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Marvel Studios’ Werewolf by Night is a television special that was released on Disney+ on Oct. 7, and is a single-episode story about what happens when a group of monster hunters are gathered together to compete for the ownership of the magical “Bloodstone” after its previous owner passes away. However, one of the monster hunters is not who they say they are.
With Halloween just a few weeks away, if you’re like me, you’re likely on the lookout for a festive, spooky film to snuggle up and watch over a bowl of candy corn. Luckily, this October has been filled with new horror films, from Halloween Ends, the last in the Halloween trilogy, to Prey for the Devil coming out on Oct. 28. However, as someone who enjoys a milder scare, I was beyond ecstatic when I heard Disney+ was releasing a sequel to the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus on Sept. 30.
The week-long festivities of Hoptoberfest 2022 concluded on Oct. 8, with an exhilarating performance from Brooklyn-born rapper Desiigner at Shriver Hall. Known by his stage name Desiigner, Sidney Royel Selby III is perhaps best known amongst the Gen Z undergraduate student body for his hit debut single “Panda,” which premiered in December 2015. By May 2016, “Panda” had reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, ending a nine-week streak of “Work” by Rihanna featuring Drake.
Dimmed lights, hushed chatter, a spirited ambiance. Last Friday this was precisely what surrounded me as I settled in for Witness Theater’s 2022 Fall Showcase. Taking place in the Arellano Theater, the showcase would be featuring four student-written, produced and directed plays. I knew I’d be in for a ride. It began with a bang. From its very first words, the opening play, directed by Rafael Stamillo and written by Timothy McShea, reeled me right in. A man, calling himself Poe (Jack Webster), yells with a very specific brand of insanity as a woman, Sophie (Cassidy Wauben), stumbles upon him. Soon she meets the man in charge, Eliot (Siddharth Ananth), and the situation begins to unveil itself. These men are not who we think they are, nor are they exactly who they think they are. With a title like Eliot’s Madhouse of Poets, I thought I knew what I was getting into — but what ended up playing out rose spectacularly above those expectations. A brilliant British accent from the character Will (Aidan Alme) won’t soon be forgotten, and gags with props varying from a skull to a blue jay plushie added a delightful touch. Laughs sounded from all around as the play made light of the dangers of method acting — or perhaps, method writing. The next play, intriguingly titled Bizarre Love Quadrangle, was written by Madison Epner and co-directed by Brianna Groch and Nyore Onovae. Set during finals season, the gist goes like this: Jasper (Ander Diez) tries to convince his girlfriend Natalie (Lily Wilson) to go on a double date. With some tongue-in-cheek bribery, he eventually succeeds. And so, across the quad come Jasper’s friend Morgan (Helene Apollon) and her girlfriend Miranda (Andrea Guillén). As the two pairs meet, pandemonium immediately breaks out. They have their wires crossed — and in many more ways than one. Simply said, awkward has never been such an understatement. The breaking of the fourth wall was particularly enjoyable, and the horrors of interpersonal conflicts could not have been better illustrated. Interspersed moments of physical comedy added dynamism, while the grounded campus environment made it extra relatable. On the flip side, the third play took quite a departure from reality. Co-directed by Angala Rajasegaran and Varen Talwar and written by John Liu, Scream Slay Replay opens on a much darker note. A psychopathic killer (Jeremiah Hadwin) roams a summer camp as two campers, Jennifer (Kirsten Choi) and Billy (Yona Levine), work out their next move. Trapped in a cabin together, they're evidently at odds, with the seemingly kind-hearted Jennifer facing scathing cruelties from Billy. Gradually the reasons behind this become clear, as does the exact nature of the said camp. Initially what appears to be a horror concept takes a turn when mind-bending elements of science fiction come into play as the story progresses. There were moments of genuine shock, such as when the killer reveals himself, armed with a knife and an artfully created mask. The somewhat ambiguous ending, involving two kids (Daniel Wen and Harley Tran), twists everything on its head. Before long we had arrived at the last play, In Midair. Directed by Guillén and written by Cassandra Mitsinikos, it takes place amid the world of a traveling circus troupe. Making an escape with a bag slung over her shoulder, Erin (Annie Radin) is caught by Thalia (Hannah Kosak). Thalia makes quick work of the situation, deducing that Erin is running away — again. We soon learn that both girls are trapeze artists, with Erin relatively new to the circus. She suffers from an imposter syndrome of sorts that Thalia helps put to rest in a candid, heartfelt conversation. The performances were especially captivating, hitting the hardest when Erin reveals her vulnerabilities and the true reason she originally left home. Notably there was an impressive duality to Thalia’s character — she conveys an indomitable inner strength as a mentor to Erin, while concurrently managing to share her own insecurities truthfully and disarmingly. It was an unbelievable joy to watch these nuances play out.
