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Monday, November 28, 2022 — Houston, TX

Arts and Entertainment

A&E 11/5/22 3:47pm

Meet the ACL Artist: The Future X talks touring and TikTok

By Shreya Challa

Pop group The Future X took on Austin City Limits on Oct. 8, fresh from their stint at the 2022 Honda Civic Tour.  The group’s members include singers Luke Brown, Angie Green and Maci Wood, and dancers Tray Taylor, Sasha Marie, Jayna Hughes and Drew Venegas. Each member was handpicked by ‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller via TikTok.  

A&E 11/3/22 2:34pm

Houston rap legend Paul Wall set to compete with Gary Clark Jr. in musical showdown

By Ben Baker-Katz

Though many Rice students might not know the name Paul Wall, their favorite Houston artists certainly do. The self-proclaimed “Peoples Champ,” Wall and his famous grill have been influential in the Houston music community since the late 1990s. Wall, whose love for Houston is renowned, said that being able to represent the Houston music community and help aspiring Houston artists has been a lifelong dream.

A&E 11/2/22 12:37am

Review: Style overpowers substance in ‘Wendell and Wild’

By Jay Collura

Thirteen years after the critically acclaimed film “Coraline,” stop-motion animation virtuoso Henry Selick released a new feature, “Wendell and Wild,” on Netflix last Friday. Just as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” paired Selick with Tim Burton, this new film is built upon a partnership: this time with Jordan Peele. “Wendell and Wild” is certainly more whimsical than most of Peele’s recent horror films, but his passion for the genre seeps into every aspect of the film. 

A&E 11/2/22 12:34am

Thrifting 101: Where to find fall fashion on a dime

By Cecilia Nguyen

Haven’t brought your winter clothes to campus yet? Looking to expand your closet? Want more clothes but have no money in your bank account? If you said yes to any of those questions, Houston’s thrift stores are waiting for you. Rest assured, just like your personal style, thrift stores come in all price ranges and styles. To find your next best fits, read through the thrift stores below to find one that is just right for you.

A&E 11/2/22 12:33am

Review: ‘Luv 4 Rent’ is uncategorizable

By Jacob Pellegrino

Smino creates an uncategorizable and unique album centered around the many forms that love can take on “Luv 4 Rent.” Unconstrained creativity is nothing new to Smino, as it’s been visible in his work since his exceptional debut “blkswn.” Smino is an artist who sounds like no one else and trailblazes his own combination of neo-soul stylings and an off-kilter form of rap.

A&E 11/2/22 12:32am

Senior Spotlight: Kenzie Pickett brings life to museums

By Michelle Gachelin

Kenzie Pickett accomplishes the impossible — she revives centuries-old artifacts for the modern world. As a Camfield fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, she spends 10 to 15 hours each week researching historical objects, preparing for the museum’s new traveling exhibit and writing tombstones, which are 100-word labels that describe each artwork. At Rice, Pickett is double majoring in art history and ancient Mediterranean civilizations and double minoring in museum studies and cultural heritage. Her interest in curatorial work and museums was first ignited as a child, when she watched “Jurassic Park” and “Night at the Museum,” in which characters are magically resuscitated, reentering the 21st century as new beings.

A&E 11/2/22 12:11am

New climate justice mural at Rice’s Solar Studios

By Hadley Medlock

A year ago, Aaron Ambroso and Tiffany Jin co-founded the Houston Climate Justice Museum with a mission: to challenge conventional museum ideals and address climate change within spaces that do not traditionally acknowledge it. This Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the museum will be unveiling their newest project at Rice’s Solar Studios, an experimental exhibit titled “Creosote Stories: Seeding Planthroposcenes in Northeast Houston.”

A&E 10/25/22 10:42pm

Review: The Rock brings his best in action-packed ‘Black Adam’

By Saswat Pati

“Black Adam” truly feels like a Blockbuster from start to finish. Though the movie is by no means earth-shattering and in fact borrows a lot of tropes from the comic book film genre, “Black Adam” presents an engaging narrative and truly feels like a superhero movie. I was entertained throughout by stunning visuals, a well-written script and strong direction. Most importantly, the movie is fun, with back-to-back action scenes that ensure audiences will never be bored.

A&E 10/25/22 10:08pm

Review: Meghan Trainor's ‘Takin’ It Back’ takes listeners on another predictably mediocre ride

By Francesca Bliss

Meghan Trainor’s latest album “Takin’ it Back” is both predictably underwhelming and, unexpectedly, not entirely bad. While Trainor’s musical formula has remained almost unchanged since her early success circa 2014, this album adds a refreshing layer of synthesizers  in addition to the brass, “retro” bassline and doo-wop melodies that are emblematic of Trainor’s music. Although Trainor made some slight but meaningful changes to her musicality in parts of this album, the themes of her lyrics are practically copied and pasted from her previous work. 

A&E 10/25/22 10:05pm

Review: ‘Midnights’ not worth staying up for

By Hugo Gerbich-Pais

It is obvious that Taylor Swift needed to have gone to bed earlier and reviewed her work before releasing Midnights. Failing to live to up to the sophisticated and heart-wrenching story telling that brought her critical acclaim, Taylor Swift’s “Midnights (3am Edition)” sees her return to her “You Need to Calm Down,” “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Blank Space” eras, but at least those songs were danceable. While not terrible, the album falls flat, despite several songs showcasing Swift’s songwriting and vocal talent.

