Tuesday, July 1

Oscars 2022: Score producer on ‘King Richard’ talks matching music with story

This post was updated March 27 at 9:54 p.m. “King Richard” is keeping score, on and off the court.   Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, the biopic looks at the life of Richard Williams (Will Smith), father to tennis stars Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton), through Venus’ journey from dreamer to professional player. Read more...

Photo: (From left to right) Demi Singleton, Will Smith and Saniyya Sidney play Serena Williams, Richard Williams and Venus Williams in “King Richard.” Alumnus and music producer Stephen Kaye said he matched the pace and tones of the film’s score with the Williams family’s emotional storyline. (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)


Concert review: Still Woozy brings dizzying energy despite technical difficulties

Still Woozy never fails to woo. After numerous show date changes, Woozy finally graced the stage on Tuesday at The Novo and unleashed a flurry of pent-up energy, all while remaining true to his soft artistic persona. Read more...

Photo: Sven Gamsky, better known as artist Still Woozy, performed Tuesday and Wednesday night at The Novo in Los Angeles. (Anika Chakrabarti/Assistant Photo editor)


Oscars 2022: Alumnus’s visual effects work brings ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ magic to big screen

This post was last updated June 14 at 7:38 p.m. Web-slinging through the multiverse would be pure scientific fantasy without visual effects. Bringing the fictional world of Spider-Man to life on the big screen, alumnus and visual effects supervisor Kelly Port was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” After Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell that would conceal his superhero alter-ego, he accidentally opens his world to the interdimensional villains of past Spider-Man films. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Kelly Port was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” (Left to right: Courtesy of Digital Domain, courtesy of Marvel)


Oscars 2022: UCLA lecturer helps guide cultural representation on ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

This post was updated March 27 at 9:43 p.m. From cultural nuances to character naming, accurate representation is a team effort. For Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” this team was the Southeast Asia Story Trust. Read more...

Photo: Asian languages and cultures lecturer Juliana Wijaya worked as a linguist for Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.” As a member of the Southeast Asia Story Trust, Wijaya reviewed character names to ensure accurate language representation in the film. (Photo by Anya Yakimenko/Daily Bruin. Photo illustration by Megan Fu/Daily Bruin)



Album review: Repetitive arrangements obscure lyrical depth on Rex Orange County’s ‘WHO CARES?’

This post was updated March 14 at 6:16 p.m. For Rex Orange County, “Who cares?” is not a rhetorical question. In his self-reflective fourth full-length album, Rex Orange County crafts a narrative of purpose, self-doubt and the loss of love. Read more...

Photo: Rex Orange County returns with orchestral elements in his fourth studio album “WHO CARES?” (Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment)


Film review: Playful animation elements color adolescent experience in Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’

Everyone grows up – some into giant, fluffy red pandas. Pixar’s latest feature “Turning Red” is centered around the story of a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old girl named Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang). Read more...

Photo: Pixar’s “Turning Red” follows young Chinese Canadian teenager Meilin Lee as she navigates puberty and cultural identity after transforming into a giant red panda. (Courtesy of Disney+)