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Arts



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Columns

A Compendium of Actors: Ana de Armas, the actress and the image

The 2020–21 season was gearing up to be the breakout of Ana de Armas. After gaining critical acclaim for her leading performance in “Knives Out” (2019), de Armas hit a career jackpot: a Marilyn Monroe biopic, an erotic thriller with Ben Affleck and even a starring role as the newest Bond girl. This is, of course, until almost all of those films were delayed in release with the pandemic or even off-loaded to streaming services. So what happened to Ana de Armas? Is she the burgeoning star of acting that we all thought, or has she just created a strong media narrative for herself?


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Arts

Weekender: Alt-pop hot rod Dayglow runs the bedroom pop world

For alt-pop sensation Sloan Struble, aka “Dayglow,” everything is ‘fair game’ when it comes to making music. The 22-year-oldsinging, songwriting and producing triple threat propelled to virality as a teenager with the release of his debut album “Fuzzybrain” (2018) and has amassed nearly 7.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify since then. Infectious melodies and colorful harmonies seem to pour out of Struble’s (not-so) fuzzy brain and will soon spill onto the Academic Quad in a highly anticipated performance at the university’s Spring Fling concert.


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Arts

Domee Shi’s 'Turning Red' is a significant Pixar addition

Pixar has become one of the most renowned animation studios of the modern day. Pixar has continuously pushed the boundaries of animation; however, they have been criticized for their lack of diversity. Out of their 25 films, few have centered on female protagonists, and Pixar had only once before featured an Asian lead. With their most recent film, “Turning Red” (2022), Pixar finally brings representation to a community that has been frequently underrepresented in both Pixar and Disney films while also bringing much-needed female representation behind the camera.


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Columns

Micro-Trend of the Week: He was a punk; she did ballet

The ballet platform has become one of the most coveted new shoes of the season, featured on the runway by designers such as Simone Rocha, Miu Miu, Comme des Garçons and Cecilie Bahnsen. The style has surely begun to make its way into the closet of TikTok influencers, capitalizing off of the ephemerality of the trend. However, this does not discount the history and creativity of asking what would have happened if she didn’t say ‘see u l8ter boi.’



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Arts

Peach Pit's ‘From 2 to 3’ is sweet and thoughtful

Peach Pit, the Vancouver-born quartet, released its third album, “From 2 to 3” (2022) on March 4. The Alternative/Indie group delivers yet another well-balanced combination of playful guitar riffs and thoughtful lyrics. Its latest project is hardly shocking but reliably good. 


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Arts

'The Gilded Age' provides a joyously simple viewing experience

The period piece is a fundamental staple within modern media. It’s riveting to be transported back to another age, to see the flourishes of the lifestyles and to identify the predecessors to our modern actions. Still, the genre’s impact would be fairly minimal without the contributions of a leading figure, creating the landscape and driving a television empire: Julian Fellowes. Fellowes created the iconic “Downton Abbey” (2010–15), a British historical melodrama that received widespread critical acclaim and a cult following. Fellowes returns to the television scene with “The Gilded Age” (2022–), bringing the same period allure to a new American setting. The new series may not have a broader significance to the culture or community ideals, but it succeeds in providing what “Downton Abbey” provided for so many: simple, enjoyable television. 


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Column

K-Weekly: Black appropriation in K-pop (Part 1)

I happen to be a firm believer in the idea that you can enjoy things that are criticized, and that it’s kind of impossible to not enjoy things that are criticized. Everyone has skeletons in their closets as well as mistakes they made when they were young and ignorant, so I believe in forgiving but not necessarily forgetting. This is why I can enjoy K-pop, despite the not-so-cool parts of it. 


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Arts

Florence Price’s compositions still ring in modern ears

Racial bias and misogyny are endemic in the practice and performance of classical music and have restricted many great talents from making their way into the classical canon. Florence Price (1887–1953) was one such musician whose compositions were celebrated during her lifetime but have since fallen into regrettable obscurity.


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Column

A Compendium of Actors: Meryl Streep — then and now

The influence of Meryl Streep is far-reaching, with her performances fundamentally changing the field of acting. Thus, to focus on just one or two of Streep’s performances as encompassing of her talents would be an exercise in futility. Rather, one must consider the sheer glut of content. So, for this week, let’s go back in time and do a decade-by-decade analysis of what makes up a Streep performance.




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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Wet tomatoes

We have a confession to make. This week, we almost forgot about good soup. We were so caught up planning events, hosting guests and counting doors and wheels that our minds were elsewhere. We even got stuck in the ‘80s for a bit. And then we got lost in the jungle. It was a little scary, until we realized that camouflage is ugly. Like, really ugly.



Public-Cinemy
Columns

Public Cinemy No. 1: Implications of backlash against ‘Don't Look Up’ critics

I’m growing weary of the current Hollywood craze for substandard movies that play up righteous messages to overshadow their flaws. Call it callous, but it’s difficult to subdue my cynicism towards films pushing truisms like ‘obviously bad thing … is bad,’ especially when creators then weaponize the message, accusing their movie’s critics of stupidity or of opposing its banal, virtuous axiom.


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Arts

Luxurious, elegant soundscapes define Stromae’s comeback album 'Multitude'

In the sea of artists and bands who made comebacks over the past couple of years, Stromae was one of the most anticipated but unexpected returns in the world. Born Paul Van Haver, the Belgian singer and producer made a name for himself through various electropop and dance songs, with his extremely emotive singing voice and meaningful French lyrics gaining respect and love from fans across the world.


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Arts

'The Afterparty' entertains viewers with a modern take on the murder mystery

Murder mysteries are making a comeback. In the last decade, we’ve seen adaptations of classic material, including “Sherlock” (2010–17) and “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017), as well as original stories, like “Knives Out” (2019). In recent years, a new subgenre has emerged: the murder-mystery comedy, which is exemplified in recent TV series like “The Flight Attendant” (2020–) and “Only Murders in the Building” (2021–). Combining humor and suspense, these shows — when done right — can make viewers laugh while also keeping them on the edge of their seats with twists and turns. The latest example of this is “The Afterparty” (2022–), an entertaining new series that premiered on Apple TV+ this January.