Leisure

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

Leisure

Critical Voices: Mac DeMarco, Salad Days

Beneath his dirty and bayou-esque (although incredibly sexy, if I do say so myself) persona, Mac DeMarco is the archetypal musician. He plays music because he loves to—not because he... Read more

By April 3, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: Kaiser Chiefs, Education, Education, Education & War

If a haunted house with some serious political grievances put on a 46-minute rock show, you might get something resembling Kaiser Chief’s latest release, Education, Education, Education & War. The... Read more

By April 3, 2014

Leisure

Doubt pushes audience to question the line between truth and lies

Just over a decade ago, The Boston Globe wrote a series of stories about the conviction and sentencing of five Roman Catholic priests for child sex abuse in the Boston... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

This Week in Culture: Ballet Folklorico & ABISSA Showcase at Georgetown

Despite the snow on Healy lawn, spring has sprung in Georgetown. With the promise of warm—albeit wet—weather this weekend, two on-campus cultural organizations are seizing the opportunity to strut their... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

Smithsonian’s Beyond Bollywood exhibit is not very ambitious

Bollywood is more than a cheesy, showy knockoff of the American film industry. It’s an amazing, albeit often overly romanticized, reflection of Indian society. And, as many young Indian Americans,... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

Exceptional American art at Phillips

It’s fitting that America’s first modern art museum, The Phillips Collection, should exhibit Made in the USA, a rich anthology spanning the enormous breadth of American modern art collected by... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

Under the Covers: At night, think about our history

“I was a judge at a recent Literary Death Match in Miami. One of my co-judges was [Tina Fey. The other was] Prodigy of Mobb Deep, who was one of... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

Day Tripper: Lost in temptation

The best time of year for gossips and story-lovers are the days after Hoyas have returned to the Hilltop from vacation. People share fabulous tales of their adventures—beaches, gourmet buffets,... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: Tycho, Awake

Imagine a stroll through a perfectly manicured garden, Versailles or Dumbarton Oaks, on a sun-soaked day. It is an experience––grass artfully cropped, Baroque nudes selected with precision. Turn that into... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: Shakira, Shakira

On her tenth album, Shakira, the Latina superstar has relinquished her throne. For the first time, the songwriter and producer has disappointed. The eponymous album was initially set to be... Read more

By March 27, 2014

Leisure

All the world’s a stage at Kennedy Center theater festival

D.C. has long been a cradle for international cultural exhibitions. World Stages, the Kennedy Center’s International Theater Festival, redefines the concept of the global, however, by shining a spotlight on... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

American Art Museum exhibit gets real

Having strolled through a couple rooms of the American Art Museum, I went up to a pair of guards and asked to be pointed to the Modern American Realism exhibit.... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

Hilltop Tossers: The Corp tosses our salads with no regrets

The return to campus life from the bliss of spring break is an often sad time in the life of the Hoya. But fear not: this week, the beloved GU... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

One Jake Gyllenhaal simply isn’t enough

What would you do if you met someone who looked just like you? No, exactly like you? That’s the question the film Enemy asks us, to no clear conclusion. Enemy... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

Eating Out: Doing it in the dark

I slowly bring my hand closer to my mouth, where it pauses, suspended in midair for an eternity. “I can’t,” I say, abruptly pushing away, appeasing my gag reflex. The... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

Deadbeats: Festivus for the rest of us

A lot of people I know lose it over summer music festivals. Whether it’s Coachella, Lollapalooza, Oozlelolooza, or whatever the latest trendy festival is, there’s a ton of excitement surrounding... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: La Dispute, Rooms of the House

If every band painted a picture to go along with their work, La Dispute would paint a family van flying off a bridge into an icy river for their third... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

Critical Voices: Skrillex, Recess

Love him or hate him, you know his name, and you’ve made fun of his haircut. Three years after dropping his debut EP, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Skrillex’s first... Read more

By March 20, 2014

Leisure

On the Record: “Passing Out Pieces” with Mac DeMarco

Mac DeMarco, down-to-earth Canadian rocker dude (with a tendency to get a little weird), agreed to discuss his upcoming album Salad Days and his thoughts on the music industry with... Read more

By and March 6, 2014

Leisure

A sad, honest look at the promised land

You wouldn’t be wrong to immediately associate the film Bethlehem with the birthplace of Jesus Christ. But Bethlehem’s namesake is instead the site of violence—cold, calculated and endemic violence that... Read more

By March 6, 2014