve attended shows at local Charlottesville concert venues like The Southern or The Jefferson, you may have faced the same sort of confusion that always tends to strike me.
t wasn’t until I hopped on my bike to ride home from The Devil Makes Three concert this past Sunday that I could even form a sentence to describe this band’s appeal.
Many films have made me cry. My eyes watered during “The Notebook,” tears fell at the end of “Titanic” and my salty lips quivered during “The Color Purple.” But none of these classic films compare to the full body quake I experienced during “12 Years a Slave.”
Sexual comedy is a hotly contentious authorial tool. Though sexual humor is pervasive in our culture, particularly in the worlds of theater and cinema, it can be seen as taboo, making a serious work instantly fringe or low-brow.
Last Tuesday, Adventure Club, a Canadian electronic dance music duo, stopped at The National in Richmond on its nationwide Superheroes Anonymous tour.
String quartets are often associated with the smooth, classical melodies of Mozart and Bach — a musical standard that new music group “The Radio Music Society” hopes to redefine by performing popular, top 40 songs with string instruments.
Among the variety of hometowns from which UVa students hail, Southern Virginia is typically considered lesser than the geographical superpower that is Northern Virginia – more commonly known as “NOVA”. However, Southern Virginia does have a few outstanding attributes, like the local music scene, which arrived in Charlottesville last Friday in the form of The Last Bison, a band originating in Chesapeake, VA, who made a massive splash at The Southern. Humbly conversing with friends and fans alike, the seven members of the band mingled in the same area as the crowd as we anxiously awaited their performance.
Singer-songwriter Toby Keith’s latest album, “Drinks After Work,” delivers the country singer’s signature blend of charming twang, inventive lyrics and line-dance rhythm.
Boldy James is a Detroit rapper whose new album, “My First Chemistry Set,” is one of the year’s best.
Attending screenings at the annual Virginia Film Festival is like drinking a glass of red wine and then having a conversation with the vintner.
While Will Forte is best known for his spot on “Saturday Night Live” and his goofy spin-off movie “MacGruber,” he shows off genuine acting chops in “Nebraska,” a poignant story about a father-son relationship.
This year the Virginia Film Festival brought Charlottesville a true wonder with the 2012 Dutch film, “The Zigzag Kid.” Through its partnership with Congregation Beth Israel, the film was featured as one of the three made from a Jewish perspective. The movie, however, has a message relevant to all audience members, encouraging them to embrace their individuality.
The performance that Richmond-based Carbon Leaf put on at the Jefferson Theater last Friday night was by no means typical of a band consisting of guys in their mid-40s who have been playing together for over 20 years.
