Archive

Not afraid of the Dark

When screenwriter Guillermo del Toro and director Troy Nixey began work on Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, they set out to make a PG-13 picture. After all, the film is a remake of a 1973 TV movie that, despite its lack of gore, made quite an impression on a young del Toro. The MPAA had other ideas, and ended up giving the film an R rating, because they found it “pervasively scary.” One might consider this a ringing endorsement of the summer’s latest horror venture, but the MPAA was, as expected, terribly wrong. Nixey’s directorial debut is undone by the simple fact that its CGI monsters belong in a comedy, not a supposed fright-fest.

By Jake Schindler August 26, 2011

Experience on D gives Hoyas hope in new season

After hitting rock-bottom with an 0-11 record in 2009, the Hoyas bounced back with an inspired start to 2010, despite faltering in the final weeks. But captain Wayne Heimuli is not taking any breaks to pat himself on the back for last season’s improvements, knowing the Hoyas have the potential to take yet another step forward this term.

By Kevin Joseph August 26, 2011

Sports Sermon

Despite their youth and inexperience, no one can argue that the Georgetown men’s basketball team’s not battle-tested. After four successive seasons of underachievement and national embarrassment, the Hoyas made international headlines last week when an exhibition match against the Bayi Rockets, part of Georgetown’s 10-day “goodwill tour” of China, turned into full-scale, bench-clearing brawl.

By Daniel Kellner August 26, 2011

Hoyas poised for marquee matchup

At the start of their season, the Georgetown women’s soccer team has the ball rolling in the right direction. Notching two convincing wins in their first two games, the Hoyas aren’t messing around. They dominated their two district matches against George Washington and American, scoring early and shutting out their opponents.

By Abby Sherburne August 26, 2011

Double Teamed: D.C., a capital for sports?

Washington D.C. is one of the best places in the country for a sports fan. It is one of only twelve cities in the United States that is home to a pro sports team in each of the four major sports. Even if our nation’s capital hasn’t seen a championship since Joe Gibbs’s Redskins in 1991, the Capitals, Wizards, Nationals, and Redskins provide a lot of buzz in the city, year round. But the city’s sports scene runs much deeper than its four major teams, boasting numerous amateur and charity events with world-class talent.

By Nick Berti August 26, 2011

Men’s soccer on the rise

For many teams, being picked to finish fourth in one of the best conferences in the nation would be a source of pride. However, Ian Christianson, junior midfielder for the Georgetown men’s soccer team, feels the prediction was anything but a compliment.

By Adam Rosenfeld August 26, 2011

Where have all the space cowboys gone?

This summer, NASA’s announcement that it was ending its space shuttle program prompted reactions of nostalgia and sadness from many Americans. The idea of American astronauts having to use Russian space transports to reach the International Space Station seems like a retreat from victories won during the Cold War. But for those wishing to relive the heyday of America’s space program, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum recently opened NASA: 50 Years of Exploration, an eclectic gallery featuring artistic interpretations of NASA in its prime.

By Mark James August 26, 2011

lez’hur ledger: SlutWalk 2011

Lafayette Square has never seen so much skin. As I wandered into this designated meeting place to march in the SlutWalk, I was relieved to note my outfit—we’ll call it a costume—fell in the mid-range of concertedly slutty ensembles. That put it just above the leopard-print-bra-and-stiletto combo and slightly below the same combo overlaid with a mesh dress borrowed from the Village People.

By Rachel Calvert August 26, 2011

The joy of eating

As soon as students step foot on campus, Avocado Cafe and its delivery-food rivals make it their mission to litter the school with menus. New to Georgetown, Eat & Joy hasn’t missed out on the race to inundate the lobby of New South with its pamphlets, calling out to Leo’s-weary freshmen who need to stock up on CampusFood.com points.

