Halftime Leisure

The Voice’s takes on all things media and culture.

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Phony Ppl, Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Phony Ppl has made a name for itself in the New York music scene, and through a strong social media influence and a unique aesthetic, the band continues to widen... Read more

By January 26, 2015

Halftime Leisure

The Summiting Of The Dawn Wall

“What makes [climbing] the Dawn Wall so special is that it’s almost not possible,” ~Alex Honnold, free solo climber Something curious happened last week. Rock climbing, a sport not ordinarily... Read more

By January 23, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Marco Polo  Is A Guilty Pleasure

The screen is black as the deep, throaty sounds of Mongolian chanting loom in the darkness. Then, the wail of a Chinese erhu soars; the blackness reveals itself as a... Read more

By January 22, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Concert Preview: Dr. Dog at the 9:30 Club

Though I once thought that Dr. Dog was a solo artist, the band consists of six members, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboardist, and a sixth member who... Read more

By January 22, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Heems occupies gray area with single “Sometimes”

Two years after his Brooklyn native alternative hip-hop group broke up, former member Himanshu Kumar Suri— dubbed “Heems”— has foreshadowed his upcoming solo LP, Eat, Pray, Thug, by dropping the... Read more

By January 21, 2015

Halftime Leisure

HONM: Weekend Reflections from a Rabbi

“When I am needed, I am needed. I pray that we learn to become more selfless in a place of selfies.” Rene, her husband Shane, and their three children came... Read more

By January 20, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Duvernay’s Oscar Snub Draws Heavy Criticism

Of all the snubs from the 87th Academy Awards nominations, which were announced this past Thursday morning, none drew heavier criticism than the exclusion of up-and-coming director Ava Duvernay from... Read more

By January 19, 2015

Halftime Leisure

The Weekly List: 2014- An Indie Music Dream

2014 was a great year for music. Despite the fact that Kanye’s album did not drop, many others thankfully made up for that emotional blow. Indie music shined brightly through... Read more

By January 19, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Paddington  Is A Nostalgic Delight

Paddington, based off of the beloved children’s book “A Bear Called Paddington” by Michael Bond, follows a small bear as he travels from his home in Darkest, Peru to find... Read more

By January 16, 2015

Halftime Leisure

HONM: Aiden goes to the moon

Although Humans of New York (HONY), may have captured the hearts of Americans, who is to say that the tourists, politicians, food truck workers, and students of the National Mall... Read more

By January 16, 2015

Halftime Leisure

The Wedding Ringer  Is A Competent Best Man

Is true love real? The Wedding Ringer drags you in with the semblance of being yet another rom-com listlessly answering this question. As the film progresses, however, it shifts its... Read more

By January 15, 2015

Halftime Leisure

The Return of the Funk

Introduced by one the best music videos of the year, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” has been stuck in everyone’s heads since its release. With Ronson’s funk album... Read more

By January 14, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Book Review: The Hope We Seek, Richard Shapero

One day in early October, young entrepreneurs handed out copies of a mysterious novel to innocent passersby meandering through Red Square. Perhaps you picked up a copy, or stopped long... Read more

By January 14, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Låpsley, Understudy

There’s something fascinating about individuals who find what speaks to them—what they intend to devote their life’s time and energies to—at a young age. 18 year-old Holly Lapsley Fletcher, the... Read more

By January 13, 2015

Halftime Leisure

The Capital Crescent Trail

“Run with me in the snow tomorrow,” my friend said. I looked out the window at the blanket of browning slush covering the sidewalks and felt discouraged. I had always... Read more

By January 13, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Messiah  redeems D’Angelo, Pop Culture and Georgetown

Che hangs on the wall of my dorm, and its not because Latin America’s version of Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych raises the dorm’s aesthetic. Truly, the reason for the poster is... Read more

By January 12, 2015

Halftime Leisure

A Guide To Post-Christmas Holiday Music

Just as the holiday season comes to a close, so too does the window of opportunity to play timeless Christmas albums day after day, without any social backlash. Unfortunately, the... Read more

By January 12, 2015

Halftime Leisure

The Top 10 Movies of 2014

2014 has been quite the exciting year for Hollywood. While box office receipts are down from 2013, movie-goers enjoyed a rare coupling of blockbusters that were both critically acclaimed and... Read more

By December 31, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Jurassic World’s High Hopes

Though barely a blip on the geological timescale compared to its 65 million year-old subjects, the Jurassic Park film franchise turned 21 this year—and it couldn’t have picked a better... Read more

By December 8, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: The Memories, Hot Afternoon

The Memories’ Hot Afternoon could not have been more appropriately named. After three self-produced albums from the Portland-based band, Hot Afternoon, their first studio album, contains exactly the kind of... Read more

By December 4, 2014