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‘Youth Novels’ by Lykke Li Despite its title, “Youth Novel” is an indie rock album by Swedish artist Lykke Li. This novel is the kind of album that you keep playing in the background day-to-day and soon find yourself singing. Lykke Li has the voice of a five-year-old that causes her lyrics to sting more […]
The Hoot Valentine's Day playlist
The Hoot editorial board has chosen these songs for its Valentine’s Day playlist. Whether in love or alone, we hope you enjoy these picks. For lovebirds: 1. “As Long as You’re Mine” – “Wicked” 2. “As Long as You Love Me” – Backstreet Boys 3. “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You” […]
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‘The Artist’ “The Artist” is a very intriguing film. It is a silent movie done in traditional silent film style, including actors using pantomime and overly expressive facial expressions that are typical in the silent movie genre. The topic of the movie, however, is inherently modern in that it follows the life and career of […]
'The Voice' within: Rebecca Loebe
On Feb. 5, right after the Super Bowl, NBC will be airing the second season of the phenomenal hit, “The Voice,” a singing competition like no other. Contestants perform one song to four judges and a large audience. What exactly separates “The Voice” from “American Idol” or “The X Factor”? When contestants step on stage […]
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‘My Summer of Love’ On the surface, “My Summer of Love” seems like a movie whose only angle is featuring a lesbian couple, half of which has a cockney accent. After some time though, it becomes very clear that the film is not about that at all; it is about the difference between storytelling and […]
You Know We’re Right: Home for the holidays
Dear Leah and Morgan, I’ve had a pretty good semester. I have been hooking up with someone consistently since the beginning of the year. It’s nothing too serious, but we’ve been together for a while and it’s fallen into a sort of casual relationship. I’m really content at the moment, but I can’t help but […]
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‘Shadow of a Doubt’ Alfred Hitchcock’s later masterpieces like “Psycho,” “Vertigo” and “North by Northwest” usually get the lion’s share of attention when discussing his oeuvre, but to ignore his earlier films is to deprive oneself of some great filmmaking. Among the best is 1943’s “Shadow of a Doubt.” Teenager Charlie Newton (Teresa Wright) is […]
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‘Maria Full of Grace’ “Maria Full of Grace” is a shudder-inducing film. For the entirety of the film, the audience is constantly in disbelief as we follow the life of Maria Alvarez, a 17-year-old Colombian girl. The movie begins with her working in a flower plantation, where she works in conditions similar to a sweatshop […]
You Know We’re Right: Get that unwanted hair off of there!
Dear Morgan and Leah, I’m a pretty hairy guy. I always have been and it’s never bothered me. I’ve been dating someone for the past few months, however, and recently she’s been dropping more and more hints about manscaping. I’m not opposed to the idea but I’m not really sure how to go about doing […]
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‘Rocket Science’ An indie film about a 15-year-old stutterer learning to debate sounds questionable. Combine that with an obsessive-compulsive kleptomaniac for an older brother and a father walking out, and it sounds pretty awful. “Rocket Science,” however, pulls this background together and creates a charming protagonist in the form of Hal (Reese Thompson). Hal is […]
Arts Recommends 11/04/11
Film: ‘Husbands and Wives’ When people discuss Woody Allen, they tend to classify his films into two categories: funny Woody and serious Woody. “Husbands and Wives,” his 1992 effort, falls somewhere in between, its dramatic confrontations punctuated by moments of the bitterest humor. Gabe (Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow) have been happily married for years […]
Arts Recommends 10/28/11
‘The Science of Sleep’ A French film starring Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal (also in “Y Tu Mama Tambie”n), “The Science of Sleep” is a mix of fantasy, romance, and dreams coming to life. The last bit is not as much terrible cliche as it is a psychological disorder that Stephane (Bernal) has that keeps […]
Arts Recommends 10/21/11
‘I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK’ The Korean film “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK” is a bewildering film. The story takes place in a mental institution. Il-Sun is a kleptomaniac who wears bunny ears and spends his days playing ping-pong. This changes when a new patient comes in, Young-goon, a woman hospitalized for an […]
The Hoot does Halloween!
I never celebrated Halloween as a child. My parents insisted it was a pagan holiday and, thanks to Purim, I never felt like I was missing out. Also, I probably got more sweets than the kids who went trick-or-treating thanks to my mother’s strategic over-buying when it came to candy. I dressed up for Halloween […]
Arts Recommends 10/14/11
Film: ‘Soul Kitchen’ by Fatih Akin “Soul Kitchen” is everything you’d want a foreign movie to be: nonsensical, hilarious and full of unwelcome, random nudity. “Soul Kitchen,” a German film released in 2009, centers around Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos), a man who owns a restaurant that’s struggling to stay afloat. This, coupled with the fact his […]
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Film ‘Catch Me If You Can’ Can’t get enough of Leonardo DiCaprio? Even if he isn’t your favorite actor, you should give Steven Spielberg’s clever con-artist film a chance. Based on the true-life story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who impersonated a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer and a PanAm pilot in order to con banks […]
A Valentine’s Day Playlist
Whether you’re in a relationship or not, whether you’re going out for Valentine’s Day or staying in, you’re going to need some tunes while you do it. Here are The Hoot’s relationship status-appropriate picks for a perfect Valentine’s Day soundtrack for you. Love Birds 1. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Aerosmith 2. […]
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Long before films like “The Omen” tackled the hot-button issue of infants that may or may not be the antichrist, director Roman Polanski did it with 10 times the style in 1968’s “Rosemary’s Baby.” Everything appears idyllic for newlyweds Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy (John Cassavetes) when they move into their new apartment, save for […]
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Film Pick: ‘A Room with a View’ In one of the most romantic films of recent years, a young and British Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) travels to Florence, Italy with her prudish chaperone (Maggie Smith) in order to experience a more vibrant way of life. When she arrives she is dismayed to discover that […]
