The Dardenne brothers, Luc and Jean-Pierre, are known to explore characters trapped by social and economic circumstance, challenging with curiosity and compassion the assumptions attached to the lives of less-fortunate others. With Two Days, One Night, the Dardennes turn their humanist lens onto someone in conflict with her own humanity:…
Those more devoted to the genre can debate whether Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service is the best comic-book movie of the last few years. What’s beyond argument, however, is that Vaughn has whipped up the most interesting one — and the only one to make ferocious, unsettling art out…
BERLIN — Riding in a cab from the Berlin-Tegel airport to my hotel on a crisp, sunny day last week, I passed the magnificent golden angel statue known as the Victory Column, a monument erected by the city in 1874 to commemorate assorted Prussian military victories of the day. But…
I was never very good at math. I blame Mrs. Mercer, my second-grade teacher at Foothills Elementary School, who told me that “boys are good at math and girls are good at English.” It was like a pass for giving up, which is just what I did. And I take…
In 2004, I worked at a bar in Kansas City’s River Market district. One night, a woman handed me her credit card to pay her tab; I looked at it and said, “HAHA. Your name is Monica Ross!” She made a big, exasperated noise and dropped her forehead to the…
It’s hard not to take everything we see on Facebook at face value. Often, a social network is the only place we interact with an old coworker, distant relative, former classmate or less-than-close friend — and this means only experiencing a certain projection of who they are. As I was…
I had high hopes for The Aliens. The Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company has been doing terrific work lately, and The Aliens had received rapturous reviews all over the country, reviews that floated the names Beckett and Chekhov. Playwright Annie Baker won a Pulitzer for…
Benediction Denver Center Theatre Company A world premiere, a tribute and a deeply affecting evening of theater: This is the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production of Benediction, Eric Schmiedl’s dramatization of Kent Haruf’s novel of the same name. A much-loved and lauded Colorado author, Haruf saw two of his earlier…
Zero Spark Gallery 900 Santa Fe Drive Mark Brasuell has been creating abstract paintings for more than twenty years. For most of that time, he exhibited his work at Edge, but just over a year ago, he jumped ship and signed on at Spark, the city’s oldest surviving co-op. That’s…
Westword is under construction. From 10 p.m. Monday, February 9, until mid-morning on Tuesday, February 10, you won’t see any new material on Westword.com — but we’ve got a very good reason. When we return, we’ll do so with a brand-new website and a fresh new look, featuring larger photos,…
Things are getting spooky in Erie, Colorado. That’s where near-native Josh Viola, seventeen-time award-winning author of The Bane of Yoto, now lives. Viola found himself frustrated by the commercialization of publishing — so frustrated, in fact, that he set out to change the way authors are treated, launching Hex Publishers,…
You can find art all over town — not just on gallery walls. In this series, we take a look at some of the local artists who serve up their work in coffeehouses and other non-gallery businesses around town. How does a business major with no formal art training go…
History Colorado turned on the wayback machine on February 5 for a festive first look at the new exhibit 1968, a visual overview of a year that rocked the twentieth century with a wave of new style, pop music and political upheaval. Period-appropriate gear was encouraged, as you can see…
Some tattoo artists might scoff at the thought of tattooing dolphins and butterflies straight off the flash sheet, but Chris Hamilton argues that this is an important step in the learning process. Hamilton has been tattooing for more than twenty years, and recently moved to Colorado to continue his work…
One of the best holidays of the year is coming up on February 11: National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day. To help you get in the spirit, we’ve rounded up a few free events that should help you celebrate things big and small. For more event listings, check out…
Valentine’s Day is next Saturday, and if you want to get a special gift for your sweetheart, there’s not a moment to lose. Head to Cherry Creek, where you can buy gifts large and small that should guarantee a big celebration on February 14 (you can thank us later). See…
1968 was a sociopolitical crossroads at which a war, political schisms, activism, youth culture, style, the arts and the widening gender gap all converged in a fast moment of change. The exhibit 1968: The Year That Rocked History at History Colorado, which officially opens to the public on Saturday, February…
For the U.S., 1968 was a sociopolitical crossroads at which a war, political schisms, activism, youth culture, style, the arts and the widening gender gap all converged. The exhibit 1968: The Year That Rocked History, which officially opens to the public on Saturday, February 7, at the History Colorado Center…
Nicolas Cage is no mere actor — he is a transcendental film force. He’s fully capable of delivering a subtle, deep reading of a character, but he is at his best — at his most Cage — when he is truly cutting loose, chewing scenery and taking no prisoners. His…
When police violence brought the community of Ferguson, Missouri, into the national spotlight, LadySpeech Sankofa was struck by the urge to act. “The verdict happened in Ferguson and I knew that there was something different about the energy — it was a catalyst,” says the poet, activist, musician and spiritual…
Westword’s Artopia now includes Whiteout, our annual fashion show. In advance of this year’s art extravaganza, which is coming down on February 21 at City Hall, we checked in with the seven designers and boutiques that will be part of the Alice in Wonderland-themed Whiteout to ask what they have…
Just because Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, doesn’t mean we need to hide indoors this weekend. Sure there might be six more weeks of the season that is not spring, summer or fall, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time. This week, we’re swapping, hopping, hooting and…
