Leisure

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

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

Leisure

Critical Voices: Zayn, Mind of Mine

As I’m sure many of you are aware, Zayn Malik, ex-One Direction member, finally released his much anticipated debut solo album, Mind of Mine, last Friday. The album, including its... Read more

By April 1, 2016

Leisure

Black, Blue, and Red All Over: Batman v Superman Is A Stunning Disaster

There comes a moment while watching Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice when the viewer realizes that they are no longer watching a cohesive film, and are instead experiencing some... Read more

By March 25, 2016

Leisure

Miracles from Heaven: Underwhelming but Uplifting

It’s bad enough to fall from a three-story tree, but it’s worse when you’re also sick with a debilitating disease. In fact, one may wager that surviving such an event... Read more

By March 23, 2016

Leisure

Midnight Special Presents a New Kind of Superhero

Midnight Special is, in a sense, a superhero movie, but it’s also perhaps the best antidote for the looming superhero overload in the film industry. It shares much of the... Read more

By March 21, 2016

Leisure

Fractured Beauty Found in Malick’s Knight of Cups

Knight of Cups is a fairly difficult movie to pin down. It’s a film that plays out as if in memory, a collection of disjointed, stream-of-consciousness images coupled with vague,... Read more

By March 18, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Struts, Everybody Wants

Long hair, leather jackets, cigarettes, dark eye shadow—it would appear that classic rock is making a comeback. Imagine a blend of The Rolling Stones, Queen and Oasis and you might... Read more

By March 18, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Macklemore, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have not released an official album since “The Heist” in 2012, which contained hits like “Can’t Hold Us”, “Thrift Shop”, and “Same Love” and thrust them... Read more

By March 15, 2016

Leisure

Job (Half) Well Done: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Brings Laughs but Lacks in Depth

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot makes perfect sense—under certain conditions. It is undoubtedly the combination of directors Glenn Ficara and John Requa’s (Crazy, Stupid Love) rom-com orientation, writer Robert Carlock’s (30 Rock;... Read more

By March 4, 2016

Leisure

Beautiful Yet Self-Aware: The 1975 Releases Expansive New Album

Last June, all of The 1975’s social media accounts dramatically disappeared for 24 hours. The move resulted in a mini frenzy among loyal fans, who anxiously speculated what was happening.... Read more

By March 4, 2016

Leisure

Journey Down the Mekong: Alfie’s Offers a Taste of Thailand

The Capital’s Asian food scene could not be hotter right now: from the ramen experts at Daikaya and the eclectic, commercial, and culinary presenter Maketto, to the unexpected success of... Read more

By March 3, 2016

Leisure

Dull Bits Cut Out: Oscar Thoughts

For the 88th year in a row, the Oscars have come and gone. There’s already been plenty of digital ink spilled on the topic, of course – from the #OscarsSoWhite... Read more

By March 2, 2016

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Critical Voices: Ra Ra Riot, Need Your Light

Ra Ra Riot has been on the scene for a full decade now, but their most recent album, Need Your Light, still manages to be refreshing and offers something unique... Read more

By March 1, 2016

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Not Your Average Underdog: Egerton Delivers in Charming Eddie the Eagle

The Winter Olympics probably don’t receive the credit they deserve. Sure, it’s fun to get fired up about Shaun White, but how often do our nation’s children huddle around the... Read more

By February 26, 2016

Leisure

Blue Roses: Ford Theatre’s The Glass Menagerie is Rare, Delicate

“So is this gonna be an upper?” My friend — unfamiliar with The Glass Menagerie — leaned in and asked me about its happy-ending status as we waited for Ford’s... Read more

By February 26, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Dr. Dog, The Psychedelic Swamp

There are a plethora of factors that can go into naming an album. Maybe the name comes from a hit single, or some particularly clever lyrics on a song, or... Read more

By February 23, 2016