Review

Culture

REVIEW: Cate Blanchett is ‘Tár’-iffic in ‘Tár’

John Scott | October 24

It wouldn’t be a true awards season without talking about the latest film starring Cate Blanchett. In the case of 2022, this happens to be writer-director Todd Field’s “Tár.” After receiving a strong critical reaction at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, “Tár” finally saw release here in Albuquerque on Friday, Oct. 21, allowing us non-Venice attending folk to dig in to the masterpiece that Field has crafted. This is a film best approached with as little information as possible, so I will keep my summary extremely broad: it centers on world-renowned composer Lydia Tár (Blanchett) who slowly becomes embroiled in controversy during final preparations for a career-setting performance. This summary is extraordinarily reductive, but part of what made “Tár” most striking is how shocking it is, due in large part to how little I knew about it going in.

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Culture

REVIEW: Taylor Swift’s “Midnights (3am Edition)” is a gorgeous compilation of nighttime thoughts

Elizabeth Secor | October 23

At midnight on Oct. 21, Taylor Swift released her new 13-song album entitled “Midnights.” Shortly after,  a “special very chaotic surprise,” as Swift called it, of seven more songs — titled the “3 am Tracks” — were then unsurprisingly released at 3 A.M. Together, the two come to form ‘Midnights: 3am Edition,”  a collection of 20 new songs that are a truly spectacular set of stories representing those nights when thoughts leave you staring at the ceiling. Anyone looking for the “old Taylor” will find artifacts of her old albums throughout this new one, but “Midnights” truly represents how Swift has grown as an artist and a person.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ will make you witch for a better movie

Sierra Martinez | October 10

As you make your way through October, you may find yourself seeking out movies and Halloween specials from your favorite TV shows to get you in the mood for spooky season. An all-time favorite of Halloween lovers is the 1993 film “Hocus Pocus.” While for many years this film has been a Halloween staple with a conclusive and relatively satisfying ending, it, like many other classic films, has fallen victim to the dreaded sequel. On Sept. 30, “Hocus Pocus 2” was released on Disney+, and many fans flocked to the streaming service to see the Sanderson sisters resurrected once again. Unfortunately, the film does not live up to its predecessor, and it’s difficult to imagine it becoming nearly as popular.

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News

‘Men’ is a stunning, hollow exploration of misogyny

Zara Roy | June 6

This review contains spoilers Alex Garland’s “Men,” released May 20, is a true feat of style over substance. The film is a tense, visually engaging slow-burn with some astonishing moments of supernatural horror. However, it ultimately falls flat, failing to utilize its lush visual language to portray any new or even remotely engaging thoughts on masculinity or misogyny. “Men” follows Harper (Jessie Buckley), a recently widowed woman who takes a visit to the English countryside to unwind and heal from her husband James’ (Paapa Essiedu) traumatic death. This plan is foiled, however, when Harper is harassed by every man she encounters, and the film begins to unfold the incredibly toxic and abusive relationship she had with James.

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Music

Review: Swift's Latest Pop Endeavor Falls Face First

Colton Newman | November 28

In 2014, Taylor Swift released her hit-filled record 1989; the album went on to win a Grammy for best album of the year making her the first female artist to win the award twice. From the mesmerizing “Shake It Off” to the instant karaoke hit “Blank Space,” '89 was an album full of mainstream appeal; formulaic, but fun to experience. Moreover, it marked Swift's first whole-hearted endeavor into contemporary pop which went over with flying colors. Fans were ecstatic to see where Taylor would take her new music and, sadly, she exploited the bland commercialism we're all growing numb to.

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Music

Review: "Take Me Apart" by Kelela

Eric Ng | October 26

Kelela is, above all, concerned with maintaining dignity within movement. In interviews, and an editorial piece published by Resident Advisor, she has been outspoken about the constraints and compromises of working as a black woman within a music industry controlled in large part by white men under late capitalism.  Part of that process has been walking the line between using different influences — “I don't see my sound inherent in one type of beat,” she explained to the Fader — without compromising her blackness, and in turn without being tokenized, marginalized, extracted from. 

