America’s burnin’ up with nostalgia. But all fevers have to break. In March, the Jonas Brothers made a move that possibly changed the course of American society by dropping “Sucker” – their first song since the band’s historic split in 2013. And it didn’t disappoint. Riding a wave of sentimentality, the song clearly drew from […]
Category Archives: Arts Columns
Concert review: Vulnerability takes center stage in Quinn XCII’s engaging, humanizing performance
Quinn XCII led fans to “Another Day in Paradise” at The Wiltern. The Saturday show was part of the electric pop musician’s “From Tour with Love” tour, titled after his second album, “From Michigan with Love,” which celebrates individualism and nostalgia. Quinn XCII delivered heart-stopping bass rhythms from songs across his two albums. His encore […]
Movie review: ‘Pet Sematary’ revival falls flat, fails to deliver fully fleshed-out horror
The plot of “Pet Sematary” is almost as nonsensical as its spelling. An unclear timeline and inconsistent performances do not exactly help, either. Following the 1989 film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 novel, “Pet Sematary” takes yet another visual incarnation. The movie opens on Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his family moving into a remote […]
Art to Heart: Students reinterpret Big Bertha to subvert art world’s miasma of elitism
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 […]
Theater review: New ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ tastes a little sour among all the sweet
People say not to talk with food in your mouth, but they never said anything about singing. With gobstoppers in their cheeks, the cast members of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” set out to create a world of candy and color at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. However, the show – which runs until April 14 […]
Album review: ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ takes a new way to exploring the night
Billie Eilish unveils nighttime terrors in her debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” The 17-year-old singer-songwriter generates intrigue by juxtaposing her angelic voice with dark, twisted lyrics and electronic sounds. Each song in her new album relates to a different night phenomenon Eilish said she personally experiences, such as sleep […]
Concert review: James Bay’s ‘Electric Light’ tour energizes audience with vibrant sounds
James Bay strutted on stage in a leather jacket, wielding a jet-black guitar while strumming electricity into the air. The indie rock artist brought melodic vocals to The Wiltern on Monday night during the Los Angeles leg of the “Electric Light” tour. Although the tour was supposed to take place last year, Bay said it […]