Arts & Entertainment

A&E

'Promised Land' a socially relevant, simple film with a twist

By Stephanie Dodge | January 24, 2013

Promised Land is a simple and predictable film that nonetheless leaves you with some nice ‘warm and fuzzies.’ Screenwriters John Krasinski and Matt Damon team up with director Gus Van Sant, known for Good Will Hunting and Milk, among others, to create a socially relevant movie about small-town American life and its battle with corporations. Matt Damon stars as Steve Butler, a natural gas salesman who uses his small-town background to relate to the folks to whom he tries to sell his commercialized dream.

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A&E

Norfolk band Monback poised for breakout

By Emily Benedict | January 24, 2013

“Monback,” once an abbreviation for “come on back,” now can be heard during fans’ encore chants at venues such as the Norva and the Jewish Mother in Hampton Roads.

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A&E

Though flawed, 'Girls' offers portrait of a generation

By Monica Mohapatra | January 24, 2013

Lena Dunham’s Girls is not Sex and the City. Disregard any review that claims this is “SATC for the Gen 2.0!” because it isn’t and Lena Dunham’s hapless protagonist, Hannah Horvath, is nothing like Carrie Bradshaw.

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A&E

Gangster Squad provides typical but enjoyable plot

By Ben Willis | January 23, 2013

Gangster films have been a staple in Hollywood since the 1930s, depicting the struggle between cops and goons of varying intelligence and guile in brutal fashion.

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A&E

Band departures affect Mutiny Within's comeback album

By Robert Shimshock | January 23, 2013

Comebacks. They’re what diehard fans of countless artists dream about, usually to no avail. After keyboardist Drew Stavola left Mutiny Within and Roadrunner Records dropped the band for failing to achieve high-enough record sales with its debut album, vocalist Chris Clancy left because of financial difficulties and the group went on hiatus.

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A&E

MTV's Catfish explores a range of online relationships

By James Cassar | January 23, 2013

There’s a scene in the first American Pie where Jason Biggs’ character, desperate to land a prom date, creates a profile on a fictitious dating website.

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A&E

A&E knows best: Expanding your entertainment horizons

By Caroline Gecker | January 23, 2013

Here at A&E, we never claim to be arbiters of taste; but let’s face it, we’d all like to be.

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A&E

A$AP Rocky shows us the future of hip-hop

By Millicent Usoro | January 23, 2013

A$AP Rocky is a textbook case of a budding musician in the Internet age: His series of music videos on YouTube in 2011, including “Purple Swag” and “Peso,” garnered attention from record labels and led to a $3 million contract with Polo Grounds/RCA Records.

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A&E

'Unchained' genius, Tarantino triumphs with action-packed film

By Monica Mohapatra | January 17, 2013

Let’s begin this with the obvious: Django Unchained is a movie written and directed by the indomitable Quentin Tarantino.

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A&E

Tolstoy’s epic novel loses steam in big-screen translation

By Emily Benedict | January 16, 2013

Taking 800-plus dense pages of reading and condensing it into 2.2 hours of screen time is no easy task.

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A&E

Blink-182: Old 'Dogs,' new tricks

By James Cassar | January 16, 2013

This Christmas, as I was thrust into the past by an assortment of old-school gifts, I found myself in the good company of blink-182.

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A&E

'Downton' kicks it up a notch in season three

By Amelia Penniman | January 16, 2013

Last Sunday’s U.S. premiere of Masterpiece Theater’s Downton Abbey garnered a very respectable 7.9 million viewers, making it one of the most viewed programs of all time on PBS and surpassing the audience of fellow cult favorite Mad Men.

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A&E

'Journey' offers nothing 'unexpected'

By Katie Cole | January 16, 2013

Before I crawl out of my hobbit hole, I should preface this tale by telling you I have a special connection to The Hobbit that no movie could diminish — no matter how long it was. I read The Hobbit at age 10, and it was the first book I ever truly enjoyed.

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A&E

Lose yourself in FX's 'Asylum'

By Monika Fallon | January 16, 2013

American Horror Story: Asylum is not a show for the faint of heart. The FX anthology series’ first season, American Horror Story: Murder House, was horrifying, deftly capitalizing on suspense, supernatural content and a shadowy set to scare the pants off its viewers.

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A&E

Talented nominees face steep competition at 85th Academy Awards

By Conor Sheehey | January 16, 2013

Much to the delight of cinephiles and fashion freaks across the country, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its official list of nominees for the 85th Annual Academy Awards, a ceremony that’s sure to stir up enough gossip about backroom deals and bad dresses to get us through the rest of the bleak winter season.

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A&E

Adaptation of smash musical 'Les Mis' soars

By Jamie Shalvey | January 16, 2013

As a huge fan of the 28-year-running musical, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of Les Miserables.

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A&E

'Zero' scores perfect ten

By Conor Sheehey | January 16, 2013

From Michael Moore documentaries to Dan Brown adaptations, controversial movies are a dime a dozen these days.

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A&E

Let hilarity ensue: Amuse Bouche provides top improv

By Conor Sheehey | January 14, 2013

From a capella concerts to sculpture showcases, the University’s artistic offerings seem to know no bounds.

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A&E

Lohan's 'Liz and Dick' falls flat

By Sofia Economopoulos | December 6, 2012

Liz & Dick, Lindsanity’s (aka Lindsay Lohan) latest attempt at relevance, was an interesting mini-biopic about the love affair between the glamorous Elizabeth Taylor and her co-star/husband Richard Burton.

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A&E

A&E top of the pop 2012

By Cavalier Daily Staff | December 6, 2012

BEST MOVIES: 1. The Dark Knight Rises: 2012 was the year of the blockbuster, and no box office smash soared higher than the latest and greatest entry in the Batman series.