Leisure

Reviews and think pieces on music, movies, art, and theater.

Leisure

Heather Raffo brings Iraq to the Davis Center

On Monday evening in the Davis Center, Heather Raffo looked like the quintessential American woman. Dressed in a fashionable, artsy getup with black jeans, riding boots, and a creamy tunic, the striking blonde was the epitome of Western style. So one might be surprised to learn the subject matter that the acclaimed actress-playwright was presenting about the lives of her fellow Iraqis. Raffo, who claims that her distinctly non-Middle Eastern appearance helps her “get under the radar” to promote her art, performed this week in a program entitled “Performance as Cultural Diplomacy.”

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

Shorts at E Street

With any mention of the Academy Awards, an argument about the merits of Black Swan versus The Social Network usually ensues. But while the Great Debate about Best Picture rages on, the oft-overlooked category of Best Short Film has generated Oscar buzz of its own at D.C.’s E Street Cinema. Too often, even the winning short films sink back into obscurity after the Academy Awards, and during the ceremonies, audiences scratch their heads at lists of nominations they have never heard before. Through ties with various cinemas as well as iTunes, the Academy has worked hard to change this attitude, making Best Short Film nominations available to theatergoers and iPad owners alike.

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

You won’t need 3D glasses

What’s the difference between “The Birth of Venus” and “David”? The answer seems obvious: one is a painting, the other a sculpture. But to abstract expressionist David Smith, the difference between the two art forms was not so vast. He sees them as separated by just one, easily adjustable distinction: dimension. The manipulation of that difference is the premise of David Smith Invents, a new exhibition open in DuPont Circle’s Phillips Collection through May 15. The exhibit features works of varying media—from clay to canvas to steel—which display Smith’s blurring of the line between two dimensions and three.

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

Gallery cafe is buono, costoso

If you’re looking to add some culture to your routine, the National Mall’s various scientific, historical, and artistic attractions have all you need. And the National Gallery’s Garden Cafe is the place to head if you want to supplement your cultural nourishment with some actual food. The Garden Café marries art with cuisine, especially when, for particularly special exhibits, it recruits renowned chefs to create new, complimentary menus.

By February 17, 2011

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Critical Voices: Nicholas Jaar, Space is Only Noise

You might have heard some unavoidable Internet buzz about this new release. After dropping a smattering of genre-bending EPs in 2010, this experimental producer—barely old enough to drink—is releasing his debut. He’s got a keen ear for space and silence and his vocal-centric work suits headphones more than dance floors. No, I’m not talking about James Blake—this is Space Is Only Noise, the first full-length to come from 21-year-old Brown University undergrad Nicolas Jaar.

By February 17, 2011

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Critical Voices: Toro y Moi, Underneath the Pine

Today’s indie music is somewhat dichotomous: on one side are the simplistic, folksy, vocally-driven bands, and on the other there are chillwave electronic maestros. But on his 2010 debut Causer of This, Toro Y Moi (real name Chazwick Bundick) managed to slip between the cracks, landing in an altogether undefined genre with a combination of catchy melodic vocals and trippy electronic samples.

By February 17, 2011

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Banger Management: Singing the iTunes blues

During my four years of college, I have discovered a common musical phenomenon—the scattered, disorganized, and unlabelled iTunes libraries of my peers. Again and again, I have been amazed to find that my friends had not taken the same time to painstakingly organize their music collections that I had, filling in every piece of information iTunes accepts, from album year to artwork.

By February 17, 2011

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Internet IRL: Up Next: High-tech walkers

As a 20 year-old in 2011, I grew up with adults critical of new gadgets and gizmos. Game Boys were “stupid,” computer games were “a waste of time,” and smart phones may still be “expensive and unnecessary.” I always shrugged these comments off as ignorant skepticism, but recently I’ve come to a realization—it’s not that adults are intolerant of technology; technology is intolerant of adults.

By February 17, 2011

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Mask and Bauble’s Todd: Laugh, rinse, repeat

If too often you find yourself holed up in Lau, twisting your brain trying to survive your second semester of organic chemistry, you don’t want to see a play that’s going to tie your mind in knots. Mask and Bauble must have realized this and decided on a spring play that is about as far from meta-theater as one can get—Sweeney Todd, the Steven Sondheim classic on which Mask and Bauble gives an innovative take. Though at points disjointed, the cast takes full advantage of their roles to create a fun-filled atmosphere that will make any audience forget that they’re watching a play about killing people.

