Hello one and all, and welcome to the Arts & Entertainment section’s weekly To watch and watch for, where we give you a comprehensive list of new releases in the art world. We hope you had a nice, relaxing spring break and that your first week back wasn’t too much of a buzzkill. If you’re feeling an end-of-the-semester apprehension, or if you’re still in the vacation mindset, then you’ve come to the right place. Let us recommend some things to watch, to read and to listen to.
Your best option to watch this week is the highly-anticipated A Minecraft Movie, starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Kate McKinnon. Following in the vein of the successful Five Nights at Freddy’s film which was released in 2023, A Minecraft Movie hopes to capitalize on childhood nostalgia, while also creating more content for the video game’s large group of current fans. The trailers look like a drug-fueled day dream, with an odd mixture of blocky CGI and live action stunts, but for those looking for a simple, entertaining watch, A Minecraft Movie is a great choice.
Our recommendation to read this week is the late postmodern Spanish author Aliocha Coll’s Attila, newly translated in English by Katie Whittemore set to release this Tuesday, April 1. Coll’s style is often described as “Joycean” in nature, both for its puzzle-like prose and its repeated reference to Biblical and Classical history. Attila follows the historical figure Attila the Hun and his son Quijote as they attempt to conquer Rome. Within the burning city gates, Quijote has a cognitive journey through surreal, psychedelic visions and existential episodes. As the story goes, after sending the Attila manuscript to his literary agent Carmen Balcells in November 1990, Coll took his own life. Before he committed suicide, during his time working on Attila, Coll had said several times, “My life will not make any sense when Attila is finished.” With this new translation by Katie Whittemore, we are being given access to the words of an artist at the end of his own self-perceived productive value.
Our pick to listen this week is Djo’s newest LP The Crux, set to release on Friday, April 4. American actor Joe Keery of Stranger Things fame also releases alternative indie music under the “Djo” moniker, made most famous by the recent Tiktok sound stripped from their single, “End of Beginning” (“And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it”). While his previous LP Decide, which released in 2022, used 80s-inspired psychedelic tracks and funky beats with echoey falsetto vocals, the most popular single for this new project, “Basic Being Basic” is much more inspired by the 21st century. The melody’s quirky lyrics about basic people’s obsession with not being basic is paired nicely with his spoken word sections, and the crunchy saw synths remind one of the clunky sound effects in nostalgia-based video games.
As for live events, we would strongly recommend you check out the Theatre department’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, a 1962 play by Edward Albee. The play depicts a late-night gathering between two married couples; the older of the two couples, college professor George and his wife Martha, has reached a tumultuous period, and both the wife and husband vocally berate each other in front of the younger couple, Nick and Honey. The Hopkins Theatre’s productions are always a treat, and this one — directed by James Glossman at the Historic Merrick Barn from April 2–6 — is set to be just another classic. Tickets are $5 for Hopkins affiliates and seniors and $10 for general admission.
Before I end this article, we would also like to promote the Art & Entertainment section's upcoming student art exhibition, which will be happening at the end of April! We are still open for art submissions for the chance to be included in the exhibition, due by April 14, so please don’t miss this fantastic opportunity! And feel free to reach out to us at arts@jhunewsletter.com with any questions.
Now, without further ado, here are the Arts & Entertainment sections picks to watch and watch for this week!
To watch...
Screamboat, directed by Steven LaMorte — April 2
Devil May Cry, developed by Adi Shankar — April 3
Pulse, created by Zoe Robyn — April 3
The Bondsman, created by Grainger David — April 3
A Minecraft Movie, directed by Jared Hess — April 4
The Luckiest Man in America, directed by Samir Oliveros — April 4
Freaky Tales, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck — April 4
To read...
A Drop of Corruption, by Robert Jackson Bennett — April 1
Where Shadows Meet, by Patrice Caldwell — April 1
Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the World's Greatest Museum, by Elaine Sciolino — April 1
Attila by Aliocha Coll, a new translation by Katie Whittemore — April 1
To listen...
Long Live My Brudda He Prolly Kilt Yo Brudda, by BloodHound Q50 — April 2
The Crux, by Djo — April 4
Forever Howlong, by Black Country, New Road — April 4
Alphabet Highway, by Boldy James & V Don — April 4
Who Believes in Angels? by Elton John and Brandi Carlile — April 4
Kyle Gordon Is Wonderful, by Kyle Gordon — April 4
Malcolm Todd, by Malcolm Todd — April 4
Live events..
Film screening: Oscar-nominated documentary Porcelain War at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center Theater — March 31, 6:15 p.m.
- Registration is required, and the event is free.
JHU Theatre Presents: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Merrick Barn — April 2–5, 8 p.m. and April 6, 2 p.m.
- Tickets are required; $5 for Hopkins affiliates and Seniors, $10 for the general public.
Murray Jazz Residency featuring Ingrid Laubrock at Recital Hall Towson — April 2 & 4, 8 p.m.
- Tickets are $22, register ahead of time online.
We Want the Funk! A film directed by Stanley Nelson at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Parkway Theatre — April 3, 6:15 p.m.
- This screening is free, and a Q&A with the director will follow.
Visiting Artist Talk: Hai-Wen Lin at the Saul Zaentz Screening Room, second floor, Hopkins-MICA Film Centre — April 3, 12 p.m.
- This event is free.
Hopkins at Homewood: Art and the Hopkins Student Experience online on Hopkins at Home — April 4, 3 p.m.
- This event is free; registration is required.
2025 CityLit Festival at the Lord Baltimore Hotel — April 5
- Check the CityLit Project’s website for specific events. The festival will open April 5 but will continue up until April 25.
