One of the lesser known shows that debuted this month is Framework, Spike’s latest reality TV offering that pits “elite furniture craftsmen” against each other in a competition hosted by—wait for it—acclaimed hip-hop artist, Common.
Film and TV
TV Reviews
Downton Abbey Downton Abbey has gained a solid and loyal following throughout its four seasons, mainly consisting of—from my experience—an older female demographic. However, I myself have kept up with the show, and have discovered some male friends who shyly profess their love for the British soap opera. This bashfulness[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Returning to Britannia
In what is supposedly the second golden age of television, the BBC innovates in a market saturated with conventional and mediocre American television.
Wrapping Up the Holidays
The McGill Tribune arts team presents an overview of the movies and music you may have missed over the break.
Pop Rhetoric: Got Blues?
“I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley/ To do black music so selfishly/ And use it to get myself wealthy” — Eminem
But first, let me renew Selfie
When ABC rolled out the promo for its new comedy Selfie, loosely based off the premise of My Fair Lady, millennials everywhere bemoaned its use of tired accusations that their generation was addicted to their phones, their Instagrams, and their hashtagged—you guessed it—selfies. For this reason, few were surprised when[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: A missed opportunity for The Newsroom
For those convinced of the self-absorption of the American “media elite,” the hoopla that surrounded the debut of Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom in 2012 was an excellent case-in-point.
The man who knew too much
If it’s the story at the heart of Citizenfour that gives the documentary its breathtaking urgency, it’s the film’s multilayered nature that makes a powerful statement on the modern relationship between a government and its citizens. Both a stunningly intimate character study and a larger, more global overview of governmental[Read More…]
Birdman successfully walks a tightwire
I’ve often wondered why actors don’t just retire after starring in a high-grossing film. Presumably, they have more than enough money to do whatever they want for the rest of their lives, so what makes them turn away from a life of comfort? Is it fear of boredom? Is it[Read More…]
Godard says goodbye to cohesion
Whereas other filmmakers have used 3D as a way to immerse us in their worlds, legendary director Jean-Luc Godard utilizes it to emphasize disconnect in his latest film, Goodbye to Language. While you can’t help but feel close to the dogs, flowers, and nude bodies that pop out at you,[Read More…]