Culture

Culture

Movie Review: "The Upside" is a good representation of life with disabilities

Tiffani Watteyne | January 31

In recent years, the movie industry has sought to bring more diversity and representation to theatres. “The Upside,” a drama/comedy based on a true story about a wealthy quadriplegic, has been anticipated by audiences since the release of its trailer back in October 2018. The film’s plot focuses on two main characters — Dell, played by Kevin Hart, an ex-convict struggling to find work and keep a relationship with his family, as well as Phillip, played by Bryan Cranston, a rich quadriplegic who is looking for someone to care for him. With the help of his assistant Yvonne, played by Nicole Kidman, he eventually meets and hires Dell knowing of his inability and lack of qualification to do the job.

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Culture

"Weekend" vs. "Love, Simon": How to make an LGBTQ movie

Kyle Land | January 28

There was no shortage of big-name LGBTQ movies in 2018. However, no gay film got heterosexual people more excited to see two men kissing each other than “Love, Simon.” Unfortunately. One could really spend a good seven hours picking apart and dissecting the various flaws in the Greg Berlanti film. Besides the fact that Simon has virtually no character traits other than being gay and delves into all the stereotypes associated with coming out (including a cringey Google search on “how to dress like a gay guy”), the worst part about this movie is how Simon, from the very beginning, tries to appease all of the straight people in his life and how they treat him in response.

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Culture

Researcher lectures on "genízaro" identity

Katie Monette | January 28

As part of the lecture series, People & Places, held in Zimmerman Library, Enrique Lamadrid gave a talk entitled “Sueños del Coyote: The Emergence of Genízaros in the Nuevoméxicano Literary Imagination.” The University of New Mexico’s regularly holds lectures in its Frank Waters room, hosted by the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections. Lamadrid works in the New Mexico museum system as a researcher and author. He also teaches in UNM’s Spanish department and serves as the editor of the “Querencia” series.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Escape Room" offers exciting mystery film

Tiffani Watteyne | January 24

Since the beginning of 2019, there have been many movies that have piqued the interests of audiences everywhere. One of these movies, “Escape Room,” started out the year right. The movie centers around the drama/mystery genres and brings an entertaining, yet terrifying take to the new real world trend of escape rooms. Its main plot focuses on a group of six strangers — Zoey (Taylor Russell), Ben (Logan Miller), Jason (Jay Ellis), Mike (Tyler Labine), Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll) and Danny (Nik Dobani). All receive a puzzle box that when solved gave them an invitation to the escape room promising the winner a cash prize.

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Culture

Blind Spots tour sheds light on unconscious bias

Justin Garcia | January 22

“This is in a foreign language,” a women said referring to the pre-recorded voice on a telephone at the Check Your Blind Spots Unconscious Bias mobile tour. According to a worker with the tour bus that was, in fact, the point. That was Thursday in Smith Plaza at the University of New Mexico, when the tour equipped with virtual reality headsets, tablets and other technology came to main campus. The bus, which is part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, featured several interactive exhibits promoting values of diversity and inclusion.

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Culture

5 and Why: C&J Chair David Weiss' favorite plays

Luisa Pennington | January 22

Interested in society’s relationship with the media, Dr. David Weiss, the Department Chair for the University of New Mexico’s Communication and Journalism Department, spends his time researching media discourse, political and religious communication and the media and popular culture industries. In addition to research, Dr. Weiss is an Associate Professor within the Communication and Journalism Department. There, he teaches courses in strategic communication, political communication and media studies. Weiss got his PhD from UNM in 2005. He is also an alumni of Cornell University and the University of Oregon. Between graduating from college and going back to school for a master's degree, Weiss lived in New York City for 17 years. While in NYC, he was an executive at several of the country's largest advertising agencies. Though he was extremely busy, he did have time to go to several plays. So, when we asked him to name his top five plays and why, this is what he said:

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Culture

Political cartoonist and UNM alum tackles immigration

Justin Garcia | January 14

Political cartoonist Eric Garcia is not afraid to speak his mind. He’s not afraid to draw it either. On January 10, Garcia stopped by the National Hispanic Cultural Center to speak about his life drawing against oppression. About 80 people were in attendance as the University of New Mexico alumni began his talk. Throughout the talk, Garcia (no relation to the writer) belabored that his cartoons, one of which portrayed Former Attorney General, Jeff Sessions as a Ku Klux Klan member, were more than just a quick buck.

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Culture

The historic rise of Asian representation in 2018

Macey Rose | January 6

2018 proved to be a historic year for Asian representation in several different industries. For years the minimal representation portrayed on film for Asian-Americans capitalized on racial stereotypes for entertainment. However, the actors, directors and musicians signified the representation that many Asian-Americans have not seen much of, broke down those stereotypes by showcasing different Asian identities and cultures.

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Culture

Where to enjoy the snow in and around Albuquerque

Megan Holmen | January 6

This winter season has brought an unusual amount of snow to Albuquerque and the surrounding area. During the upcoming cold months Burqueños have a variety of places to go for sledding, winter hiking, skiing and other forms of snow play. However, before going out to any of these locations check the weather forecast and make sure to be wearing the appropriate amount of clothing.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Bird Box" fails to live up to expectations

Tiffani Watteyne | January 6

As Netflix’s list of original content grows, the new film “Bird Box” was one of the most highly anticipated releases in the history of the streaming service.

