Culture

Culture

2016's most offensive Halloween costumes

Matthew Reisen | October 26

Here it is — Halloween. When the first crisp of winter rides on the breeze alongside smells of campfire smoke. Whether it’s through petty vandalism, candy accumulation or the destruction of brain cells, everyone celebrates differently. But there is one constant: Everybody wants to dress up and, in doing so, make a statement of some kind, whether it’s scary, funny or controversial. Sometimes, costumes go too far, and this is one of those lists. To be clear, these are costume statements you don’t want to make, unless you want a black eye or a Snickers bar full of razor blades. Here is a list of 2016’s top five most offensive costumes for those of you looking to be “that guy” — and by “that guy,” I mean the one who doesn’t get invited to any more Halloween parties. Matthew Reisen is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MReisen88. 

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Culture

Film Review: 'Only the Brave' deserves a spot among great war films

Fin Martinez | October 26

When we think of war films we tend to think of “Saving Private Ryan”, “Apocalypse Now,” and “Fury” as examples of great contributions to the genre. “Only the Brave,” a 2006 film by Lane Nishikawa, takes the genre in a different direction. Nishikawa’s film follows the soldiers of the 100th battalion in the French combat theater of World War II comprised of Japanese-Americans who enlisted from the Japanese internment camps instituted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Nishikawa — who wrote, directed and acted in the film — had a clear focus, and from this he created what amounts to a hidden gem in the war film genre. With many films in the genre, the focus is on the mission the soldiers must face, giving the film a distinct path. “Only the Brave” only introduces the soldiers’ mission in the second act of the film. By stepping away from the first act introduction of the mission, Nishikawa has created a different form of war film.

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Movies

Film Review: 'The Witch' offers complex themes, frights

David Lynch | October 26

At first watch, there isn’t much meat on the bones of Robert Eggers’ “The Witch.” On a superficial level – thanks to its incredibly simple premise, small production scale and what could be interpreted as an ambiguous ending – one could think it’s a skeleton of a movie, with small bits of flesh clinging to its ribs in the form of the occasional jump scare. Don’t fall into that trap. It’s easy to think that the final product far outweighs the expectations that a horror lover may have for “The Witch,” but you’d be doing yourself a disservice in the process. So how do you get the most out of the the film, and experience it the way Eggers intended the audience to?

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Culture

Nude modeling offers unique side job

Skylar Griego | October 26

Not many people can say they get naked for work, but Douglas, a sophomore theater major, said that’s the best part of his job. While nudity is illegal in most establishments, it’s actually essential for Douglas’ job as a nude model in the UNM Art Department. Models at UNM are students hired by the art department to pose — sometimes clothed and sometimes nude — in front of a class full of drawing students. Some may wonder, what kind of person gets into something like nude modeling? The Daily Lobo got to speak with a few of the department’s models, each with a unique perspective regarding this unusual side job. Though their experiences differ, there were a few points about the job each model agreed on: the position pays one of the highest student wages on campus, it has extremely flexible hours, and it is a massive boost for their self-esteem.

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Culture

Hypnotist visits UNM, brings laughter and wonder

Fin Martinez | October 26

Hypnosis, often the subject of skepticism and cinema tropes, is viewed as pseudo-science due to it’s almost comical portrayal of influencing people to do ridiculous things. But what if being comical was the point? Rich Guzzi, a comedy hypnotist, convinced an audience at the SUB Monday night that, while funny, hypnosis is very real. The man can tell a joke, that much is certain. Honestly, Guzzi himself would’ve been able to carry the show on his own, but if he had done that the show wouldn’t have been as memorable. If each performer needs a shtick, Guzzi has one that takes the audience by surprise.

