CULTURE




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Op-Ed: Your Footwear Is Killing My Country

Guest writer Phil Ford comes to us with dire warnings of a great scourge plaguing our sadly divided nation: flip-flops. There is an antagonism we are experiencing in our great nation that has had many suspects in the lineup: race, religion, socio-economics - -  but...

Built For Love: The 2019 Richmond Tattoo, Art & Music Festival

With internationally-acclaimed tattoo artists alongside your favorite artists from the River City, the Richmond Tattoo, Art, & Music Festival is bringing its artistic fire to town this month. Richmond is a tattoo mecca -- this has become an undeniable...

The Farewell: Loss, Identity, and Lies

Lulu Wang's directorial debut, The Farewell, explores the morality of lies and the complexities of family dynamics. Lulu Wang's The Farewell features a scene where Billi, played by Awkwafina, learns from her grandmother, or Nai Nai, how to dispel toxins from her body....

Ink It Up: Richmond’s Tattoo Party of the Year 2019

Dates: September 13-15, 2019Event Page: rvatattooarts.com Join us for one of the world's oldest tattoo conventions, hosted by the renowned Jesse Smith and Kenny Brown. This year's event promises an incredible lineup of talent and entertainment. Highlights: Tattoo...

Criterion Resurrects Paranoid Neo-Noir Classic Klute

Featuring Jane Fonda at her early-70s best, this atmospheric mystery from Alan J. Pakula shines in its new Criterion Collection reissue. Successful producer-turned-director Alan J. Pakula hit a hot streak in the 1970s, beginning with his “Paranoia Trilogy” -- three...

Tearing Down Toxic Masculinity with The Art of Self Defense

In his latest film, director Riley Stearns takes on deceptive ideologies to shock audiences with humor and horror.  In our modern age of fast information and lack of fact-checking, it has become easier than ever to indoctrinate and brainwash populations. This is...

Virginia Film Festival’s ‘Permanent’

The following is RVA Magazine's continued coverage of Charlottesville's Virginia Film Festival this past weekend. Staff writer Kyle Shearin was on the scene to highlight some of the films from the three-day event. If you missed the first in the series, you can check that review out here.  “Permanent”, a new film, comes from Virginian...

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Virginia Film Festival Review: Spike Lee’s ‘4 Little Girls’

Based in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, the Virginia Film Festival has celebrated the art of film for over 30 years and this past weekend, it continued its tradition of highlighting new features and documentaries, fresh takes on timeless classics, and local filmmakers. Staff writer Kyle Shearin attended the festival and in the...

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Kyle’s Criterion Corner: The Lure (2016)

Not exactly a modern-spin on an old fable, The Lure is a stirring, if fragmented coming-of-human tale of two sisters who happen to be carnivorous, singing, vampire-like mermaids. After being lured by a family of intriguing music performers, Silver (Marta Mazurek) and Golden (Michalina Olszanska) two young, beautiful, mermaids find themselves the...

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Lucky 13 Draws Crowds with Affordable Ink Deals

It's a long-standing tradition at Richmond's tattoo shops, but what makes someone wait in line for a $13 tattoo? Customers lined up by All-For-One, one of many shops along with Lucky 13 offering specials on Friday the 13th "It's really about the community," one heavily-tattooed visitor tells me. She skipped work to be here, and asks that I not...

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Kyle’s Criterion Corner: David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

2017 has been the year David Lynch returned to our lives. After a decade-plus absence in making films, his signature series Twin Peaks resumed (after a seemingly foreseen 25-year hiatus), continuing to instill that special sense of enigmatic storytelling that’s often associated with the director and his work on and off the screen. While Lynch is...

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