Our summary of things to do, words to read, people to meet, and dances to learn this week.
Entertainment
‘Jane the Virgin’ proves surprisingly good entertainment
“But I can’t be pregnant! I’m a virgin!” So begins the strangely addicting, surprisingly touching, and all-around entertaining “Jane the Virgin,” a telenovela-like show that follows the journey of 23-year-old Jane Gloriana Villanueva (played by Gina Rodriguez), who is, well, a pregnant virgin.
‘Interstellar’ overpowers with scope, demands rewatch
Immense hype surrounded Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” in the weeks before its release: critics hailed it as (potentially) the first great space-travel epic since Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Nolan even hired theoretical physicist Kip Thorne as a consultant to make every detail as scientifically accurate as possible. Certainly, the research shows, but the science of “Interstellar,” while impressively mind-boggling, is second to Nolan’s exploration of the most selfless (and selfish) aspects of humanity.
New Weezer album surprises, renews faith in band
by Aaron Ross, news editor When people say they like Weezer, they usually follow it up with: “I mean, their old stuff.” The band’s had a rocky ride since releasing their critically and commercially successful platinum debut. Weezer’s next album, upon release, was panned by critics and completely failed to meet commercial expectations […]
‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ meanders through expository pilot
Last Wednesday, a record-breaking 13 million people tuned in for FX’s newest installment in the American Horror Story franchise: Freak Show. Definitely not for the faint-hearted or coulrophobic, Freak Show’s pilot proved to be an interesting, though a little lukewarm, start to the season…
Minimalist ‘Sadnecessary’ imparts intriguing melancholy
by Shilpa Saravanan, editor-in-chief German electro-folk-pop duo Milky Chance, architects of the infectious “Stolen Dance” that’s presently inching up the charts, released their debut album “Sadnecessary” in the U.S. on Oct. 14. The portmanteau of the album’s title says all there is to say about the album itself: no song […]
No time for ‘Matrix’ when busy with ‘eXistenZ’
by Zach Kluver, entertainment editor “eXistenZ” starts off with a presentation in what looks like a bit like a run-down abandoned church. The leader of the conference begins describing a new video game from an apparently famous game designer, Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh). A very reserved person, she smiles […]
‘You’re Dead!’ presents sonically dense, gorgeous celebration of death’s mystery
Flying Lotus, a.k.a Steven Ellison, released his latest album, “You’re Dead!” today. Following 2012’s ethereal “Until the Quiet Comes” Ellison had released the aptly titled “Duality,” which started his rap career under the name Captain Murphy. However, although Captain Murphy makes a few appearances throughout “You’re Dead!,” it’s unquestionably a return to the bizarre, chaotic world of a Flying Lotus album.
Modern opinion of ‘Abbey Road’ proves initial critics wrong
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the U.S. release of “Abbey Road,” the final album recorded by the Beatles. Despite it being released before “Let It Be,” most consider “Abbey Road” to the Beatles’s true final album. At the time of its release it was met with mixed reviews that criticized it for its “already dated sound”. Nowadays it is met with almost unanimous critical praise as one of the Beatles greatest works.
Cartoonist explores human experience in new serial
Cartoonist Chris Ware has teamed up with the Guardian to publish, in free weekly installments, a new graphic novella titled “The Last Saturday.” Currently in its first installment, the strip promises to “trace the life cycles of six (6) individual planetary bacilli (aka human beings) from the American resort community of Sandy Port, Michigan.”
