Leisure

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

Leisure

Critical Voices: MGMT, MGMT

MGMT’s self-titled LP is a beautiful labyrinth that can only be appreciated once you break free of its constricting walls. Though weirder than ever, the electro-soaked, psych-rock sound, first shared with the world on MGMT’s breakout success Oracular Spectacular, has become more refined and distinctive in their third full-length recording.

By September 19, 2013

Leisure

I’ll meet you anytime you want in our Italian restaurant

After spending a week in Rome three years ago, it’s largely undisputed that I’m essentially an Italian food connoisseur. Still, it doesn’t take an expert to know that Ghibellina serves great food. Ralph Lee and Ari Gedjenson took a piece of Italy with them when they brought the restaurant Acqua al 2 across the Atlantic and gave it a new home on Capitol Hill.

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

Another fussy French diplomat lands in Washington

Le Diplomate proves as pricey as its fancy name suggests. Tucked into the corner of 14th and Q, the restaurant mimics its French counterparts with high, open windows, rustic white and oak-paneled walls, and tiled floors. All this establishes the feeling of old Paris as you walk through a set of wooden doors. At 6:30 on a Monday night (that’s right, Monday), the restaurant was already filled, and I was cheerfully given a table on the sidewalk—nothing to complain about on such a beautiful day. That quiet, idyllic corner spot where expats scribble masterpieces is nowhere to be found at Le Dip. Instead, the patio bubbles with noise—the restaurant is quickly becoming a lively neighborhood spot.

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

Insidious 2 brings back old haunts

The Lambert family is back, this time with daddyissues. The Insidious sequel starts right where the first film left off, after Dalton’s father Josh (Patrick Wilson) reclaimed his astral projection abilities and plunged into The Further to save his son (Ty Simpkins). This time, in an effort to move the plot further and cash in on a sequel, it’s Josh that’s possessed.

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

iTunes killed the radio

If Pandora is a trainable dog, iTunes Radio is Apple’s jeans-and-hoodie clad salesman. This new music streaming service comes included as part of the iOS 7 updates to Apple mobile devices, available on Sept. 18.

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

Reel Talk: I’ll be back… again

Every year, studios save a little bit of the money being poured into sequels for something even worse—remakes. Recent remake releases such as The Evil Dead not only fail at living up to their originals’ merits; they taint the original features’ legacies and do a great injustice to their filmmakers’ visions. A simple question demonstrates the superfluous existence of these pernicious remakes: what remake has ever surpassed its original inspiration in either quality or enjoyment?

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

Plate of the Union: Bring on the cheese, Georgia

Georgian cuisine is not for the faint of heart. Or stomach. Or digestive system. Georgia’s national dish is khachapuri, which literally translates to “cheese-bread.” It’s not as simple as a chunk of cheddar on some whole wheat: Each of Georgia’s regions (even the breakaways and autonomous ones) have their own interpretation of the recipe. After a two-week tour of Georgia, during which I ate almost nothing but khachapuri and watermelon, I’ve got the lowdown on my three favorite renditions of this cheesy wonder.

By and September 12, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Kitten, Like a Stranger

Elektra Records’ up-and-comer Kitten has found its voice again. The band’s self-released debut EP, Sunday School, showcased a mix of entry-level punk rock and dance rhythms. But, after getting signed, Kitten experimented with a trendy and ethereal alternative sound, à la indie music darling Sky Ferreira. This second EP, Cut It Out, felt like Kitten had suddenly become timid in its synthy 80s sound.

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Holy Ghost!, Dynamics

Holy Ghost!’s sophomore effort, Dynamics, is like walking through a multistoried discotheque. Most rooms blast 80s movie soundtracks, but you’ll stop sporadically to find floors of bubbly, synthpop dance. While the Brooklyn-based duo’s love for disco leads to the occasional dance anthem, the LP is oversaturated in nostalgia and too caught up in the past to offer anything new to its listeners.

By September 12, 2013

Leisure

Baby Wale swims into D.C. with simple, striking menu

Don’t try to order a baby whale at Baby Wale. Instead, I recommend sampling the Mozzarella Porcupine. An unpredictably satisfying cheese dish, it’s topped with Kataifi (shredded Fillo Dough) and complemented by a tomato colis and basil oil dipping sauce, which satisfies both the cosmopolitan palate and the adventurous spirit found in so many Georgetown students. In fact, the Mozzarella Porcupine perfectly encompasses the eclectic atmosphere of one D.C.’s newest restaurants.

