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Culture

‘Mandalorian’ premiere an explosive start to promising second season

Shelby Kleinhans | November 6

This review contains spoilers. From “Firefly” to “Westworld,” the sci-fi western has established itself as a genre-bending staple in recent years. Disney’s newest hit show, “The Mandalorian,” is no different, melding the Star Wars universe with western tropes in a way that appeals to multiple generations of fans. The first episode of the second season is a worthy premiere that will whet your appetite for the many adventures that are sure to ensue this season. The season two premiere, “The Marshal,” launched on the streaming platform Disney+ on Oct. 30 about a year after the release of the first season in 2019. The 54-minute runtime marks a departure from the shorter episodes of the first season (excluding the finale), but a compelling story and incredible graphics maintains a good pacing.

Culture

New Mexican filmmakers shine on the outdoor big screen

Gabriel Biadora | November 3

As night came, the silver screen glowed, outshining the stars and towering over the dozens of cars sprawled across the abandoned horse track at the Downs in Santa Fe. These moviegoers, who have long been deprived of their cinematic fix for more than half a year, found refuge in the hilarious, tragic and powerful short films created by local New Mexican talent on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at BITE SIZE, a drive in movie event by Jenn Garcia with Arabela Films and Alexandra Renzo. The evening at Motorama, a drive-in event series hosted at the Downs, started with the uncompromising voices of live poets and musicians like Ashley “SayWut?!” Moyer and Hakim Bellamy from the Albuquerque Poet Laureate Program. Other musicians like TwoLips orchestrated a groovy jive to the event with her sensuous funk and energetic soul.

Culture

UNM graduate Joel-Peter Witkin reflects on controversial photography career

Liberty Stalnaker | November 2

Joel-Peter Witkin is a University of New Mexico graduate with a prolific profession as a photographer of taboo subjects. Witkin is known primarily for his ornately composed photographs of subjects ranging from socially outcast figures to deceased persons or body parts. One of Witkin’s most well-known pieces is “Le Baiser,” an image of a severed and halved head whose pieces have been faced toward one another in an apparent kiss. Such subject matter has led Witkin to face his fair share of critical lambasting, with a 1993 article in the New York Times claiming his “prettified and pretentious images do little to illuminate the issues of life and death they raise.” A later profile in the Seattle Times noted his work had been deemed “the snuff film of the art world.”

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Culture

Harris’ VP candidacy carries torch for Albuquerque Asian community

Lissa Knudsen and Gabriel Biadora | November 2

Senator Kamala Harris was selected as the running mate for presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden on Aug. 11, after months of speculation between potential nominees. Following the announcement, the Daily Lobo met virtually with a number of local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members to talk about Harris’ cultural heritage and the connections her Indian ethnicity creates within and across the local AAPI community. Harris was born to Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris on Oct. 20, 1964 in Oakland, California. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from India and Jamaica respectively in the early 1960s, a decade defined by the civil rights movement, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Culture

UNM students divided over election

Megan Gleason | October 31

As the 2020 presidential election inches closer, the staunch political views of students amongst a hyper-politicized electorate have sparked tensions at the University of New Mexico. From Democrats to Republicans to every party in between and on the outside, UNM students are voicing their concerns about the upcoming election. Many individuals have said neither major party candidate — President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden — is their ideal choice. However, many have settled into voting for one of the two. Daniel Klause, a senior political science major, said Trump has his vote in November.

Culture

NMSU film festival takes aim at decolonization, oppression from feminist perspectives

Rosanna Samudio | October 29

Developed on the campus of New Mexico State University, the Feminist Border Arts Film Festival (FBAFF) has recognized the capacity of cinema as a creative platform to discuss social justice issues and representations of identity and difference for the past five years. Laura Anh Williams and Dr. M. Catherine Jonet, the creators of the film festival, originally partnered with 516 ARTS and the Guild Cinema to hold the first screening in-person at the Guild, which canceled early in the pandemic.

