Leisure

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

Leisure

Critial Voices: Trey Songz, Inevitable

When Trey Songz rocketed to mass popularity in 2010 with hit singles “Say Aah” and “Bottoms Up,” he set a high standard for his music. With the internet buzzing with speculation about Chapter 5, his upcoming 2012 studio album, the five-track EP Inevitable provides a clear preview of Songz’s newest work. Unfortunately, Inevitable without question misses the high mark of his 2010 singles, and what remains is a steaming pile of rap that leaves former fans praying that the inevitable transformation of the EP into Chapter 5 never comes.

By December 1, 2011

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Critical Voices: Curren$y, Jet World Order

In concept and construction, the latest album from prolific rapper Curren$y, Jet World Order, is a lot like Lil’ Wayne’s We Are Young Money or Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc la Familia—albums worth of tracks from associates and labelmates, with different artists featured in various combinations in each song. An album of this type usually works nicely because it gives listeners the opportunity to listen to a familiar artist while exposing them to the stylings of associated up-and-comers. Unfortunately, on Jet World Order, Curren$y himself only appears in three of the album’s twelve tracks, and without him the other artists fail to hold up.

By December 1, 2011

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Box Office, Baby!: No Green for NC-17

Walking into a screening of Shame, an upcoming film labeled with the dreaded NC-17 rating, I felt a tingle of excitement. No, not the excitement a pubescent boy feels before opening his first Playboy, but the excitement that I was about to witness a quality film. Unfortunately, the stigma of pornography that an NC-17 rating carries has left many independent films like Shame at the cruel mercy of the Motion Picture Association of America.

By December 1, 2011

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Trash Talk: In sickness and in wealth

This Thanksgiving, the Kardashian clan has a lot to be thankful for. Rob came in a respectable second in ABC’s Dancing with the Stars finale (his sister Kim only lasted three weeks). Khloe’s husband Lamar Odom returned to work thanks to a breakthrough in negotiations between the NBA and the players’ union. Kourtney revealed the shocking news that she and boyfriend Scott Disick are pregnant with their second child. And this Sunday, the next installment of the Kardashian saga, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, premiered on E! to an impressive 3.2 million viewers.

By December 1, 2011

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Clooney ascends in The Descendants

Another excellent addition from the master chronicler of middle aged men in crisis, Alexander Payne’s The Descendants sweeps the viewer away with its beautiful Hawaiian vistas and playful ukulele music, all the while breaking our heart with the sad situation of the King family. A grittier—and probably more realistic—version of Hawaii is presented, with frequently cloudy skies, dirty pools, and fake smiles. This is no Mary-Kate and Ashley’s Hawaiian Beach Party.

By November 17, 2011

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The apocalypse has never looked this good

Lars von Trier is no stranger to the grotesque. His 2009 film Antichrist, an antidote to his debilitating period of depression, featured talking animals, the self-mutilation of body parts you’d rather not know, and, quite unexpectedly, gorgeous cinematography. In Melancholia, the director introduces a lavish wedding party-gone-wrong in the context of the imminent destruction of the earth in his typically provocative fashion. Yet to lead actress Kirsten Dunst’s credit, the film is able to explore unsettling themes without gratuitous gore in its presentation of picturesque, slow-motion imagery, Wagnerian opera, and genuinely erratic characters.

By November 17, 2011

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These are some bad balls

Outside of Penn Quarter’s newest eatery, passers-by cannot help but do a double take at the window front of 626 E Street NW, which exclaims “BALLS” in bold-set type. It... Read more

By November 17, 2011

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Idiot Box: Parks and defecation

As far as television goes, last night was pretty unremarkable—just your regular Wednesday night fare, plus a season finale or two, given the time of year. So it’s funny to think that just a few months ago, people all over the Internet were predicting that November 16 would bring the apocalypse of the televised world: the end of South Park.

By November 17, 2011

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Critical Voices: Los Campesinos!, Hello Sadness

Welsh indie-pop band Los Campesinos! has just put out their fourth album in four years. While some artists choose to evolve their sound dramatically between each release, Los Campesinos! have opted to stay more or less the same. Hello Sadness is in many ways the same album as the band’s first effort, Hold on Now Youngster—lead singer Gareth Campesinos! is still rambling through eclectic lyrics about love and loss.

