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 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.
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.
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 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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Few actors have entertained, confused and bewildered audiences over the years more than Nicholas Cage has, and his unique ability is aptly celebrated in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. His character may not be the most accurate reflection of the actor’s real personality, but Cage gives the audience what it wants by playing the role with the hilarious intrigue of his cult status.
Starting the weekend of April 22, the Barnstormers opened their 2022 Spring Mainstage production: Into the Woods. Directed by Brandon Bieber and produced by Courtney Carreira, Into the Woods is the club’s first live musical in three years.
Students took to the runway on April 23 for the Inter-Asian Council’s (IAC) “Diaspora” Fashion Show. The showcase illuminated the diversity of Asian cultures represented at Hopkins, granting Asian Pacific Islander Desi American students the opportunity to flaunt their culture’s clothing. Models sported both traditional and modern clothing from across the Asian continent, featuring styles from the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Myanmar, Mauritius and Malaysia.