As the semester gets crazier and crazier with each passing day, the need for some escapism gets more intense. Taking note of that, the world of arts has once again stepped up to the occasion to help us Blue Jays out!
It’s hard to know what to make of the newest effort by László Krasznahorkai, Spadework for a Palace. The novella concerns an aging librarian at the New York Public Library named herman melvill. He is overtaken by an obsessive interest in three artists who also lived and worked in Manhattan: the writers Herman Melville and Malcolm Lowry and the architect Lebbeus Woods.
The Shriver Hall Concert Series is a series of classical concerts performed by world-class musicians on campus several times per semester. On Oct. 2, the debut concert of the 2022–2023 season featured flutist Emi Ferguson performing a repertoire of Bach pieces with the Baroque ensemble Ruckus.
It is rare to find an artist whose 10th album sounds as singular and innovative as their first. It may be rarer, though, to find an artist who can create a fungal concept album to excitement and acclaim. Such is the case with Björk’s new record Fossora, a dense yet effulgent exploration of motherhood, connection and legacy.
With the first round of midterms seemingly sneaking up already, it’s certainly around the time when we’re all pressed for time. But, in a little twist of counterintuition, this week might actually be perfect to squeeze in a trip to the theater, read the first chapter of a book or switch up your playlist. I’ve always found those pockets of time to be a brilliant way to unwind. All the noise quiets down for a minute and you can simply — wonderfully — escape.
I distinctly remember the suffocating depression I fell into the weekend I went to see Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love at the Charles Theater last semester. There, in the company of an auditorium full of strangers, I watched a profound tragedy that haunts me to this day. I walked out of the theater paralyzed by an all-consuming sadness and spent the weekend trying to forget all about the film. Alas, some things are so beautiful that any amount of pain is worth bearing to witness them, so I found myself back at the Charles on Monday night, watching the film for a second time.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, odds are you’ve heard at least something about Olivia Wilde’s latest film Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. Most likely, you’ve read headlines about casting feuds, on-set affairs or spitting accusations and concluded, unlike Styles in his viral interview, that this movie feels anything but like an actual movie.
It’s another exciting week for the arts! From movies to books, there are tons of promising new entries for people looking to indulge themselves in something original, while some old classics also return briefly to the scene, like James Cameron’s Avatar and Steven Spielberg’s ET: The Extra Terrestrial.
Do Revenge, released on Netflix on Sept. 16., follows two girls who attend a prestigious prep school, Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke), as they execute revenge plots on the students who’ve wronged them.
As the parade of tent pole summer blockbusters leave the cinema, the throes of September are known to offer slim pickings when it comes to arts and entertainment. But who’s to say this is bad news? Instead, I find it can double as a fruitful time to try something new.
After years of Indian audiences imploring Bollywood to depart from its monotonous formulaic productions, the industry has boldly answered the calls with Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva. It’s by no means a perfect movie, and it fails to avoid many of the common pitfalls that contemporary Bollywood movies fall into, like clunky dialogue and awkwardly-paced plots. However, in the grand scheme of things, Brahmāstra breaks new ground by ushering the industry into the 21st century with its visual effects and introduction of the Astraverse, perhaps the first planned cinematic universe and trilogy in Bollywood.
Disney released their live-action remake of Pinocchio on Disney+ on Sept. 8, and to no one’s surprise, it wasn’t good. The remake lacks the heart of the original, failing to be neither a successful moral fable nor an entertaining movie.
3000 Years of Longing is a difficult film to write about. It asks profound questions about love and the nature of humanity, blending fantasy and reality into a story that takes a different form and meaning for each individual viewer.
Every year, the University’s performing arts groups sing, dance and act on stage to show off their skills and entice students to join their ranks. The 2022 Theater O-Show, which took place in Arellano Theater on Sept. 3, won the hearts of many in the crowd.
Nearly five years after it was first announced, Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted its first two episodes on Friday, Sept. 2. Drawing in more than 25 million views and costing over $715 million dollars for the first season — both record-breaking numbers — The Rings of Power was bound to enter the TV universe with a splash.
Some of the greatest films ever made owe their brilliance to an opening scene that immediately situates the audience in its world. The exploding forests of Apocalypse Now are iconic representations of the Vietnam War, while the proleptic monologue and murder in No Country For Old Men prepare the audience for the evil and violence in the film. I truly believe that Me Time should also be included in this list, because its opening scene establishes beyond all doubt exactly how ridiculous, lazy and mind-numbingly worthless the entire experience is going to be.