Do you remember your favorite video store growing up? Director Alex Ross Perry, who recently released his experimental documentary film Pavements, chronicles the now virtually extinct rental shop industry in Videoheaven, a three-hour film that screened at the Refocus Film Festival earlier this month. Fascinatingly, it’s not really a documentary. Videoheaven is uniquely devoted to studying […]
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Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mindy Mejia’s Iowa Mysteries series continues with ‘The Whisper Place.’ Refresh on all the action before you crack it open
Midwest thrillers are few and far between, but every time one crops up it scratches a special itch in my heart. There is something rich and powerful at having scenes from your childhood play out with hints of something absolutely foreign. Mindy Mejia is helping build the Midwest mystery genre with the third installment of her “Iowa Mysteries” series…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Englert and ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ cast celebrate 20 years of unabashedly odd entertainment
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Englert Theatre’s nonprofit status. Coincidentally, it also marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 independent film Napoleon Dynamite.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album review: KL!NG — ‘5 SONG SWEETIE PIE!’ EP
During the last gasps of August, KL!NG’s first EP came into the world, grew legs, and personified itself into a fun house. Think buckets of neon green paint, a ball pit, a wall-to-wall mirrored metallic bathroom and a projector dedicated to running continuous episodes of Twin Peaks.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Caleb Rainey and Lisa Roberts on getting ‘the leader of this generation’s spoken word’ for Mic Check Poetry Fest
The 2024 Mic Check Poetry Fest, billed as a two-day celebration of spoken word and its power to bear witness, create community and inspire change, kicks off Friday night with a showcase featuring some of the biggest names in the spoken word landscape. Little Village talked with festival organizers Caleb Rainey (recent Iowa Authors Award […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘The audience will not be spectators — they will be witnesses’: Helmed by two Black women, UI’s ‘for colored girls…’ is a rare, timely production
Choreopoem. That’s the word author and playwright Ntozake Shange invented to describe her seminal masterpiece, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf. The collection of twenty poems about seven African American women characters first came to life in 1974 at The Bacchanel, a lesbian bar near Berkeley, California.
Posted inEastern Iowa
‘Star Search: All Stars’ crowns its queen in a high-production, gorgeously gay finale at Studio 13
Now I know I’m probably sappier than everyone at Studio 13 put together but I just want to reiterate how incredibly lucky we, as audience members, are to experience this level of talent and dedication.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘I’ve had “evil video game” in my notes for story ideas for, like, ever’: Tatiana Schlote-Bonne on writing horror for the fun of it
On the day of the release of her debut, Such Lovely Skin, Tatiana Schlote-Bonne expressed excitement and optimism about her literary future and upcoming books. The Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program graduate’s horror novel centers on a young gamer and Twitch streamer, Viv, whose most recent game creates a demonic mimic of her which is determined to ruin her life.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Star Search: All Stars’ Ep. 7: Well-steeped tea spills, patterns clash and a fan favorite falls in the semi-final roast
Girl, this is not RuPaul’s best friends race. I can’t believe it’s already the top four but here we are, and what a challenge for it. I feel like everyone knows that the roast is harrowing.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Star Search: All Stars’ Ep. 3: Purple reigned at Studio 13 as contestants snatched celebrity (and fellow drag artists’) personas
Catch up on episode one and episode two. The infamous Snatch Game. Even in the actual RuPaul’s Drag Race, I dread Snatch Game. For those unfamiliar, it’s basically a sketch comedy routine. Each contestant chooses someone to impersonate and then participates in a dating show as that character — totally method. For those of us […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Album Review: Big Begonias — ‘In Bloom’
Gabrielle Kouri’s tune-wrangling—her quirky lyrics and distinctive compositions—have long been long admired in Eastern Iowa folk music circles.
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Despite ban, Iowa City’s municipal infrastructure is a surveillance infrastructure
By Nick Bergus, Iowa City Like many cities, Iowa City makes use of cameras and license plate readers to help manage its parking and traffic systems. Unlike most, Iowa City’s code includes significant privacy protections, prohibiting these devices from being used to identify a vehicle, its operator, occupants or owner. When the ordinance was passed […]
