Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for “The Light We Lost” and “The Love We Found” by Jill Santopolo. This past week has been rough, so hopefully, here’s a little bit of light to help brighten your guys’ day. “The Light We Lost” was (metaphorically) chucked in my face by ...
This past weekend, Torn Ticket II dabbled with mad science inside of Cohen Auditorium with their production of “Jekyll & Hyde.” The musical tells the cautionary tale of scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll and his quest to separate good from evil in man — this ultimately creates the monster, Mr. Hyde, inside himself. As he struggles and fails to keep Hyde in check, the pressures of society and love weigh on him until he finally snaps.
The beauty of the arts scene at Tufts is that it brings together students from a host of different backgrounds. This is certainly the case for The Institute, a sketch comedy group comprised of student actors, writers and filmmakers, some of whom join with no formal experience in comedy. This was certainly the case for Eran Avni-Singer, who auditionedhis freshman spring. One small project changed the trajectory of his college career: After making a short film for TUTV’s HorrorFest, he was recruited by the president of The Institute to audition for the group as a filmmaker.
No one likes to admit they’ve fallen for influencer marketing, but let’s be honest — we all have. We see a product pop up on our feeds enough times, hear a celebrity talk about it in just the right way — and suddenly, we’re buying it. While some of these purchases end up being forgettable disappointments, every now and then, something actually delivers. As someone who is shamefully very easily influenced, here are a few things I was “influenced” to buy and thankfully do not regret.
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?
Do you brake for unicorns? Great, then you’re automatically better than Paul Rudd.
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?
“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.
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.”
Alianora Reilly works at Tufts Medical Center, but her tool is no stethoscope or thermometer — instead, she wields a guitar.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
