Leisure

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

Leisure

Ghibli makes a big splash with Arrietty‘s little world

For Arrietty Clock, carrying a sugar cube through the kitchen is a Herculean task. At only three inches tall, the young girl, a member of a group of miniscule people known as “Borrowers,” is in an unusual situation, and as protagonist lends a unique vantage point to Studio Ghibli’s newest film The Secret World of Arrietty. Based on Mary Norton’s novel The Borrowers, this latest marvel from the famed Japanese animation company uses new techniques to revitalize an old classic.

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

This District ain’t big enough for more than one Kitchen

Amid the variety of D.C. restaurants springing up under the banner of organic and cruelty-free produce, District Kitchen manages to maintain a competitive advantage that differentiates it from the grass-fed herd. While this newest member of the Woodley Park restaurant community serves up what appears to be classic mid-Atlantic cuisine, the twist on traditional recipes and the ever-changing house specials add variety to the otherwise predictably bland buffet of green D.C. eateries.

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

Campaigns from radio to Reddit

“There is no democracy without elections. And there can be no elections without the press.” Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin made this declaration in a world of print and radio, long before today’s era when Twitter consistently breaks news faster than the New York Times. Nonetheless, Goodwin’s observation still holds true, and the quote invites visitors into the entrance of the Newseum’s newest exhibit, “Every Four Years: Presidential Campaigns and the Press.”

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

Blast That Box: Imma let you finish… college

Declaring an album a “classic” is a meaningless exercise that I will leave for the writers at Pitchfork. Glowing reviews, no matter how abundant or how laudatory, are ultimately irrelevant—an album reaches that magical pinnacle when it strikes a chord for you alone, bringing you back time and again.

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

God Mode: Study geometry with Hexagon

A few days ago, I was studying for a midterm, which obviously meant I was looking for anything to do other than study for my midterm. The Internet, as always, provided. Through my haphazard blog-reading and link-clicking I eventually arrived at the Flash-based game Hexagon, made by the appropriately titled Distractionware. In five seconds I knew I wasn’t studying any time soon.

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

Critical Voices: Rotary Club, Second Year in Swine

If Wilco raided the Velvet Underground’s wardrobe, stole the Kinks’ haircuts, and then teamed up with Cursive, you’d end up with an image of Rotary Club’s newest album. The band’s experimental, ever-changing lineup packed in a thick sphere of homages on its sophomore attempt Second Year in Swine, but while the LP weaves in plenty of innovative subtleties, Rotary Club’s sound plays it safe by catering to fans of major alternative artists of both recent and long-gone years.

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

Critical Voices: Tate Tucker, Virgin Liberation

Last year, a video of then-freshman Tate Tucker (SFS ’14) rapping in front of Lupe Fiasco during Michael Eric Dyson’s sociology class went mildly viral—partially because the words “Georgetown” and “rapper” aren’t often seen in the same sentence. From the video it was clear that Tucker had talent, but there, as well as on his debut mixtape Blue Dreams, he sounded like he was trying a bit too hard, cramming too many rhyming words into the same line and often running out of breath. A year older now, Tucker is much steadier and restrained on his pleasantly surprising new EP, Virgin Liberation, nine songs of his strongest material yet.

By March 1, 2012

Leisure

Size doesn’t matter: Oscar shorts at E Street Cinema

The live-action shorts are one of the Oscars’ most alienating categories—no one promotes them, few even know anyone who has seen them, and even the actors are unrecognizable. But this week, E Street Cinema is making this obscure category a little more accessible to the masses, running them in succession and allowing the audience to decide which should get the award. If you can’t make it down there, here’s a quick guide to what you need to know about this year’s five live-action nominees.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

Cardamom to caviar: A modern take on American cuisine

Even if you haven’t taken high school Latin, Unum, a new addition to the D.C. dining scene, makes its esoteric name clear from dish one. While E Pluribus Unum—“out of many, one”—might be the nation’s de facto motto, every course at this M Street restaurant takes the mantra to heart.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

D.C. takes on D&G at Fashion Week

While D.C. is used to its share of questionable creations, they usually come in the form of congressional bills rather than runway fashions. But although the nation’s capital is not known as a center for fashion, D.C. Fashion Week represents an effort to change that conception, with a full line-up of stylish events running from Monday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 26. Showcasing both local and international up-and-comers in design, the collections will spotlight fall fashions that even the haute couture denizens of New York have not had the privilege of seeing.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

