With the fall movie season nearly in full swing, you might find yourself spending more time deciding what movie to watch than actually watching. But don’t you worry, darling — The Daily Lobo is here with a guide on the most notable films coming to theaters or streaming on Friday, Oct. 7, to hopefully save you from hours of indecision.
Balloonists from all across the nation gather yearly to fly their hot air balloons at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which runs until Sunday, Oct. 9. One such balloonist this year is Kelli Keller — originally from South Dakota and winner of the U.S. Women's National Balloon Championship. The black hills of South Dakota, where Keller hails from, are home to the Stratobowl: a rectangular limestone canyon that shields balloons from the wind, creating good conditions to launch. The legacy of ballooning in the Stratobowl is strong — this was the location of the first hot air balloon flight by Army Air Corps Capt. Albert W. Stevenson, his second attempt, according to the South Dakota Department of Tourism.
Laurie Chavez has been involved with the International Balloon Fiesta since childhood. A pilot at the 50th Fiesta this year, she and her family have been participating since it began back in 1972, joining due to connections with Sid Cutter, one of the founding members of the Fiesta. Now, she carries on the family legacy as pilot of balloon “Jesse’s Girl Too.”
Listen, I get it: Blue cat-people, Unobtanium, Sam Worthington and hair sex, if you watch the extended edition. James Cameron’s “Avatar,” released in 2009, is inherently a little bit bad. But watching the re-release in IMAX 3D this week, I can’t help but find myself completely bought in anyway — visually stunning, emotionally compelling and technologically impressive, I hate to say that “Avatar” is kind of good. It’s December 2009. “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas is dominating the radio. The economy is in shambles. People still can’t get enough of the most recent “Twilight” movie that just came out the month before. But you — all you are thinking about as you take your seat in a surprisingly crowded moviehouse with your 3D glasses is the film you are about to watch, a film that is about to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. Wait, sorry, I’m having trouble recalling the title … Oh! James Cameron’s “Avatar.”
With their fall 2022 season, the University of New Mexico Department of Theatre & Dance has prepared a lineup of several plays for local audiences to enjoy, including “Frankenstein,” “The Season of La Llorona” and the bi-annual departmental Linnell Festival of New Plays. In this year's production of “The Season of La Llorona,” an overarching theme of the two non-Linnell Festival plays is the idea of monsters, and how we define them culturally, according to Manuel Lopez Ainza, an actor in the show.
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta took flight for the 50th time at the Balloon Fiesta Park on Saturday, Oct. 1st, sending hundreds of hot air balloons up into the sky once again to enchant the thousands of visitors who will gather from the first through the ninth of this month. The Fiesta is an event that attracts both balloonists and visitors from all over the world. The event being hosted in Albuqerque was no matter of chance: the so-called “Albuquerque Box,” a mix of weather patterns and landscape, provides the perfect conditions for flying, according to the Fiesta’s website.
This past Saturday, Oct. 1 marked the 11th annual ABQ Zine Fest, hosted at the Sanitary Tortilla Factory in downtown Albuquerque. Founded by Mayra Errin Jones, a Master of Fine Arts candidate in dramatic writing at the University of New Mexico, and co-produced by Liza Bley, the event served as a chance for local artists to showcase their handmade crafts amongst a crowd of artistic community members and newcomers alike. The word “zine” comes from a shortening of “magazine,” and can constitute a multitude of different interdisciplinary conceptions. Typically, zines are small booklets of original work created and copied by an artist for distribution.
As we speed through the semester and midterms rapidly approach, it can be difficult to keep up with the grueling workload college brings. Lori Pinedo, a freshman nursing student at the University of New Mexico, has shared five tips for not letting schoolwork get the best of you while studying. Have a small distraction It can be easy to lose your cool when studying dense material, which is why Pinedo suggested keeping a piece of paper to the side to scribble on when you get frustrated by your work. “To not get worked up so fast and frustrated, have a piece of paper or just something to have on your hand,” Pinedo said.
The Instituto Cervantes Albuquerque hosted the 10th annual Cine Magnifico Latino Film Festival from Sept. 13-25, showcasing a variety of Latine films, directors and actors. On Friday, Sep. 23, the main program of the festival began with a viewing of “El Sustituto” (The Replacement) by Spanish film director Óscar Aibar and an opening cocktail party. Analy Morales Chavez, a worker at the festival, spoke on the original purpose behind the festival and the importance of hosting the event during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Most moviegoers had Sept. 23, 2022 marked on their calendars since “Don’t Worry Darling,” writer-director Olivia Wilde’s follow-up to the surprise smash-hit “Booksmart,” was announced in August 2019. Gossip followers may have also had their eyes on that date after a series of reports involving various instances of drama on and off the set. Spitting accusations aside, we can now judge the film for ourselves. Unfortunately, more intriguing and exciting drama can be found surrounding the film rather than in the film itself.
