Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
December 11, 2024

Arts & Entertainment



COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK
This week’s releases include Next Exit, Smithereens and Little America: The Official Podcast.

To watch and watch for: week of Oct. 30

As the semester chugs along, don’t forget to take out some pockets of time to sit back, unwind and relax. Ushering us from October to November is a diverse assortment of releases, ranging from personal dramas to compelling horror.


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Francis Ford Coppola directed the 1979 Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now.

In focus: Apocalypse Now (1979)

Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles has clearly never seen Apocalypse Now. Directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola (director of The Godfather trilogy), Apocalypse Now is epic in all proportions and stands out even among the greatest of war films. There is no aspect of the film — from its production to the very fact that it was actually completed — that isn’t wildly fascinating.


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Kaitlyn Dever stars in Hulu’s inventive comedy Rosaline.

Rosaline: A comedic commentary on Romeo and Juliet

I have never understood the hype surrounding Shakespeare’s infamous play, Romeo and Juliet. Personally, I’ve always found it to be a long-winded, pompous display of iambic pentameter spouted by two-dimensional and horrendously stupid protagonists.


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Swift’s latest album Midnights presents the singer-songwriter’s most personal and frank experiences.

Taylor Swift's musical risk-taking pays off in Midnights

In what may arguably be one of the biggest album releases of the year, Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album Midnights was released on Oct. 21. The 13 tracks depict “sleepless nights” from across Swift’s life, drawing on her strong storytelling skills and sharp lyricism. 


COURTESY OF JOHN D’CRUZ
The Banshees of Inisherin, The Boys from Biloxi and Crybaby are a few of the picks to explore this fall break.

To watch and watch for: week of Oct. 16

Believe it or not, fall break is upon us — though only after we’ve finished three more days of classes. But then we’ll all finally have a moment to breathe, sleep and really sleep. Thankfully it’s an exciting week for releases across the board, especially with a much-anticipated album from a certain singer-songwriter who needs no introduction.


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Michael Giacchino, a famed American composer, makes his directorial debut with Werewolf by Night.

Marvel’s Werewolf by Night is a frightfully fun old-school monster tale

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.


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Along with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy reprises her role as one of the Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus 2.

Hocus Pocus 2: A nostalgic mess

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.


COURTESY OF JINGYAN ZHANG
This year's Hoptoberfest concert was headlined by Desiigner, a rapper.

Rapper Desiigner electrifies crowd at Hoptoberfest

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.




COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK
This week’s picks include Heat, Blue Rev and As the Moon Rests.

To watch and watch for: week of Oct. 9

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! 


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Hungarian novelist and screenwriter László Krasznahorkai penned Spadework for a Palace.

“Reality is no obstacle”: a review of László Krasznahorkai’s Spadework for a Palace

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.



COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK
Amsterdam, Our Missing Hearts and Charlie are a few of the most anticipated picks this week.

To watch and watch for: week of Oct. 2

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.


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Maggie Cheung is the lead actress of Wong Kar Wai’s 2000 romance drama In the Mood for Love.

In focus: In the Mood for Love (2000)

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. 


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Florence Pugh is one of the stars of Olivia Wilde's new film Don't Worry Darling.

Don’t Worry Darling is actually not that bad?

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. 


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Steven Spielberg’s ET: The Extra Terrestrial returns to the Senator Theatre as this week’s revival screening.

To watch and watch for: week of Sept. 25

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. 


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Camila Mendes stars as a tortured queen bee in Netflix’s Do Revenge.

Do Revenge is a fun high school drama that suffers from mixed messaging

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. Without going into spoilers, the movie has many twists and turns that made it fun to watch. It might even be worth watching it a second time to pick up on any hidden details that I missed the first time through.


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Moonage Daydream, one of the picks of this week, documents the enigmatic life of David Bowie.

To watch and watch for: week of Sept. 18

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.


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