Leisure

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

Leisure

American cuisine from a New York eatery… in D.C.

Who doesn’t love Teddy Roosevelt? He shot bears, he’s on Mount Rushmore, and he had one of American history’s best mustaches. That must be why at the P.J. Clarke’s near the Farragut West Metro stop, the biggest and most prominent of the hundreds of framed, old-timey pictures is a giant painting of our mustachioed 26th president.

By November 4, 2010

Leisure

Georgetown photographers get exposed

In the three years since its inception, FotoWeek DC has become a photography festival recognized worldwide for its gallery exhibitions all over Washington, D.C. It features speakers, workshops, and a competition with 13 categories, ranging from photojournalism to mobile phone photography—meaning that you could go up against pros from all around the world.

By November 4, 2010

Leisure

Critical Voices: Matt & Kim, Sidewalks

On Sidewalks, Brooklyn drum-‘n-keys duo Matt & Kim stick to the formula of enthusiastic pop tunes with a twinge of youthful nostalgia that they established on their 2009 breakout album, Grand. By singing about concrete, sidewalks, and sleeping on rooftops, these wistful teenagers find joy adrift in an urban landscape.

By November 4, 2010

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Critical Voices: Elvis Costello, National Ransom

Elvis Costello is a rock legend. He has continued to explore new genres since the late ‘70s, when he first grabbed America’s attention as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols on Saturday Night Live. Starting as a leader in the New Wave movement, he explored soul, pop, and jazz, with varying degrees of success.

By November 4, 2010

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Literary Tools: Comic book of revelations

I love a good end-of-days story. But the doomsday genre, which was once packed with literature like The Stand and Lucifer’s Hammer, lay fallow for the better part of my life, tainted by the hyper-Christian, Rapture-inspired fiction like Left Behind and Kevin Costner-directed schlock like The Postman. Luckily, the apocalypse was saved.

By November 4, 2010

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Suffer for Fashion: Have you herd about wool?

As another frigid winter grasps the Hilltop with its icy claw, instead of a cotton, polyester, or synthetic sweater, consider opting for a wool one. Grandma’s often-neglected hand-knitted gifts are becoming increasingly more visible in fashion magazines and on the runway thanks to the public’s rekindled desire to wear wool.

By November 4, 2010

Leisure

Who’s up for a little Gross Indecency

This week, Oscar Wilde is on trial in the Black Box Theater. From Thursday, Oct. 28 to Saturday, Nov. 6, Georgetown’s Nomadic Theatre is staging Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, a play by Moisés Kaufman that portrays the Victorian playwright’s prosecution for homosexual acts with an aristocrat’s son.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

Kinseys preserve culture

At the center of the Kinsey Collection lies a stone. It is no larger than a brick, it is weathered with age, and it seems like it could have come from anywhere. But once you know the history of the stone, it’s significance becomes profound.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

Freud had a sweet beard, too

Considering the kind of notoriety that Zach Galifianakis has gained since The Hangover, it wouldn’t be surprising if his next couple of features were half-assed moneymakers with sub-par supporting casts. But It’s Kind of a Funny Story is not that kind of film.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

What would prep do?

Even if you haven’t heard of the College Prepster, if you go to Georgetown you’re familiar with her style. College Prepster is a blog run by Carly Heitlinger (MSB ’12), a junior with a passion for sharing her love of all things preppy with the world. This fall, Heitlinger expanded to books with her self-published work, The Freshman 50.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

Critical Voices: Diplo, Blow Your Head, Volume 1: Diplo Presents Dubstep

Adam Wentz, better known as DJ Diplodicus or Diplo, has made a career out of combining the freshest and most exotic styles of dance music from all over the world into his own brand of danceable party music.

By October 28, 2010

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Critical Voices: N*E*R*D, Nothing

Originally a side project of the production duo The Neptunes, N*E*R*D gained notoriety for blending beat-making prowess with heavy rock influences. Over their last four albums, however, the band has gravitated away from rock and toward a more danceable sound.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

Rub Some Dirt On It: A different kind of bar food

It’s Monday morning. You roll out of bed at 10 a.m., go to your 10:15 class, another one at 11:40, and then head to a club meeting. And, oh yeah, there’s an essay that you need to write and submit by 3 p.m. There’s no time for breakfast, or even a stop at Leo’s.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

Warming Glow: Enough cable to hang itself

One evening this summer, my father came home to a disturbing scene: I was sprawled on my couch in front of the television, eating cereal out of the box and too dazed to notice that he’d entered the house.

By October 28, 2010

Leisure

There’s no shame in being a Phone Whore

Camryn Moore has a very nice speaking voice. It’s clear, articulate, and engaging, the kind that an acting coach tries to coax out of his aspiring thespians who just can’t sem to vocally grip their audience. So it makes sense that Moore is the star of her own one-woman show, which has won both audience and critical acclaim.

By October 21, 2010

Leisure

Documentarians explore life after Georgetown

Weeks before graduation, Rachel Shone and Laura Sortwell decided to move to India to explore low-income housing and Bollywood filmmaking. Neither wanted to leave when Rachel was unable to find a job, so they talked Carlee Briglia and Mary Clare Semler, into filming a documentary.

By October 21, 2010

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Acting like a Jackass still pays

A lot can change in a decade. In 2000, the highest-grossing movie in the country was Meet the Parents. Nobody knew the name Barack Obama. A “face book” was a printout with names attached to photos. And a group of drug-addled skaters became famous for filming stunts and pranks on MTV. Some things never change.

By October 21, 2010

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Critical Voices: Suuns, Zeroes QC

Modern indie music is too often composed of clichéd hooks and replications of once-original devices. The genre’s progression towards artistic homogeneity makes new approaches all the more refreshing to hear. Montreal’s Suuns is one of those bands that surpasses expectations, and has redefined the limitations of the song as a means of expression.

By October 21, 2010

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Critical Voices: Stereolab, Not Music

Stereolab is a band that has long defied convention. The lovechild of England’s Tim Gane and France’s Laetitia Sadier, the band has achieved great critical acclaim as one of the foremost members of the mid-90’s electronic indie music movement. Then, earlier this year, they decided to take an indefinite hiatus from their 20-year career.

By October 21, 2010

Leisure

Literary Tools: Drug addled and dangerous

Counterculture is a dirty word. Instead of diluting the influence of social pressures on individuality, the counter-culture imposes a new hegemony on those who don’t belong to the mainstream. It is composed of its own ideals and standards and, under the guise of rebellion, pushes for an even more rigid social structure than the one it opposes.

By October 21, 2010