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Pittsburgh City Paper •

A Night at the Riverhounds: Soccer, booze, and the Steel Army

I was greeted with hot dogs, cornhole, and a Jell-O shot.So goes the pre-game tailgate from the Steel Army , the fan group of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, the city’s professional soccer team. With COVID-19 restrictions lifted right in time for summer, I headed to Station Square’s Highmark Stadium on a recent gameday to get the full experience of attending Pittsburgh’s primary “non-major” sports team.And let me tell you, you can’t get the full experience of the Hounds without the Steel Army. St
Pittsburgh City Paper •

The Batman is a weird, dark, often exhilarating trip to Gotham

I was worried about the fun., the latest take on the Dark Knight, this time bydirector Matt Reeves, was impressive, exhilarating, bleak, and interesting in its first hour, but was it too serious? Could it unlock how to have at least a little fun, to acknowledge that it was still a comic at heart, and avoid the all-too somber tone that has plagued a lot of recent DC properties?Then a man dressed as a bat and a man dressed like the Zodiac killer with too much Scotch tape had a full conversation on
Pittsburgh City Paper •

The Northman is a jaw-dropping work of madness

When describing the process of filming Robert Eggers’, Ethan Hawke told, “I’ve spent my life wondering, 'Will I ever get to be on a set that feels like? You know, like, somebody’s trying. They have the balls, and the hubris and the arrogance to say, ‘I want to make a masterpiece.'”When your stated goal is to replicate one of the most chaotic film sets of all time, you knowisn’t going to be run of the mill. And to everyone’s benefit — except possibly Focus Features, who supposedly has tried drast
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Psychedelia provides unique history of mind-altering drug research

Psychedelics are still viewed with a degree of caution by most of the American public, but that wasn’t always the case. A new documentary coming to Pittsburgh dives into the short-lived period when psychedelic drugs were taken seriously as legitimate research tools.Pat Murphy’s new film,, will screen at the Row House Cinema at 7 p.m. on Tue., April 19 for a special “Bicycle Day” screening.Murphy keepsquick. The film is only 58 minutes, but it covers a lot of ground. We quickly dive into the hist
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Tull Family Theater to premiere Pittsburgh-shot dramatic thriller Hiraeth

As Pittsburgh continues to grow as a hub for film and television production, it will also continue to grow as an epicenter for young filmmaking talent. One local filmmaker, Xayne Allen, will set out to make his mark with the debut of his latest film,, a dramatic thriller produced under Allen's company G.W.A. Productions, will premiere on Wed., May 25 at the Tull Family Theater . The film is the first feature made under G.W.A. Productions in association with 3BT Productions, the combination of G.
Pittsburgh City Paper •

JFilm Festival returns with powerful line-up, world premiere of Tree of Life documentary

An annual film festival celebrating Pittsburgh’s strong and vibrant Jewish community is returning for its 29th season this year, with a mix of in-person and virtual screenings. The JFilm Festival, organized through Film Pittsburgh, runs from Thu., April 28-Sun., May 8, with three showings at the AMC Waterfront in Homestead, and 15 more films screening virtually.“Every year I think the films can't get any better, but we always find new gems,” says Film Pittsburgh Executive Director Kathryn Spitz
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania Man in a Button Down

How many variations of a button down with the sleeves slightly rolled up do you need to have before your audience is officially bored?Conor Lamb recently dropped a new campaign ad (or, as we like to call it, a politician-produced short film), but first, we’re taking a look at the prequel.Lamb’s first ad for his Pa. Senate campaign, is a Lifetime movie. You have no problem with it, and you then forget it the absolute second you’re done with it. Seriously,is a declaration of fact, not a title of y
Pittsburgh City Paper •

A conversation with Trace Brewing’s Aadam Soorma

What made you first get into craft beer?


Where did the Guest Experience element come from before you came to Trace?


What separated Trace in its first year of dine-in service was being a different taproom experience than a lot of what’s in Pittsburgh. Was that always Trace’s plan?


Have you had beer-centric folks tell you they’re surprised at the brewery’s offerings, or seen people coming in for events surprised to enjoy craft beer?


