Leisure

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Pompeii: beauty in tragedy

As a Classics Major who takes a sort of masochistic comfort in translating ancient texts and laughs at the oftentimes ridiculous customs of ancient Rome (one emperor was known to... Read more

By October 30, 2008

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The Changeling saddens with style

Despite being as depressing as Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), the complex plot lines, realistic acting, and excellent aesthetics make the director's new movie, The Changeling, an impressive work.

By the October 30, 2008

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We’re brunching out

Rarely on Saturday and Sunday mornings do I venture to what's now known as ‘Leo's Down Under.' Partly because the thought of the cafeteria's nether regions makes me slightly nauseated, but also because a weekend brunch diet of tater tots and breakfast burritos gets old faster than the Nazi at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If you choose to take a post-midterm break for a nice weekend brunch, you will have chosen wisely. And although mornings are not my strong suit, when I'm enjoying a delightful brunch, time doesn't matter.

By October 30, 2008

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Critical Voices: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, “Cardinology”

This restless energy is responsible both for the good and the bad in Adams' output. Considering the sheer amount of music he releases, he has a pretty good track record: almost everything is listenable, some is great. But this freneticness, this desire to do everything all at once means that many of his albums end up feeling like ideas rather than work. Each new album is a different version of Ryan Adams, both musically and in a broader stylistic way, like a shelf of thematic Barbies. There's Heartbroken Southern Ryan, Rock and Roll Deconstructionist Ryan, Sad Junkie Ryan, and Roots Rocker Ryan. All are enjoyable enough, in their own way, but all ultimately feel like poses, playing with the idea of an album and songs rather than really committing to one.

By October 30, 2008

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Critical Voices: Mount Eerie, “Lost Wisdom”

This album will put you too sleep, honestly. Not in the way that the atypical boring, formulated efforts of a below average pop song would. Rather, Lost Wisdom is a record of understanding and warmth. The voices resonating in your headphones will cause a moment of clarity and the heartfelt lyricism will pacify the worst case of stress.

By October 30, 2008

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Critical Voices: Q-Tip, “The Renaissance”

n 2002, Q-Tip completed Kamaal the Abstract, a genre-bending album with hints of funk, rock, and hip-hop. While it shared the laid-back feel he showcased as head of A Tribe Called Quest, the album was much more ambitious-and arguably, less marketable-than anything he'd done before, and Arista refused to release it. It's taken Q-Tip six years to rebound, but The Renaissance is every bit as good as his first solo joint, 1999's Amplified. While it's got nothing on his best work with the Tribe, it's worth a listen-a little Q-Tip is always good for the soul.

By October 30, 2008

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Regime change starts at good art

If you take a stroll or a G2 bus down P Street toward Logan Circle, you’ll notice the upward gazing face of Barack Obama on the side of a small white roof. Though the image’s presence isn’t surprising—politics is inescapable in D.C., even when it isn’t election season—the stenciled blue and red portrait is striking and fresh, and stands apart from those stodgy logos on bumper stickers and window panes across the city. Step into the Irvine Contemporary gallery and you’ll discover the man behind the iconic portrait, and some of the most politically confrontational artwork to be found in the capital.

By October 23, 2008

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Central Michel Richard’s: only fancy on the outside

Sometimes you just get the urge to go out for a “nice dinner” at a place where, as Homer Simpson put it, they call you “sir” without adding “please leave.” Central Michel Richard, Michel Richard’s attempt to combine a relaxed environment with high-end feel-good food, is a place where you can satisfy that urge. Central is billed as a bistro, and is promoted as a more affordable, more down-to-earth incarnation of Richard’s D.C. flagship Citronelle. While Central succeeds in creating an unpretentious and inviting atmosphere uncharacteristic of fine dining establishments, the quality of food does not live up to expectations

By October 23, 2008

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Critical Voices: Deerhunter, “Microcastle”

Fast-forward to 2008: Cox now has two critically-acclaimed bands to his name (Deerhunter and Atlas Sound), Mee has been replaced by Whitney Petty (a former cheerleader), and the band stands on the verge of releasing their third LP, Microcastle. The release is accompanied by more drama from Cox, who accidentally leaked new material from both of his bands a few months ago.

By October 23, 2008

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W. is as Dubya does

Like all Oliver Stone productions, W. will bring the controversial and acclaimed director praises of genius and bundles of hate mail. The film, a fictionalized biopic examining our 43rd president, marks Stone’s third venture into the tumultuous genre. Unlike his previous portrayals of American leaders, JFK (1991) and Nixon (1995), W. is being released while George W. Bush is still in office, a fact guaranteed to rile Bush supporters and Stone critics alike.

By October 23, 2008