Culture

Albuquerque murals reinforce value of voting

Lauren McDonald | October 29

Voting-themed art has been popping up around Albuquerque from local artists that want to remind New Mexico residents of the importance of voting in the general election. Murals and small paintings on buildings cover the avenues of downtown Albuquerque and Nob Hill, as well as some spots near Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Artist Felicia Montoya, along with her husband Markus Wall and their daughter Eva and artist Kema, recently painted a mural on Fourth Street. The mural is colorful, with a Black Lives Matter portion and a voter registration box that sits next to large letters on the mural that read “vote.”

Culture

‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ is un-American propaganda

Gabriel Biadora | October 27

Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” is a perverted threat to the decency of America costumed in a loose-fitting gray suit and a highly unconvincing, distracting mustache. This so-called “mockumentary,” or whatever other new-age label it dons, is a gross and unfunny attempt by quasi-socialist director Baron Cohen to deliver a kiddie pool reflection of American society and politics following the election of President Donald Trump and the coronavirus pandemic.

Culture

UNM students vote for first time during tumultuous election

Gino Gutierrez | October 26

It’s no secret that the 2020 election has been and will be unique compared to others in modern history. Amidst a pandemic and historic economic crisis, the issues facing voters have perhaps never been so varied and complex in living memory. An experience that is already stressful for many new voters is now even more complicated, so the Daily Lobo sat down with five University of New Mexico first-time student voters to get an account of their experiences. Sophomores Jordynn Sills and JahJett-Lyn Chavez both shared mixed views on the election.

Culture

Way OUT West film festival offers platform for LGBTQ+ community

Shelby Kleinhans | October 22

In a world where LGBTQ+ characters in mainstream media have been historically resigned to minor storylines and “bury your gays” tropes, the Way OUT West Film Festival recently provided a haven for original, queer content. Festival manager Jake McCook explained it as “a festival for and by other LGBTQ+ filmmakers” because these creators don’t often get their content picked up by other festivals or streaming platforms.

Culture

Domestic Violence Awareness Month highlights abuse in Albuquerque

Megan Gleason | October 21

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Albuquerque has seen a drastic rise in cases since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When the coronavirus began to spread in the United States, there was fear amongst domestic violence resource centers for victims trapped in isolation, according to Caitlin Henke, a program specialist with the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at the University of New Mexico. “This sort of shelter in place just left people, victims, so vulnerable and people were leaving their homes less frequently,” Henke said. “People who were considering leaving domestic violence suddenly couldn’t leave. And then if your perpetrator never leaves the house, you don’t have the opportunity to flee or even do the things that they were planning to do, like make safety plans, freely talk to an advocate in a way that didn’t identify it.”

Culture

Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrated in Albuquerque

Cameron Ward | October 21

In celebration of the second annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) hosted a virtual celebration over Zoom and live on Facebook on Monday, Oct. 12. Speakers included Native artists, New Mexico representatives Deb Haaland and Derrick Lente, New Mexico State Senator Shannon Pinto, Senate candidate Brenda McKenna, County Commission candidates Leah Ahkee Baczkiewicz, New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Shammara Henderson and many other Democratic representatives.

Culture

The past, present and future fight for LGBTQ+ rights

Sarah Bodkin | October 19

October is LGBTQ History Month, and many community members have reflected on people and protests that have fought for LGBTQ+ rights and took the time to reflect on their hopes for the community’s future. Frankie Flores, director of the University of New Mexico’s LGBTQ Resource Center, discussed the history of LGBTQ+ people who fought for the community’s rights and the obstacles they faced, specifically the freed slaves who began to perform drag in the 1800s. Flores said the word homosexuality “was a term that was created to criminalize ... trans and queer folks. We (had) folks who were fighting against that in the 1860s and 1870s.”

Culture

‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ defies expectations

Megan Gleason | October 13

This review contains spoilers. “Star Trek: Lower Decks” has dredged up a lot of mixed reactions from Trekkies, starting from the premiere of the first episode in a 10-episode season on Aug. 6 on CBS. As the final episode came out on Thursday, Oct. 8, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I’ll be back to watch the next season of this show. “Lower Decks” is a cartoon-animated Star Trek series that depicts the lives of everyone in lower positions in the Star Trek universe — characters that would normally have no screen time in any other Star Trek series. We see the trivial lives of ensigns trying (or not trying) to get promoted to better positions.

