Arts

Columns

On Demand: Walking and talking and 'The West Wing'

By Raga Chilakamarri | November 2

Although I work at the Career Center, the best job fair I’ve ever attended is 20 years’ worth of television watching. “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005–) briefly made me reevaluate my lifelong rejection of my mother’s lifelong dream that I become a doctor. Rory Gilmore coerced me — as did probably every other liberal arts girl near a tree — into romanticizing journalism. And, lowkey, “Psych” (2006–14) genuinely made me question if my own self-supposed clairvoyance was enough to support a psychic detective business. While the American political drama “The West Wing” (1999–2006) did have me pondering the life of a speechwriter, the most important takeaway I discovered is that working in the White House is primarily about walking fast and talking faster.

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Music

The debacle over country music: What makes country 'country'?

By Jack Clohisy | November 1

After securing the Grammy Award for Best Country Album and the coveted Album of the Year, Kacey Musgraves' "Golden Hour" (2018) was a major success for the genre. Incorporating alternative sounds and pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a country artist, Musgraves became an innovator. However, Musgraves' follow-up project "Star-Crossed" (2021)won't have that same opportunity. Revealed this past month, "Star-Crossed" won't be considered for Best Country Album at the upcoming 64th Grammy Awards. While "Golden Hour" took an alternative approach to country music, "Star-Crossed" incorporated elements of pop. Why is it that Musgraves, who labels "Star-Crossed" as a country album, is being left out of the genre she calls home?

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Columns

K-Weekly: I 'Don’t Recall' why Kard isn’t in your playlist

By Odessa Gaines | November 1

When most people hear the word “K-pop,” they think of pop music but in Korean and with more dancing. For the general public, K-pop music has one distinct sound and is one genre on its own. However, this isn't exactly right. K-pop is a generalization for what is considered ‘Idol Music’ in South Korea, but K-pop artists take influence from genres beyond pop. One of the best examples of a K-pop group who brings in non-pop sounds is Kard.

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Theater

Weekender: Student-written musical 'Almanac' to be produced by theater department

By Megan Szostak | October 28

Content warning: This article mentions police violence.

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Arts

Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell use comic books to continue John Lewis’ fight

By Carl Svahn | October 28

Martin Luther King Jr. was a comic book editor. Way back in 1957, Dr. King helped Alfred Hassler and Benton Resnik create a 16-page comic titled "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story" (1957). This small, independent comic was hugely influential in the Civil Rights Movement, even reaching eventual Congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis. As the decades moved on and the fight for equality continued, Lewislooked for a way to preserve the inspirational feeling he got from those 16 pages for future generations. Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, who both spoke at the Boston Book Festival this year, helped the late congressman make that dream a reality with the graphic novels "March" (2013–16): Books 1–3 and "Run": Book 1, which were written in the very medium that inspired him. 

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Columns

Dreaming of Sandman: Dream tells the truth

By Sadie Leite | October 28

The definition of truth, true and truths is a tricky thing.

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Arts

'Dune' is a beautiful sci-fi overture

By Drew Weisberg | October 27

Cliche as it may sound, Denis Villeneuve’s new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s foundational 1965 sci-fi novel, “Dune” (2021) feels as though it shouldn’t exist, much less serve as the overture to an epic that seems poised to be the next “Lord of The Rings.”

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Television

'The French Dispatch' creates another Wes Anderson utopia

By Catherine Cahn | October 27

Wes Anderson’s films are rarely about the story itself — they’re about how the story can be used as a vessel into the vibrant, fantastical world he creates around it. "The French Dispatch" (2021), Anderson’s latest release, embodies his usual film techniques to the fullest.

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Arts

Lucy Dacus shares reflective 'Home Video' at the House of Blues

By Yas Salon | October 27

“Say cheese! I think nobody blinked,” Lucy Dacus remarked as she squeezed the shutter of her camera, pointing at the hundreds of fans packed into the House of Blues Boston.

