Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 1, 2025

Arts & Entertainment




Chris Boland / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Strait believes that Rooney’s latest novel, Intermezzo, does not match the quality of her previous books. 

Sally Rooney's Intermezzo: Smut or sophisticated?

Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo, the Sept. 24 addition to her oeuvre, is a novel chronicling the tumultuous relationship between the Dublin-based 22-year-old competitive chess player Ivan Koubek and his 32-year-old barrister brother Peter after the death of their father. Or, more suitably, Intermezzo is a novel chronicling the men’s relationship with women. What could have been a novel interrogating a variety of worthy themes — the function of grief and trauma in love, the explosive or inopportune nature of fate or the destructiveness of family — is instead a novel that reads like a pubescent teenage boy preoccupied with sex.


COURTESY OF RUBEN DIAZ
Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield's parting Cancelled tour came to Baltimore at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Unfiltered fun: My night at the Cancelled podcast live show

You know that moment when a podcast becomes more than just a weekly listen? When it transforms into a cultural phenomenon, sparking debate, drama and endless TikTok commentary? Yeah, that’s what Cancelled , a podcast hosted by Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield, has done — taking the world of pop culture, scandals and the art of calling out influencers to a whole new level. 



COURTESY OF JORDAN JACKSON
Wang shares moments from a presentation by Jordan Jackson, a Baltimore based comic artist, during her First Year Seminar, Writing with Pictures: An Introduction to Writing Picture Books and Graphic Novels.

Jordan Jackson shares his creative journey and artistic perspective

“I was always a nerd,” said Jordan Jackson — a Baltimore-based comic artist, writer and faculty for animation at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) — during my First-Year Seminar: Writing with Pictures: An Introduction to Writing Picture Books and Graphic Novels. On Monday, Sept. 30, my class was honored to have Jackson join our class to discuss his journey as an artist and his creative process. 




COOPER HEWITT SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM / PUBLIC DOMAIN
If a scrapbook transcending temporal and spatial boundaries was condensed into an album, it would be Kate Bollinger’s new album Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind.

Kate Bollinger's Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind: a sweet scrapbook for autumn

Whether it’s the bittersweet realizations of "I See It Now" or the gentle resolve of "In A Smile," Bollinger’s melodies feel like quiet moments of self-discovery. As the days grow shorter and colder, this album invites listeners to pause, look inward and embrace change, making it the perfect companion for those crisp, contemplative fall days.


NINE STARS / CC BY 3.0
Day6 from left to right: pianist Wonpil, guitarist Sungjin, drummer Dowoon and rapper-vocalist Young K .

The best B-sides of Day6

In all, Day6 has had a remarkable, unconventional career in K-pop, partly due to their strength to put out timeless music — whether it be a title track or a b-side. If you haven’t already, give Day6 a try. 


JIYUN GUO / Design & Layout Editor
This week’s picks from the Arts & Entertainment section include a few horror movies, a memoir by Al Pacino and an arts walk in Hampden. Please enjoy our media picks for the upcoming week.

To watch and watch for: Week of Oct. 14

This week’s picks from the Arts & Entertainment section include a few horror movies, a memoir by Al Pacino, an arts walk in Hampden and a new album from Jordana. Please enjoy our media picks for the upcoming week.


DEVIANTART / CC BY 3.0
Zhu analyzes indie band Bright Eyes’ 11th LP, Five Dice, All Threes, and reflects on the album’s poignant message on maintaining hope amist darkness and a changing world. 

Bright Eyes chooses to defy life’s odds on Five Dice, All Threes

There’s a 0.01286% chance — about one in 7,776 — that you’ll roll the combination referenced in the title of indie band Bright Eyes’ 11th LP, Five Dice, All Threes. It’s a perfect yet improbable roll in the game of Threes, an apt framing device for an album about living on in the face of overwhelming bleakness, while salvaging whatever optimism remains along the way.


