Columns

Public Cinemy No. 1: Intellectual property in American cinema

By Sacha Waters | April 24

“Barbie” introduced a new trend that may come to dominate American cinema in coming years: films adapted not from books or plays, but from toys. Since the pink-coated blockbuster graced screens in the summer of 2023, many new toy-based projects have been announced by Mattel and its competitors.Mattel has 14 films in development, including projects based on American Girl dolls, Hot Wheels, Uno and even the Magic 8 Ball. Hasbro and Electronic Arts, meanwhile, are collaborating with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap production company to produce a Monopoly movie and a Sims movie respectively.

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Columns

Brown and (Usually) Blue: Salman Rushdie’s ‘Knife’ is sharply witty, brilliant

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | April 24

Salman Rushdie, famed Indian novelist, seems to have occupied the liminal space between fame and notoriety since the beginnings of his literary career. His second novel “Midnight’s Children” (1981) won him fame, admiration and the Booker Prize; his fourth, “The Satanic Verses” (1988), forced him to go into hiding as he reckoned with the potent forces of censorship and violence. It is not challenging to find an author with a life as tumultuous as the stories they spin, but rarely is it as brilliant as Rushdie’s. And this brilliance continues to define his work, as proven by his 2024 memoir “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” published this April, a mere two years after he was attacked on stage at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2022. 

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Arts

Taking refuge in rage: ‘Girl, Interrupted,’ 30 years later

By Jennifer May | April 23

“Somebody asked me a long time ago: ‘From what emotion did you write this book?’, and I said, ‘rage,’” Susanna Kaysen shared about her 1993 memoir, “Girl, Interrupted.” To a room of curious listeners, each clutching their own copy of the book, this insight struck a chord. In a time when mental health wasn’t talked about openly, Kaysen wrote on her experience authentically and powerfully. Her words continue to captivate readers, and bookstores continue to shelve this literary classic. If art is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed, Kaysen has succeeded.

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Columns

Tok the Talk: The epidemic of iPad kids

By Annika Pillai | April 23

IPad kids have become somewhat of an internet meme — the children who can’t seem to go a few hours without gluing their eyes to a screen have become the latest laughingstock of the internet. However, beyond the comical nature of watching a child pull out Nickelodeon at a fancy dinner, there is a fundamental question to be raised: What impact has technology had on child development?

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Arts

Copyright wars, bizarre deaths: The story behind Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’

By Jake Ren | April 22

The story of the famous Chinese science fiction novel “The Three-Body Problem” (2006) begins in a military camp in Mongolia during the Cultural Revolution in China. Over the course of the story, the lives of people from that tiny corner of the world and the choices they make become inextricably intertwined with alien invasions, inter-dimensional travel and the fate of galaxies. 

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Arts

Maggie Rogers’ new album isn’t her best work

By Natalie Bricker | April 19

Maggie Rogers, you are phenomenal and talented and loved by many, many people. But your new album wasn’t as incredible as past albums. It wasn’t a complete disappointment, but it didn’t blow fans away. Especially after the previous beautiful, unskippable album “Surrender” (2022), expectations were high, and unfortunately, they weren’t met.

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Columns

Confessions of a Cooking Fanatic: Be the vegan cookies you wish to see in the world

By Elizabeth Foster | April 17

I entered Tufts wide-eyed and open-minded, knowing that I would have the opportunity to form my own moral and political beliefs outside of my immediate surroundings in Wisconsin. College would be a playground for me to ask questions and state beliefs previously unacknowledged — and I chose to attend Tufts for that reason.

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Arts

Beyoncé’s long ride on ‘Cowboy Carter’

By Maeve Hagerty | April 12

“Cowboy Carter” (2024) is immense. In its length, stylistic quantity and cultural capital, “Cowboy Carter” is an immense album from one of the greatest musicians and artistic visionaries of the 20th century: Beyoncé. The album was released on March 29 to much critical acclaim, and for good reason.

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Arts

Brown and (Usually) Blue: Tangled in misinformation, rooted in racism

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | April 12

Sometime in March, someone on X, formerly known as Twitter, tweeted their enthusiasm at a fancast for a live action remake of “Tangled.” The tweet speculated that actors Avantika Vandanapu (of the feature musical adaptation of “Mean Girls”) and Milo Manheim (of the Disney Channel “Zombies” movies) had been cast in the alleged remake and was followed by edits of this potential cast.

