A “Castlevania” television show was never supposed to work. The legendary video game series achieved its reputation not through its stories, but through an incredible mix of stylistic, musical and gameplay prowess. To take this kind of setup and create a television show around it ...
Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker each have substantial solo careers, but together they have formed an adored triumvirate that has left fans hungry for more. “The boys,” as they and their listeners affectionately call themselves, have been on tour since the release of their first full album, “The Record” (2023) this past March. The album has garnered the group a loyal fanbase who showed up hours before doors opened at MGM Music Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 25 to try to secure a spot close to the stage.
The second season of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (2023) dives deeper into the trial that captivated the U.S. in early 2023 through footage from inside the Colleton County courtroom and interviews with witnesses, prosecutors, experts and friends of the victims.
“Sitting in Bars with Cake” is a movie partially based on Audrey Shulman’s 2015 book of the same name. The book is autobiographical, about Shulman going out with her best friend in Los Angeles, taking cakes to random bars as a way to meet guys, sharing recipes in between short essays that detail her life experiences over the course of a year.
This month, Mitski, the 33 year old singer and songwriter, released her seventh studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (2023). Met with critical acclaim, the intensity and intimacy of her lyricism reminds us of her incredible artistry, the path she has taken to get here and who we think she is.
Emma Seligman’s new satirical, teen, lesbian comedy film “Bottoms” (2023), which hit screens on Aug. 25, might just be the most stereotypically basic feature of 2023. After the release of the two Oscar-worthy films of the summer “Barbie” (2023) and “Oppenheimer” (2023), Seligman’s motion picture comes up short.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Writers Guild of America has officially ended their nearly five-month strike against big studios. Most employed writers returned to work later that day. The decision to end the strike came from an agreement made between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. This agreement includes negotiations about payments, staffing, streaming terms and AI use for the next three years — until May 1, 2026. Final negotiations took place over five days with the CEOs of Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix all in attendance.
“I just want some recognition / For having good tits and a big heart,” Reneé Rapp sings in the best line of “Tummy Hurts.” This song is just one of many hits on her debut album “Snow Angel” (2023). Rapp’s music was already enjoyable, but she truly earns deeper admiration with her new album. Her ability to release a seven-song EP in 2022 and a full 12-track album just one year later is wildly impressive. She seems to be on a song-writing streak!
Madison Cunningham brought her singular artistic vision to Leader Bank Pavilion on Sept. 22 and 23 as the opener for Hozier. At the Sept. 22 concert, Cunningham was fronting lead guitar and vocals, backed by Kyle Crane on drums, Eliana Athayde on bass and Philip Krohnengold on keys. The team is serving as direct support for the entirety of Hozier’s U.S. tour.
Sammy Rae & The Friends recently returned to Boston with their musical creativity and all-encompassing positivity. Selling out Roadrunner on Thursday, Sept. 21 for one of the first stops of their fall headline tour, the band played new arrangements of familiar favorites while also trying out new material ahead of a debut studio album. Sammy Rae & The Friends followed opener Britton & The Sting and were backed by the Nebulous String Quartet.
Janelle Monáe’s new album couldn’t have come soon enough. After her third album, “Dirty Computer” (2018), released to critical acclaim, Monáe (who uses she/they pronouns) took a break from music to focus on other projects, including film, television and a book of short stories just last year. While her work in acting and writing has only cemented her multi-hyphenate status, it was a joy to see Monáe return to music with“The Age of Pleasure” (2023).
Boston Calling, one of the country’s largest metropolitan music festivals, returned for its twelfth edition from May 26-28. The festival, held only a short Red Line ride away from Tufts’ campus at the Harvard Athletic Complex, offered a jam-packed weekend for all music lovers. Headlining the festival were the Foo Fighters, the Lumineers and Paramore. Outside of headliners, a wide array of artists performed from Niall Horan to the Dropkick Murphys to the Flaming Lips to 070 Shake and more. While attending the festival, the Daily had the opportunity to speak with attending artists Declan McKenna, The Beaches and Juice.
Whether you consider yourself an avid follower ofGreta Gerwig’s quirky, feminist coming-of-age films, an enthusiast ofChristopher Nolan’s mind-bending sci-fi epics or perhaps you fall into neither category, there’s a good chance that onJuly 21, you found yourself in a movie theater.
If you’ve been paying attention to the world of entertainment over the past several months, you may be familiar with the continuing strikes among film and TV workers. The first domino fell on May 2, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Approximately 11,500 screenwriters all refused to continue work until the union’s demands were met.
When the whole world seems to hate you, where do you go? This is the question that Joshua Harmon’s “Prayer for the French Republic” (2022) seeks to answer. Playing through Oct. 8 at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, the play tells a sweeping, multi-generational story of a Jewish family grappling with antisemitism in France. Directed by The Huntington’s new Artistic Director, Loretta Greco, “Prayer” follows the Salomon Benhamou family through generations of love, pain and difficult choices.
Sammy Rae & The Friends, an up-and-coming band focused around camaraderie, classic rock and queer/female empowerment, will perform at Roadrunner in Boston this Thursday, Sept. 21, as one of many stops on their fall tour. On Sept. 6th, the Daily sat down with frontwoman Samantha Bowers, better known by her stage name Sammy Rae, to talk about her songwriting process, upcoming projects and more ahead of the performance.
Discarding the mania and disco pop of tracks like “Washing Machine Heart” (2018) and the heart-breaking rage behind others like “Brand New City” (2012), Mitski’s seventh studio album heralds a new, quiet and reflective age of Mitski’s artistry. “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (2023) was released on Sept. 15 to much initial acclaim, and for good reason.
The sophomore slump— the fear that your second album will not live up to the hype or be as successful as your first — is always a concern within the music industry. But with Olivia Rodrigo’s new album“GUTS” (2023), which was released on Sept. 8, she can take a breath as the album is just as good, if not better, than “Sour” (2021).
A fascinating recounting of a pop-culture-sensation of a trial that brought celebrity drama from the courtroom to the internet, and a pointed but necessary critique of social media’s effect on the public perception of Heard and Depp.
Sol Gittleman has been a college professor since the 1960s. Now, he has a new book which explores the history of all American colleges. “An Accidental Triumph: The Improbable History of American Higher Education,” which will be released on Sept. 15, is a compelling history of the paradoxes of college in the US.