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Culture

Mountaineering club so much more than climbing rocks

Audrin Baghaie | October 23

Mountains were made to be conquered. To traverse nature by means of hiking, biking and climbing is an endeavor that satisfies a certain, perhaps innate, human craving for exploration, and it’s often more fun to do it with friends. UNM’s Mountaineering club has become well-versed with the Southwest over the last few decades, hosting events ranging from Wolf Creek snowboarding trips to rock climbing ventures in Joshua Tree National Park, among other wild expeditions. The club provides training, equipment, means of travel and bimonthly gatherings for like-minded individuals to meet up and interact. “Basically students pay $30 a semester and they get access to all our camping and climbing gear,” said Club President Rachel Swanteson-Franz. “The idea is to give people a community to explore the outdoors with. You need partners to climb with, so we try to cultivate a place to meet people for that.”

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Culture

Marijuana magazine launches in Albuquerque

Fin Martinez | October 23

On Friday, Sister Bar in downtown Albuquerque hosted the release party of Albuquerque’s new marijuana magazine “The Chronicle.” The publication, which covers topics from cannabis legality and politics to strain reviews and medical use, celebrated its premier issue with writers, friends, and directors in attendance. The Chronicle was the brainchild of John Delgado and Jen Montaño, the founder and editor in chief of the magazine respectively. “The original idea was a shared passion, basically. Everybody in this industry needed an avenue, and myself, I’ve always wanted to do a publication,” Montaño said. “I met John — he had it in the back of his head to do it also, but we just didn’t find each other at that moment. So a few months ago we found each other and had the similar ideas that we had, and we decided to publish the Chronicle.”

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Culture

Album Review: 'Gameshow' a bland, forgettable offering from Two Door Cinema Club

Audrin Baghaie | October 21

Album Review: Gameshow by Two Door Cinema Club By Audrin Baghaie Irish indie-rock group Two Door Cinema Club released their third full length studio LP this past weekend.

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Culture

Movie Review: Above and Below fails to pull itself together

Audrin Baghaie | October 19

“Above and Below” is a 2015 creative non-fiction documentary detailing the life of four different survivalists trying to make the most of life in their respective contexts. The film, directed by Nicholas Steiner, offers an interesting peek into a separate side of civilization, a more blunt and in-the-trenches way of living. To put it bluntly, this film isn’t that great. Perhaps I just don’t get it, because most critics are praising the movie on its visuals and examinations on life. Both of these aspects were fine, but in no way do they carry the two-hour runtime.

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Culture

Student runs photo booth to make a few bucks

Skylar Griego | October 16

There are a multitude of reasons for a student to take an extra job on the side, the most obvious being a way to earn supplemental income. In addition to earning money, some students seek out side jobs that allow them to work for themselves. Many students struggle to balance a job with a demanding schedule on top of a time-consuming workload from classes. Having a job that allows students the freedom to make their own hours can be highly beneficial, depending on how busy students are.

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Culture

Review: Local playhouse puts on 80s cult classic

Jonathan Baca | October 16

As a kid I had a love/hate relationship with the movie version of “Little Shop of Horrors,” a sci-fi rom-com horror musical about a geeky flower shop employee and the alien, man-eating plant that takes over his life. I loved the special effects of the talking, singing Venus flytrap, but at the time I hated the ‘50s doo-wop style of the movie’s songs. Decades have gone by and my tastes have changed, so when I heard that the Albuquerque Little Theatre was putting on its own stage version of the cult classic, I just had to check it out.

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Culture

Fall Break getaway options

Savanna Molina | October 13

Even though Fall Break at UNM consists of only two days and a weekend, students can still take advantage for a quick getaway. Whether you’re from New Mexico or not, it’s a great place to catch the vibrant autumn colors. With the last warmth of summer quickly fleeing and the cold winter creeping in, this is the best time to get outside for some last minute adventures in the gorgeous New Mexico landscape. Go hiking, bust out the barbeque and take in the colorful leaves.

