Culture

Culture

Review: Explore the frights of ABQ's Old Town

Hector Valverde | October 18

Albuquerque’s Old Town is a site of rich historical significance dating back to the city’s inception in the early 18th century. Beautiful plazas, churches and shops riddle the area, making it a tourist magnet. Despite this beauty there’s a sinister undercurrent bubbling beneath the jovial surface of Old Town. The Mexican-American War and the American Civil War both touched the town, leaving its people and businesses with pervasive scars — and possibly ghosts.

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Movies

"Happy Death Day" is worth a watch

Hector Valverde | October 15

“Happy Death Day” is the latest entry in Blumhouse Productions’ huge catalogue of horror (and occasionally other genre) films. It’s one of six this year, actually, and thankfully better than most horror films in recent memory. The gimmicks in the plot of “Happy Death Day” help it stand out as more than just another horror movie. The premise of the film is sweet and simple: a college student, Tree, keeps waking up to the same day. This sudden reincarnation, however, comes with the price of being hunted down and killed by a mysterious masked murderer.

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Culture

Photo Story: Expo New Mexico displays traditional Chinese handicrafts

Autumn King and Jenny Liang | October 15

Making lanterns is a well-practiced tradition in Chinese culture. Lanterns are made to signify and commemorate the Chinese New Year. These pieces of art started from humble beginnings with basic shapes and materials. In the modern day, artists and curators have elevated this practice by creating magnificent structures of many shapes and sizes. A company called Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc. has brought their display of elaborate and memorable Chinese lanterns to Albuquerque, but it doesn’t stop there.

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Culture

Art Review: Student uses photography to connect with her past

Hannah Eisenberg | October 15

When trying to move on from painful experiences, it can be tempting to imagine that old memories can simply burn, fall away into a harmless ash that leaves nothing more than a temporary residue on our minds. This is not how memories work though. Rather, they simmer through us. Our thoughts, patterns, actions, beliefs, our cultures and our histories exist not in an entirely progressive vacuum but in our connection to what was and who we have been. It is this idea of the durability of memory, of living an authentic history, that UNM Master of Fine Arts candidate and photographer Fatemeh Baigmoradi explores in her thesis show, “It’s Hard to Kill.” From late September to early October, “It’s Hard to Kill” was housed in the College of Fine Arts downtown gallery.

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News

Largest ballooning event in the world offers unique experience

Ludella Awad | October 11

Hundreds of balloons took over the Albuquerque sky this Saturday at Balloon Fiesta Park as part of the 46th International Balloon Fiesta. Albuquerque’s first Balloon Fiesta took place on April 8, 1972 at the Coronado Center with 13 balloons. Albuquerque native Jim Madden attended the first fiesta and has been enjoying the event ever since. Over time, he was on chase crews, “riding with some of the wildest people you could imagine, especially one fellow from England, and he decided he could land anywhere he wanted. You weren’t allowed to land on the reservations or go over the zoo. Those places he wanted to do,” Madden said.

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Music

A Tribute to Tom Petty, an American Rock Icon

Jonathan Baca | October 10

Last week, the world lost an American rock icon, someone who helped shape rock music for 40 years. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Tom Petty died in the early morning of Oct. 2 of cardiac arrest in Santa Monica, California. His death was sudden and came as a heartbreaking shock to his millions of fans around the world. He was only 66. Petty’s career was prolific, impressive and far-reaching, and as an icon he was larger than life. His unusual, nasally singing voice made him instantly recognizable, and his ability to write enduring and beloved songs made him one of the biggest rock stars of the last 50 years. In 2002 his accomplishments were officially recognized when he was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

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News

Lobo reporter catches a lift for the festival

Aaron Cowan | October 10

Once again the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has arrived, painting our city with colorful hot air balloons. Pilots from across the country and globe gathered on Saturday, Oct. 7 in the grass fields behind the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum to kick off this nine-day event with a Mass Ascension, in which hundreds of balloonists take to the air in two separate waves starting at 7 a.m. The only thing better than seeing this event up close on the field might be the opportunity to actually ride in one of the balloons. And this reporter got that chance, as part of the passenger group that flew with pilot Pat Harwell of Shreveport, Louisiana — he is a veteran pilot with over 3,000 hours of flight experience.

