Derek Nguyen’s research into human eyes taught him that dilation of the pupils occurs from fear, excitement and sexual attraction. The knowledge he acquired culminated in his short film “Dilation,” which involves a vigilante who assassinates sexual predators. The fourth-year English student writes, produces and directs short films, commercials and music videos. However, Nguyen has […]
Author Archives: Sean Flannelly
Movie review: ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” builds Han Solo piece by piece but falls just shy of a compelling narrative. As the second stand-alone film outside of the sequel trilogy, “Solo” chronicles the story of the galaxy’s favorite grizzled outlaw, Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), and his path from a hopeful young thief to a disillusioned smuggler. […]
Production of ‘Spring Awakening’ navigates gender roles, adolescent hardship
Evelina Stampa’s school got in trouble for discussing “Spring Awakening” in class, but now in graduate school, she’s directing the same play on the main stage of the Little Theater. The story chronicles the struggles that a group of children face as they enter adolescence and the tragedy that results from their ignorance about adult […]
Global Melodies: Music of Mexico Ensemble preserves, revamps mariachi music
Some musicians may frown upon heckling, but mariachi performers often encourage supportive yelling, or grito, during their concerts. Grito can often be heard at performances by Mariachi de Uclatlán, a performance branch of UCLA’s Music of Mexico Ensemble. Directed by Grammy award-winning lecturer Jesús Guzmán, the Music of Mexico Ensemble practices traditional mariachi music in […]
Team Orange takes first place at the Dance Marathon Color Wars fashion show
A group of students dressed in carrot costumes strutted down the runway at Dance Marathon, throwing carrots at the energized crowd. Dressed as carrots for their namesake color, Team Orange walked away with first place in Dance Marathon’s Color Wars fashion show. Each team showcased creative costumes during the fashion show, all of which were […]
Environmental film festival work discusses parrots in LA urban landscape
Citizens of Pasadena, California, may be familiar with the parrots constantly squawking in and around the city, but few know about their native Mexican origins. The red-crowned parrots, first brought to Los Angeles through the exotic pet trade in the 1970s and 1980s, are the primary focus of “Urban Ark Los Angeles,” one of two […]
Hot Seat Club grills participants without heat or pressure
The Hot Seat Club has no rules or obligations besides confidentiality, a condition Angelo Pacumio said is key to its success. Every week, members of the Hot Seat Club gather in Franz Hall and sit in a circle of chairs until someone steps forward to be in the “hot seat.” After someone volunteers, all other […]