Leisure

New Ocean Hall is a whale of a good time

The Sant Ocean Hall marks the largest addition to the Museum of Natural History since it was constructed in the early 1900s, so it is only appropriate that it takes up an extremely large space and contains vast quantities of information. The Sant Ocean Hall is the kind of exhibit that will still be interesting on the third or fourth visit, and its aesthetics make you want to return just for the visual effect. The main hall contains glass display cases that curve around the space, leading visitors around the room in an orderly pattern. Oceanic hues of blue and green emanate from every display, and the entire room’s wavy and luminous quality gives the faint impression of being surrounded by water. A film of undersea scenes playing on panels surrounding the room makes the entire museum feel submerged.

By Sara Carothers October 2, 2008

Leisure

With St. Anna, Spike Lee creates a miracle

Directed by the legendary Spike Lee and based on the book by novelist James McBride (The Color of Water, Song Yet Sung), Miracle at St. Anna uses the true story of an African-American soldier during World War II to create a masterpiece that is equal parts mystery, war story, ghost tale and history.

By Caroline Klibanoff October 2, 2008

Leisure

Choke the Movie

“All I had to do was answer one simple question: what would Jesus not do?” Choke aims to answer this peculiar question of morality with a 90-minute cinematic rampage through sex addiction, self-discovery, and the realization that the embodiment of a holy foreskin’s DNA may be walking the earth. Chuck Palahniuk’s latest big screen adaptation is a dark comedy, in tune with a foul representation of human motive.

By James McGrory October 2, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Of Montreal, “Skeletal Lamping”

An open letter to Of Montreal front man Kevin Barnes:

By Matthew Collins October 2, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: T.I., “Paper Trail”

Over the past year, T.I. has been in the news more for his legal problems than for his music. But apparently, despite being locked up under house arrest for weapons charges, T.I. has been paying attention. Paper Trail is a much better effort than 2007’s T.I. vs. T.I.P. and it re-establishes T.I. as one of today’s most important mainstream rap artists.

By Justin Hunter Scott October 2, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Friendly Fire, “Friendly Fire”

It’s fitting then, that St. Albans-based Friendly Fires come at the idea from the other end on their self-titled debut album, mixing rock influences into their more electronic sound. Nowhere is this mixture more clear than on “White Diamonds,” which plays like a T Rex song for the post-disco era, loping guitar riffs, cowbells, and all.

By Matthew Collins September 25, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Jackson Browne, “Time the Conqueror”

Jackson Browne fans are accustomed to tender vocals, swinging melodies, and a clean cut sound. Time the Conqueror meets most of these expectations. Since his heyday in the 1970s, Browne has continued to produce a steady stream of ballad-heavy albums, but Time the Conqueror is his first new album in six years.

By Caroline Klibanoff September 25, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: TV on the Radio, “Dear Science”

It is always astonishing when a band consistently improves in leaps and bounds with each and every release. One starts to wonder why we even bother to listen to the drivel that comes from other artists, rather than just wait for the next, exponentially improved release from one of these meteoric bands.

By Shira Hecht September 25, 2008

Leisure

Liquor lit

On Saturday, legions of writers will descend on the Mall for the National Book Festival, the country’s annual celebration of, by, and for bibliophiles of all stripes.

Authors will sit in the crisp fall air, arrayed in all manner of worn cardigans and tortoise-shell glasses, signing autographs for eager book-lovers in Tevas and socks, for batty school librarians, and for scarf-draped “aspiring playwrights,” and they will all be yearning for a strong drink.

By admin September 25, 2008

Leisure

Go to Ghost Town

Ricky Gervais is not the typical romantic lead. His hair is floppy and unassuming, he is round around the edges, and his smile lacks natural charisma. Yet despite all this, in Ghost Town, you end up falling in love with him right along with Gwen (Téa Leoni). His hair and his mannerisms suddenly start to remind you of an adorably awkward puppy, and even the dentistry humor he spouts with a straight face and earnest eyes begins to warm the cockles of your heart.

By Vivian Chen September 25, 2008

Leisure

George de Forest Brush paints people and dreams

There are countless portrayals of the American Indian available to those who seek them. Less easy is the task of finding images of Native Americans that are unadulterated by centuries of stereotype. Luckily, the National Gallery of Art, in conjunction with the Seattle Art Museum, have compiled a small exhibit of images of American Indians by the painter George de Forest Brush, a late 19th century American artist who fell in love with “the noble savage.”

By Katherine Norton September 25, 2008

Leisure

Los Cuates: not the spice of life

Los Cuates isn’t a bad Mexican restaurant. But it’s just average, and in a city with so many options for dining out, average is worth about as much as Los Cuates’ barely-passable salsa.

By Will Sommer September 25, 2008

Leisure

Semiconductor: wild!

The Hirshhorn’s new installation in its Blackbox exhibition space, “Semiconductor,” will simultaneously engage the left and right sides of your brain. Two English artists, Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt, comprise the artistic duo dubbed Semiconductor, which ignites artistic expression through self-described “digital noise and computer anarchy.”

By Julia Lovett September 25, 2008

Leisure

The music that actually matters most

Some albums are so good you can’t stop listening to them. You listen and listen, memorize the ins and outs, and the music means so much to you—it is you—that when someone asks you what your favorite record is, there’s no hesitation in your answer.

By Justin Hunter Scott September 25, 2008

Leisure

Burn After Reading: very un-Dude

Who didn’t see this one coming? In their twenty-four years of screenwriting and directing, Joel and Ethan Coen have bounced between dark plunges into a killer’s abysmal psyche and zany tales of boneheaded crime schemes gone awry. After last year’s bloodthirsty adaptation, No Country for Old Men, the brothers’ oeuvre seemed ripe for a few giggles, and Burn After Reading presumes to deliver the goods.

By Traviss Cassidy September 18, 2008

Leisure

Avedon: power and politics in portraiture

“Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power,” a comprehensive collection of 200 images of iconic figures of the past and present spanning five decades, presents interesting ideas about who qualifies as a political figure, and what constitutes a person in power.

By Colleen Kearns September 18, 2008

Leisure

The premier premieres of fall

With temperatures below 90 degrees, your increasing workload, and a plethora of russet-hued clothes on M street, it seems as though fall is finally here. Fall brings plenty of opportunities to try new things, from doing your reading this semester, to new fashions, to new TV shows, and see what sticks. Fortunately for you, we’ve scouted out all the newly-premiered shows and can tell you what’s worthy of a time commitment.

By Vivian Chen September 18, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Astronautilus, “Pomegranate”

At first listen, Pomegranate, Astronautalis’ third full-length album, is underwhelming to say the least. But the record’s subtle inner workings become apparent on the second or third listen. On Pomegranate, Astronautalis (née Andy Bothwell), weaves stories of love, betrayal, loss, lust, and rabble-rousing. Throughout the album, Bothwell mixes together his obsession with historical tidbits, his own family heritage, and his Walt Whitman-esque love for the hard-working man into a conglomerate of stories, sagas, and adventures that span several generations and locales.

By Scott Munro September 18, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Young Jeezy, “The Recession”

Three years ago, Young Jeezy’s album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation went largely unnoticed aside from the Akon collaboration “Soul Survivor,” which dominated radio waves for most of the summer. According to Young Jeezy, his new album “is like Thug Motivation on steroids.”

By Caroline Klibanoff September 18, 2008