Leisure

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

Leisure

The Weeknd Embraces Darkness on After Hours

In the music video for “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, dances maniacally through the empty nighttime streets of Las Vegas. Bandaged and bloodied, he sports a red suit... Read more

By April 11, 2020

In the District

Hearts of Our People Represents the Artistic Power of Native Women From Past to Present

Content warning: This article references sexual assault and suicide. On the wall of the Renwick Gallery there is “Sunshine on a Cannibal.” Rectangular canvases placed closely together create a jarring... Read more

By April 10, 2020

Leisure

Dua Lipa Makes Pristine, yet Superficial, Bops on Future Nostalgia

When I first listened to Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut album, its opening lyrics made me swoon. Lipa starts the song “Genesis” with, “In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth... Read more

By April 9, 2020

Leisure

Kelly Reichardt Pioneers a New American Western with First Cow

First Cow opens with a huge, rusty barge floating down the Columbia River at a glacial pace. Between the vessel’s entrance from the left of the screen and eventual exit... Read more

By April 1, 2020

Books

Eight Perfect Murders Stops Just Short of Perfection

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson follows Malcolm Kershaw, co-owner of a mystery bookshop in Boston known as Old Devils Bookstore. The story opens with a fictional disclaimer framing the... Read more

By March 31, 2020

Leisure

Wendy’s Escape to Neverland is Joyful and Sincere

“Peter means something different to every person. We all have an idea of what that story means and who he is. And it has so much to do with how... Read more

By March 25, 2020

Leisure

Onward Takes Viewers on a Personal, if Uneven, Quest

Pixar’s new fantasy adventure flick Onward (2020) is surprisingly poignant. “It’s probably the most personal film we’ve ever made at Pixar,” Kelsey Mann, the studio’s Head of Story, said in... Read more

By March 18, 2020

Leisure

The Burnt Orange Heresy Is A Beautiful Film That Spirals Out Of Control

“You ever wonder, when something is just starting, how it’s going to end?” remarks tourist Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki) to art critic James Figueras (Claes Bang) after having sex in... Read more

By March 17, 2020

Leisure

Chelsea Cutler Teaches The Fillmore Silver Spring How To Be Human

If you were to imagine a 23-year-old in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, you would assume she is relaxing at home. Never would it occur that she would be performing... Read more

By March 16, 2020

Leisure

Grimes Celebrates Darker Sound and Gothic Doom in Miss Anthropocene

In the aftermath of her transition from a DIY, counter-culture feminist to Elon Musk’s goth popstar girlfriend, Grimes has released Miss Anthropocene (2020). Though her ecological thesis gets lost in... Read more

By March 8, 2020

Leisure

Simplistic but Stirring: Bandstand at the National Theatre Offers Lovely Homage to WWII

As the lights dim on the elaborately crafted nightclub for the show’s opening, a jarring flash of white light jolts the audience awake. An ensemble of soldiers stands onstage, their... Read more

By March 7, 2020

Leisure

Cunning and Absurd: EMMA. Finds Meaning in Frivolity

“I would like to see Emma in love. And in some doubt of a return. It would do her good.” In one of his first on-screen appearances, Mr. Knightley (Johnny... Read more

By March 5, 2020

Leisure

Pinegrove Delivers on Rustic Indie Rock with Marigold

Driving around my hometown. Going to visit a group of old friends who I won’t see for a while. Leafless, late-autumn trees. Cold air. The porch out back. The best... Read more

By March 1, 2020

In the District

Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s Commitment to Community Shines in Comunidades en Movimiento

As a faint short film flickers on the wall across from the exhibit’s entrance, the sound of skateboard wheels on concrete rumbles throughout the room. A jumble of small sculptures... Read more

By February 28, 2020

Leisure

The Amen Corner Brings Baldwin to Life at Sidney Harman Hall

“The greatest poet in the English language found his poetry where poetry is found: in the lives of the people.” This sentence appears in a 1964 James Baldwin essay titled... Read more

By February 28, 2020

Leisure

Penn Masala and Student Groups Light Up the Stage at Gaston Hall

The South Asian student organizations of Georgetown, George Washington University, and American University hosted Penn Masala and various South Asian student dance groups at Gaston Hall in front of a... Read more

By February 27, 2020

Leisure

Beach Bunny Combines Intimate Narratives With Uplifting Indie Pop In Honeymoon

Beach Bunny’s debut album, Honeymoon (2020), isn’t revolutionary, but the bright blast of indie pop is a refreshingly sincere addition to a genre that can be riddled with clichés. Lili... Read more

By February 27, 2020

Features

Life is a Cabaret: Georgetown Rock Extravaganza Bands Students Together

Cabaret is, quite literally, an intergenerational Georgetown tradition. When Teddy Zambetti (COL ’80) helped put on the original Cabaret in 1977, he had no way of knowing that his daughter... Read more

By February 27, 2020

Leisure

Black Theatre Ensemble’s Blood at the Root Plants Deep Seeds of Thought

A red wash covers the floor and walls of the set of Blood at the Root, Georgetown University’s Black Theatre Ensemble (BTE) spring show. The hue, imbued by both painted... Read more

By February 26, 2020

Leisure

Concert Preview: Chelsea Cutler, March 5, The Fillmore Silver Spring

The accomplished 23-year-old EDM and pop artist Chelsea Cutler will be bringing her bouncy, alternative sound to The Fillmore Silver Spring on March 5.  Released in January of this year,... Read more

By February 25, 2020