Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
This is a weekend where most of us will be holed up in our rooms or in a library. But if you’re lucky enough to have some spare time (or are efficient enough to make some- congratulations!) there’s plenty going on on and off campus to keep you busy. If your study break parameters only extend to watching TV in your lounge, we suggest the Oscars on Sunday night. Even if you haven’t seen most of the movies (even this committed movie fan hasn’t), you can still snicker at the ugly outfits.
Before watching the Oscars, you might want to catch up on the Best Documentary candidates. “Born Into Brothels,” a documentary about prostitutes’ children in the red light district of Calcutta, is playing at the Ritz in Philly this weekend. Photographer and co-director Zana Briski spent two years with the children, teaching them to take pictures, which comprise much of the film. Though it sounds depressing, reviewers say that it’s actually an uplifting tribute to the innocence and vitality of children in impossible environments.
If you want something more energetic, we suggest a trip to The Fire, a club on Girard Avenue in Philly. I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness is playing there at 7:00 on Sunday. Not that we know much about the band, but they deserve your patronage for that name. Illumia and Wacos join them, and the cover charge is $8. As a runner-up in the clever name category, Bjorn Again, an ABBA tribute band at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside on Saturday night.