By November 17, 2011

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Critical Voices: Childish Gambino, Camp

After putting out several free mixtapes in the past two years, comedian-cum-rapper Donald Glover is releasing his debut album, Camp, under the moniker Childish Gambino. Glover’s intelligent and creative lyrics are often as hilarious as his stand-up comedy and as crowd-pleasing as his character Troy on the NBC comedy Community.

By November 17, 2011

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Throwback Jack: When students had it maid

As CHARMS surveys and roommate agreements attest, a major factor in creating harmonious living arrangements is a mutually agreeable cleaning regimen. Nowadays, who cleans what and when is an issue that students must work out among themselves, but for Hoyas of the 1950s and ‘60s, roommates never needed to quarrel over cleaning duties. They had maids. And when the maids stopped coming, they rallied together and quarreled with University administrators.

By November 17, 2011

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Whiskey, cigarettes, and suicide

With smoking ashtrays and half-empty whiskey glasses littering the set, it would hardly seem shocking if Don Draper strode across the stage for The Deep Blue Sea. A dark domestic drama set in post-war England, The Deep Blue Sea gains its strength through a meticulous attention to detail.

By November 10, 2011

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Whiskey Business: Where the streets have no laws

Having spent the last spring and summer abroad, I often find myself reminiscing about my golden days in Europe. Yes, the scenery was beautiful, the art collections were often mind-blowing, and the accents were charming, but that’s not what I find myself dwelling on most often. It’s drinking in public.

By November 10, 2011

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Byte Me: Facebook’s evil twins

The Winklevoss twins are at it again. The first time they infamously took on Mark Zuckerberg for stealing their idea for an exclusive collegiate social network, they walked away with a $65 million settlement in exchange for dropping all charges against Facebook. The settlement, three years later, is now valued at $200 million. But why stop at $200 million when you can get $650 million? The Winklevii are back, claiming that Facebook overvalued their stock when they made the first deal, which, had it been valued correctly, would be worth $650 million today.

By November 10, 2011

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Critical Voices: Atlas Sound, Parallax

Bradford Cox can sing. This may come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the Deerhunter front man, whose musical modus operandi has proven for years to consist of complex, experimental instrumentation coupled with muffled, ambient vocals. But on Parallax, the latest album from his solo project Atlas Sound, Cox allows his mostly unaltered voice to take the center of attention on multiple tracks, making for an album that is a little bit more normal without feeling uncharacteristic.

By November 10, 2011

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Critical Voices: Mac Miller, Blue Slide Park

Malcolm McCormick, better known as the rapper Mac Miller and formerly known as the rapper Easy Mac, is just another Internet rapper. However, despite his small label—Wiz Khalifa’s Rostrum Records—and his seemingly standard weed-heavy blog-rap approach, he has managed to separate himself from the pack and gain a massive following. With his debut, Blue Slide Park, Miller’s fame will probably pile up, but there could be no lower form of unwarranted fame.

By November 10, 2011

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Make sure to track down the Hunter

A Child Shall Lead Them: Making The Night of The Hunter is a play that makes you feel like you’ve just watched a movie.

By November 3, 2011

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Got me feeling Like Crazy in love

In Romeo and Juliet, the titular lovers are threatened by a deep animosity between rival families. In Like Crazy, lovers Jacob and Anna’s relationship is threatened by immigration officers, as rising stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones play a young couple struggling with the strife of a long-distance relationship.

By November 3, 2011

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Thumbs up for Crumbs

There’s no denying the fact that the “cupcake culture “ has hit the D.C. area in full throttle. We’ve all rolled our eyes at the seemingly endless line that extends outside of Georgetown Cupcake’s doors. We’ve listened to our friends get into heated debates about whether the treats at Sprinkles or Baked and Wired are superior. What is it exactly that makes people do such crazy things in the name of a muffin-shaped cake doused in buttercream frosting? Beats me. But for all you loyal cupcake fans, I have good news: yet another cupcakery has just opened up. And it’s worth getting excited about.

By November 3, 2011

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Idiot Box: You are not the father

Think about something someone could tell you that would make you really, really excited. You’d whoop, scream, get out of your chair, and do a victory dance while a crowd of people cheered you on. But the information you were just told wasn’t that you’ve just won the lottery, or you’ve become an overnight international celebrity. It’s even better—in the case of this 14-month-old baby, you are not the father.

By November 3, 2011