Welcome back to the Art & Entertainment’s “To watch and watch for”: a weekly column where we inform you about upcoming film, TV, book and album releases, along with artistic performances happening in Baltimore! If you’ve been trying to widen your horizons in seeking new artistic releases, then you are in the right place.
My essential watch this week is Companion, directed by Drew Hancock — a sci-fi thriller which will premiere in theaters this Friday, Jan. 31. The plot follows a group of friends on a weekend getaway in a remote cabin, which is disastrously interrupted by a “companion” robot belonging to one of the friends (Jack Quaid). The robot — named Iris (Sophie Thatcher) — gains consciousness and seeks escape through any means necessary.
My essential read this week is Black in Blues by Harvard University Professor Imani Perry, which releases this Tuesday, Jan. 28. This creative, researched work uniquely traces the history of the conception of Blackness through another contextually linked color: blue. From the dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for enslaved people in the 16th century to Louis Armstrong’s famous entreaty: “What did I do to be so black and blue?”, Perry uses this chromatic diaspora to analyze how Blackness extends beyond politics or ideology.
My essential listen this week is Hurry Up Tomorrow by R&B singer-songwriter The Weeknd. Following the eclectic experimental disco LP Dawn FM released in early 2022, the sixth studio album from the incredibly multifaceted artist has received a mountainous wave of anticipation. The two released singles, “São Paulo (feat. Anitta)” and “Timeless (with Playboi Carti),” indicate an industry-standard whiplash from the more unique qualities of the previous LP, which was truer to the kooky, eccentric side of 80s pop disco. The two records harken back to the hip-hop-inspired beats of House of Balloons. The former record, with its rhythmic, Latin-esque synth stabs, attempts to capitalize on the Latin hip hop fever of the past few years, while the latter fittingly mimics the modern trap sound of Whole Lotta Red.
My live event pick this week is a free performance celebrating the 150th birthday of legendary French composer Maurice Ravel by the Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel. The performance will be held at the Leith Symington Griswold Hall on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 3 p.m., and it will include pieces by Simon Lak, Olivier Messiaen, Ludwig van Beethoven and, of course, Maurice Ravel. All of these pieces were in part influenced or written in the great city of Paris, where Ravel lived and worked.
I hope these new works of art interest you as much as they interest me, and I especially hope that as the semester progresses, you — the reader of this article — continue to indulge in a bit of art here and there, despite the endlessly mounting weight of coursework. Since we are at the beginning, now is the time to use your freedom to watch, read and listen to our weekly picks!
To watch...
Watson, created by Craig Sweeny — Jan. 26
The Bachelor: Season 29, starring Grant Ellis — Jan. 27
Paradise, produced by Sterling K. Brown, Dan Fogelman, John Requa, et al. — Jan. 28
Companion, directed by Drew Hancock — Jan. 31
Dog Man, directed by Peter Hastings — Jan. 31
To read...
Good Dirt, by Charmaine Wilkerson — Jan. 28
The Crash, by Freida McFadden — Jan. 28
I Am Not Jessica Chen, by Ann Liang — Jan. 28
The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir, by Neko Case — Jan. 28
Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue, by Buddy Levy — Jan. 28
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, by Imani Perry — Jan. 28
To listen...
Hurry Up Tomorrow, by The Weeknd — Jan. 31
Death & Love Pt.1, by Circa Waves — Jan. 31
Critical Thinking, by Manic Street Peachers — Jan. 31
Hallucinating Love, by Maribou State — Jan. 31
Live events...
Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel, performing Simon Lak, Maurice Ravel, Olivier Messiaen and Ludwig van Beethoven at Leith Symington Griswold Hall — Feb. 2 at 3 p.m.
(Tickets are free.)
Shriver Concert Hall Series: Dover Quartet, Inon Barnatan, piano performing Jessie Montgomery, Pura Fé Crescioni, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate and Antonín Dvořák at Shriver Hall — Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
BSO: A Ravel Anniversary: Robert Treviño, conductor; Karen Gomyo, violin at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall — Feb. 2 at 3 p.m.
