Opinion - The Daily Lobo

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Air’ is certainly a movie with a plot, but not much else

John Scott | April 10

If I had to pick an up-and-coming film trend bound to dominate both theaters and streaming platforms for the next couple of years, it would have to be the “nostalgia-ridden biopic featuring varyingly successful creative choices that feel subversive and fun for a subgenre largely dedicated to recounting real life stories.” This could describe a number of films released in recent years (2022’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” 2023’s “Tetris” and “Paint”). This list certainly includes “Air,” a film that is, if not anything else, moderately entertaining.

Culture

REVIEW: 'Bend Skin' is a short, powerful labor of love

Detroit Kallunki | April 10

Yomi Tafdor’s newly released poetry collection “Bend Skin” combines prose with beautifully complex traditional poetry and rhythm, and small, full-color abstract art by illustrator Nujhat Adrita. Much of Tadfor’s poetry is based around her identity and the way it has changed over time. Tafdor, a current student at the University of New Mexico, is originally from Cameroon. Much of her poetry is about the lived experience of marginalized people in the United States and the way her experiences have influenced her sense of individuality and personhood.

Culture

REVIEW: Lana Del Rey’s latest album is an affectionate work from the complicated artist

Addison Key | March 28

In Lana Del Rey’s new album, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” released on March 24, she insists we are wrong about her. Del Rey embodies an attitude that succeeds in representing the violence and anxieties of girlhood, but fails to respond to her history of cultural appropriation. She fills 1 hour and 17 minutes with conflicted representations of family, memory and legacy. Her song “Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing,” the 11th song on the album, begins by confronting common claims about her manufactured identity into her lyricism: “I know they think that it took somebody else to make me beautiful … but they’re wrong.”

Culture

5 and Why: 5 ways to relieve stress after midterms

Maddie Pukite | March 27

As midterms wrap up and the semester progresses, many students may find themselves burnt out or exhausted. David Hernandez, a third-year vocal performance and international studies student at the University of New Mexico, gave his tips on how he takes time to relax and be present as the second half of the semester starts. Yoga Yoga is a spiritual and physical practice that can be meditative and offer peace of mind, along with being a way to stretch and care for your body. Recently getting back into practicing yoga, Hernandez said it gives him a reason to wake up early and de-stress before the day.

Opinion

OPINION: Isotopes unveil tasty new menu for upcoming season

Elizabeth Secor | March 27

The Albuquerque Isotopes unveiled their new concessions items for the upcoming 2023 season on Friday, March 24. Hungry fans can rest easy: almost everything sampled was a homerun. The executive chef of the ballpark, Jim Griego, crafted these new food creations; his inspiration came from wanting to give fans variety. “I wanted fans to feel like when they came to the park, there was choices. There were not just, a hot dog or a hamburger,” Griego said. “I wanted them to feel like they could come here and have a food destination.”

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Opinion

LETTER: Revision cuts most of UNM Mission Statement

Victoriano Cárdenas | March 27

When I taught expository writing at the University of New Mexico in 2018, my students read “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. A staple of most high school English classes in the U.S., a lot of students dismiss the book as being just “a fairy story.” A few students asked me why they had to read it again in college, and I asked them to be patient and see if they could glean anything new. Once you understand a story’s plot, you can focus on dialogue, setting, characterization, theme, historical context — all elements of a good story that point a reader toward its deeper ideas.

Culture

REVIEW: Fall Out Boy makes heartbreak feel good on ‘So Much (For) Stardust’

Marcela Johnson | March 27

The newest album by Fall Out Boy, titled “So Much (For) Stardust,” proves it was never just a phase, mom. The eighth album sees the band going back to their earlier work in more ways than one without feeling played out. The album feels like a reaffirmation by the band of what made them great with the intent to move forward. This album balances long ballads with shorter pieces of spoken poetry and monologues. This album is longer than the band's previous three albums with 13 tracks coming in at a total of 44 minutes and 20 seconds. Fall Out Boy makes good use of the time, repeating themes of moving on — but still holding on — throughout the album.

