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5 and Why: 5 films to get into the Christmas spirit

Zara Roy | November 14

The weather has reached a frigid chill, which can only mean one thing: it’s time to stay in the house, make a cup of hot chocolate and settle in with a Christmas movie of your choice. For those looking to get into the holiday spirit, University of New Mexico student Miranda Gallegos has shared their nostalgic favorites. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993, dir. Henry Selick) For those uninitiated, this 1993 classic is currently available on Disney+. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, and his quest to take over Christmas festivities.

Culture

Lobo Food Pantry breaks stigmas and tackles food insecurity

Elizabeth Secor | November 14

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 30% of all college students struggled with food insecurity during their college careers, according to Health Affairs. The Lobo Food Pantry, located on the first floor of the Student Union Building in room 1093, provides University of New Mexico students with free food to help combat food insecurity at UNM. The pantry is a donation-based system that is free for all students, according to Amanda Martinez, a basic needs specialist at the LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center and Lobo Food Pantry supervisor.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘The Season of La Llarona’ is a faithful rendition of a classic tale

Maddie Pukite | November 14

“The Season of La Llorona” opened on Friday, Nov. 11 at the University of New Mexico’s Experimental Theatre and is a loving adaptation of the tale. The adaptation was written by New Mexican author Rudolfo Anaya and directed by theater student Paul Esquibel. The show opens with a family celebrating Halloween and preparing for Día de Los Muertos, when the abuelo (Manny Lopez Ainza) tells the story of La Llorona. It then flips to La Malinche's (Lasha Kirker) story being told by actors on the opposite side of the stage.

GALLERY: Happy Time Doomsday Time exhibition

Culture

“Happy Time/Doomsday Time” captures time and temporality with plant-based printmaking

Zara Roy | November 14

On Nov. 4, University of New Mexico associate professor of art Meggan Gould’s exhibition “Happy Time/Doomsday Time” had its opening reception at the Sanitary Tortilla Factory. Running until Friday, Nov. 25, the exhibit explores capitalism, temporality and the nature of photography itself. The exhibition consists of a series of prints of clocks printed through anthotype, a form of printmaking that uses photosensitive plant materials to produce an image. Gould used whatever plant materials she had available, from berries to greens to flowers mixed with liquids to create a photosensitive dye emulsion.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever:’ Be ready to cry forever

Elizabeth Secor | November 14

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the closing film in phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a beautiful tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and a journey through various characters’ grief after Boseman’s T’Challa has passed away. It also features a delightful (if slow in parts) storyline of Wakanda meeting a new society called Talokan that proves a worthy opponent. Boseman’s absence creates a storyline for Shuri (Letitia Wright) that mirrors that of her brother’s, as she has to deal with many of the decisions her brother had to make.

Culture

‘It’s alive!’: UNM production of ‘Frankenstein’ electrifies Rodey Theatre

Zara Roy | November 10

On Friday, Nov. 4, lights went up in the University of New Mexico’s Rodey Theatre for the first performance of “Frankenstein,” an original adaptation of the novel written by UNM associate professor Gregory Moss. The show is performed, directed and designed by University students and faculty and will play through Nov. 12. The show offers a fresh yet faithful adaptation of the beloved Mary Shelley novel. “I think it’s a fun show. You know, it has themes and it has brain, but I think I’m more interested in it as an exciting story, something that can actually be a little scary and have a visceral effect,” Moss said.

Culture

‘What does ASUNM do?’

Spenser Willden | November 7

On Thursday, Nov. 3, The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico’s Election Commission announced the results of the fall 2022 senatorial election, in which ten undergraduates were elected to serve as full-term senators for the spring 2023 semester. Though ASUNM represents the entire undergraduate population, only 425 students voted in the election, a small percentage of the entire student body.