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Movies

Review: Blade Runner sequel lives up to the original

Hector Valverde | October 8

When a sequel to “Blade Runner” was announced, I was extremely skeptical. A perfectly self-contained film like this did not warrant a sequel, especially when older properties have tended to fail when applied with our modern sensibilities. A cautiously optimistic glimmer of hope arose when Denis Villeneuve, the director of “Prisoners,” “Sicario” and “Arrival” was helmed to direct. Thankfully, “Blade Runner 2049” works as well as a standalone as it does a sequel. No viewings of Ridley Scott’s classic in its many different cuts are required to appreciate “2049,” and the impacts you’d get from watching the original are tastefully slim, anyways.

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Culture

Photo Story: First Mass Ascension of the Balloon Fiesta attracts thousands

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | October 8

Thousands of people gathered to watch the first Mass Ascension of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta on Oct. 7. Excited but sleepy-eyed children, families, friends, lovers and the balloons’ pilots and crews dispersed across the park in the early morning silence. The quiet didn't last long — the sky soon began to light up with the occasional burst of light from the propane fire under a balloon as it drifted up, up and away. Pilots and their crews woke up hours before the sun rose to drive their balloons to the field and start filling them with hot air before lighting them up for all to see. The first wave of balloons starts on the north end of the field, and the launch moves south in rows, doubling back to the north and starting the pattern all over again until all of the balloons are in the air.

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Culture

UNM offers new course centered on anime

Nichole Harwood | October 8

For the first time ever, UNM is offering an eight-week course titled “The Fantastical World of Japanese Anime.” The course will be meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to explore the rich and colorful world of anime and its connection to Western civilization. “We know anime is really interesting to a lot of students in the UNM community, and we had the good fortune of locating a dynamic instructor, Nona Carter, who has expertise in this area,” said UNM’s Foreign Languages & Literatures Department Chair Dr. Pamela Cheek. “So we were able to put together this second-half course, thinking it would be a fabulous way for students to learn about the intersections of Japanese and American culture around anime.”

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News

Local businesses help to fund Balloon Fiesta

Nichole Harwood | October 8

As Albuquerque comes together to enjoy the International Balloon Fiesta’s festivities, business owners do their best to contribute to their community. Griffin & Associates, a business that got its start in Albuquerque, is one of the event sponsors and currently employs multiple Univesity of New Mexico alumni and provides internships to students. “As a leading communications company, Griffin & Associates is committed to providing the highest level of personalized service to our clients,” said Joanie Griffin, CEO and founder of Griffin & Associates. “We focus on crafting unique marketing approaches to advance the awareness of our clients’ products and services. Griffin & Associates is dedicated to proactive leadership, devising creative media-based solutions to marketing opportunities and consistently assessing the needs and objectives of our clients.”

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Movies

Review: Carell's performance shines in "Battle of the Sexes"

Hector Valverde | October 4

Starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes” is based on the real-life tennis rivalry between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Shot on 35mm film, the movie perfectly captures the 1970s vibe. More than that, it aptly captures King’s struggle against the misogyny of the early 1970s and her fight for workplace equality between the sexes, on the court and elsewhere. The film’s plot rests firmly on its characters’ shoulders. Carell’s performance as Riggs is as entertaining as “The Office’s” Michael Scott, yet as psychologically complex as “Foxcatcher’s” John du Pont. I was fascinated by the strange balance between Riggs’ gambling addiction, chauvinistic showmanship and genuine love for the sport. The added factor of a deteriorating home life had me fully invested in the character, and I wish Carell had gotten a bit more screen time to explore such a complicated man’s life.

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Culture

Photo Story: Harvest Festival celebrates Spanish history

April Torres | October 4

The 45th Annual Harvest Festival took place at El Rancho de las Golondrinas Sept. 30 through Oct. 1. Las Golondrinas is considered a living museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It maintains examples and activities which illustrate life in the period of Spanish rule in the Southwest during the the 18th and 19th centuries. The land was purchased in the 1930s by Leonora Curtin, who is famous for creating Santa Fe’s Native Market. The museum opened its doors to visitors in 1972. Images and text by April Torres April Torres is a staff photographer for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at photo@dailylobo.com.

