Culture

Music

Forrest Gump and Nikes: A queer analysis of Frank Ocean

Shayla Cunico | June 10

Music’s most elusive act, Christopher Edwin Breaux, also known as Frank Ocean, has taken the world of music to new depths with not only his incomparable lyricism, but the vulnerability that he expresses through them. Throughout his career, Ocean has become more open with expressing his sexuality through his art. In July of 2012, Ocean decided to make his first statement addressing his sexuality through an open letter on his Tumblr page. He explained that his first love was indeed a man and gave a detailed account of his loss of love they experienced.

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Culture

Four LGBTQ movies to see during Pride Month

Timber Mabes | June 10

It is the month of June which means it is once again Pride Month. Pride Month consists of celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and groups across the world. Here are four movies that have taken bold steps to raise awareness and acceptance for the LGBTQ community and have worked to make an impact on societies understanding of the LGBTQ today.

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Culture

Movie Review: Deadpool 2 continues to redefine superhero genre

Timber Mabes | June 4

As someone who had not yet seen the first “Deadpool” film and is not incredibly keen on superhero movies in general, I was not at all excited to see “Deadpool 2.” That being said, this movie was so much more than your average superhero movie. It wasn’t at all child-friendly and was made up of an extreme amount of crude humor — not at all what I was expecting.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Solo" reveals hidden layers in Star Wars universe

Timber Mabes | June 3

Released on May 24th, 2018, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” has been one of the most anticipated and greatest advertised new movies of 2018. The Star Wars franchise kicked off the summer with this exciting new release, which serves as a backstory for the beloved Star Wars character, Han Solo.

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Music

Album Review: Pusha T creates classic with "Daytona"

Colton Newman | June 3

Hip-Hop has entered a strange phase of punk rap, where there’s an over saturation of “Lil’ this” and “Lil’ that’s”, mumble rap has peaked and a rapper having colored hair doesn’t start and end with Nicki Minaj anymore. Kanye West and Pusha T saw this and instead of making another high art, experimental album like “The Life Of Pablo,” they hunkered down in Wyoming and spent a year and a half finding the cure to this ailing genre, this would take the form of “DAYTONA.” Before the release of “Daytona,” which is the first of many G.O.O.D Music albums coming this month, Diddy released a handwritten note stating that “Daytona” is “amodern day masterpiece. A flawless Hip-Hip gem. Classic but current. In real time! A true classic!”This kind of praise for an album that wasn’t event publicly available could prove detrimental by setting standards too high and leaving room to disappoint.

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Culture

Fans flock to Free Comic Book Day celebration

Ariel Lutnesky | May 11

All across the world, comic book stores and comic book fans gathered on Saturday for the annual Free Comic Book Day celebration. The comic book store on Nob Hill, Astro-Zombies, participated too. “It's kind of a way to spark an interest with readers that aren't necessarily comic fans as well as for shops to give back to people that allow them to have the coolest job in the world,” said Mike D'Elia, the owner of Astro-Zombies. “This is what I get to do for a living, so the least we can do is put on a crazy event like this every year and do something that brings the whole comic book community together.”

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Culture

Graduation Issue: History major learns from the past and looks to the future

Nichole Harwood | May 7

University of New Mexico student Alfred Rascon will be graduating with a bachelor’s in history, making him the first in his family to graduate. Rascon was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico and moved to Albuquerque when he was 7- years-old and chose a degree in history because of his love of the subject, he said.

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Culture

Graduation Issue: Undocumented student finds community at UNM

Shayla Cunico | May 7

The University of New Mexico’s diverse campus community is home to students and staff from all over the world, with 2018 graduate Paola Monarrez being one of them. Monarrez originally came to New Mexico 24 years ago from Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico as an undocumented immigrant. “The most wonderful thing that I found about UNM was the fact that (the University) never discriminated against me for not being a citizen,” she said. Starting at UNM in 2009, before the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was passed, Monarrez said she was very grateful that being undocumented was one of the last things that she had to worry about when pursuing her degree. “I think that being an undocumented person made me feel as if I was incarcerated in my own city.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Midnight Sun" drowns in romantic cliches

Timber Mabes | May 4

“Midnight Sun” is a teenage romance that just didn’t make quite as well as other recent teenage romance films at the box office, such as “The Fault in Our Stars” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” For those of you who read the book or watched the film “Everything, Everything,” “Midnight Sun” will feel awfully familiar.

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News

UNM students visit ABQ Islamic Center

Timber Mabes | April 30

On April 27, the Islamic Center of New Mexico opened its doors to students of the University of New Mexico, allowing those of all religions, genders and walks of life to attend its daily prayer service. UNM students were allowed to attend the daily prayer services held at the mosque, which was followed by a missionary Muslim speaker’s presentation to the student group. Those attending were also given the opportunity to talk with members of Albuquerque’s Muslim community to attend the daily prayer services, themselves.

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Culture

Movie War: "Infinity War" shines through the clutter

Hector Valverde | April 30

After ten years, eighteen movies, and dozens upon dozens of hours, heroes, and villains, “Avengers: Infinity War” is the culmination of Marvel Studios’ cinematic promise to entertain. With so much crammed into an enormous package, it’s a feat that the film even holds up against the weight of the expectations it’s been building up to for so long.

