Arts+Movies, Charleston City Paper

Tales Transposed opens tomorrow at City Gallery

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:00 -0400

The City Gallery's Piccolo Spoleto exhibition, Tales Transposed: a Celebration of Imagination, opens tomorrow, which means you can get in and see it before the Spoleto crowds hit. Swing by the opening reception tomorrow night from 5-7 p.m.

The group show features painter Nathan Durfee, collage artist Lillian Trettin, and sculptor Judy Mooney. more…

Go see the Shock T's at Piccolo Fringe — or else

Erica Jackson Curran — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400

Singing super-group The Shock T's have performed in Charleston so many times, we forget they actually live in Chicago. They're returning for their third Piccolo Spoleto performance May 31-June 2, and they recently posted a video to encourage local audiences to attend their show. more…

McClellanville's Stephanie Waldron keeps Hollywood's blockbusters green

Kelly Rae Smith — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Stephanie Waldron's homebase is nestled away in McClellanville, quite possibly the most picturesque corner of the South. But she can also be found creating remarkable scenes from scratch in destinations both near and far.

Star Trek Into Darkness is a sign of the hopeless times

MaryAnn Johanson — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

There's something that makes me very sad about Star Trek Into Darkness.

Philip Durst gets therapeutic with convenience store castoffs

Leah Rhyne — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

What do you get when you fold hundreds of Dum Dum wrappers into origami boats and glue them to the pages of old legal texts?

Jeffrey Day to serve as City Paper's Spoleto overview critic

Erica Jackson Curran — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:00 -0400

This week is ominously known as "Spoleto Week" here at the City Paper offices. It's the deceptively quiet week we spend preparing for the first of three big issues devoted to Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto. more…

CBS getting ‘Reckless’ this fall

Paul Bowers — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:34:00 -0400

Variety is reporting that CBS has picked up the legal soap drama Reckless for its fall season. The pilot of the show was filmed in Charleston this spring. more…

Film Rebate Bill signed into law

Erica Jackson Curran — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 -0400

Good news for South Carolina’s growing film industry: The Film Rebate Bill (S.163), passed by the Legislature last week, was subsequently signed into law by Gov. Nikki Haley.

This means, for one thing, that when film companies buy supplies from S.C. vendors, they’ll get up to 30 percent off in rebates, as opposed to the previous 15 percent. more…

Pit Boss star talks about dogs, music, and the Playboy Mansion

Brooks Brunson — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:00:00 -0400

On Sat. May 11, Find Love in Pit Bulls (F.L.I.P.) is hosting a pit bull awareness and fundraising event with some of Charleston’s best pit bull-loving organizations like Chuck Town Bully Breed Club and Pet Helpers. The event, which is being held at the Hooters in North Charleston, will also feature Sebastian Saraceno from Animal Planet’s hit show, Pit Boss. We got in touch with Saraceno to get all the details on the pit party and why he thinks this is an important cause.

Baz Luhrmann doesn't show enough respect for Jay Gatsby

Scott Renshaw — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Because an adaptation of this kind, more than most others, faces assaults from two fronts: those who are ready to be outraged at any violation of the nigh-sacred text, and those whose sphincters involuntarily clench at the recollection of frustrations in high-school English classes. Too literary or not literary enough — that's Luhrmann's lose-lose scenario.

Vintage curator Lauren Lail debuts her first ready-to-wear collection

Erica Jackson Curran — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Lauren Lail understands the awkwardness of showing up to a party wearing the same dress as someone else. That's why she started collecting and selling vintage clothing to Charleston's social butterflies.

Material Matters showcases the shocking, the bold, and the delicate

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

There are five artists included in the Material Matters exhibit, but after seeing it, I just keep thinking about the pig intestines. And the clumps of fake hair spilling out of them. But more on that later.

Clybourne Park one of PURE’s best productions yet

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400

The second act of Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park is when, I suspect, the audience began to recognize themselves on stage. I know I certainly did, and, as is usually the case with such things, it wasn’t a terribly flattering portrait.

New library service gives free digital access to 150-plus magazines

Erica Jackson Curran — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:15:00 -0400

We mourned the loss of Maghound, sort of a Netflix for magazine lovers, when it went under last year. But we’re not so sad anymore, because we just found out that we can access digital copies of more than 150 popular magazines through our beloved local library. more…

Despite some flaws, Threshold's 33 Variations is spellbinding

Leah Rhyne — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400

The Threshold Repertory Theatre is a tricky little theater. When I walked into the studio last month to see The Mousetrap, the stage felt cramped, tight, filled with stuff everywhere.

Kyle Morrissey presents a physics-inspired collection at Lime Blue

Leah Rhyne — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

In the course of 30 minutes with up-and-coming local artist Kyle Morrissey, we've discussed theoretical physics, nature, animals, and the landscapes of the Renaissance.

50 Shades! The Musical pokes fun at smutty sensation

Erica Jackson Curran — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

When the comedians behind the Chicago-based musical improv group Baby Wants Candy decided to throw together a spoof of Fifty Shades of Grey a few weeks before the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, they didn't really expect it to take off.

To the Wonder is a meandering meditation on the nature of love

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The opening of Terrence Malick's latest film, To the Wonder, is undeniably compelling. A man (Ben Affleck) and a woman (Olga Kurylenko) are touring Paris, caressing and ogling each other with an intensity that conveys, without a need for words, that these two have recently met and are madly, passionately in love.

Robert Lange curates a cure for what ails you

Erin Holaday Ziegler — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Inspired by seven simple affirmations received from his mother-in-law a few years ago, Charleston painter Robert Lange hopes to inspire Holy City creatives of all kinds with his new Affirmations collection.

Robert Mangold's 'Angled Ring' is this year's Spoleto poster

Erica Jackson Curran — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:40:00 -0400

Spoleto's General Director Nigel Redden unveiled the festival's official 2013 poster this morning. The poster features the painting "Angled Ring" by New York artist Robert Mangold. more…

Art heist leads to new North Charleston City Hall sculpture

Paul Bowers — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:13:00 -0400

Back in January, artist Jonathan Brilliant wheeled his new metal sculpture “Woven Structure” into the center of the traffic circle near North Charleston City Hall and bolted it into the concrete. Hundreds of people drive past the sculpture every day now, but few know its origin story.

Kathie Lee and Hoda taking over the Cistern Thursday

Erica Jackson Curran — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:40:00 -0400

Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, those wacky ladies of the TODAY show, are headed to Charleston this week. They'll be filming the fourth hour of the NBC show here in segments that are scheduled to air May 2 and 3. more…

CIFF Day Four: S.C. Indie Grant Winners

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:27:00 -0400

On Saturday, I headed to Physicians' Auditorium to see films by the S.C. Film Commission's Indie Grant winners. Of the several years that I've seen the Indie Grants films, this was the most all-around impressive showing (although to be fair, two of the films were shown in their unfinished forms at last year's festival). more…

CIFF Night Three: Mimes and the Great Recession

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:07:00 -0400

The Charleston International Film Festival really hit its stride on Friday, with a big, chatty crowd filling up the Sottile before the 7 p.m. feature screening. I don't generally see that many features during festivals — as I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm a sucker for the shorts — but I'm really glad I caught this one. more…

CIFF Night Two: Shorts

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:52:00 -0400

As much as I love features, when it comes to film festivals I'm always even more interested to see the shorts programs. There's something so satisfying about a really good short film, probably because they've got to do more — tell a tight, emotionally engaging story that grabs you from the outset — with less time, fewer actors, and a lower budget. more…