Garcia-Dominguez discusses music at MIT
The Emerson Scholars and Emerson Fellows program helps recognize the many talented musicians at MIT. The Tech had the opportunity to talk to Dario Garcia-Dominguez ’15 about what it’s like to be an Emerson Fellow, his Advanced Music Performance Student Recital this Wednesday at Killian Hall at 5 p.m., and music at the MIT. Garcia-Dominguez plays the piano and will be performing the following at his recital: Beethoven, Bagatelles, Op. 33, Sonata in E Major, Op. 109; Chopin, Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38; Prokofiev, Sonata No. 3 in a minor, Op. 28; and Liebermann, Gargoyles, Op. 29.
A good conversation about bad words
Jason Bateman might be well known as the affable pushover Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, but he leads Bad Words as the sarcastic antihero Guy Trilby, who hijacks a spelling bee for children and tells off anyone who questions him. The type of role is not all that’s new here: the film is also Bateman’s first time in the director’s chair. He was recently available for a college press roundtable, where he discussed the difficult balance between caustic and sweet that was needed to make this film work.
Reykjavík Calling in Cambridge
Iceland’s population is just around 320,000 (which means the island has fewer inhabitants than Alaska), but the nation has an astonishingly high propensity for music. The country boasts ninety music schools, about four hundred choirs, four hundred orchestras and marching bands, and a vibrant scene in rock, jazz, and electronic genres.
100 percent fairy tale
From start to finish, Boston Ballet’s Cinderella is an enchanting telling of the beloved fairytale. Set to a score by Sergei Prokofiev and choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, the ballet was premiered in 1948 by the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet), and is now being performed for the first time by Boston Ballet.
Taste of Iceland 2014 at Rialto
This past weekend, Taste of Iceland 2014 gave Boston the chance to experience some of what Icelandic culture has to offer. For this year’s event, Iceland Naturally, a cooperative marketing organization that promotes tourism, sponsored events including a concert called Reykjavik Calling at The Middle East in Cambridge, a Reyka Vodka Cocktail making class at The Liberty Hotel, and a photography gallery reception at 555 Gallery. But what drew me to the event was the rare opportunity to experience New Nordic Cuisine in the form of a special Icelandic menu at Rialto in Harvard Square.
Another teen sci-fi novel made into a movie?
I went into this movie with high hopes and low expectations, and I came out feeling pleasantly surprised. Given that this movie is the newest in a long string of teen sci-fi romance novels adapted into movies, I figured that it was likely to be overly simplified, strangely cast, and poorly acted. Fortunately, for the most part, this was not the case.
The Tech talks with cast from Divergent
Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for clarity.
MIT Shakespeare Ensemble presents Twelfth Night
The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble’s performance of Twelfth Night was hilarious. The play tells the story of Viola, who pretends to be a man to get close to Orsino, whom she loves. However, Orsino loves Olivia, who falls in love with Cesario, who is really Viola — a confusing love triangle at best. For those of you more familiar with popular culture than Shakespeare, you may recall the movie She’s the Man, starring Amanda Bynes, which was based off of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. This production was as humorous as any Shakespearian comedy and was set in an interesting time — the 1960s or 1970s.
A culinary rhapsody in blue
For our latest night out on the town, we ventured into the financial district and visited Blue Inc., a place for wild culinary adventures helmed by Chef Jason Santos of FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen.” It was a little hard to get there — it was a 10 minute walk from the Downtown Crossing T station — but the food and the handcrafted cocktails were definitely worth the trip. Blue Inc. serves mostly new American-style cuisine, although many of the dishes are inspired by Asian spices and flavors. With six in our group, we were able to share and sample a variety of dishes.
Architecture for the body
Designer Gulsha Chereli always thinks of texture first when she begins her design process, and that mindset was apparent in the collection she showcased at the Liberty Hotel last Thursday night. Even in the first round of designs shown, which favored a neutral color scheme, the texture and layer play was prominent: leather was paired with satin like fabric in a wraparound trench coat, the slim silhouette of a miniskirt was countered with draped fabric over the front of the piece, fabric traditionally used in businesslike blazers was molded into a Moto jacket, and black lace was integrated into every design. The line had a high fashion feel, but with a practicality that would make it easily wearable.
Clickbait the movie
This movie is a real mixed bag. It has the makings of a good story: we follow Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), who has found a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill National Spelling Bee. A contestant can’t have completed 8th grade by February 1st, and 40-year-old Guy never finished the eighth grade at all. He makes it all the way to nationals while dodging everyone’s questions about why he’s pulling this stunt, brushing off even Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn), a reporter from the news website that’s sponsoring him. On the way, he meets ten-year-old Chaitainya Chopra (Rohan Chand), a seemingly innocent foil.
Aaron Paul has a need for speed
Aaron Paul is best known for his role as Jesse Pinkman on “Breaking Bad,” and he’s a champion of independent films as well. But while DreamWorks’ Need For Speed is a major studio release and is based on a video game franchise no less, it was too fun a role for him to turn down.
High-octane and death-defying
Scott Waugh directs a film that only a former stuntman like himself would be able to pull off so well. Need For Speed is a modern homage to classic car films like “American Graffiti,” with all of the racing and stunts you’d expect and some depth that you might not.
The stars are bright
There was a high concentration of dance talent in Boston last weekend. As part of this year’s international Flamenco Festival, four of the world’s greatest flamenco dancers performed just across the river from MIT.
Not enough depth
Theater, by virtue of its intimacy, is meant to teach us something about ourselves and others. While The Whale carefully reveals the life of an overweight man, it does so by obscuring two traditionally ignored groups, young women and Mormons.
MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble: Homegrown Portraits
The MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble played a charming ten piece set last Saturday night, highlighted by the world premiere of an original composition, “Solace,” by Adrian M. Grossman ’14 and the first performance of Charles Mingus’ “Portrait” (1963) as arranged by Peter T. Godart ’15. Mark Harvey took over as a guest conductor for two of his compositions: “De-Evolution Blues” (2005) and “Saxophrenia” (2002).
Bethlehem explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Bethlehem follows 17-year old Palestinian Sanfur (Shadi Mar’i), the brother of a leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and Razi (Tsahi Halevi), the Israeli Shin Bet (secret service) officer who has recruited Sanfur as an informant. Set in Israel and the West Bank around 2004 near the end of the Second Intifada, the film explores the region’s broader conflict by examining the social connections surrounding the central characters.
Shakespeare, updated
I loathe Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays are generally over-performed, and I’ve seen far too many productions where actors speak Shakespeare’s archaic words in strange phrasings, making the plays inaccessible. Additionally, the plays generally lack interesting female characters and are often misogynistic. To say the least, I expected to be bored by A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Henry Jenkins returns
Around the world Henry Jenkins is known as a prolific force in media studies and as a champion of fandom and fan culture. He has written thirteen books — canonical texts for media scholars — including Textual Poachers and Convergence Culture. At the Institute, Jenkins is known for establishing and directing the Comparative Media Studies program and for his time as a Senior House housemaster. Jenkins left MIT in 2009 to become the Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.