Halftime Leisure

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

Halftime Leisure

Movie Monster Madness and the Bay

In 1949, longtime San Francisco-based journalist Herb Caen published a collection of essays about the city entitled Baghdad by the Bay. (If you’re interested, it’s available for purchase here.) The... Read more

By June 13, 2014

Halftime Leisure

A Million Ways to Force a Joke!

Love him or hate him, Seth MacFarlane has a knack for mocking society and pop-culture.  His first feature-length film, Ted, played out like an extended episode of Family Guy, was... Read more

By June 13, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Let’s go to the Ball: Fashion at Gov Ball

With great music festivals come great fashion – there’s just something about festivals that bring about the daring in all most of us. Sure there were a lot of half-naked... Read more

By June 11, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Mad Men’s season finale goes outta this world

Several weeks ago, I reviewed the first episode of Mad Men’s seventh season, which is airing in two seven-episode halves a year apart on AMC. “Waterloo,” which capped off this... Read more

By June 9, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Cannes Film Festival Spotlights Art Films

At the end of last month, the world watched as one of the most prestigious events in cinema unfolded in the south of France. The 68th Cannes Film Festival was... Read more

By June 5, 2014

Halftime Leisure

The Weekly List(en): Welcome to Summer

Whether you like it or not, summer session has begun here on the Hilltop. Now, for most of you, who are out in the world trying to squeeze as much... Read more

By June 3, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Camp David  shows care for its audience

The first sign is the smoke.  It’s not fire in the theater, but a kind of incendiary nonetheless—a rich, woody haze wafting from the omnipresent pipe of Egyptian President Anwar... Read more

By May 1, 2014

Halftime Leisure

The Rothko Room: Another World

Final exams are almost upon us, and many times I wish I could escape the tense atmosphere building up in Lauinger Library and spilling across campus. I wish I had a... Read more

By May 1, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Sex and Social Disorders

I’m not sure how a comic like writer Matt Fraction and artist Chip Zdarsky’s Sex Criminals #5  got past an editor. It’s not bad (in fact, I would say it’s one... Read more

By April 30, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Depeche Mode and Slow Style

Depeche Mode is a collection of the most swagged out and awe-inspiring men of our time. “101” is one of the greatest concerts of all time. Dave Gahan literally rose... Read more

By April 28, 2014

Halftime Leisure

The Case for Community: Part II

The following article is the second part of The Case for Community. The first part was posted last Tuesday and can be found here. Welcome back to “The Case for... Read more

By April 24, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Whistle While you Work

Earworm (n)—that catchy, though sometimes unwarranted, 2-4 bar melody that won’t seem to get out of your head. My roommates and I are always humming. Sometimes we’ve all caught on... Read more

By April 23, 2014

Halftime Leisure

The Power of the Photo

We spend a lot of money on big, new, fancy cameras in order to capture perfection: a golden sunset over clear Caribbean waters, a young budding poppy hidden among a... Read more

By April 23, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That: Who Still Cares about the Grumpy Young Bat?

Writer Scott Snyder and Artist Greg Capullo’s Batman series is a line that I have been recommending to people since the start of the DC Comics continuity reboot back in... Read more

By April 22, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Mad Men  premiere impresses

Missed the Mad Men premiere last weekend? No worries! Ian Philbrick breaks down the episode, so that you’re all set for episode two! Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has never looked... Read more

By April 20, 2014

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Only Lovers Left Alive  is "cool"

Pale-skinned, blood-sucking creatures of the night, spend their time listening to obscure music and traipsing around the ruins of Detroit. No, this isn’t a documentary about Midtown, but you can... Read more

By April 19, 2014

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Critical Voices: Jason Derulo, Talk Dirty

Following the artist’s declining presence in the US since his initial splash on to the top charts in 2010, Talk Dirty is Jason Derulo’s shameless attempt to emulate the “Top... Read more

By April 18, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Ingrid Michaelson, Lights Out

  In some ways, Ingrid Michaelson is like Nutella: sweet, addicting, and great in endless creative combinations. This has certainly proven to be the case in her latest release, Lights... Read more

By April 17, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Land Art Rocks!

Brown twisting twigs support white and pastel pink flowers. The blooms’ sweet scent floats in the warm breeze running off the Tidal Basin while, across the water, the flowers blend... Read more

By April 16, 2014

Halftime Leisure

A Song of Fire, Ice, and Smooth Jazz

[youtube id=”s7L2PVdrb_8″ width=”600″ height=”350″] It’s Sunday at 9PM. You and your friends gather around your television—or more likely, the HBO GO screen on your laptop—and settle in for the new... Read more

By April 16, 2014