Leisure

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

Leisure

Oscar short and sweet

We all know Hollywood loves a happy ending, but the Oscar-nominated short films this year have managed to instill a sense of hope into their tales of struggle without artificially inducing conventional closure of the cheesy variety. In more ways than one, these brief snapshots offer a more valuable insight into the human condition than many of their feature-length counterparts.

By February 21, 2013

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Mike Birbiglia returns to GU, aims to kill with laughter

Mike Birbiglia (COL ’00) won “Funniest Person on Campus” his sophomore year at Georgetown—let’s see if he’s still got it. His latest one man show, “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” will run for five nights at the Davis Center’s Gonda Theater beginning Monday, Feb. 25.

By February 21, 2013

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Critical Voices: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Push the Sky Away

A band that successfully released 15 albums certainly earns the right to poetic license and work packed with perplexing content, but a limit on such creativity should be observed. The Australian group Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds become an unfortunate testament to this fact with the release of Push the Sky Away, an album so tumultuous in quality of music that the entire LP is nearly unbearable. Wildly swinging between refreshing spiritual revelations and sex-fueled rants by an apparent drunk old man, Push the Sky Away is salvaged only by its soothing instrumentation.

By February 21, 2013

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Critical Voices: Beach Fossils, Clash the Truth

With a number of low-fi surf-inspired bands releasing music lately it’s easy for some of them to get lost in the mix—especially since they all seem compelled to choose names involving the ocean, beach, or other trite references to surfing or the coast. With their second album Clash the Truth, Brooklyn rockers Beach Fossils don’t do much to distinguish themselves in this somewhat crowded field, as the band fails at achieving any musical growth while losing some of the charm from their first record. The end result is an album that while certainly solid lacks enough vitality or innovation to make it particularly memorable.

By February 21, 2013

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Under the Covers: Pow! nails a home run

How do you take your meat—if you do? Well-done or still bloody? Are you queasy at the thought of slaughter or do you ignore the source of your Leo’s, Tombs, or 5 Guys burger?

By February 21, 2013

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Reel Talk: Abrams fuels war of the nerds

Despite Star Wars fans’ best efforts, a Disney-owned sequel to the franchise is in the works. Still, the situation could be worse. George Lucas has abdicated his tyrannical control, Lawrence Kasdan, the co-writer of Episode V and VI, has been brought on board as a creative consultant, and J.J. Abrams has agreed to direct.

By February 21, 2013

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Wanderland takes student theater down the rabbit hole

It’s unusual that falling down a rabbit hole and traveling to a new country for college are thrust alongside each other in the same theater, yet Wanderland pairs these experiences in two pieces that complement, rather than contradict, each other in their themes of exploration. The senior thesis projects for Theater & Performance Studies majors, individually titled Golden Shards and Chiaroscuro, take stories familiar to all and muddle the formula to create hybrid narratives. The result is a conglomerate of fairy tale and memoir that blurs the line between fantasy and reality, nationality and identity.

By February 14, 2013

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Hirshhorn moves Out of the Ordinary

The Hirshhorn’s newest exhibit, Out of the Ordinary, explores the artistic potential in everyday objects and successfully sends its visitors into a transfigured state of fantasy while doing nothing short of regular.

By February 14, 2013

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Beautiful Creatures magically makes teen angst appealing

Supernatural forbidden romance has probably never seen better days. Undoubtedly left hungry after the conclusion of the Twilight films, the powerful demographic of teenage girls can look forward to the screen adaptation of yet another young adult series fitting this remarkably marketable description. Beautiful Creatures, though certainly designed for that target audience and following a familiar formula, is a respectable guilty pleasure.

By February 14, 2013

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Critical Voices: Bullet For My Valentine, Temper Temper

Certain musical styles require an opposition. Without the necessary grit and disgruntled listeners criticizing bands through thinly veiled smug superiority, genres like rock ‘n’ roll, particularly metal, would simply have faded from this world. The Welsh group Bullet for My Valentine turns in such a direction with its fourth studio album. Lacking an edge, Temper Temper fails to live up to the expectations set forth by the bloodied hands on the cover and emerges a confused, uninteresting LP.

