Leisure

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

Leisure

Pan’s Labyrinth is a-maze-ing

For every child, the characters from fairy tales can creep from the pages of a book into the child’s bedroom and consciousness. No movie in recent memory conveys this message with as much skill and raw emotional power as Pan’s Labyrinth, opening in D.C. this Friday.

By January 11, 2007

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The Poverty Chic Travel Guide: three days in New York

You’ve blown through your Christmas cash, your new job hasn’t started yet, and book buyback netted you a whopping $3.80.

By January 11, 2007

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About town: your guide to January

Concerts Camera Obscura – Jan. 22 @ 9:30 Club Not to be confused with the California indie rock outfit of the same name, this Camera Obscura hail from the twee... Read more

By January 11, 2007

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Apocalypto a simple, brutal romp

Apocalypto, Mel Gibson’s latest film, comes at perhaps the most tumultuous, contentious moment of his career. You wouldn’t know it from the movie’s posters and advertisements, though, where it is prominently referred to as “Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.”

By December 7, 2006

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Diamond bleeds greed, blood

Charitable pretense can often spoil the integrity of such politically-charged films as Blood Diamond. I entered the theater with images in mind of Leonardo DiCaprio following the celebrity “trend” of performing seemingly vain acts of charity in Africa. However, upon viewing director Edward Zwick’s latest movie in all its graphic gore and compelling content, it appears that DiCaprio’s work may have been sincere after all.

By December 7, 2006

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Critical Voices: Ghostface Killah and The Clipse

Ghostface Killah, More Fish, and Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury

By December 7, 2006

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Veggie porn and human tofu

You Taste Like a Burger: a bi-weekly column about food

By December 7, 2006

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Mazel Tov: Jewish Filmfest

Still feeling guilty about seeing Borat? Counting down the days until you can bust out the menorah? Do you just want to stick it to Mel Gibson? For all those who wish Hanukkah could start just a little bit sooner, the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center is presenting the 17th Annual Washington Jewish Film Festival, which runs through Dec. 10.

By December 7, 2006

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Nooks and Cramming: Top 4 Places to Study for Finals

Love Café on U St. will satisfy your sweet tooth, while Busboys and Poets, another U St. hotspot, will bring out the creative genius in you.

By December 7, 2006

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A Menagerie of talent

Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie is a play about growing up, faded dreams, hope, hurt and life. Mask and Bauble’s workshop production, which runs through Sunday, captures the intimacy of this personal story in a beautifully acted, well thought-out production. It does not attempt to be flashy or overly clever. The play is, instead, quiet and controlled, full of detail and nuance.

By November 30, 2006

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Santa is a Louse

If you missed October’s French Film Festival because you were watching Borat previews on YouTube, the chance to redeem yourself has arrived.

By November 30, 2006

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The world according to Carlos Nicolas

If genius really is a form of madness, Carlos Nicolas proves that insanity can at least be aesthetically pleasing.

By November 30, 2006

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Concert Calendar

Tenacious D Jack Black will be the first to tell you that Tenacious D is the Greatest Band in the World. Maybe his screen performance has been in decline since... Read more

By the November 30, 2006

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Dinner date for one, finals are no fun

When your coffee per hour ratio reaches 6:1, don’t despair: no matter how bad things get, you can always eat. During exam week preparation time needs to be at a minimum, so here are some overlooked yet easy foods to help you put down the raw roll of cookie dough and get some better food.

By November 30, 2006

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Fashion Props volume 2

The Voice takes it to the street to find Georgetown’s finest dressers.

By November 30, 2006

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Queen Newsom arrives

As a youngster I was a LEGO fanatic. Nary a moment went by when I wasn’t constructing a cowboy fort or an underwater sea lab out of those miniscule building blocks. As time went on, however, I learned that my passion for LEGOs—and many other childhood pastimes—had waned. I had simply outgrown them. The same phenomenon can and does happen with musical artists and their respective genres.

By November 16, 2006

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Fountain spews chemical brilliance

If you’ve seen either of Darren Aronofsky’s first two movies—1999’s Pi and 2001’s Requiem for a Dream—you should take everything you thought you knew about the man and throw it out the window. The Fountain bears little resemblance to either of those films and is ultimately much better than either of them.

By November 16, 2006

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Chinese Elvis meets dominatrix mom

Martha, Josie, and the Chinese Elvis is a great production, not just because of its endearing portrayal of people with problems but because Woolly Mammoth Theatre has made this play into something respectful on many levels.

By November 16, 2006

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LEDs, toys as art

What happens when you put 19 grandmas and a great-grandma in one room? An industrial-sized tea and scones party?

By November 16, 2006

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Jay-Z, Kingdom Come

Jay-Z’s coming-out-of-retirement album Kingdom Come features an older, wiser rapping from the secure throne of a music icon. On this album, he has nothing left to prove. He has transcended the shuck and jive of mainstream hip-hop to create an album showcasing more depth and maturity than many typical Jiggaman tracks.

By November 16, 2006