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Culture

Grad Issue: Mother graduates alongside her daughter

Veronica Apodaca | December 10

Being a mother and a student are full-time jobs on their own, and Lori White has managed to do both at the same time during her years at the University of New Mexico. White, who is graduating with a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the School of Public Administration, is now able to share her graduation with her daughter, Alea White, as they both graduate from their respective programs this semester.

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Culture

Grad Issue: Theater grad advocates for art in New Mexico

Megan Holmen | December 10

Sabrina Baca is a first generation college student and a senior who will graduate Friday with a Bachelor of Arts in theater from the University of New Mexico. Baca said she took five and a half years to graduate with her degree which she said at times was discouraging. However, after five years of hard work Baca will be joining the workforce.

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Culture

Grad Issue: World traveler finishes journey at UNM

Luisa Pennington | December 10

University of New Mexico graduate Ryan Joshua Betty strayed far from his home town of Rio Rancho, traveling to 12 different countries during his time studying abroad. Originally born in Las Cruces but later moving to Rio Rancho, Betty grew up going to Rio Rancho High School. After graduating, Betty said he felt great to move on to the University of New Mexico. Upon entering college, Betty initially wanted to become a special education teacher, but later changed his mind after studying abroad in the Netherlands for one year.

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Culture

Grad Issue: Guinean student finds success at UNM

Macey Rose | December 10

One of the University of New Mexico’s fall 2018 graduates represents the non-traditional route to achieving a degree that many students take. Mamadou Sidibe moved to the United States when she was 20 years old from Guinea, a country in West Africa. After almost 10 years going after a bachelor’s degree, she has reached her goal of earning a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institution. After graduating high school in Guinea in 2009, Sidibe attended a local university for two and a half years. In May of 2011, Sidibe made her way over to the U.S. Sidibe said that's when her whole life changed.

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Culture

River of Lights comes back to ABQ

Veronica Apodaca | December 6

With the holiday season officially beginning, Albuquerque marked by the change of seasons with Albuquerque BioPark’s annual River of Lights display. Set up in the BioPark’s botanical gardens, the River of Lights features millions of glowing Christmas lights covering nearly every inch of the gardens. Many of the lights are arranged into the 550 sculptures designed to amaze the crowds attending.

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Culture

Navajo artist blends indigenous and queer identities

Macey Rose | December 5

This past Friday, the University of New Mexico Arts Research Technology Science (ARTS) Lab hosted an artist talk and performance event featuring Ryan Dennison. Guests were invited to complementary dishes as a piece of Dennison’s Navajo culture. They were seated in a dimly lit ambient atmosphere noted with subtle hues peeking through the ceiling. The Diné transdisciplinary artist hails from Tohatchi, New Mexico, and began his talk by introducing himself to the audience in Navajo. “Diné,” meaning “person” in Navajo, reviving the indigenous, Navajo way of life as a means to connect one back to their indigenous roots to keep the culture alive. Although admittedly not fluent in the language, Dennison explained through archives of pictures from his community work, artwork and even childhood memories, that he manages to keep in touch with his roots through a variety of artforms.

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Culture

Theatre Review: "Hamilton's" greatness still holds after four years

Justin Garcia | December 4

New York Times co-chief theater critic Ben Brantley opened his second “Hamilton” review writing “Yes, it really is that good.” Four years later, it is still that good. “Hamilton: an American Musical” began its Broadway run on August 6, 2015 at the Richard Rogers Theater. Since then, the smash hit, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, has gained a level of fame few other performances could imagine. That stardom, dozens of different cast members, the tsunami of cash (cheap seats at Rogers start at $300) and criticisms of historical inaccuracies are seemingly unable to worsen the performance. It is still that good.

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Culture

Cherry Reel Film Festival highlights student talent

Tiffani Watteyne | December 3

Last Saturday the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s Southwest Film Center presented the 2018 Cherry Reel Film Festival. Each film was a student production, giving a platform for a variety of different genres and plot matters, making the festival a showcase of various talents. LeAnna Walters, a freshman volunteer said that she thinks that the event is a good way for people at UNM who are interested in film to come together for one night and just celebrate artwork and lift each other up. “It’s just really fun to watch people enjoy everyone else’s work so much,” Walters said.

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Culture

UNM celebrates Hanging of the Greens

Justine Lopez | December 3

On Friday the University of New Mexico lit up with luminarias for the annual Hanging of the Greens. Students, alumni and community members gathered outside of the UNM bookstore to start their campus stroll, but after a cup of hot chocolate first. Whether referred to as luminarias or farolitos, thousands of these little lights decorated campus. School organizations who participated created their own designs out of the glowing paper bags.

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Culture

Architecture students host art auction

Sol Traverso | December 3

On Friday night, University of New Mexico students and members of the community gathered for drinks and cheer at the third annual student art auction, hosted by the UNM chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS).The event was from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in George Pearl Hall and featured 48 art items including works from students, faculty and other professionals. According to one of the coordinators for the auction Magdalena Kerkmans, a senior architecture student the money from the auction will primarily fund the students trip to the AIAS national forum in Seattle, WA that is being held from Dec. 29, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2019. “This is our biggest fundraiser,” said Kerkmans. “The auction will help (AIAS) pay for hotels and registration.”