Review

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.

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Culture

Movie Review: 'The Land' more than just a skateboard flick

Audrin Baghaie | November 9

“The Land” opens up with a simple, overstated question directed to four teenagers: “What are you going to do with your life?” The school principal asks each of them individually, cut between footage of the students committing a crime later that evening. It’s a question that resonates vividly throughout the film’s 90-minute runtime, interwoven between footage of the students committing crimes later in the narrative. We follow a coalition of naive, high school skateboarders by the names of Cisco, Junior, Patty and Boobie, on the streets of Cleveland. The group’s friendship is tested through a very saturated plot that is predictable and cheesy at times.

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Culture

Column: Indie games break down barrier between creator and fan

Nichole Harwood | November 3

Indie video games are what Bandcamp releases are to major music labels — a disruptor that allows for a more accessible market for smaller developers to release their games. Big developers like Nintendo or Activision have long dominated the game development industry, but indie games are now on the rise after gamers have grown disenchanted by major studio releases not living up to hype, or relying too heavily on in-game purchases and expensive downloadable content. It’s titles like the horror-survival game “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which are developed independently, that are giving rise to the indie game movement.

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Music

Review: 'Autograf' puts on a passionate and upbeat show

Fin Martinez | November 2

It’s not often you find yourself at an anniversary show of a music group on Halloween. That turned out to be the case at the El Rey Theater, when the electronic music trio Autograf performed on Oct. 31st to an enthusiastic crowd. Drinks were overpriced, but that’s just the nature of a concert venue. But the show made up for the outrageous drink prices with the passion and stage presence of the group. A relatively new group that started in 2013, Autograf hails from the windy city of Chicago, a town famous for good music and a long history of legendary musicians. Autograf may be next on the list, as their performance at the El Rey was one worthy of Electric Daisy Carnival.

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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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Movies

Review: The Hateful Eight is another triumph for Tarantino

David Lynch | January 26

Long after Quentin Tarantino’s career is said and done – no matter how polarized the debate over his impact on cinema – film nerds and students alike might very well turn to his latest picture, The Hateful Eight, as the one that is the most Tarantino-esque in his catalog. That is to say, a gritty, consistently suspenseful, dialogue-drowned opus that blends multiple genres together in ways no one else can, and in a manner that is immensely satisfying, whether that satisfaction comes from bullets or from sheer filmmaking brawn. Tarantino’s eighth feature begins with bounty hunter John Ruth, otherwise known as “The Hangman”, transporting the captured Daisy Domergue to Red Rock to collect his reward, but not before running into old acquaintances and being forced to stop for shelter along the way at Minnie’s Haberdashery due to a storm.