Leisure

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

Leisure

Chug a-long

With the onset of blustery snow flurries, chafed cheeks, and depressed economic conditions, this drinking columnist, like so many others at this time of year, cannot help but yearn for her home on the shores of Lake Erie. And while not everyone is so fortunate as to hail from the crown jewel of the Rust Belt, all of us put on our underpants on one leg at a time (with the possible exception of Mormons, who, I believe, must actually gird their loins before leaving the house), and we all know that the comforting concept of home is much more than a physical locality. It is a collection of unique intangibles. For me, it means a certain sound, a musical expression dear to my heart, veritable poetic food for the soul: the drinking song.

By November 20, 2008

Leisure

As Justin sees it

For my last column of the semester, some predictions and superlatives. Lil Wayne released his Dedication 3 mixtape last week, and it's pretty bad. Whether you like auto-tune or not, Weezy has clearly become so infatuated with himself that he considers even his turds worthy of release. The whole mess is uninspired and not worth your time. It's sad to say it, but it's looking more and more like he peaked with 2006's Da Drought 3-I predict he'll never make anything that exciting again.

By November 20, 2008

Leisure

Raised in Captivity is mired in the madhouse

AIDS is tough to deal with. It's sad and horrible. So is murder. So too are rape, prostitution, alcoholism, depression, and pretty much every other theme found in Nicky Silver's Raised In Captivity, Mask and Bauble's fall offering that opens tonight. While the play is purportedly a comedy, it deals in dark hues, which cast shadows over its characters, all of whom are unhappily searching for something more, in themselves and in others.

By November 20, 2008

Leisure

Lookin’ for soul food and a place to sleep …

With the perspective of time I can see these endeavors for what they were-pretty gross to the untrained eye-but still, the desire for just a couple French fries with my milkshake has stayed with me. With friends graduating or even worse, getting real jobs, the impulse to disregard these concoctions as childish can be tempting. But in the face of growing up, the food that makes us smile is the food to hold onto. Like keeping songs in your playlist in the face of a breakup even though they remind you of your ex, some things you just need to keep with you.

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Synecdoche: A story of its own

In the first film he's both written and directed, Synecdoche, NY, Charlie Kaufman employs one of the most common archetypes of our time: the sad, unattractive, pot-bellied, middle-aged husband who doesn't feel like his life has a drop of significance. But where other films find the usual fixes in new jobs or women, Synecdoche enters into a different reality altogether. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Caden Cotard watches his body deteriorate and his world become less and less like the one we actually live in, as Kaufman creates an alternate world where the normal laws of society, time, and physics don't apply. The viewer must likewise abandon logic and reason, but the reward will be an emotionally challenging and visually astounding journey.

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Love Is All, “A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night”

The good news is that Love Is All's follow-up, A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, mostly retains that sound, though there is considerably more space in its mix. The bad news is that while it retains some of the band's high points, it's missing the same sense of hyperkinetic energy that made the debut so compelling. But though the group feels tighter and seasoned in a way that most bands strive for, it's a maturation that can actually work against their strengths.

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Street fashion on the web

As much as I love clothing, I've never been one for fashion magazines. Leafing through pages and pages of gorgeous clothes that I can't afford is a torture akin to window-shopping. Plus, the fact that the photo spreads look exactly like the ten million ads they're sandwiched between makes it no secret that they're just trying to buy you. I want more. I thirst for real creativity that I can approach without feeling unworthy.

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Behind the bearded wonder

"For me, Abraham Lincoln exemplifies the possibilities of America," David C. Ward, a historian at the National Portrait Gallery said in his gallery's new exhibit. In celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the 16th president's birth, the museum has unveiled "The Mask of Lincoln," an exhibition of the mystery that lies behind the portraiture of the man.

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Breadsoda sandwiches it all together

Breadsoda is an establishment with a split personality. By day it looks and sounds like a hipster coffee shop, with rich amber walls, dim dangling lantern lights, free WiFi and soulful indie music emanating from the speakers. But every day at 4 p.m., Breadsoda's happy hour begins and it transforms into a modern take on the bar in Cheers, a friendly neighborhood establishment complete with a jukebox, shuffleboard, pool tables, and even a Wii.

