Arts

Arts

'The Gilded Age' provides a joyously simple viewing experience

By Henry Chandonnet | March 16

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)

By Odessa Gaines | March 16

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

By Megan Szostak | March 15

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

By Henry Chandonnet | March 15

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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Arts

‘Aldus Manutius: Renaissance Printer in Venice’ promotes Special Collections

By Sadie Leite | March 14

Elettra Conoly (A’21) wants the students of Tufts to read more early printed books. Conoly works full time for Tisch Library’s Special Collections. She started her job at the end of January and works with social media, programming and more to support the section she fell in love with during her sophomore year.

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Arts

‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ keeps up the energy and humor in its penultimate season

By Nate Hall | March 14

When your life seems like it’s falling apart around you, what do you do? For Midge Maisel, the answer is stand-up comedy.

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Wet tomatoes

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | March 14

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.

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Arts

Weekender: ‘jeen-yuhs’ and the trouble with Ye

By Tuna Margalit | March 11

One thing you realize as you blow through the recent Ye-focused docuseries, “jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” (2022) is that our mercurial friend and subject can outpace any public conception of him. 

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Columns

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

By Sacha Waters | March 11

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'

By Geoff Tobia Jr. | March 10

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

By Nate Hall | March 10

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.

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Columns

Micro-Trend of the Week: Die the hero or live to see yourself as the villain

By RaiAnn Bu | March 10

You either die the hero or live to see yourself as the villainIt is immediately recognizable. Posted in numerous Instagram pictures and featured on magazine covers, the Miu Miu micro miniskirt has easily become the most desired piece of clothing of the Spring/Summer 2022 season.

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Arts

Breathtaking cinematography and score transform ‘The Batman’

By Drew Weisberg | March 9

To speak frankly, Matt Reeves’ mysterious and evenly layered film noir “The Batman” (2022) is the best live-action adaptation of the character.

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Arts

‘After Yang’: Technosapiens, family and Asian identity

By Ryan Fairfield | March 9

The line between robot and human is blurred in A24’s most recent project, “After Yang” (2022), and raises the question: What does it mean to be human, and how far is too far for technological advancement? “After Yang” is set in a futuristic America that many viewers would find appealing — everything seems calm, nature is thriving, technology has made people’s lives much easier and there is an overwhelming sense of harmony in the world. Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) are parents in this futuristic society and have an adopted daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) from China. In this world, it is custom for parents of adopted Chinese children to purchase a ‘technosapien,’ an Asian robot programmed with extensive knowledge of Chinese culture and history, to not only serve as an older sibling or caretaker for the adoptee but to also help the child connect with their birth culture.

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Columns

K-Weekly: The Big Three

By Odessa Gaines | March 9

One thing many people fail to remember about the K-pop industry is that it is different from Western music industries. There are definitely some overlaps, like how both industries may put together groups via music competition shows (i.e., X-Factor and I-Land), but there are clear differences between both industries. One of these is the foundation and transformation of the ‘Big Three’ in the K-pop industry, whose monopoly on the industry was more extreme than any American music label has been able to achieve.

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Arts

Patience is rewarded in stunning Best Picture nominee 'Drive My Car'

By Emmy Wenstrup | March 8

It seems impossible that on the cusp of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, there should only be one Japanese film ever to be nominated for Best Picture. It is a perfect choice then, for that film to be “Drive My Car” (2021).

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Arts

‘2 Alivë’ is one of Yeat’s best works yet

By Miles Joseph | March 8

What Yeat lacks in substance, he makes up in pure energy. Yeat has been releasing music nonstop for the past few years and was propelled to fame after his songs “Gët Busy” (2021) and “Sorry Bout That” (2021) went viral on Tiktok. After cosigns from the likes of Drake and The Weeknd, Yeat has become the one of the most successful rappers in the rage beat scene. His unique use of autotune and slurred enunciation give his voice a distorted and robotic sound, his ad libs are reminiscent of Playboi Carti and Travis Scott, and he brings an infectious energy to all of his songs. His lyricism is not the most complex, but his various different flows and cadences keep things interesting.

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Columns

A Compendium of Actors: Riz Ahmed and emotional range

By Henry Chandonnet | March 8

Riz Ahmed may seem to have an acting ‘type,’ specifically, as musicians with major health conditions which impair their ability to perform. This is most obvious in Ahmed’s recent hit “Sound of Metal” (2019), which chronicles the life of a drummer who loses his hearing abilities. This is also true of his more recent project, “Mogul Mowgli” (2020), a self-written and produced tale of a rapper who suddenly comes down with a chronic illness. This singular character arc may lead one to believe that Ahmed is a one-trick pony, but this assumption would be false. In fact, his stories are harrowing, nuanced and bring dramatized life to the most painful events one can experience.

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Arts

‘Touch Me:’ A review of 'Spring Awakening'

By Blake Anderson | March 7

Content warning: This article mentions abuse, sexual assault, abortion and suicide.

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Podcast

Emma Chamberlain takes YouTube hiatus, reveals mental health struggles

By Ryan Fairfield | March 7

Emma Chamberlain has been YouTube’s ‘it’ girl for the past four years since beginning her career on the platform at the age of 16. Chamberlain grew a large following for her honest, upbeat vlogs documenting a variety of different aspects of her life. From taking fans behind the scenes at major fashion events in the world, such as Louis Vuitton fashion shows and the Met Gala, to cooking vegan meals in her home kitchen, Chamberlain’s content has consistently been entertaining and engaging. After four years of uploading videos almost every week, Chamberlain has decided to take a break from YouTube.

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