Archive

Liam Neeson Commands the Screen in Taken 2

Taken 2 is the kind of movie that most people will immediately deride as another cheap money-grab by a cash-hungry film studio. Well, those people are partially right. Inevitably, as with all sequels, part two is not nearly as original as the first blockbuster action flick, which starred Liam Neeson as a coverts-op dad on the hunt for his abducted daughter. Nevertheless, those who claim that Taken 2 is nothing more than a rehash are wrong—it’s easy enough to deride any formulaic action film sequel, but it’s undeniable that Taken 2 is pure entertainment.

By James Gadea October 4, 2012

Critical Voices: Muse, The 2nd Law

Before Muse’s latest album dropped, front man Matthew Bellamy announced it as a “Christian gangsta rap jazz odyssey, with some ambient rebellious dubstep and face melting metal flamenco cowboy psychedelia.” That may sound like a bunch of attention-starved gobbledegook, but the album The 2nd Law lives up to this bizarre description. Managing to sound both like an iconic Muse album and an amalgamation of only the most diverse musical styles, 2nd Law descends into chaos while miraculously preventing the absurd mixture of influences from becoming repulsive.

By Kirill Makarenko October 4, 2012

Critical Voices: How to Dress Well, Total Loss

Nick Krell, under the moniker How to Dress Well, is at his best when his music feels personal and heartfelt. And on his sophomore release, Total Loss, Krell is undoubtedly at his best.

By Michael Mouch October 4, 2012

Idiot Box: I’ve seen those English dramas

This summer, I found myself taking a class at Fordham University that converted me from a skeptic to a believer. No, it wasn’t the standard philosophy or theology class that usually leads its students to classroom epiphanies. This was a class on early 20th century British literature, with a professor who was merciful enough to show movies or television shows during one of our inhumanly long classes per week. And I didn’t find God or purpose, but I found Downton Abbey.

By Leigh Finnegan October 4, 2012

Haute Mess: The runway in the White House

Fashion and politics lie on opposite ends of the spectrum, right? It is difficult to imagine that these two could possibly go hand in hand, since a ‘strong political figure’ is one who wears solely black and gray suits with an occasional touch of color in the form of a tie.

By Neha Ghanshamdas and Julian de la Paz October 4, 2012

Features

Funny business: D.C.’s second-tier comedy scene

Walking into Penn Social, an E Street bar, on a Sunday night provides a glimpse into your average D.C. watering hole. Helmeted football players sprint across several flat-screens while young urban professionals mingle and cheer on their favorite teams with beer in hand. Nothing seems to be amiss here, and yet it’s a sore sight for any local comedy fan’s eyes.

By Julia Lloyd-George October 4, 2012

Sports Sermon: A dissillusionment from sports

Overanalyzing occurs with just about everything though—sports, television, politics—as pundits talk about what happened, its significance, and what it means for the future ad nauseum.

By Kevin Joseph October 3, 2012

Soccer’s undefeated run ends, fall to UConn

The Georgetown men’s soccer team (10-1-1, 2-1-0 Big East) began the week ranked seventh and third respectively in the TDS and NSCAA polls, the highest positions ever achieved by the... Read more

By Chris Almeida October 3, 2012

Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Jets spinning out of control

Over the past few years, I’ve supported Mark Sanchez when others got down on him. Instead, I’ve blamed former Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and current offensive coordinator Tony Sparano,... Read more

By Alex Lau October 3, 2012

Volleyball keeps losing

The Georgetown women’s volleyball team (6-11, 0-4 Big East) had a rough Homecoming weekend in more ways than one, dropping two home matches in four sets against Seton Hall (15-2,... Read more

By Keaton Hoffman October 3, 2012

College rankings are pointless, not worth it

Last month, Georgetown once again failed to crack the top-20 threshold in U.S. News and World Report’s overall college rankings. (And let’s not even mention Forbes, who placed us at... Read more

By the Editorial Board October 3, 2012

National debates need third party perspective

Last night, Governor Romney and President Obama faced off in 2012’s first Presidential debate, but absent from the debate were the two main third party candidates: former New Mexico Governor... Read more

By the Editorial Board October 3, 2012

D.C. makes positive move towards autonomy

This week, all 12 City Council members signaled their support for a referendum that would amend the Home Rule Charter to give the District autonomy over its own budget. Although... Read more

By the Editorial Board October 3, 2012

The media v. Kirchner: The case for a free Argentinian press

You won’t hear me say this a lot, but Argentinian President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) has a point about the media. It’s just not the point she meant to... Read more

By Gavin Bade October 3, 2012

A college Facebook deserter’s search for friends IRL

Sometimes I look around at my peers at Georgetown and think, “Huh, these must be the people who actually enjoyed high school.” In that, I mean Georgetown students love the... Read more

By Connor Jones October 3, 2012

In an age of ambition, humanity falls by the wayside

In the words of 30 Rock’s Jack Donaghy, “Ambition is the willingness to kill the things you love and eat them in order to stay alive.” This type of cut-throat... Read more

By Sydney Browning October 3, 2012

Recruiting goes both ways

Last Friday, like many Hoyas, I managed to overcome some serious pre-post-grad anxiety and make my way to the Fall Career Fair in the Leavey Center. What greeted me there... Read more

By Tori Jovanovski October 3, 2012

The Back Page

50 Shades of Blue and Gray: Chapter 3

“Brett, Brett!?” My voice quivered with panic as I ran to his side. “Oh my God, man, are you okay!?” But I could tell that he wasn’t. “Don’t touch him,” Corinne... Read more

By Constantine Petallides September 27, 2012

Features

Toxic relationship: Ecological injustice on the Anacostia

“See that fish there. Back in the early ‘60s or ‘70s, you didn’t see catfish like that.” John Swan pulls his hook out of the mouth of what he estimates to be a 20-pound catfish. For now, it flops around on the grass. “A few years ago you could come down here and stay all day—catfish will bite anything—but you couldn’t hardly catch anything.”

By Rachel Calvert September 27, 2012

Watchdogs concerned about PNC-GOCard partnership

Georgetown University and PNC Bank have partnered this year, enabling the Georgetown One Card to be linked to a PNC bank account. Though on the surface the move has been touted as a convenience for GOCard holders, consumer advocates have begun to draw attention to the deceptive practices of banks on university campuses.

By Laura Kurek September 27, 2012

TEDx brings celebrities and dissidents together on campus

At TEDx this year, Georgetown students can finally realize their dreams of learning what power is. TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, and Design with the ‘x’ denoting an independent event) Georgetown, a part of the larger TED organization, is an event where various speakers will come to Georgetown on Sept. 28 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. to speak about power and its various forms. Launched by Richard Saul Warman and Harry Marks in 1984, TEDx events focus on the concept of “ideas worth spreading.”

By Jeffrey Lin September 27, 2012

Epicurean settles one employee lawsuit

On Sept. 13, judges were supposed to reach an agreement on one of the three lawsuits filed against Epicurean and Co. by workers due to unpaid overtime wages. The hearing, which dealt with one of the complaints filed in 2010, was postponed until further notice.

By Lucia He September 27, 2012

Saxa Politica: Technological Disconnects

We’ve all seen the signs on vending machines scattered across campus and felt the tinge of frustration and hopelessness. “Out of order,” reads the black box hammered onto an otherwise sleek dispenser. While the uncertainty of being able to purchase Coke at machines in the Leavey Center or in shadowy corners of the campus does not necessarily condemn the GOCard Office, the prevalence of frequently nonfunctional equipment points to a deeper issue with Auxiliary Business Services, GOCard’s parent institution.

By Kirill Makarenko September 27, 2012