Arts
Archived Stories
What Government But the Mule?
November 2nd, 2009Current politics exasperate the autumn gloom. Although the economy is emerging from the largest contraction since World War II, we are still stuck in Iraq, and the impasse in Afghanistan seems to be getting even more complicated. Read More
Rap and Revolution at Appel Commons
November 2nd, 2009On Friday night in a small upstairs room at Appel Commons, Immortal Technique walked on stage with slow, pensive confidence and a T-shirt featuring his own name. He took his place behind the podium and began to speak for the next hour and a half, expounding his views on politics, race and life’s general purpose, followed by a brief performance. Read More
There's Nothing in the Closet
November 2nd, 2009Horror films and Hollywood have had a relationship that’s more like a romantic comedy. They met, they courted, there were ups, there were downs and then years of neglect and ball-and-chain treatment, and now no one even knows why they were even together in the first place … “I don’t even know you anymore!” says Hollywood. Horror Film replies: “You used to have taste! Now you’re this completely different person that doesn’t care about anything!” Leave it to the movies to be the Woody Allen character in the relationship. Read More
The Darkness and Glamour of Revolution
October 30th, 2009Revolution is all about style. That’s one of the lessons to be gleaned from The Baader Meinhof Complex, an excellent new film by German director Uli Edel playing this week at Cornell Cinema. In a humane and haunting manner, the movie traces the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction, which for much of the late ’60s and ’70s sought to violently enact a Marxist awakening in West Germany. Against a finely orchestrated shower of bullets and bombs, the urgency, hope and hypocrisy of those years is played out. Read More
Halloween: What’s All The Fuss About?
October 30th, 2009I don’t like Halloween. Not one ounce of it. Maybe I don’t like it because the skeevy feeling I always used to get when the last Milky Way in my pillow case was already partially opened never really left me. Or maybe it’s because if I’m going to eat candy, I’d rather have Lindor truffles than Snickers. If you’re going to go crazy, why waste it on inferior chocolate? Read More
Pumpkin Pie, Me Oh My!
October 29th, 2009We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about “things.” All these things, like the environment and health care and people on the street getting diseases from monkeys and pigs and birds. Who’s the weirdo that’s been touching all these sick animals? We mean, come on. They’re sick. They’ve got problems enough as it is. Read More
Test Spin: Twilight OST
October 29th, 2009I should preface this by saying that I have never read any of the books in the Twilight series, nor did I see last year’s Twilight film. More then that, I have no desire to ever read a word that Stephanie Meyer has written about the turbulent love affair of Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan, or see any film adaptation of the story. Read More
Test Spin: Twilight OST, Part II
October 29th, 2009I get it indie rock stars. You need to make money. And teen sagas involving vampires make lots of money. So obviously getting your music into said sagas equals money! But really, the New Moon OST? I’m positive your intentions were not to try to redeem a lame movie via the soundtrack. Read More
Test Spin: Mr. Hudson
October 29th, 2009You won’t find this album on sale at any store in America: it is only available in the UK. Here’s a little heads up — Mr. Hudson is one of the best new artists to hit the scene this year. You may have heard him on Jay-Z’s new song “Young Forever,” and now his solo career has exploded. Read More
Test Spin: Mr. Hudson
October 29th, 2009You won’t find this album on sale at any store in America: it is only available in the UK. Here’s a little heads up — Mr. Hudson is one of the best new artists to hit the scene this year. You may have heard him on Jay-Z’s new song “Young Forever,” and now his solo career has exploded. Read More