Arts & Culture

Torrey Peters’ debut shines out in a sea of mediocrity By JACOB ANDERSON — arts@theaggie.org   In the world of MFA-sphere contemporary fiction, one pretty much knows what to expect. As many have pointed out, the insular, upper-class mores of academic-trained fiction seem to be incapable of producing anything artistically innovative because those for whom […]

Mulaney returns to the stage to address his road to recovery, recent publicity and distaste for scientists and rioters By SUN YIE — arts@theaggie.org    Though John Mulaney had incorporated quips that alluded to his previous experiences with addiction in his earlier specials, such as “The Comeback Kid” and “Kid Gorgeous at Radio City,” he […]

The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for movies, book, music and television shows By CORALIE LOON — arts@theaggie.org   Book: “The Secret History” (1992) by Donna Tartt If the title alone isn’t enough to capture your interest, here’s your nudge to pick up the book that put Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt into the literary spotlight. […]

The space integrates values of the Davis community at the core of its mission By CLARA FISCHER — arts@theaggie.org UC Davis’ very own Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art was recently named one of the 25 best museum buildings of the past 100 years by ARTnews. The distinction becomes especially poignant considering […]

“The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” at the Contemporary Jewish Museum is everything any fan of his work could ask for (and more) By ANGIE CUMMINGS — arts@theaggie.org   The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) in San Francisco exalts Jim Henson’s various fantastic and vibrantly colored puppet-populated worlds in their current exhibition, “The Jim Henson Exhibition: […]

What does it mean to say that the pop-punk princess has returned? By CORALIE LOON — arts@theaggie.org It’s the year 2002: Mount Nyiragongo Volcano erupts, a new type of black hole is discovered and — clearly most important of all — Avril Lavigne’s debut single “Complicated” hits the streets along with its accompanying album, “Let […]

Netflix neglects to fulfill its promises of improved inclusivity efforts with the live-action cast of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” By SUN YIE — arts@theaggie.org    Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (AtLA) is an acclaimed and beloved show that became popular in part due to its incorporation of multiculturalism. The show is centered around a team […]

The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for television, movies, books and music By JACOB ANDERSON — arts@theaggie.org   Movie: “Sexy Beast” dir. Jonathan Glazer (2000) Jonathan Glazer’s debut feature was a far cry from the film he is most known for nowadays, 2013’s “Under the Skin,” which was a vexing, unpleasant and partially improvised film notorious […]

The Manetti Shrem Museum’s new installation challenges dominant power structures through video art By SIERRA JIMENEZ — arts@theaggie.org “Why here, why now? Why Davis, why this moment?”  These are questions that Susie Kantor, the curator of the Manetti Shrem exhibition “From Moment to Movement,” asked herself in the summer of 2021 when considering what the […]

Discussions about the game’s brutal difficulty may be misleading By JACOB ANDERSON — arts@theaggie.org As “Elden Ring” whips gamers into a frenzy, topping sales charts and likely raising the risk of carpal tunnel for millions across the globe, discussions about the uncommon difficulty of it and its predecessors have once again returned. Since difficulty options […]

The film demonstrates the difficulties puberty presents within a teen’s journey of self-discovery By SUN YIE — arts@theaggie.org    This article contains spoilers about the film “Turning Red.”   Pixar’s new film, “Turning Red,” follows 13 year old Chinese-Canadian Mei as she learns to navigate her world with the help of her friends and her […]

Live music, talks, campus events and more to check out in Davis this April By CLARA FISCHER — arts@theaggie.org   “Sankofa” (Veterans Memorial Theatre, 7 p.m. on April 1, 2 and 9 and 2 p.m. on April 3 and 10) Sandy Lynn Holman, equity specialist, educator counselor, activist and founder and director of the Culture […]