Hit list

Spring breakdown

French sociologist and cocktail party quotable Jean Baudrillard coined the term hyperreality in his 1981 masterpiece Simulacra and Simulation. It refers to the notion that in late stage capitalism the human existence is...

MUSIC: My Bloody Valentine

Twenty-two years—that’s how long it’s been since My Bloody Valenine released their last album, the iconic Loveless. And this past Saturday night, with little more than a warning on the day of, the band...

TV: Girls

With its gender-studies baiting name—and its creator Lena Dunham’s tendency to assume that she and her selfish, deeply confused on-screen alter-ego Hannah are one in the same—Girls is a show that breeds controversy. Now,...
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MUSIC: Sufjan Stevens

Keeping with his tradition of eclecticism, Sufjan Steven’s Silver & Gold is nothing short of overwhelming. The 5-EP, 58-song Christmas compilation follows up his 2006 Songs for Christmas with an extensive, experimental range including...
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MOVIE: Lincoln

Steven Spielberg isn’t scared of close-ups. To begin with, the make-up on the superb Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln is perfect. The actor’s eyes sparkle with a gentle but firm gleam, just as you’d imagine...
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Craig at his best

Life and death live on separate sides of the same coin. You’re either alive and kicking or resting in peace. But what happens when you’re somewhere in between—“when life clings to you like a...
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MOVIE: Silver Linings Playbook

On the quest to remake ourselves, a positive attitude alone is never enough. Such is the hard truth that Silver Linings Playbook, the latest feature by director David O. Russell (Three Kings), feeds its...
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MOVIE: Smashed

Smashed, directed by James Ponsoldt, MC ’01, is arguably the best and most relatable film out right now for college students, both alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike. It’s a bold claim. Yes, I’m saying that...

MUSIC: Crystal Castles

At the end of “Kerosene,” an early highlight on Crystal Castles’ (III), a robotic yet tender voice sings, “I’ll protect you from all the things I’ve seen.” Such moments of genuine beauty appear throughout...
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MUSIC: Angel Haze

On the last song of her latest EP, Classick, Angel Haze tells the audience, “This might get a little personal, or a lot actually. Parental discretion is advised.” The line could be the tagline...
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MOVIE: Flight

Our personal demons do not necessarily destroy us if we choose never to confront them. We can learn to live with them perpetually hanging over our heads. Flight, Robert Zemeckis’s first live-action film since...
(Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Loving her is Red

My central argument in her defense was that taste is fundamentally rooted in the viscera, not the intellect—that within reason, no one should be asked to justify what she likes, or be asked to...
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MOVIE: Argo

With Argo, Ben Affleck proves to us that he can still act—and he can sure as hell direct. Argo dramatizes a little-known true story known as the Canadian Caper. At the start of an...
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MUSIC: Mika

Usually, the children we watch grow up get stuck for a bit somewhere along the way. There may be habits they just won’t shed, a sense of stubbornness, or a simple refusal to grow...

FOOD: Fryborg

With food trucks, the food is supposed to be straightforward. Food trucks tend to be hyper-specialized caterers that churn out a simple menu—usually variations on a primary item and a selection of sides and...
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The efficacy of Shake Shack

Sitting on the Shack’s lovingly upholstered chocolate leather seats, I see a different kind of New Haven Green out of the plate glass wall. The streetlights take on a romantic hue, and the trees...

MOVIE: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the ultimate coming-of-age narrative, has finally hit the big screen, and it’s nearly flawless. Based on the novel by Stephen Chbosky, Perks was written and directed by Chbosky...
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MOVIE: Looper

Yep, Rian Johnson is a master filmmaker. He first caught my attention with the 2005 neo-noir film Brick, and has now firmly secured a place in my heart with Looper, the third film he...
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MUSIC: Muse

For the fan, musical experimentation is a scary thing. Naturally, early buzz about The 2nd Law made Muse listeners concerned. First, there were the chills from the rumours that Muse had gone dubstep. Then,...
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MUSIC: Matt & Kim

Contrary to what the title would indicate, Matt & Kim’s new album, Lightning, doesn’t strike you with anything new. Instead, it returns the duo to the simple keyboard-and-drums paradigm of their breakthrough hit single,...