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Culture

Review: Local Haunted Houses provide scares and value

Aaron Cowan | October 23

If Halloween is your time of year, then you will not be disappointed by the ample entertainment opportunities that await you at haunted houses in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city is fortunate to have several high-quality horror-themed attractions that are all within 40-minutes driving distance of the University of New Mexico campus. Dragon’s House of Horrors First on this reporter’s list was Dragon’s House of Horrors, at the State Fair Grounds, which boasted the title of “the world’s longest walk-through horror house.”

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Culture

Review: Santa Fe Comic-Con offers chance to nerd out

Timber Mabes | October 22

When thinking of Santa Fe, I picture old historic buildings once housing cowboys and ranch families or ancient cathedrals filled with candles and murals of Catholic saints. What I don’t picture is a giant, working Dalek from “Doctor Who,” or Ciel from “Black Butler.” On Saturday morning, crowds of people piled into the Buffalo Thunder Casino in Santa Fe, but they didn’t come for the gambling — they were there for the Santa Fe Comic-Con. The large ballrooms of the casino were crowded with nerds, geeks and poindexters alike — myself included. I was dressed in a shoddy Kylo Ren costume that was made from dresses and a coat from Goodwill. The look was complete with boots, a hood and a leather belt. I felt scared to show off my work to others, but I was also incredibly proud of my sad sewing skills.

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Music

Alex Lahey's Take on Pop-Punk Revival

Kyle Land | October 22

It’s hard to read music news publications without running into articles discussing “the death of rock and roll.” This endless stream of pieces come again as genres like pop and hip-hop dominate the current musical landscape. As much as I detest hearing purely speculative news like this, I cannot help but agree with this sentiment. There are numerous reasons why rock’s popularity has dipped, but one primary reason is the lack of relatability the genre has with younger music fans. Rock is a genre obsessed with its past, and many of the most popular rock bands have been around for at least a decade (The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.). Today’s rock musicians rarely seem to focus on the problems facing young people: the demographic that ultimately determines what is popular.

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Culture

Review: Explore the frights of ABQ's Old Town

Hector Valverde | October 18

Albuquerque’s Old Town is a site of rich historical significance dating back to the city’s inception in the early 18th century. Beautiful plazas, churches and shops riddle the area, making it a tourist magnet. Despite this beauty there’s a sinister undercurrent bubbling beneath the jovial surface of Old Town. The Mexican-American War and the American Civil War both touched the town, leaving its people and businesses with pervasive scars — and possibly ghosts.

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Movies

"Happy Death Day" is worth a watch

Hector Valverde | October 15

“Happy Death Day” is the latest entry in Blumhouse Productions’ huge catalogue of horror (and occasionally other genre) films. It’s one of six this year, actually, and thankfully better than most horror films in recent memory. The gimmicks in the plot of “Happy Death Day” help it stand out as more than just another horror movie. The premise of the film is sweet and simple: a college student, Tree, keeps waking up to the same day. This sudden reincarnation, however, comes with the price of being hunted down and killed by a mysterious masked murderer.

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Music

Review: "Is This The Life We Really Want?" by Roger Waters

Kyle Land | June 29

As the enigmatic former lead singer and bassist of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters’ solo career has been defined by a struggle to distance himself from his legendary band, with varying degrees of success.  On his latest release, Is This The Life We Really Want?, Waters manages to create a prog-rock labyrinth for the modern day, complete with the conscience protest anthems that made Pink Floyd famous. 

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TV

Green Issue: Top 5 movies and shows to watch while high

Matthew Narvaiz | April 19

Ah, 4/20. A day that many designate as a sort of “National Weed Day,” as if it were an actual official holiday. It is a day that holds a special place in the hearts of many — perhaps even more so than family gatherings on what many consider traditional holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving — as mass amounts of green are consumed. Watching something while high can be a spiritual experience. A good high can provide viewers with almost superhuman senses that allow them to see and hear things they have never noticed before, even if they’ve already seen the movie dozens of times. Here is a list of five of the top movies and shows to watch while kicking back and smoking a joint, because there is no better way to enjoy the high than by staring at a television screen for hours on end, right....right?

