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It’s a quieter week here in the arts world. Big-budget releases and superstar artists have taken the week off — but all the better for it perhaps. It makes for a fantastic chance to dive into the indies, the debut artists and the up-and-comers.
I watch a lot of movies. Most are forgettable, some come back to me from time to time, but a special few stay with me. Last year, of the catastrophically many times I visited the Baltimore theaters, there were some special visits that nestled irrevocably in my memory. I’m not even sure if they are good films — all I know is that I can’t seem to forget them. One such particularly memorable film from last year is South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave.
What makes a great romantic comedy? Is it option A, the absurdly attractive romantic leads masquerading as average Joes and Janes? Is it option B, the juicy, far-fetched and highly preventable misunderstandings that bring them together? Or maybe it’s option C, the moment when their eyes meet or their shoulders brush and you think, “Yup, they’re endgame.”
As we leave January behind, releases are picking up in the art world. Beginning with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios’ latest entry marks the first blockbuster of the year. For fans of crime, neo-noir Marlowe and Chinese espionage thriller Hidden Blade are both out this week too. If those dark and twisted alleys aren’t up your alley, take a look at the indie biopic Emily.
As the semester takes off into the usual chaos, it is important to take care of yourself and unwind with some movies, books and music — a lot of new entries in these genres are waiting to be explored! Great cinematic works like Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon return to the big screen, while new films like Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool are making waves in theatres. All the way from Bollywood, superstar Shah Rukh Khan shines in his new film Pathaan.
On the evening of Feb. 5, the Peabody Symphony Orchestra (PSO) gave a concert in Friedberg Hall in Mt. Vernon. The orchestra is the largest of all the Peabody Institute ensembles, and the concert was free to attend. They played Jessie Montgomery’s Soul Force, Richard Strauss’ Sechs Lieder “Brentano Lieder,” Op. 68 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92.
It’s always a bold move to sit in the front row of any group of people. Whether it be a huge lecture hall, a small classroom or an interactive magic show (a mistake I will not make again), back corners have become my safe space. I routinely linger at the edges of rooms, but, at Witness Theatre’s I-Show 2023 in Arellano Theater on Feb. 4, I sat front and center.
I love a good dystopia. Maybe it’s a callback from the early 2010s when The Hunger Games and the Divergent series were at their peak. Maybe it’s a reminder that life and the world could always be worse. In any case, whenever I see a dystopian series getting good reviews, I have to watch it.
If you appreciate sharp political commentary and bold visual design, I urge you to check out Political Animals at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), on display through April 2. The exhibition showcases the eye-catching work of Senegalese artist Omar Ba, featured for the first time in a U.S. museum. The collection touches on themes of power, control, colonial legacies and the political nature of human beings. It inspires critical reflection on the relationship between people and their environment, between the powerful and the powerless, and between “the West'' and “the rest.”
When the GRAMMYs revealed their list of nominations for the 2023 awards, I immediately scrolled to the category “Best Rap Album of the Year.” Not because I hold the award in great regard but quite the opposite — the GRAMMYs have a vile history of botching the awards for rap/hip-hop artists, showing a partial disregard and ignorance for their culture.
Welcome back! As we settle into the semester, I always enjoy finding some time to hit the theaters and check out a new title on the shelves. It’s one of the few sweet spots before classes turn busy, and you won’t regret making the most of it while you still can.
The Pale Blue Eye is a gothic mystery movie that was released on Netflix on Jan. 6. It stars Christian Bale as Augustus Landor, the gruff old detective, and Harry Melling as a young Edgar Allan Poe. The movie is based on a novel by Louis Bayard of the same name.
A long-standing debate in film has been whether cinema is entertainment or art. While I find this idea of a zero-sum game quite sad and unfair, every once in a while there comes a movie that decimates this misconception by being an incredibly entertaining and artistic masterpiece simultaneously. There were a couple of films like these in 2022 but, in my opinion, none more viscerally representative of my point than S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt).
For the most part, I’ve learned to avoid movies about dogs. It’s not that I don’t love dogs or don’t love to see them as canine protagonists. Honestly, if I could watch a full-length movie of a dog running around, playing and just generally being its happy self, I would enjoy it.
The annual Culture Festival, which took place on Keyser Quad, featured cultural performances, music and food on Dec. 2. The event was hosted by the Multicultural Leadership Council, with funding from the Inter-Asian Council (IAC) and the HOP. Each cultural student group present at the event had a booth where members talked about their culture and organization.
Since the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra’s (HSO) return from pandemic restrictions in fall 2021, I’ve had the pleasure of attending almost every one of its concerts. Although the reason for this has more to do with my friends’ participation in the orchestra rather than any particular affinity for classical music, the viewing and listening experience has been extremely enjoyable.
Welcome to December! This time of year boasts an excellent line-up in the art world, with holiday-themed releases close on the horizon. The last week of classes is finally upon us, so be sure to take this time to curl up with a little something before final exams hit.
When I heard Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was going to be released on Nov. 23, I knew I had to watch it as soon as possible. It wasn’t necessarily for the star-studded cast, which includes Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson and honestly so many mini cameos that I lost track as I watched the film. It also wasn’t because of the success of director Rian Johnson’s first Knives Out mystery, Knives Out.
In the opening scene of Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, a young Sammy Fabelman watches his first film — The Greatest Show on Earth — in 1952. As he watches a train crash on the huge screen, his world is lopsided by the grandeur and magic of cinema. While watching The Fabelmans, I felt the same thrill as Sammy, albeit my emotions were due to the beauty of a simple and incredibly personal story that Spielberg brings to the film.
I really wanted to like Falling for Christmas, Netflix’s latest romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan. As a fan of Lohan’s nostalgic Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, I was looking forward to seeing her light up the screen in another major film. Since its release on Nov. 10, the film has consistently been featured in Netflix’s top 10 list despite its lackluster reviews from critics.