CULTURE




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He’s Bringing His Friends With Him: An Interview With Nick Deez

You might have seen Richmond standup comic Nick Deez hosting shows for high-profile touring comedians, or headlining at one of Jack N' Minor's Pickup shows. Now he's putting on a showcase of local favorites at Sandman Comedy Club this Sunday. Gabe Santamaria caught up...

Full Capacity: An Interview With Joe Machi

This week, Joe Machi comes to Richmond's Sandman Comedy Club. In preparation, Gabe Santamaria talked to him about open mics, the New York comedy scene, and growing a patchy beard, among other things. I got to chat with the hilariously lovable Joe Machi this week. I’ve...

Questioning The System: Eileen Cabiling’s Basurero

We sent Ryan Kent to the Richmond International Film Festival. He came back raving about a short film from the Philippines called Basurero. So we got him to interview Basurero's director, Eileen Cabiling -- who, it turns out, has some strong connections to Richmond. I...

A Scanner Brightly

With 21st century digital tools including NFTs, Richmond-based gallery Eden Airlines is giving artists unprecedented opportunity to receive compensation from their artwork and make the creative life more sustainable. When the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) craze burst forth...

Exploring Greek Comedy With Yannis Pappas

The "Tzatziki King," Yannis Pappas, comes to Sandman Comedy Club this weekend. In advance of his three-night stand, Gabe Santamaria sat down with him to talk about history, Jeff Bezos, and how comedians are really just theatre kids. This week I got to talk with the...

Richmond Comedy Gets A Pick-Me-Up

At the height of the pandemic, when pretty much everyone needed a good laugh, Jack N' Minor's Pickup Comedy Show began bringing live standup to the RVA masses in a socially distanced outdoor environment. Gabe Santamaria spoke to the men behind the wheel of the only...

Ancient Witch Marks May Reveal The Entrance To Hell

What was it about England's Creswell Crags that so frightened its ancient visitors? Whatever it was, they sure left a lot of ritual markings to commemorate it. Now researchers are making their own investigations. Last week, a major discovery was made in a scattered stretch of British caves. Apotropaic markings -- carvings with barrier-like...

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A Main Street Movie Theatre Returns To Former Glory In Ashland

From first-run movies and a unique, locally-focused atmosphere to live music presented by the Broadberry Entertainment Group, the Ashland Theatre's got it all. Local is EVERYTHING. And at the Ashland Theatre, Ashland is exactly what you get. The rich history, the architecture, the food, the music, everything. “When we opened we wanted to make...

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Cuarón’s Roma Captures A Family and Country In Turmoil

The latest film from famed director Alfonso Cuarón turns the story of a family's difficulties into one of the year's best films.  Roma, a film written and directed by the acclaimed Mexican auteur and Academy-Award winning Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity), might just be the best film of the year. Cuarón, known for his exquisite visual...

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Hubris, Hedonism, and Hair: Warren Beatty’s Shampoo (1975)

Directed by Hal Ashby (Being There, Harold & Maude), 1975’s Shampoo is a multifaceted comical look at sex, politics, gender, and well, hair. Set on the day that Richard Nixon won the 1968 presidential election, Shampoo stars Warren Beatty as George Roundy, a handsome lothario and hairdresser from Los Angeles who aspires to one day open his...

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