Opinion

REVIEW: ‘Dazed and Confused’ sets high bar for ’90s flicks

  Whether you’re watching high or sober, Richard Linklater’s iconic 1993 movie “Dazed and Confused” hits all the right notes. This coming-of-age masterpiece features themes of rebellion and lasting friendship all overlaid with — you guessed it — some very potent marijuana imagery. Almost 30 years on, “Dazed and Confused” feels as fresh as ever with a killer soundtrack and marvelously endearing characters. While critically acclaimed, “Dazed and Confused” was a box office failure, earning $7.9 million worldwide, a number that’s barely above the film’s $6.9 million budget. However, it has gained and maintained a steady cult following, cementing it as quintessential viewing for anyone who has ever tried growing up. 

REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight’ premiere eclipsed by MCU staleness

  This review contains spoilers for episode 1 of “Moon Knight” and the “Moon Knight” comic books Since the show’s announcement in 2019 and following confirmation of Oscar Isaac’s casting in May 2021, anticipation for the Disney+ series “Moon Knight” has been steadily building for quite some time now. Personally, Moon Knight is my favorite comic book character and Isaac’s casting as well as the addition of Ethan Hawke as the villain sounded like a dream come true. After watching the premiere, though, I’m not sure that dream turned into reality.  The series premiere introduced us to Isaac’s Steven Grant, a museum gift shop working,  friendless loner who longs to be anywhere other than where he is. 

Comics March 28, 2022

REVIEW: Pixar's 'Turning Red' is a colorful exploration of family dynamics

  While I was thrilled that Pixar finally returned to making movies with more than one word in the title, I didn’t have much hope for “Turning Red” originally. After all, it’s hard to compete with the classics of the aughts. Despite this, I realized that the film actually leans into the viewer’s nostalgia to soothe the older viewer and draw them into the plot. I immediately enjoyed the setting, color scheme and animation of the movie. The protagonist, spunky Chinese Canadian Mei Lee, isn’t that awkward blend of hyperrealistic and cartoonish character design seen in films like “Encanto” and “Frozen.” 

LETTER: UNM admin needs to meet UA-UNM’s push for livable wages

  I am very pleased that the New Mexico State Legislature, in response to advocacy from the American Federation of Teachers of New Mexico, decided to include higher education employees in their mandated 3% pay raise and subsequent 4% raise for April and July, respectively. However, I am increasingly concerned that UNM’s administration is unwilling to meet in negotiations with our faculty union, United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM), to reach an agreement on the distribution of these funds to faculty, unless the negotiation sessions are closed to faculty observation, which violates our UA-UNM core values of transparency and inclusion. What are they afraid of, the light of day?

LETTER: New Mexico’s children deserve a landscape free of orphaned wells

  As proud New Mexicans, we know our state has the best scenery and natural beauty in the nation. While we want to keep it that way, that’s hard to when our landscape is dotted with old, pollution-spewing orphaned oil wells. With New Mexico being the second-largest oil-producing state in the country, we’ve been stuck with a multitude of orphaned wells. When the companies who drilled and profited from the wells don’t take responsibility for capping and cleaning them, the rest of us end up footing the bill.  The federal government is distributing money for orphaned well cleanup from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will be a big help. 

LETTER: Youth tobacco prevention advocates inform key decision-makers

  No Minor Sale’s growing adult volunteer program, which has garnered strong participation among college students in New Mexico, continues to play a significant role in New Mexico’s youth tobacco prevention education efforts. In February, five No Minor Sale volunteers educated 15 state and local policymakers in New Mexico about their work with the campaign and specific issues in youth tobacco prevention. No Minor Sale’s second annual Take a Stand Day, an opportunity to connect with state legislators, took place on Feb. 2. No Minor Sale volunteers educated state legislators about the dangers of flavors, including menthol, in tobacco products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and chew.

REVIEW: 2022 presents a weak slate of Oscar-nominated animated shorts

  The nominees for the 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film showcase a weaker set of nominees than years previous. None of the shorts pushed the boundaries of animation particularly far with most being light on any kind of emotional substance. “Boxballet,” directed by Anton Dyakov “Boxballet” is a brilliant little short out of Russia and easily my favorite of the nominees. We follow a boxer, Evgeny, and a ballerina, Olya, after their initial meeting as they get to know each other and try to decide whether anything romantic might happen between them. Through a familiar story, “Boxballet” utilizes no dialogue, with the entire story being told through the animation and its visuals, culminating in a truly riveting experience.

LETTER: ASUNM provides voice to UNM students

  As students here at the University of New Mexico, there are many opportunities available throughout the campus and schedules to put forward your beliefs on how experiences can be made better and to put forward messages that you believe are important to share. With our undergraduate student government, the Associated Students of UNM, students are elected to use their perspectives and experiences to elevate those of their peers and represent the whole of the student body in many areas. It’s our pleasure to share that whether or not you serve in an elected or appointed position in student government currently, there are strong ways in which you can contribute to the process of communication and making positive changes that students can enact.

