Arts

Arts

What’s the hype about ‘Wednesday‘?

By Erin Zhu | February 1

“Wednesday” (2022-) is a mystery-slash-comedy-slash-coming-of-age series. At least, that is what it is trying to be. The show begins with Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) pouring piranhas into her school swimming pool as an act of vengeance on behalf of her younger brother, Pugsley, who has been victimized by one of the water polo players. For this action, Wednesday is expelled, and she is promptly enrolled into her parents’ alma mater, Nevermore Academy, located in Jericho, Vt. 

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Arts

TXT takes listeners to Neverland and back on its newest EP ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation'

By Elizabeth Barrett | February 1

On its newest EP, “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” K-pop band TOMORROW X TOGETHER explores “how you are seduced by the sweetness of instant gratification,” as member Choi Soobin describes it. While the band is not the only music group to approach this topic recently (see: the surreal parties of Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze” (2022) music video or Caroline Polachek fondling elaborate wine glasses in her “Billions” (2022) music video), TXT is uniquely qualified to speak on it.

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Arts

‘Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio’ is a triumph of animation and storytelling

By Nate Hall | January 30

Although Pinocchio was created by Italian writer Carlo Collodi in 1883, it was likely his titular 1940 Disney movie that brought the character his greatest American name recognition. Since then, his story has been retold many times, with varying degrees of success. Just last year, Pinocchio was brought to life onscreen in three separate films, including a live action Disney remake whose human performances were just as wooden as the titular wooden boy. One would think that “Pinocchio” has been done to death by now — but Guillermo del Toro’s new stop-motion adaptation makes an argument for the story’s continued relevance, reimagining the familiar story in an unexpected way.

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Music

Boygenius makes their triumphant return

By Henry Chandonnet | January 30

Nearly five years after its seismic self-titled EP, boygenius has returned for its indie pop crown. Made up of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, the trio was known for their rock-infused melodies and biting lyricism. Those words stung in their beauty and sincerity. Take one of their leading hits from 2018, “Me & My Dog,” in which the girl group croons, “I wanna be emaciated / I wanna hear one song without thinking of you / I wish I was on a spaceship / Just me and my dog and an impossible view.” With that sonic poetry under their belt, one would expect a grand return to the industry. And, if its three-song preview tells us anything, it’s that boygenius is coming back with a bang. 

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Arts

WEEKENDER: The 2023 Golden Globes were a glossy masquerade

By Henry Chandonnet | January 26

The Golden Globes have always been a bit of a peculiar entity. The categories seem nonsensical: What defines a drama, as opposed to a musical or comedy? Plus, with a virtually unrecognizable voting body (anyone ever heard of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association?), the awards given at the Globes were almost laughable. But as the only major awards show to serve alcoholic drinks tableside, the Globes were always a fun game of chance celebrity encounters and drunken speeches.

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Arts

'Everything Everywhere' made Oscar history — and rightfully so

By Ryan Fairfield | January 26

For 95 years, the Academy Awards has never nominated an Asian woman in the category of best actress. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, that streak was broken by Malaysian icon Michelle Yeoh, who was nominated for her performance in the A24 film “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022) as Evelyn Wang. Yeoh’s career has spanned nearly 40 years, originally starring in Chinese action films. Prior to her role in “Everything Everywhere,” Yeoh was most known in the Western entertainment industry for starring in the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997),“Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) and the Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021). “Everything Everywhere” marked the first Hollywood leading role for Yeoh, and her performance has been a hot topic throughout the awards season.

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Arts

‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is another Dreamworks success

By Erin Zhu | January 26

Succeeding the original “Puss in Boots” (2011), “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (2022) presents our charming protagonist as his usual hedonistic and proud self. Unfortunately, after a joust that goes awry, Puss(Antonio Banderas)discovers that he is on the last of his nine lives. But of course, our fearless hero laughs in the face of death and dismisses the prescription of retirement. However, after a chilling encounter with a hooded, red-eyed wolf (Wagner Moura), Puss flees.

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Theater

'Life of Pi': The survival story comes to life at the A.R.T.

By Nate Hall | January 24

Note: At the Jan. 15 performance of “Life of Pi,” the traditionally male role of Pi was played by understudy and ensemble member Uma Paranjpe, a female performer, and Pi was presented as a girl. To reflect this change, this article will use she/her pronouns to refer to Pi.

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Arts

Grammys 2023: Who should win and who will win

By Jack Clohisy | January 24

On Nov. 15, 2022, the Recording Academy released the list of nominees for the 65th annual Grammy Awards, held this year on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles. Since expanding the nominations to 10 nominees last year in the four general field categories (Best New Artist, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year), the Recording Academy has continued the trend into this year’s ceremony. New and old faces present themselves among the nominees with clear winners in some of the big four categories and harder-to-call races in the remainder. Here is who should and who will win each of the four major categories at this year’s GRAMMY Awards:

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Arts

Must-see spring 2023 performance arts at Tufts, Part 1

By Odessa Gaines | January 20

One of the most important things to do at the start of any new semester is to set your schedule, taking into account classes, extracurriculars, study sessions and many other random little things that will come up when least expected. However, in between all the chemistry labs and philosophy papers, every student should set aside some time for rest and relaxation. And what better way to wind down than to attend one of Tufts’ many performing arts shows throughout the semester?

