Arts

Arts

‘Severance’ is a mind-boggling thrill ride

By Nate Hall | March 28

There’s nothing on television quite like “Severance.” The dystopian thriller returned for its second season in January, capping off a nearly three-year hiatus that kept fans in suspense after its season 1 finale ended in a tantalizing cliffhanger. The first season wowed audiences with an ingenious premise, an instantly likable cast of characters and a few genuinely shocking twists. Surely season 2 couldn’t surpass its success, right?

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Arts

‘Death of a Unicorn’ questions its own morals

By Odessa Gaines | March 28

Do you brake for unicorns? Great, then you’re automatically better than Paul Rudd. 

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Arts

Video essayists you should watch: KamSandwich

By Basil Hand | March 28

It’s March, and everyone’s talking about their March Madness brackets. This year, I’ve decided to get in on it as well. Currently, my bracket has “Rap Rat” going all the way with “BreaKey” and “The Campaign for North Africa: The Desert War 1940–43” in second and third place. We’re all talking about “The Worst Board Game of All Time Tournament 2 bracket,” right?

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Arts

‘Meet Cute in Manhattan’ hits streaming services

By Odessa Gaines | March 27

“Meet Cute in Manhattan” (2025) opens the same way many good rom-coms do — with a voiceover. Jason (Terence Chen) walks us through the plot of common rom-coms, describing how often you may pass by someone in a big city, never crossing paths with them until destiny decides the right time. He explains that sometimes, all it takes to change someone’s life is a simple meet-cute.

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Arts

The death of the indie flick

By Noah Goldstein | March 27

When “Anora” (2024) director Sean Baker took the stage to accept the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, he had a message to send — an urgent message. “Right now, as filmmakers, we have to fight to keep cinema alive. This means making feature films intended for theatrical exhibition,” Baker said in his acceptance speech. “The future of cinema [is] where it started: in a movie theater.”

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Arts

Healing through harmony: Tufts Medical Center music therapy transforms patient care

By Maya Godard | March 26

Alianora Reilly works at Tufts Medical Center, but her tool is no stethoscope or thermometer — instead, she wields a guitar.

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Arts

Reframing history at ‘Women Take the Reel’ film festival

By Ava Dettling | March 26

Since Feb. 27, the 14th annual Women Take the Reel film festival has brought female voices to the screen through a series of films and workshops hosted across universities and institutions in the Boston area. Tufts has the privilege of hosting the final event on Thursday evening, which will feature two short films directed by women. The festival, which was founded by MIT’s Women’s and Gender Studies department, investigates issues pertaining to gender, race, sexuality, class and feminism. The films featured are directed entirely by women, highlighting their unique perspectives within the industry and world they occupy.

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Arts

Spencer Sutherland brings theatrical flair back to music

By Odessa Gaines | March 26

On Saturday, Brighton Music Hall opened its doors to rising musical royalty, Spencer Sutherland, for the second time, backed by openers Cloe Wilder and Stacey Ryan. Sutherland, an indie pop artist from Ohio, first entered the spotlight with his single “Selfish” in 2017. From there, he made notable appearances on NBC’s “Today” show and later the U.K. “X-Factor” where he made it through to the first live show. Sutherland continued to release several singles over the years, including “Talk” and “Fine” in 2018. His debut EP “NONE of this has been about you” dropped the next year followed by his second EP “Indigo.”

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Arts

Ruby Franke: ‘Momfluencer’ turned felon

By Fiona Hinrichsen | March 25

Just over a year ago, former family vlogger Ruby Franke from Springville, Utah was sentenced to prison for child abuse, sparking a movement to pass legislation aimed at protecting children featured in social media content. Earlier this month, Utah became the fourth state — and the first red state — to enact such legislation.

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Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: Ticket sales are out of control

By Odessa Gaines | March 25

This past Sunday I had plans to finally see Ayo Edebiri in the new film “Opus” (2025) at my local AMC. In preparation for this venture, I made sure to stop by the convenience store to spend my last pennies on my favorite sour snacks, hop on the Green Line extra early and queue up a great playlist for the roughly half-hour journey. Half an hour later, my train was frozen between the East Somerville and Lechmere stops.

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Arts

‘Parade’ puts America on trial

By Spring LaRose | March 25

“Parade” opens with a drumbeat for soldiers to march to and hearts to keep rhythm with. It is the American Civil War’s lethal metronome, keeping time that has been lost in carnage. For now, the year is 1863,and the place is Marietta,Ga. A young man kisses his love goodbye to head into battle, answering that rat-a-tat call to self-sacrifice. A Confederate flag is raised proudly, its stars and stripes beaming under the stage lights. The parade has begun.

