Culture

Culture

Joshua Pedersen, lightsaber smith

Troy Amato | February 19

Every Wednesday and Saturday night at the Duck Pond, ABQ Jedi meets to clash in the mystical art of lightsaber dueling. While these battles are fierce and climactic, the true hero hides among their ranks — Joshua Pedersen, a “Sabersmith.” Pedersen runs a local business known as Battle Sabers. Originally created as a passion project, as Pederson hoped to explore saber smithing and sparring. Lacking the funds to construct sabers and inspired by his own experience with saber sparring, Pedersen visited the Internet to learn how to create his own. After researching forums and multiple websites, he stumbled upon a guide to make a personal saber out of PVC pipe.

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Culture

Film Review: 'Lion' portrays a raw, true story

David Lynch | February 15

If “Lion” was a work of complete fiction, there’s no doubt it would invite skepticism over its unbelievable plot. The fact that this – a story about an Indian boy, Saroo, losing his family and finding them again decades later as a grown man – is a true story is astounding enough in its own right. But Garth Davis doesn’t simply rely on immense emotional appeal for his feature directorial debut. He works to make the climax as satisfying as possible, via two hours of compelling and superbly-written narrative that certainly earns its place in the Best Picture race. Chief among the things that elevate “Lion” from good to great is the decision to make the story linear, when it could have been told through flashbacks that would have detracted from its magnitude.

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Culture

Unique food and art collective to host pop-up dinner

Troy Amato | February 15

On Feb. 26, the organization FoodGore will be hosting a special “Tea for Two” event, featuring food, tea, and local art. Started in Oct. 2015 by Mayaneli Brown and Niles Keith, FoodGore is a unique collaboration between chefs and artists, combining art, food, jewelry and homemade ice cream. Through its regular art show pop-ups, FoodGore has become a perfect showcase for local artists of all kinds. Brown said that there’s no limitation when it comes to involvement.

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Culture

SWFC Preview: Oscar darling 'La La Land' to play at the SUB

Fin Martinez | February 15

One of 2016’s holiday hits, the critically acclaimed “La La Land,” will be playing in the SUB Theater this weekend as a part of the ASUNM Southwest Film Center’s spring 2016 film series. “La La Land” represents the second feature by director Damien Chazelle after he broke onto the Hollywood scene with “Whiplash” in 2014. The film stars Ryan Gosling as Sebastian, an aspiring jazz musician living paycheck to paycheck, and Emma Stone as Mia a young actress looking for her big break. Both of them aspire for fame and fortune in contemporary Los Angeles.

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Culture

'Soup and Socks' drive aims to help the Native-American community

Ariel Lutnesky | February 15

UNM libraries aren’t just lending out books — they are lending out helping hands. From now until the end of the month, the University’s libraries are collaborating with the Albuquerque Indian Center on Soup and Socks, an initiative collecting donations of soup and socks for the Native American community in need. “We decided to do just soup and socks because it’s easier to focus on just a couple of items,” said Nancy Bennett, the library operations manager and event organizer.

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Culture

Fashion: Valentine's Day outfit ideas

Courtney Salinger | February 12

It’s that time of year where romance is in the air, boxes of chocolates are sold, freshly picked roses are handed out and restaurant reservations are made. Valentine’s Day is approaching, and thinking about the perfect outfit can be time-consuming while preparing for other Valentine’s Day activities. Here are a few suggestions on what to wear for the occasion.

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Culture

Q and A: Malcolm Reese, king of open mic night

Troy Amato | February 8

If you’re at Brickyard Pizza on Tuesday nights, you might have seen mechanical engineering student and singer-songwriter Malcolm Reese performing at the weekly open mic night. On Tuesday, Reese got on stage to perform three original songs on acoustic guitar: “Isolation Disposition,” “Hardwood Floors” and “Black Hole.” The Daily Lobo sat down with Reese before he went on stage to learn about his personal music history and upcoming projects.

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Culture

Music student goes from accountant to piano teacher

Ariel Lutnesky | February 8

From Hong Kong to accounting to teaching piano, UNM music student Loraine Ho has come a long way. On Sunday, Feb. 12, Ho will be performing her senior recital on the piano at Keller Hall. Ho will play an assortment of songs, including music by UNM professor Falko Steinbach, Claude Debussy, Franz Schubert, and Frédéric Chopin, ending with a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach. “Because I am majoring in music education, I wanted to choose the pieces to show different types of music in different periods, kind of like giving a short education to the public,” Ho said.

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Culture

Movie Preview: "American Honey" perfect for artsy filmgoers

Fin Martinez | February 5

This weekend, the ASUNM Southwest Film Center will be screening “American Honey,” a film is directed by Andrea Arnold, who adapted and directed the 2011 adaptation “Wuthering Heights”. “American Honey” is the fourth feature-length film for Arnold, who is known for her unique style of directing. The film stars Sasha Lane as Star, a free-spirited young woman who is a nanny for two kids in eastern Oklahoma, Riley Keough as Krystal, the leader/manager of a traveling door-to-door magazine sales troupe and Shia LaBeouf as Jack, a roguish veteran salesman in the troupe.

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Culture

Ballet Review: The Russian National Ballet does "Cinderella"

Fin Martinez | February 5

Last week, the Russian National Ballet came to Popejoy to perform a rendition of the classic fairy tale “Cinderella.” Part of the Popejoy Presents series at the theater, the performance was characteristic of Russian Ballet: passionate, perfectionistic and awe-inspiring, a reputation that Russian Ballet has cultivated over generations. The performance began with dances by Cinderella's stepsisters, showing through dance their character and behavior.

