Opinion – Page 3 – Pima Post

An NBA check-in: the Western Conference Edition

8Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Opinion, Sports

An NBA check-in: the Western Conference Edition

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post A couple of days ago, the NBA’s reigning MVP Nikola Jokić, continued his unprecedented play with a historic game log and a win to keep his team securely in the playoffs, even without his best two teammates. Then on Sunday, Jayson Tatum — one of the best young stars in the league — had a career performance and his Boston Celtics remain the best Net Rating team since the All-star break. Still, the collective basketball media world chose to focus on Lebron James’s 56-point performance in a rare win for a Lakers team that is inconsequential for the playoffs. James and his team have been covered with exhausting detail, and at this point, it feels like we're watching "Keeping Up With the Lakers" and not the NBA. When instead we should be talking about...

1Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion

‘The Worst’ is one of the best

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “The Worst Person in the World”Directed by: Joachim TrierRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 8 minutesNow playing at The Loft Cinema “The Worst Person in the World” is one of the most ambitious movies of the year. Not because it’s abstract or over the top, but because it’s inventive and original. Almost every movie nowadays is based on a comic book, it’s a remake or a biopic — and every now and then we get a completely original movie that resonates with audiences and critics. This is that movie. It feels refreshing even if the plot is something we’ve seen before: it’s a highbrow mix between “A Lot Like Love” and “One Day.” But Joachim Trier directed and co-wrote this movie with longtime collaborator Eskil Vogt in a way that it feels like it lives on ...

1Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion, Pima News, Reviews

Audiences absorb ‘Spongebob Musical’

What: “The Spongebob Musical”Where: Center for the Arts, 2202 W. Anklam RoadWhen: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday.ASL interpreters will be at the March 3 show. Cost: $12-$24Information: 520-206-6986 and online By EMILY GASTELUMPima Post “The Spongebob Musical” makes you feel like a kid again. It was a chance to see your favorite characters come to life. Spongebob, who was played by Samantha Beamer, brilliantly brought the water sponge to life. It seemed like Spongebob was actually there and that the audience was in Bikini Bottom trying to save the town from an active volcano. The rest of the cast also took their characters and brought them to life. It was exciting to see how the cast and director Chris Will portrayed the characters. “Spongebob ...

1Mar

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

News, Opinion, Pima News, Politics

The Word: What are your thoughts on the U.S. involvement in Ukraine?

By JOSH BAILEYPima Post “The U.S. should intervene if necessary but ‘play Switzerland’ and avoid World War III in the meantime. I really hope we can avoid war.” Veronia VasqueraMajor: Translation Interpretation “Even though the U.S. tends to put its foot where it doesn’t belong, Russia being able to take Ukraine is a big issue for us. It sets the stage for further conquest, and no matter what we do, war is inevitable. Russia is very much so a threat and can start the next world war.” Emile HarrisMajor: Psychology “U.S. intervention can end up just like Vietnam, and look how that ended. We lost. Look at Afghanistan. We lost.” Adrian IbarraMajor: Digital Arts “I don’t think we should get involved, but if things get worse, we might have to.” ...

15Feb

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion, Reviews

‘Flee’ is a story worth telling

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “Flee”Directed by: Jonas Poher RasmussenRating: PG-13Run time: 1 hours, 29 minutesNow streaming on Hulu Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee” is a unicorn of a film. We haven’t seen anything like it before, and we probably never will. Some films in the animated documentary genre have been nominated for an Oscar or have received critical acclaim, but none to the extent and success of “Flee.” Movies in this genre tend to be overly ambitious or too niche with their storytelling and animation. However, this animated docudrama has been a heralded success because of its simplicity in style. The reception from critics, audiences and the academy resulted in three Oscar nominations for Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature Film and ...