You’re obviously kind of a rarity in the “non-bearded
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Best Pittsburgh beers to try in 2022, as chosen by brewers and influencers

There’s been nothing if not a surplus of great beer coming out of Pittsburgh these past few years, and 2021 was no different. As the industry continues to surge, and more places experiment, refine, and define what makes a great beer, just about everywhere you turned, a brewery was pouring something killer.With that in mind, I wanted to work through the best of the best in Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene in 2021, but I’m not the be-all, end-all. So instead, along with one of my own picks, I asked P
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Spencer finds the horror in having the whole world looking at you

It’s often said that so much of acting is done with the eyes, but what happens when it’s done with the shoulders? Kristen Stewart may have some ideas.As the late Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s gorgeous and surreal(now playing at the Harris Theater and the Tull Family Theater), Stewart is asked to do the heavy lifting in just about every scene. And despite being an actress who has been oft-criticized as one-note and wooden, here she uses her innate awkwardness and reserved nature to turn in by
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Drive My Car takes viewers on a satisfying, slow-burn ride

“You must keep working.” So Yusufe Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) is told, and tells himself, in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s brilliant new, award-winning film. It’s one of the most common and destructive things we can convince ourselves of in the wake of grief, the notion that if we just keep going about our day, the feeling will simply fade into the banality.With his latest work — opening on Thu., Jan. 20 at the Harris Theater — Hamaguchi aims to crumble the walls between grief and work. When Kafuku’s lo
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Harris Theater brings back 35mm screenings with Memoria

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is going to make you slow down and feel something. You don’t have a choice. Early on in the Thai auteur’s latest,, screening this week in gorgeous 35mm at the Harris Theater, Jessica (Tilda Swinton) and audio engineer Hernan (Juan Pablo Errego) simply sit and listen to a piece of classical music. The camera doesn’t move, not for over three minutes, although it may have been 1, or 10, or 20. In, time stops.Callingslow is both a disservice and the understatement of the ye
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Pittsburgh native brings red carpet film premiere to Tull Family Theater

Even as Pittsburgh’s film footprint increases, red carpet premieres aren’t exactly common in the area. That didn’t stop Sé Marie.

The South Hills native has started to make a name for herself in Hollywood, and yet, for one of her biggest moments, she had to bring it back home. She lobbied hard for her new feature, Movers Ultimate, to debut in Pittsburgh instead of Los Angeles or New York.



The film will see its red carpet premiere Sat., July 16 at Tull Family Theater in Sewickley.



Acc
Pittsburgh City Paper •

New pop-up brings much-needed good beer to Downtown

For as incredible as the local beer scene has become, there is a glaring weak point in Downtown Pittsburgh. Despite the high foot traffic and active community, Downtown is entirely lacking breweries, with only a couple of beer-focused taprooms whose offerings often fall short of many other places around the city.


That’s what made Brew Gentlemen’s summer-long pop-up at the Allegheny Overlook such a welcome addition in 2021. With a combination of great beer from the longtime Braddock staple an
Pittsburgh City Paper •

16 Pittsburgh breweries join East End Brewing’s Gratitude Day celebration

The impact that East End Brewing, and its annual release of “Gratitude” barleywine, has had on the Pittsburgh craft beer scene deserves a ton of recognition, and it may be best summed up a customer email sent out by fellow brewery, Braddock’s Brew Gentlemen:“If one were to establish a Pittsburgh Beer Hall of Fame, inducting local-area beers that have achieved widespread acclaim and cultural relevance beyond our own region, then East End Brewing’s legendary Gratitude barleywine would be a foregon
Pittsburgh City Paper •

RMU cuts men’s, women’s hockey in shocking and confusing move

Robert Morris University Men’s Hockey Coach Derek Schooley’s coaching journey started from the bottom.“I came in day one with a telephone and a desk and they said ‘Go start a program,’” says Schooley.In the 17 years since, both the men’s and women’s programs at Robert Morris University have become a staple in the Pittsburgh hockey community. Not just for their success on the ice — both the men’s and women's programs boast Conference Championships in their history, with the women winning this sea
Pittsburgh City Paper •

