Film Podcast: Oscar Season Opens with Birdman and Listen Up Philip

It’s awards season and the hyped movies are starting to land in theaters. On this week’s Voice Film Club podcast, we talk about Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, starring Michael Keaton, and Alex Ross Perry’s Listen Up Philip, and carve out some time to recommend Nothing Bad Can Happen and Glen…

Review: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Checks Out Chekhov

For Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is pretty weak tea. While the play is relatively funny and does have some outrageously inventive moments, the black humor, zany surprise, sheer unfettered impudence and break-the-dishes iconoclasm of Durang’s other works is missing. Which may explain why this is…

The Doctor Is In: Dr. Sketchy’s Makes a Triumphant Return

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-­Art School — a life-­drawing class combined with a cabaret show — is back. Burlesque artist Vivienne VaVoom (aka Michelle Baldwin) launched Dr. Sketchy’s five years ago, but she put it on unintentional hiatus a few years ago. “I decided it was time to take a break because…

Playbill: Three Front Range Plays and Performances for October 22-28

To get in the mood for Halloween, you can head up to Colorado Springs for a campy combination of ’60s slasher and beach movies, or hear spooky stories come alive onstage in Denver; meanwhile, dance aficionados can get their fix at an intergenerational mashup in Boulder. Keep reading for details…

Twenty of the Best Kid-Friendly Halloween Celebrations

Halloween is a holiday celebrated by all ages, but being a kid this time of year is something special. And from costume contests to magical worlds that only appear during the spooky season, the city is packed with places where hardcore candy seekers can get their sugar fix, little ones…

Theater: Good Television Is a Real Win

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I like reality television — up to a point, at least. Wife Swap fascinated me with the rich stew of dissonance it routinely created: the prissy perfectionist wife trying to adjust to a home where teenagers spent all day playing video games and eating…

The Women of the Scarlet Headers Are Ready to Roll

For years motorcycle culture has been a male-dominated arena; the roads have long been ruled by men on their “hogs.” But Shelby Rossi was getting sick and tired of riding on the back of her boyfriend’s bike — so she decided to form the Scarlet Headers, a women’s motorcycle group…

Another 100 Colorado Creatives: Mara Wiles

#50: Mara Wiles Mara Wiles broke into comedy doing improv with Denver’s Impulse Theater, but soon made the shift to standup, becoming an integral member of the comedy scene and a regular attraction at local clubs and comedy nights. As a testament to her collaborative spark and likability, you’d be…

On Trend: Zombie Style Slays the Streets

Scares and style collided on October 18, when the annual Zombie Crawl filled the 16th Street Mall with zombies, blood and surprisingly good fashion. During the event, we spotted two local make-up artists who went all out with their looks for the day; keep reading to find out more on…

Photos: The Best of the Undead at Zombie Crawl 2014

It was that time of year again on Saturday, when thousands of zombies crawled out of their tombs for Denver’s annual Zombie Crawl on the 16th Street Mall. Photographer Aaron Thackeray braved a downtown stroll among the walking dead to bring back these images. Keep reading for a peek at…

ARC Calendar Project Strikes a Few Iconic Poses

If, as Fred Allen once suggested, a celebrity is someone who works hard at not being recognized, then the folks featured in the soon-to-be-released 2015 calendar put together by The Arc Pikes Peak Region are true superstars. The models — all people with developmental disabilities and Arc clients — have…

Three Things to Do for Free in Denver, October 20-23

Don’t let Halloween sneak up on you before catching one of the most influential horror movies of all time. And talk about scary — you can also read aloud from your teenage diary, or try to swallow a hot dog while laughing at Wisconsin comics. For a complete list of…

Kelly Sears Uses Found Footage to Capture Current Crises: See Them Tonight

Scouring flea markets, thrift stores and film archives, filmmaker Kelly Sears rescues bits and pieces of forgotten movies and reanimates old footage to explore new ideas. But unlike many found-footage filmmakers whose works are an exercise in nostalgia, Sears reinvents histories to reflect on the current crises facing our society…

Opening Weekend at A-Basin: Sunshine, Beer and Just Enough Snow

Happy skiers and snowboarders flocked to Arapahoe Basin over the weekend for the official kickoff to the 2014-’15 Colorado ski season, amid sunny conditions and a party atmosphere. While balmy weather is keeping the snow guns at bay elsewhere, it’s only a matter of time before Loveland, Winter Park and…

Truth Be Told Story Slam Hits Boulder Sunday

In today’s world, the art of storytelling has been diminished by quick texts and 140-character tweets. So Nina Rolle and Johanna Walker are crusading to keep storytelling alive with the Truth Be Told story slam. “I think that people really crave stories,” Walker says. “They help us build community and…