To start off with, I want to look back on some of the famous movies that have been filmed right here in Boulder and in some of our close neighboring cities. Perhaps the most famous recent film shot in Colorado was “The Hateful Eight”, Tarantino’s latest film which featured a bounty hunter and his prisoner seeking shelter in a cabin inhabited by some nefarious criminals. The film is bloody, funny, and excellently written, and located not too far from Boulder in Telluride, CO. Tarantino put out feelers in Utah and Wyoming, before settling on the Colorado location. Tarantino wanted a mountain... Read More

Every Boulderite knows that Chautauqua is up on 900 Baseline Road in Boulder, but how did it get there? And what is a Chautauqua anyway? The Chautauqua movement of the late 19th century was an effort to educate rural communities who lacked access to the mass culture being developed in cities. The movement lasted from the 1870s all the way into the 1920s. Rural peoples were hungry for entrainment and brain food, but lacked a way to easily travel because automobiles weren’t widely available until 1910. The “Mother Chautauqua” (which sounds a bit like a spaceship name to me) was... Read More

You may not know this but Matt Stone and Trey Parker were CU film studies graduates. The first episode of South Park was animated right here at CU, in the basement of Macky Auditorium actually. Cody is film student at CU as well and he has grand plans for his career. Like Parker and Stone, Cody’s interests lie in animation. He recently returned form a trip abroad in Japan where the culture and art undoubtedly influenced him in creating his Junior years film. Next fall, Cody will spend the entire year articulating his thesis film, again animated. Keep an eye out for Cody Arizona Storm,... Read More

Motto: “Never Stop Growing” (Balfour) 1. Grab some ice cream at Sweet Cow A fan favorite, Sweet Cow is a Colorado based, small-batch ice cream shop, and its original location is in Louisville! Sweet Cow also has a food truck that travels around Colorado. This location is home to tons of seating and lights, and is a lovely place to hang out on warm summer afternoons. Their flavors are always changing, so there’s never a reason not to stop by! 2. Have a date night at Cinebarre If you want to have your cake and eat it too–while watching a movie–Cinebarre is the place to... Read More

I’ve written about bikes several times before in this column. Cycling seems to be something that ignites a fire and unleashes a glorious abandon within many of us. Suspended between heaven and earth, wheeling along on our rubber tires, just a little lower than the avian swifts in their tar-black feathers, we are released from the boundaries and burdens of surly Earth and, for a moment, we are the divine. I mean, it’s oftentimes a shit-ton of sweat and dirt and agony, but there’s more moments of feeling your body and releasing your soul while cycling than almost any other experience I have... Read More

Here’s the weird thing about change: most of the time, we don’t notice it happening until it’s already happened. Smartphones are an omnipresent feature of life, and the fact is that if you don’t have one, you’re operating at a fairly huge disadvantage. Yet it wasn’t that long ago that they were looked at as frivolous and hardly necessary. Once in a while though, change kicks us in the teeth. Our good friend the coronavirus has seen to that, and right now things are changing very quickly. As I write this, I see that there’s very serious talk from staunch conservatives about sending... Read More

A favorite event of mine which takes place at CU Boulder is the International Film Series, an event which features a widely diverse schedule. One of the most significant mistakes that one can make is to ignore the IFS while involved at the campus. It is vital that the International Film Series at CU Boulder is supported. It indeed is one of those programs that thrives off of student involvement; as such, keeping up to date on the schedule and what is being shown is very important. Here are some shows which are coming up at IFS that I believe one should mark on their calendar. The Man Who Fell to... Read More

Ever since entering the Film Studies program at CU Boulder, I have become privy to how complex and marvelous cinema is. It has also made me realize that film has more to offer than what is commercially popular. There are hundreds upon hundreds of brilliant films which go unrecognized, mostly owing to lack of exposure. However, there are programs which strive to remedy this. One of these is the Unseen Festival, which will take place in Boulder and Denver over a thirty-day period. The Unseen Festival is focused mostly on experimental films, many of which are not shown elsewhere. In attempting to... Read More

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the world premier of the documentary exploring marijuana’s use and evolution as a plant and industry, “The Legend of 420”. The film was produced and directed by Emmy and Academy Award-nominated, Peter Spirer, with Rugged Entertainment and XLRator Media. The premier in Denver, now the hub for hemp and marijuana movie premiers known as Hollyweed, was made possible by Amy Bourlon-Hilterbran, the founder and CEO of Millennium Grown Broadcast Network. Millennium Grown brought this premier to Denver, and contains online content about marijuana and hemp... Read More

The fireworks have been lit and the watermelon consumed. While the weather is still sizzling and the iced drinks are still in season, the Forth of July reminds us all that summer is fast on its way by. I’ve always found the moment when the last sparkler goes out to be a profoundly bittersweet moment. In my quest for an endless summer, I’ve sought out as many seasonal celebrations as possible. Here are a few of the sunniest. Tube to Work Day Was June’s bike to work day too mundane for you? Do you relish the idea of commute by water? Don your worst suit, grab your tube, and join the... Read More

THURSDAY 3/17 For St Patrick’s Day, you’ve got a plethora of events and specials to choose from at any given bar, brewery, or eatery in town. Interested in something different? At 7PM, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan will be at the Boulder Public Library. Egan’s novel A Visit From the Goon Squad, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, is a fascinating, non-linear investigation into the passage of time through the lenses of a cast of 13 characters whose lives are drawn together by rock and roll. Further, it contains an excellent list and analysis of some of the best and most notable... Read More

On Thursday from 7:00 to 9:30, check out Brew and View happy hour at Neptune Mountaineering. Big City Mountaineers will be showing TGR’s Paradise Waits for $20.00. All proceeds will go to Big City Mountaineering which mentors kids in nature. If you feel like going swing dancing, head down to Caffe Sole this Thursday featuring After Midnight. Summer Camp On The Road with Flash Mountain Flood, Tenth Mountain Division, CollieRad and Punch Drunk Munky Funk will be at the Fox Theater this Thursday. Doors open at 7:30pm and tickets are going for $10. The Johnny Cash tribute band, Cash’d Out, will... Read More

I don’t totally dislike the horror film genre. I just prefer not to be incredibly disturbed and grossed out while watching a movie because, honestly, I’m good at traumatizing myself in real life. Although I’m not afraid of the dark and I prefer to live alone, I’m also kind of a jumpy and paranoid person. I get startled when my light-footed boyfriend comes up behind me just to ask a question and if a friend who drives home late at night forgets to text me upon her safe arrival then I’ll assume the worst—that she died in a car crash. Since I’m slightly morbid, I do like some genres... Read More