How to enjoy Pittsburgh Pirates games even if you don't care about baseball

What to Watch out for at the Game


Over the course of the last year, if there’s been one thing we’ve learned to do, it’s cheer for the little things. So if you happened to be at PNC Park on Monday night to see the Pirates lose 14-1 to the Reds, your correct response should’ve been, “Hey, it’s still baseball."That’s right, the Buccos are back, and playing in front of fans for the first time since September 2019. They are currently operating at roughly 25%, or just under 9,000 people, with the
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival returns with cinematic cats, tea tastings, and more

The Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival, touted as one of the larger celebrations of Japanese film in the United States, has brought local audiences all kinds of films, new and old, that have otherwise been difficult to see on the big screen.However, the festival has been stymied the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But 2022 marks its return to Row House Cinema, kicking off on Fri., March 18 with a two-week run of varied and diverse films.“Given the two-year hiatus, this year’s festiva
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Celebrate Pittsburgh lagers, pilsners at three spring beer festivals

While many Pittsburgh breweries have exploded in popularity and acclaim off the success of their IPAs, stouts, and sours, some beer fans and makers would be perfectly content just drinking lagers and pilsners all year long. This spring, they’re getting their wish.Pittsburgh will host three beer festivals dedicated to lagers and pilsners over the next month. First up is Allegheny City Brewing’s Logger Jam in the North Side, Old Thunder Brewing’s PilsBurgh in Blawnox follows, and then Golden Age B
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Review: Pig is the Nicolas Cage show, but not in the way you think

Sometimes all it takes is contrast. Loud, then quiet. The opening to writer/director Michael Sarnoski’sknows this well.Rob (Nicolas Cage) is sleeping in his cabin in the woods outside Portland, with his prized truffle-hunting female pig, when someone kicks his door in. He’s left bloodied on the ground as they kidnap her, and we’re left watching him listening to her ear-piercing shriek. Morning comes, Rob pulls himself off the floor and tries to whistle for his pig to come back. Barely a sound es
Pittsburgh City Paper •

David Cronenberg gets surgical, and surprisingly tender with Crimes of the Future

After a storied, successful, and varied career, 79-year-old filmmakers David Cronenberg finally dares to ask the question that has always plagued him: Isn’t any hole just a hole?In, the Canadian body-horror master’s triumphant return to the genre of his roots, he contemplates the relationship between surgery and sex early, often, and without much subtlety. The film introduces a near future where everyone is desensitized to the point that untrained surgery is one of the few ways to get your kicks
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Dancing Gnome founder Andrew Witchey on new, expanded taproom

Few breweries have affected the Pittsburgh beer scene quite like Dancing Gnome. Since its opening in 2016 , it’s earned national acclaim, with IPAs and stouts worth seeking out, no matter where beer fans are located. This small brewery in Sharpsburg helped put Pittsburgh craft beer on the map, and they haven’t slowed down since.Now, five years later, Dancing Gnome has expanded, opening a new, massive space just down the street from its original location, with all of the amenities one could want
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Grist House and Eat’n Park team up for pie-flavored sour

A fun part of the recent craft beer wave has been sharing new beer concepts with random people and gauging their first reaction, whether it be intrigue, confusion, or repulsion. So, here goes ...“Grist House and Eat’n Park Have Collaborated on a Sour that is brewed with a lot of Eat'n Park’s Strawberry pies.”Reactions?Don’t worry, everything will be OK. The beer, Strawberry Pie Forever, delivers. Grist House Craft Brewery, of course, has become a local staple, one of the best gathering spots in
Pittsburgh City Paper •

Coven Brewing casts a spell on Pittsburgh beer scene

One of the great aspects of Pittsburgh’s beer scene is its variety. Walk into any local brewery, and you’ll notice its differences: in the menu, atmosphere, and what it's trying to represent. And sometimes, like during my recent visit to Coven Brewing, you just walk in and say, “Holy shit, this is some good beer.”Coven has immediately established itself as one of the very best producers of beer in the city. The new brewery, which took over Roundabout Brewery’s old lease in February, officially o
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About Me

If there's a medium, I've tried to write in it. Currently writing about beer, movies, and other fun things for the Pittsburgh City Paper.