15Feb

By Pima Post Editorial TeamNo Comments

Arts & Entertainment, Opinion

2022 Oscar nomination takeaways

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post Now that the dust has settled from the media and fan reactions to the 2022 Oscar nominations, it’s time to do the uncool thing and look at the list with nuance and hindsight. For the most part, the nominations ended up being what many prediction models anticipated, and there was only one reproachable snub (it was not Lady Gaga). Although, the argument for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” receiving a Best Picture nomination could be made because it was a highly critically acclaimed movie and a massive commercial success. It demolished “Titanic” in the box office during an era when no one goes to theaters anymore because of streaming and the pandemic. The Oscars are on an annual slide in ratings, and adding one or two of these movies might give a...

‘Gem and Jam’ rocks Tucson for 14th year

6Feb

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Arts & Entertainment, Events, Opinion, Reviews

‘Gem and Jam’ rocks Tucson for 14th year

Tripp St. on the Onyx Stage Story and photos by JOSHUA BAILEYPima Post Pima Gem & Jam: Friday Roundup This weekend marked the 14th annual Pima Gem and Jam Festival in Tucson. The fairgrounds held a whopping 5,000 guest capacity for the music fest and hosted a variety of artists and DJs playing an eclectic mix of jams ranging from EDM to folk-country. Stars like Rising Appalachia, STS9 and Simon Posford were scheduled to appear over the weekend. The first year back from the pandemic made Pima Gem & Jam hit the ground running with a dazzling lineup of artists, entertainers and music-weavers. Tripp St., known for his unique style of electronic music reminiscent of action-packed sci-fi media, made an appearance at the Onyx Stage on Friday to an enthusiasti...

3Feb

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Arts & Entertainment, Opinion, Reviews

Beauty in a ‘Nightmare’

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “Nightmare Alley”Directed by: Guillermo del ToroRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 30 minutesShowing at The Loft Cinema “Film noir” is a term coined by French movie critic Nino Frank to describe a subgenre of detective and mystery movies between the 1940s and 1950s. The term translates directly to "dark" or "black" films. Movies in this genre are literally and figuratively dark: The lighting is dim to create gloom, and shadows are heavily employed to form an atmosphere of mystery. Their overarching themes include murder, double-crossing, pessimism or romantic betrayal. The characters in the genre are cynics motivated by selfishness or pure evil, who embark on an immoral and tragic journey. It's the opposite approach Guillermo del Toro has to his usual ...

25Jan

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Arts & Entertainment, Opinion, Reviews

Movie review: ‘Licorice Pizza’

By JAVIER DOSAMANTESPima Post “Licorice Pizza”Directed by: Paul Thomas AndersonRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 13 minutesShowing at The Loft Cinema “Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie is a charming and sweet coming of age story” is a sentence I never thought would be written or said, but that’s what “Licorice Pizza” is. Anderson’s films usually involve scenes with Daniel Day-Lewis throwing bowling balls and pins at a preacher-slash-hustler during the early 20th century oil rush in California. Or drug-induced shootouts in a living room with “Jessie’s Girl” and “99 Red Balloons” playing in the background. “Licorice Pizza,” however, is not a consuming character study nor an intense journey into darkness. It is a fun, hazy and more personal film for the eight-time Oscar-nominated auteur....

7Dec

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Arts & Entertainment, Opinion, Reviews

A new frontier in the Old West

By JAVIER DOSAMANTES “The Power of the Dog”Directed by: Jane CampionRating: RRun time: 2 hours, 6 minutesOpens at The Loft Cinema Dec. 10 and is currently streaming on Netflix In Michael Mann's "Heat," Robert de Niro's character tells his love interest, "I'm alone, I am not lonely." Throughout "The Power of the Dog," a psychological drama set in the Old West, I kept thinking about that quote. Everyone in this film is not alone, but they are lonely. Nobody's happy where they are, with whom they are, or with whom they are not. One character rejects society and longs for his brother's love in their mentor's absence. Meanwhile, the other brother wants to be accepted by society and rejects their way of life. A widow who terrifyingly coexists with her new brother-in-law ...