McConaughey’s perfomance may be career best: Film Review of Dallas Buyers Club
Posted on February 14, 2014 by martinconte in Arts & Culture, Movie Reviews
Sporting a bucket-sized cowboy hat and thinner than a cornstalk, Ron Woodruff is nevertheless a very familiar character to us. He’s a womanizing, alcoholic, rugged, obnoxious, insulting, son-of-a-gun. Loved in a certain cautious way by his friends, and appreciated for a compassionate heart under all the grime, Woodruff is still repulsive to us, as his […]
Finding love in the digital age
Posted on February 10, 2014 by Francis Flisiuk in Arts & Culture
Can apps like Tinder spark an off screen romance? Whether we care to admit it or not, technology is changing every aspect of our 21st century world and, of course, dating and relationships are not exempt. Single people in the digital age have numerous tools at their disposal for finding love in the form of […]
Album Review: Along the Way
Posted on February 09, 2014 by Francis Flisiuk in Arts & Culture
Mark McGuire has had a busy year. After splitting up with the electronic band Emeralds and signing on to the Dead Oceans label, McGuire has managed to keep up an impressive creative pace with the release of what may be his most ambitious work yet. His EP, entitled Along the Way features 14 tracks of […]
Film Review: “August: Osage County”
Posted on February 03, 2014 by martinconte in Arts & Culture, Movie Reviews
By: Martin Conte It’s every movie buff’s guilty pleasure. It’s like getting wine tipsy, or treating yourself to dinner just before the rent is due. Putting some of the finest actors and actresses currently at work in the same dilapidated mansion, alongside the finest actress of any generation and shaking up the bottle with crisis […]
National Album Review: “Grass Punks” by Tom Brosseau
Posted on February 03, 2014 by dkelly in Album Reviews, Arts & Culture
Grass Punks, released by Tom Brosseau, questions the imperatives of American folk, yet it is still able to pay dear respect to the timeless genre. Folk music has always been an elusive term––world music played by lower socioeconomic classes, artists from the ‘60s folk revival (e.g., Bob Dylan, Joan Baez), and more recently, bands like […]
National Album Review: “The Age of Reason” by Gramatik
Posted on February 03, 2014 by Francis Flisiuk in Album Reviews, Arts & Culture, Uncategorized
The Age of Reason defies standards in electronic music albums featuring 15 dynamic tracks that are rich in innovation and variety. The Slovenian born DJ Gramatik, whose real name is Denis Jasarevic, has been busy creating his own record label Lowtemp and crafting this gem of an album that’s been released after much anticipation. The […]
A&C Recommends: USM Theatre presents “Doubt”
Posted on February 01, 2014 by caldrich in Arts & Culture, Recommends
This week four USM students will take on the Portland Stage in a production of Doubt, the 1960s drama set in St. Nicholas’, a New York catholic school. A Pulitizer-prize winning stage play written by John Shanley will be under the direction of USM professor of theatre William Steele. Amidst the aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination, […]
Solidarity through literary arts: Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts on display in London, Cairo and USM
Posted on February 01, 2014 by Francis Flisiuk in Arts & Culture, Features
Seven years after a car bomb exploded in Iraq, killing 30 people, wounding over 100 and destroying the entire perimeter of Al-Mutanabbi street the cultural epicenter of Baghdad, a powerful art exhibition has arrived at USM entitled Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here that displays the significance of what happened on that day through visually impressive pieces […]
Arts & Culture Recommends: the Portland Comedy Showcase
Posted on January 27, 2014 by Francis Flisiuk in Arts & Culture
A Wednesday night at Bull Feeney’s on Fore street helps you realize that Portland has more to offer than just its restaurants, breweries and music events. It also has a thriving comedy scene. Some of the most successful comedians from all over New England gather at the Irish pub every Wednesday for the Portland Comedy […]
A&C Album Review–Gunther Brown
Posted on January 27, 2014 by dkelly in Arts & Culture
Good Night for Daydreams, released by Portland-based band Gunther Brown, shows expert songwriting matched with classic Americana styling. The regular hard-strummed acoustic guitar is an excellent compliment to vocals that are deep and gritty, but not muddy. The drums sit on top of the beat, giving rhythms that bounce, and hard thumping and simple bass […]