Culture

OPINION: Yeah, maybe you should vote

Elizabeth Secor | November 7

As midterm Election Days quickly approaches, arguments over the importance of voting are once again prevalent. The right to vote is one of the pillars our society stands on as a democracy. Everyone should utilize that right. In the 2020 presidential election, a record high of 66% of college students voted — jumping from 52% in 2016 — and that statistic needs to keep climbing, according to The Hill. As college students and recent graduates, we are the next leaders of our country and have a responsibility to make an impact.

Culture

UNM LEAF member fights for the future with climate justice work

Zara Roy | October 31

Since her freshman year, University of New Mexico sophomore Feleecia Guillen has fought for climate justice as a member of UNM Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight. Her unbridled passion for climate action has driven her to advocate for community health and survival on both a university and statewide level. “My passion for climate change and climate action really started when I joined UNM LEAF … I had a general knowledge of everything going on with the climate, but it wasn’t until I joined UNM LEAF that I really started to understand exactly the issues that we are facing,” Guillen said.

Culture

5 and Why: 5 fall fashion tips

Annya Loya | October 31

While we’re well into more than half of this year’s fall season, it’s never too late to learn the best fall fashion tips to be your most stylish self. Fashion stylist and communications and art studio major at the University of New Mexico Natassja Santistevan gave us their best tips for fall looks. Textures Fall is the best time to “flex textures” and play with patterns to create a great outfit, according to Santistevan. Fun patterns and strong colors make for a good combo. Santistevan did warn to combine the right pattern combos or else you could create an outfit that is quite the opposite of what you want.

Culture

El Centro de la Raza commemorates Día de los Muertos

Annya Loya | October 31

El Centro de la Raza at the University of New Mexico went all out for their weeklong Day of the Dead celebrations which began on Friday, Oct. 28 at Mesa Vista Hall. The celebration culminated with the set up of El Centros’ traditional Day of the Dead altar, followed by food and music for all attendees. El Centro de la Raza is a resource center at UNM dedicated to student advocacy, meaningful programs and services, and educating the campus community on the diverse issues that affect Latinx and Hispano students attending or wishing to attend UNM.

Culture

'Hellraiser' (2022) has such sights to show you

Marcela Johnson | October 31

If there’s any time to be a horror fan, it's during October when highly anticipated horror movies dominate theaters. This year saw many well-known horror franchises, such as “Halloween” and “Scream,” continue their legacies on the silver screen. Others, such as “Hellraiser” (2022), released Oct. 7 on Hulu, break expectations and carve out their own spaces within their franchises. The film almost completely abandons the characters from the “Hellraiser” franchise and Clive Barker’s two novels “The Hellbound Heart” and film tie-in “The Scarlet Gospels.” The movie centers on recovering addict Riley McKendry (Odessa A’zion) and her struggle to get her brother back from the forces of hell (the Cenobites).

Culture

Loboscopes: November predictions

Zara Roy | October 31

As the sun glides through the intense sign of Scorpio toward a lunar eclipse on Nov. 8 — the same day the fiery planet Mars goes retrograde — the month of November promises intensity all around. Generally speaking, you may encounter many endings that may leave you feeling stuck in a place of no forward momentum near the beginning of the month. Read on to see what these effects mean for your sign:

Culture

Go in blind to Zach Cregger’s 'Barbarian'

Spenser Willden | October 31

On top of the classic spooky films, Halloween is the perfect season to catch up on this year’s horror innovators; Jordan Peele, Ti West and now, with the release of his sleeper horror hit “Barbarian,” Zach Cregger. “Barbarian,” which became available on HBO Max on Oct. 25, is a film that knows what its audience is thinking and plays with these expectations to make a truly unpredictable, if somewhat unstable, ride. The film starts with an aspiring documentary filmmaker Tess (Georgina Campbell) checking into an AirBNB double booked with a mysterious stranger (Bill Skarsgård). The film reinvents itself (even within genre) from scene to scene; it is best seen with as few expectations as possible.

