Arts and Entertainment

Review: Pixar contemplates life and death in visually stunning "Soul"

I am glad that this film came at the end of 2020, a very troublesome and unpredictable year that undoubtedly made people around the world acutely aware of loss and mortality. “Soul” inspires us to contemplate ourselves and those around us, while offering an excellent jazz soundtrack and visually stunning landscapes and skilled voice acting. 

Rice Players’ ‘A Doll's House’ transforms a Zoom meeting into its stage

Instead of walking on- and off-stage, actors in the Rice Players’ adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” clicked to join and leave a Zoom meeting. Putting on a livestreamed adaptation of the 1879 play posed a number of limitations, but also provided novel opportunities for creative expression. 

Review: Hurts Donut satisfies the Houstonian sweet tooth

If you are tired of Dunkin Donuts, or if the excitement of Voodoo Donuts has faded, you can now turn to Hurts Donut, which opened the doors of its new location at 5801 Memorial Drive on Oct. 22. And don’t worry — it won’t hurt at all to try. 

4 Native American artists you should know

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to appreciate the achievements and contributions of Native American peoples across the United States. In honor of this month, here are four Native American artists whose work provides a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of Indigenous cultures and what they embody.  

Zoomaka adapts annual showcase for virtual audiences

Rice’s South Asian Society ended the semester with a dhamaka (Hindi for “bang”) this past Friday, Nov. 13 with Zoomaka, a virtual version of their annual cultural showcase. Socially distanced watch parties catered South Asian cuisine and nostalgic Bollywood beats brought the event alive. The fully virtual event featured spoken word, dance, live musical performances, comedy and various other presentations by Rice students that illustrated unifying South Asian American experiences while also emphasizing diversity among the community. 

Chaus brews up new Espresso Yourself events

Rice Coffeehouse will revive its Espresso Yourself programming with a virtual artist spotlight series and an open mic event this Friday, Nov. 20 in front of the Moody Center for the Arts. The spotlight series will feature a Rice student’s artwork for one to two months via the Coffeehouse Instagram account, @eychaus — the first spotlighted artist is Sid Richardson College junior Sumin Hwang. This week’s open mic will also be the first of many which Espresso Yourself, led by Baker College junior Magdah Omer, plans to host once every semester.  

Weekly Scenes & Screens: 11/18

Local meets global at the 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival

Houstonian movie lovers haven’t been able to gather in front of the city’s silver screens for a while now. But this month, over 40 documentary and narrative films, short film blocks, Q&As, dance performances, DJ sets and workshops will be available to stream right to computer screens — and a select few will light up the night at local drive-ins — from Nov. 12-22 at the 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival.

Review: Tiger Sugar Boba is all flair and no flavor

As I soaked in the shadows of the Bellaire strip mall in line, not within sight of the already famous Taiwanese boba shop for hours, frantic thoughts raced through my mind: Shouldn’t I be studying for my midterms? Could my lactose-intolerant body handle this distinctly dairy experience? Isn’t it a little early for the DJ to be blasting Kesha and Pitbull? As neither a boba connoisseur nor line enthusiast, the grand opening of Tiger Sugar was nonetheless a very interesting experience. Frankly, Tiger Sugar undeniably delivered on the aesthetic front, but lacked depth of flavor and choices.   

‘A Kind of Rebirth’ manifests impermanence and repetition at Sleepy Cyborg Gallery

A fusion of photography, poetry and light projection, “A Kind of Rebirth” by Frederica Adriani and Lovett College senior Varun Kataria is the latest installation at Sleepy Cyborg Gallery in Sewall Hall. Printed on reflective paper, Kataria’s portraits cover one wall while Adriani’s poems are projected on them like a cycling Star Wars opening crawl. On view in person and online through Thursday, Nov. 12, the exhibition is the product of a study abroad experience that brought the pair together and their conversations about the idea of growth. 

New Horizons: Bryan Washington talks debut novel and A24 deal

2020 has been action-packed for everyone and Bryan Washington is no exception. For this acclaimed writer and Rice English professor, this year brought about great positive changes. His much-anticipated debut novel, “Memorial,” was published last month by Riverhead Books. Picked up for adaptation by entertainment company A24 prior to publication, the novel’s release made waves in literary and television communities alike. A native Houstonian, Washington published his award-winning short story collection, “Lot,” last year and was appointed Rice’s first Scholar-in-Residence for Racial Justice in July, a title he holds alongside his distinction as George Guion Williams Writer in Residence.

10-11 weekly scenes n screens

Black Art at Rice: A Conversation with Chelsea Sharpe

From performing for world-renowned classical musicians to recording music for Kanye West and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Shepherd School of Music alumna Chelsea Sharpe (Lovett College ’15) has done it all. As she reflects upon key experiences and lessons that have shaped her journey to becoming a professional violinist, Sharpe offers her perspective on the role of music in politics, representation and empowerment. She is currently a fellow at the prestigious New World Symphony Orchestra and works remotely with students from Medellín, Colombia as part of an educational outreach program.  

weekly scenes & screens 11/4

4 veggie friendly restaurants near campus to visit

Living on campus and have limited options as vegetarians or vegans? Trying to live a healthier life? Here’s a list of vegetarian and vegan options around Rice’s campus. With such diverse food scenes in the city of Houston, you're sure to find an option you love. 

Review: Gorillaz’s new audiovisual album is a chaotic masterpiece

In an age where the once-rigid barriers between virtual reality and real life are becoming blurred, Gorillaz’s new album, “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez,” sits on the precipice of what albums of the future may begin to look and sound like.   

Review: Ariana Grande’s surprise album “positions” seduces and shimmers

Ariana Grande, a quintessential pop star of our current generation, released her sixth full-length studio album “positions,” consisting of 14 new songs on Oct. 30. The pop singer’s recent discography has been a whirlwind of heartbreak, but rather than singing about her heartaches this time, Grande steers the next chapter of her career towards a lighthearted, fresh take. After her two hit collaborations released earlier this year — “Stuck With U” with Justin Bieber and “Rain On Me” with Lady Gaga — Grande’s surprise album generated major buzz from fans and critics alike.

Songs For Quiet Time Pt. 2

Back in April, the Thresher compiled a playlist of songs submitted by students that made them feel more grounded while swimming in the sea of COVID-19 chaos. Now, seven months and a seeming lifetime later, the series is back for a second installment, “Songs For Quiet Time Pt. 2.” We asked the same two questions to those who submitted music: What songs or artists have been helping you get through self-isolation, and how have they helped you do so?  

Forgotten Gems: A conversation with Amanda Pascali on the bittersweet teenagedom of her self-titled EP

I am obsessed with seventeen. It’s the transitive property, really: I’m obsessed with music and music is obsessed with seventeen. Ever since McCartney howled “she was just seventeen” and Hammerstein celebrated “sixteen going on seventeen,” bands from Marina and the Diamonds to The 1975 have celebrated this liminal year. Seventeen is the terminus of the slow death of childhood but prior to the rude awakening of adulthood. It’s when you sneak out of the house or read philosophy or, in my case, listen to Amanda Pascali. 

Rice Opera to hold first ever virtual production

When ground broke in 2017 for the construction of the Brockman Hall for Opera, no one could have predicted that the first show in the new hall would be one without an audience. The new hall, equipped with a three-tiered, 600-seat European-style theater, the first of its kind according to the Shepherd School of Music’s website, amongst all U.S. conservatories and universities, will be completely empty for its pre-recorded and lip-synced showing of the little-known chamber opera: “Der Kaiser von Atlantis.”