Leisure

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

Leisure

Finding Dory is Familiar Success

Sequels are notoriously tricky. Audiences often leave the theatre underwhelmed or disappointed after hoping for something that can live up to the original that drew them there in the first... Read more

By July 1, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Panic! at the Disco, Death of a Bachelor

Since the band’s inception, Panic! At the Disco has been in flux. The departures of three of the originating members have left singer Brendon Urie as the sole original member... Read more

By June 22, 2016

Leisure

The End of the World as We Know It… Again: X-Men: Apocalypse Fails to Distinguish Itself

A surprisingly prescient scene occurs midway through Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse that proves equal parts self-deprecating and predicting. A group of young mutants, led by Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey, leaves... Read more

By May 31, 2016

Leisure

This is New York: The Postal Museum displays the Big Apple in Tiny Squares

On the lower level of Massachusetts Avenue’s Postal Museum lies a one-room exhibit with the punchy title New York City: A Portrait Through Stamp Art written on glorified street signs.... Read more

By May 26, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Chance the Rapper, Coloring Book

When Kendrick Lamar’s album To Pimp a Butterfly was released in March of last year, it was immediately apparent that the music world was witnessing something extraordinary and revolutionary. Already, Chance... Read more

By May 24, 2016

Leisure

To the Victor, the Spoils: Captain America: Civil War is Marvel’s Best Film Yet

It is hard to believe that Iron Man came out eight years ago and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just a twinkle in Kevin Feige’s eye. In 2008, no one... Read more

By May 19, 2016

Leisure

Day Wave Presents Melancholy Beauty at DC9

DC9 nightclub is unique in the world of music venues. Centrally located in the busy nightlife scene of Shaw, it looks more like a converted storefront than a concert hall.... Read more

By May 15, 2016

Leisure

Lost in Space: Ratchet & Clank Lacks Substance

Movie adaptations of video games are usually awful. From subpar plots to uninspired acting, these films rarely garner anything other than harsh criticism (see Super Mario Bros. and Hitman for... Read more

By May 5, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Beyonce, Lemonade

Last Saturday night Beyoncé reaffirmed her dominance over the R&B/pop music scene and dropped her sixth solo album, Lemonade, alongside her hour long HBO special of the same name. True... Read more

By April 29, 2016

Leisure

Not To Be: The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s Latest Performance Dissapoints

Much like that of Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms, the works of Shakespeare are often thought of as high art: deeply important, and therefore inaccessible, incomprehensible to mainstream audiences. Since the... Read more

By April 28, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: M83, Junk

The French electronic-pop group M83, fronted by Anthony Gonzalez and Jordan Lawler, recently released Junk on April 8th. The band has been around since 2001, but their 2011 album Hurry... Read more

By April 27, 2016

Leisure

A Tropical, Playful Twelfth Night Delights at The Gonda Theatre

Lightning and rain thunders through Gonda Theatre. Nona Johnson (COL ‘17) and Alex Yurcaba (COL ‘18), playing twins Viola and Sebastian respectively, spin wildly in the midst of the chaos.... Read more

By April 22, 2016

Leisure

Shallow Sentiments, Sincere Music: Sing Street is an Entertaining, Mixed Blessing

As Duran Duran streams from an old television set, The Cure crackles from record players, and cigarettes dangle from the lips of every Irish schoolboy, the setting for Sing Street... Read more

By April 21, 2016

Leisure

Mask and Bauble’s Into the Woods Celebrates True Essence of Fairy Tales

Not all fairy tales result in the “happily ever after” that’s expected. Today’s generations are generally exposed to doctored folklore of the past — where Little Red Riding Hood is freed... Read more

By April 20, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Movement, Golden

For well over a decade now The Movement has been flying under the radar as one of the most creative modern reggae groups in recent memory. Currently made up of... Read more

By April 18, 2016

Leisure

Missiles and Morality: Eye in the Sky is an Intriguing Nail-Biter

Eye in the Sky stars Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as a pragmatic, no-nonsense Colonel of the British armed forces as she coordinates a surveillance and strike operation with U.S... Read more

By April 11, 2016

Leisure

Weezer’s White Album Fails to Innovate, but Lyrics Stand Out

Eight years and four albums later, Weezer has returned to their tradition of color-themed self-titled records with Weezer (White Album). Producer Jake Sinclair told Rolling Stone he wanted to return... Read more

By April 8, 2016

Leisure

Melissa McCarthy Deserves Better than The Boss

Melissa McCarthy is funny—this may as well be taken as fact. She made everyone fall in love with her on Gilmore Girls and surprised everyone when she scored an unexpected... Read more

By April 8, 2016

Leisure

Punk Stars Cry, Too: Parquet Courts Shows Depth and Diversity

It’s easy to write off punk-rock as grimy, distorted music dependent on high-energy and fast, palm-muted guitar. The songs are often short, the lyrics unintelligible. But some musicians manage to... Read more

By April 8, 2016

Leisure

Nomadic Tells A Tale of Self-Discovery With Happy

Are any of us truly happy? It seems like most of the time, we smile when we are sad, and try to have a positive attitude even when we are... Read more

By April 8, 2016