Arts and Entertainment

Review: Alley Theatre’s ‘Sweat’ fails to provide emotional crater it promises

It’s Sept. 29, 2008. In the town of Reading, Pennsylvania, two men occupy a claustrophobic square of harsh white light — one marked by a black eye and white supremacist face tattoo, the other bearing the pen and notepad of a parole officer. The scene is static, the performances tense. This is Lynn Nottage’s prize-winning play “Sweat,” performed at the Alley Theatre in Houston. 

Review: ‘The Lamb’ attempts horror, delivers boredom

Ingvar and Maria are stressed — they are running through the farm looking for their precious Ada. After a few frantic minutes they find her and proceed to wrap her in a blanket — the harsh Icelandic weather isn't good for her. The film pans out as they pick her up and that was the last moment I took “The Lamb” seriously. Suddenly staring back at us is the behind of an infant with the head of a lamb. “The Lamb” was one of the worst films I have ever seen and was a disappointing debut for Norwegian director Valdimar Jóhannsson. It deserves a generous one star. 

Review: ‘Squid Game,’ is it worth the hype?

Even if you aren’t one to keep up with the latest entertainment trends, you’ve probably heard of “Squid Game.” This new Korean Netflix show became the most watched show in 90 countries within ten days of its release, making it a larger global phenomenon than anyone likely expected. 

Amber Mark talks crowd connection, inspiration at ACL

Amber Mark hopped on stage at Austin City Limits weekend one with an immediate presence as her fans cheered, unfettered by the merciless 1 p.m. sun. For the entirety of Mark’s set, fans danced and sang along as she and her band wove their way through an impressive discography. Throughout, Amber Mark peppered the audience with commentary, ranging from asking who was a nineties kid and explaining how her music is meant to unite and bring us together.

Best and Worst of ACL: Live music returns to Zilker Park

With live music returning and Austin City Limits music festival once again taking over Zilker Park this fall, the Thresher made the trip to Austin to enjoy ACL ourselves. With two weekends and as many performances as we could fit in under our belt, we have compiled our highlights of the festival: the good and the bad. 

Black Art at Rice: Magdah Omer discusses identity and new exhibit

Magdah Omer, a Baker College senior, discusses their upcoming exhibition, “be water my friend,” at Sleepy Cyborg, opening Oct. 15. Omer’s art featured in the exhibit explores the fluidity of self and identity and utilizes acrylic paint on various unconventional canvases, including clothes, furniture and even people. The exhibit draws inspiration from Agnes Pelton, Özlem Thompson and Hilma af Klint. Omer said they hope that, through viewing and experiencing their artwork, people will gain better understandings of their own selves. The opening reception is on Oct. 15 from 7 - 9 p.m. with the exhibit open through Oct. 24.

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Oct. 6

Review: ‘The Guilty’ disappoints in comparison to the original

There’s been a much-maligned trend in movies lately where studios take old, beloved intellectual property and reboot it for modern audiences. “The Guilty” presents something of an interesting experiment from Netflix, then. Although it’s an almost exact remake of a Danish movie of the same name, the original is neither old (it was released just three years ago) or beloved (while it opened to critical acclaim, it made just 4.6 million dollars). Theoretically, this should simplify the path to success for an adaptation. Despite this, “The Guilty” comes nowhere near surpassing an excellent original. 

(More) ACL artists to look out for this weekend

Last week, the Thresher compiled our recommendations of smaller artists to look out for at ACL this year. Now that the festival’s second weekend is rapidly approaching, we wanted to share even more artists that we’re excited to see. We would hate for you to miss out on any incredible performances, and on the chance to possibly meet other people with similar (amazing) music tastes. Read on to discover your new favorite artists, check out our guide on navigating the festival this year and listen to our favorite tracks of the festival this year. To hear all of the Thresher’s song recommendations from artists at ACL this year, listen to our playlist on Spotify.

Out of the Box Art: Unusual venues to visit in Houston

With the weather becoming more bearable and life beyond the hedges calling, new activities to explore in Houston are a high priority for many students. Never fear, the Thresher is here with a couple of places worth checking out to explore art — and take some cool photos too. Some are outdoors, most are free and all are fun; here are some of our favorite unusual art venues.

Review: ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ rushes and dissatisfies fans

When “Venom” was first released in Oct. 2018, the idea of Spider-Man’s greatest villain — previously seen in “Spiderman 3” — leading his own movie created much skepticism for critics and fans alike. However the film itself exceeded all expectations. The story of investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the parasitic symbiote Venom teaming up to save the world was a hit, and the film grossed $856 million globally. While not an outright critical success — the film holds a 30 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes — the original “Venom” was a crowd pleaser and, in my opinion, a solid popcorn flick.

R2: The Rice Review creates space for literature and community at Rice

Nearly 300 Rice community members showed up under the glowing string lights of Ray’s Courtyard on Sept. 30 to both perform and listen to Rice students and alumni read poetry and prose, perform original and cover songs and more at R2: The Rice Review’s fall Open Mic Night. 

Must-see horror: scary movies to watch this fall

As the humid Houston air drops cooler and Rice Coffeehouse begins to sell more hot drinks than iced, everyone knows what that means — it’s almost Halloween. Debatably one of the best holidays, Halloween isn’t just about the day everyone gets to dress as sexy versions of their favorite characters but also the entire month leading up to it. While taking a break from drowning in midterms, this season is a great time to cuddle up with your partner, friends, or even just yourself to watch some scary movies that distract from the real horror of your grades after that recent exam. 

Rest & relaxation: four places to unwind near campus

During midterm season, it’s important to prioritize mental and physical wellbeing while ensuring all your papers are cited and your benzene rings are perfectly drawn. Here are the Thresher’s suggestions for places or options to relax and unwind off-campus. 

Clarissa Tossin’s ‘The 8th Continent’ opens at Brochstein Pavilion

The third installation of the Moody Center for the Arts’ Off the Wall series, Clarissa Tossin’s “The 8th Continent” opened at Brochstein Pavilion on Sept. 24 and will remain there until Aug. 27, 2022. “The Off the Wall series is a partner with the core residency program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,” Alison Weaver, executive director of the Moody Center, said. “We commission an alumnus of the program to come back to Houston and create a site-specific work that’s on view for one year.”

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Sept. 29

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.