“They annoy me,” Dakota Johnson recently stated about her co-stars Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced on the press tour for the recent release “Madame Web.” Johnson, perhaps most known for playing Anastasia Steele in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise, has always been known to be something of a loose cannon on press tours.
In honor of Black History Month, I thought I’d dive (or rather, dip my toes) into jazz’s journey to Bombay for this week’s edition.
“Poor Things” (2023) has received rave reviews since its initial release at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023. The movie was released in the United States in December, and it aired in the U.K. and Ireland in January 2024. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film aims to shock audiences while simultaneously painting a comedic image of self-discovery.
“It's showtime, folks!” This is Joe Gideon’s morning mantra — reassuring himself that every day would be as indelibly entertaining as the last. Whether or not any performance is on the docket, to Gideon, protagonist of “All That Jazz,” the whole world is a stage. He lives in a setting ...
“C’est mon plaisir,” which translates to “It’s my pleasure,” is inscribed on a crest that hangs above the original entrance to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Gardner’s welcoming spirit greets visitors with open arms. So if you are looking for a little adventure in Boston, look no further! This place is more than just a museum — it’s a portal to another era, packed with history, art and a whole lot of charm.
Let’s start this column out strong with a recent favorite read: “Writers and Lovers” (2020) by Lily King. This novel is smart, fun, reflective and just an all-around great read. It’s guaranteed to make you feel the full range of emotions, prompting you to laugh one second and cry the next. Narrator and protagonist Casey Peabody is very lovable in her awkwardness and determination to make it as a writer. We see her face the complexities of life: grief, love and, of course, geese. More on the geese thing later…
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and Lil’ Kim deconstructed barriers that negated the artistic expression of female rappers in mainstream hip-hop music. In their records, the trifecta explicitly and implicitly subverted patriarchal binaries. Fundamentally, these rappers envisioned liberation through the expression of female sexuality, romance and emotions.
American violinist Randall Goosby made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Symphony Hall stage on Feb. 2, the first of two performances.
Now, I have colloquially described my college house as “The Cheese House,” firstly, because my roommate (now abroad) is Coby Formaggio, founder of the current Tufts Cheese Club, and because I am from the grate state of Wisconsin. Refusing cheese feels a little blasphemous, and yet, I blaspheme.
The English translation of “Aednan: An Epic,” by Sámi-Swedish writer Linnea Axelsson, came out on Jan. 9. Saskia Vogel completed the translation. The highly anticipated translation comes after much praise for the original, which was initially released in Swedish in 2018. That same year, it won the prestigious August Prize, which Sweden gives annually to the country’s best books.
My room back home in Bombay (or Mumbai, depending on who you’ve heard it from) faces the Arabian Sea. I’ve gone to sleep listening to the soothing lull of waves since before I learned the meaning of the word, walked past couples posing against clear blue skies and admired crimson west coast sunsets, especially since my foray into Instagram. But the rose-tinted glasses (or filters, if you will) of social media can’t hide the reality of where we’re headed.
Compared to the rest of the world, American television is infamous for its glossiness. Whereas British soaps and Italian reality TV shows tend to feature girls-next-door and regular Joes (Giuseppes?), US shows are chock-full of toned abs, low-cut tops, gleaming white teeth and other trademarks of the young and fit.
Warning: This review contains spoilers for the miniseries “Expats.” The first episode of the miniseries “Expats,” directed by Lulu Wang and based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel “The Expatriates,” premiered on Jan. 26. Following an array of expatriates in Hong Kong, the ...
When you sit down to watch “The Zone of Interest” (2023), the first thing you may question is the bitter blackness that chokes the screen. It is then complemented by the faint sound of chirping birds, rustling trees and then a deep-pitched overture. The screen remains static, as you stare into dark nothingness.
Hip-hop has a problem: unoriginality. Espoused by “oldheads” and hip-hop traditionalists for years, criticism of unoriginality in hip-hop is now an established sentiment within the community. Although some hip-hop artists and groups like JPEGMAFIA, Smino, EARTHGANG and Griselda maintain the experimental and innovative spirit of the genre, mainstream hip-hop is overwhelmed with strikingly stale records.
The thing I will grieve the most about leaving Boston is that I will not have access to the network of events and intellectuals that Boston ushers in. Spending a weekend at MIT’s iQuHACK? Attending Hilary Hahn’s performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra? Listening to Sohla El-Waylly’s book conversation at the Harvard Book Store?
The five-member K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE released their second full-length album on Jan. 29, titled “2.” The group, consisting of Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Shuhua and Yuqi, debuted in 2018 and has consistently put out hit after hit since then. So, does “2” continue their rise in the industry?
Twenty-five years ago, on Feb. 1, 1999, Stephen Chbosky introduced the world to a character named Charlie through a series of letters in the phenomenal coming-of-age novel, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” “ Perks” tackles themes of love, sexuality, abuse, mental health and much more. The novel captures many of the struggles of a teenager, and while it can be intense at times, its relatability is what has allowed it to remain a must-read for teenagers 25 years later.
One of the most talked-about films of this past year is undoubtedly Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” (2023). The public consensus on the film’s politics is divided: In one camp, many praise it for portraying their experiences and highlighting feminist principles; in another, they complain of its attacks on patriarchy and toxic masculinity.
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (2010) is a widely condemned film adaptation of the beloved “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” book series (2005–). While many fans were left disappointed by the film, its biggest hater could be found in the man who started it all. Rick Riordan, the series’ creator, described the movies on Twitter as his “life’s work going through a meat grinder.”
