We at the Arts & Entertainment section of The News-Letter cordially invite you to step away from the mounting responsibilities of being a Hopkins student and explore pieces of art that catch your interest. My personal recommendations are the Thai drama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, the quirky speculative novel Sky Full of Elephants (which mainly speculates what America would look like without white people) and English singer-songwriter Suki Waterhouse’s second studio album Memoir of a Sparklemuffin. Two monumental rock bands — Pearl Jam and Weezer — are also coming to the DMV in the same week!
Whatever your aesthetic needs, we hope you can find something to watch, read or listen to.
To watch…
Speak No Evil, directed by James Watkins — Sept. 13
James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis star in the remake of the 2022 Danish thriller, which follows a family of three on holiday in the country. The homestead, though friendly at first, slowly unravels into a psychological nightmare.
The Killer’s Game, directed by J.J. Perry — Sept. 13
Dave Bautista is Joe Flood — a veteran assassin who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and authorizes an execution warrant on himself to avoid a long, gruesome death.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, directed by Pat Boonnitipat — Sept. 13
In this Thai drama co-written by Pat Boonnitipat and Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, a man quits his job and cares for his dying grandmother in hopes that he’ll inherit her grand fortune.
To read…
Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout — Sept. 10
Tell Me Everything is the latest addition to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout’s Amgash series. This new installment returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, following lawyer Bob Burgess and successful writer Lucy Burton as they investigate a shocking murder and slowly fall in love.
Sky Full of Elephants, by Cebo Campbell — Sept. 10
What if, in a single moment, every white person in America drowned themselves? In Cebo Campbell’s debut novel, this bizarre speculation comes true. For some, this change brings about great success. Charles Brunton — once wrongfully incarcerated — becomes a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University. But the loss is incredibly painful to some, like Brunton’s daughter Sidney, who watched her entire stepfamily drown themselves in a local lake.
To listen…
Foxing, by Foxing — Sept. 13
The ethos of Foxing’s new, self-titled project is “do-it-yourself.” Not only is the LP self-written and self-produced, but the cover art was created by vocalist Conor Murphy and bassist Brett Torrence, and the whole project is being released under their Grand Paradise label. Maybe this intense micromanagement is the result of the band’s 13-year-long career. The two singles “Secret History” and “Barking” show that the tracklist will be just as inventive as their past projects.
My Method Actor, by Nilüfer Yanya — Sept. 13
British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya is simultaneously full of influences and fully her own artist. Fusing indie rock, jazz, pop and a plethora of other genres over an underlying electronic vibe, Yanya seeks to impress in her third album.
Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin, by Suki Waterhouse — Sept. 13
Following a slough of well-received singles and a “better-late-than-never” full-length LP in late 2022, Suki Waterhouse is riding high. From the four singles on her upcoming project Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin, it looks like we’ll be getting some of the old and some of the new. “To Love” is reminiscent of her big hit “Good Looking Boy” with its waltz time signature but adds a choral element. On the other side of things, “My Fun” feels like a kooky Paul McCartney ‘80s pop hit, with carefree “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” lyrics.
Live events…
Pearl Jam at CFG Bank Arena — Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
As part of their “Dark Matter World Tour 2024,” the current lineup (consisting of all founding members, excluding drummer Matt Cameron, who joined in 1998) is traveling across the world, and for whatever reason, that includes Baltimore.
Weezer at The Anthem — Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
Weezer is coming to Washington D.C. as part of their “Voyage to the Blue Planet” tour with all four original members and with opening act The Flaming Lips.
POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, directed by Laura Kepley at Everyman Theatre — Sept. 1–29
In celebration of the coming presidential election, Everyman Theatre is presenting this satirical Broadway hit all through the month of September. The story follows seven intelligent women on their mission to save the incompetent President and the world from falling into chaos.