By November 13, 2008

Leisure

Goes down hard

I'll let you in on a little secret: she's definitely faking it. It's really illogical to expect anyone to enjoy something that lasts only two seconds and burns like hell. And yet, the sad fact of the matter is that almost every college-aged woman is obsessed with taking shots. While in the midst of the act, every one of them pretended it was the most exhilarating moment of her life, as if God himself had coated her throat with ambrosia, squeezed by angels from the flowers of his celestial garden.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Everything good about Europe

If you love the European lifestyle, you'll love Vapiano. At least, that's what the restaurant's website claims. And while the fast-growing, upscale chain of Italian restaurants can't offer you month-long vacations or exquisite cashmere jumpers, it does provide its customers with a swanky, tasty experience for a fraction of what it would cost to hop over the pond-$7.95 for a huge bowl of pasta and bread.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Los Campesinos!, “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed”

Los Campesinos! has defied the laws of nature. Or, at least, defied the nature of the music industry's slump. When a single band can muster up enough energy and talent to put out two of 2008's most notable releases while relentlessly touring, it seems like a slap in the face to the artists working tirelessly for over a decade on music that ends up taking an artistic step backwards (ahem, Axl).

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Race isn’t over

Whether you're elated or despondent about the election results, post-election depression will inevitably set in soon. So for those politics junkies who are already nostalgic about refreshing FiveThirtyEight, The Race may be the cure for your politics fix.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Scale, and beauty, matter

"Scale Matters" at the Phillips Collection may be modest in size, but its colossal depictions of natural wonder and man-made machinery bring magnitude and dimension to the small exhibit on the museum's second floor.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Coming back?

For nearly two decades, Guns ‘N Roses haven't been timely--gods of a decadent late 80s scene that seems particularly incomprehensible today. But, barring yet another setback, Axl's new Roses (Slash and Izzy Stradlin are long gone) will be relevant once more with Chinese Democracy. Set for release on November 23, it is perhaps the most hyped comeback album of all time, and that fact probably sets it up for failure.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Role Models: basically good enough to be Apatow

What do you get when you combine today's most lovable Hollywood buffoons with a former champion of raunchy comedy? Role Models. Starring Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott, David Wain's newest comedy is an impressive upgrade from the director's most popular film, Wet Hot American Summer.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Zack and Miri Make a Porno, awkwardly

Really, though, if you are the type who isn't immediately turned off by the crudeness of the film's title, you're probably excited enough about the pairing of Smith and Seth Rogen, two of the smartest juvenile comics in the film industry, to drop your nine dollars to check it out.

By November 6, 2008

Leisure

Chop’t: slicing the taste away

I've never been a big fan of the salad. But with the rise of salad focused joints like SweetGreen, I've begun to respect the dish more, recognizing that a salad can be an intricate composition of flavors instead of a generic lump of vegetables doused in ranch. Chop't Creative Salad Company offers a new interpretation of salad craftsmanship that challenges typical salad conventions

By October 30, 2008

Leisure

Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s messy details

The Phillips exhibition, entitled "Over the River: a Work in Progress," is exactly what it promises: a work in progress. Billed as a preview of the upcoming project, the show features a selection of drawings, photographs, maps, and samples of the canopy's material, alongside a 2000 page environmental report, technical data, and other preparatory project paraphernalia collected since the project's conception in 1992. In short, the usual behind-the-scenes work that most people leave behind the scenes. But Christo and Jeanne-Claude are not most people.

By October 30, 2008

Leisure

Costumes are for kids

I'm turning into my mother. This is happening to pretty much all the girls I know, and the change is manifesting itself in a variety of ways, but my fashion sense has been hit particularly hard, as I realized when I found myself less than thrilled at the prospect of dressing up for Halloween this year.

By October 30, 2008