Leisure

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



Leisure

Voltaggio’s boxed lunches infuse suburbia with hipster pretense

Walk in, and a metal bucket might fall on your head. Walk out, and you are engulfed by the hypnotic hum of the American shopping experience. This is Lunchbox, restaurateur... Read more

Leisure

‘Bountiful Waters’ coy, fluid exhibition

The traditional Japanese landscape evokes both strength and elegance, the resolute and the graceful. These dueling feelings were omnipresent throughout my time at the Smithsonian’s new exhibition “Bountiful Waters,” exploring... Read more

Leisure

Delightful Duplass rekindles second chances in The One I Love

A disturbingly surreal weekend getaway serves as a young married couple’s attempt to rekindle their passion in The One I Love.  Sent by a marriage counselor to spend three days... Read more

Leisure

Under the Covers: Somewhere over the rainbow, the color gray is the warmest of all

When we look at our lives in hindsight, we tend to see the events as having fallen into place, like puzzle pieces naturally forming their way into the bigger picture—except... Read more

Leisure

Reel Talk: Is the Bechdel Test enough to save the female lead?

The film industry, like the majority of industries, has a female problem. That’s probably not the first time you’ve heard that, but people have started to try to objectively assess... Read more

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Kooks, Listen

Fans of previous Kooks albums, beware––this record is not the vintage, 60s-meets-90s British rock that would be welcome in a dingy London nightclub in either decade. Lacking their usual unified... Read more

Leisure

Critical Voices: Sinkane, Mean Love

Sinkane’s second LP release, Mean Love, is a jungle of dense, atmospheric instrumentals and smooth vocals. Sinkane, the solo project of Ahmed Gallab of Caribou and of Montreal, draws influences... Read more

Leisure

Farm fresh fixtures fill local markets with delights dorms desire

Here at the Voice we know how satisfying it is to get your hands around a pair of firm, juicy tomatoes––organic, of course! If in the midst of your frantic... Read more

Leisure

Speculative forms: creates conjecture

Each of us looks at the world through our own filter, constructed by our own thoughts and emotions. It matters that you are the one in front of the art—that... Read more

Leisure

DC’s The Partisan transcends divides, celebrates co-op diversity

In my opinion, every man should have a mancave at some point in his life––womancaves are essential too, of course. I’m talking burnished wood, exposed brick, excellent scotch and rye... Read more

Leisure

Breeches & Bodice: Normcore: making suburban dads chic and Birkenstocks haute couture since 2014

Now that we’re all back on the Hilltop, please take my advice: those Birkenstocks aren’t doing you any favors. They’re ugly, comfortable, and —dare I say it— painfully hip. But,... Read more

Leisure

Idiot Box: Broad City leads pave way for female-driven comedy

It’s impossible to tell whether the creators of the Comedy Central series Broad City drew any inspiration from Tyga’s classic 2012 single “Rack City” in a brainstorming session, but it’s... Read more

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Wytches, Annabelle Dream Reader

“I am here but lost in the light,” The Wytches frontman, Kristian Bell, croons in their new release Annabel Dream Reader. The album is, indeed, lost in its stormy sea... Read more

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Gaslight Anthem, Get Hurt

On the New Jersey punk rock band’s fifth LP, frontman Brian Fallon lost sight of the road beyond his dashboard and steered the Gaslight-mobile straight into Heartbreak Hotel. This is... Read more

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Days of Abandon

The progression of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart’s third LP, Days of Abandon, teeters between pop and rock. The majority of this newest release sees the NYC native... Read more

Leisure

GUTV Film Fest returns with stellar selection of student shorts

Student filmmakers are receiving an opportunity to demonstrate their talent in a short film competition sponsored by Georgetown University Television later this evening. 12 student-produced films are to be judged... Read more

Leisure

Grilled Cheese DC not gouda-nough

I don’t often think about class warfare while eating grilled cheese. But as I bit into an artisanal sandwich oozing Grilled Cheese D.C.’s custom Gruyere blend, bourgeois offenses were all... Read more

Leisure

Hirshhorn Washington Color School exhibition edgy, defies gravity

D.C.’s place in popular memory is one of power grabs and political scandal. I often forget, as I imagine others do, that the District is a real city with its... Read more

Leisure

Under the Covers: Boy, snow, bird walk into a bar…

There once was a girl. She had a childlike freshness that suggested an initial impression of juvenility, but she wasn’t. She didn’t fall into convention. She believed in monsters and... Read more

Leisure

Reel Talk: History repeats itself, almost

With Hollywood running out of ideas, there has been a resurgence of historical films. In the past two years alone, we’ve seen blockbuster releases such as Argo, Dallas Buyers Club,... Read more