Culture
Culture
‘Student Artists Speak:’ Dan Chess
The spirit of punk is alive in Rochester, and Dan Chess is in the center of the scene. Chess, a junior, is the lead guitarist and frontman of the punk-rock duo Pterodactyl Scholars. Chess’ original music combines catchy pop sensibilities with gritty guitar and raw vocals. In addition to his solo endevours, Chess is a […]
Culture
Discovering immortality in ‘Poetic Sentiment’
Amidst all this snow, it’s not surprising that some of it made its way into Wilson Commons. But it won’t be melting anytime soon thanks to the artistry of Mayumi Amada, who recently opened her show “Poetic Sentiment” at Hartnett Gallery. Her hand-crocheted snowflakes, created for the space, hung down from the high ceiling visible […]
Culture
‘Diablo’ and dungeon-crawlers: a gaming legacy
The last time I visited my hometown, I found myself looking through some of my old arts and crafts from kindergarten. I soon came across a magnet I had made that had been on our refrigerator for as long as I could remember. The magnet features what looks like an orange dinosaur with a pointy […]
Culture
Harris Wittels: in memoriam
Harris Wittels, a rising young comedy writer, passed away this week. He was 30 years old. Wittels, a graduate of Emerson College, started out his career doing stand-up around Los Angeles. He eventually landed a job writing for the critically-acclaimed “The Sarah Silverman Program,” where he stayed until the series’ cancellation. After that, Wittels wrote […]
Culture
‘I’ll Be Your Pilot Today:’ ‘Schitt’s Creek’
“Schitt’s Creek.” Yep. Just like it sounds. Except it’s with a “C,” so it’s funny. Or at least this is the emotion the show attempts to evoke from its audience. Comedian Eugene Levy and his son Daniel created and star in this riches-to-rags comedy alongside longtime collaborator Catherine O’Hara and newcomer Annie Murphy. While a […]
Culture
Festival of Food, Film and Culture delights the senses
After fifteen years, the Festival of Food, Film and Culture has returned to UR—and it was worth the wait. Delicious, authentic food from around the world is paired with foreign movies in the four-week series presented by the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures. Spanish professor Claudia Schaefer said that the department first tried to […]
Culture
Oscar Predictions: Everything you should know
Ok, y’all, Oscar Sunday is coming. Get your ballots out, your bets drawn, and let’s win (lose?) you some money! Best Picture Nominees: “American Sniper;” “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance);” “Boyhood;” “The Grand Budapest Hotel;” “The Imitation Game;” “Selma;” “The Theory of Everything;” “Whiplash” Will Win: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” […]
Culture
‘Student artists speak:’ Yang Yang
Jeff Howard: So, you recently performed with your new project, “Asian Fusion,” at Montage Music Hall this past Saturday. I find the band name very intriguing. What inspired the project and where are hoping to go with it? Yang Yang: Well, that's actually a very temporary name because I was asked if I wanted to […]
Culture
‘I’ll Be Your Pilot Tonight:’ ‘Better Call Saul’
It starts where it left off in the pilot episode of “Better Call Saul.” A Cinnabon. In fact, it is the Cinnabon that Saul Goodman imagined he’d be managing in the penultimate episode of “Breaking Bad.” Behind the counter is the sad, drone-like shell of what used to be Saul (now Gene, according to his […]
Culture
‘Year Walk:’ dark mythology redux
“Year Walk” (Simogo, 2013) is one of those games that completely passed me by on its release. When a friend recommended it to me early this year, I assumed it to be relatively new, and only later did I discover just how late I was to the party. It’s precisely because I only recently discovered […]