Halftime Leisure

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

Halftime Leisure

Best (and worst) of 2022: Albums

BEST:  MUNA – MUNA  MUNA’s third studio album earns its self-titled status by presenting a sublime collection of songs embodying the group’s hallmark style: emotionally rich lyrics with an energetic... Read more

By , , , , , and December 9, 2022

Halftime Leisure

Wednesday: A fun but half-assed addition

On Nov. 23, Netflix released the highly anticipated new series Wednesday. The show is the latest addition to the Addams Family universe, creating a storyline for the infamous daughter, Wednesday... Read more

By December 5, 2022

Halftime Leisure

The two-episode premiere of The Santa Clauses puts the series on thin ice

The show picks up almost thirty years into Calvin’s tenure, as he begins to periodically lose his Christmas magic.

By December 5, 2022

Halftime Leisure

American Horror Story: NYC is a dreadful stain on the franchise

With the release of every new season of the horror anthology classic American Horror Story (AHS), viewers are always hopeful for a season reminiscent of the early golden era of... Read more

By December 3, 2022

Halftime Leisure

House of the Dragon soars beyond its stuttering start

Content warning: This article includes references to sexual violence. In a dark, imposing war room, a bleach blonde dragon-rider musters forces to war against male claimants to her throne. You... Read more

By and November 19, 2022

Halftime Leisure

“Lift Me Up” is a soothing, triumphant tribute from Rihanna

A minute left before the Oct. 28 midnight official release of Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” time slowed to an agonizing crawl as a million questions surged to the forefront of... Read more

By November 18, 2022

Halftime Leisure

9 songs about being in a car if you miss driving, or if you don’t

I know some people find driving relaxing, but I am not one of those people — unfortunately, I actually hate driving. However, I do like the feeling of pretending I’m... Read more

By November 18, 2022

Halftime Leisure

Curtis Waters’ “RIOT” and its funky fresh sound will make you want to, well, start a riot

Waters prefers to carve out a space for himself in the music industry, making music by his own definitions.

By November 17, 2022

Halftime Leisure

She-Hulk brings a whole new meaning to ‘breaking the fourth wall’

Honestly, I'm confused. She-Hulk, Marvel's latest superhero TV series, left me in complete emotional turmoil.

By November 16, 2022

Halftime Leisure

“I’m not a monster, I’m a mother”: Making villains of superhero women

Sam Raimi did Wanda Maximoff dirty. His early summer entrance into the MCU with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) ignored a season’s worth of character development written... Read more

By November 14, 2022

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Tell Me Lies: Your next binge watch

If you’re looking for a drama-filled show that will keep you faithfully tuned in to every episode, look no further. Tell Me Lies (2022), a television series based on Carola... Read more

By November 12, 2022

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A disappointing but nostalgic prequel: Rings of Power (2022) misses big

Warning: spoilers Full Disclosure: If you’re looking for a detailed analysis on how J.R.R. Tolkien’s world works or how his world-building is incorporated into the show, this is absolutely not... Read more

By November 10, 2022

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Hellraiser (2022) is a twisted lesson in remaking a horror classic

  After a wait of more than 30 years, our favorite “explorers in the further regions of experience” have made their sinister return to the screen, just in time for... Read more

By November 3, 2022

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“Out Of My System” is distinctly Louis Tomlinson and that’s why it works

Louis Tomlinson’s “Out Of My System” sounds like it belongs to an old One Direction album. Tomlinson’s latest single borrows from pop, rock, and punk sounds to collectively create one... Read more

By November 3, 2022

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Protest through song: an ode to resistance in Hozier’s “Swan Upon Leda”

Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault. Reverence and rage do not often accompany each other, but to Hozier the two are notes on the same staff. Hozier is perhaps... Read more

By October 31, 2022

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Under (the) Siege: Halle Bailey’s color-blind Ariel and the role of race in fairy tales

The upcoming live-action adaptation of yet another Disney Renaissance-era classic, The Little Mermaid (1989),  has sparked discussion about diversity and casting equity on the big screen. In light of the... Read more

By October 26, 2022

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This time, it really is just a bunch of Hocus Pocus: Hocus Pocus 2 Movie Review

Well, it’s that time of year again: Hocus Pocus season. As Halloween approaches, Hocus Pocus (1993) related toil and trouble of all manner floods the internet and this year has... Read more

By October 24, 2022

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Interracial casting in Hollywood isn’t as progressive as we think it is

Still making waves from its June release to Amazon Prime Video, The Summer I Turned Pretty checked off all the boxes for a quintessential summer drama: first love and subsequent... Read more

By October 24, 2022

Halftime Leisure

The definitive Arctic Monkeys guide in preparation for The Car

On Oct. 21, Arctic Monkeys are releasing The Car, their seventh studio album, making this fall the perfect time to get into the staple alternative rock band. Here’s everything you... Read more

By October 23, 2022

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Warping the mirror: Five haunting literary monsters

For as long as humans have told stories, we have told of monsters. The Bible spawned the Devil and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The first true English-language epic,... Read more

By October 23, 2022