Culture

REVIEW: 100 gecs are slimier and sillier than ever on latest album ‘10,000 gecs’

John Scott | March 20

Oh, how we’ve missed you, 100 gecs. If you’ve been present in the online sphere since the duo, made up of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, released their first single, you’ve probably had at least one conversation with friends about whether the pair’s music is genuinely good or just a grating, mildly funny joke. Regardless, the group’s latest outing “10,000 gecs” proves that they’re here to stay, retaining the skilled production and irreverent self-awareness that made their debut so captivating while proving to have even more tricks up their sleeve.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘In the Camp of Angels of Freedom’ is a passionate, but messy read

Addison Key | March 20

In Arlene Goldbard’s book, “In the Camp of Angels of Freedom,” published on Jan, 24,, Goldbard asks her readers: what does it mean to be educated? In her book, she mixes personal narrative, political observation and portrait paintings; the combination of these highlights how her ideas of education have shifted and formed through personal experience; however, the final product is murky. The book has eleven essays, each focusing on one of her angels. Goldbard explains that her concept of angels comes from the Hebrew word “malakhim,” which, in Jewish mysticism, “are messengers between worlds, translating spiritual energy from the highest realms to the earth bound,” according to the book. Goldbard organizes her angels in a camp, in which the angels communicate a singular message that embodies a specific aspect of her personal ideology.

GALLERY: Opinion: the lost art of set dressing in high-budget film

Culture

OPINION: Bring mess back to set design

Spenser Willden | March 9

There’s a certain lifeless element to the modern blockbuster that’s difficult to pin down. Culprit not discussed often enough are the set designers and dressers; when done well, their work lends a deeper and more nuanced understanding to the characters and themes. When done poorly, it can kill a film. Though our on screen characters are hotter than ever, there’s an increased sterility in the way they move through their worlds; their arcs feel flat, their emotional situations contrived and their relationships to each other underdeveloped. Some of these issues originate from the performers themselves, but even more from the directors, screenwriters and producers who push out low-quality schlock with little regard for culture or art. There’s no question about it; something is rotten in the state of the blockbuster.

Culture

OPINION: How to be an ethical thrifter

Jordyn Bachmann | March 6

The past decade has seen a significant uptick in the popularity of secondhand shopping. Thrift stores have seen more traffic than ever due to an increase in trendiness and a decrease in the taboo of buying used, according to NPR. Run-of-the-mill thrift stores are now seeing a new generation of shoppers with different ways of thrifting, and the industry is having to shift in response. According to ThredUp’s Resale Market and Trend Report, the secondhand resale market saw an uptick of 58% in 2021, meaning supply and demand, as well as inflation, have caused these “shifts” to affect a good portion of low-income households.

Culture

OPINION: Sensory-sensitive and style-conscious fashion: a guide

Detroit Kallunki | March 6

Tactile sensitivity associated with sensory processing disorder can be make-or-break when it comes to personal fashion style and choices. And still, when you look online to find solutions for sensory sensitivities, the answers have a practically nonexistent range between “meeting sensory needs for kids” and lists of colorless, shapeless adult clothing. Neither of these solutions genuinely address the issues or acknowledges that people with sensory sensitivities might still want to express themselves with fashion. If you like wearing a beige strip of fabric every day, more power to you — for the rest of us, there are some simple changes to maintain levels of sensory comfort while still wearing the things we like.

Culture

Hit or miss: Isotopes jersey review

Zara Roy | March 6

As we jump into the 2023 season for the beloved Albuquerque Isotopes, now is the time for fans, both casual and die-hard, to think about what they’ll be stepping out in on their way to the stadium. The Isotopes are known for their unique array of jerseys which are rotated in and out for special occasions (and available for sale for lovers of the game). But which jerseys knock it out of the park, and which are a swing and a miss?