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Culture

Scribendi highlights student work from across the country

Shayla Cunico | April 30

The 2018 Scribendi release party showcased submissions from Honor College students from across the country. Scribendi is an annual, nonprofit magazine produced by honor students at the University of New Mexico, who incorporate submissions of other honors students. The free publication is staffed by UNM students who collaborate together to create, design and curate the edition for that year.

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Culture

"Vengeance, Nevada" sets tone for future issues of comic

Nichole Harwood | April 30

Author of the book Social Media Is Bullshit, B.J. Mendelson, delves into the creative world of comic fiction with his addition to the field, “Vengeance, Nevada.” Cover art for the issue is provided by Isidore Koliavras and interior art and letters are by Peter Czaplarski, with the story and characters written by Mendelson himself. The comic begins with the main character who is first introduced by walking into a house where she is quickly greeted by a cat, and after some dialogue she leans back, commenting on her exhaustion before drifting off.

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News

Prof gives lecture on the abundance of the universe

Annie Edwards | April 26

On Tuesday night, Patricia Henning, Ph.D. of the University of New Mexico’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, spoke about solar systems, stars and other elements of the universe, while also touching on her own research. She gave a lecture titled “Our Abundant Universe” as part of the New Mexico Philharmonic’s series, “Discovering Abundance.” Held on the third floor of Hodgin Hall, Alexis Corbin, operations coordinator and personnel manager of the New Mexico Philharmonic, introduced the lecture.

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News

Lecture series explores sacred Medieval objects and places

Ariel Lutnesky | April 25

The Institute for Medieval Studies hosted their 33rd Annual Spring Lecture Series this week. Speakers came from many different universities around the world to talk about elements pertaining to this year’s topic: “Sacred Objects and Places of the Middle Ages,” according to Timothy Graham, director of the Institute for Medieval Studies and regents' professor at the University of New Mexico. “We're...examining that concept of sacred objects and places through four different religious and cultural traditions: the Western European Latin Christian tradition, the Greek Orthodox tradition, the Hebrew tradition and the Islamic tradition,” Graham said. “The individual lectures are going to be talking about particular revered books within those traditions, buildings or locations.”

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Culture

Movie Review: "Final Portrait" an intellectual treat

Timber Mabes | April 25

Released on March 23, “Final Portrait” tells the story of artist Alberto Giacometti as he paints a portrait of his old friend, James Lord. Sitting for the painting was only supposed to last Lord a single day, but the process slowly turned into three weeks. The film was adapted from the 1965 memoir Lord authored, detailing his experience and interactions with the pessimistic and selfish artist Giacometti. Lord’s memoir is titled “A Giacometti Portrait.”

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Culture

Student org hopes to revive interest in swing dance

Aubrie Powell | April 23

The University of New Mexico Jitterbugs Anonymous is a campus club with the primary goal of continuing swing dance traditions while creating connections with other swing clubs across the county. The club welcomes interested beginners as well as experienced students and alumni to weekly meetings teaching the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Charleston, East Coast and Balboa swing dancing. Additionally, the group teaches specific dances including the beginner-level Shim Sham, intermediate-level Tranky Doo and most recently the Chocolate Shake, a new dance taught at the Intercollegiate Swing Battle this year.

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Culture

Art exhibit memorializes deceased photographer

Ariel Lutnesky | April 23

The UNM Art Museum is remembering Patrick Nagatani, a UNM Regents’ Professor who taught photography, with an upcoming exhibition, “Patrick Nagatani: A Survey of Early Photographs.” This show will feature work Nagatani made in his early stages of becoming the well-known artist he grew to be, said Mary Statzer, the curator of the exhibit. “This exhibition is in celebration of his life and work and his career as a teacher,” Statzer said. “We received a large gift of photographs from him before he died last year, and this show is comprised of many of those works that came in that gift. They're actually photographs that he made before he came to New Mexico. They are works that have not been seen as often here, in New Mexico — some of which haven't been seen or exhibited in a long time.”

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Culture

Exhibit displays well-traveled books

Ariel Lutnesky | April 23

Do you ever look a book and wonder where it has traveled? In the Frank Waters Room in Zimmerman Library at the University of New Mexico, there is an exhibit of books that have traveled all around the United States, called the “University Presses Book, Jacket and Journal Show.” The books displayed in the show are winners of a design competition that the Association of University Presses holds every year, said Lisa Tremaine, the art director and production manager of UNM Press.

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Culture

Prof's book explores the power of empathy

Nichole Harwood | April 23

An individual's capacity for compassion and empathy is portrayed as a powerful tool in “The Compassionate Connection: The Healing Power of Empathy and Mindful Listening,” written by University of New Mexico Professor and Chair for Family and Community Medicine David Rakel, M.D. Throughout the book, Rakel tells a series of stories from the medical field, delving into the power of empathy and expanding on the relationships individuals create with those they meet both medical professional and patient.