Album review: MARINA’s ‘Love + Fear’ produces unoriginal sounds, fails to convey clear message

Neither love nor fear come to mind when listening to MARINA’s new album. Dropping “the Diamonds” from her stage name, the pop artist has returned to make a statement with her fourth album, “Love + Fear.” Whether she gets it across is another question. The work is her first release since her 2015 album, “FROOT,” […]

Westwood’s new Dim Sum House provides mediocre-but-cheap Chinese cuisine

Sweet custard buns decorated with pig faces were the highlight of Dim Sum House. The Westwood restaurant, which opened in early April, serves Chinese dim sum, Japanese-inspired hot pot and various types of barbecue. The menu boasts multiple dishes priced under ten dollars, allowing budget-conscious customers to taste a variety of items. With minimal decorations […]

Movie review: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ lives up to hype, provides perfect conclusion to franchise

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Just to make two things clear – “Avengers: Endgame” is definitely the end, and the end might just be the best part. “Avengers: Endgame” was made for Marvel fans, by Marvel fans, and rightfully so. Millions of devoted moviegoers have stuck with this […]

Art to Heart: Close encounters with contentious art challenge long-held conceptions, definitions

Art, the universal language, can transcend space and time to reach a diverse audience. We hear this all the time, but do we truly feel the weight of these words? A cloud of elitism envelops the “art world,” alienating the perspectives of some while glorifying those of others. In efforts to challenge ideas that reinforce […]

‘Game of Thrones’ season 8 recap – Episode 2: ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’

Winter is here: The final season of “Game of Thrones” is one of the most highly anticipated television events of the last decade. Follow our columnists as they explore students’ weekly reactions as an iconic era of pop culture comes to an end. Beware, spoilers lie ahead. Death is coming! But first, we return to […]

Theater review: ‘The Niceties’ examines emotional fallout and complexity in conversations about race

Ever have an intense conversation with a professor during office hours? Politely asking for a grade change or feigning interest in their research for a recommendation letter might yield awkward encounters, but it surely can’t top “The Niceties.” The play, which will run at the Geffen Playhouse until May 12, follows university student Zoe Wood’s […]

Movie review: ‘La Llorona’ proves to be just another horror movie with jump scares, simple plot

“The Curse of La Llorona” is the quintessential modern horror film: simple, frightening and tedious. Director Michael Chaves’ first foray into a big Hollywood horror franchise gives writing teachers the umpteenth example of a formulaic horror film to teach their students story structure. In a genre that often relies on stale tropes and derivative plots, […]