WILD TALES Opening Friday It’s a shame that Peter Berg already named his bitter 1998 debut film Very Bad Things. Argentine writer-director Damián Szifron could’ve used the title for his latest, WILD TALES. It would perfectly describe what goes down in this 2015 Best Foreign Language Oscar nominee, and Szifron succeeds in capturing the wicked […]
Craig D. Lindsey
Bio: Craig Lindsey writes about pop culture for INDY Week. He lives in Raleigh.Link: http://unclecrizzle.tumblr.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/unclecrizzle
Posted inFilm & Television
In new documentary Red Army, the Cold War is waged on ice skates
RED ARMY Opening Friday The Russians who played hockey for the legendary Red Army team revisit some of their glory years with a combination of nostalgia and crankiness in this new documentary. Considering that it takes place at the height of the Cold War, you can hardly blame them. The story is told from the […]
Posted inArt
Comedian Todd Barry is laughing at you—enjoy
Todd Barry Wednesday, March 18, 8 p.m., $20 Motorco Music Hall 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham 919-901-0875 www.motorcomusic.com It’s rare for audiences to arrive at a stand-up comedy show knowingpsyched, eventhat the entertainment will rely on them. But when you attend a Todd Barry gig, you expect that some or all of it will consist of […]
Posted inArt
Gifted mimic Maria Bamford wants to be your Valentine at the NC Comedy Arts Festival
MARIA BAMFORD Saturday, Feb. 14, 8 p.m. Carolina Theatre 309 W. Morgan St., Durham 919-560-3030 www.carolinatheatre.org Maria Bamford is a fearless comic. This is not just because she has zero qualms about revealing her personal history and mental issues whenever she gets on the mike. She’s also fearless because she loves … gas-station food. In […]
Posted inFilm & Television
The Dardenne brothers send Marion Cotillard on a prosaic yet poignant quest in Two Days, One Night
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT Opening Friday Maybe it’s because I know all too well how painful, humiliating and soul-crushing it is to be short on work and have to ask people for help to keep from ending up broke and homeless, but I adored TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT, one of the best movies from last […]
Posted inArt
John Leguizamo discusses developing “Latin History for Dummies” in comedy clubs rather than theaters
John Leguizamo Thursday, Jan. 15 7:15 and 9:30, $33 Goodnights Comedy Club 861 W. Morgan St., Raleigh 919-828-5233 www.goodnightscomedy.com Surprisingly, the comedy club is a new environment for John Leguizamo. He used to test his material at performing-arts spaces before presenting it on a Broadway or Off-Broadway stage, but now, he is workshopping his latest […]
Posted inArt
Year in review: From Robin Williams to Bill Cosby, tragedy lurks behind the comedy mask
This year has reminded us that, for most comedians, life isn’t a nonstop laugh riot. Some of the most influential comics of the last century passed away this year. The most tragic loss was Robin Williams, who committed suicide in August at age 63. Depression, alcoholism and symptoms of dementia and Parkinson’s disease reportedly led […]
Posted inArt
A tale of two memes: The Triangle backstories of a pair of recent viral video sensations
If you have access to Vine, the app for creating and sharing short video clips, then you probably know what bruh means. You’ve seen one Vine after another (#BruhMovement) where people fall down or pass out to the sound of a guy saying that one word in mock awe. And you’ve probably seen the clip […]
Posted inCulture
Comedy preview: Neil Hamburger brings his anti-comic style to Raleigh
Neil Hamburger Saturday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m. Neptunes Parlour So you’re about to talk to a comedian who plays a comedian on stage: a bitter, offensive, gross-looking, not-that-funny-but-still-funny-in-a-weird-pitiful-is-this-really-happening kind of way. Then, a thought flashes into your head mere minutes before the interview: Will you be talking to the character or the guy playing him? […]
Posted inArt
Essay: Comedy nomad Dave Chapelle wraps himself in elusive lore
Dave Chappelle Friday, Nov. 7–Sunday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. $55 (sold out) Durham Performing Arts Center 123 Vivian St., Durham 919-680-2787 www.dpacnc.com For nearly a decade now, Dave Chappelle has been a comedic nomad. Ever since he walked away from his popular television program Chappelle’s Show in 2005, he has floated in and out of […]