KAREL CHLADEK / CC BY 2.0
Phan contends that Coppola's heavy investment in Megalopolis does not prevent it from being a disaster and that stripped of all the controversy, it fails to make a lasting impression.

Megalopolis is overwhelmingly sincere but not that great

Being embarrassingly earnest is not a guarantee for success, and Megalopolis is the perfect example of a passion project that misses the mark. If every movie is a miracle, Megalopolis is less of a second coming and more of a moment of lucidness before succumbing to death.


ANNECY FESTIVAL / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Wild Robot is a heartwarming and comforting film about the power of found family and forming a community outside of social norms. 

The Wild Robot finds its way home with a message of self-acceptance

Adapted from Peter Brown’s novel of the same name, The Wild Robot breathes new life into the book’s well-loved characters with a style that feels true to childhood fantasy. Its combination of majestic worldbuilding and heartfelt characterizations beautifully fleshes out Brown’s story of finding belonging in a foreign place.


RUI DO ROSARIO / Design & Layout Editor
This week's picks include the comedic film Saturday Night, directed by Jason Reitman, Jason Rekulak’s mystery novel The Last One at the Wedding, rapper GloRilla's new LP, Glorious, and the Film and Media Studies Faculty Showcase on Sunday, 2 p.m. in Gilman 50.

To watch and watch for: Week of Oct. 6

Ironically, with Halloween around the corner, there’s only one hot-ticket horror film to announce this week: Terrifier 3 — a classic thrasher set on Christmas Eve in a sleepy, little town — is worth to add to your rotation of Halloween classics. But my excitement lies with the two comedies releasing this Friday: The Apprentice, a film covering Trump’s New York real-estate business back in the ‘70s and ‘80s; and Saturday Night, which recounts the events leading up to the first airing of Saturday Night Live.


COURTESY OF BEN ANDREESEN
Experimental music performers at Baltimore’s High Zero Festival, from left to right: Putu Tangkas Adi Hiranmayena, Jamal Moore, Mickey Lusk

A weirdo’s techno hero: High Zero

From Sept. 19 to 22, the Baltimore Theatre Project, in collaboration with the High Zero Foundation, hosted this year’s annual High Zero festival. Over four days, 20 improvised sets featuring four solo acts and 16 group performances showcased the best of Baltimore’s experimental music scene.


COURTESY OF ISABELLA WANG
The Polyaspora Festival commenced Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Leith Symington Griswold Hall at the University’s Peabody Institute. 

Peabody's Polyaspora Festival: contemporary music from the perspective of a classical musician

The Polyaspora Festival commenced Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in Leith Symington Griswold Hall at the Peabody Institute. The festival “centers Black and Brazilian perspectives in contemporary music alongside a showcase of new musical works by Peabody Conservatory students.” The Future is Now I was the first event of the five-day festival, featuring seven different compositions by current Peabody Conservatory students.



RUI DO ROSARIO / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR
This week’s picks include the highly anticipated movie Joker: Folie à Deux, the second album of Thee Sacred Souls and a collection of essays by Ta-Nehisi Coates on how narratives shape our worldview.  

To watch and watch for: Week of Sept. 30

Out with one month, in with another. As the semester really kicks into gear — can you feel it yet? — we are all striving to balance schoolwork and leisure time. If you do get a moment to catch your breath, consider checking out some of the media on this week’s list, brought to you by the Arts and Entertainment section. 


ARGOS / CC BY 3.0
Suki Waterhouse's new album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, is not as interesting as the title suggests.

A failed reinvention: Suki Waterhouse, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin

“I know you've been waiting for someone to come pick you up.”  Ironically, English singer-songwriter, model and actress Alice Suki Waterhouse’s second studio album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, is anything but a pick-me-up. Released on Sept. 13, the album is somewhat bloated, featuring 18 songs, five of which were released as singles. Waterhouse recently reentered the spotlight due to her role as Karen Sirko in the musical drama Daisy Jones and The Six, her newfound virality on TikTok and her engagement to universally adored Robert Pattinson. 


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