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Arts

'Scenes from a Marriage' intellectually challenges relationship ideals

By Henry Chandonnet | October 25

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for "Scenes from a Marriage" (1973) and "Scenes from a Marriage" (2021).

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Columns

​​K-Weekly: Take a scroll through Instagram with Dean

By Odessa Gaines | October 25

Content warning: This article mentions depression and difficulties with mental health.

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Arts

Short story 'Dumba Chora' brings Boston readers together

By Sadie Leite | October 15

The short story “Dumba Chora”(2021) by author Chandreyee Lahiri was chosen by the Boston Book Festival as the 2021 One City One Story Project.

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Arts

'Lamb': When symbolism doesn't work

By Miranda Feinberg | October 15

Content warning: This review contains spoilers and mentions death and grief.

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Columns

For the Culture: PluggnB artists bend rap fashion gender norms

By Paul Osmond | October 15

Nearly eight months ago, my brother introduced me to a musician who had just signed with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records: SoFaygo. Although his music has not left my ears since, it is his fashion that has interested me most. Like Jaden Smith and Young Thug, who are other gender-bending fashion influences in rap, SoFaygo is one of the newest artists to bring feminine fashion to an otherwise hypermasculine genre. SoFaygo embodies an uncanny rise of music and fashion that subvert the gender norms of both schools.

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Arts

Weekender: 'Titane' is a cinematic tour-de-force

By Emmy Wenstrup | October 14

After hearing some ominous thuds, our protagonist exits the locker room, her naked body still dewy from the shower. A car, the same flame-adorned Cadillac she was dancing on just a few hours ago (she’s an exotic dancer), waits for her outside. She responds to its seductive call by entering the vehicle, and a few tense moments later, the car bounces in sexual glee. We finally get a glimpse inside the car to see our hero tied up in the bondage-esque seatbelts as she, simply put, has sex with the car. 

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Columns

Dreaming of Sandman: Dream makes a friend

By Sadie Leite | October 14

It might be interesting to live forever.

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Music

Liz Cooper shows 'Hot Sass' at the Brighton Music Hall

By Yas Salon | October 13

Liz Cooper’s "Hot Sass" tour not only marks her first headlining tour since COVID-19, but also a transformational moment in her career. The tour and accompanying album, "Hot Sass," which was released on Sept. 3, is her first solo album; until "Hot Sass,"Cooper performed under the band name Liz Cooper & The Stampede. Cooper also departs sonically from her previous folk-rock releases. In place of her old sound, Cooper comes into her own with a grittier, soft-rock sound. 

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Arts

Fall/winter fashion 2021 revives old trends, looks to the future

By RaiAnn Bu | October 13

As we move into October, fashion houses begin to release their most influential fashion runways of the year for the spring/summer lines, giving us a glimpse of the next trend cycle. This begins with the September issue of Vogue, the most influential issue of the year, and spans to New York Fashion Week and beyond.

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Columns

Brands who deserve your dollars: Nynne

By Colette Smith | October 13

This week’s brand, Nynne, is more upscale and expensive than the brands highlighted thus far, but the company’s approach to sustainability is unique since it outlines eight clear focus groups. This tactic makes the sustainability objective clearer for the company itself, but it also helps the brand be more transparent with consumers, because they will have a better understanding of how Nynne is approaching sustainability. 

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Arts

'Mayday': The girlbossification of escapism

By Miranda Feinberg | October 12

"Mayday" (2021), director Karen Cinnore’s dreamy new steampunked-up feminist escapist fantasy, follows main character Ana (Grace Van Patten) as she stumbles into a chaotic world of female rebellion and redemption. While the film creates an alternate land to which our protagonist can run (or swim), one that is clearly meant to empower and strengthen the protagonist, the film is somehow hollow at its core, as themes of power and control corrupt the freedom, connection, unity and escapism it is trying so hard to portray. While largely entertaining and emotive, the film undermines its message for the sake of plot and narrative foils, a move which greatly wounds the final production.

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