Leisure

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

Leisure

A Balancing Act: The Post Handles Themes Masterfully

The Post perfectly captures elements of America’s turbulent 1970s, including female leadership, the end years of the buddy-buddy relationship between the press and Washington, and the Nixon White House. Expert... Read more

By January 17, 2018

Leisure

Charlie Visconage’s “Cool Guy Alert!”: Cartoon Politics, Colorful Pop Stars, and Other Cool Guy Things

Front and center in the second room of Charlie Visconage’s exhibit—“Cool Guy Alert!”—is a 40×30 inch acrylic painting of a man’s face. His blue hair is dishevelled, his red lips... Read more

By January 17, 2018

Leisure

Gorgeous and Gothic, Phantom Thread Probes the Dark Edges of Love

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest—a ravishing, strange film starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a fictional 20th century British couturier—is also, notably, Day-Lewis’ last. In 2017, the acting giant released a statement announcing... Read more

By January 17, 2018

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Critical Voices: Camila Cabello, Camila

For most pop stars, the transition from band member to solo artist can be a rocky one. Many pop artists have tried and failed to find commercial success after escaping... Read more

By January 17, 2018

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Critical Voices: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Wrong Creatures

Art can find purpose by offering cultural commentary, and the possibilities to do so abound in today’s sociopolitical climate. But instead of capitalizing on the issues, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club... Read more

By January 17, 2018

Leisure

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is Half of a Great Star Wars film

Two films into a new trilogy, and three films into the new Disney era in a galaxy far, far away, audiences have yet to get something completely new from the... Read more

By December 16, 2017

Leisure

For Ahkeem Presents Black Lives Just As They Are

17-year-old Daje “Boonie” Shelton is a “bad kid.” Marked as such early on—a burden that, to hear her tell it, primed others to expect less of her in a depressingly... Read more

By December 8, 2017

Leisure

Gary Oldman’s Churchill is a Towering Figure in Darkest Hour

Many will want to refer to Darkest Hour, Joe Wright’s latest directorial effort, as a history lesson. The film traces Winston Churchill’s first month in office, providing a detailed look... Read more

By December 8, 2017

Leisure

Critical Voices: Björk, Utopia

Björk’s latest album, Utopia, released on Nov. 23, is one of the longest she has produced so far, comprised of fourteen tracks, one of them, “Body Memory,” lasting almost ten... Read more

By December 8, 2017

Leisure

The Disaster Artist, a Brilliant Masterpiece

It is difficult to make a movie more terrible than The Room. And it is even more difficult to make a movie about the making of The Room without it... Read more

By December 7, 2017

Leisure

BMDT Honors Ella Fitzgerald’s Journey in Ella and all that Jazz

“It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts.” These words were spoken by a woman, who, at the age of 15, was an orphan wandering the... Read more

By December 1, 2017

Leisure

Best of 2017: Movies

1. Dunkirk Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic feels like the biggest experimental film ever made. It has minimal dialogue, no character arcs, and three different timeframes. In the hands... Read more

By the December 1, 2017

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The National Gallery of Art Contextualizes Jackson Pollock’s Masterpiece “Mural”

One of the most famous artists of the past century, Jackson Pollock has long been a controversial figure for his simultaneously formless and evocative pieces. Pollock’s works are expressions of... Read more

By December 1, 2017

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Best of 2017: Music

1. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album marks another distinct shift in tone for the rapper, bringing to light his continued struggles with self-doubt, fame, and his troubled... Read more

By the December 1, 2017

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Two Shades of War: Nenad Zaric at the Artist’s Proof Gallery

In the bewildering strife and tragedy of conflict, art has always been a positive light in the darkness. Petr Krivonogov’s painting of Russian soldiers standing with their arms up on... Read more

By December 1, 2017

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Concert Review: Dead & Company, Nov. 21, Capital One Arena

The culture and legacy of the Grateful Dead experienced a kind of revival this past summer: the Long Strange Trip documentary was completed and released, the famous Cornell ‘77 recordings... Read more

By November 30, 2017

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Despite A Predictable Plot, Coco is a Dazzling and Heartwarming Story

Disney Pixar’s Coco follows Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young aspiring musician who comes from a family of cobblers with a 95-year-long ban on music. After attempting to steal the guitar... Read more

By November 27, 2017

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Jason Katz on Being Authentic and World Building in Coco

For over 20 years, Pixar has been creating widely beloved masterpieces of animation, inviting audiences into dazzling worlds to tell heartwarming stories of friendship and love. Coco, the newest film... Read more

By November 27, 2017

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Concert Preview: St. Vincent, Nov. 27, The Anthem

Annie Clark is a certified badass. Better known by the stage name St. Vincent, the eclectic alt-rock femme fatale’s music goes from moody to futuristic to head-banging classic all within... Read more

By November 21, 2017

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Concert Review: Grizzly Bear, Nov. 8, The Anthem

The industrially chic and technologically savvy venue The Anthem was an appropriate location for the bearded, beanie-wearing crowd that came to see the indie-rock group Grizzly Bear on Nov. 8.... Read more

By November 20, 2017