Child stars: All work and no pay

If you’re eager to watch scantily clad children spreading their legs for the cameras, you’re either a pedophile or a fan of Lifetime’s hit show Dance Moms. Centered on Abby Lee Dance Studio in Pittsburgh, the show follows a group of fanatic moms, their dancing daughters, and head choreographer and coach extraordinaire Abby Lee Miller, who weds the near-psychotic rage of Teresa Giudice with the vituperation of Simon Cowell in perfect reality television matrimony. In spite of all this, her character—because I refuse to denigrate any human being to that level of callous virulence—is rather entertaining, propelling the show into a successful second season.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

Box Office, Baby! Little gold men please Academy

There’s something special about the Oscars. Maybe it’s the glamorous red carpet entrances, where the freshly Botoxed faces mumble on about their bewilderment (and our bewilderment) at being invited to the Academy Awards without having appeared in any of the nominated films. Maybe it’s the gathering of unnatural-looking old men who have several lifetimes’ worth of accomplishments packed under their belts. Maybe it’s the celebration of cinema, both old and new. But most of all, the real meaning of the Oscars is berating the Academy for consistently handing those little golden men to undeserving candidates.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

Critical Voices: Sleigh Bells, Reign of Terror

A press release from Sleigh Bells describes their new release, Reign of Terror, as “the sonic equivalent of a beautiful shotgun to the head.” While the imagery certainly fits their 2010 debut Treats, the duo’s “beautiful shotgun” seems to have been loaded with blanks here. Terror is, on the whole, an enjoyable LP, but the added noise on a number of tracks is distracting. Despite that their sound is largely defined by volume, Sleigh Bells allows this din to overwhelm many tracks that would benefit from a more focused sound.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

Critical Voices: Eleanor Krause, Hold on Daylight

Not since they started making maple syrup has Vermont produced something as remarkably rich as the haunting tracks of Eleanor Krause’s Hold on Daylight. The Burlington-based crooner’s debut album lays out a simple combination of beautiful vocals and quiet guitars, which results in a moving sense of nostalgic serenity. The soft melodies of Daylight lend the album a folksy atmosphere reminiscent of Joan Baez, if Baez had honed her skills in the light of an Indiana campfire.

By February 23, 2012

Leisure

Lez’hur ledger: Want your money back, you will

This Saturday, I wasted 16 dollars on a ticket to the 3D re-release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The following is a letter I wrote to George Lucas explaining my disappointment.

By February 16, 2012

Leisure

Putnam’s Spelling Bee will change your weltanschauung

A story about six pre-pubescent spelling bee contestants is not exactly an intuitive subject for a musical. But it is precisely the quirky idiosyncrasies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee that make it such an appealing success. Satirizing the pressure-filled childhoods of middle school overachievers, it tells the simple tale of a county spelling bee while simultaneously capturing the growth of all its individual contestants. Filled with sharp comedy, much of which is improvised, Spelling Bee will have its audiences both falling off their chairs and pondering how to spell the names of obscure South American rodents.

By February 16, 2012

Leisure

Strathmore pays tribute to Ellington, and all that jazz

“I’m not going to do justice to Duke Ellington tonight in just one lecture,” speaker Rusty Hassan said to the audience on Monday evening. This two-hour session was just one part of a series taking place at the Mansion at Strathmore Hall in celebration of the life and music of the world-renowned jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and Washingtonian. The series, entitled the Discover Ellington Festival, runs from the Feb. 3 to 20 and focuses on the “African-American Aesthetic,” making this praiseworthy celebration all the more appropriate during Black History Month.

By February 16, 2012

Leisure

To beef or not to beef?

After the carnivorous barbeque overload of D.C.’s Meat Week, the District’s all-veggie alternative, Meat-Free Week, began its third annual celebration this Monday. The festival challenges meat-eaters to try new diets, and record crowds show up to trade their bacon for Boca Burgers.

By February 16, 2012

Leisure

God Mode: This money’s Double Fine

There is a rare class of entertainers who could ask their fans for cash and raise over $1 million in less than 24 hours. It would take a gravity-shifting megastar to generate that kind of outpouring of support, someone with a cultish following like Oprah or Justin Bieber—or, apparently, Tim Schafer.

By February 16, 2012

Leisure

Blast that Box: Decent lyrics? That shit cray.

Detractors say rap is the bane of the music industry, inciting youth to worship talentless frauds that can neither sing nor craft lyrical greatness. I have one response to this criticism—really, who cares? Hip-hop can be hilarious. Delving into the shittiest lyrics on the market gives us a tragic and comical look at the failures and successes of some of the most popular artists’ attempts at lyrical ingenuity. The amusement listeners get from dissecting the lines of their favorite goofy rapper is a perfectly legitimate reason for listening.

By February 16, 2012