Elijah Ritch - The Daily Lobo

Culture

Documentary about dementia explores memory, identity and family

Emmett Di Mauro and Elijah Ritch | May 11

On March 6, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema hosted two screenings of filmmaker Kyle Henry’s new documentary “Time Passages.” A Q&A session with Henry was held after each screening. “Time Passages” is a portrait of the filmmaker coming to terms with his mother’s dementia, which forces him to reflect on his childhood, his relationship with his mother and his perception of his family members’ lives.

Culture

UNM Sustainability Expo highlights eco-friendly local businesses and organizations

Elijah Ritch | April 30

On Thursday, April 24, the 15th annual University of New Mexico Sustainability Expo invited the community to visit dozens of booths that promoted efforts to increase sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices. Ansely Emeanuwa, whose business — Live Flowers by Ansely the Flower Guy — can be found at the Downtown Growers’ Market and the Rail Yards Market on the weekends, said the expo was a rare opportunity for UNM students to have access to locally grown vegetables, herbs and flowers on campus.

Culture

Guild Cinema May preview

Elijah Ritch | April 28

Here are a few of the many films that will be shown at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema in May. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 1997 film “Cure” is a masterpiece of Japanese horror. The film follows a worn-out detective, played by renowned actor Kōji Yakusho, investigating a series of murders — each of which have been committed by a different person, but with the same calling cards left behind. His search leads him to a troubled young man who refuses to provide any answers. “Cure” is set amid the metropolitan malaise of late-‘90s Tokyo. Its abandoned buildings and haunting shadows provide the perfect setting for an existential horror/noir mash-up. Kurosawa’s film is all the more terrifying because it could easily be real.

News

REVIEW: Japanese Breakfast make a triumphant return on ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’

Elijah Ritch | April 25

On March 21, indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast released its fourth album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).” The record comes four years after the band’s previous album, “Jubilee,” and lead singer Michelle Zauner’s memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” The lyrics of Japanese Breakfast’s early work, as well as the content of Zauner’s memoir, centered around her grief following the death of her mother. On “For Melancholy Brunettes,” the band’s explorations of sadness are not as grief-centric. Instead, Japanese Breakfast is more concerned with the concept of sadness itself.

Culture

Museum STEM night lets adults express their inner child

Emmett Di Mauro and Elijah Ritch | April 14

On Friday, April 11, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History hosted an adult STEM night called “Discovery After Dark.” The event invited people 21 years and older to experience the museum’s “thought-provoking and engaging exhibits while participating in hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and math fun,” according to Visit Albuquerque. Attendees were catered to by local vendors, such as food trucks and the nearby Bombs Away Beer Company. Among the exhibits was a booth where Gabriel Nemiroff, the museum’s director of education, gave lessons on folding origami cranes. The origami cranes were part of a project called Peace Cranes, related to a large hanging art installation above the exhibit.

Culture

Guild Cinema April preview

Elijah Ritch | April 7

Here are some of the films Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema — a short distance from the University of New Mexico campus — will show in April. From April 8-10, the Guild will screen the 1980 film “The Elephant Man” as a part of its continuing tribute to David Lynch, who died in January. The film is a fictionalized account of the life of Joseph Merrick, a 19th-century Englishman with severe facial deformities. Played by John Hurt, he is discovered in a freak show by a doctor, played by Anthony Hopkins, who rescues and takes care of him.

Culture

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Sonia Nazario speaks at Albuquerque Museum

Emmett Di Mauro and Elijah Ritch | March 24

On March 14, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario gave an author talk and signing for her book “Enrique’s Journey” at the Albuquerque Museum. Her talk was framed by recent cuts on museum funding, and celebrations of cultural diversity. “Not a lot of museums take on these topics, so congratulations to the Albuquerque Museum,” Nazario said. Nazario’s writing focuses on several of America’s “most intractable problems,” including hunger, drug addiction and immigration, according to her website.

News

REVIEW: Lady Gaga returns to her roots on new album ‘MAYHEM’

Elijah Ritch | March 10

On Friday, March 7, Lady Gaga released her seventh studio album “MAYHEM.” The record has been touted as a return to the eccentric, dark-pop sounds of her early work after a decade of experimentation with various other genres, including jazz and country. The album’s lead single “Disease” is a boisterous track with influences from industrial music and EDM. In both its content and mood, the song is reminiscent of Gaga’s 2009 project “The Fame Monster,” with lyrics about healing a wounded lover and a dark, passionate eroticism. Thanks to its frenetic production and Gaga’s unabashed confidence, “Disease” is easily her best lead single since “Born This Way.”

News

REVIEW: ‘Hard Truths’ showcases the simultaneous terror and beauty of the modern world

Elijah Ritch | March 5

From Feb. 21-24, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema showed British director Mike Leigh’s new film “Hard Truths.” The film centers around Pansy, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a middle-aged woman living with unnamed chronic illnesses and grappling with severe agoraphobia. She frequently lashes out ...

Culture

Guild Cinema March preview

Elijah Ritch | March 3

Here are just a few of the hidden gems screening at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema in March. From March 7-10, the Guild will screen the new Norwegian film “Armand.” The directorial debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, the film is about a famous actress who must contend with her young son’s behavior at school. “Armand” won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, which is the festival’s award for best feature-film debut. It stars Renate Reinsve, whose breakthrough performance in the 2021 film “The Worst Person in the World” earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Reinsve’s sensitive and commanding acting style is again garnering her acclaim, with IndieWire deeming it her best performance yet.