Watch: A Video History of the City’s Many Inclines
Travel back in time to the heyday of Pittsburgh's inclines.
Categories: The 412
The 400-Word Review: Joker
There's been plenty of pre-release chatter about the Batman villain's marquee movie. So how is it?
PHOTO BY NIKO TAVERNISE / WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT Here’s what you will not find in this space: An analysis of the sociopolitical implications, cultural signifiers or micro-historic context of “Joker.” For those takes, please see the entire rest of the internet. What I do have for you: A review of the film. Remarkable how much debate there was before anyone…
The 400-Word Review: In the Tall Grass
Netflix's shocker, based on a story by Stephen and Joe King, is twisty — but dark — fun.
PHOTO COURTESY NETFLIX I remember reading “In the Tall Grass,” a novella by Stephen and Joe King, when it was published in 2012. I found it harrowing and vivid, particularly a visceral sequence late in the story (which I wouldn’t dare even allude to here) that left me shuddering. I was skeptical, however, when a film adaptation was announced; despite…
ScareHouse’s New Escape Room is Frightfully Challenging
The first game from the ScareHouse team, "Stalked By a Killer," combines escape-room structure with haunted-house effects.
PHOTO COURTESY SCAREHOUSE I’ve been to enough escape rooms to kind of know the ropes — look through the stuff, find the clues, figure out what they relate to. So when I entered the second portion of “Stalked By a Killer,” the first game from the ScareHouse team, I offhandedly suggested to a friend that she check and see if…
Watch: Crossing Pittsburgh’s Sixth Street Bridge in 1902
This may be the earliest film footage of the Pittsburgh region.
This may be the earliest film footage of the Pittsburgh region.
Steve Blass’ Legacy: Under-Appreciated and Unforgettable
The broadcaster who is retiring on Sunday seemingly never got his proper due for what he did as a pitcher. But what he did on the mound for the Pirates in 1971 is on the short list of the best Pittsburgh has ever seen in any sport.
It’s a moment that has and will continue to live on in Pittsburgh sports lore, long after Steve Blass calls it a career on Sunday. Shortstop Jackie Hernandez ranging to his left, fielding a ground ball just past and behind second base, and firing to first. Hernandez’ throw beating the Orioles’ Merv Rettenmund by a step. And the winning pitcher…
Quick Review: Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles
Row House brings an animated film about the influential filmmaker to its Surrealism Week.
PHOTO COURTESY GKIDS I can’t profess to be particularly familiar with the surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel. I’ve engaged in the troubling viewing of “Un Chien Andalou” that every self-respecting movie guy must endure, but beyond that, I regret that I haven’t embarked on any particular study of his work. And yet a very specific look at the artist resonated with…
The 400-Word Review: Judy
Renee Zellweger's Oscar-worthy performance carries the Judy Garland biopic.
PHOTO BY DAVID HINDLEY / LD ENTERTAINMENT & ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS It is expected that a marquee performance in a prestige biopic should stand out. Each Oscar season is littered with excellent biographical performances in OK movies. In the current century, 21 Oscar-winning leads have played real-life figures, a statistic that balloons when nominees are added (and becomes positively unwieldy when…
The 400-Word Review: Abominable
The latest from Dreamworks Animation is ambitious, but derivative and dull.
PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AND PEARL STUDIO They’re trying, I guess? Dreamworks Animation is forever playing second fiddle to the two-headed monster of Disney and Pixar. (One head is a mouse, the other is a lamp.) For more than 20 years, the studio that Shrek built has been producing palatable, if effervescent, works of family animation that generally range from…
See Behind-the-Scenes Interviews in Extended Mr. Rogers Trailer
Cast, crew, friends and family tell the ‘Heart of the Story’ in this extended trailer.
Those who grew up in The Neighborhood of Make-Believe can expect to relive their childhood memories soon enough. AFFIRM Films released “The Heart of the Story,” an extended trailer for the upcoming film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” The new trailer features interviews from the cast and crew along with those who knew Rogers personally — including his wife,…
Pittsburgh Then & Now: Video of How We Looked in 1977
Shots from summer and winter and several things that aren't there anymore.
The scenes include views of downtown, the Duquesne Incline and Point State Park. The hi-fi shop shown at 400 Smithfield Street was called Opus One, and has since closed. Categories: Then/Now Tags: Pittsburgh, pittsburgh movies
The 400-Word Review: Between Two Ferns: The Movie
The web series might've been better served by a more unconventional film, but the results are funny enough.
