Inspiration comes in strange forms, and the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards chose to validate an array of idiosyncratic ideas, from inept frontier doctors to spider private investigators. The awards were given out Monday at the UCLA Faculty Center. All University of California students are eligible to apply to the annual contest. First prize is awarded […]
Author Archives: Tony Huang
Album Review: ‘Matangi’ by M.I.A.
For an artist with as much commercial acceptance as M.I.A., it’s startling how consistently idiosyncratic and complex her music is. Much like Kanye West – a kindred spirit, sharing an outrageous self-styled celebrity persona – she seems to give off the air of a pop superstar while making serious, committed art. Of course, for any […]
Love | Hate: Is James Blake a maverick or just morose?
Musician James Blake burst suddenly into public view with his strange and original take on dubstep, before the puttering blares of today changed the genre forever. He rode the movement to fame, but by the time his self-titled debut was released he’d morphed into something more versatile – a singer-songwriter with a penchant for moody, […]
Movie Review: ‘Dallas Buyers Club’
To the surprise of many, Matthew McConaughey may turn out to be one of the better actors of his generation. He’s always had the charisma, but sometime in the last few years, some gear shifted in him – that charisma is now being used in much more multifaceted ways, and the effect is something like […]
Movie review: ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’
“Blue Is the Warmest Color” is a three-hour movie, but it’s the dozen minutes of explicit lesbian sex that has kept it in media news. Banned in Idaho and followed by a trail of critical controversy, “Blue Is the Warmest Color” has raised questions about sex and sexiness ever since its Palme d’Or win at the […]
Movie Review: ‘Kill Your Darlings’
“Kill Your Darlings” invests in an evocative title, but only in the most literal sense do any of its darlings die. Ostensibly a gritty biographical portrait of Beat Generation writers – specifically the Columbia University group, centered around Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) – “Kill Your Darlings” flirts with style, but never escapes the generic structure […]
Movie review: ‘A Touch of Sin’
The original version of this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information. “A Touch of Sin” Directed by Jia Zhangke Kino Lorber 3.5 Paws There are many purposes by which filmmakers approach murder, some better than others. In “A Touch of Sin,” there is only […]