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Culture

Rocket Man takes Albuquerque on a "timeless flight"

Matthew Reisen | March 26

On Wednesday night, something amazing happened. I had the craziest dream. It all started at an Elton John concert in Tingley Coliseum, where me and a friend had procured two $50 general admission tickets. With delusions of grandeur, we snuck from our nosebleed section seats into the pit, hoping to blend into the crowd at the edge of the arena. As the lights came down and music royalty took the stage, we looked at each other, in disbelief that we pulled it off. Within moments of this telepathic celebration, a man with a flashlight approached us and I thought for sure the jig was up.

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TV

Review: Long awaited return of "Samurai Jack" doesn't disappoint

Fin Martinez | March 19

After nearly a 13 year hiatus, the legendary adventure series “Samurai Jack” has made it’s long awaited return. The series was first teased in September of 2015 and since then has been the subject of anticipation, speculation, and adoration as the return of our childhood sci-fi samurai. A critically acclaimed series during its original run, Samurai Jack was widely praised for its art style, camera angles, use of silence, and cinematography highly influenced by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Like most series of its time in the early 2000’s, it faced the chopping block to pave the way for newer — and not necessarily better — series. This left a bitter taste in the mouths of its dedicated fan base. The show’s creator, Russian-born Genndy Tartakovsky of “Dexter’s Laboratory” fame, has returned for the new episodes, making this a reboot not for the sake of rebooting but for closure, as the series never had a proper finale during its original run.

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Culture

Review: 'Motown: the Musical' stays true to its roots

Fin Martinez | March 1

Seldom does a record label carry the cultural significance and reputation that the legendary Motown Records does. The Broadway production “Motown: The Musical” tells the story of this legendary record label, it’s origins, it’s struggles, it’s discoveries, and the careers it helped to forge. The musical focuses on the founder of the label, Berry Gordy (played by Chester Gregory) and how his dreams of making people happy helped forge his path to stardom. It follows his beginnings as a Detroit factory worker and part-time songwriter, through his founding of “Hitsville USA,” the predecessor to Motown Records, and his journey to make his and others dreams come true of being musicians and super stars.

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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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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.

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Culture

Restaurant Review: Mazaya Cafe delivers mouthwatering Mediterranean

Jonathan Baca | January 18

It’s a new semester, and luckily there’s a new restaurant in the neighborhood that’s perfect for a quick meal on a student budget. The Mazaya Cafe, located on Harvard Drive right across from Main Campus, serves up an impressive range of Mediterranean-fusion dishes at very reasonable prices. A few months ago the manager Rojesh Maharjan and his team moved into their current location, a spot that has seen several restaurants come and go in the last couple years. Despite the apparent curse on the location, Mazaya has been slowly winning over loyal customers, and this reviewer is now one of them. Walking in the front door, I was immediately struck by the cleanliness and the beautiful Mediterranean-style decor. We sat down at a comfy booth under a big screen TV tuned to ESPN. We started with the lentil soup, which was shockingly flavorful and filling thanks to the chicken broth. For $3, this could easily be a light lunch on a cold day all by itself.

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Movies

Movie Review: "Viva" tackles LGBTQ issues with style

Audrin Baghaie | November 30

“Viva” is a hurricane. Amid fast-paced dialogue, explicit scenes of LGBTQ struggle and an overall passionate delivery, this movie keeps your attention and plays with various social issues while it has it. It’s an ardent film, sometimes too passionate, with blatant symbolism and a cliché plot. But “Viva” follows through for a fleshed-out and powerful 90-minute narrative. Hector Medina stars as Jesus, a young hairdresser that yearns to be a drag performer in the Cuban cabaret club he works at. His passion damages his relationship with his father, Angel, played by Jorge Perugorria, and propels a turbulent story that takes twists and turns all along this certain social taboo.