Leisure

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

Movies

Best of 2019: Movies

1. Booksmart Directed by Olivia Wilde, this coming-of-age movie perfectly balances raw, unrequited love with hints of a happily ever after. Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and her best friend Amy (Kaitlyn... Read more

By the December 6, 2019

Performance

Disney’s Newsies at Arena Stage Immerses Audiences in a World of Youth Activism

Upon entering the Fichlander Theater this winter, audiences immediately find themselves immersed in the world of New York City just before the turn of the 20th century. To reach their... Read more

By November 24, 2019

Movies

Waves Will Sweep You Off Your Feet

Cinema is musical. When well-wielded, the language of film—rhythmic and lyrical—demands to be heard as well as seen. In the first moments of Waves (2019), a camera spins within the... Read more

By November 21, 2019

Movies

Beware, The Good Liar is Trying to Con You

I once read the following anecdote, which describes the process of a con job. At a casino, a con man invites a potential victim to play cards and sits across... Read more

By November 20, 2019

Movies

Unlikely and the Underlying Problem of Higher Education

Unlikely (2019) follows five individuals from different parts of America and their second chances at a college education. Directed and produced by award-winning husband and wife filmmaking duo and, Jaye... Read more

By November 17, 2019

Music

Critical Voices: Colorado, Neil Young and Crazy Horse

“I’ve always been an eccentric, a rocker at heart. I can’t play the guitar, but I can play the griddle.” – Guy Fieri If you have the volume up loud... Read more

By November 15, 2019

Performance

Storm Clouds on the Horizon: The 34th annual Donn B. Murphy One Acts Festival is unlike any other

One week before opening night on Nov. 13, the storm was raging at full speed. Mask and Bauble staff members yelled to each other over a thunderous cacophony of crows,... Read more

By November 12, 2019

Music

Critical Voices: Jesus is King, Kanye West

I am a Christian. Growing up, my brothers and I were only allowed to listen to Christian music, excluding the occasional Whitney Houston song my dad would smuggle onto a... Read more

By November 4, 2019

Movies

A Great Cast Shambles Through a Middling Comedy Sequel in Zombieland: Double Tap

In the years since the original Zombieland (2009), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) have settled into their lives as a weird... Read more

By November 1, 2019

In the District

Laugh Your Head Off at Timothy Johnson’s Fables of Decapitation

Just one stroke of Timothy Johnson’s paintbrush bites like the blade of a guillotine, leaving his subjects headless and bleeding off of the canvas. The local artist’s latest exhibit, Fables... Read more

By and October 26, 2019

Music

Hana Vu Plays the Starring Role in Double EP Nicole Kidman / Anne Hathaway

Hana Vu is busy. Between a West Coast tour opening for Nilufer Yanya and the release of her double EP, Nicole Kidman / Anne Hathaway (2019) on Oct. 25, she... Read more

By and October 25, 2019

Performance

Focus Cia de Dança Builds Surreal Moments in STILL REICH

In complete silence, Roberta Bussoni and Marcio Jahú faced each other on the side of a half-lit stage. Their dance began with isolated arm movements, but it quickly evolved into... Read more

By October 25, 2019

In the District

National Gallery of Art’s New Exhibit Demonstrates the Versatility of Pastels Throughout Time

The Touch of Color exhibit at the National Gallery of Art opens with a simple image of pastel sticks, in a range of colors and shades, tightly packed together. Aside... Read more

By October 21, 2019

In the District

D.C. Fashion Week is Cloaked in Stories and Topped Off with a Glitter Crown

When it comes to fashion, it’s hard to think of D.C. as anything more than a sea of suits. However, during the last week of September, politicians and primadonnas run... Read more

By October 19, 2019

Performance

J.B. is a Biblical Retelling with Modern Sensibilities

Serving as a mostly faithful retelling that is still able to feel like a unique story, J.B. is a riveting adaptation of the Book of Job, one of the more... Read more

By October 18, 2019

Movies

Inane and Insane, Lucy in the Sky Isn’t as Empathetic as It Thinks It Is

The year is 2007: between Lindsey Lohan’s 84-minute stint in a California jail and Britney Spears’ yearlong breakdown of shaved heads and smashed umbrellas, media sympathies for female celebrities and... Read more

By October 17, 2019

Movies

The Lighthouse Masters Madness

Max and Robert Eggers’ film The Lighthouse (2019), although described as a horror movie, is more disturbing than frightful. Set in the nineteenth century, the film features Robert Pattinson as... Read more

By October 17, 2019

Movies

Joker‘s Great Presentation Doesn’t Excuse its Abhorrent Message

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has a bad life. His rent-a-clown job doesn’t pay enough for him to afford a nice apartment, his therapist can’t get funding to prescribe him enough... Read more

By October 11, 2019

Leisure

Man Man and GRLwood Bring Energy and Oddity to the Black Cat

Picture six men in sparkling purple cloaks playing various obscure instruments beside a disembodied deer head enshrined in flowers. This image perfectly captures the mood of indie rock group Man... Read more

By October 11, 2019

Leisure

Critical Voices: Ode to Joy, Wilco

With Wilco’s new album Ode to Joy, the alt-rock band explores the relationship between love and pain with hazy vocals, wandering lyrics, and eclectic instrumentals. Although never explicitly political, Ode... Read more

By October 8, 2019