Leisure

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

Movies

Halloween Kills is Bloody, Angry, and to the Point 

Content warning: violence In a sea of lifeless reboots, Halloween (2018), directed by David Gordon Green, set itself apart by being a surprisingly tasteful revival of the 1978 Carpenter classic.... Read more

By October 27, 2021

Leisure

Preview: DCEFF’s 30th anniversary promises a reflective space for discussion on film and the environment

This coming spring, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF) will celebrate its 30th anniversary. As the festival commemorates three decades of history, organizers have highlighted the ways... Read more

By October 23, 2021

Music

Get lost in the psychedelic garden of Lorde’s Solar Power

Solar Power (2021) is an album best listened to on long walks.  You may have heard negative reviews of Lorde’s much-anticipated third studio album that brings an end to a... Read more

By October 22, 2021

Movies

Julia Ducournau’s bold body horror Titane crosses the finish line with the strength of its performances

Content warning: gore, body horror There are two sides to Titane, Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or-winning body horror film. One is a family drama about assimilation, about the struggles to fit... Read more

By October 21, 2021

Music

Kacey Musgraves’s star-crossed is a tangle

The sweet, light fluidity of Kacey Musgraves’s croon has emerged to tell the tumultuous narrative of the years since her Grammy-winning Golden Hour (2018). star-crossed (2021) is a cohesive work,... Read more

By October 19, 2021

Performance

Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski highlights the role of theatre in social change

With just one actor (David Strathairn) and stark scenery, Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski harnesses the power of storytelling to convey a message that transcends time and the... Read more

By October 18, 2021

Movies

The Eyes of Tammy Faye engages with reality, but not cruelty

Content warning: sexual assault  There is a lot to unpack about the life of much-lampooned televangelist Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker). There’s the Christian worship broadcasting empire both built and... Read more

By October 9, 2021

Music

Maisie Peters shows the duality of young adulthood on You Signed Up For This

After making a name for herself with her singles such as 2017’s “Places We Were Made,” a lyrical love letter to her hometown, and 2018’s wildly popular “Worst of You,”... Read more

By October 8, 2021

Music

Lil Nas X produced the goldilocks of pop albums with MONTERO

Pop songs often follow a carefully calculated formula for success: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. Writing a single that will top charts, or go viral, is a science that... Read more

By October 6, 2021

Movies

Venom: Let There Be Couples’ Counseling

Have you ever wondered what an abusive relationship with a pile of alien goop would look like? Would you like to see said abusive couple make pancakes to Ella Fitzgerald... Read more

By October 4, 2021

Leisure

How Shang-Chi fulfilled my childhood dream

I don’t want to be *that* Asian American raving about Shang-Chi and its nearly all-Asian cast. But as a Chinese-American woman who once flirted with the entertainment industry myself, I... Read more

By October 2, 2021

Movies

“Does anybody have a map?” Dear Evan Hansen struggles to bring stage to screen

Content warning: Dear Evan Hansen discusses suicide Well, like it or not it is here: the long-awaited film adaptation of the smash-hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. Theater fans may... Read more

By September 30, 2021

Music

Despite problematic collaborators and history, Kanye West’s Donda is a prayer for hope

Content warning: brief mentions of sexual assault, homophobia, and antisemitism Imagine if you had a dollar for every time you were told Kanye West’s Donda was going to come out... Read more

By September 27, 2021

Leisure

The Voice‘s guide to D.C. concert venues

Songbyrd Address: 540 Penn St. NE (Union Market) How to get there: Take the GUTS Bus to Dupont, hop on the Red line to Glenmont and get off at the... Read more

By and September 25, 2021

Leisure

The Voice‘s Guide to D.C. theaters

Arena Stage  Address: 1101 Sixth St. SW  How to get there: Take the GUTS bus to Rosslyn, then the Blue, Silver, or Orange line to L’Enfant Plaza. From there, walk... Read more

By , and September 24, 2021

Movies

Malignant‘s brashness and audacity make it a twist-filled delight

As the lights came up at the end of Malignant (2021), James Wan’s demented new horror extravaganza, my friends and I took the opportunity during the credits to howl with... Read more

By September 21, 2021

Music

Lady Gaga pushes the boundaries of her own music on Dawn of Chromatica

Last year, Lady Gaga released her sixth album Chromatica (2020), which is fun and pop-y, yet still continues to deliver Gaga’s signature contrast of upbeat music paired with quite sad... Read more

By September 16, 2021

Movies

The Suicide Squad combines the absurdity of comics with heartwarming characters

To some degree, superhero stories are inherently silly. Whether from the basic concepts behind beloved heroes and villains or the general absurdity of scenarios presented in their weekly adventures, each... Read more

By September 13, 2021

Leisure

The Voice‘s guide to D.C. museums

The Holocaust Museum Address: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl. SW How to get there: Take the 33 bus south to Federal Triangle and get off at Pennsylvania & 14th. Walk down... Read more

By , and September 10, 2021

Leisure

The Voice’s guide to D.C.: Where to eat

Affordable Eats The Well Dressed Burrito Address: 1220 19th St. NW How to get there: Take the GUTS bus to Dupont Circle, walk three blocks down 19th, and peer dubiously... Read more

By , , , and August 27, 2021