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Arts

'M3GAN' is not your typical robot

By Megan Reimer | January 20

“M3GAN” (2022) is one of the first movies to showcase a genuinely terrifying robotic product of humanity and somehow make her a girl's new best friend and favorite toy.

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Arts

Adele’s Vegas residency is sensational

By Ryan Fairfield | January 18

Adele is a pop superstar with immense vocal talent, charisma and the ability to captivate an audience with her profound performances. After almost a year of delays, Adele finally began her Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which she had postponed only 24 hours before the first show. The shows were initially scheduled to occur between January 2022 and April 2022 but were delayed until November 2022 through March 2023, with Adele claiming the show was not ready because it had “no soul in it” and felt disconnected. The artist claimed that postponing the shows was the right decision, and anyone who was lucky enough to attend one of her stellar performances at the Colosseum will likely agree with that statement. 

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Arts

'The Banshees of Inisherin': A darkly comic tale of feuding friends

By Nate Hall | January 18

The setting: the remote Irish island of Inisherin. The year: 1923, near the end of the Irish Civil War. This may not seem like the most exciting backdrop for a film. But Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022) is more than meets the eye and certainly worth a watch.

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Music

Seasonal smash: Christmas songs rewrite Spotify and Billboard records

By Jack Clohisy | January 18

As Billboard has loosened the reins on its rules over recurrent songs on its Hot 100 list over the past decade, there has been a resurgence of Christmas music dominating the charts. In addition, as the magazine started counting streaming services toward chart points in 2012, older music, specifically holiday hits, has seen great success because of such chart modifications.

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Arts

Best albums of 2022

By Henry Chandonnet, Ellie Lester, Jack Clohisy and Odessa Gaines | December 12

Just in time for the end of 2022, our editors are revealing their top moments of culture for the year, from the films that rocked their worlds to the television shows that drew them in. For today’s ranking, arts editors Jack, Henry, Odessa and Ellie give their takes for the best albums of 2022. As Ellie notes, her list is “unsolicited and sometimes incorrect opinions from a girl whose No. 2 artist this year was Bo Burnham.”

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TV

Best songs of 2022

By Henry Chandonnet, Jack Clohisy, Odessa Gaines and Ryan Fairfield | December 12

2022 was the year of music! We all had songs that drew us in, entering our rotation and populating our playlists. For the end of the year, arts editors Henry, Jack, Ryan and Odessa list their top songs of 2022. As Odessa notes, “I literally write a K-pop column, what more were you expecting from me?”

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Local

The Boston Pops bring cheer to the holiday season

By Ethan M. Steinberg | December 12

Symphony Hall was buzzing on Dec. 9 as the Boston Pops took the stage for the eighth time in as many days, in a tradition that now dates back nearly half a century. The Boston Symphony Orchestra offshoot, performing in a string of holiday concerts now through Christmas Eve, showed no signs of fatigue in their first of two concerts on Friday, as they played through the two hour show with gusto and holiday glee.

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TV

'High School' is an intimate, moving take on Tegan and Sara's 1990s adolescence

By Madeleine Aitken | December 12

Three years after Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara released a memoir called “High School” (2019), a limited series by the same name debuted, receiving a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The show, which premiered this October, carries us through Tegan and Sara’s high school experiences. Set against the backdrop of an alternative adolescence in Calgary, Alberta, it tackles the ups and downs of their relationship as twin sisters alongside their journey into music and their queer identities, all while they learn how to be themselves. 

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Local

The importance of art education in the Greater Boston area: Artisans Asylum

By Jack Clohisy | December 8

Art education: a topic of contention in the American education system. Why is it that art education fell by the wayside when it came to institutional priorities in school programs nationwide? An emphasis on STEM? An emphasis on 'conventional' careers? The cuts to funding for art programs across the country is why some organizations and companies are pioneering new paths to provide an education to students that encompasses a broader scope of disciplines outside of the conventional academic setting. In relation to Tufts, there are many local groups who are committed to fostering a meaningful art education to anyone of any age interested.

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Arts

Artistic vandalism in the modern age: Why soup does not mix well with Van Gogh's paints

By Siavash Raissi | December 8

On March 10, 1914, 32-year-old Mary Richardson visited the National Gallery of Art in London in hopes of finally being able to view Diego Velázquez's “The Rokeby Venus” in person. Depicting a naked woman as she reclines across a luxuriously draped bed alongside a representation of Cupid, the work has a prominent place in the National Gallery’s collection as one of the only portrayals of nudity from 17th century Spanish art. Yet Richardson, a prominent suffragette of her time, did not intend to solely admire the painting at a distance. Enraged by the recent arrest of another suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst, she began to wield a meat cleaver smuggled into the museum and attacked the canvas, leaving several gashes on the painting’s surface. Though the painting was successfully restored, contemporary writings and criticisms of the action featured heavily charged language, accusing Richardson of having committed an act as reprehensible as murder.

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