Elijah Ritch - The Daily Lobo

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REVIEW: Ethel Cain confronts listeners with the grotesque on ‘Perverts’

Elijah Ritch | January 20

On Jan. 8, alternative musician Ethel Cain released her newest project, “Perverts.” This marks her first release since her 2022 debut album “Preacher’s Daughter,” which garnered Cain critical acclaim and a devoted cult following. Ethel Cain, aka Hayden Anhedönia, is also a character and the protagonist of much of the artist’s discography. Her work encompasses a wide range of genres and styles, from Springsteen-esque heartland rock to haunting, epic ballads. Cain frequently explores themes like generational trauma, religious indoctrination — particularly growing up Queer in an evangelical Christian community — and sexual violence. After the release of her debut album, Cain “wrote on Tumblr about the ‘irony epidemic’ that had turned her dead-serious lyrics about sex, death and the divine into meme fodder,” according to Stereogum.

Culture

Sci-Fi and Sci-Fact exhibition explores how science fiction has shaped our world

Emmett DiMauro and Elijah Ritch | January 20

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque is presenting the Sci-Fi & Sci-Fact exhibition until June. The exhibit “explores the ways that science fiction and scientific fact overlap and help create our modern world,” according to the museum’s website. The exhibit is on loan from the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, where it initially debuted in December 2023. The exhibit explores the relationship between science fiction, scientific inventions and the future via displays that include memorabilia and props from books, films and television shows. Information plaques on the walls throughout the exhibit provide additional context on how science fiction has shaped reality and opened “doors for tomorrow’s creators.”

Culture

Guild Cinema screens documentary on the science of reading

Addison Fulton and Elijah Ritch | January 20

On Saturday, Jan. 18, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema hosted a screening of the documentary “The Right to Read.” The event was presented by the May Center for Learning and the International Dyslexia Association-Southwest Branch. The proceeds went to benefit May Center students. The May Center, which is located in Santa Fe and led by Executive Director and co-founder Amy Miller, is an organization that is focused on empowering “students with learning differences to be successful, confident learners,” according to the mission statement on its website. The organization has multiple programs, including the May School, which serves students through 8th grade with learning differences like dyslexia, ADHD and language processing disorder.

Culture

Guild Cinema January preview

Elijah Ritch | January 13

Here are a few of the exciting films that Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema will screen during the remainder of this month. Over the past 93 years, horror maverick Tod Browning’s 1932 classic “Freaks” has built a reputation as one of the most notorious films of all time. Set in a run-down traveling circus, the film follows a group of disabled carnival workers who must contend with abuse and exploitation from their employers, the ableism of their able-bodied coworkers, and the cruel jeers of circus attendees.

Culture

Native American Student Art Show highlights Indigenous youth creativity

Elijah Ritch | January 13

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque is currently hosting the 44th Annual Native American Student Art Show. The art show features the works of Indigenous youth from kindergarten through 12th grade who attend schools all across New Mexico. The exhibition opened on Nov. 23 and can be seen through Feb. 6. This year, the show’s theme is “Water is life.” “For Native American youth in New Mexico, this year’s exhibition activates a responsive avenue to channel their understandings of the vitality and sustaining force of water into innovative and artistic expressions,” a placard in the exhibition room reads.

Culture

Guild Cinema December preview

Elijah Ritch | December 11

Here are some of the noteworthy films screening at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema this month. From Dec. 17-19, the Guild will present a double feature of films by renowned French animator René Laloux. His seminal 1973 masterpiece “Fantastic Planet” will be presented alongside a new restoration of the original version of his 1982 film “The Time Masters.” A wild sci-fi vision from the future, “Fantastic Planet” is set on a planet where humans, called Oms, are the pets of giant blue humanoids called Draags. The film has been a midnight movie staple for 50 years — thanks to its outlandish psychedelic animation and bold countercultural message as an allegory of the evils of authoritarian governments.

Culture

The history of graduation traditions at UNM and beyond

Elijah Ritch | December 9

In American society, graduation has become a momentous signifier of the end of one period in life and the beginning of another. Whether this be from high school, college or any place else, the event of graduation has brought about an entire culture of traditions. With the University of New Mexico’s graduation ceremonies beginning on Dec. 11, here’s a look at the origin of some graduation customs. The tradition of wearing a cap and gown while graduating can be traced back to the 12th century, though at that time they were primarily worn to keep grads warm, according to the University of Illinois Chicago. The designs of typical graduation gowns were determined by the Intercollegiate Code of 1895, which the majority of universities follow to this day, according to UIC.

News

REVIEW: ‘The Fall’ earns its place at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema

Elijah Ritch | November 26

On Nov. 8 and 9, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema screened the new restoration of the 2006 cult favorite “The Fall.” “The Fall” is set in a hospital in Hollywood in the 1910s. It depicts the unlikely friendship between Roy, a stuntman who was badly injured on a film set, and Alexandria, the child of Romanian immigrants who has a broken arm from harvesting oranges. The majority of the film’s action takes place within a fantastical adventure story that the bored Roy tells to the precocious Alexandria.

News

REVIEW: Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Pérez’ is misguided yet entertaining

Elijah Ritch | November 25

A genre-defying epic, the film is a crime/comedy/romance/musical that tells the story of a Mexican defense attorney named Rita — played by Zoe Saldaña — who is contacted by Juan Del Monte, a drug lord — played by Karla Sofía Gascón — who needs help covertly obtaining gender-affirming surgery. The latest from renowned French director Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez” made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where the film took home the Jury Prize, which is essentially the festival’s third-place award. Its four leading actresses — Saldaña, Gascón, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz — collectively received the Best Actress award.

News

REVIEW: Soccer Mommy breaks and mends hearts with ‘Evergreen’

Elijah Ritch | November 22

On Oct. 25, American singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy’s new album “Evergreen” was released. A striking departure from her previous work, “Evergreen” finds Soccer Mommy, aka Sophie Allison, retreating into nature during a period of grief. On the record, the new mindset she has after reckoning with this loss is clear. There’s a distinct sense of ease to the songs — she’s unencumbered by the trivial worries of modern life. Her music sounds looser and more relaxed than ever before.