Amid the massacre known as Super Bowl XLVIII, a young performer took the stage of MetLife Stadium and presented the world with his art. Bruno Mars, coming fresh from a recent Grammy award, offered a show that was as exciting as it was welcoming. Mars’s performance had an undisguised feeling of classy showmanship that was reminiscent of classic Michael Jackson. From the quality vocals to … Continue reading Mars’s halftime performance out of this world

Meryl Streep, utterly amazing as always, plays Violet Weston, the silver-tongued matriarch of a dysfunctional Southern family. Suffering from mouth cancer and an addiction to prescription pills, it quickly becomes evident that the mouth cancer is a result of the poisonous remarks she and her relatives sling at each other. This hostile environment eventually drives her husband to suicide and her adult children away. The … Continue reading Streep, Roberts star in August: Osage County

The holidays are here! Christmas is undoubtedly the holiday with the most movies centered on it, (looking at you Die Hard). Christmas movies allow directors to get away with portraying happiness and presenting deep morals that public service announcements wish they could teach, and every family usually has a traditional holiday classic they watch every year. Favorite Animated Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas Despite Hollywood’s … Continue reading Classic Christmas films supply warmth during the cold

Everyone’s favorite victors screen in love in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) outsmarted the devious and tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and his cabinet of men and women in charge of the 74th annual Hunger Games, which serves as the twisted reminder to the districts of Panem that the Capitol completely controls their lives. But the trials … Continue reading Catching Fire sparks excitement in audiences

Revamp your Christmas playlist with these fresh takes on Christmas classics. No matter how hard you may try, the perils of overplayed holiday music are nearly impossible to avoid. Although the nostalgic crooning of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” might have an embarrassingly comforting effect on you as snow begins to fall from the sky, it’s inevitable that by the time Christmas actually comes around, you’ll … Continue reading Indie artists take over holiday music

I didn’t enter JFK International Airport this January with malicious intent, but I felt like a criminal by the time I stepped on the plane to Tel Aviv. As many non-Jewish travellers to Israel have experienced with the Israeli airline El Al, the two hours before my flight was spent in interrogation. I like to think that the only people who know me better than the … Continue reading Tales from Abroad (11/22/2012)

When becoming a professional in the film industry, first impressions can mean everything. Ryan Coogler certainly made his first impression as a director and writer when his first film debuted at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, where it won awards at both. Can Coogler’s Fruitvale Station impress more than those at the film festival? Based on actual events from 2009, the film centers around … Continue reading Audience connects with real life story in Fruitvale Station

Rubber?  Does anyone have a rubber I can borrow?” I overheard a girl shout in my studio art class on a rainy Thursday afternoon.  I immediately took out my headphones to ensure I heard right.  Yes, I had heard right.  I dropped my charcoal stick and thought to myself, “Did she really just say that? Did she really just ask for a condom in the … Continue reading Tales from Abroad (11/15/2013)