Director Oliver Stone Coming to the Alamo Drafthouse March 6

Filmmaker Oliver Stone was one of Hollywood’s most controversial directors in the ’90s, tackling stories rife with conspiracy theories and often testing the mores of the American viewing public. Now a new biography about Stone and a new film by him, focusing on Edward Snowden, is bringing Stone back into…

Scorsese’s Vinyl Plasticizes Old NYC Grit

HBO’s Vinyl is the latest in a series of cultural hard-ons for the rough-and-tumble world of pre-Koch NYC: From novels like Rachel Kushner’s The Flamethrowers and Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire to online photo galleries of graffiti-splattered subway trains and can-you-believe-this-juice-bar-used-to-be-a-crack-den slideshows, there’s a hunger for what Manhattan looked,…

Zoolander 2 Is a Tombstone for the Age of Dude Comedy

The first Zoolander, Ben Stiller’s dopey, fitfully funny fashion spoof, was released less than three weeks after the September 11 attacks. Its sequel shows the extent to which another kind of nefarious plot — the cynical quest for world domination through cross-brand synergy — has proven impossible to eradicate on…

100 Colorado Creatives 3.0: Taylor Balkissoon

#98: Taylor Balkissoon Toronto-born and raised in Colorado, Taylor Balkissoon represents the face of Denver’s next generation of artists. Fresh out of art school and finding her place in the community, she splits her practice between fine-art experimentation and curating at Dateline gallery and MCA Denver. What’s up with our…

Five Film Tales of Geek Love for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day, that date night to end all date nights, is almost here! Finding the right way to spend Valentine’s Day is never easy, but it can be especially hard on us geeks. It’s not that we mean to be snobs, but another viewing of When Harry Met Sally just isn’t…

Five Things That Make Five Points Residents Really, Really Mad

Five Points is one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods, so it makes sense that it has a long and winding history whose high points include the area’s time as the “Harlem of the West,” when it was a must-stop for African-American entertainers — and the only place in Denver where they…

Learn Joel Swanson’s Language at the Museum of Outdoor Arts

The wonderful solo Joel Swanson: Polysemic is approaching its final weeks at the Museum of Outdoor Arts. Despite the institution’s name, most of the works are actually indoors, but one, a billboard titled “Respectfully,” is sited outside. The billboard is a digital print on which the word “Respectfully” has been…

Ten Essential Denver Podcasts in 2016

Podcasts are among the most direct and engaging mediums to emerge from the digital audio revolution. Liberated from the demands of commerce (though sponsorship and advertising space are necessary evils for those who wish to monetize), podcasters forge meaningful relationships with their listeners, fostering a uniquely intimate bond in the…

Detention Nation Looks at Immigration Today and in Colorado History

With election season in full swing, words like “immigration” and “detention” are repeatedly thrown around by candidates and the media; meanwhile, the people at the center of the immigration crisis are hardly ever given a voice. Detention Nation, a new exhibit opening at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 11, at the…

An Older, Wiser Michael Moore Invades Europe

“I’ve turned into this kind of crazy optimist,” Michael Moore admits in his new documentary Where to Invade Next, his first film in six years. At 61, the gadfly savant has mellowed. Instead of charging into rooms, he shuffles, the American flag wrapped around his shoulders like a grandmother’s shawl…

Twelve Top Science-Friendly Spots in Metro Denver: Get Your Geek On!

Geek is chic. Ever since TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Mythbusters made brainiacs not just endearing and funny, it’s been socially acceptable to be smart. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education has taken center stage, and nerdy is nice.  The Denver/Boulder population is one of…

100 Colorado Creatives 3.0: Samantha Johnston

#99: Samantha Johnston In her work as a photographer, East Coast emigre Samantha Johnston focuses on fleeting things — the way the light momentarily falls across the wall or a flowered tendril curls along a garden fence. But in her role as the new director of the Colorado Photographic Arts…

Station Is a Must-Stop for Men’s Street Wear and Street Art

Men seeking both premium street wear and street art now have a go-to place to shop in Denver. David Bywater moved here from Kansas just over five years ago, and he opened Station, a retail store and art gallery with a boutique atmosphere, at 2735 Welton Street last April. Bywater and…