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Culture

UNM students participate in local jazz performance

Ariel Lutnesky | February 2

Wednesday evening was a calm one inside the Hotel Andaluz as a jazz combo featuring UNM students played to a quietly chattering audience. The group consisted of pianist Sean Umstead, bassist and UNM freshman Matthew Jaeger, and drummer Jonathan Rodriguez, a graduate student studying percussion performance. The majority of their performance was improvised, according to the group. “Jazz, as it is, is about spontaneous creation. Which is why I guess it’s fun and sort of more free because we just play off of each other,” Umstead said. ”The music grows as we want it to as the night goes along.”

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Culture

Restaurant Review: Gyro's Mediterranean delivers on its namesake

Troy Amato | February 1

Nestled behind Frontier and across from Main Campus on Cornell Drive rests the Greek eatery Gyro’s Mediterranean. Gyro’s sports authentic Mediterranean plates, such as gyro sandwiches, falafel and moussaka. It provides an excellent local taste of mediterranean cuisine for any customer willing to reach overseas for exotic flavors.

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Culture

"Free Stuff ABQ" Facebook group makes it easy to give and receive

Matthew Reisen | February 1

UNM student Simon Walker has a vision: if you need something, you should get it. If you have something you don’t need, you should give it away. Back in December, Walker started the Facebook group “Free Stuff ABQ” and by February, the group has collected nearly 2,000 members. The group allows members to post on their page, requesting items they may need or items they are willing to give away.

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Culture

Telluride Film Fest visits UNM

Troy Amato | January 30

Last weekend the ASUNM Southwest Film Center and the UNM Wilderness Alliance, in partnership with MountainFilm, hosted the Telluride Film Festival on Tour in the UNM SUB.

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Movies

SWFC Preview: "Kubo" the latest offering from Laika animation

Fin Martinez | January 29

The critically acclaimed animated feature “Kubo and the Two Strings,” is coming to the SUB’s Southwest Film Center for a limited time from Feb 3-5. The screening is part of a biannual series by the SWFC that screens indie films, one per week, each semester. “Kubo and the Two Strings” is the story of Kubo, a young boy living in a seaside village until his world is turned upside down by spirits from the past that begin to pursue him. In order to survive, Kubo must find armor that belonged to his father with the help of his companions Monkey and Beetle. Originally released in 2016, “Kubo and the Two Strings” received rave reviews despite not being a blockbuster hit. The film was made by Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio Laika, who has produced films such as “Coraline,” the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, and Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride,” both critically acclaimed films.

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Culture

Fashion Column: New threads for a new year

Courtney Salinger | January 25

Ringing in the new year includes making resolutions, setting up calendars filled with new engagements and most importantly, a new semester of school. The new term is a great opportunity to show off the latest fashion trends. Showing up to class in the newest threads makes for a fun and exciting first week of school. Wearing a fresh outfit brings confidence to the occasions of meeting new people and to any endeavor you encounter. Here are some of the latest fashion trends and ideas on how to wear them.

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Culture

ABQ Jedi club brings the Force to campus

Fin Martinez | January 25

Any fan of Star Wars remembers wanting to be Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader or Qui-gon Jinn. Being a Jedi was the childhood dream of many Star Wars fans and for many, the main appeal of being a Jedi was wielding their legendary weapon — the lightsaber. A unique and quickly growing clubs on campus, ABQ Jedi, taps into this childhood dream by meeting twice a week at the duck pond, where members duel using recreations of the Jedi’s weapon. The club was founded by Revan Killian, a former UNM student, and a “Master Jedi” in the club. “I joined up with another group that meets here called ‘Order of The Wolf.’ It wasn’t exactly a Star Wars group, and I stuck with it for a while, but I wanted something more closely based on the lore of Star Wars,” Killian said. “I played around with the idea six years ago with a few people, and about four years ago I set it down with three other guys. We made the basis and the foundation based off of what I was already throwing around.”

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Culture

Ways to settle back into college life

Fin Martinez | January 22

College. It’s considered by many as the best years of your life, a time where self-exploration meets academic challenges, and the most important dynamic is finding the perfect balance between work and play. Winter break takes a toll on the best of us; a full month devoid of classes, homework and other obligations but full of fun, play and relaxation. Some travel home and party with their hometown buddies, others stay and party here while working. But after that academic sabbatical, it’s hard to get back into the swing of things and find a renewed balance of work and play. Here are some ways to get back into the swing of things.

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News

On this date in UNM history...

Daily Lobo Staff | January 22

A look back at the importance of January 23 over the years, as told through Daily Lobo coverage. 

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TV

TV Review: "A Series of Unfortunate Events" stays true to the books

Fin Martinez | January 18

It’s a common trend in film to adapt novels and other stories to the silver screen and create a visual interpretation of our favorite books and stories. We’ve seen it with the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games and many Disney films, but with the rise of streaming sites like Netflix, adaptations have come to the small screen. On Friday the 13th, Netflix premiered it’s long anticipated exclusive show, “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” The series, being teased for nearly a year, is an adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s series of the same name, and is the second adaptation of the books. While the first was a standalone film that covered the first three books in the series, Netflix’s rendition presents the series in long-form television, allowing for all thirteen books to be adapted for the visual medium.