Culture

UNM artist subverts the sacred and explores queerness through photography

Zara Roy | October 24

On Friday, Oct. 21, University of New Mexico senior Lucien Sebastian completed his first solo exhibition, “Arsenal,” at the John Sommers Gallery. He used the exhibition as a means to find catharsis and come to terms with public and interpersonal responses to his identity as a transgender man. In the exhibition, Sebastian combined photography with a collection of quotes from others in regard to his identity since coming out as transgender and his responses to them. The exhibition ends on a print with the words “never again” etched into it: Sebastian’s personal reckoning and decision to take his identity off the table as a topic of open discussion or debate. The idea for the exhibition’s name came to him after a debate over his identity in which he was criticized for coming into every argument with an “arsenal” behind him.

Culture

Local artist flirts with youth, violence and life in the Southwest through cartoon

Spenser Willden | October 24

The violence of local artist Beedallo’s work is often offset by her charming illustrative style. In her art, adolescents and animals bleed from wounds both seen and unseen: knives, whips, fire and worms. Her work, with its clean primary colors and sharp geometric style, adorns the walls of the Lapis Room art gallery in Old Town, establishing it as part of the contemporary Southwestern movement, yet bold and original of its own. Beedallo grew up surrounded by art with numerous Southwestern-style artisans on her mother’s side. She inherited a love for illustration from her mother, an illustrator herself, who taught her about art from a young age. Her primary interest, though, was cartoons.

Culture

REVIEW: Cate Blanchett is ‘Tár’-iffic in ‘Tár’

John Scott | October 24

It wouldn’t be a true awards season without talking about the latest film starring Cate Blanchett. In the case of 2022, this happens to be writer-director Todd Field’s “Tár.” After receiving a strong critical reaction at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, “Tár” finally saw release here in Albuquerque on Friday, Oct. 21, allowing us non-Venice attending folk to dig in to the masterpiece that Field has crafted. This is a film best approached with as little information as possible, so I will keep my summary extremely broad: it centers on world-renowned composer Lydia Tár (Blanchett) who slowly becomes embroiled in controversy during final preparations for a career-setting performance. This summary is extraordinarily reductive, but part of what made “Tár” most striking is how shocking it is, due in large part to how little I knew about it going in.

Culture

Ask the Editors: Hair-raising horror recommendations

John Scott , Zara Roy , Thomas Bulger and Spenser Willden | October 24

With the end of October comes the celebration of Halloween and, along with it, an endless amount of books, movies and games to select from for your spooky pleasure. Here, four Daily Lobo editors have compiled a list of some of their favorite terrifying titles sure to keep you up at night.

Culture

REVIEW: Taylor Swift’s “Midnights (3am Edition)” is a gorgeous compilation of nighttime thoughts

Elizabeth Secor | October 23

At midnight on Oct. 21, Taylor Swift released her new 13-song album entitled “Midnights.” Shortly after, a “special very chaotic surprise,” as Swift called it, of seven more songs — titled the “3 am Tracks” — were then unsurprisingly released at 3 A.M. Together, the two come to form ‘Midnights: 3am Edition,” a collection of 20 new songs that are a truly spectacular set of stories representing those nights when thoughts leave you staring at the ceiling. Anyone looking for the “old Taylor” will find artifacts of her old albums throughout this new one, but “Midnights” truly represents how Swift has grown as an artist and a person.

Culture

5 and why: 5 ways to get festive for the fall season

Zara Roy | October 21

When I say “autumn,” what comes to mind? Pumpkins? Candy? Yellow leaves crunching beneath you? For those pining for seasonal festivities, University of New Mexico nursing freshman Tina Nisoli has shared her five favorite ways to get into the fall spirit. Watching Holiday-Themed Movies What better way to absorb yourself into the autumnal ambience than watching a film that evokes the tone. Nisoli personally suggests sitting down to watch your favorite fall film — although she is partial to Tim Burton. “You could also do horror movies, but I feel like moreso, I like the “Nightmare Before Christmas” — anything Tim Burton,” Nisoli said.