A&E 10/25/22 10:03pm

Review: Arctic Monkeys continue to evolve their sound on ‘The Car’

By Jacob Pellegrino

Arctic Monkeys are back, and if you’re still looking for another “AM,” you’re out of luck. That’s not a bad thing, though. As a group, the band continues to evolve their sound and avoids repeating the same style. “The Car” continues in the general direction of “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” while reviving elements of their earlier work for a project that emphasizes their comfort as a band.

A&E 10/25/22 9:58pm

Review: Cate Blanchett stuns in ‘Tár’

By Jay Collura

The opening act of “Tár” features one of the most technically impressive shots of the year: a ten-minute, unbroken conversation in which Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) lectures a group of students about the relationship between art and artist in the world of classical music. As both the shot and conversation continue, Lydia’s snappy retorts and oppressive assertions reveal a darker, pretentious nature previously unseen. It becomes clear from this moment that “Tár” is much more than a movie about a composer and her music. Instead, the film is a masterful depiction of an artist’s ego and the consequences she faces for abusing it.

A&E 10/25/22 9:57pm

Review: Like Big Daddy, ‘American Horror Story’ doesn’t disappoint

By Riya Misra

Admittedly, anticipation was not high for "AHS: NYC," season 11 of "American Horror Story," Ryan Murphy's critically acclaimed horror anthology series. Coming off the heels of "Dahmer" and "The Watcher," both chart-topping Ryan Murphy productions, "AHS: NYC" felt more like a whisper of an afterthought. Devoid of any trailers or promotional material, save for a handful of posters featuring inert and glossy models, limbs splayed, decked out in leather and bondage gear, many fans feared that "AHS: NYC" would mark the final pitstop of the show's downward plummet. 

A&E 10/25/22 9:55pm

Review: Declan McKenna concludes U.S. leg of ‘Zeros’ tour with a bang — literally

By Andrea Plascencia

What I anticipated to be a concert full of unfamiliar fans — myself included (though I hate to admit it) — ended up being quite the opposite. “Brazil” singer Declan McKenna made his final stop on the U.S. leg of his “Zeroes” tour this past Thursday at Warehouse Live here in Houston. The night began with confused fans packed into a separate part of the venue because “soundcheck was taking longer than expected,” and concluded with fans cheering as McKenna completely demolished his guitar on stage during the final song in his set, “British Bombs.” 

A&E 10/25/22 9:53pm

Scream for these Haunted Houses

By Jazmine Castillo

With Halloween right around the corner, here are some of the best haunted houses around the city, from family-friendly frights enjoyable for your most faint-hearted friends to the ultimate horror experience that will have you jumping around every corner. Every owl can find a fun time at one of these haunts, no matter if they shriek at the sight of a monster or are scare connoisseurs who fear nothing. All of these haunts are open through the weekend leading up to Halloween — but be warned, not all are for the faint of heart.

A&E 10/25/22 9:51pm

New MFAH exhibit aims to redefine Black power

By Claudia Lin

The Museum of Fine Arts’ new exhibit “Gordon Parks: Stokely Carmichael and Black Power” explores race and power through the lens of Gordon Parks’ camera. The exhibit, which opened to the public on Oct. 15, features a diverse range of Parks’ photographs, which all aim to offer a nuanced perspective of civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael and his advocacy work. 

A&E 10/25/22 9:50pm

‘Pride and Prejudice’ adapted for today

By Madison Barendse

Last weekend, Rice Theatre performed Kate Hamill’s unique adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, “Pride and Prejudice.” While the show stays true to the main themes and plot of the novel, it revives the source material through a modern comedic lens. Each member of the small cast gets a chance to shine, often playing multiple characters with hilarious results. Additional performances will be featured Oct. 27 to 29 at 8 p.m. in Hamman Hall.

A&E 10/18/22 10:38pm

Review: ‘Amsterdam’ is a humorous escapade turned lackluster political allegory

By Saswat Pati

Unlike most films I watch, I genuinely had no idea what kind of movie “Amsterdam” was going to be when I first walked in the theater. All I knew from the trailer was that it’s a comedy that seemingly had assembled a dream team of actors, with almost every role filled by either an Oscar-nominated actor (Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Robert De Niro and Rami Malek), well-renowned comedian (Chris Rock) or musical superstar (Taylor Swift). From the trailer, it looked like whatever “Amsterdam” was going to be had to be good. With this much talent, backed by Oscar-nominated director David Russell, how could it not?

A&E 10/18/22 10:35pm

Review: Surf Curse abrasively experiments with smoothness on ‘Magic Hour’

By Landry Wood

Each of Surf Curse’s LPs have featured the band on the cover, but “Magic Hour” — the group’s fourth full-length release and only project since 2019’s “Heaven Surrounds You” — is the first time the portrait has included more contributors than founding drummer, vocalist and frontman Nick Rattigan and guitarist Jacob Rubeck. 

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