Opinion - The Daily Lobo

Opinion

OPINION: “The Bear” making television bear-able

Danielle Knox | July 9

The landscape of television seems bleak at the moment. Prestige shows are ending at a rapid rate; HBO’s ”Succession” and “Barry,” Hulu’s “Handmaid's Tale” and Netflix’s “The Crown” all end this year. There seems to be little left for television at the moment. The ongoing writers strike by the Writers Guild of America seems to not spell well for the future either. Contant cancellations by Netflix and Warner Brothers does not support the audience’s fatality. What's left for TV? Are we standing in the cemetery of the once great age of TV? FX’s “The Bear” is here to disprove that. “The Bear” is electric, addictive TV that seems to disprove any fears about the end of peak TV.

Opinion

Opinion: Albuquerque should be a target for WNBA expansion

Thomas Bulger | July 5

The Women’s National Basketball Association season is in full swing and nearing the league’s All-Star game on July 15. While the league celebrates their top talent, it is a good time to recognize what the gauntlet athletes have to endure to reach that point. With only 144 roster spots across the 12 team league, talented players are waived before they get a chance to develop. Just 15 players from the three round draft made the roster for the team. In the cutthroat league, prospects have to help their teams win from the jump. With limited spots, teams will opt for players with no weaknesses, which leaves players like Brea Beal without a team.

Opinion

Opinion: 'Fourth Wing' is the book of the summer

Elizabeth Secor | July 2

I have been in a massive book slump for the past month and a half, leaving me searching for my next read to finish out the summer. After several hours of scrolling through BookTok, the same book, “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros, came up again and again. After devouring this book, I can confidently say anyone looking for their next summer read should look no further. “Fourth Wing,” a fantasy novel, follows twenty year-old Violet Sorrengail as she is forced by her mother, the commanding general, to enter a war college for dragon riders instead of her lifelong plan of entering the scribe quadrant.

Opinion

Editorial: Ocean Gate, a slap in the face

June 29

The media and public’s response to the Titan submersible tragedy – as well as the ongoing romanticization and obsession with the Titanic – forces a harsh light on our priorities: our fixation with the rich and the apathy toward the classism and violence that affects immigrants and people of color. This past week, an OceanGate submersible lost contact and all passengers died. OceanGate is a privately owned company that provides tours to see the Titanic shipwreck. The tours start at $250,000 a person. Multiple millionaires were present on the ship, according to the New York Times. More and more people from the Mediterranean region have sought migration as an alternative to unsafe living conditions caused by Western-influenced wars and corrupt governments.

Opinion

OPINION: Good song or good PR move?

Miyawni Curtis | June 20

The official music video for “Karma (feat. Ice Spice)” was released on May 26, 2023. Taylor Swift is a singer-songwriter that many have heard of. Ice Spice is a new, up-and-coming artist with recent success. A lot of eyes are on Ice Spice – waiting to see if she will make it or break it as a rapper. The song was released while Swift was facing backlash due to her recent relationship scandal with rumored boyfriend, Matty Healy of The 1975, according to Hot New Hip Hop. Healy has recently participated in racist and misogynistic jokes made about her, according to PAPER. Swift has an incentive to alleviate the drama while Ice Spice could gain publicity from Swift’s larger stardom. Even if the two truly just wanted to make music together, the media coverage that the song created could boost the growth of their following.

Opinion

REVIEW: The nightmare symbolism of Kesha’s new “Gag Order”

Maddie Pukite | June 16

Kesha released the music video for “Only Love Can Save Us Now” – a song off her most recent album “Gag Order” on Thursday, June 15. The video is laced with religious imagery in a nightmare dystopia, continuing to develop the themes Kesha introduced within the album itself: learning how to live with trauma. Kesha sued Dr. Luke, her current producer, for sexual and emotional abuse. He has since sued Kesha for defamation. As the legal battle continues to ensue, the impact it has taken on her is evident from the album, according to Vulture. In her new music video, Kesha reflects on her career and life as honestly as she can — bearing her heart to the world.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: Rainbows are disappearing amidst broad unsafety for Queer folk

Maddie Pukite | June 11

It’s that time of the year again: you walk into just about any convenience store and are flooded by a plethora of temporary rainbow branding. Except, has it? As you walk around Target and Walmart, or scroll on Twitter, there certainly seems to be less rainbows. During the month of June, companies often participate in rainbow capitalism.They change their branding to rainbow gradient or sell pride-themed products to attract more business, but in most cases, they end their allyship there. The companies sometimes even simultaneously donate to anti-Queer organizations. Throughout the years, I have argued against the practice because it is a half-hearted attempt at allyship rooted in profit. This year – amidst the growing anti-Trans and Queer legislation introduced and 72 anti-LGBTQ laws passed in 2023, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Rainbow capitalism — or lack thereof — feels a little different.

