J-pop music strikes a chord strikes a chord with student with student pianists
Four. Strike. Five. Strike. Three. Strike. Six. Strike. ATEC junior Caleb Wang strikes a wave of upbeat J-pop chords in the rhythm of “Fireworks” by DAOKO and Kenshi Yonezu. Chemistry freshman Nathaniel Nguyen sits next to him on the worn piano bench, rocking his head back and forth and animatedly...
A powerful slice-of-life
Yanagihara uses beautiful prose to play with her audience’s heartstrings in the enthralling novel A Little Life
Despite being called “A Little Life,” Hanya Yanagihara’s bestselling novel brings more than just a little heartache to readers by using beautiful language to combat the emotional and physical trauma she unleashes on her characters. The novel follows the lives of four men as they navigate the joys and trials...
SP/N Gallery honors ATEC Professor
Acquaintances memorialize artist who heavily impacted the DFW art scene
Richard Brettell, a prominent art historian and educator, transformed the Dallas art scene during his lifetime. His brief tenure as the director of the Dallas Museum of Art earned him the affectionate title of “Art’s Bad Boy,” and his passing in 2020 left a significant void in the local and...
Ask Sophie: Test Anxiety
Tips for managing stress during midterm season
After a long, hard week of studying, you take a deep breath and print your name on your exam booklet, eyes skimming over the first question. But as you try to make sense of the words, your heart sinks, your stomach churns and your mind suddenly goes blank. If this experience...
‘Malignant’ movie is a mediocre mess
Overused tropes, bad script create film that waffles between intense and campy
While there are well-written horror movies and comical horror movies, “Malignant” was a mediocre mash of overused tropes combined with a laughable script. After being beaten by her husband, Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) struggles with visions that incapacitate her, forcing her to witness gruesome murders committed by a dark force...
$5 for 5 hours: SNKRX
In essence, video games are just moving pixels on a screen given meaning by game developers. And while SNKRX is basically just a modified Snake game, it’s one of the most entertaining collections of polygons in recent memory. There are two ways to describe SNKRX’s premise. The simple way is...
Music, mythology and Madonna
Local artist Armando Sebastian discusses his eclectic sources of inspiration
Touting an impressive three solo exhibitions this year alone, Dallas-based visual artist Armando Sebastian is dominating the DFW art scene. Sebastian’s work captures a dense collection of inspiration, from Mexican folk art to Madonna, in unique and engaging portraits. “Serenade,” Sebastian’s current exhibition at Cluley Projects, features the artist experimenting...
$5 for 5 Hours: Musynx
Cheap rhythm game can’t compare to free alternatives
Can you feel the beat? Even if you can, it might not help you play this rhythm game. Musynx is a rhythm game for $3.99 that is similar to all of the rhythm games that came before it: difficult and containing high-speed charts and almost midi-accurate mappings of notes to...
Novel takes readers to new depths
“On Such a Full Sea” is a uniquely realistic dystopian tale that will stick with readers far beyond cover’s close
“It is known where we come from, but no one much cares about things like that anymore.” Thus begins celebrated author Chang-Rae Lee’s dive into a dystopian future that honestly comes a little too close for comfort. Calling it dystopian prepares you for Hunger Games-level spectacle, Orwellian repression or Gilead-like...
What’s what: this month’s local art highlights
Collections from both seasoned and emerging talent offer something for every taste
As this semester eases into its monotonous groove, it’s time for Comets to get cultured. How else are you going to sound smart in that art elective you enrolled in for core credit? Peruse the finest DFW art selections with this curated guide: 1. Armando Sebastian “Serenade” A standout of...