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Arts

Best Boston concert venues on the Green Line

By Shannon Murphy | April 11

With the Green Line now extending to Tufts, getting to see your favorite artists live in concert when they come to Boston is easier than ever. While there is plenty of young, local music thanks to schools like Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, Boston is also host to many popular artists on tour. There is no shortage of places to hear live music around Tufts, but if you ever find yourself riding on the T and looking for somewhere to rock out, here are a couple of must-visit venues within a 10-minute walk from Green Line stops!

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Arts

No-No Boy blends music, history in an immersive live performance at Tufts

By Nate Hall | April 11

No-No Boy is the stage name of Julian Saporiti, an indie-folk singer-songwriter whose music is like nothing you’ve ever heard — or seen — before. In a performance at the Granoff Music Center on April 2, Saporiti performed a selection of songs from his new album, “Empire Electric” ...

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Columns

For the Culture: In defense of J. Cole

By Paul Osmond | April 11

Last week, following the chaos generated from Kendrick Lamar’s diss on “Like That,” J. Cole unexpectedly released a new mixtape, titled “Might Delete Later.” Although the body of the mixtape initially received some positive reviews, many listeners reacted negatively to the concluding track, “7 Minute Drill,” wherein Cole pointedly disses his contemporary: “I came up in the ‘Ville, so I’m good when it’s tension/ He still doin’ shows, but fell off like the Simpsons/ Your first s--- was classic, your last s--- was tragic/ Your second s--- put n----- to sleep, but they gassed it.”

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Columns

The Bookmark: ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ by Jennette McCurdy

By Natalie Bricker | April 11

A note: Perhaps it goes without saying based on the shocking title, but Jennette McCurdy’s memoir contains intense and potentially triggering topics, so I definitely encourage reading content warnings before diving into this book. Now, for the review you’ve all been waiting for: “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” This book caught the attention of pretty much every reader when it came out — and it’s been brought back into many conversations recently due to the popularity of the new docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” (2024).

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Arts

‘RUNAWAY’ with Sarabande in a spectacular spring showcase

By Jennifer May | April 10

Sarabande took the stage with brilliance and grace for its spring showcase “RUNAWAY,” held in Cohen Auditorium on April 4 and 6. Tufts’ all-gender contemporary and commercial jazz ensemble is a powerhouse of talented dancers and choreographers who spend countless hours rehearsing and preparing for an end of semester performance. This semester’s show was called “RUNAWAY” and featured a diverse range of dance styles and song choices, ranging from Lady Gaga to Ethel Cain. The show not only included 11 stunning dances from Sarabande, but also four additional performances from different Tufts dance groups. With fresh interpretations of newer songs and classic hits, Sarabande continues to inspire audiences through the medium of dance.

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Columns

Public Cinemy No. 1: ‘Dream Scenario’ and its thesis on online culture

By Sacha Waters | April 9

If I had to pick a favorite movie from 2023, I would pick “Dream Scenario,” the mid-budget fantasy film starring Nicolas Cage in all his crazed glory. The film centers on Cage’s character, run-of-the-mill biology professor Paul Matthews, who suddenly starts appearing in people’s dreams all over the world. Although his dream self first exists as a passive observer, it turns into a sadistic entity that brutally tortures the dreamer as Matthews starts taking advantage of his newfound fame. This prompts a social backlash that sees him placed on leave from his job and forced to exit public places when his presence makes people uncomfortable, culminating in his wife leaving him.

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Columns

Tok the Talk: The plight of child stars

By Annika Pillai | April 9

“I feel like people just have a consensus that I’m still nine years old, and it’s crazy because I’m turning 18 this year. I feel like people still think of me [as that age] because I’ve been so young for most of my career,” actor Mckenna Grace said, referring to her growth as an actor in the public eye. Grace, who has been acting since she was five years old, starred in several prominent movies and TV shows in her youth — including “Gifted,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “Young Sheldon.” Grace frequently plays younger versions of other characters, which is perhaps part of the reason many find it difficult to grasp the concept that she is growing up. But beyond that, she is a victim of the difficult pipeline of transitioning from a child star to an adult personality.

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Arts

Kara Swisher is fed up with tech bros in ‘Burn Book’

By Lang Law | April 8

Kara Swisher has lost her patience. The self-described “liberal, lesbian Donald Trump of San Francisco” has been arguably the foremost tech journalist of the past three decades but has gradually shifted into an activist role due to her dismay with the people she once covered so closely. This past February, she published a memoir titled “Burn Book.”

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