Leisure

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

Leisure

An animated Waltz through post-war trauma

Waltz with Bashir, an animated documentary, follows director Ari Folman’s poignant journey to retrieve his lost memories as an Israeli soldier during the Israel-Lebanon war of 1982. Folman brilliantly taps... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Darwin blooms

“Orchids Through Darwin’s Eyes,” the Smithsonian’s 15th Annual Orchid Exhibit, brings a fresh perspective to the horticulture of the most diverse flowering plants in the world. Their beauty and boundless... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Something’s funny about The Foreigner

Tackling the Klu Klux Klan, marriage, manipulation of religion, and emotional insecurity is ambitious. Trying to make the audience laugh at the same time is an even greater undertaking. Though... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Books for the indigent

Now that everyone is poor, recessionistas have discovered something cheapskates have known about for a long time: libraries. Even Carrie Bradshaw saw fit to snuggle up with a library book... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Drink to health

I had a Russian teacher in high school who told the class that in Russia, the fool proof home remedy for any ailment was a big ol’ shot of vodka.... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

The outsider

The exhibition “Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans” at the National Gallery couldn’t have come to D.C. at a more appropriate time. The Americans, one of the most important photography... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Zion-I

Zion-I has always been one of the more schizophrenic California hip-hop groups, as their albums jump from Cali-hyphy style raps to self-righteous hip-hop ballads. On their newest effort, The Take... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Telepathe

My first run-in (or rather, almost run-in) with Telepathe was this past fall, when they were part of the oddly assembled Mad Decent Tour (dance DJ Diplo, tropical noise-punksters Abe... Read more

By January 29, 2009

Leisure

Hi-fi sci-fi

Last week, the sixth season of 24 made its long-awaited debut after being off the  air for over 18 months. Much of the talk surrounding the show’s return centered on... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

Stratomaster

Some musicians refer to their guitar as an “axe.” I dislike that term because it implies a certain bluntness the instrument simply does not have. Sure, the guitar can produce... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Andrew Bird

If Andrew Bird had lived in the middle of the 20th century, he might have been an American folk legend. Either that, or he would have traveled the countryside wearing... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand used to be my favorite band. Hell, theirs was the first concert I ever went to (Electric Factory, Friday, September 10, 2004). To my 14-year-old self, they offered... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

The Wrestler rams the big screen

Alone, facing a wall, a man sits in a state of palpably deep introspection. All we see is professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson’s back, his face buried in emasculate... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

D.C. gets punk’d

D.C. has lost its edge. A mere three decades ago this city was a hub for the clashing of discordant guitars and politically charged lyricism. This was the city that... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

Trippin’: Baltimore fo’ less

Thanks to television shows like “The Wire”, many people hear “Baltimore” and think, “murder capital of the world.” Back in reality, that title actually belongs to Caracas, Venezula, and Baltimore... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

Notorious gives Biggie life after death

Over a decade after his death in a drive-by shooting, Christopher Wallace (better known as the Notorious B.I.G.) maintains his storied place in the hip-hop lexicon. His feud with friend-turned-rival... Read more

By January 22, 2009

Leisure

Inaugural art

As the season for high-end Inauguration balls arrives, the District’s art scene reminds us of both its contribution to the presidential race and the harsh economic reality that leaves most... Read more

By January 15, 2009

Leisure

Liquid hope

With the Inauguration less than a week away, a plethora of issues press on everybody’s minds—where to go to the bathroom, how to get around the city, whether or not... Read more

By January 15, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Given the incredible anticipation surrounding Merriweather Post Pavilion—the ninth proper LP from the new-primitivist outfit Animal Collective—the album could well represent the second most memorable album release of the digital... Read more

By January 15, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Glasvegas – Glasvegas

The British music press hype-cycle has gotten behind a number of bands in recent memory, from well-known successes like the Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons to a few, well, stinkers (The... Read more

By January 15, 2009