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Movies

Review: "War for the Planet of the Apes" makes for good finale, lackluster standalone film

Hector Valverde | October 4

I wasn’t expecting much from the “Planet of the Apes” reboot back in 2011, but I vividly remember walking out of the theater thoroughly impressed. The tragic origin of the first super-intelligent ape, Caesar, left me entertained, excited, but most of all, totally emotionally wrecked. “Rise’s” sequel, “Dawn,” only increased the stakes as humanity struggled to survive alongside a growing ape population. As such, my expectations for “War” were high. “War for the Planet of the Apes” picks up two years after the fallout of “Dawn.” Following the ape attack on San Francisco led by the rogue ape, Koba, the remaining humans on the West Coast have banded together with the remnants of Koba’s ape faction for a last stand against Caesar’s tribe. A surprise attack and capture of the clan leads Caesar on a path to liberate his people while internally struggling with a thirst for revenge.

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Culture

Review: Folksy festival brings art down to earth

Hannah Eisenberg | October 1

This Sunday, Oct. 1 OFFcenter Community Arts Project opened the doors to their gallery and studio Downtown, spilling out into a colorful arts and crafts frenzy in the park across the street. Over 75 artists and vendors, many of whom collaborate with OFFcenter, filled the park for their 15th Annual Folk Art Festival. Truly, that is what it was — an art festival put on by, and for, all of us everyday “folks.” A puppet parade made its way through the center of Robinson Park, while people of all ages made crafts together in the workshop tent. Others strolled through the local artist booths, and snacked on baked goods or ate from one of the many food trucks parked nearby.

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Culture

Alumni Connection: UNM alum takes her work around the world

Nichole Harwood | September 28

A University of New Mexico alum, along with two of her colleagues, has been awarded a substantial grant to train teachers to support English language learners. An assistant professor at the University of Akron, Valerie Sartor’s career has been a full one, from her defending her dissertation in 2014 before accepting a Fulbright Fellowship as a Global TEFL scholar in Russia, to taking the position as assistant professor and Teach English Around the World specialist in the fall of 2016.

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News

Famous director hosts workshop at UNM

Johnny Viscaino | September 28

One of this year’s University of New Mexico Homecoming Week highlights was the presence of Brian Lavant, a 1974 Media Arts graduate and seasoned Hollywood veteran, whose six-week course on sitcom writing wrapped up on Tuesday. With five decades of entertainment industry experience under his belt, Lavant has been at the creative helm of some of the biggest franchises in family entertainment, the Cinematic Arts Department writes. He helped bring to life projects such as, “Happy Days” and “Mork and Mindy,” along with feature films like “The Flintstones,” starring John Goodman and “Jingle all the Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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TV

Seinfeld directors visit UNM

Shubham Chadha | September 27

This week, the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico hosted a town hall at Rodey Theatre with Emmy award-winning directors Tom Cherones and Tom Azzari, who helped make “Seinfeld” one of the best loved sitcoms of all time. Cherones is a Class of ’61 UNM alum, who studied journalism with a focus in photography. He described his initial exposure to photography at UNM as a formative element in developing his directing style. “I was a photographer for so many years at UNM, so I had a good sense of stage when I started working professionally,” Cherones said. “My style of shooting came from my photography experience and was a great influence for me. The experiences here at this University greatly solidified my interest in TV directing.”

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News

NM ranked sixth most diverse state

Nichole Harwood | September 27

New Mexico the sixth most diverse state in America, according to a recent WalletHub study. Lawrence Roybal, interim vice president for the UNM Division of Equity and Inclusion, said this is an impressive recognition and one his division is proud of. “We are extremely proud that the University of New Mexico is an important part of the tremendous diversity that we celebrate and honor throughout the Land of Enchantment,” he said. “It is important for us to continuously advance a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion endeavors through UNM in collaboration with our many committed campus partners and community allies throughout each year.”

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News

ASUNM provides variety of events geared at UNM community

Ashish Khatri | September 25

It’s Homecoming Week at the University of New Mexico, and the Associated Students of UNM are organizing a slew of on-campus events through their subgroup UNM Lobo Spirit. 3-D chalk artist Chris Carlson will be working on a large chalk art piece at the Duck Pond under the Alumni Clock on Monday and Tuesday. On Sept. 26, Lobo Spirit and the Student Activities Center will be hosting a Neon Skate Down event from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Student Union Building Ballroom B/C. DJ music and refreshments will be available. Students, staff and faculty will be able to rent skates with their UNM ID.