Elizabeth Solis is a graduate worker at the University of New Mexico pursuing a master’s degree in biology who recently became more involved in the unionization efforts by graduate workers at the University after experiencing discrimination from those in her department. Through the United Graduate Workers at UNM, Solis found support, community and an avenue for change. “Since I started becoming active (in the Union), I then just met a bunch of people who I could relate to. We all share the same goals. We have the same frustrations because of how we're treated but also at the end it's just like, we support each other. And I think that is really the main thing for me,” Solis said.
Time to pull out all the tops to woo that special someone. While it can be difficult for some to think up creative dates worthy of the one they love, University of New Mexico junior Will Kane has you covered as he lists his top five favorite date ideas in the Albuquerque area.
This past Friday, Sept. 17, the Bank of America Theater in the National Hispanic Cultural Center welcomed three experienced members of the film industry to speak about their roles as women in horror films as part of this year’s Albuquerque Film and Music Experience conference. This year, AFMX is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a major film festival in New Mexico by holding in-person and virtual events for everyone to enjoy, including a conversation with Dee Wallace, Deborah Voorhees and Monique Candelaria, entitled “Fearsome Femmes of Horror.”
This September, Student Health and Counseling at the University of New Mexico is doing their part in highlighting Sexual Health Awareness Month in an effort to encourage safe sex in the UNM community. One in four college students have a sexually transmited infection, according to the Health News Hub. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, gonorrhea and syphilis cases have gone up by 10% and 7% respectively since 2019, according to the Center for Disease Control. With students returning to campus for in-person classes, it is important to make sure they have a full understanding of the importance of sexual health, according to Benjamin Furguson, a health educator for SHAC.
Over the decades, love letters and poetry have changed and shaped as society evolved, and our ideas on romance and sexuality have shifted as well. However, at their core, they remain about what they have always been about: love. In today’s world, traditional styles of showing love, such as letters or poems, have become less relevant. However, Kathryn Wichelns, an associate professor of English at the University of New Mexico, still believes that poetry and love letters are important for their ability to showcase previously taboo forms of love as well as their unique ability to express certain emotions.
This review contains spoilers As any true romantic comedy lover knows, the key components to a classic early 2000s rom-com are simple and hardly ever disappoint. The setting must, of course, be New York City, one of the romantic leads must (obviously) be a journalist and there absolutely has to be a scene where one romantic lead chases the other down (preferably via cab or motorcycle) to tell them they love them before they make a life-altering decision.
Throughout the course of any relationship, you may find yourself in a situation where you and your partner get into an argument. While some might see a lack of arguing as a sign of a healthy and successful relationship, this is not necessarily the case. Rather, arguments should be seen as opportunities for change, according to Heidi Ricci, an instructor at the University of New Mexico and a professional mediator of thirteen years.
This review contains spoilers for “Bridgerton” Season Two On March 22, Netflix released the second season of hit show “Bridgerton,” bringing back the steamy series for a new wave of romance stronger, better and spicier than the first. Based on Julia Quinn’s best selling historical romances set in an alternate version of Regency era England, the second season of “Bridgerton” not only brought a stirring romance to the screen but also set the stage for wonderful romance still to come. The first season delivered a sheet-gripping story, and after living through Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke’s “fake relationship” trope, I couldn’t wait for what showrunner Chris Van Dusen had in store for eldest sibling Anthony in season two.
This Thursday, Sep. 15, “Silent Lights” will once again light up Smith Plaza as the University of New Mexico’s annual silent disco, free of charge for students and a plus-one. Silent Lights is an annual event put on by the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico, Lobo Spirit, Student Special Events, and University Communication and Marketing. When they enter the event, students will be given wireless headphones that they can use to tune into one of three DJ stages playing different genres of music through the night. According to organizer and Student Special Events executive director Devin Padilla-Munson, the goal is to create an event where all students can have a good time.
Located on the first floor of the Student Union Building, the Southwest Film Center offers free movie screenings and other events throughout the semester to all University of New Mexico students. The center provides film fanatics, like newly appointed SWFC executive director Rylee Norman, a voice within the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico. The SWFC offers students on campus a venue to enjoy arthouse films that may not be showing on other big screens near them, according to Norman. Not only that, but the center also helps to showcase student work.
Solutions by The State News