By February 10, 2011

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Improv alumni celebrate 15th anniversary

If you’re an acquaintance of anybody in the Georgetown University Improv Association, you may have noticed a slight change in your Facebook events during the past few days. Suddenly, your invitation to Improvfest this weekend was missing half of its title. Originally, it boldly advertised an extra-special guest headliner: the all-caps-worthy “MIKE BIRBIGLIA.”

By February 10, 2011

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Rapids needs more raucuousness

Ever since the massive success of 2009 smash-hit The Hangover, a series of R-rated comedies have attempted to imitate and capitalize on the blend of well-crafted, raunchy dialogue and situational absurdity that made the movie such a success. With Cedar Rapids, director Michael Artera takes imitation one step further, borrowing Hangover star Ed Helms.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Herbivores take over D.C.

Last week, Washington was overwhelmed by what many claim to be the greatest culinary innovation ever to come out of American kitchens: barbeque. This celebration of the grill—and all other things carnivorous—was part of the annual D.C. Meat Week. But after a week’s worth of fatty protein, D.C.’s vegetarian and vegan community is striking back, combatting some of that high cholesterol with the second annual D.C. Meat-Free Week.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: Cut Copy, Zonoscope

With Zonoscope, Cut Copy is going on a trip. The Melbourne-based electro-pop group’s sophomore release is brimming with journey images and metaphors, from song titles like “Where I’m Going” to lyrics like “take it from me/we’re on a path to eternity.” And while Zonoscope is still filled with the ecstatic, feel-good, summer-y beats that fans have come to expect, this release is Cut Copy’s attempt to be taken more seriously.

By February 10, 2011

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Critical Voices: Mother of Mercy, IV: Symptoms of Existence

Philadelphia metallic-punk outfit Mother of Mercy is not for the faint of heart. MoM delivers a distinct blend of straightforward hardcore punk and darker, brooding rock sounds influenced by the likes of Danzig and Samhain. After years of creating impressive music and touring with punk forefathers, last year Mother of Mercy signed with premier hardcore and punk label Bridge 9 Records.

By February 10, 2011

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Fade to Black: We don’t need no education

Just over a week ago, three Georgetown graduates made their mark on the Sundance Film Festival. Hoyas contributed to two entries, earning two prizes and sending shockwaves through the indie film world. While Georgetown can take pride in these ambitious filmmakers’ success, their graduation from a school that lacks a film program proved yet again that when it comes to getting ahead in the movie business, a degree from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts is often not as important as raw talent.

By February 10, 2011

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Amuse-bouche: The joy of popping

There are some foods that America’s giant, faceless, agri-beast processed food industry can make just as well as the average person. The Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layer Butter Tastin’ biscuit, for example, is a thing of beauty. Frozen pizza and Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese are both mostly high-fructose corn syrup, and not coincidentally both delicious. However, there is one processed food that is an affront to all that is good, right, and beautiful about eating: microwavable popcorn.

By February 10, 2011

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Don’t miss the climax of The Vagina Monologues

Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues confronts audiences’ discomfort from its very first line: “I bet you’re worried.” As the play’s introduction points out, it “doesn’t matter how many times you say it, it never sounds like a word you want to say.” But past the shock of The Vagina Monologues’ frank language lies a well-crafted, emotionally gripping play, and one the actors, directors and producers of Georgetown’s rendition hope will bring to light women’s issues and sexuality on the Hilltop.

By February 3, 2011

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Georgetown filmmakers shine at Sundance

Who says Georgetown doesn’t breed creativity? This past week at the Sundance Film Festival, the creative minds of Georgetown were well-represented, with five films whose directors, actors or producers that have graduated from the University competed in the world-famous film contest. And one of these movie, Another Earth, won big. Way big. Another Earth, directed by Mike Cahill (COL ’01) and starring fellow alum Brit Marling (COL ’05), is a sci-fi drama about the discovery of a duplicate Planet Earth in the solar system.

By February 3, 2011

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If Caravaggio knew cardiology

While scientific advancement has led to solutions and cures that had previously seemed impossible, it has also bred confusion. In fact, very few average people can grasp the small, intricate details of how things actually work anymore. In the exhibition “What Was There To Be Seen,” on display now at the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery on 16th Street near DuPont, Kindra Crick and Carolyn Bernstein convey their personal fascinations and frustrations with the often cumbersome subject of biology.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

3D can’t save Sanctum

How does one of the world’s best-known directors follow up the most commercially successful film in cinematic history? For James Cameron, director of mega-blockbusters Avatar and Titanic, the answer is surprising. Taking a break from fantasy and iceberg-smashing romance, Cameron signed on as executive producer for Sanctum, the tale of a father and son on a life-threatening cave expedition.

By February 3, 2011