Summertime Blues

When I came to Denver in the 1980s, the Mile High City was a great place to be if you were a fan of architecture, as I am. At the time, the oil boom was transforming downtown into what it is today, with new high-rises popping up like mushrooms. The…

Temple Micah

I’m sure that anyone who travels down the South Monaco Parkway as it skirts the fashionable Crestmoor neighborhood has noticed the dramatic — if a bit tumbledown — expressionist-style church (pictured) that occupies a two-acre site just north of the Ellsworth Avenue intersection. As long as I can remember, the…

Sketches

Fang Lijun: Heads. China is definitely on the ascendancy internationally. Not only does the teeming economic powerhouse produce all the junk that can be found in a suburban Wal-Mart, but it’s also turning out important artists who have taken the contemporary scene in the U.S. and Europe by storm. Adam…

Cold War Reheated

Red Dawn: Collector’s Edition (MGM) John Milius’s 1984 war pic was a mighty bonkers release even back then; not since the 1950s had something come down the pike so rife with Commie paranoia. Russian and Cuban forces invade the U.S. with tanks and choppers and the whole shebang, only to…

Dim and Dimmer

The last hour of The Darkness is exactly what the game should have been from its opening moments: a magnificent, bloodthirsty mix of firepower and hellish wrath. Playing the role of Jackie Estacado — a hit man who inherited demonic powers via a family curse — you will spend the…

Our top DVD picks scheduled for release on July 17

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (Shout!) Avenue Montaigne (THINKfilm) Baxter (Lionsgate) The Best of the Colgate Comedy Hour (Passport) Beer Drinkers in Space (Tempe) Birdman & the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series (Turner) Esther Williams: Volume 1 (Warner Bros.) Gunsmoke: The First Season (Paramount) The Happy Hooker Trilogy (MGM) The…

All-Stars at the Dick

The 2007 Sierra Mist Major League Soccer All-Star Game, taking place tonight at 7 p.m. at the splendid Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, was supposed to trumpet the arrival of Sir David of Beckham to America. Though this rumor was never confirmed, it was widely reported, and many assumed it to…

Chill Out

It’s hard to believe that pink ceramic penguins and fuzzy hyper-colored landscape paintings could contribute to a topic as weighty as global warming. But that’s exactly what’s happening at Glacial: Works by Timothy Berg and Bob Koons, which opens tonight at 6 p.m. at Ironton Studios, 3636 Chestnut Place. According…

Ad it Up

Don’t dismiss Fergie as just another dopey pop star. In addition to her intimate knowledge of London Bridge, she’s an eager businesswoman who’s pioneering new methods of parlaying celebrity into green. Last month she signed a $4 million deal with Candie’s clothing that reportedly calls for her to drop the…

Tramps Like Us

Shawn Lukitsch, co-owner of the North Carolina independent production company Agency Films, will never forget the first time he hopped a train. He was in Milwaukee, and his roommate had just skipped town with the rent money. So Lukitsch went down to the snowy railyard and jumped on a train…

The Merc or Busk

Gravel-voiced street musician turned stage artist Jason Webley oozes a Tom Waits vibe, but don’t tell him that. The busking accordionist is clearly his own creation, known for leading Andy Kaufman-style audience-participation parades (one Webley-led public takeover of a Seattle water fountain got him banned from Bumbershoot), using a coin-filled…

Let Frida Ring

Who doesn’t love Frida Kahlo? The woman was an icon, born to produce beauty, so it’s only fitting that Denver steps up to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday, had she not died in 1954. Studio Bead’s celebration — Beads, Braids, Brows — took place on Thursday and…

What Happens in Denver

“It’s not your typical fashion show,” says Indie Six’s Angela Dixon — which may be the understatement of the year. She’s talking about Viva Las Denver!, taking place tonight at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue. “It’s kind of like Cirque du Soleil meets Indie Six,” Dixon continues. “We’ve…

War Stories

“The truth of the matter is that history really does repeat itself,” says Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, a Crow Creek Sioux writer and scholar. “America has become a place where there is no middle ground. There are many dangerous countries in this world. America is now one of them.” She’ll explain why…

City Slicker

Although I moved to Denver for the mountains, my daily life tangles me up often enough that I rarely make it past the city limits. Sadly, I don’t even think about what I’m missing until something like TrailFest 2007 comes along. Starting today at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast…

What a Screen!

“Do you believe in fairies? Say quick that you believe. If you believe, clap your hands!” One can only imagine what response Peter Pan’s famous lines will evoke when they’re uttered on screen under the stars of Cheesman Park during tonight’s city-sponsored Movies in the Parks screening of the fanciful…

Keep On Truckin’

Cummins Rocky Mountain Truck Fest: Drag racing, truck show, special truck exhibitions, rock crawlers, vendor midway, burnout contest and more…

Magic Number Seven

The magical hour is almost here, and everyone is itching to know what happens. Is Severus Snape an evil double agent who murdered Albus Dumbledore in cold blood, or is there some greater reason for his betrayal? What will happen to Hogwarts? For that matter, what will happen to Harry,…

Bored No More

The worst thing anyone can ever say about Aurora’s annual KidSpree outdoor festival for children is that it’s hot out there — but if you bring plenty of water and sunscreen, you should be fine. Offering more than sixty activities for all ages on a generous spread in Bicentennial Park…

Riding Low

Elitch Gardens continues its celebration of Latin culture today during La Fiesta de Elitch Gardens and Lowrider Invitational. Live music from eight acts — singer Gloria Trevi led last night’s lineup, while Patrulla 81 hits the stage tonight — and more than twenty lowriders highlight the weekend’s attractions. Organizer Mike…

With a Paddle

The over-thirty crowd loves to complain that members of the younger generation have no clue what’s happening in the world — but when one of the junior contingent actually pays attention to the news, there can be hell to pay. I learned this lesson after my wife, Deb, and I…

Idolicious

“You’ve got to pick a good mix of rockin’ and something that will please the crowd,” Pavlo tells me. “It’s not about how good you can sing; it’s about getting the crowd’s attention and rocking it.” I ask him what he’s going to sing, and he tells me it’s a…