Arts & Entertainment – Page 9

Star Wars is Dead and Disney Killed It: A Postmortem

5May

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Star Wars is Dead and Disney Killed It: A Postmortem

By KYLE KERSEY “The dead speak!” it says. Translation: “fuck you, audience!” The best thing I can say about the Star Wars Prequel trilogy is at least George Lucas was trying something different. Damning with faint praise, yes, but dammit, faint praise is praise nonetheless. It’s important to remember that, at his core, Lucas is an ideas-based filmmaker dedicated to thematic storytelling and technological advancement. You can see it in his first feature film, THX 1138, a dystopian sci-fi film with a relatively simple story but captivating visuals and world building. These are the very foundations that made the original trilogy a success: movies with stunning special effects and a universal but sometimes surprising story. Where he does not excel, however, is grounded storytelling and wri...

16Apr

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, News, Opinion

I stream, You Stream.

Photo of AMC courtesy of Wikimedia. By DALTON GRIJALVA Even though movie theaters across the country are closed, the show must go on. Many believe that movie-viewing would transition to mainly streaming in the near future. The virus has sped up that process. Many movies scheduled for March and April releases have been pushed back to later dates in the fall. Big titles such as “Trolls 2,” “Onward” and “Birds of Prey” made the switch to streaming services or video on demand (VOD). The switch comes as no surprise to families that are stuck in doors. The real question is whether this be the new status quo once the pandemic is over.The answer is complicated, to say the least. Studios are missing out on box office revenue. Many theaters aren’t profiting from concessions and are struggling not to...

Algiers soundtrack the apocalypse on “There is No Year”

11Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion

Algiers soundtrack the apocalypse on “There is No Year”

By KYLE KERSEY “There is No Year” begins where “The Underside of Power” left off: Franklin James Fisher powerfully performing poetry atop a flurry of synthesizer and drum machine. “We’re reaching out in order to get shot down / while the world around us just implodes,” he remarks, a theme that will be explored for the remainder of the record. But before we get into all that, some context is in order for who these guys are and why you should care. One of the most politically charged bands of the last decade, Algiers’ first two albums blended Motown soul and hardcore punk with overtly political themes of revolution and social discontent with the status quo. It’s music for those who create playlists consisting of Marvin Gaye, TL Barrett, Death Grips, Rage Against the Machine, The Stooges’ “R...

5Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment

Worst of the worst, rated by Razzies

By ANGEL CANEZ The 40th anniversary of the Golden Raspberry Awards is soon upon us to award the worst Tinseltown has offered. 2019’s list of losers includes: “A Madea Family Funeral,” marking Tyler Perry’s fourth Razzie nomination; John Travolta’s star turn in “The Fanatic”; horror thriller “The Haunting of Sharon Tate” starring Hillary Duff; PTSD-addled super soldier John Rambo in “Rambo: Last Blood”; and finally, “Cats.” “THE FANATIC” I started my weekend of darkness with “The Fanatic.” The film marks Fred Durst’s -- the lead singer of Limp Bizkit -- directorial debut and the movie was as bad as his music. John Travolta, in poor taste, plays an ice cream-loving superfan with autism-turned-scary stalker of his favorite action hero Hunter Dunbar. Trovolta’s character doesn’t even ha...

‘Swimming’ through Mac Miller’s final album

27Feb

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion

‘Swimming’ through Mac Miller’s final album

Photo Courtesy of Kmeron via Flickr Mac Miller performs at Dour Festival in Dour, Belgium, in 2014 By ANA FIERROS Released in August 2018, the late Mac Miller’s “Swimming” shed light on a version of the artist we had no idea existed. The potential for a world of music unbound to his previous works unraveled onto us like a Christmas gift. Here, we caught a glimpse of the ravishing mind of Miller. Within a month, the future that we looked forward to disappeared when he accidentally overdosed in September 2018. Now, a little over a year later, we get “Circles,” a posthumous album, counterpart to “Swimming.” It is a culmination of a journey we craved to see. This is not what was expected of Miller, but then again, neither was “Swimming.” Miller would’ve done just fine chart-wise if he...

