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Arts and Entertainment

A&E 2/22/16 9:12pm

Cirque du Soleil soars with "Toruk"

By Thresher Staff and Ryan Lee

Known for traversing the limits of Euclidean space, Cirque du Soleil materializes on stage the film that  pioneered mainstream 3-D cinema, James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Titled “Toruk: The First Flight,” the show is the obvious marriage of two visual feasts.

A&E 2/16/16 7:50pm

‘The Final Project’ debuts with found footage aesthetic

By Ryan Lee

Any aspiring filmmaker knows that the film industry is an unforgiving one. Financial- and distribution-related woes inevitably weigh down even the purest of passion projects. Even if the film manages to wring itself through the logistical nightmare, it will be splayed out to the saturated market to be torn apart by the circling critics. Under this spotlight is Taylor Ri’chard’s directing debut, “The Final Project,” in which a group of college students investigates the paranormal activity of a historic plantation in Louisiana.

A&E 2/16/16 7:34pm

Cooking Girl trumps Mala Sichuan

By Denise Lee

Ever since I left the birthplace of Sichuan food, I have always craved the exciting juxtaposition of the two sensations. Naturally, I was thrilled when I found out that there were not one, but two Sichuan restaurants inside the Houston loop where I could satisfy my spicy Chinese food cravings without making the lengthy drive out to Chinatown. During my recent visit to Cooking Girl, I sought out the classic dishes in order to adequately compare the two establishments.

A&E 2/16/16 7:29pm

‘Eurydice’ cast attempts to salvage mediocre material

By Cannon Lewis

The unique power of myth is simplicity. By reducing characters to a few key traits and flaws, myths allow a reader to reflect on those qualities in their own life. In contrast to myth, real life is complex and difficult to understand, filled with self-contradiction, unclear motivation and shades of gray.

A&E 2/2/16 9:17pm

Spotlight shines as unlikely Oscar contender

By Ryan Lee

With the 2016 Oscars just around the corner, most pundits have truncated the official list of eight Best Picture nominees to an unofficial shortlist of three: the gripping “The Revenant,” the provoking “The Big Short” and the oddball – “Spotlight.” Mainstream media have largely sidelined “Spotlight,” which is a true story about the Boston Globe’s investigation of the Catholic Church child sex scandals in the early 2000s.

A&E 1/25/16 10:51pm

The best TV you will watch all year: Four series to binge watch

By Sophie Newman

Let me begin with this disclaimer: I watch a lot of TV. When people ask me, “Have you seen this show?” And I have, I try to brush it off casually, as in “Oh, I have passively watched a few episodes, but I definitely didn’t see the entire three seasons in one binge session on Saturday night, when I should have been socializing, or eating or otherwise experiencing life outside my bed.” But I’m coming clean.

A&E 1/25/16 10:51pm

Zombies breathe new life into literary classic

By Ryan Lee

In a world where matchmaking is everything and “sensible” ladies are confined to the drawing room, the last thing the Bennet sisters need is to fight off a horde of zombies, yet that’s exactly what happens in the upcoming film “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” Austen purists might object: “Subtlety is all but ruined in this heightened culture of ours.” Zombie aficionados might lament: “I find it hard to believe Lizzy Bennet can knock down an actual zombie while wearing a corset.” Notwithstanding, whether one be posh or nerd or somewhere in between, I believe there does exist a Venn diagram where the Victorian gentry and the walking dead overlap.

A&E 12/11/15 1:07pm

Mental melodies: The science behind study music

By Lydia Dick

As much as we hate to acknowledge it, exam time is upon us. Soon every nook and cranny of Fondren will be full of students glued to their textbooks and laptops, maintaining a level of focus that is only possible when 30 percent of your final grade is on the line. While we all have different study habits, listening to music while studying is nearly ubiquitous among students.

A&E 12/5/15 5:00pm

Hot Review: The Revenant

By Kaylen Strench

Towards the end of The Revenant, the main character, Hugh Glass is told: “Revenge is in God’s hands.” Glass states the phrase to himself again, at the end of the film, at the moment at which his time for revenge seems to have finally arrived. Alejandro Inarritu’s The Revenant, set in a harsh pocket of 1820s American frontier, is certainly about revenge, but it focuses even more on duty, perhaps the real question raised by the advice given to Glass.

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