Comics March 21, 2022

REVIEW: ‘After Yang’ is far from robotic

  This review contains spoilers Following his quiet and subtly beautiful debut “Columbus” in 2017, expectations for writer and director Kogonada’s next project were extremely high. But going from a subdued romance set in a small Midwestern town to a sci-fi drama about a family’s robot breaking down would be a daunting task for any director. Luckily, Kogonada deftly handles this weighty task in “After Yang,” while retaining the detail and quiet beauty that made his directorial debut so appealing. “After Yang” premiered on Showtime on March 4 as a part of Showtime and A24’s streaming partnership. 

OPINION: Oscar-nominated live-action shorts center trauma and loss

  This review contains spoilers for “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run,” “The Long Goodbye,” “The Dress,” “Please Hold,” and “On My Mind” This year’s nominees for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film all center around the human response to trauma and the isolation that can often follow.  If you want some unspoiled recommendations, I’d say “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run” is brilliant, “The Long Goodbye” is quite good, “The Dress” would’ve been amazing were it not for one fatal mistak eand “Please Hold” and “On My Mind” are solid. If I had to pick my preference to win, I’d go with “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run.”

LETTER: Virginia third-grader calls for help on New Mexico project

Dear people of the great state of New Mexico, Hello! I am a third-grade student in northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of New Mexico. In the month of May, I will create a display for our state that I hope will make you proud. Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think I can receive the best information from the people who live there. This is why I am writing to you. I am hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. You might consider sending items such as postcards, pictures, souvenirs, this newspaper article or any other unique items that would be useful or show your state pride. Here are a few questions:

LETTER: UNM LEAF calls on UNM Foundation to divest Russian-aiding assets

In the wake of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling for the New Mexico State Investment Council to divest the $36.4 billion in assets it manages from any holdings that benefit the Russian government and its supporters. We call on the University of New Mexico Foundation, as a state institution, to do the same with the stocks, bonds and private equity investments it holds in the Consolidated Investment Fund, also known as the Endowment. The first stocks to go should be the Russian fossil fuel investments which are helping to finance not only this unconscionable human rights catastrophe but are also propelling the entire world towards irreversible climate devastation.

Best Of: Sports photos

  The Daily Lobo photographers have been hard at work all year taking great photos to bring high quality sports coverage to our readers. Here are two photographers’ favorite sports photos from this year. Mackenzie’s picks Photo 1 This was one of the best sports photos that I captured during a football game this year.  I was able to get the perfect photo of Bobby Cole and Jace Taylor celebrating Cole’s touchdown against University of Nevada, Las Vegas in November 2021.  I captured the moment where they both were jumping in the air celebrating in a clear, perfect picture. In the photo, you can see how happy everyone in the frame is, from the players jumping and celebrating to the fans in the back cheering them on. 

Ask the Editors: Best places to take photos

  Do you ever want to go take photos but don’t know where to go? Two Daily Lobo editors picked their favorite local spots for unique photo opportunities sure to suit the tastes of even the most discerning eye. Mackenzie’s Pick: Sandia Mountains Ellis Trailhead, a trail up the Sandia Crest, is my favorite place to take photos when it snows in Albuquerque. The scenery is beautiful, and the snow makes the scene even better. I love being able to go up there and take photos of my friends and their pets.  Another one of my favorite places up the Sandia Crest is the pull-off area about six miles up the mountain, right before the Sandia Peak Ski Area. 

REVIEW: ‘It's What I Do’ showcases life through lens of conflict photojournalist

  Pulitzer prize-winning conflict photographer Lynsey Addario’s memoir “It’s What I Do: A Photojournalist’s Life of Love and War” is about more than just photojournalism. In a novel-like fashion, Addario weaves a complex tale of love, pain and exploration as she recounts her life, from the early years of her career in Latin America to her evocative documentation of women in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Addario begins her memoir discussing her home life, and while it initially seems irrelevant in the overall theme of intense, adrenaline-filled conflict photojournalism, the chapter serves as a bedrock to fully understand Addario’s roots and values that drove her to pursue such a career. 

3/7/2022 Comics

REVIEW: ‘The Batman’ is a long, dark success

  Prior to its release, “The Batman” seemed destined to be another attempt from DC Comics to distinguish themselves from Marvel. From the casting of Robert Pattinson as the titular crimefighter to director and co-writer Matt Reeves’ dark vision for Gotham, “The Batman” seemed to be further demonstration that DC is seemingly more focused on telling individual, more creatively risky stories rather than establishing grand multiverses. This time around, it still works mostly in their favor. Generally speaking, the film doesn’t deviate much from what we’ve come to expect a “Batman” movie to contain: some sort of villain with a grand plan to expose a larger evil within Gotham. Oh, and Batman is in the middle of all of it. 

Comics February 28, 2022