Culture

OPINION: Incorporating red carpet looks into your 2023 fashion

Sierra Martinez | March 6

As the new year is well under way, so is award season. Whether you love or love to hate celebrity culture, there is no doubt that you have stumbled across some of the season’s most memorable red carpet looks. From Zendaya to Michelle Yeoh to Jenna Ortega, the biggest stars in Hollywood have given us all some much needed inspiration for our 2023 wardrobes. While many of us may never get the chance to walk a real red carpet (sigh), that doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate some of the glitz and glamour that we see on our favorite celebrities into our own outfit rotation.

Opinion

LETTER: New Mexico adjunct faculty deserve a living wage

Ernesto A. Longa | February 26

Last year, New Mexico’s Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1 which guaranteed a living wage to all public educators teaching pre-K through 12th grade. This year, New Mexico’s Legislature should enact House Bill 417, a bill that proposes to establish a comparable living wage for all faculty teaching at New Mexico’s public colleges and universities. The establishment of a living wage for faculty at New Mexico’s public colleges and universities will be especially important for our state’s adjunct faculty.

Culture

EDITORIAL: Addressing inadequacies and inaccuracies in our ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ review

The Daily Lobo Editorial Board | February 26

We, at the Daily Lobo, recently published a review of “Hogwarts Legacy,” the controversial new video game set in the Harry Potter universe. In the process of editing the review, we failed to address the anti-Semitic tropes included in the game’s storyline, which treats the goblins like second-class citizens, according to Forbes. Along with this, we did not properly address the arguments and goals put forward by members and allies of the queer and transgender community who boycotted the game. The game's storyline features goblins as the primary villain. These “goblins” stem from anti-Semitic stereotypes, a commonly-held criticism of the original book series as well.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is big fun of average quality

Jessica Baca | February 20

This review contains spoilers On Friday, Feb.17, the Marvel Cinematic Universe released “Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania.” It is an excellent edition for the MCU, though this movie is not one of my favorites from the MCU. It is, however, the best “Ant-Man” movie yet. Even though this is not in my top ten favorite Marvel movies, that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. It still had a ton of laughs and featured some amazing world-design for the Quantum Realm. The film follows Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), the Wasp (Evangeline Lily) and family as they get sucked into the Quantum Realm against their will. They are forced to find a way out with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) looking for them.

Culture

REVIEW: Hogwarts Legacy is an enchanting open-world delight

Aldo Jurado | February 20

Friday, Feb. 10 saw the release of the long-awaited and highly controversial “Hogwarts Legacy,” an open world role-playing game based on the “Harry Potter” novel series. The game sold 500 million copies through Steam on its release day alone, and for good reason: the game provides you with the opportunity to inhabit the world of “Harry Potter” in a sprawling, fun experience, even if it can be somewhat overwhelming at times. The game starts with you as a new student at Hogwarts: there is a mystery afoot around your presence at the infamous school. It is later revealed that your character uses an ancient type of magic, setting in motion the subsequent events of the game.

Culture

REVIEW: 2023 Super Bowl halftime show doesn’t quite ‘shine bright like a diamond’

Elizabeth Secor | February 16

Households across the U.S. tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs square off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday Feb. 12. Did I watch any of it? Nope. However, I did start paying attention when the halftime show began and Rihanna replaced the football players on the field. I found the halftime show a bit lackluster, but still enjoyable. Rihanna’s singing and the set list was what made the show for me. The performance included songs I easily recognized to ones I didn’t — though this may be because I realized I don’t listen to nearly as much Rihanna as I thought I did. The set list included songs like “Work,” “Run This Town” and “Diamonds.”

Culture

OPINION: No way to justify the Oscars’ continual snubbing of Black artists

John Scott | February 13

Casual and hardcore movie fans waited with bated breath on Tuesday, Jan. 24 to see what films would garner nominations for the 95th annual Academy Awards: would we see a best director nod for Gina Prince-Bythewood for “The Woman King?” or maybe Jordan Peele for “Nope”? Could Keke Palmer break through and grab a Best Supporting Actress — or even Best Actress — nomination?