Friday, May 1

Second Take: Weak plot, excessive obscenity fail to deliver for ‘American Horror Story’

This week, Daily Bruin A&E is counting down to the new year by looking back at the best and worst events in the arts and entertainment world of 2015. Read more...

Photo: Lady Gaga (left) and Matt Bomer (right) star in season five of “American Horror Story.” The show has foregone it’s previous artful horror and character development in favor of excessive obscene material and a nonsensical plot. (FX)


Second Take: 2015’s biggest book sequels fail to carry legacy

This week, Daily Bruin A&E is counting down to the new year by looking back at the best and worst events in the arts and entertainment world of 2015. Read more...

Photo: “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” by David Lagercrantz (left) is the fourth book of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Series.” Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” (right) is the sequel to her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Both novels were released in 2015. (Alfred A. Knopf and HarperCollins)


Second Take: Shia LaBeouf’s eccentric 2015 performance art dismantles celebrity

This week, Daily Bruin A&E is counting down to the new year by looking back at the best and worst events in the arts and entertainment world of 2015. Read more...

Photo: Shia LaBeouf smiles during #ALLMYMOVIES, a livestream of the actor watching all his films in reverse chronological order. LaBeouf has produced a series of performance art pieces in 2015 designed to push artistic boundaries and inspire unconventional thought. (newhive.com)


Second Take: Drake and Meek Mill usher hip hop feuds into 2015’s social media age

This week, Daily Bruin A&E is counting down to the New Year by looking back at the best and worst events in the arts and entertainment world of 2015. Read more...

Photo: The July feud between rappers Drake (right) and Meek Mill (left) placed hip hop brawls and diss tracks in the age of social media and online streaming. Drake’s second diss track aimed at Meek Mill, “Back to Back,” was eventually nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award and helped Drake win the feud through its quotability, online popularity and lyrical attacks. (Courtesy of James Dimmock, Creative Commons photo by Andrew S. via Flickr)


Editors’ picks: Best of 2015

There’s no better place to keep a finger on the pulse of arts and entertainment happenings than Los Angeles. The A&E world is alive – it’s always buzzing, sometimes ready to implode with a hint of a surprise album or a celebrity’s controversial statement. Read more...

Photo: (Innovative Leisure/Timetable, Lucasfilm, Miriam Bribiesca/Daily Bruin senior staff, Def Jam Recordings)


Movie Review: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

Fans sit in a darkened theater, dressed in an array of “Star Wars” apparel and intricate Jedi and Leia cosplay. A moment of silent tension, so thick you could cut it with a lightsaber, is shattered by loud cheers as an aged Han Solo boards the Millennium Falcon. Read more...

Photo: (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)


Album Review: ‘Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven’

Kid Cudi’s new album cover for “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven” bears a striking resemblance to Robert Capa’s 1936 photo “The Falling Soldier.” In the photograph, Capa captures the moment a soldier is shot by a “speeding bullet” and falls to his death. Read more...

Photo: (Courtesy of Republic Records)