Spring Break
Highlights of 2006: AlbumsJoanna Newsom Ys It's no mean feat to conjure an entire world with words alone, but Joanna Newsom succeeds in doing just that. She describes it, meticulously, with staggering eloquence and splendor. Her voice is either an anachronism or a premonition, but in any case, it doesn't belong in the present. Post a comment |
Highlights of 2006: BooksLet's face it: Chances are that we at Hopkins don't have much free time to read books for pleasure. Between class readings, studying and writing papers -- not to mention the mad dashes to class -- there isn't all that much time to cuddle up with a book on M-level. Post a comment |
JHUT masters a difficult performanceThe Marriage of Bette and Boo is the classic Christopher Durang play: an absurdist comedy with dark undertones that satirizes the Catholic Church and people's ridiculous compulsions. Also characteristic of a Durang play is the complexity the production requires. 2 Comments |
Throat Culture ruffles feathers with comedyWhat can one say walking out of the fall Throat Culture show, aptly called "Tolerable Cruelty: JHU's Fall 2006 Racial Sensitivity Workshop," other than, well, what can I say? This show, designed to be a mockery of the recent diversity issues on campus, left its audience members wondering exactly what they had walked into. Post a comment |
Happy Feet is an animated classic for allAfter the triumph of The March of the Penguins, Warner Brothers realized that those cuddly Antartic animals will ultimately guarantee success. No one can resist the flightless birds as they waddle through the icy terrain It's a simple fact. However, there is a way to make penguins even more appealing, and as everybody knows, the only thing better than penguins is dancing penguins. Post a comment |
Rocky Balboa knocked out, sixth roundIn 1976 Rocky won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and captured the adoration of America. Rocky Balboa, the underdog of the boxing world who rose to become a heavyweight champion through sheer good old fashioned ambition, was and still is an icon. Post a comment |
Visually stunning Apocalypto falls flat in plotThere is no crucifixion in Apocalypto. And, despite the ardent wishes of publicist stunt junkies, Mel Gibson does not make an appearance. Oh, and he never mentions God. At least not a monotheistic one. Instead he makes a movie that can be cut in half. The first hour is an epic -- long shots of the jungle canopy, bombastic music, overwhelming prettiness in each shot -- and the second hour is a music video without a pop song -- frenetic, sped-up-then-slowed-down action that makes all those pretty scenes blur into adrenaline. Post a comment |
Anthallo and Page France let loose at Ottobar showI've heard Anathallo described as one part indie, one part marching band, one part musical theater and one part "oh my God my brain just broke." I'm sure there is a dash of other things in there, too, but I have neither the refined musical vocabulary nor expertise to pick them out. Post a comment |