Arts and Entertainment

Le Boeuf en Concert: a Moo-sical and Artistic Adventure

An avant-garde multimedia film project created by McMurtry College sophomore Connor Chaikowsky and Martel College sophomore Ling DeBellis, “Le Boeuf en Concert'' is an intersection of classic Soviet cinema and Latin American music and artwork. The project weaves together Chaikowsky’s violin performance of the piece “Circus Fantasy'' with DeBellis’ artistic rendering of the 1936 film “Circus.” It will also feature pieces commissioned by Rice University composers alongside artwork from the Houston art gallery Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino. “Le Boeuf en Concert'' will stream on A440.live on Feb. 12 and 13. 

Local organizations partner to revitalize the legacy of Houston's historic Freedmen's Town

Nestled in Houston’s Fourth Ward is the city’s historic Freedmen’s Town, a neighborhood of formerly enslaved Black people settled post-emancipation into what would become a cultural and artistic hub, rightfully earning the Fourth Ward its title as the "Harlem of the South" in the early twentieth century. While only around 50 of the original 508 structures are still standing in the 40-block district, Freedmen’s Town remains a historical, cultural and artistic hub, and local non-profit Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy is dedicated to protecting and revitalizing the site’s legacy. 

Kanau Sushi shines with fresh high-quality catches and chic modern design

Craving Japanese cuisine and want to try something new? Kanau Sushi, an addition to Houston’s long list of sushi spots, held its grand opening on Jan.14. The restaurant is located at 2850 Fannin St #400, in Drewery Place in Midtown, and offers top-notch sushi with excellent service and a relaxing environment.

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Feb. 3

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Jan. 27

Feel-Good Foods: A Guide to the Best Healthy Spots near Campus

Welcome to 2021! If you’re anything like me, you’ve seen the myriad of ads promoting healthy living and wellness in the new year. I believe in the idea that you are what you eat, and I am interested in feeding my body, mind and soul without perpetuating the toxic aspects of diet culture. If you are looking to improve your diet and lifestyle, I got you covered with a list of the best healthy options near campus.  

Review: “Promising Young Woman” bites back

Emerald Fennell’s feminist thriller, “Promising Young Woman,” boldly tackles the idea of consent and stereotypes against women. While the twist ending inevitably remains a topic of controversy for the message it sends to survivors of sexual assault, I admired Fennell’s atypical approach to expose the depth of society’s destructive rape culture. 

Sundance Film Festival brings official films and programs to Space City

This weekend, the Sundance Institute, in partnership with the Houston Cinema Arts Society, will present a Sundance Satellite Film Festival in Houston. The event, which runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, will include the world premieres of six feature films from independent U.S. filmmakers as well as local programming customized for the Houston community.  

Body Worlds stuns audiences with vivid human anatomy displays

Pre-med students, look no further — the perfect human anatomy class is on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. “Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life” is an exhibition that reveals the inner workings of the human body, and illustrates how various healthy and unhealthy lifestyles can impact our bodies. Now making its third return to Houston, the exhibition displays more than 100 real human specimens, including skinned corpses and human organs.

Review: Pixar contemplates life and death in visually stunning "Soul"

I am glad that this film came at the end of 2020, a very troublesome and unpredictable year that undoubtedly made people around the world acutely aware of loss and mortality. “Soul” inspires us to contemplate ourselves and those around us, while offering an excellent jazz soundtrack and visually stunning landscapes and skilled voice acting. 

Rice Players’ ‘A Doll's House’ transforms a Zoom meeting into its stage

Instead of walking on- and off-stage, actors in the Rice Players’ adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” clicked to join and leave a Zoom meeting. Putting on a livestreamed adaptation of the 1879 play posed a number of limitations, but also provided novel opportunities for creative expression. 

Review: Hurts Donut satisfies the Houstonian sweet tooth

If you are tired of Dunkin Donuts, or if the excitement of Voodoo Donuts has faded, you can now turn to Hurts Donut, which opened the doors of its new location at 5801 Memorial Drive on Oct. 22. And don’t worry — it won’t hurt at all to try. 

4 Native American artists you should know

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to appreciate the achievements and contributions of Native American peoples across the United States. In honor of this month, here are four Native American artists whose work provides a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of Indigenous cultures and what they embody.  

Zoomaka adapts annual showcase for virtual audiences

Rice’s South Asian Society ended the semester with a dhamaka (Hindi for “bang”) this past Friday, Nov. 13 with Zoomaka, a virtual version of their annual cultural showcase. Socially distanced watch parties catered South Asian cuisine and nostalgic Bollywood beats brought the event alive. The fully virtual event featured spoken word, dance, live musical performances, comedy and various other presentations by Rice students that illustrated unifying South Asian American experiences while also emphasizing diversity among the community. 

Chaus brews up new Espresso Yourself events

Rice Coffeehouse will revive its Espresso Yourself programming with a virtual artist spotlight series and an open mic event this Friday, Nov. 20 in front of the Moody Center for the Arts. The spotlight series will feature a Rice student’s artwork for one to two months via the Coffeehouse Instagram account, @eychaus — the first spotlighted artist is Sid Richardson College junior Sumin Hwang. This week’s open mic will also be the first of many which Espresso Yourself, led by Baker College junior Magdah Omer, plans to host once every semester.  

Weekly Scenes & Screens: 11/18

Local meets global at the 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival

Houstonian movie lovers haven’t been able to gather in front of the city’s silver screens for a while now. But this month, over 40 documentary and narrative films, short film blocks, Q&As, dance performances, DJ sets and workshops will be available to stream right to computer screens — and a select few will light up the night at local drive-ins — from Nov. 12-22 at the 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival.

Review: Tiger Sugar Boba is all flair and no flavor

As I soaked in the shadows of the Bellaire strip mall in line, not within sight of the already famous Taiwanese boba shop for hours, frantic thoughts raced through my mind: Shouldn’t I be studying for my midterms? Could my lactose-intolerant body handle this distinctly dairy experience? Isn’t it a little early for the DJ to be blasting Kesha and Pitbull? As neither a boba connoisseur nor line enthusiast, the grand opening of Tiger Sugar was nonetheless a very interesting experience. Frankly, Tiger Sugar undeniably delivered on the aesthetic front, but lacked depth of flavor and choices.   

‘A Kind of Rebirth’ manifests impermanence and repetition at Sleepy Cyborg Gallery

A fusion of photography, poetry and light projection, “A Kind of Rebirth” by Frederica Adriani and Lovett College senior Varun Kataria is the latest installation at Sleepy Cyborg Gallery in Sewall Hall. Printed on reflective paper, Kataria’s portraits cover one wall while Adriani’s poems are projected on them like a cycling Star Wars opening crawl. On view in person and online through Thursday, Nov. 12, the exhibition is the product of a study abroad experience that brought the pair together and their conversations about the idea of growth. 

New Horizons: Bryan Washington talks debut novel and A24 deal

2020 has been action-packed for everyone and Bryan Washington is no exception. For this acclaimed writer and Rice English professor, this year brought about great positive changes. His much-anticipated debut novel, “Memorial,” was published last month by Riverhead Books. Picked up for adaptation by entertainment company A24 prior to publication, the novel’s release made waves in literary and television communities alike. A native Houstonian, Washington published his award-winning short story collection, “Lot,” last year and was appointed Rice’s first Scholar-in-Residence for Racial Justice in July, a title he holds alongside his distinction as George Guion Williams Writer in Residence.