Pop-Cultured: A Dark Obsession

By Abigail Raasch

November 9, 2019

In the darkness of the morning, I roll over and begin scrolling through my phone. As I get ready, the latest Billie Eilish album runs on repeat. I sing along to “Bad Guy” and walk to Trax listening to “Bury a Friend.” At school, my friends and I discuss the newest comic book adaptation, the dark...

Utah Symphony Celebrates Día de Muertos with ‘Coco’

By Palak Jayswal

November 7, 2019

With Halloween now over, the spooky decorations and costumes are being tucked away across many households. But when Halloween ends, another celebration begins — Día de Muertos, or the Day of the Dead — a major holiday in Mexican culture. The Utah Symphony participated in this year’s celebrations...

September Arts Desk Favorites

By Palak Jayswal, Christopher Payne, Alison Myers, Abigail Bowe, Abigail Raasch, Kate Button, Ray Gill, Weston Wood, Arielle Gulley, Hannah Keating, Oakley Burt

October 29, 2019

  Palak Jayswal September quickly turned into a month of nostalgia for me. It’s always interesting to be able to turn back to old art — whether it’s music, tv or a good book — and relive the feelings you experienced when you first consumed it. For me, September consisted of reminis...

Art vs. The System: The Morality of Bootlegs

By Alison Myers

October 24, 2019

Let’s set the stage: it’s 2019. The musical, “Hamilton,” has long since garnered accolades and publicly denounced Mike Pence. The cast has transformed several times and traveled around the country, stealing hearts in every state. Of course, you know this, because if you love the musical, you’ve...

The Gaza Fights for Freedom: Independent Documentary, Collective Cause

By Alison Myers

October 14, 2019

Lights at the concert blared outside the Union where students flooded into the gates to enjoy a night of music. Unnoticed, though, behind this chaos was a quieter gathering of Salt Lake residents including socialists, antiwar advocates, peace advocates and the generally curious. The subject — protests...

Joaquin Phoenix Delivers Chilling Performance in ‘Joker’

By Oakley Burt

October 4, 2019

Todd Phillips’ standalone film "Joker," starring Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role, premiered in theaters across the nation on Thursday night.  "Joker" tells the story of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a failed stand-up comedian continually humiliated, harassed and belittled. Disregarded by society, Fleck begins his d...

ASUU Gets its Freak on with ‘Joker’ Screening

By Alison Myers

September 25, 2019

  Cotton spiderwebs, plastic skeletons and "jump out of your skin" movies. Folks, spooky season is upon us, and the Campus Events Board of the Associated Students of the University of Utah is prepared. ASUU has been bringing free screenings of new movies to the U ever since Jacob Young, the ASUU...

Web Series ‘Better with You’ Brings Audiences a Halloween Romance

By Oakley Burt

September 23, 2019

Romantic comedies are not uncommon — but romantic comedies set during Halloween are.  Apple Juice Productions has created a new original web series titled “Better With You,” set during the heart of spooky season. “Better With You” is an opposites-attract love story centered around attention-loving I...

Arts Desk August Favorites

September 17, 2019

  Arts is a rather broad, all-encompassing term. Here at the Arts Desk, luckily, we've got a wide range of tastes and appreciation for every facet of art. With this piece, we kick off a monthly project where we share our favorite arts production or item, providing a bit of insight to everyone...

Save Time and Money While Visiting More Arts Events through the Utah Cultural Alliance

By Abigail Bowé

September 10, 2019

  Most of the college students I know love the arts across a broad range of outlets and interests, ranging from professional interests to hobbies. Among them are vinyl collectors, photographers, Broadway fans, choir devotees, dancers, poets, writers, hardcore concert-goers, film geeks and costume...