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Culture

Album Review: Green Day gives us best of both worlds

Fin Martinez | October 11

Green Day, known for its driving punk rock albums and soaring rock opera concept, has released its comeback album “Revolution Radio,” the group’s first release since 2014’s triple-release of “Uno! Dos! Tre!” That experimental trio of albums was not well-received by critics due to its lack of musical direction, and the impression that it was an attempt to recreate the band’s “Dookie”-era punk sound that was more energetic, with less focus on songwriting . The band agreed, saying that they were “being prolific for the sake of being prolific” with “Uno! Dos! Tres!” With this release, Green Day has cleaned up its act.

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Culture

Theater Review: The Lion King sure to please all ages

Fin Martinez | October 9

Not much else embodies the nostalgia of childhood quite like Disney movies, and of those movies we all remember The Lion King. The film was released in 1994 to rave reviews and nearly made $1 billion at the box office. The world went crazy for The Lion King, and for the musical numbers written by Elton John and Tim Rice.

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Culture

Lion King actors give tips to UNM theater students

Emma Citizen | October 9

“Hakuna Matata” was definitely the motto of theater students on Wednesday, when two actors from the Lion King Tour — Ben Lipitz and Courtney Thomas — conducted a workshop for UNM theater students. Lipitz and Thomas came to help and work with students on acting, dancing, singing — all things that must be top-notch when performing in The Lion King. The workshop gave students the opportunity to learn a lot and get some advice from professionals in the field they may want to pursue as a career.

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Culture

Concert Review: Thrice brings the energy to Sunshine with older hits

Audrin Baghaie | October 6

Alternative rock band Thrice threw down at Sunshine Theater on Tuesday to an electric crowd of fans both old and new. The band, known for their mid-2000s album releases, are currently embarking on a nationwide tour to promote their latest record, “To Be Everywhere is To Be Nowhere.”

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Culture

TV Review: 'Luke Cage' another fine offering to the on-screen Marvel universe

Fin Martinez | October 6

Netflix has done it again with its latest Marvel superhero adaptation, “Luke Cage.”Luke Cage was created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr. during the 1970s “Blaxploitation” era, where he was portrayed as a “hero for hire” in crime-ridden Harlem. Since then, Luke Cage, the super-strong, bulletproof, hero has been reimagined numerous times and has been part of many superhero alliances, including his latest foray into the Marvel cinematic universe. Luke Cage first appeared in the MCU in Netflix’s recent series “Jessica Jones,” in which he assists the titular character in her crime-fighting missions.

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Culture

Movie Review: 'Some Like It Hot' is a breath of fresh air from the old days

Audrin Baghaie | October 5

“Some Like It Hot” is a 1959 black and white comedy starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and the one and only Marilyn Monroe. The film, set in the Prohibition Era, details the adventure of two musicians attempting to outrun the mob by disguising themselves as female musicians. It’s going to take more than just time to derail this motion picture. “Some Like It Hot” was a huge success 60 years ago, and has since earned the privilege to claim originality from hundreds of derivative films that have appeared afterward.

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Culture

SUB comes alive to the music of Dueling Pianos

Fin Martinez | October 5

On Wednesday, a duo of virtuosic pianists filled the halls of the SUB with songs by everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Hozier. A traveling act, Dueling Pianos has been performing for over 15 years and has been touring for 14 of those years due to a demand and passion for music. Kirk Garrett and Rick Wyman, the current duo of Dueling Pianos, have each been playing since they were four years old, giving each of them over 30 years of experience behind the keyboard.

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Culture

Anaya Lecture speaker discusses societal roles using popular game

Jonathan Natvig | October 4

For last week’s 7th Annual Anaya Lecture for Literature of the Southwest, writer Rigoberto Gonzalez discussed masculinity in Chicano literature. The event was sponsored by the UNM English Department, and was followed by a reception and book signing for the Albuquerque community. Anita Obermeier, chair of the English Department, said the series was born out of a generous donation from Rodolfo and Patricia Anaya, as a way to raise money for the Rudy Scholarship Fund for prospective English students interested in Chicano literature.