Stay up late for the Great Pumpkin
Much like Christmas, Halloween isn’t complete without a screening its corresponding Peanuts holiday special, which in this case is the immortal “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
The thing is only about 20 minutes long, so you can throw it on while you’re getting into your “sexy (insert noun here)” costume or a little post-trick-or-treating comedown while you’re sorting through the candy, looking for edibles that might’ve been sneaked in by sketchy adults.
For such a short episode of television, “Great Pumpkin” throws nothing but heaters for its entire run time, with classic lines like “If you’re not real, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know,” and “I got a rock,” perfectly capturing the existential dread of being a child. To top it all off the soundtrack (which was recently released on vinyl) is a mother-fucking classic.
Celebrate the holiday like a real American and maybe the Great Pumpkin won’t pass you by.
-CR
Gallant drops ‘Sweet Insomnia’
For my money, Gallant has made the best R&B album of the decade by a person not named Frank Ocean. His debut album, Ology is a stunning collection of songs about love and heartbreak that shows the man truly, truly has the proverbial range.
I saw the Maryland-born artist perform in the University of Colorado Boulder student union of all places, and the man absolutely blew the fucking doors off the joint. Since Ology’s release in April 2016 and that performance, I’ve been eagerly awaiting a new album.
Fina-fucking-ly on Friday, Oct. 25, his sophomore release, Sweet Insomnia will be released. I cannot wait. Presave or whatever the youths do here.
-CR
Spooks and Brews Halloween Party at the WestFax Brewing Company
THEY ARE HAVING A DOG COSTUME CONTEST!
Ooosah. Oooosah. I need to calm down – this one has me worked up. This modern brewery, 6733 W. Colfax Ave., will be dishing out their very best fall brews as well as some amazing popcorn from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, and for a quiet way to celebrate the holiday weekend this might be a slightly better choice.
They will be tapping some limited edition kegs for this party, and no to-gos allowed for these!
Get some more info on the event here.
-MM
Go watch the Colorado Avalanche
Creepin’ Jesus, did yo know that there is a reeeeally good hockey team here in our quiet little cow town!? Turns out there is right now!
I have absolutely jinxed them now, relegated to a decade of misery just like the do-nothing Yankess of 2010-2019.
Here’s the catch; you actually have to go to the game, as you’ll have to do some serious piracy to be able to catch the game at home. Right now there are some hostilities over pricing for the local cable warlords, and the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets can’t be found on local television by any normal means. While this is incredibly disappointing for the Avs on a national level, its particularly sad for local hockey lovers who would like to watch the Avs get of their to hottest start ever.
In the meantime, go check out a game live on Saturday, Oct. 26, Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Nov. 1 and support the cause
-MM
Midland at Mission Ballroom
Midland really puts the rock in country rock. The Texas-trio channel familiar elements of classic rock and even modern guitar rock with country sensibilities and songwriting styles. They’ve only released two albums, including this year’s Let It Roll, and both have been fantastic (and disappointingly underrated).
In support of their new album, the group will be stopping by the Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. Personally, I think they’d fill up a space like the Grizzly Rose or Ogden better, but it’ll still be a great show.
Get tickets at www.axs.com.
-CR
Forage Denver grand opening
This one here is a wild card, but I don’t think you can go wrong with anything plants, living plants and helping plants live slightly better lives. This seems like the kind of event to bring something positive into your life, and help get a new local business, 4416 Yates St., off of the ground! It starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27.
I will be there signing autographs as well, for the obscene amount plants I’m sure I will be accidentally purchasing.
Have a look at the event here.
-MM
Nick Kroll at the Paramount Theatre
Nick Kroll has come a long way since I (and many like me) first came across him in “The League.” His Rodney Ruxin was an insufferable, beyond obnoxious highlight of the show, and he’s gone on to be a delight in “The Kroll Show,” “Big Mouth” and “Parks and Rec.” He’s also no stranger to the stage, as his Broadway run with John Mulaney in “Oh, Hello on Broadway,” was by all accounts a total smash.
All of this means his stop at the Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 as part of his Middle-Aged Boy tour should be an absolute delight. I have no idea what to expect from the show but laughs aplenty are practically guaranteed.
Get tickets at www.altitudetickets.com.
-CR
Denver Film Festival gets underway
The Denver Film Festival is one of the best ways to celebrate the international filmmaking community because it provides what might be the only opportunity to see some truly exciting films and shorts on the big screen.
As I wrote in my preview piece for Colorado Community Media, “250 films will be screened, including local, national and international works. There will also be industry panels, achievement awards, tributes, as well as an International Focus on Brazilian Cinema.”
The festival runs from Wednesday, Oct. 30 to Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 14th and Curtis Street, UA Denver Pavilions, 500 16th St. and SIE Film Center, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. The Festival Annex will again be set up at the McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave..
Some highlights in this year’s festival include Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” (who will be on hand to receive the Cassavetes Award), Trey Edward Shults’ award-worthy “Waves,” Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” and Mark Cousins’ 14-hour documentary, “Women Make Film.”
I’ll be covering the festival for CCM, so you can head to my Twitter and/or Instagram to get my thoughts on the flicks as I see them. And get details at www.denverfilmfestival.denverfilm.org.
-CR
Mariah Carey releases ‘Merry Christmas’ (Deluxe Anniversary Edition)
Celebrity crush No. 1 for me. Mariah can do no wrong, and even if she did, I would be there to catch her.
In a great power play as always, Ms. Carey is cranking out a definitive version of her classic Christmas album on Friday, Nov. 1 to wash away the sickening flavor of all that Halloween candy. I recommend this album be blasted at high volume all the way to the grocery store to pick up the first couple jugs of egg nog. All of the neighbors will absolutely love it 60-some days before Christmas.
I also recommend you tweeting queen Carey some action shots of you singing along. I hear she really loves that…
-MM
Deadmau5 at Red Rocks
Sadly, this show is sold out. What isn’t sad is the amount of warm I will be at home, eating Pho, calling all this hip folk a bunch of suckers for getting out in the cold.
This year, Mau5 is bringing his Cube v.3 iteration to the famed amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy in Morrison, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, and after careful review at some of the early shows with this new setup, it looks effin wild.
Mau5 has been unceremoniously removed from Twitch after a little bit of drama that can be researched on your favorite Reddit or Twitter Vine.
Red Rocks is asking that all concert goers please refrain from wearing full face masks during their events. They don’t want the masks freezing to people’s faces when their sweaty little molly bodies crawl up into the rocks on mid-session spirit journeys.
Tickets cant be found very easily, but try out your favorite scalper.
-MM