Opinion

Review: ’The Little Mermaid’ swims to success

Miyawni Curtis | June 9

Summertime fun for a lot of families consists of a visit to the nearest movie theater. This summer, there is already some new exciting family entertainment to enjoy, one of which being the long-awaited live action remake of Disney’s iconic 1989 cartoon, “The Little Mermaid” released on May 26. The budget was a whopping $250 million, including Ariel's apparent $150,000 hair style. Halle Bailey, the actress behind Ariel, sat for 12-14 hours while a hairstylist wrapped every loc. On average, a hairstyle like locs with extensions costs anywhere from $200-$900, however because the style was taken out and put back in multiple times, the price increased, according to Variety.

Opinion

Opinion: How-to take quacktastic photos

Jessica Baca | May 15

The University of New Mexico’s duck pond is a fun and accessible location to practice nature photography. I will take photos of the animals in the area while waiting for my friends to get out of class, or when I have some free time.

Opinion

OPINION: Hamilton and Popejoy bring Broadway to students

Elizabeth Secor | May 14

After two years, two delays and a pandemic, the award-winning musical “Hamilton” is finally performing at Popejoy Hall, the University of New Mexico’s performing arts theater. The show will run from May 9 - May 28, and for those coming to town for New Student Orientation, there are still limited tickets available.

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Opinion

EDITORIAL: ‘Good luck, kick ass and get it on the record’

Maddie Pukite | May 14

Tucked away in Marron Hall, filled to the brim with past editions, colored pens, a purple couch, seven desks, a dozen rolling chairs and a few Halloween decorations left up a little too long, the Daily Lobo newsroom stands. “Good luck, kick ass and get it on the record” is scribbled above the doorway — a reminder to reporters as they come and go in between interviews, protests, public meetings and breaking news. The cycle starts on a Sunday. Reporters, photographers and editors gather to pitch out stories, pick up assignments, update one another on the status of stories and drink a little too much coffee.

Opinion

REVIEW: ‘Beau is Afraid’ of brevity

Zara Roy | May 1

Time to whip out your Ativan: auteur-at-large Ari Aster has returned for his third feature film, “Beau is Afraid.” Back at his old vices of troublesome familial dynamics and brutal weirdness, Aster now formats them into a hero’s journey with a darkly comic edge. “Beau is Afraid” is a valiant experiment diminished by its own bloated runtime and unsatisfying, loopy narrative structure. The film follows the titular Beau Wasserman (Joaquin Phoenix), an anxious and solitary man, as he attempts to return home for the burial of his overbearing mother Mona Wasserman. Along the way, he is plunged into a variety of surreal, tooth-pulling nightmare scenarios which serve to reaffirm Beau’s various Freudian neuroses.

Culture

EDITORIAL: On the Cherry Reel review

The Daily Lobo Editorial Board | May 1

Recently, the Daily Lobo ran an unjustly harsh review of the Cherry Reel Film Festival. Implicit bias was shown in the review, and while not intentional, ultimately the majority of the films we labeled as “disappointments” were made by students of color. This is meant to serve as an explanation of what happened, why it was wrong and how we are working to prevent this from happening again. The film industry is a white-dominated field. In 2019, only 14.4% of the directors of theatrical films were people of color and 91% of studio heads were white, according to Variety. The University of New Mexico and the film and digital arts program are both majority-minority and Cherry Reel is predominantly run by white students.

Opinion

OPINION: NIL collectives are fan exploitation

Thomas Bulger | April 24

How much does a fan owe their team? Unconditional love and support? Buying concessions at a game? $10 a month until the end of time? University of New Mexico head football coach Danny Gonzalez recently announced a partnership with 505 Sports Venture Foundation — a local nonprofit dedicated to getting student-athletes endorsements and name, image and likeness deals — to create a new name, image and likeness collective with a subscription-based model. An NIL collective is a pool of money made up of smaller donations from fans and boosters. The money is then distributed to the players with the use of a third party to work around the fact that universities can’t pay their players directly.

Culture

OPINION: It’s time to give reboots the boot

John Scott | April 24

If you thought television was a safe space from the reboot/remake/sequel bug of blockbuster filmmaking right now, you might want to check again. On Wednesday, April 12, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that a new Harry Potter television series is in development for the also newly announced combined HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service, Max. Exactly a week later on Wednesday, April 19, Lionsgate TV announced that a new Twilight TV series is also in development for an unannounced network/streaming service.

Culture

REVIEW: New “Mario” film a magical journey through the sewers

Addison Key | April 14

Don’t bet against success. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” brings adorable adaptations of the Mario characters to the silver screen for all audiences alike — from children and families to the most devoted Mushroom Kingdom gamers. Illumination’s animation style captures highly detailed depictions of the characters and the Mario universe, giving the audience background into the gaming environments that defined many of our childhoods. But if you think this movie is an attempt to encourage viewers to play more Mario games through nostalgia, you’re right.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Journey West’ offers an experienced perspective on an old trope

Henry Hammel | April 10

Albuquerque Museum’s exhibition “Journey West: Danny Lyon” features 175 masterworks of photography, film and montage from celebrated American photographer Danny Lyon. His work on display spans a 60-year career and encompasses a wide range of topics. The exhibit draws from his series on the Civil Rights Movement, the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle Club, the Texas prison system, various protests, and some of his more recent work on fires, drought and climate change in New Mexico.

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.”