By February 14, 2013

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Critical Voices: Otis Taylor, My World is Gone

Whether describing joblessness, discrimination, or even just problems with the old lady, the blues have long been a means of dealing with tragedy. It’s only natural, then, that Otis Taylor uses the blues to tell the story of another group with a history of hardship: Native Americans.

By February 14, 2013

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Paper View: Families torn apart, literally

The world is chock-full of competing theories. Is evolution or intelligent design behind the origin of mankind? Was ‘N Sync or the Backstreet Boys the superior boy band of the ‘90s? Does the Leo’s smell come from cleaning detergent or divine intervention? But no theories are more hotly debated than the meaning behind hit dramas—Lost, anyone?—and AMC’s comic book adaptation The Walking Dead is no exception.

By February 14, 2013

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I Knew You Were Treble: Mainstream indie, Folk yeah!

As I sat in my living room anxiously watching the Grammy’s, I could not help but marvel at the number of independently-labeled musicians nominated for the category of Best New Artist. Just last year, indie artist Bon Iver went home with that coveted award, much to the dismay of fans of Nicki Minaj and Skrillex. A decade ago this trend toward nominating indie artists would have been nearly impossible. So what does this trend suggest? And why is it occurring?

By February 14, 2013

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Live from Bulldog Alley: It’s a weekend of ImprovFest!

This weekend, the Georgetown Improv Association presents its 17th-annual ImprovFest, an event that brings improvisational comedy troupes from across the country to Georgetown for two nights of unscripted comedy. In terms of content and style, anything goes, but laughs are guaranteed.

By February 7, 2013

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Side Effects follows prescribed path

Jude Law could use a little Rogaine, but his acting chops in the new psychological thriller Side Effects make up for this slight but noticeable aesthetic blemish. The prescription pill takes center stage in this taut film, serving up a frightening scenario that could keep even the drowsiest Prozac user up late at night.

By February 7, 2013

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Restaurant Review: Protein Bar

Having gone to bed way too late to be waking up at 6:45 a.m., we were both pretty groggy as we headed toward the Rosslyn GUTS bus at the start of our early morning journey to Protein Bar’s Penn Quarter location. A quick metro ride to Gallery Place (a trip that most Georgetown students know very well) and a two-block walk brought us to our destination: Protein Bar, a small café nestled at the corner of 7th and D St. that prides itself on creating interesting and fun, high-protein, low-fat dishes.

By February 7, 2013

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Critical Voices: Frightened Rabbit, Pedestrian Verse

Pedestrian Verse marks the fourth major studio release for Scottish quintet Frightened Rabbit, and proves to be their most carefully contrived album to date, delivering what devotees have come to expect: darkly poetic songwriting that manages to be both blunt and nuanced. Frontman Scott Hutchison draws once more from his seemingly bottomless well of woe to craft intricate lyrics that convey great emotion without coming across as self-indulgent.

By February 7, 2013

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Critical Voices: My Bloody Valentine, m b v

Hope—though mostly false—and occasional outbursts of fury have accompanied Dublin alt rock outfit My Bloody Valentine on a 12-year journey to a third studio album. In spite of over a decade of production, the quality of the LP was never in question; MBV delivers a hauntingly fascinating album that occasionally breaks off into seemingly absurd yet exhilarating stylistic development.

By February 7, 2013

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Under the Covers: Caution: Anti-Fragile

Georgetown student: congratulations, you are on the right track! On your way to being Mr. Secretary of State, Ms. President, Mr. Non-Profit Manager, (or more likely) Mr. Consultant. You’re absolutely right—that summer internship you snagged will endear you to the right people to land a slightly above-entry-level job after graduation, so in 10 years, your salary will be high enough to pay off your law school debt and fund a social life in your off hours.

By February 7, 2013

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Reel Talk: Cinephiles return to the Oscars

The 2012 Academy Awards sucked. Despite Billy Crystal’s resurrection as host, the nominees (Midnight in Paris, Hugo, The Artist) didn’t possess the characteristic gravitas or ambition you’d expect from the candidates for Hollywood’s highest honors. But the tide has turned, and 2013’s high-caliber Oscar nominees are set to engage in the most nerve-racking Academy Awards show in recent memory.

By February 6, 2013