Vol. 24, No. 52
Five local art projects that thought outside the box in 2014
From house-sized installations to performing birds, artists pushed art in Pittsburgh in new directions
By Robert Raczka
Endpaper: After 30 years, South Side's City Books closing
"City Books was one of the literary centers in Pittsburgh for many years"
By Bill O'Driscoll
12 Stories of Note: A look back at a dozen tales that shaped Pittsburgh in 2014
From Tom Corbett's history-making defeat to Josh Harrison's All-Star season, 2014 went by in a flash
By Charlie Deitch
Greatest Gift
By Jimmy Cvetic
We explore affordable alternatives to Champagne
Champagne-like wines from other regions of France offer an outstanding value
By Drew Cranisky
Jamison's
The former Suburban Room in Dormont is reborn with beer-friendly burgers, wings and Bacon Stix
By Angelique Bamberg and Jason Roth
Beyond applesauce: An apple-pear-ginger marmalade proves a good method for using up exess fruit
The marmalade's deep-orange color is lovely, and the flavor's great
It was a year for notable debuts in fiction by local authors
Bacharach, Shotland, Sweterlitsch among the names publishing first novels
Katie Hate represents young faces in the rock scene
"There's a theme that we want people to catch onto eventually."
By Andy Mulkerin
Pittsburgh's 2014 in Music
Some hits and misses from the year as compiled by our music writers
Critics' Picks, Dec. 25-31
Dopapod plays the Rex, local notables Badboxes and Brooke Annibale have hometown headline shows and Pandemic and Edgar Um bring Uproot Andy to town for New Year's Eve
By Andy Mulkerin and Samantha Ward
New Releases
Recent music from Devil's Holler and Klaymore
Classics Redux in Pittsburgh Theater 2014
From An Iliad to Seven Guitars, it was a good year for old standbys on stage.
By Michelle Pilecki
Off the Wall's Or,
It's one of the most charming plays I've had the pleasure of seeing in quite some time
By Ted Hoover
Pittsburgh Playwrights' Ubuntu Holiday
This well-meant play is an educational experience rather than a truly theatrical one
Eight dance shows that left audiences captivated
A one-woman show, and dance inspired by neuroscience were among the highlights of 2014
By Steve Sucato
Big Eyes
Tim Burton's bio-pic about the real-life fraud behind the popular big-eye paintings is his best film in years
By Al Hoff
Into the Woods
Rob Marshall's film adaptation of the 1987 Broadway musical is suitable entertainment, if you'll let it be
By Harry Kloman
2014 Films of Note
A brief round-up of some of the year's lesser-seen, but still good (and good-ish) films
Goodbye to All That
Dramedy about a newly divorced dad can't quite find its groove
The Imitation Game
Well-produced true-life tale about World War II code-breakers, in which its main character remains enigmatic
The King and the Mockingbird
Delightful mid-century animated adaptation of Andersen's "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep"
National Gallery
Frederick Wiseman's latest lengthy doc takes a provocative stroll in and about the famed British art museum
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
It's another night of museum exhibits getting up to no good — this time at the British Museum
Unbroken
A respectful, but curiously flat, look at the remarkable and harrowing World War II experiences of Louis Zamperini
Savage Love
"There are tons of people out there who aren't psychopaths who can describe their romantic histories in the same apocalyptic terms that you do."
By Dan Savage
CP Weekend Podcast - Dec. 25 - 28, 2014
By Ashley Murray and Margaret Welsh
Short List: December 24 - 30
Motown the Musical hits Heinz Hall; DJ Buscrates is back in town; Blade Runner on the big screen; First Night for New Year's Eve
By Mars Johnson
Both the Evergreen Cafe owner and his adversaries are calling authorities over the new loading zone
By Matt Petras
Confessions of a non-monogamous, compulsively caregiving eldest daughter
By Jessie Sage
Ed Piskor exhibition postponed over sexual misconduct allegations
Is Pittsburgh headed for a Catholic renaissance?
By Colin Williams