By Heather Regen August 26, 2011

Whiskey Business: Beer eye for the frosh guy

The beginning of senior year is a great time for enjoying kegs on the Esplanade, reflecting on your college experience, and above all, desperately searching for an answer to the question posed by just about everyone you come across: “So, what do you plan to do after college?” I am nowhere near close enough to having an answer to that question, but I do have one way to show the people in my life that I have grown and matured at college: my drinking habits.

By Mary Cass August 26, 2011

Byte Me: Pre-frosh poketacular

Each year, after receiving their acceptance letters and sending in their tuition deposits, most of the new crop of pre-freshmen take what must seem like a big step toward becoming part of the Georgetown community: joining the Class of [fill in year here] Facebook group. This group facilitates Facebook stalking at its finest: it’s full of hundreds of complete strangers, all of whom have the potential to be a roommate, classmate, or new best friend. And before ever meeting them, Facebook allows soon-to-be freshmen to imagine exactly where all these strangers might figure into their next four years at Georgetown.

By Kelsey McCullough August 26, 2011

Girls, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, True Panther Sounds

Of the litany of complaints that doctors and educators have made about the tolls of the technological age on American youth, one of the most prominent is the obvious shortening of our national attention span. But if Father, Son, Holy Ghost, the sophomore album from San Francisco indie duo Girls, meets any kind of acclaim or success, our nation can rest easy that many of its youngsters are superhumanly attentive—because getting through Holy Ghost’s tediously repetitive 57 minutes in one sitting is enough to make anyone feel like a fifth grader trapped in Catechism.

By Leigh Finnegan August 26, 2011

Beirut, The Rip Tide, Pompeii

Considering that Beirut’s Zach Condon once described himself as a musician in search of an “epic melody,” it might seem odd that his band’s third album, The Rip Tide, clocks in at a decidedly non-epic 33 minutes. But despite its brevity, the album once again showcases Condon’s continuing development as a songwriter and the brooding, lyrical instrumentation that has been the band’s hallmark.

By Mary Borowiec August 26, 2011

Fight for your rights before labor unions unravel

When I told my boss about my father’s position as the leader of a prominent labor union, he responded the way a lot of people do: “Your dad, he must be a real legbreaker.” My father, a legbreaker? My dad is a sweet man who plants the daisies in our family’s front yard and bought me my senior prom dress. He’s a foodie who has taken me to every quality pizza joint in the tri-state area. “Legbreaker” would not make the list of adjectives I’d use to describe him. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’ve heard the term in reference to my dad, and it wouldn’t be the last.

By Alexa Lombardo August 26, 2011

Multiculturalism shouldn’t take a beating even if players do

The shocking headline appeared all over the country last week: “Wild brawl ends Georgetown’s exhibition game in China early.” Some combination of the words China, Georgetown, and brawl appeared in each of the numerous emails, Facebook messages, and tweets I received this summer from friends and family eager to break the news to their Georgetown friend about our basketball team’s on-court battle with their Chinese counterparts. Their descriptions—spectators hurling chairs and water bottles, players throwing punches at their opponents, and foul play all around—portrayed scenes of utter chaos on the court. The incident, which unfortunately coincided with Vice President Biden’s visit to China, was labeled by many major news agencies as a diplomatic disaster.

By Kate Stonehill August 26, 2011

From Hoosier to Hoya: a guide to incoming transfers

During my first few weeks at Georgetown, I was asked the question approximately 343 times: “So, why did you transfer?” At first, I would give long-winded explanations, getting tangled in my own reasons and excuses to explain why I decided to leave Indiana University. I learned to avoid this. There are tons of reasons I could list: desire for a strong international relations program, longing to explore a world outside of the Midwest, hopes for a challenge. Or even the more candid responses: a disappointing Greek system, regrets of choosing the safe option, following a boyfriend. Eventually I learned that I really didn’t need an excuse to offer other people. Just knowing that my first year wasn’t just right is reason enough.

By Katie Green August 26, 2011