Arts
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What Goes Bump In The Night
November 6th, 2009Do you believe in ghosts? It doesn’t matter. The best films on the subject will have you incontrovertibly convinced until the theater lights come on. There have been good and bad films claiming to be “horror,” on slashers, poltergeists, cannibals, plagues, zombies, vampires and even vaginal teeth. None quite spook the soul like an old-fashioned ghost yarn. Ghosts are often felt and not seen, the icy spot in the empty room or the creak of tree branches overhead in a dark wood. Ghosts are: the door that shuts on its own, the piano that plays in the dark, the distant train miles from any tracks. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take a hockey-mask wearing killer. Read More
Other
Sequel Fail: 'Boondock Saints II' Disappoints
November 6th, 2009Everything I love turns to shit. It’s like the world loves playing these sick little filmic jokes on me. “Oh, Graham, you liked this? You thought it was a good movie? Well guess what, we just got Nicolas Cage to do the remake. And he’s bringing his worried face.” Nicolas Cage is the worst. But they did it with Rambo, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and now the fat greasy suits pumping Scorsese’s brain are threatening to remake Taxi Driver. Read More
A Season For Singing About Life, Love
November 6th, 2009Once upon a time there was a little girl and a little boy. They met Once by accident. They met twice by accident. They met thrice on purpose. And they lived happily ever after. Read More
No Country For The Discontent
November 6th, 2009In the newest Coen Brothers’ film, A Serious Man, the writing and directing duo draw from personal experience to create an interesting story about a middle-aged Jewish man whose life is falling apart before his eyes. The film is set in Ethan and Joel Coen’s home state, Minnesota, specifically in a suburb where religion plays a significant part in everyday life. In his first lead role, Michael Stuhlbarg is brilliant as Larry Gopnik, and is supported by a wonderful cast including Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick and the wonderfully pathetic Richard Kind. Read More
Archived Stories
An Etude In Innovation
November 5th, 2009While there is no stereotypical member of Contrapunkt, Cornell’s main outlet for undergraduate composition, Zach Romeo ’10 seems to embody the group strengths. As the group likes to stress, he is an engineer — which should be an anomaly in a group of music majors. However, it isn’t, as Contrapunkt boasts several engineers as well as members from other non-musical majors such as the AEM program. His pieces for piano draw heavily on improvisation, solely because Romeo likes to improvise. Most importantly, Contrapunkt’s upcoming free concert at Barnes Hall this Sunday is Romeo’s first public appearance with his work. Contrapunkt has given him the opportunity to showcase his original work for the first time during his Cornell career. Read More
Test Spin: Built to Spill
November 5th, 2009For 17 years now, Built to Spill has produced album after album of twisting and turning, multi-layered, experimental rock music for an ever-growing fan base. There Is No Enemy is a high note for the band, whose current sound continues previous records’ trajectory and features a more matured and cultivated style. Read More
Test Spin: Karen O and The Kids
November 5th, 2009“I could use a story … ” So begins the first song titled “Igloo” on the soundtrack for the new movie Where the Wild Things Are. What follows is exactly that — a beautiful, winding and melodic narrative, one that for the most part can stand alone from the film. The soundtrack, by Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and an enigmatic backing band called The Kids — a collaboration between a children’s choir, members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their indie compatriots Deerhunter and The Raconteurs — is memorable on its own. Read More
Test Spin: Julian Casablancas
November 5th, 2009You might expect the Strokes’ frontman Julian Casablancas to be a little groggy after awakening from a three-year artistic hibernation, but instead, he calmly brushes the dust off his leather jacket, Casiotone keyboards and mic stand to deliver a punchy and refreshing solo debut with Phrazes for the Young. Infectious energy and meticulously crafted arrangements abound through the 40-minute album as Casablancas pieces together classically catchy compositions, sprawling country waltzes and hypnotic electronic blitzes to create one of the years more engaging releases. Read More
Beauty is in the Flaws, T-Painful
November 5th, 2009This year’s TIME “100” finalist was nominated for eight Grammy’s in the last two years, has had nine different songs chart on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 10 and two years ago, in November and December, had seven different singles hit the Billboard Hot 100 list. Can you guess who he is? It’s T-Pain — the man responsible for bringing back the worst type of Auto-Tune. Are the muses mad at us? Was it something we said (or sung)? It’s as if they saw us getting complacent with our talented Winehouses, alternative Radioheads and soulful LaBelles and thought to themselves, “Hey, you know what would be fun? Let’s turn all the great singers into drug addicts, kill the King of Pop and add Auto-Tune into the mix.” Read More
They Sing the Body Electric
November 4th, 2009With their 1930s musical Babes in Arms, composers Rodgers and Hart were certainly aiming to put on a show in the longstanding image of American culture, evoking an innocence and naivety that brings to mind the small town feel of Americana. However, it is doubtful whether they had the danceable, feedback-drenched tunes that reverberated through the wooden walls of Cornell’s Big Red Barn in mind. Instead, the three bands that performed Monday night, Blissed Out, Ho-Ag and Health, boasted the noise and sophistication that is telling of a new America, one that is loud and proud, and in your face. Read More