Arts and Entertainment

Review: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ meaningfully captures teen mental health struggles

Adapted from the 2016 Broadway musical of the same name, “Dear Evan Hansen” is a  coming-of-age musical teen drama focusing on Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), a high school senior struggling with social anxiety disorder. The movie has an excellent soundtrack and skillfully depicts the experience of the Murphy family after Connor Murphy passes away from suicide.  

Review: ZillaKami goes all out on “DOG BOY”

Underground group City Morgue, consisting of ZillaKami and São Paulo rapper SosMula, began their rise to prominence a few years ago. They took the edgiest attributes of contemporary rap and amplified them by incorporating elements of rock and metal. On “DOG BOY,” ZillaKami takes everything unique about his previous music and turns it up to 11. 

Review: Noah Kahan returns with cathartic sophomore release ‘I Was / I Am’

In just two years, Noah Kahan’s career has skyrocketed: His music has been streamed over a billion times, and in 2019, he toured the world with his personal inspiration James Bay. The transition to fame hasn’t been easy. His long-awaited sophomore album, “I Was / I Am,” offers fans a candid confession of how he’s been changed, for better or for worse. With his signature vivid lyricism and buoyant melodies, Kahan delivers stories of heartbreak, addiction, depression and hope in all of his sardonic and self-deprecating glory.

Review: Project Pollo vegan “chikn” falls short of expectations

If you’re looking for a vegan, sustainable alternative to your Chick-Fil-A addiction, then Project Pollo might be the place for you. But if you’re not looking to sit in Houston traffic for 30 minutes and pay steep prices for soy-based chicken dishes, then maybe not. Project Pollo, a local fast food chain serving fried “chikn” and Impossible burgers, opened a new location in Houston on Sept. 18 about nine miles west of Rice University’s campus. 

Smaller artists to keep an eye on this ACL

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and Rice students trying to assemble groups of friends to trek to Austin for the Austin City Limits Festival. As we’ve somehow almost gotten to the start of the October, the Thresher is excited to announce that we’ll be covering the festival throughout the next few weeks. While we’re certainly excited for some of the bigger names, we know most of y’all have already made up your minds about which headliners to see. Instead, we wanted to recommend some lesser known artists that we’re hyped for.

Thresher Declassified: ACL Survival Guide

It’s been two years since music fans flooded into Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Festival. This music festival spans two weekends, eight stages and features over 100 musical acts and a plethora of food options. The 2021 festival dates are set for the weekends of Oct. 1-3 and 8-10, and, while tickets are sold out, there are resale options available. 

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Sept. 22

Review: ‘Malignant’ continually disappoints

“Malignant” has given me trust issues with director James Wan. With “The Conjuring,” “Insidious” and even “Aquaman,” I assumed any movie directed by Wan would be at least enjoyable to watch. Well, “Malignant” was the opposite of that. Filled with a storyline that drags on, predictable twists and a contrived plot, “Malignant” is a movie to stay far away from.

Rice returns to in-person theater

From canceled shows to Zoom rehearsals and socially distanced performances, theatre students and faculty at Rice have spent the past year adapting to the shifting restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. When COVID-19 forced students back home during Cole Thompson’s freshman year, they had the chance to witness first-hand some of the initial attempts at remote theater at Rice. Thompson, a Martel College junior, said that the student-written show they were involved in got converted into a radio play, and that they continued to participate in remote theater productions the following year. 

Rice Coffeehouse celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with new items

When walking from Fondren Library to Rice Coffeehouse on a Saturday afternoon, don’t be surprised by the vast number of students that pass by sharing bright neon orange drinks and pieces of delightfully warm, sweet dough. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Rice Coffeehouse is serving housemade mangonadas and locally supplied conchas through Oct. 15. A portion of the revenue from these new items will be donated to the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Series.

