Archive

Denzel brings down the Safe House

Even when chased by big men with big guns and big cars, Denzel Washington keeps his cool. The actor characteristically brings depth to Daniel Espinosa’s Safe House, the director’s first English-language blockbuster. Starring Ryan Reynolds as a new-to-the-game CIA safe house monitor, and Washington as a rogue agent who ends up under Reynolds’ surveillance, the film sets itself up for sufficiently clever dialogue and often compelling dynamics. By refusing to stick to one genre, Safe House proves a through-and-through action film with the taste of a thriller and the insight of movies that would otherwise hold themselves to a higher artistic standard.

By Will Collins February 9, 2012

Pina dances to life in 3D

3D film seems an odd choice of medium for a tribute to a choreographer. But for director Wim Wender’s tribute to choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch, this effect proves a stunning, effective tool. The ode to the late German choreographer features exquisitely beautiful modern dance numbers and the talent of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch dancers. Both a celebration of Bausch’s life and an experimentation in 3D film, dance and cinema enthusiasts alike are sure to enjoy Wender’s Pina.

By Lacey Henry February 9, 2012

Weeping for the next generation of art

At first glance, the Contemporary Wing’s venue for its “Next Generation” exhibit appears to be a lone warehouse, surrounded by a gritty combination of chain link fences and forgotten furniture. Boasting a compilation of work by 12 upcoming artists selected by the seasoned masters of the Corcoran’s “30 Americans” collection, this offbeat setting was clearly chosen with edgy content in mind. The pairing of “Next Gen” artists and chain link fences, however, falls flat given the lack of substance in the exhibit itself.

By Julia Lloyd-George February 9, 2012

Trash Talk: America ain’t got talent

On Sunday night, American TV viewers witnessed a clash of titans, as NBC brought together the best of the best in a test of raw talent and unbridled passion. Oh yeah, and the Super Bowl was great too.

By Keaton Hoffman February 9, 2012

Box Office, Baby! Kindergarten commentary

“This scene is unbelievable because my frustration about this taxi cab does not understand where I want to go.” These words were mangled together by two-term governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, who evolved from iron-pumper into action star before he started signing bills. And, if more than 20 people had watched the DVD commentary of his film Total Recall before his election bid, lines like this one could have single-handedly sabotaged his run for office. If only the people of California had known that they were casting their ballots for a man wholly incapable of making a routine DVD commentary track.

By Mark James February 9, 2012

Critical Voices: The Fray, Scars & Stories

Isaac Slade, the lead singer of the Fray, claims that Scars & Stories, the group’s latest release, embodies a “more aggressive” lyrical approach to their music. This might seem strange, given that the group is known for its roots in Christian rock. And while the lyrics do sound more emotionally charged than those in albums past, the band’s continued use of piano as the lead instrument diminishes the potential effect of their newly powerful verses. In spite of this loss of lyrical potential, this new album is the Fray’s most successful LP to date.

By Kirill Makarenko February 9, 2012

Critical Voices: Dierks Bentley, Home

Amid Dierks Bentley’s newest tracks, the country star’s daughter makes an unexpected yet heartwarming appearance on his latest album, Home. Taken from a voicemail left by his three-year-old daughter for her touring father, the clip features her singing a verse of “Thinking of You” along with an acoustic guitar. Well known for his party songs, Bentley’s inclusion of his daughter in this album points to a turn toward family life in the artist’s career.

By Kirill Makarenko February 9, 2012

Page 13 Cartoons

Cherry Tree Massacre Massacre

By the Voice Staff February 9, 2012

Editorials

Hoya women deserve their reproductive rights

Late last month, the Obama administration rolled out a new policy announced by the Department of Health and Human Services which mandates that all employers, regardless of religious affiliation, pay for FDA-approved contraceptives through their health insurance options, effective Aug. 1. Since then, Catholic advocacy groups across the country have promised to resist implementation of the policy. The issue is especially pertinent for students at Georgetown, as the University’s commitment to its Jesuit identity is so strong that it does not allow contraceptives to be sold or provided anywhere on campus.