PHOTO BY ADAM ROSE / NETFLIX I’ll be honest: I just wanted a 75-minute episode. Zach Galifianakis’ web series, “Between Two Ferns,” is a far more sophisticated product than it might appear at first glance. The simple format — a lo-fi talk show in which Galifianakis roasts his famous guests — belies both an effective satire of the genre and…
The 400-Word Review: Downton Abbey
The acclaimed series makes a handsome, if compressed, jump to the big screen.
PHOTO BY JAAP BUITENDIJK / FOCUS FEATURES In a veritable cascade of wit, hats and impeccable posture, the longtime television phenomenon “Downton Abbey” has made its jump to the big screen. The film of the same name (less of a postscript and more of a check-in) visits the series’ primary characters about 18 months after the conclusion of the series,…
The 400-Word Review: Ad Astra
Brad Pitt stars in a hypnotic masterpiece of science fiction.
PHOTO BY FRANCOIS DUHAMEL / 20TH CENTURY FOX It’s fitting that “Ad Astra,” a breathtaking, hypnotic work of science fiction, arrives about a year after the biographical film “First Man.” The latter film, a visually magnificent lionization of Neil Armstrong, was itself excellent. Among its strengths was a bold recapturing of the romantic journey into the stars; “First Man” revived…
2019 40 Under 40
Each year, Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP recognize 40 outstanding individuals under the age of 40 whose creativity, vision and passion enrich the Pittsburgh region. it’s time to meet the class of 2019. You can read more about these amazing individuals in our November issue and online. The winners were honored at a reception at the Rivers Casino Ballroom on…
Pgh Whiskey Festival
Pittsburgh Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 VIP: 6 – 7:30 p.m. General Admission: 7:30 – 10 p.m. Events Center at Rivers Casino EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Premium distilled spirits including whiskey, scotch, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, cordials and handcrafted cocktails Meet & greets with distillers and brand ambassadors Interactive Spirits Lounges Onsite Fine Wine &…
Three Local Artisans Setting the Market on Fire
Mia Tarducci, Andrew Jowdy Collins and John Malecki are Pittsburgh’s most talked about, talented and Instagram-worthy artists.
Sometimes, before you become the thing you always wanted to be, you have to pay the bills. It’s the reason many artists and makers are forced to relegate their craft to side project — often for years — before they can find the support or the following they need to take it full time. These days, a healthy social media…
The 400-Word Review: Tigers Are Not Afraid
This bleak horror movie may be a hard watch, but its excellent atmosphere lingers.
PHOTO COURTESY SHUDDER American horror does not often blend present-day traumas with supernatural threats. We prefer some degree of high-concept distance from our frights and fantasies — or, at the very list, the intellectual remove of a near-future setting, a la the “Purge” franchise. Elsewhere in the world, however, less space is kept between real-world terrors and fictional analogues —…
PM on KD: Our Back to School Issue
PM editor Brian Hyslop appeared on KDKA's Pittsburgh Today Live to share our September feature story on the important topics being taught off campus in Pittsburgh.
Read the full story on “The Amazing and Important Things Being Taught Off Campus” here. Categories: The 412 Tags: pittsburgh today live
The 400-Word Review: Hustlers
The compelling, sexy drama overcomes its limitations thanks to a great cast and confident director.
PHOTO COURTESY STX FINANCING, LLC The slick, likable crime drama “Hustlers” shouldn’t work. A pair of weighty flaws should be an albatross around the neck of the film. The story doesn’t have much of an arc to it; in short, things aren’t great, then they’re pretty good, then they get bad. There are no twists, no turns, no unexpected developments….
Why Our Nonprofit Partner Is Just as Important as the Whiskey
The Blood Science Foundation is a proud partner and nonprofit beneficiary of Pittsburgh Magazine’s Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival on Oct. 23.
Pittsburgh Magazine’s Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival is one week closer, which means we’re just six weeks from a night of high-end spirits sampling, a plentiful dinner and interactive whiskey experiences. While the Whiskey Fest is a destination for spirits aficionados and casual fans alike, it will also raise money for a worthy cause. The Blood Science Foundation (BSF) is…
The 400-Word Review: It Chapter Two
Pennywise the Dancing Clown returns, as the big-screen remake of "It" attempts to succeed where its predecessor stumbled.
Pennywise the Dancing Clown returns, as the big-screen remake of “It” attempts to succeed where its predecessor stumbled.
The 400-Word Review: Brittany Runs a Marathon
It's not quite the comedy you might be expecting, but "Brittany Runs a Marathon" will leave you feeling good.
It’s not quite the comedy you might be expecting, but “Brittany Runs a Marathon” will leave you feeling good.
Watch: Did You See Juju Smith-Schuster on Family Feud
Watch as the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver competes on Celebrity Family Feud for the charity Meals on Wheels.
Watch as the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver competes on Celebrity Family Feud for the charity Meals on Wheels.
