Star Trek Beyond falls short of warp speed
In attempting to portray the Federation and Starfleet as anything less than a galactic utopia, Star Trek Beyond falls short. Director Justin Lin is clearly comfortable with breaking out of Trekkies' comfort zones (he destroys the Enterprise in the first act!), but he doesn't do enough to convince us that the Federation is actually vulnerable.
Artbeat brings Cambridge together
Artbeat offered even more by providing a stage (or two) to rising musicians, celebrating local food entrepreneurs, and opening doors for unique artistic talents. This year’s theme ‘Roots’ attracted many sustainability and green-awareness organizations and community projects.
Shakespeare meets Star Trek
The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble’s rendition of The Tempest was an infusion of the Bard and Star Trek. I’m usually not the biggest Shakespeare fan but I am a sci-fi nerd, and I enjoyed the many tributes to popular science fiction franchises throughout.
Ghostbusters remake is smart and hilarious
Ghostbusters is a hilarious action-filled remake of the critically acclaimed 1984 version. This one casts four women to compose the team of sharp Ghostbusting badasses. With Ghostbusters, MIT gains another notable fictional alum, Erin (Kristen Wiig), who sports a gold brass rat throughout the film.
Phantom Boy
The dialogue leaves much to be desired, and the plot is about as predictable as it gets. The film is for children, but unlike some other kids’ movies, this one might be best left for the PG audience.
The Porch Yellers lament the "Dormpocalypse"
It’s official: we’ve entered the songwriting stage of the pervasive discontent among students about the state of dorm life on campus.
Climate change, foreign policy, and mass surveillance
Shifting her work, which was previously rather pastoral and orchestral, to pop-inspired electronic music, Anohni focuses on politics this time in an attempt to make a protest album.
A potpourri of performances in Boston Ballet’s Mirrors
The pas de deux has an impressively broad range of moves. The spins and lifts are mostly unique, and the variety easily keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Darkness lurks in Hemingway’s island paradise
The film’s ambition in trying to tell several stories at once can’t be faulted, but we are left wanting a little more of each.
Misa Kuranaga takes flight in spring premiere of Swan Lake
Kuranaga is wonderful at capturing the frail, tormented, hauntingly beautiful White Swan in the second act, yet is able to quickly switch to the energetic, coquettish Black Swan for Act III.
An unnecessary addition to the Snow White and the Huntsman franchise
At this point, the plot turns into an avalanche of random fantastical events. We find out that the mirror has the equivalent effect of Medusa’s head (except people are turned into murderers instead of stone), goblins somehow become involved, and we even see Freya riding around on a polar bear.
The Wild Party
The piece is relatively fast-paced throughout, with one dramatic turn following another and songs flowing almost like a stream of consciousness.
Creative sandwiches made with gooey eggs and delicious bagels
The sandwich tasted like a typical breakfast sandwich at first, but the mustard butter definitely made it stand out — it provided the perfect tangy kick to make it immediately more memorable than any other breakfast sandwich. Gooey eggs also never hurt.
A tale of hazing and hacking at MIT
For those unfamiliar with MIT, reading Geeks & Greeks will likely be an eye-opening experience, as the graphic novel quickly dispels many MIT stereotypes. In the first few chapters, we see that Greek life exists at MIT, and that students aren’t a bunch of overly serious nerds — they like to joke around, prank each other, and put large objects on top of buildings. I’m a campus tour guide, and you wouldn’t believe (and would maybe be a little insulted) by the number of tourists and prospective students who ask if MIT even has clubs, Greek life, and sports. The artwork is consistently pleasing throughout the novel, and certainly does a great job at bringing many unbelievable events to life. In this way, the novel is certainly a compelling read, filled with jokes that will please anyone with nerdier sensibilities and stories that are sure to inspire young readers to apply to the Institute.
Horace and Pete: the best show nobody knows exists
Part One: What is Horace and Pete?
My Brightest Diamond
Shara Nova (formerly Shara Worden), the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist known for her versatile musical repertoire and artistic moniker My Brightest Diamond, visited Boston on March 17 as part of Stave Sessions, a set of chamber music concerts organized by The Celebrity Series of Boston and featuring innovative and eclectic musicians and performers. The Tech took the opportunity to talk to Nova about her latest album, inspirations, and live performances before attending her intimate, two-hour concert at Berklee College of Music.
Julia Holter’s exquisite live performance
After the captivating live rendition of “Goddess Eyes I,” Julia Holter smiled to the audience and remarked that the only thing she could see that night in the background of Allston’s dimly-lit Great Scott was the live stream of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders’ Democratic presidential debate on TV. The audience immediately burst into laughter.
Much Ado About Nothing: hormones and humor run rampant in Messina gaming lounge
Taking a theatrical journey to Messina, the traditional setting of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, was exactly what I needed by the end of this past week. It turned out to be a rather unexpected kind of Messina — a gaming lounge rather than a small Italian town. But hey, “all the world’s a stage,” and the Shakespeare Ensemble does a fantastic job of adapting one of the Bard’s most beloved comedies to ours.