By the Editorial Board February 9, 2012

Editorials

Study shows small schools a must for DCPS

Two weeks ago, an ongoing study tracking the performance of high school students in New York City released its results, showing students who attend smaller schools are more likely to graduate. According to the study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, there is a discrepancy of more than eight percent in graduation rates between schools with fewer than 100 students per grade and larger schools. This disparity is consistent across races, socio-economic statuses, and eighth-grade reading and math scores.

By the Editorial Board February 9, 2012

Editorials

Police overreact in response to Occupiers

Early in the morning on Saturday, Feb. 4, United States Park Police—some in riot gear, some in hazmat suits, some on horseback—raided the McPherson Square Occupy D.C. encampment and arrested eight protesters. Although the purported reason for the raid was to enforce a recent ruling forbidding protesters from sleeping in the park, the preparations and actions of the police were both inappropriate and unwarranted, and were obvious attempts to intimidate those protesters acting within the law into abandoning their efforts.

By the Editorial Board February 9, 2012

Double Teamed: No moral victories for these Hoyas

It would be insulting to the Hoyas to call this game a moral victory. Because after 45 minutes of play Wednesday night, Georgetown proved that there are no such things as moral victories this season.

By Tim Shine February 9, 2012

Hoyas falter in overtime at Carrier Dome

In a game that saw 18 lead changes and no margin greater than six points, overtime seemed inevitable. The Orange ultimately prevailed over the Hoyas in overtime, 64-61.

By Tim Shine February 9, 2012

Carrying On: Who watches the watchmen?

The latest Internet-sharing apocalypse has struck the procrastinating college student in full force. Megaupload has been driven to an early grave, leaving many young adults with withdrawal-like symptoms, driving them right into the arms of cheaper, virus-ridden substitutes—vidxden.com, fullonshows.com, firststoptv.com, to name a few.

By Kate Imel February 9, 2012

To remain relevant, Occupiers must do more than show up

Saturday, Feb. 4, was a long day when it came to public transportation. Between going to the basketball game at the Verizon center and traveling to the Folger William Shakespeare Library in the afternoon, I spent a solid few hours sitting on buses and metro trains.

By Sankalp Gowda February 9, 2012

Sports Sermon: Judging quarterback legacies

And so, with his second Super Bowl and subsequent MVP award under his belt, the question isn’t whether Eli is better than his brother Peyton, or even better than Tom Brady. The answer to those question remains a resounding and unequivocal no. The real question should be how long we, as fans, should wait to judge a quarterback’s legacy.

By Kevin Joseph February 9, 2012

Pain, mutilation, and abuse: All is not well on animal farm

When most people dig into a juicy steak or a pile of chicken fingers, they do not think about their food’s journey from farm to slaughterhouse to plate. That’s probably for the best; examining the conditions and treatment of food animals is a quick way to lose your appetite.

By Viggy Parr February 9, 2012

Affirming the talking points on college brochures

During my visits to Georgetown both before and after applying, as well as during NSO, virtually every student speaker made a point to mention how Georgetown had become their home. I didn’t buy it. The idea sounded like a bullet point tacked onto an informational brochure minutes before printing by some frantic intern. The college search process forced me to examine the constant praise, merited or not, that schools heap upon themselves in the hope of attracting a few more students. With at least a little cynicism, this sentiment of Georgetown as a “new home” never came across to me as truly genuine.

By John Seymour February 9, 2012

Baseball opens season at Charleston

After a subpar finish in the Big East last year, the Georgetown baseball team will open its new season at Charleston Southern for a three-game series beginning next Friday.

By Steven Criss February 9, 2012

Soccer fills freshman class

Facing the graduation of three of its star seniors, the Georgetown men’s soccer program has added six new players for next year’s fall season, a recruiting class ranked sixth-best in the nation.

By Melissa Sullivan February 9, 2012

Features

On the way back: Homelessness in Georgetown

On January 19, Clark Carvelli was discovered by Georgetown Department of Public Safety officers on land adjacent to University property by Canal Road NW. He was later pronounced deceased of natural causes. He and his friend Joseph Cunningham, along with another person, had been living in the woods between the University and Canal Road for an undetermined amount of time. After the incident, Cunningham said the National Park Police asked him to vacate the woods before the next day.

By the Voice Staff February 2, 2012