Culture
Culture
A heroine arises in ‘Love & Mercy’
“Love and Mercy,” the alarming biopic of Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, reveals the toll that sudden fame can have on an individual, particularly one in the early stages of mental illness. Alternating between two timelines—the ‘60s, in which young Brian (Paul Dano), in the initial throes of fame, begins to crumble under the pressure […]
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CT Recommends: ‘You Made it Weird’
Pete Holmes has perhaps the most infectious laughter in the world. It’s a long, loud cackle/bray that he breaks out at the slightest provocation. He might get a little too goofy for some, but he balances it out with one of the more thought-provoking interview podcasts around. He interviews actors, writers, spiritual figures and comedians, […]
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CT Recommends: ‘Boogie Nights’
Whether or not you like the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, you can’t say he doesn’t take on difficult material. “The Master” dealt with debilitating alcoholism and cults. “There Will Be Blood” was a scorching essay on capitalism and fatherhood, set in California oil fields in the 1890’s. But perhaps nothing quite touches the high […]
Culture
Deerhunter album shoots straight
Late last month, before they released their seventh full-length album, “Fading Frontier,” the indie rock band Deerhunter put an interactive map of their influences on their website. The concept map, which was signed “B. Cox”—the moniker of the band’s singer, Bradford Cox—included such eclectic sources as Pharaoh Sanders, Tom Petty, “souless new car smell” and […]
Culture
Adele’s ‘Hello’ a much-awaited greeting
“Hello, can you hear me?” Yes, Adele we can hear you, loud and clear. After a three-year hiatus from the world of music, the beloved queen of pop/soul finally returned to the spotlight on Friday, Oct. 23 with the release of her new single “Hello.” To say that Adele’s comeback has been strong would be […]
Culture
Cringe comedy finds a home in ‘Nathan For You’
Nathan Fielder walks up to a model. The model is clad in a soft-shell jacket designed specifically for the company Nathan has just started. Nathan pulls the model aside and says, “Six million Jews died in the Holocaust, approximately.” The model, confused, stammers out, “OK.” “So, how many Jews died in the Holocaust?” Fielder asks. […]
Culture
Varga’s ‘Energy, Mass, Light’ shines
“Energy Mass Light,” by Katherine Varga ‘T5, took a long road to get on stage. The play, which closed this past Saturday, was originally selected to be a staged reading as part of Geva Theatre’s Regional Writers Showcase last spring. Varga, who will graduate this spring, has now collaborated with UR theatre group The Opposite […]
Culture
A conversation with Keith Elder, the Eastman Director of Concert Activities
Aurek Ransom: What do you think is important for us to know about what you did before [coming to] Eastman? Keith Elder: Prior to Eastman, I worked 18 years in the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops. While working there, I got a degree in law, so I’m a lawyer as well. While working, I […]
Culture
Light pierces darkness in “Beasts of No Nation”
“Wherever the hero may wander,” Joseph Campbell once wrote, “whatever he may do, he is ever in the presence of his own essence—for he has the perfected eye to see. There is no separateness.” In Cary Fukanaga’s long-awaited “Beasts of No Nation,” out via Netflix and in selected theaters on October 16, Agu (Abraham Atta, […]
Culture
Skylar Spence keeps it fresh and funky on ‘Prom King’
Skylar Spence was once a vaporwave producer known as Saint Pepsi. Under his previous handle he was a big fish in a very small pond – the small pond being Reddit’s vaporwave subreddit. Now, Saint Pepsi has got a new name and is a medium-sized fish in a much bigger pond. On his new release […]