Black Art at Rice: A Conversation with Chavonté Wright

Chavonté Wright (Martel College ’16) works primarily in graphite and charcoal and draws from her personal experiences to depict realms ranging from Black literary figures to scenes reminiscent of her childhood as a native Houstonian. She reflects on how the Black experience inspires her work, particularly in the spaces within joy and suffering. Currently, Wright is a Ph.D. student studying sociology at Indiana University, and readers can explore more of her art at chavonte.com and @musemedit on Instagram.

Bringing Poke to Rice Village

Tucked in the corner of Rice Village, Pokeworks recently celebrated their grand opening with an exclusive buy one, get one free offer on all poke bowls and burritos. The chain store quickly rose to popularity following their 2015 opening in Midtown Manhattan, attracting the attention of millions after a short video clip showcasing their delectable menu accumulated over 52 million views. From there, Pokeworks has expanded across North America with over fifty new locations. 

Review: MONTERO checks the boxes but fails to live up to the lofty expectations set by its singles

There’s usually so much to say about Lil Nas X. There’s not a lot to say about “MONTERO”, at least not in the way that I expected going into the album. Lil Nas X has always been the moment since his country-trap fusion went on a run of historic pop dominance. Lil Nas X justified his omnipresence with music just as dominant as his personality— tracks like ”MONTERO” and “INDUSTRY BABY” still have a headlock on every Rice party’s Spotify queue. However, Nas X’s debut album, “MONTERO”, proves that capturing the zeitgeist over the course of an album is much harder.

Review: “My Fair Lady” is a satisfying return to live theatre at the Hobby Center

Live theatre returns to the Hobby Center on a high note this week with the touring production of “My Fair Lady,” which runs through Sept 19. Despite the pandemic, the house was almost completely full with masking policies enforced. “My Fair Lady” was a fabulous reminder of everything live theatre can be at its best. The technical elements were fantastic and the acting and staging were first rate.

Review: “Shang-Chi,” a portrayal of the Asian-American experience

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Marvel’s “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is a stunning visual adventure that seeks to encapsulate the richness of Asian culture. Following in the tradition established by other Marvel movies like “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Black Panther,” the film represents an origin story that transcends the titular character and points to the greater significance of their cultural identity.

Five stars across the board for ‘star-crossed’

There’s a discomfort in talking about breakups, divorce in particular, that Kacey Musgraves refuses to shy away from. After her last record, “Golden Hour,” which detailed the singer’s beautiful, dreamy, sunshine-filled marriage, won album of the year at the Grammys in 2019, it was shocking to hear Musgraves announce her divorce from husband Ruston Kelly in 2020. The album, and thus the relationship, had such a cultural impact that it was hard to believe it could break down. At the time, Musgraves spoke very little on the subject. However, with the release of the album and film “star-crossed,” Musgraves is finally letting us in. All the way in.

Review: ‘The Melodic Blue’ embraces a wide range of styles for a strong debut

Baby Keem crafts a well-produced and enjoyable debut album with “The Melodic Blue,” incorporating a wide range of styles and emotions throughout the album to keep listeners engaged.

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Sept. 15

Feminine joy and resistance: Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s’ opens at the Menil

“She was the first free woman I saw,” iconic feminist Gloria Steinem once remarked after seeing Niki de Saint Phalle in the streets of New York. While de Saint Phalle would never claim to be free from the patriarchal violence that particularly targets women, her artwork throughout the 1960s charts the work of an artist seeking to become free. “Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s,” open free of charge at the Menil Collection now until Jan. 23, 2022, portrays the evolution of the iconic artist’s questioning, raging and joyous feminist works throughout her most radical period. 

Kapwani Kiwanga makes Houston debut in new Moody exhibit

In late September, the Moody Center for the Arts will be showcasing Paris-based artist Kapwani Kiwanga’s first exhibition in Houston, “The Sand Recalls the Moon’s Shadow.” Due to challenges resulting from COVID-19 travel restrictions, Associate Curator Ylinka Barotto said she worked collaboratively with her colleagues to organize the exhibition entirely over Zoom and WhatsApp.