For decades, fans of Stephen King’s The Shining have made a pilgrimage to Estes Park to visit the Stanley Hotel, the famous inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in King’s horror novel, and though the Stanley embraces its pop-culture connection and is overflowing with spooky hauntings and creepiness, one physical manifestation…
2014 was a strange year for comedy, marred by scandal, controversy, and the tragic loss of legendary talents. New comics seized the spotlight, blossoming into full-fledged stardom on the strength of career-best showcases and others saw their acclaim diminish. Frankly, it made us shudder a bit to see the lead-in photo of Bill Cosby from last year’s list. Fittingly, Hannibal Buress, the comedian who launched a thousand think-pieces by refusing to remain silent about the accusations against Cosby, is having a banner year. Admittedly whittling down the ranks from ten to five necessarily omits some fine hours of comedy from the list. Specials like Patton Oswalt’s Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time and Jim Gaffigan’s Obsessed are worth seeking out, but lack the distinction of their finest work. Meanwhile, performers like Nick Offerman and Wyatt Cenac, whose American Ham and Brooklyn were released last year, seemed to merely coast off the goodwill of their TV careers, experimenting with interesting formats but mostly stumbling through laugh-free hours. Every comedian listed here, however, is at the top of their respective games, turning in their funniest work yet.
We’ve written before about photographer Suzanne Heintz and her too-perfect mannequin family, husband Chauncey and daughter Mary Margaret, who for a decade-and-a-half have been the subjects of an ongoing project called Life Once Removed. Somehow, Heintz’s ideal family has a way of always falling to pieces, as it did last…
New Year’s Eve revelers went back in time to the ’70s and the ’80s at Time After Time, a retro nod to the era of funky grooves, mullet hair and rainbow afro wigs. Photographer Danielle Lirette followed revelers into the way-back machine at City Hall; a taste of the action…
As the year in movie-going draws to a close — and as critics busy themselves drawing up lists and handing out awards — it seems time at last to look ahead. Here are the ten films to get excited about in the year to come. 1. Jauja (directed by Lisandro…
Editor’s note: After canceling the nationwide release of The Interview, due to threats by hackers angry at the movie’s sentiment toward North Korea, Sony Pictures Entertainment — perhaps after being scolded by President Obama — decided to screen the film on a limited basis. In Denver, it has been shown…
Ann Hamilton and Jae Ko et al. For Ann Hamilton: Selected Works, the initial enfilade of spaces at Robischon Gallery is taken over by works on paper by this noted conceptualist. The first group is from her “visite” series, the name of which is taken from the term “carte de…
Fiddler on the Roof. This production of Fiddler on the Roofdoes full justice to Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s brilliant songs, tells the evocative story with clarity and feeling, and also — uniquely — sounds the musical’s deeper, darker chords. The action is set in a rural Russian Jewish community…
TV continued to unmoor from its origins and transform into something else this year. No longer tethered to a specific appliance, a particular kind of storytelling, or even commercial concerns, “television” now feels like an increasingly obsolete word. But that’s a discussion for another time, for we’ve come to celebrate…
This being Colorado and all, there’s no telling what the weather might be like on the day of the 32nd annual Boulder Polar Plunge, when tradition calls for jumping into the Boulder Reservoir for a brisk bath to celebrate the New Year while helping others. “Our volunteers don’t mind when…
In the weeks since Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Interstellar came out, geeks have been debating the need for scientific accuracy in sci-fi movies. In Disney’s 1979 clunker The Black Hole — which might be better titled The Sinkhole —scientific plausibility is galactically unimportant. “It’s bad. It’s ridiculously bad,” says Ernie Quiroz,…
Strange but true: Somehow, in our little town, there were two separate collectives — Misassembly and Laser Party — making film-poster art in Denver. “We are essentially two factions of artists and friends who didn’t know we were all doing the same thing,” explains Misassembly’s Daniel Crosier. But now that…
Deep down inside, we all know that Downton Abbey — the addictive British saga set at the fictional Crawley estate in Yorkshire — is just a highbrow soap opera. But that doesn’t mean we should love it any less. In fact, we can — and should — celebrate its romantic…
Chances are that when you think of Los Angeles, your mind pulls out a clip from a random movie you’ve seen over the years, depicting the city as a hot, dirty, sprawling mess of packed highways, teeming with crime and shifty characters. CalArts professor, filmmaker and L.A. resident Thom Anderson…
A bride’s big day can be overwhelming, but today’s Colorado Bridal Show aims to alleviate some of that stress by offering the best of the best in wedding vendors all in one room. Discover unique ceremony locations, sample cakes and even sit down at potential reception tables at this curated…
By day, the Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin at Crested Butte is best known as a high-end, on-mountain, reservations-recommended dining experience for the pampered powder chaser. But Wednesday through Saturday nights, it hosts five-course gourmet meals for diners who travel by sleigh for the experience. Tonight’s Full Moon Party, however,…
The first thing audiences are likely to notice about on-the-rise standup comic Carly Aquilino is her bright-red hair, which is dyed a shade that does not exist in the natural world. Fortunately, Aquilino transcends her stage hair with witty and relatable material that delves into the muck of personal relationships…
For many years, several of Denver’s best-known co-op galleries have kicked off the new year with big member shows — diverse samplers of the kinds of work that gallery-goers will see at smaller one- or two-person shows scheduled throughout the year. But at Core New Art Space, the January teaser…
“The big trend to me is the pull-away from romantic art to what’s really happening in Western art,” explains Rose Fredrick, who’s curated the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale for nineteen years. “I think a lot of artists in this region want to speak about land usage, the things…
The kids have been on school break, and if you’ve got cabin fever after being cooped up with them, a trip to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science might just be the cure. Ticket prices can add up when you’re taking the whole family, which is why the SCFD…
After this weekend, we’ll finally be out of holiday season, gang. It has been a wild time, and even with the temps dropping, we’re still out there enjoying all the wonderful events this city has to offer. Before you head back to your normal life on Monday, listen and dance…
This week’s cover story details the fantastic rise of Craftsy, Denver’s hottest (and most unexpected) start-up, which is making millions delivering online quilting and knitting courses to hobbyists all over the planet. Craftsy is also digitizing the burgeoning maker movement — turning quilting teachers into online celebrities, cake-decorating aficionados into…