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Ritchie’s watercolor time machines

Depicting just one place in space—yet over many moments in time—Charles Ritchie slows us down just enough to notice those ordinary yet beautiful “subjects that we pass by every day.” As the artist spoke and displayed his work on a projector before his exhibition officially opened yesterday at Georgetown’s Spagnuolo gallery, one got the sense that his works were large and overwhelming—until, of course, viewed in the gallery.

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Jazz across Key Bridge

If you’re looking for a way to avoid Lau on the first true weekend back, you’ll find one just across the river. The Rosslyn Jazz Festival is this Saturday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gateway Park. It’s free and open to the public—a modern-day highway robbery, considering the incredible line-ups the festival is known for assembling.

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Overzealous 17-year-olds start planning for presidency

Given the number of times the American flag appears in Jonathan Goodman Levitt’s most recent documentary, Follow the Leader, the imagery sparks a reflection on what patriotism actually means. In almost every other scene, red, white, and blue decorate the background, whether the camera’s showing us a camp ceremony, the wall of a college dorm, or the lapels of politicians’ suits. As Levitt himself said, “That might make us think twice about [the flags], or make us question them.”

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Under the Covers: Capitol kiss and tell

As the industrial skyline of my beloved hometown, Milwaukee, Wisc., faded from view, I felt ready. The three-hour flight to Reagan passed quickly. I pretended to read until I could see the first twists of the Potomac out the window. Then came the gothic spires of Georgetown, the townhouses, the government buildings, and as the plane tilted—there it was, the Washington Monument, its polished surface proudly proclaiming a successful democracy with liberty and justice for all.

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Idiot Box: Top of the Lake plunges deep

The first few minutes of Oscar-winning director Jane Campion’s haunting BBC miniseries, Top of the Lake, find a young girl slowly wading into the freezing water, the silhouette of New Zealand mountains emerging through the surrounding mist. Her glassy expression is unreadable and the scene stunningly seductive, but when a frazzled adult arrives and yells that the water could kill her, we begin to understand that there’s a sinister force behind the tranquil landscape. As the story unfolds, its characters disturb the surface in more ways than one, peeling back the outward layers of both their small, sleepy town and their own pasts to discover more corruption than they might have imagined.

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Bastille, Bad Blood

Bastille’s major label debut begins in epic fashion: with raucous, layered choral harmonies. The first track, “Pompeii,” which has gained prominence in the British music scene, introduces us to themes that recur throughout the twelve track record and the musical mind of Dan Smith. Together, the songs weave a story of the grand and ancient Roman city while simultaneously injecting a palpable feeling of inferiority: “But if you close your eyes/does it almost feel like/nothing changed at all?”

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Critical Voices: Jonathan Rado, Law and Order

On his debut solo project Law and Order, Jonathan Rado casts his net just about as wide as a 45 minute LP will permit. Starting with the familiar psych rock sound of Foxygen, the critically acclaimed group that he co-founded in 2005, Rado quickly broadens his repertoire, venturing into Motown, punk, and folk, ultimately finding his comfort zone right back where he started.

By September 5, 2013

Leisure

Cretton’s Short Term 12 leaves a long-term impression

When Jayden first joins Short Term 12—a group home for at-risk teens—she introduces herself with an apology. She’s sure the people sitting around her are nice enough, but she doesn’t want to get to know them“Don’t take it personally,” she says as she makes her anti-introduction. Jayden knows the drill all too well: Take your meds, follow the rules, don’t freak out. If you don’t make friends at the foster care facility, it’s easier to leave. But Jayden, played with enormous heart by Kaitlyn Denver, soon realizes what the audience knows from the start—that it’s impossible not to get drawn into the community at Short Term 12.

By August 29, 2013

Leisure

Custom Fuel: A pizza you can’t refuse

Custom Fuel is an indecisive person’s greatest nightmare. With three different crusts, nine types of cheeses, seven kinds of sauces, 19 veggies, 10 types of protein, and 10 varying cold toppings to choose from, the possibilities for delicious combinations are fodder for a statistics quiz. But for creative types, adventurers, and hungry students, the newest design-your-own pizza joint in D.C. is heaven.

By August 29, 2013

Leisure

Permanent Summer heats up the Civilian Art Projects

Gone are the days of summer festivals and beach bonfires. The school year has officially started, brining with it the beginning of the fall season and colder days. Nonetheless, Permanent Summer successfully reminds its visitors how much fun we’ve had since the end of springtime.

By August 29, 2013