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Video

Tufts Daily Talks: 2025 Oscars predictions

By Julia Carpi and Emma So | March 14

Members of The Tufts Daily talked about this year in film ahead of the Oscars. They discussed their favorite movies and predicted winners, all while ranting about the worst snubs and their juiciest hot takes.

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Arts

Meet the creatives behind ‘Meet Cute in Manhattan’

By Odessa Gaines | March 14

Why do we love rom-coms? After sitting down with the cast and crew of “Meet Cute in Manhattan” (2025), we may have an answer. “Meet Cute in Manhattan” follows Jason (Terence Chen), a lover of rom-coms and an actor who wishes to bring more Asian representation to the big screen. After quite literally running into Nora (Kendall Leary), an aspiring architect and current barista, at a local café, Jason is quick to rope Nora in for a commercial audition. After sparks fly in the audition, the director, determined to build on the pair’s chemistry, throws them straight into an ad campaign for the viral dating app “Meet Cute.” As the two continue the campaign, they begin to fall for one another while also growing as individuals. 

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Arts

Is fast fashion the new luxury?

By Annika Pillai | March 13

PrettyLittleThing was once the face of fast fashion’s glitzy, in-your-face appeal, known for bodycon dresses, flashy patterns, cut-out tops and influencer endorsements –– particularly with the cast of Love Island. The brand represented a carefree, fun aesthetic focused on quick, trendy styles at rock-bottom prices.

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Arts

The disturbing delight of ‘Victorian Psycho’ by Virginia Feito

By Sophie Herron | March 13

If you’ve ever had the urge to respond to the absurdities of your reality with complete carnage, “Victorian Psycho” by Virginia Feito is the perfect book for you. Even if your impulses are less than violent, the elegantly written prose and intriguing psyche of protagonist Winifred Notty will leave you craving to see her world in all its inglorious depravity. The novel follows Miss Notty beginning her service as a governess at Ensor House. While tutoring the two spoiled Pounds children, Drusilla and Andrew, and tolerating the abuses of Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, she finds it progressively more difficult to contain her inner darkness, which she occasionally refers to as “Fred.” Readers be warned, this novel is not for the faint of heart. The first chapter explains that “in three months everyone in this house will be dead.” At just over 200 pages, the book rapidly uncovers Miss Notty’s sordid past while guiding readers through a vortex of sex, gore and malice before leading to the ultimate conclusion. Although the extreme violence feels overwhelming at times, Feito’s playful writing transforms the shocking carnage into an amusing catharsis rather than a tragedy.

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Columns

Read, Write and Be Merry: ‘The Rose Code’ by Kate Quinn

By Merry Jiao | March 13

Okay, so remember when I said last semester that there are four authors I always zero in on? I’ve now reviewed books from two of them, and I cannot believe I’ve waited this long to review a book by the one and only Kate Quinn.

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University

Tinashe to headline Spring Fling 2025, Quinn XCII and Hot Chelle Rae to open

By Ellora Onion-De, Liam Chalfonte and Odessa Gaines | March 12

Tinashe, Quinn XCII and Hot Chelle Rae will perform at Spring Fling, the Tufts University Social Collective announced on Wednesday. The concert will take place on April 26 at 12:30 p.m. on the Academic Quad. The headliner, Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, who performs just under her first name, is known for hit songs “Nasty” and “2 On (feat. ScHoolboy Q).” She also recently appeared on the song “B2b featuring tinashe” from Charli XCX’s remix album “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.” Tinashe previously headlined Spring Fling in 2017, though she was originally set to be an opener. She stepped in after T-Pain cancelled due to the performance conflicting with his son’s birthday.

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Arts

Tate McRae comes so close to stardom with ‘So Close to What’

By Annika Pillai | March 12

Is Tate McRae our new pop princess? She’s certainly trying. On “cut my hair,” the opening track of her sophomore album “THINK LATER,” McRae reflects on how the “sad girl bit got a little boring,” nodding to her past hits like “One Day,” “you broke me first,” and “chaotic.” Her earlier music, with its slower tempos and melancholic vibe, firmly cemented McRae’s place in the ‘sad girl pop’ genre.

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Arts

Manipulation or endless devotion?

By Odessa Gaines | March 12

Sometimes, all you need to make an engaging movie is ninety minutes, an interesting concept and a power couple. “Black Bag” (2025), thankfully, has all three.

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Arts

Center Stage: Greek Music Ensemble

By Nate Hall | March 12

One of the many ensembles offered by the Department of Music is the Klezmer Ensemble, also known as the Jumbo Knish Factory, directed by Professor Michael McLaughlin. Tufts’ Klezmer Ensemble performs old and new Jewish music, celebrating a musical tradition that began in Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. While the group has been around for more than 20 years, a new group formed as an offshoot of the Klezmer Ensemble this semester.

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