Arts

Music

Mitski dances with darkness on 'Laurel Hell'

By Jack Clohisy | February 9

Mostly absent from the mainstream,Mitski has rarely resurfaced since the viral success of her previous LP "Be the Cowboy" (2018). However, on her latest Feb. 4 release "Laurel Hell" (2022), Mitski unleashes the darkness with the use of synths, grandiose instrumental builds and razor-thin lyricism. As is evident with the album's lead single"Working for the Knife,"Mitski feels the weight of being yet another cog in the machine of the American workforce. As she realizes the world will move on with or without her, Mitski laments, "I just didn't know it would go without me." Existentialism is in abundance on Mitski's sixth studio album with themes centering on the purpose of being and the challenge of pushing societal boundaries.

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Arts

Saba's third album 'Few Good Things' teaches lessons in appreciation and character building

By Geoff Tobia Jr. | February 9

In an Instagram post last Thursday, the day before the drop of Saba’s third studio album “Few Good Things” (2022), the Chicago rapper left some instructions and notes for his fans and critics to observe and ponder before the material was released. Perhaps most notably, a request for the media: “I challenge you not to use headlines that you’ve read about the friends that I lost to invent storylines that aren’t there. I am more than my trauma and I offer more than those stories.”

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Column

K-Weekly: Fall in love with IVE and 'Eleven'

By Odessa Gaines | February 9

Last semester I made it a habit to write about K-Music which was at least a year old. I originally set out to cover larger K-hits to add to your playlist, but as the semester went on I realized that first, I should start introducing older music that still feels new. Today, however, I will be opening your eyes to a girl group just over two months old. 

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Arts

‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ is the franchise's freshest and most impressive game in years

By Victoria DeJoy | February 8

“Pokémon Legends: Arceus”(2022) is the most distinctive and fulfilling Pokémon game to be released in about a decade. Selling over 6.5 million copies in the first week, the game has been met with positive reception from both fans and critics due to its engaging story and its long overdue revamp in mechanics and structure.

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Columns

A Compendium of Actors: Vanessa Kirby and full body commitment

By Henry Chandonnet | February 8

The British Invasion hit America by storm in the '60s, and even in the 21st century Vanessa Kirby is yet another byproduct of that cultural revolution. Kirby, who found her fame initially on the stage, is experiencing a recent career boom in the worlds of film and television. You likely know Kirby from her performance as Princess Margaret in the hit Netflix show “The Crown” (2016–). 2020 brought a double feature for Kirby, with artistic masterpieces “The World to Come” (2020) and “Pieces of a Woman” (2020) premiering, the latter of which garnered her an Academy Award nomination. Kirby hits the scene yet again with her leading performance in “Italian Studies” (2021). A savant of acting, Kirby exemplifies just what it means to give a powerful performance. 

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Column

The Art of Good Soup: Tsurumen, Davis Square

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | February 7

This is a column about soup: what it tastes like, what it does to you. What it makes you dream and think about. The kind of soup you’ll tell your children about at the dinner table. For our sake and yours, we hope it's also a column about good soup. Unfortunately, not all soups are good, just like life or our Tinder dates. Well, usually most Tinder dates are bad. Whatever.

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Arts

Planetarium's 'Beyoncé Experience' did not 'Put a Ring on It'

By Emmy Wenstrup | February 7

On the cold, wet night of Feb. 4, the Boston Museum of Science hosted “The Beyoncé Experience” in the Charles Hayden Planetarium. According to the museum’s website, the show “redefines nightlife in Boston” and “engages audiences in a sensory journey full of innovation, artistry, and imagination.” 

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Arts

Kacey Musgraves brings the cinematic ‘star-crossed: unveiled’ tour to Boston

By Jack Clohisy | February 7

The Boston leg of Kacey Musgraves' "star-crossed: unveiled" tour went off without a hitch as soon as Musgraves took center-stage at TD Garden on Jan. 27.With Muna and King Princess as opening acts, the bar was set high for Musgraves. Muna's opening set included well-known hits such as "Stayaway" (2019) and "Silk Chiffon" (2021). Katie Gavin, the lead singer of the act, performed phenomenally, often vocally outdoing the studio version of tracks. Soon to follow was King Princess. Equally captivating, King Princess also performed their greatest hits including "Talia" (2018) and "1950" (2018) as well as unreleased tracks from their upcoming album, such as "For My Friends" and "Let Us Die." 

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Arts

Weekender: The suburban thriller genre has come crashing down

By Henry Chandonnet | February 4

Netflix has taken some pretty big swings and invested in a pretty wide variety of genres and subcultures. Still, the streaming service recently released content in a fairly new and ultimately consequential dimension: self-satire.Last week brought the release of “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” (2022), a television series farce commenting on trends in modern film. The show mocks the deeply oversaturated market for psychological thrillers surrounding white women in the suburbs who drink wine and solve crimes. The genre attempts to subvert convention: How could such twisted, heinous crimes happen in such pristine, wealthy suburbs? Though the show may be entirely too long and often disengaging, its existence in and of itself asks the broader question of origin: How did this happen? A market has to be so deeply full, so noticeably overplayed, that a big corporation like Netflix is able to mock its own role within it. In discussing more deeply the market play-by-play of this genre, one may more deeply understand the process of filmmaking and the economic feedback loops fueling it. 

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Arts

Fashion brands attempt cultural inclusivity for Lunar New Year

By RaiAnn Bu | February 2

As a celebration of Lunar New Year,Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta covered part of the Great Wall of China in a digital installation of their brand name and the Mandarin New Year's greeting, “新春快乐.”The brand paired their signature green with the lucky color of the new year: a tiger orange. Along with this art installment, the brand has pledged a donation to the maintenance and reconstruction of the segment of the wall titled the “First Pass Under Heaven.”

