Arts

Arts

Theatre Review | Drama department production of ‘RENT’ opens tonight

February 12

“Take me out tonight!” character Mimi Marquez sings during an iconic moment in “RENT.” Mimi and her song are full of life, energy and possibility. Tonight, many students may feel the same as they head to Balch Arena Theater for what promises to be a packed opening night of “RENT,” the Department of Drama’s winter production. The much anticipated show already broke records at Tufts, selling out only one day after tickets went on sale.

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Arts

Artsy Jumbo | Steel and gouda are focuses of dual degree sophomore

February 12

Hailing from San Francisco, sophomore Conor Ward is a dual degree student at Tufts and the SMFA with a passion for functional art and quality cheese. Ward fell in love with pastels when he was eight years old after taking a class in a neighborhood art group.

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Arts

Clooney's 'Monuments Men' fails to live up to source material

February 12

"The Monuments Men" tells the incredible true story of a group of men in World War II that was first chronicled in Robert Edsel and Bret Witter's 2009 book "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History." An unlikely platoon of middle-aged intellectuals - ranging from artists to museum directors to art historians - answer the call of duty and leave behind their day jobs to undergo a special mission. Tasked with working to preserve centuries worth of European culture from the destruction of war, they infiltrate Germany to recapture art from the Nazis, repatriating countless artifacts, including books, paintings and sculptures.

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Arts

‘Broken Bells’ album fails to chime just right

February 11

Broken Bells — the group composed of The Shins singer, James Mercer, and producer extraordinaire Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) — has released an album that feels a lot like a guest who has overstayed his welcome. At first you enjoy his company, perhaps catch up on what you might have missed since you last saw each other. But then, the longer he stays, you realize why you don’t really see each other much anymore. Like the hypothetical guest, Broken Bells’ latest effort sounds great at first, but as you keep listening, there is less and less to enjoy.

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Arts

'Broken Bells' album fails to chime just right

February 11

Broken Bells - the group composed of The Shins singer, James Mercer, and producer extraordinaire Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) - has released an album that feels a lot like a guest who has overstayed his welcome. At first you enjoy his company, perhaps catch up on what you might have missed since you last saw each other. But then, the longer he stays, you realize why you don't really see each other much anymore. Like the hypothetical guest, Broken Bells' latest effort sounds great at first, but as you keep listening, there is less and less to enjoy.

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Arts

'The Lego Movie' refreshing, whimsical

February 11

Movies have been used to sell toys since "Star Wars: Episode IV" (1977) hit movie theatres. Making movies about toys in order to sell more toys has been increasingly popular with the releases of "Toy Story" (1995) and "Transformers" (2007). The result of this trend has been corporate, forgettable and bland summer blockbusters, and "The Lego Movie" sounds like it ought to be the ultimate embodiment of that. But instead, in an early February release, "The Lego Movie" is a surprisingly funny, poignant and entertainingly nostalgic kids' film.

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Arts

'Seeing Glacial Time' vividly captures climate change

February 11

Walk into the upper level of Tufts University Art Gallery this spring and you might catch a chill. Displayed in the Tisch Family Gallery, "Seeing Glacial Time: Climate Change in the Arctic" is a special exhibition which uses art to explore the effects of climate change on the Arctic. A blue and white space, bedecked with images of snowy peaks and dusted in some corners with a light sprinkling of glitter, "Seeing Glacial Time" may at first create for visitors the impression of entering a winter wonderland. Yet the impression of glacial and climate changes that the exhibition offers is anything but romanticized.

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Arts

‘The Lego Movie’ refreshing, whimsical

February 11

Movies have been used to sell toys since “Star Wars: Episode IV” (1977) hit movie theatres. Making movies about toys in order to sell more toys has been increasingly popular with the releases of “Toy Story” (1995) and “Transformers” (2007). The result of this trend has been corporate, forgettable and bland summer blockbusters, and “The Lego Movie” sounds like it ought to be the ultimate embodiment of that. But instead, in an early February release, “The Lego Movie” is a surprisingly funny, poignant and entertainingly nostalgic kids’ film.

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Arts

‘Seeing Glacial Time’ vividly captures climate change

February 11

Walk into the upper level of Tufts University Art Gallery this spring and you might catch a chill. Displayed in the Tisch Family Gallery, “Seeing Glacial Time: Climate Change in the Arctic” is a special exhibition which uses art to explore the effects of climate change on the Arctic. A blue and white space, bedecked with images of snowy peaks and dusted in some corners with a light sprinkling of glitter, “Seeing Glacial Time” may at first create for visitors the impression of entering a winter wonderland. Yet the impression of glacial and climate changes that the exhibition offers is anything but romanticized.

