Arts - The Tufts Daily

Arts

Source Code' begins promisingly but loses steam

April 11

All right, there's officially a conspiracy. Big−name studios are ensnaring talented, indie−minded directors and using them to churn out shoddy films. First came the catastrophic blunder of "X−Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009), then last year's critical misfire "The Tourist" and now this. OK, in all fairness, "Source Code" isn't actually shoddy. But as a disappointing follow−up from Duncan Jones, the man who brought us "Moon" (2009), it can't help but be a heartbreaker for his fans, in spite of its relative decency.

Arts

Contemporary spin put on 'Arabian Nights'

April 11

A gaggle of students clothed in bright, silky garments huddled together onstage, clasping hands and hopping up and down on bare feet. The energy was palpable. Director Luke Jorgensen seemed swept up in the buzz of excitement, too, as he called out to the cast of Mary Zimmerman's "Arabian Nights," "This is a giant theme party, and you're about to rock the audience's world. They don't even know what they're getting into."

Arts

Madeline Hall | The Tasteful and the Tasteless

April 11

With the graduation of our current horde of all−knowing seniors fast approaching, it only feels right to warn the enlightened class of some impending challenges of navigating the next great hot mess: the working world. Lamentations of the unemployed quickly turn into lamentations of the over−employed. Those who work too hard, too long and for jobs that deprive them of a soul often find themselves doing things they would otherwise not do had their sanity been preserved.

Arts

happythankyoumoreplease' looks at questions of love from a fresh angle

April 10

"happythankyoumoreplease" tries to answer the age−old question, "How do you find love and happiness in this world?" The film sidesteps cliches by addressing these ideas in a non−sensationalist, nonurgent way, allowing the actors to blossom under the wing of writer, star and first−time director Josh Radnor.

Arts

Workaholics' has some work to do

April 10

Movie and TV comedies seem to be moving away from slapstick humor and more toward the offensive and crude. Some newer comedies have been able to pull it off. "Get Him to the Greek" (2010) and "The Hangover" (2009) are two of the best examples of comedies that truly have no borders, but have their audiences laughing uproariously throughout the entire movie.

Arts

Latest 'Sweet Valley' banal, but still a guilty pleasure

April 10

Was your most profound moment of disillusionment when you learned that Spotty wasn't really living on your uncle's farm in upstate New York? Or maybe when you found a pack of Camels in your mother's coat pocket, though she swears she's never touched a cigarette? For me, it was reading Francine Pascal's "Sweet Valley Confidential" and discovering that the woman who created a series that forms a major building block of my identity is a complete moron and that I was possibly also a complete moron for avidly devouring these books as a kid.

Arts

Arthurian legend comes to life (again) in Starz's 'Camelot'

April 7

It would be demeaning to refer to "Camelot" as mere television. Airing on Starz, it is only available by paid subscription to the premium cable channel. That being said, this is a show worth buying. The cast is suburb, the costumes flawless, the set stunning and the story complex. Though it is by no means an original retelling of the traditional tale of King Arthur, it nevertheless provides a beautiful illustration to this well?known text.

Arts

Iceland: More than meets the eye

April 6

America's fascination with Iceland is a relatively new phenomenon. Beginning with the explosion of Björk and The Sugarcubes onto the international scene in the late 1980s, Iceland's rich musical culture has created an alluring image of the small island and its people. The country's unique artistic scene is a product of a different national outlook that, if espoused by other countries, could help build a stronger international music community.

Arts

Dance Preview | Sarabande readies to set fire to the stage tonight

April 6

"Oh my God, you guys, we look so good," freshman Ani Loshkajian said to her fellow Sarabande dancers. Loshkajian had just finished filming one of the dance group's pieces from their biannual show, entitled this semester "Set Fire to the Rain." She ran over to the rest of the girls, who were either still on stage or in small groups on the floor ready to start their pieces and began chatting excitedly.

Arts

From the office of the Tufts Daily

April 6

Dear Rutgers University Programming Association,

Arts

TV Review | Dreary and methodical, 'The Killing' makes for killer TV

April 6

Crime and murder shows are a dime a dozen these days. "CSI," "Law & Order," "Criminal Minds," their multiple spin-offs — it's safe to say that you could turn on your TV at any moment and find a team of detectives investigating the latest whodunit and trying to bring a killer to justice.

Arts

Mitchell Geller | Makes it Rain

April 6

Sure, many rappers grew up poor in urban centers and experienced violence and hard times, but as Chris Rock put it in "No Sex in the Champagne Room" (1999), "There's no way the ODB committed all those crimes."

Arts

Top Ten | Ways Entertainment Board should use the leftover comedy show funds

April 6

Michael Ian Black last semester canceled his Tufts appearance at the last minute, allowing Entertainment Board to schedule an even better comedy show this semester. They booked Nick Swardson, but it was recently announced that his show has been canceled as well. The board has pledged to save the funds at this point for an event in the fall. The Daily Arts Department came up with the top 10 ways they should instead spend the money.

Arts

'Flowers and Festivals' showcases Japanese woodblock prints

April 6

During the Edo period in Japan (1615-1857), woodblock printing was a common and popular art form. The Japanese took the Buddhist idea of ukiyo, or "the floating world," and interpreted the notion of the transient nature of the physical world as a reason to enjoy and appreciate fleeting material joys. From there came a trend of paintings and woodblock prints revering this tangible realm, called ukiyo-e, depicting scenes of nature and the everyday world.

Arts

Mildred Pierce' brings noir back to television

April 5

There just aren't many noir films being made today. Sure, Quentin Tarantino borrows heavily from the genre and some films incorporate an occasional throwback reference, but overall, the heavy−handed dialogue of smooth talking Humphrey Bogart−like characters, the harsh lighting and the mysterious, often gruesome, plotlines have been replaced by the more contemporary trends of understated acting, 3−D gimmicks and whatever you'd like to call the phenomenon that is Michael Bay.

Arts

Limitless' as smart as its futuristic drugs

April 5

What would you do if a pill could help you achieve your wildest dreams?

Arts

Tamarind House offers quality Thai cuisine

April 5

Thai food has long been something of a little brother to Chinese food — it's the other Asian cuisine that you don't think about when you browse through the takeout options saved on your phone. A meal at Tamarind House, however, is enough to put a serious dent in that stereotype and make you think again before you order General Tso's chicken for the umpteenth time.

Arts

Win Win' tells slightly flawed but heartwarming story

April 4

When you're pinned to the ground, you have to do whatever you can to get back in control. The wrestling−enthusiast characters at the heart of the new dramedy "Win Win" take drastic measures in order to survive — sometimes with tragic consequences.

Arts

Body of Proof' a tired take on forensics drama

April 4

Anyone looking to shatter their mind into irretrievable pieces should check out ABC's new drama "Body of Proof." It's not that the show is particularly ill−constructed or poorly acted — in fact, it's all quite carefully planned out. Writer and creator Chris Murphey has strung together every predictable plot possible to produce a nightmarish deja vu.

Arts

Madeline Hall | The Tasteful and the Tasteless

April 4

I'm fond of grandfatherly rants, and I reserve the right to use this particular column to emulate that advisory style. Increasingly so, I feel as though our society is abandoning general decency and recognition of privacy for the sake of technology. I do not identify as a Luddite, nor do I object to advancements in order to preserve some sense of the "good old days" (which I understand is just code for the 1950s in America, if we want to put a spatiotemporal label on these things). Instead, I refer to the fact that venues for broadcasting one's life are growing larger, turning our society into some kind of sick collective exhibitionist cult. We just don't wear any snazzy cult robes.