Wednesday, February 25

TFT professor explores cultural differences in film ‘August in Berlin’

A small coffeehouse in Berlin housed the fortuitous meeting of two strangers, a German man and a Canadian woman. Although the two were reluctant about each other at first, spending 48 hours together allowed them to overcome barriers crafted by their own assumptions about their cultures and romantic statuses. Read more...

Photo: Film professor Becky Smith wrote and directed the film “August in Berlin” about two strangers meeting in a coffee shop. She filmed the movie over a span of eight days in Berlin, Germany. (Miriam Bribiesca/Photo editor)


Composer’s style integrates classical theory and modern soundscapes

The fusion of synthesizer sounds and violin harmonies in space opera “Star Wars” inspired Joe Trapanese to score for films like the ones he loved as a kid. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Joe Trapanese is a Hollywood film composer whose previous projects include the “Divergent” series and “Straight Outta Compton.” He will perform with the The Echo Society as its musical conductor. (Courtesy of Tim Navis)


Alumna stirs things up as brand strategist in food industry

Natasha Phan grew up surrounded by decadent spices, meats, herbs, savory sauces and layer upon layer of flavor in her parents’ Asian-Latina market in Echo Park. Read more...

Photo: Alumna Natasha Phan is the brand strategist, creative director and communications specialist for many of alumnus Roy Choi’s restaurants, including Kogi food truck. (Courtesy of Audrey Ma)


Album review: ‘Blonde’

Hearing his voice surface on a real track from his new, real album was like coming up for a breath of fresh air after being submerged in water. Read more...

Photo: (Boys Don’t Cry)


M+B art gallery puts on innovative food-based exhibition

The specials on the menu at M+B art gallery include a smashed Big Mac in a plexiglass box, two ceramic sardines in a dish and a splattering of spaghetti on linen. Read more...

Photo: M+B gallery exhibit “Please Have Enough Acid in the Dish” features food-inspired works by 37 Los Angeles artists, including four created by UCLA alumni. (Courtesy of Ed Mumford)


UCLA alum, chef creates unique LA Mexican cuisine

Like most students, Ray Garcia didn’t start teaching himself how to cook until he moved out of his dorm room and into an apartment. Now UCLA alumnus Garcia is the head chef at Broken Spanish, his second restaurant which he opened in June 2015 in downtown Los Angeles. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Ray Garcia opened Downtown Los Angeles eatery Broken Spanish, a restaurant serving up Latin cuisine. (Courtesy of Ray Garcia)


Movie review: ‘Sausage Party’

It takes a certain kind of twisted psyche to create an animated movie deserving of an R-rating. But leave it to Seth Rogen and his team of writers to produce a computer-generated story so unapologetically offensive that rated R is hardly an adequate warning. Read more...

Photo: “Sausage Party” pushes boundaries with its graphic and insensitive script following the lives of anthropomorphic supermarket foods. (Columbia Pictures)