Shira Hecht

Leisure

After these previews: the fall in film

If, like me, you view the world through the prism of Zac Efron, and if summer is the season for Zefron to be in big budget star vehicles with his... Read more

By September 3, 2009

Voices

When television grows out of its box

If television is supposed to capture the rhythms and flows of people’s lives, then it makes sense to immerse oneself totally into those lives.

By March 26, 2009

Voices

This is not real life

Maybe the whole idea of there being a difference between “real life” and some other form of existence is just a lie we’ve got to rise above. Maybe I just need to grow up.

By February 26, 2009

Voices

Grown-ups can play games, too

One of my favorite psychological concepts to misuse in everyday life is the idea of “parallel play.” When children are very young—say, one or two years old—they aren’t entirely capable of playing with each other, and will instead play their own individual games, side by side.

By February 5, 2009

Voices

If you like everyone … do you like anyone?

Is being judgmental really what’s wrong this country? I’m actually proud of being judgmental—though, perhaps “discerning” is a better word.

By January 15, 2009

Leisure

Milk, a movie of solid consistency

The standard Hollywood biopic faces a problem of balance. On the one hand, they attempt to tell a true story, to give facts and real information about one (presumably important)... Read more

By December 4, 2008

Features

Slamming Down Poetry in D.C.

It all comes down to one last vote. The score is tied at four poems each, with one judge voting for Two Deep and one for Jonathan for the last poem. The third judge, sitting at my table, stares at her dry-erase board with a furrowed brow while the audience yells at her—“Two!” “One! One!” “Come on!” It’s the end of the 11th Hour Haiku Head-to-Head Poetry Slam at Busboys & Poets on U Street, and the glory of the win all comes down to which poet this judge picks.

By November 20, 2008

Voices

Think Prop 8 is bad? Wait till you see Act 1

As I scrolled through the election results on CNN.com, I felt like I was being punched in the gut with gray clouds closing in on my Democratic euphoria. "Ban on gay marriage in Arizona"-CNN predicts "yes." "Ban on gay marriage in Florida"-predicted "yes." "Ban on gay marriage in California"-still counting, but looks like a yes. Again and again, rights denied, unfair divisions imposed, equality rejected. But the one that hurt the most was a measure I hadn't even known was on the books. Act 1 in Arkansas, "Ban on gays adopting children"-called as a "yes."

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, “Cardinology”

This restless energy is responsible both for the good and the bad in Adams' output. Considering the sheer amount of music he releases, he has a pretty good track record: almost everything is listenable, some is great. But this freneticness, this desire to do everything all at once means that many of his albums end up feeling like ideas rather than work. Each new album is a different version of Ryan Adams, both musically and in a broader stylistic way, like a shelf of thematic Barbies. There's Heartbroken Southern Ryan, Rock and Roll Deconstructionist Ryan, Sad Junkie Ryan, and Roots Rocker Ryan. All are enjoyable enough, in their own way, but all ultimately feel like poses, playing with the idea of an album and songs rather than really committing to one.

By October 30, 2008

Voices

Technology & its discontents: it’s my life in a box

It’s hardly a new problem, this constant mediation of experience into information and information into broadcasts. We take pictures just to tag them, have exciting adventures that immediately become emails or blog notes, distill our day-to-day life into status updates and Twitter shout-outs. The Facebook profile box is just the latest way to process the world through processes. Rather than experience itself, we have the experiencing of the experiencing, thinking about how we’ll tell other people about what we’re doing right now. It’s a meta-existence—thinking about what we’re doing rather than doing it.

By October 16, 2008