Up and Coming

Black Water (Sony) Catacombs (Lionsgate) Chaos (Lionsgate) Cops: 20th Anniversary Edition (Fox) The Death of Adolf Hitler (Koch Vision) The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town (1977) (Warner Bros.) The Final Inquiry (Fox) Gangsters: The Ultimate Film Collection (Universal) German Expressionism Collection (Kino) In the Valley of Elah (Warner Bros.)…

Of Mice and Men

Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the two central figures in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men — quick-witted, enterprising George and his friend Lennie, who possesses a child’s mind in the body of a hulking, preternaturally strong man, and who tends to kill small, smooth-furred things like mice and…

Little Shop of Horrors

It’s amazing what legs a lighthearted spoof can have. Little Shop of Horrors got its start in 1960 as a seventy-minute black-and-white movie, featuring Jack Nicholson in a small role and shot by director Roger Corman in two days — either on a bet, or because he still had three…

Now Playing

A Body of Water. In Lee Blessing’s play, two middle-aged people wake up one morning in a beautiful house near a lake — or perhaps the shimmering they glimpse through the windows comes from more than one lake or inlet; they’re never quite sure. They have no idea who or where…

Double Take

There’s another big blockbuster show coming that’s guaranteed to bring throngs of the great unwashed masses to the Denver Art Museum. They’ll be drawn to the place by the one-two punch of Old Masters and Impressionists, whose paintings and drawings are being showcased in Inspiring Impressionism, opening this weekend. Oh,…

George Carlson: Heart of the West

The blockbuster Inspiring Impressionism (see review), at the Denver Art Museum (100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-865-5000, www.denverartmuseum.org), posits the idea that the widely admired style both signaled a clear break with the past and, strangely enough, represented a straightforward continuation of Old Master traditions. Another show at the DAM,…

Now Showing

Clyfford Still Unveiled. A master and pioneer of mid-twentieth-century abstract expressionism, painter Clyfford Still was something of an eccentric in the artist-as-egomaniac stripe. His antisocial behavior led to a situation where 94 percent of his artworks remained together after he died — a staggeringly complete chronicle of his oeuvre that…

Honeydripper

The year is 1950; the location is Harmony, a small town in Alabama. Piano player Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover) is the proprieter of the Honeydripper lounge, but he’s on the brink of losing the joint, and everything that can go wrong for Purvis is going wrong for Purvis. He owes…

Meet the MasterMinds

Four years ago, Westword added a very special component to Artopia: the MasterMind awards. Recognizing that the local arts scene needed a little fertilizer to really get going — and growing — we created a program that every year honors five cultural visionaries, artists and organizations alike, that are working…

Magic in the Cupboard

Harry Potter’s reign has come and gone, but you can still get the kids to read with the right material. A good place to look for that next magical kid-lit fix is the work of N.D. Wilson, and there’s no better time to start than 4:30 p.m. today, when Wilson…

Fight for Your Rights

Pop quiz: You’re throwing a raging kegger with your underage bros, and Officer Busybody comes knocking on your door. What do you do? a) Invite the officer in to take a look around; b) Step outside and close the door; c) Tell the five-oh to take a hike; or d)…

First Impressions

Even as the culturati flocked to an acclaimed Impressionism show at the Denver Art Museum circa 1999, the event’s co-curators, DAM’s Timothy Standring and London’s Ann Dumas, were considering an ambitious sequel. More than seven years later, Inspiring Impressionism has finally arrived, and those who take in today’s debut will…

Freddie’s Not Dead

All hail Freddie Mercury of Queen. Nearly sixteen years after his death, his music lives on in a wide array of locales, ranging from football stadiums, where “We Are the Champions” remains de rigueur whenever trophies are being hoisted, to tony joints like Boettcher Concert Hall, the setting for tonight’s…

Aztec Style

Ollin is like a Greek myth wrapped in colorful Aztec garb. Packed with omens, an operatic opening, spoken-word poetry, dance and visual art, this interpretive retelling of the conquest of Mexico by Spain is kabuki theater married to the myth of Quetzalcoatl. Physical meets metaphysical as the two cultures famously…

Quilting Time

The ladies of Firehouse Quilts do it for free: They make snuggle-sized quilts that are donated to various agencies, from local fire departments to victim advocacy organizations, for children who just happen to need something cuddly and homemade to hug. And now they’re putting out a call to sewing enthusiasts…

Talking Shop

Too much of a good thing? Never! Especially not in Denver’s select independent retail wilderness, where lasting long enough to make it can often be a financial struggle. And in the case of these Westword Best of Denver recipients — the Broadway craft supply and hip-wear emporium Fancy Tiger and…

Piece Project

As both an artist and an art entrepreneur, Denver’s Jimmy Sellars makes it a point to keep his eye on the international, and thanks to the wonders of the Internet, it’s been a doable task. But that also makes it possible for him to easily pair a local painter and…

Oscar Night Done Right

During the last Oscars party I can remember, ten of us crammed together on a questionably stained rug about two feet from an iPod-sized TV screen. We ate stale potato chips. Thankfully, there was lots of Pabst. This year, there’s more to be thankful for than cheap beer (not the…

Courage Under Fire

This week, the Iliff School of Theology and a number of community co-sponsors will host several special guests — nine of them, to be exact. Fifty years ago, the Little Rock Nine integrated the first Arkansas public school, despite the attempts of angry mobs and a misappropriated National Guard presence…

Really Free Speech

“I want to speak for things,” Jack Kerouac said, when asked why he was a writer. And this weekend, there will be plenty of people speaking on his behalf, as the Denver Public Library’s Fresh City Life program continues to put the Central Library at the center of the town’s…

Dining Out

Food lovers, take note: Denver Restaurant Week begins today, which means that 175 metro-area restaurants are offering multi-course dinners for the very affordable Mile-High price of $52.80 per couple ($26.40 if you choose to eat alone). That amount doesn’t include tax or tip, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a…

Changing Track

If you believe that nineteen men boarded those infamous planes the morning of September 11, 2001, and were able to take out their intended targets without help, then you are the conspiracy theorist. So says Korey Rowe, producer of the newest version of the Loose Change Internet phenomenon that has…