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Cheney biopic 'Vice' wastes stellar work from Christian Bale

By Jack Rubenstein | January 23, 2019

Everyone on “Vice"'s marketing team deserves a raise. I could not wait to see the movie, mostly due to a stellar trailer that mainly focuses on the conversation where George W. Bush asks Dick Cheney to be his Vice President. The scene is tense and captivating, but nothing else in the movie comes close to echoing its greatness.

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James Blake's 'Assume Form' ponders complexities of human connection

By Aaron Paskin | January 23, 2019

On “Assume Form,” James Blake’s fourth studio album, the London genre-bender is enamored and overwhelmed by the many facets of human connection. An immediately accessible approach to pondering such an abstract area would be to ground it in something tangible, be it technology or simply the physical sensation of touch.

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2019 Oscar nominations: 'Roma' and 'The Favourite' lead pack of predictable contenders

By Sydny Long | January 22, 2019

This awards season has been an excruciating roller coaster ride, zigging past worthwhile contenders in favor of zagging into Bryan Singer’s trophy shelf. If the Golden Globes marks the start of a slow climb up the hill of anticipation, the announcement of the Academy Awards nominees marks the summit. 

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'Tidying Up with Marie Kondo' bridges minimalism and sentimentality

By Frances Beroset | January 9, 2019

“My mission is to spark joy in the world through tidying,” Marie Kondo explains self-assuredly in the trailer for the eight-episode show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” released on Netflix Jan. 1, as many Americans, myself included, are in a spirit of New Year self-improvement. 

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'The Bisexual' is funny, dramatic and much-needed

By Alizeh Sheikh | January 9, 2019

Riding the heels of her Sundance Grand Jury win for this summer’s “The Miseducation of Cameron Post," Iranian-American filmmaker Desiree Akhavan’s six-episode series “The Bisexual” debuted on Hulu in November with surprisingly little to no fanfare. 

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The allure of 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' quickly dissolves

By Jack Rubenstein | January 9, 2019

After three hours of watching “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”, Netflix’s new standalone "Black Mirror" movie that was supposed to take 90 minutes, I had to give up. 

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'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' is a novelty, not a revolutionary

By Alizeh Sheikh | January 2, 2019

In an era saturated with superheroes and villains, “Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse” is a welcome novelty for the Marvel franchise, though its stunning visuals are not enough to counteract a narrative that is same-old, same-old. 

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Personal rivalries become political in 'The Favourite'

By Sarah Derris | January 2, 2019

Director and auteur Yorgos Lanthimos has captured the attention of critics for his audaciously peculiar imagery and unorthodox storytelling. His repertoire includes “Dogtooth,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “The Lobster,” films that have split the opinion of viewers. Some call his work clinical and unrelatable, while others praise it as fresh and iconoclastic. 

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ZAYN grapples with the aftermath of superstardom on 'Icarus Falls'

By Margot Armbruster | January 2, 2019

Do good things come to R&B fans who wait? After teasing listeners for months following his 2016 debut solo album “Mind of Mine,” former One Direction star Zayn Malik dropped “Icarus Falls” Dec. 14. 

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'Mary, Queen of Scots' tells the tale of sister queens

By Selena Qian | January 2, 2019

In its tale of two monarchs, Josie Rourke’s “Mary, Queen of Scots” maintains major historical points but oversimplifies the narrative. 

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Six films released in 2018 that you need to watch right now

By Nina Wilder | December 31, 2018

As the Recess section’s resident film lover, the responsibility to decree the year’s best movies often falls upon my shoulders.

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'ROMA' offers human insight into loneliness and motherhood

By Don Gex | December 26, 2018

A marble floor comes into focus as the opening credits begin to play. No music, no conversation, just the simple sound of the water swishing across the pavement and a plane's engine booming overhead. 

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Novelist Yan Lianke underlines Nobel Prize ambitions in 'The Day the Sun Died'

By Joel Kohen | December 26, 2018

 Larry Moneta’s recent comments concerning China were heavily debated among Duke students, but they also revealed a much larger truth: Chinese culture is still a foreign world for most Americans, though more and more Americans now recognize China as a country worthy of their business interests. The language barrier is often perceived to be too large; therefore, its literature tends to receive only sparse attention.

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Making the case for 'Krampus' as a modern holiday classic

By Sydny Long | December 19, 2018

For the most part, my family’s taste in Christmas entertainment is laughably generic. We listen to the holiday radio station and soldier through a thousand wincingly pitchy covers of “Jingle Bell Rock” in the hopes of catching Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s rendition of “Carol of the Bells.” 

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From the culture desk: The top albums of 2018

By Will Atkinson | December 12, 2018

Last week, Recess released its staff picks for the best culture of 2018. Here are a handful of the best albums released this year.

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'Tension between friends has never been higher': Students talk Settlers of Catan

By Rob Palmisano | December 12, 2018

When students head home for winter break, one board game may figure prominently into their free time: Settlers of Catan. 

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Recess picks the best culture of 2018

By Recess Staff | December 5, 2018

From the much-hyped return of the “Incredibles” series to a new exhibit at Raleigh’s N.C. Museum of Art, here are the Recess staff’s picks for the best culture of 2018.

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'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' showcases the 1975's growth

By Jack Rubenstein | December 5, 2018

The 1975’s lead singer, Matty Healy’s life is perfectly analogous to what he has produced with his newest album: all over the place. Healy has battled a heroin addiction for years, suffers from depression and anxiety, and has gone so far as to even call himself “Not that mentally stable.” 

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New 'Fantastic Beasts' film is missing the Potter magic

By Kerry Rork | December 5, 2018

"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling, is the newest edition to the wizarding world franchise and  “Fantastic Beasts” saga. 

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'Hamilton' at DPAC brings the American Revolution to the Bull City

By Jaime Gordon | November 28, 2018

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s magnum opus “Hamilton” has been a cultural phenomenon since its Broadway debut in 2015. The musical’s soundtrack is now a ubiquitous part of American pop culture.