FILM & TV




more in culture

VHS Club | Near Dark

"You have to learn how to kill." In Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark, the vampires aren’t sexy. There’s nothing particularly interesting about them. They’re not Eurocentric romantics; they’re pure Americana, highway drifters chasing the night. They burn. They kill....

Review | ‘SMOKE’ at Firehouse, Fire in my Belly.

Once again, a trip to the Firehouse Theatre has found a way to send me home with a boiling pit of emotions churning in my gut and fiery rants on the tips of my fingers. Art is made to provoke, not to placate, and this is what I signed up for. SMOKE, the current...

Our Ultimate Guide to Richmond Summer Concerts and Festivals 2025

Let’s be honest: most local summer music guides read like they were written by someone who’s never been to a show. A few safe headliners. Maybe a festival or two. So we made our own and put it all in one place for easy reference. This is RVA Magazine’s...

Sound Check! Dogpark! The Menzingers! Destructo Disk! & More!

Keep sending me songs! Keep sending me shows! I love music! I love being alive! I love Richmond! Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com. Friday Cheers | Dogpark, Weekend Plans, Caroline VainFriday, May...

Your (slightly late) guide to Thanksgiving movies

As a holiday, Thanksgiving gets a bad rap. I’ll never condemn a holiday that pretty much guarantees you a good meal, some football, and some enforced reflection and hopefully gratitude onto others. As a holiday, Thanksgiving gets a bad rap. I’ll never condemn a holiday that pretty much guarantees you a good meal, some football, and some enforced...

Read More

screen_shot_2014-12-02_at_11.50.32_am.png

The Top 5 Must-See Horror Classics for Halloween

Horror is the most vital genre in film history. It's been through multiple golden eras, going from the mid-20th century's amazingly-fake dolls and props to the era of modern film technology, leaving those faint of heart gasping for breath. But between the classic monster movies and today, there were many films which pushed the genre forward;...

Read More

screen_shot_2014-10-31_at_12.19.55_pm.png

Netflix Halloween review: The American Scream

When most people think back on Halloween, the walk down memory lane may include the old neighborhood trick-or-treat route, the homemade costumes someone made you wear, those plastic vampire teeth that never fit inside anyone’s mouth, and using a pillowcase instead of a real bag for candy because it held more inside. However, the most memorable...

Read More

screen_shot_2014-10-30_at_11.06.10_am.png

For Philip Seymour Hoffman: A Tribute to Acting’s Greatest Underdog

"Sometimes I’m working on a film and someone will ask me if I’m having fun. And I’m tempted to tell them the truth: No, absolutely not. Having no fun here at all. You know what’s going to be fun? When it’s done, and I’ve done a fuckin’ good job, and I know people are getting something out of that. I’ll have a lot of fun then. A ton of it.” The...

Read More

psh020714.jpg