Culture

“Foody Tuesdays” fixes moody days

Gabriel Biadora | October 13

On Tuesdays in North Domingo Baca Park, around the time the sun sets across the high desert, local food trucks owners ignite their ovens and grills, ready their ingredients and prepare the register for an evening filled with eager customers looking for good eats. “Foody Tuesdays,” the name for the weekly recurring event in Albuquerque, brings in several local food trucks and a colorful farmers market to provide a pandemic-friendly way to enjoy some phenomenal dishes. Though the food trucks and market take up less than a block in the parking lot, there is an abundance of of variety at “Foody Tuesdays,” from refreshing beverages and desserts that make you hold on to those last glimmers of summer to internationally palatable foods, decadent meats and feel-good vegetables and fruits.

Culture

Top five movie countdown to Halloween

Lauren McDonald | October 11

This review contains spoilers. October is here, and it’s time for all the scary films that Halloween lovers will surely enjoy. Below is a list of the Daily Lobo’s top five scary films that will definitely freak you out this Halloween season. Some movies on this list are popular — and others you likely haven’t heard of — but if you like scary, you’ll enjoy each one for different reasons.

Culture

3 UNM faculty named top 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists

Jasmine Casillas | October 9

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Cell Mentor, a science-centered publication, released “100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists in America,” a blog post showcasing influential Hispanic/Latinx scientists around the nation, which included three University of New Mexico faculty members. The list includes Dr. Margaret Werner-Washburne , Dr. C. Fernando Valenzuela and Dr. Gabriel López along with UNM alumni Anita Quintana, Pamela Padilla and Jacqueline De Lora. “The goal of our list was to highlight the accomplishments of inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists, to bring awareness of the exceptional scientists within our community,” Christina Termini, the author of the list, said.

Culture

Filipino Hawaiian Food brings new but familiar palate to ABQ

Gabriel Biadora | October 9

The Filipino palate has been exhaustingly missing from the Albuquerque culinary scene, but with the opening of the restaurant Filipino Hawaiian Food on Sept. 4, Burqueños can finally look forward to an invigorating change of pace. With the Philippines sitting as a humid hub of diverse cultures within the Pacific, its food can really only be expected to have the kick that it does. FIlipino food manifests its Spanish influences in the curation of saltiness and the richness of its flavors as it fuses with the spices and tints of East Asia. Elaine Alberto Welch and Basil Welch encapsulated this spirit through the opening of Filipino Hawaiian Food, located in Louisiana Plaza.

Culture

‘Cuties’ courts controversy

Shelby Kleinhans | October 7

No film in 2020 has divided critics and audiences more than “Cuties (Migonnes),” which was released on Sept. 9 on Netflix. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently sits at a very modest 85% rating from critics — and a miserable 13% from audiences. Let’s start at the beginning. The film is helmed by a French Senegalese woman, Maïmouna Doucouré, in her feature directorial debut. The film originally premiered on Jan. 23 at Sundance and garnered her the Directing Award in the World Cinematic Drama category. At the time of its premiere, there was no widespread hate or controversy surrounding the film.

Culture

Globalquerque livestreams 16th annual performance

Sarah Bodkin | October 6

Globalquerque livestreamed its 16th annual performance on Wednesday, Sept. 30, featuring collaborative performances from musicians from around the world as well as interviews with the musicians and coordinators. The theme of this year’s event was “Cross-Cultural Crossover,” wherein musicians from different musical backgrounds gathered to re-imagine a song that one of the musicians had written. The collaborations included blends of New Orleans jazz, Angolan vocals and Iraqi oud music to create something that Globalquerque has never done before. The event usually occurs at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) but was streamed online through Twitch, YouTube and Facebook due to the coronavirus pandemic. Attendance was free of charge, although donations were accepted.