By George Barreto It’s hard to depict any person’s life in a movie. It’s even harder when the person lived many lives in one. But who else than Baz Luhrmann to tackle the task? Luhrmann is widely known for his maximalist approach to storytelling such as 1996’s “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet,” 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” and 2013’s “The Great Gatsby.” In a sense, it feels like Luhrmann should be the only one able to bring Elvis Presley to life on the big screen. The biography follows the legend himself, played by Austin Butler, from his humble beginnings to his eventual…
Author: uabblazermedia
By George Barreto A self-proclaimed gay version of “Pride and Prejudice” breathes much-needed life into an uninspired genre. Romantic-comedies have been at a stagnant stage for the better part of the last decade. Studios no longer consider a star-driven cheesy love story to be viable in theaters. Many rom-coms lack fail to properly reinvent the genre. Streaming services have taken advantage of this stagnation by releasing countless formulaic movies whose plots are practically comatose. “Fire Island” is propped up as another one of these entries to the genre, yet it manages to sidestep convention by introducing a new set of…
By George Barreto It’s Pride Month, which also means it’s June: time to go outside and enjoy the sweltering Alabama heat. Many are considering passing this weather with a plethora of outdoor celebrations that scratch that summer itch. But for those looking to cool off indoors with some cold drinks, I would like to recommend some queer movies to go along with them. Happy Together, Wong Kar-wai In “Happy Together,” Wong Kar-wai, a pioneer of Hong Kong cinema, creates a lush and dreamlike exploration of toxic love. Two strangers decide to take a trip to Argentina to see a waterfall…
By Karim Mikhail Mortality. For most, this word elicits the vision of old age, the slow withering-away that awaits us all. We find comfort in this thought; mortality lies at the opposing end of the life spectrum, its reach distant from us. But what if our conceptualization of mortality is backward? Just as mortality fills our visions of the future, so too does it corrupt the very start of life: infancy. This burden, however, is unequally shared. In particular, African American communities have long suffered the brunt of infant mortality. In 2018, for every 1,000 live births of Black babies,…
By Karim Mikhail The brain. An organ that holds the secret of humanity, whose enigmas continually perplex the brightest researchers. Science has laid bare the secrets of virtually every other organ. Our brain, however, remains the final frontier: a pièce de résistance in human evolution. But for all its mysticism, the brain is more accessible than ever before. Technological and medical advancements have enabled scientists and physicians to probe its circuitry, investigating how these networks can go awry when diseased. Dr. Markus Bredel, a central nervous system (CNS) radiation oncologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is one doctor…
Kaleidoscope’s Spring 2022 Issue focuses on bodies. Read it online today or
king their masks off while COVID-19 is still present in the population.
When Andy Kennedy first arrived in Birmingham, he made clear he had one goal: to reestablish the Gene Bartow standard. After defeating Louisiana Tech and claiming the Conference USA tournament championship, it certainly seems like he’s done just that. Now UAB (27-7, 14-4) is headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years, but if they want to advance, they’ll have to beat the toughest team they’ve faced this year: the Houston Cougars. Houston (29-5, 15-3), a Final Four team a year ago, is again one of the nation’s winningest teams. With a NET ranking of 3…
by Zac Fuller Nore Hodge is a California native who, until he met his high school chemistry teacher, had never in his life met a Black man with a successful career. Now, he is the leader of the Blazer Male Excellence Network (BMEN), a group at UAB aimed at offering social support and academic guidance for incoming Black male students at UAB. Good role models, as Hodge says, play a big part in that success story. “Mentors, I feel deeply, are an important part in how young people — or just people in general — develop,” said Hodge, a senior…
By Karim Mikhail Ritika Samant is a neuroscience major and fast-track MPH candidate and draws on her experience to share her visions for UAB if she is elected USGA president. “The main changes that I’m hoping to make in this position are the only changes that I believe can be done in this position. Within the role of president, I want to facilitate creative ability through solid internal restructuring,” said Samant. For Samant, the role of the president is not that of a one-man team. Rather, her years in USGA have accustomed her to multi-disciplinary approach that defines the organization. For her,…