Leisure

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

Leisure

Disney’s Encanto (2021) is a nuanced but incomplete take on family

We need to talk about Encanto (2021). Or, so says everyone on Twitter the last few weeks. Disney’s new animated film Encanto is a creative sensation that examines the complexities... Read more

By February 4, 2022

Leisure

Licorice Pizza is jubilant and juvenile

Soaked in summer sweat and 70’s nostalgia, Licorice Pizza marks the return of director Paul Thomas Anderson with his first film since 2017’s Phantom Thread. Set in “the Valley” of... Read more

By January 22, 2022

Leisure

Spider-Man: No Way Home is fan service executed brilliantly

With a groundbreaking debut of $600.8 million at the global box office, Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters on December 17, quickly taking the world by... Read more

By January 7, 2022

Leisure

Gus Dapperton’s Last Stop

The screams faded, the lights returned to their normal stable yellow hue, and the crowd slowly started to trickle onto the street, ears still ringing, mouths still grinning. It was... Read more

By December 14, 2021

Leisure

Weathering the storm: Adele is a force of nature on 30

Adele has returned bearing gifts. Her latest album, 30, is another smashing collection of musical masterpieces that strike deep into your core. The British singer’s fourth album, which is about ... Read more

By December 9, 2021

Leisure

Beyond the Lights sits at the intersection of commentary and theatre

It’s five minutes to show time on the opening night of Beyond the Lights, and nobody knows exactly what to expect. The air buzzes, electric with barely contained enthusiasm and... Read more

By December 4, 2021

Movies

Dune, despite countless strengths, might alienate newcomers to the franchise

As I prefer to do with most movies, I went into Dune (2021) with a blank slate. I didn’t know anything about the book or David Lynch’s 1984 attempt. In... Read more

By December 3, 2021

Leisure

Revamped, rerecorded, and repackaged: Red (Taylor’s version) revisits a timeless classic

A 30 song, two-hour-plus version of Red. In the words of Taylor Swift, “I never saw [it] coming, and I will never be the same.” Red (Taylor’s Version) takes listeners... Read more

By and November 29, 2021

Leisure

Spencer can be one-note, but is claustrophobically effective

Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales (Kristen Stewart), is facing away from the camera, alone. Her back is arched gracefully, not a hair on her head is out of place, and... Read more

By November 29, 2021

Leisure

PinkPantheress’s to hell with it goes back to the future

Something about PinkPantheress seems familiar. Pulling extensively from 2000s beats, the TikTok-famous hitmaker crafts songs that are often an ode to the distinct sounds of her childhood. Incorporating the dazzling... Read more

By November 28, 2021

Performance

Cabaret blurs the line between reality and performance

nomadictheatre and the Theater and Performance Studies (TPST) program have made their co-produced return to the stage with a Broadway classic, spectacular ambience, and a whole lot of glitter. Audiences... Read more

By November 19, 2021

Performance

Exhausting and evocative, Machinal is a massive triumph for Mask and Bauble

Machinal’s set could hardly be any more simplistic. The floor and the walls are covered in basic black and white geometric shapes, vaguely reminiscent of the lighted windows of a... Read more

By November 8, 2021

Music

NSO at the Anthem revitalizes classical music through a modern appeal

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) kicked off its third concert series by making its triumphant return to the Anthem on October 24. Instead of playing at the Kennedy Center, the... Read more

By October 29, 2021

Movies

Halloween Kills is Bloody, Angry, and to the Point 

Content warning: violence In a sea of lifeless reboots, Halloween (2018), directed by David Gordon Green, set itself apart by being a surprisingly tasteful revival of the 1978 Carpenter classic.... Read more

By October 27, 2021

Leisure

Preview: DCEFF’s 30th anniversary promises a reflective space for discussion on film and the environment

This coming spring, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF) will celebrate its 30th anniversary. As the festival commemorates three decades of history, organizers have highlighted the ways... Read more

By October 23, 2021

Music

Get lost in the psychedelic garden of Lorde’s Solar Power

Solar Power (2021) is an album best listened to on long walks.  You may have heard negative reviews of Lorde’s much-anticipated third studio album that brings an end to a... Read more

By October 22, 2021

Movies

Julia Ducournau’s bold body horror Titane crosses the finish line with the strength of its performances

Content warning: gore, body horror There are two sides to Titane, Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or-winning body horror film. One is a family drama about assimilation, about the struggles to fit... Read more

By October 21, 2021

Music

Kacey Musgraves’s star-crossed is a tangle

The sweet, light fluidity of Kacey Musgraves’s croon has emerged to tell the tumultuous narrative of the years since her Grammy-winning Golden Hour (2018). star-crossed (2021) is a cohesive work,... Read more

By October 19, 2021

Performance

Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski highlights the role of theatre in social change

With just one actor (David Strathairn) and stark scenery, Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski harnesses the power of storytelling to convey a message that transcends time and the... Read more

By October 18, 2021

Movies

The Eyes of Tammy Faye engages with reality, but not cruelty

Content warning: sexual assault  There is a lot to unpack about the life of much-lampooned televangelist Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker). There’s the Christian worship broadcasting empire both built and... Read more

By October 9, 2021