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Arts

Concert Review | Kenny Garrett impresses with energetic concert

February 10

One of the most widely recognized and well-respected saxophone players around right now, Kenny Garrett, has produced numerous albums. He has worked with several key players in the contemporary jazz scene (most famously Miles Davis) and has received numerous awards and accolades (including four Grammy nominations). As a well-established musician who has already done so much to merit his reputation, Garrett doesn’t really have anything left to prove.

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Arts

Concert Review | Kenny Garrett impresses with energetic concert

February 10

One of the most widely recognized and well-respected saxophone players around right now, Kenny Garrett, has produced numerous albums. He has worked with several key players in the contemporary jazz scene (most famously Miles Davis) and has received numerous awards and accolades (including four Grammy nominations). As a well-established musician who has already done so much to merit his reputation, Garrett doesn't really have anything left to prove.

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Arts

TV Review | Guilty pleasure ‘Teen Wolf’ surprises with solid entertainment

February 10

“Teen Wolf” is the paragon of guilty pleasure television. Populated by attractive supernatural teenagers who fight bad guys while aggressively cool music thumps in the background, the plotlines are convoluted and often downright ridiculous, but, despite its flaws, “Teen Wolf” is a surprisingly good show.

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Arts

TV Review | Guilty pleasure 'Teen Wolf' surprises with solid entertainment

February 10

"Teen Wolf" is the paragon of guilty pleasure television. Populated by attractive supernatural teenagers who fight bad guys while aggressively cool music thumps in the background, the plotlines are convoluted and often downright ridiculous, but, despite its flaws, "Teen Wolf" is a surprisingly good show.

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Arts

TV Review | New HBO show depicts reality of modern gay life

February 6

HBO's new series "Looking," which premiered Jan. 19, looks promising after its first three episodes. With a slow pace and likeable characters, "Looking" explores contemporary gay life in San Francisco. The show, which is filmed on location, echoes Lena Dunham's unapologetic "Girls" (2012 - present) with a crude, sexual tone and uncensored material.

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Arts

TV Review | New HBO show depicts reality of modern gay life

February 6

HBO’s new series “Looking,” which premiered Jan. 19, looks promising after its first three episodes. With a slow pace and likeable characters, “Looking” explores contemporary gay life in San Francisco. The show, which is filmed on location, echoes Lena Dunham’s unapologetic “Girls” (2012 - present) with a crude, sexual tone and uncensored material.

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Arts

Artsy Jumbo | Dominik D juggles hip-hop dance, miming

February 5

Dance is an inherently ephemeral medium, lasting only as long as its performance. What you see is what you get. As a result, it is arguably the most engrossing art form, for both the spectator and the artist.

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Arts

‘Wonderland’ dives down rapturous rabbit hole

February 5

Like its literary namesake, CEO’s sophomore album “Wonderland” is an eclectic adventure that combines elements from a great range of sources, which will — as they merge together in a wild amalgam of cheer and melancholy — both delight and depress listeners. A sometimes confusing but mostly fun blend of fantasy and color fills this daring album; indeed, “Wonderland” features many of the same curious ingredients that characterized Lewis Carroll’s classic novel.

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Arts

Artsy Nugget | Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad causes controversy

February 5

111.5 million Americans gathered around their televisions to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday and, undoubtedly, many of them found the actual game to be tedious. But they indubitably stayed tuned for the commercials. One ad in particular stood out and, as any good Super Bowl commercial would, it created quite the controversy on the Internet. The commercial: the Coca-Cola advertisement set to “America the Beautiful” (1895).

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Arts

Artsy Jumbo | Dominik D juggles hip-hop dance, miming

February 5

Dance is an inherently ephemeral medium, lasting only as long as its performance. What you see is what you get. As a result, it is arguably the most engrossing art form, for both the spectator and the artist.

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Arts

Theatre Review | ‘House/Divided’ discusses politics, recent housing crisis

February 5

The Builders Association, a New York theater production company, does exactly what its name implies at the beginning of its production of “House/Divided”: it builds a house. For each performance, the group constructs an actual house that was once foreclosed on and torn down. Over an 80-minute performance, the Builders Association then proceeds to rearrange, remodel, deconstruct, reconstruct and ultimately obliterate the house it builds so hastily.

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