Tom Hanks Waits for Meaning, Connection and a King

Don’t hold it against Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram for the King that its best scene is also its first. As Alan Clay (Tom Hanks) strides down a suburban street singing a modified version of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” (“You may find yourself … without a beautiful house ……

Elvis & Nixon Is as Two-Dimensional as That Famous Photo

Elvis Presley once watched Dr. Strangelove three times in one night at a Memphis movie theater. After that, he made them play the last reel several more times, marveling at it. It’s fascinating to wonder about: Here’s this country’s biggest musical star, the leading man in movies he knew were…

The Denver County Fair Gets Two-Faced and Political in 2016

In its sixth year, the Denver County Fair is still full of surprises — and this week’s 2016 poster reveal offers another one.  The latest masterpiece from fair poster artist and Denver painter Mark Penner Howell is all about politics, with an emphasis on the fair’s newest addition: the Political…

Too Bad Midnight Special‘s Gripping Parental Drama Is on the Run

In Jeff Nichols’ gripping domestic thriller Take Shelter, Michael Shannon played a family man convinced that Armageddon was upon us. But even as the character’s visions compelled him to take more and more extreme precautions, the film remained fixed in the world of the real. It was a portrait of…

Denver Is Drowning in Awful Architecture: Here Are the Hateful Eight

Denver is changing rapidly. Some of the changes have been good: the burgeoning art scene, the museum-building boom, the explosion in restaurants and the whole Napa-of-craft-beer thing, not to mention legalized marijuana. But there have also been some bad changes: the terrible traffic, the litter and pet waste everywhere, the…

Eight Things That Make Residents of Aurora Very, Very Mad

The City of Aurora really came into its own in the 1970s and 80s, when it was one of America’s fastest-growing cities. But because of that fast growth, Aurorans have had to deal with a number of issues over the years, as the growing pains of a community meet the…

100 Colorado Creatives 3.0: Curtis Tucker

#84: Curtis Tucker Trained in graphic design, Curtis Tucker is one of those staunch DIY guys. He’s worked as a middleman in the underground zine industry as a traveling vendor; through his online venture Far Out Zines, he’s distributed micro-press and handmade publications, including his own. As a ground-floor gallery…

The Craftsman & Apprentice Gets Keys to Expanded Space Today

Husband-and-wife duo Jonathan Fessler and Delanie Holton-Fessler are in the business of rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, and now they have more than enough elbow room to do their work. The founders of The Craftsman and Apprentice, named Best Place to Learn Your Craft in the Best of…

Literary Calendar: Great Poets and a Girl Geek Hit Denver This Week

National Poetry Month brings big poetic voices — Paul Muldoon and Douglas Kearney — to Denver this week, and on the geek front, Felicia Day hits the Tattered Cover with her nerd-tastic memoir. Take your pick: An Evening With Poet Paul Muldoon Tivoli Brewing Company 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21…

Three Things to Do for Free in Denver, April 18-21

If the weather this past weekend put a damper on your plans, you can catch up on all that fun you missed this weekend. Keep reading for three of our favorite free events, and check the Westword calendar for more options.  The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou  Infinite Monkey Theorem…

The Lucas Brothers on TV Heaven, Stoner Comedy and 4/20

Sexpot Comedy is celebrating 4/20 with a standup showcase at the Oriental Theater packed fuller than a gravity bong. Aaron Urist, David Gborie, Billy Wayne Davis, Noah Gardenswartz and Ester Steinberg will join newly-minted Sexpot host David Rodriguez in an embarrassment of comedic riches. And then there are headliners Keith…