Arts & Culture

Television finally regains its footing

Seven months is how long it has been since that Friday in February when hope was finally restored to television fans across the country. And four days later, the official announcement had been made — the strike was over. It had been a frustrating 14 weeks watching little more than the Writers Guild of America, whose members constitute the backbone of television and cinema, stand up for themselves.

Take a chance on Take

Oftentimes I’ll be given the chance to screen the smallest of indie flicks with an opportunity to interview the filmmakers or stars. Usually, after seeing the movie, I want nothing to do with it ever again. Such was not the case with Take. The first thing that drew me into Take was its cast: I’d loved Minnie Driver since Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting and had recognized Jeremy Renner from Swat, North Country and 28 Weeks Later.

They came in peace But left some pieces

Brimstone Howl, one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands inhabiting earth, came through Provo in August to promote their new album, We Came in Peace. You probably didn’t hear about the show because it was played at an undisclosed location (wink wink), but it shook the building to its foundations.

A Case for Criminal

If you are looking for a great comic book experience but superheroes don’t get your cape blowing and you want something a bit more grounded, then look no further than Criminal. Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips, Criminal has consistently been one of the best comic books published.

Dave’s movie corner

Football season is upon us. That would probably mean a lot more to UVU if we had a football team, but until that day, here are some flicks about the gridiron to tide us over. Leatherheads – This 2008 comedy from director George Clooney is a throwback to the lightning fast comedic dialogue of the films from the ’30s and ’40s.

Eerie new Fringe crash-lands

As lightning flashes, an overly anxious passenger aboard flight 726 proceeds to inject himself with an unknown substance — the aftermath can only be described as one of the most gruesome and horrific sequences in television history. Let’s just say it involves melting flesh and gallons of vomit.

George Winston comes to Provo

This Friday, solo pianist George Winston will perform at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. Winston, whose career began in 1972 with his first album, Ballads and Blues, has since released seven multi-platinum, platinum and gold albums. Chances are the majority of UVU students have never heard of Winston.

March of the Salt Soldiers

Catching a production like UVU’s March of the Salt Soldiers is a rare opportunity; if you are reading this newspaper, the script was written specifically for you. There will be a character you can relate with, and the subject of the dialogue directly effects you.

Mario + Picasso = ?

Of all the accusations that are constantly (and arbitrarily) hurled at the video game medium, none is more unverifiable than the claim that “games aren’t art.” In a world where gaming is increasingly becoming an integral piece of the cultural pie, it’s getting harder and harder to shoehorn gamers into the violence-prone, anti-social, basement-dweller cookie cutter of a bygone age.

Web site of the week: DeviantArt.com

The Web is littered with image hosting sites. Visit Photobucket or TinyPic and you’ll find an unlimited amount of random pictures hosted on their servers for uses known only to those who uploaded them. DeviantArt however, focuses not so much on the art being hosted, but on the artist.