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TV

‘Abbott Elementary’ tackles harsh realities of our education system

By Odessa Gaines | February 2

The new ABC mockumentary-comedy show, "Abbott Elementary" (2021–), has been shooting to the top of everyone’s watchlist this winter and making waves in on-screen representation. The show follows a group of educators at Abbott Elementary, an underfunded public school in Philadelphia based on the realities of the American public educational system. The show is shot in the same style as the American "The Office" (2005–2013), with the educators being the center of an in-universe docuseries following their careers and lives. 

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Arts

Samia performs with whimsy at Paradise Rock Club in Boston

By Lola Owett | January 31

It is a rare sight to see a young artist brought to tears on stage and say, “this is one of the greatest nights of my life,” and to truly believe her. Samiasold out the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Jan. 25. The musical lovechild of Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift (with a hint of Mazzy Star), Samia’s unusual and charming performance proves her promise as a new talent.

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Arts

Oscars predictions 2022: Who will the Academy nominate?

By Emmy Wenstrup | January 31

It’s the end of Oscars season, meaning it’s time to predict which pretentious movies from 2021 that few people watched will win the coveted awards. The official nominations are scheduled to be announced on Feb. 8, but here’s a list of what to look for in the big five categories: picture, director, screenplay, actor and actress.

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Arts

Lana Del Rey's 'Born to Die,' 10 years later

By Jack Clohisy | January 27

Sometimes artists can release music, and instantly, everyone knows it will be impactful. The artistry, themes, visuals and production are all key signs of a successful release. However, success can be subdued. Impact can be unprecedented. Legacy blossoms out of retrospect. This is true for Lana Del Rey, who is the titan of alternative sound, the goddess of indie pop and the empress of Hollywood sadcore. Her sophomore album "Born To Die" (2012) left an impact on the industry far greater than any critic could anticipate at the time of release.

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Arts

WaPo veteran Carl Bernstein celebrates journalism in new memoir

By Sadie Leite | January 27

Carl Bernstein’s newest memoir “Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom” (2022) was released Jan. 11. Bernstein is known for his contributions to investigative journalism, specifically his part in revealing the scandal surrounding Watergate in the 1970s. He reported on this event with journalist Bob Woodward for the Washington Post. Later, the two released their findings in the acclaimed co-authored memoir “All the President’s Men” (1974).

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Podcast

Jamie Lynn Spears on 'Call Her Daddy' spurs conversations on feminism

By Lola Owett | January 25

“Call her daddy” — a plea to empower women in the (heteronormative) bedroom. Having trouble with your sex life? Alexandra Cooper, host of the podcast "Call Her Daddy" (2018–), which releases episodes every Wednesday, aims to please — and to provoke. Cooper disrupts placated views of female sexuality, whether dismantling or fueling patriarchy. Call her controversial.

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Arts

'Scream' and the remake's dilemma: legacy vs. imitation

By Miranda Feinberg | January 25

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” asks the iconic question from the original "Scream" (1996), which is answered by itself; the satirical horror classic has become a staple in the genre, kickstarting the popularity of meta-horror comedy. "Scream" is not just a good movie but a bloody love letter to horror as a genre. No other horror satire had hit quite the same as the first "Scream" movie and, despite the newest installment's heavy-handed attempt, no other movie has since. "Scream" (2022), directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, is marketed as an ode to Wes Craven. While the majority of the film is genuinely fun and scary (really milking its R rating for all it’s worth), it is hard to talk about without first discussing the problem within the movie’s very core. As ironic as it sounds when talking about this movie in particular (especially within the larger franchise’s canon), this newest "Scream" remake is too focused on being its predecessor. It is obsessed with telling its audience over and over again, through visuals and dialogue and references and character names, that this movie is meta enough to contend with the original.

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Arts

Collegiate cheerleading is back with ‘Cheer’ Season 2

By Ryan Fairfield | January 21

Content warning: This article contains a brief discussion of child sex abuse.

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Theater

'The Tragedy of Macbeth': Something wicked (so wicked) this way comes

By Miranda Feinberg | January 21

Joel Coen’s "The Tragedy of Macbeth" (2021) — a modern cinemascape of the iconic Scottish Shakespearean tragedy — is told in vivid pools of light and sharp-edged voids of shadow. Every point within and throughout the film opposes all other points; it is so expansive and amorphous and yet full of clean cut lines and sharp pointed corners. “Macbeth,” which follows the titular newly appointed Thane of Cawdor as he loses himself to his hunger for power, has been released in theaters and is available to stream through Apple TV Plus. The iconic story has had countless adaptations across film and theater, and here Coen and his team blend those two mediums to create a unique and singular atmosphere which shrouds the story in visual markers that match the emotion and madness central to the story. 

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Arts

'Don't Look Up' fails to inspire change

By Henry Chandonnet | January 19

Adam McKay has now formed a brand for himself as a political filmmaker, whether it be with his standout “The Big Short” (2015) about the 2007–2008 financial crisis or his follow-up “Vice” (2018) about the political career of Dick Cheney. With even more glitz and stars, McKay returns to the scene with his new big-budget film“Don’t Look Up” (2021). The film tackles the issue of climate change at large, using the allegory of a large comet hurtling towards the earth. With such a broad scope, McKay works to satirize almost every element of our present political and social condition. Though often funny and sometimes even jaw-dropping, the film ultimately comes off as deeply ostentatious, failing to effectively inspire any desire to fix our own political issues. 

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