Leisure

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

Leisure

Critical Voices: Wavves

On his second studio album, San Diegan skater punk Nathan Williams creates a cacophony reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1985 noise-pop classic Pyschocandy. Yet even the weirder moments... Read more

By March 19, 2009

Leisure

Bros. J bring the vomit

Tickets to The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience: $15. A six-pack of Busch Light and a bottle of Jim Beam: $25. The vomit induced by mixing the two: priceless.... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

Presidential cuckoldry

Some films make an obvious attempt to fit a certain niche. For example, Dead Poets Society fits the coming-of-age, young intellectual mold. An American Affair, on the other hand, tries... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

Trippin’: Delawhere?

If watching your roommates pack snorkels and bikinis has left you wishing you’d booked something other than a last-ditch trip to New York on the Chinatown bus, take heart. You... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

Re-watchability

Over winter break, I was watching the second season of 30 Rock when my father came into the living room. He was flabbergasted that I was watching a show that... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

The rock vixen

According to conventional wisdom, every girl says she wants a sensitive, smart, funny, sexy guy to call her own, but deep down what every girl really wants is a string... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Cursive

Cursive have come a long way from the raw sound of its earlier years. After the disappointment of 2006’s Sleepy Hollow, though, they’ve found their way back on track with... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Handsome Furs

Handsome Furs, the Canadian indie-rock duo of Dan Boekner (Wolf Parade) and his wifey, Alexei Perry, has been nudging its way toward notoriety of late, though their fan base remains... Read more

By March 5, 2009

Leisure

Cherry Blossoms show life’s fleeting nature

Upon first reading the synopsis for Cherry Blossoms, I was less than enthused: “When Trudi learns that her husband Rudi is dangerously ill, she suggests visiting their children in Berlin... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

‘Witness’ to true student ability

For many, the words “student-written theater” may evoke thoughts of painful clichés rather than dramatic genius. This year’s Donn B. Murphy One Acts Festival features the winner of Mask &... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Indie scene embraces Watson Twins’ Americana

The last time I saw the Watson Twins, they were playing on Letterman with former Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis promoting their album, Rabbit Fur Coat. Identical twins Chandra and... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Limited space, unlimited concepts

The exhibition “Space, Unlimited” explores various forms and representations of “space,” which unsurprisingly proves an incredibly broad subject to tackle. Environmental habitats, historical landscapes, and personal narratives are among the... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Neko Case

On the cover of her new album, Middle Cyclone, Neko Case  perches atop the hood of a ‘70s muscle car, wielding a giant sword. Needless to say, it is a... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: …Trail of Dead

I got some badass headphones the other day. Sennheiser HD280s—the big, over-the-head, “look at that music snob” kind. Go ahead, laugh at me in Pierce; at least I can hear... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Prohibit Sobriety

People can’t seem to help comparing our current economic crisis with the Great Depression. Fortunately for this generation, when the Dow crashes 500 points in a single day or you... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Spider Woman

My fascination with the sculptress Louise Bourgeois appropriately began in Paris, the artist’s 1911 birthplace. There I first sighted a picture of the artist, looking classically French in a black... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Engaging theatre

For all the drama kids who can’t get no play, the Folger Center has come up with an innovative way to get your bard on with ENGAGE, a new discount... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

Poetic diplomacy

Are you an ambassador for a small nation? If so, you’re probably the only person in D.C. who knows about the Small Nations Poetry Readings, now in its fifth year... Read more

By February 26, 2009

Leisure

The Class stands and delivers

Let’s be frank: the movie industry needs another white-teacher-inspires-racially-diverse-class flick like Suge Knight needs another fried Twinkie. Perhaps, then, the astonishing appeal of Laurent Cantet’s The Class—which was released in... Read more

By February 19, 2009

Leisure

Cookin’ up some comfort

If complicated culinary concepts like “pancakes” and “tuna melt” give you a headache, you’ll appreciate the huge, full color pictures that adorn every other page of George Duran’s new cook... Read more

By February 19, 2009