18Feb

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion

2020 Oscars: hostless with the mostest

photo courtesy of wikipedia By DALTON GRIJALVA The Oscars have been, to say the least, a lackluster popularity contest in the inner circles of celebrity ties. Most of the time, the awards are full of pretentious pictures that most will never watch that don’t connect with many actual movie-goers. The 2020 Oscars ceremony was actually a quite pleasant experience: “A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.” For example, Eminem came out of nowhere halfway through the ceremony to perform “Lose Yourself,” a performance that was 18 years overdue. The crowd’s reactions started with confusion, but eventually some celebrities, such as Zazie Beats, appeared to be into it. Though “Joker” was the most nominated film of the evening, “Parasite” was the scene-stealer of the night, winning four out of ...

Pima’s CFA to host ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

18Feb

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment

Pima’s CFA to host ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

Story and photo by ANGEL CANEZ Pima Community College Center for the Arts will be putting on its first play of 2020 with its production of the 1952 Gene Kelly Hollywood classic comedy, “Singin’ in the Rain.” “Singin’ in the Rain” is slated to be much bigger, with an expected cast size of at least 23 people on stage and another 10 to 15 working behind the scenes. Last year’s big musical for Pima was “Mamma Mia.” Pima has its work cut out for them as “Singin’ in the Rain” is widely considered by many to be the greatest musicals to ever grace the film screen. “You have an entire background of people to help support and make the show really come alive,” said Stefan Baker-Horton, who plays the muiscal ensemble. The production runs from Feb. 20 to March 1. Showtimes will be at 7:30 p.m...

Gem and Jam Festival returns to Tucson, welcoming Tucson-born artist Thriftworks

27Jan

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment

Gem and Jam Festival returns to Tucson, welcoming Tucson-born artist Thriftworks

Thriftworks performs on stage at Gem and Jam 2018. Photo courtesy Peter Speyer. By ELLIANA KOPUT After their 2019 hiatus, Gem and Jam Festival returns to the Pima County Fairgrounds Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2020. Encapsulating a collective experience of music, visual arts, gemstones, camping and workshops, this festival is a grassroots staple in the Southwest. The festival takes place in conjunction with the Tucson Gem and Mineral show. The Gem Show itself has several events taking place across town between Jan. 20 and Feb. 21. “Over 55,000 people are expected to gather and visit Tucson, AZ from around the world during the 3 week Gem and Mineral Show,” reads the Gem and Jam website. “Which has motivated the organizers of the Gem and Jam Festival to provide a unique atmosphere- celebrating the...

Gem and Jam Festival Returns to Pima Fairgrounds Jan. 2020

7Jan

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Stomping Grounds

Gem and Jam Festival Returns to Pima Fairgrounds Jan. 2020

By ELLIANA KOPUT After their 2019 hiatus, Gem and Jam Festival returns to the Pima County Fairgrounds Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2020. Encapsulating a collective experience of music, visual arts, gemstones, camping and workshops, this festival is a grassroots staple in the Southwest. The festival takes place during the Tucson Gem and Mineral show, which has several events taking place around town between Jan. 20 and Feb. 21. Gem and Jam harbors a lineup of local, national and international talent, consisting primarily of jam bands and electronic artists. Tucson’s own, Soulular juxtaposes an indescribable array of wholesome downtempo beats, vortexual grooves, drum and bass and spacey dubs. Having played at festivals like Oregon Eclipse, Shambhala and June Jam, it’s a pleasure to welcom...

12Dec

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment

‘Born to Rap’: The Game’s last album

By COREY MCMULLEN We were first introduced to Jayceon Taylor, better known by his stage name “The Game,” in 2004. Brought to us as a member from hip-hop group G-Unit, The Game dropped his debut solo album in 2005 with “The Documentary.” For the past 15 years, he’s given us hits such as “Hate It or Love It,” “Old English” and “My Life.” The Game has been consistent for the last 15 years, and for him to say “Born to Rap” is his final album feels like we’re losing one of the last artists from the non-mumble rap eras. He’s truly one of hip hop’s all-time greats, leaving a lasting impression on the industry. It’s hurting me that “Born to Rap” is the swan song of The Game’s amazing career. Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s undeniable that he has been one of hip-hop’s greats throughout the 2...