Arts

Rebirth, revolution and respite: Fashion predictions for 2021 

With the isolation of 2020, many turned to music for solace. Fortunately, listeners were gifted with album releases from pop singers like Taylor Swift and The Weeknd and rock legends AC/DC. Wrapping up the year was the Christmas Day release of "Whole Lotta Red," Playboi Carti's long-awaited album. It received some disappointing reviews (I personally enjoyed it), but its associated vampiric punk aesthetics reflected the 2020 TikTok phenomenon: e-girls (and e-boys). 

A Fantastic Voyage: 'Solve Everything' Part 2

Welcome back to the column, friends! Last week we had what may be a Tufts Daily first, a story recap and review so massive it requires two parts to do it justice. In light of this, make sure you catch up with last week’s installment so you won't get lost. 

On-campus arts students, professors respond to COVID-19 with resilience

It’s been just over a year since COVID-19 shut down Tufts. Amid the initial pandemic panic, educators and students were forced to quickly adapt to a virtual environment — something especially difficult for the university’s arts groups and programs. The Daily spoke with multiple professors and students involved in the arts about the transition to online formats.

How COVID-19 has affected the arts, locally and globally

While larger artists have stayed afloat, beloved venues have felt the impact of the end of live shows. In Boston, multiple local venues have been forced to close doors due to economic losses following the cancellation and postponement of live music. One such venue is Great Scott, which has hosted shows in the greater Boston area for more than 40 years.

Hot Take: ‘Saturday Night Live’ isn’t funny anymore

I’m not going to talk more about the golden age of SNL. I wasn’t born until 2002, so it’s not my area of knowledge. What I can do is talk about SNL's "silver age," led by people like Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

In Photos: Tufts in the pandemic

Comics don't need to die, here's why

Will comic books go the way of arcade games and cable TV? In a sense, yes, but much in the way that TV packages have shifted with the demands of their audience, so too must comic books. Higher quality printing, fewer advertisements and free digital copies: these are the three elements that I would suggest to any comic book publisher looking to bring new readers in and draw old readers back.

'WandaVision' fails to escape the Marvel formula

A criticism often leveled at the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the homogeneity of its lineup. The majority of its films have retained a relatively similar tone and neutral gray color grading. "WandaVision," while quite different from the Marvel films in some respects, settled back into the usual MCU trappings by its finale, resulting in an entertaining, if somewhat unexceptional, conclusion.

Soundtrack to the end of the world: In case of emergency

I like nervous music, music that’s unsettled and unsettling, even when it’s in a major key, and this seems somewhere between pablum and dread. Over the last 12 months, I’ve found myself falling into repetitive music and listening loops. Maybe read this as my way of rocking back and forth, my sonic self-care at best or anesthetic at worst.

'Framing Britney Spears' and the movement to free America's biggest pop star

It seems like an understatement to call the media and music industry’s misogyny, harassment and deliberate destruction of Spears as “struggles.” But “Framing Britney Spears” comes at a moment when American culture is finally deconstructing this euphemism. We’re now grappling with just how terribly Spears was treated.

Beyond the Underneath: 'White Cube' gallery and its 'Color Cube' cafe

I can't remember the exact time I got to know about the term"white cube," a style of contemporary gallery with a rectangular space, unadorned white walls and neutral lighting. “White cube” would automatically jump in my mind whenever I walked into a white cube gallery. There were plenty. 

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's 'L.W.' is organized chaos

The band is hard to classify as anything. Psychedelic rock, art rock and acid rock are decent attempts at trying to describe the overwhelming variety of genres that King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, also known as King Gizz, has experimented with. The six-member Australian group has grown their fan base mostly thanks to their musical explorations beyond the scope of rock. 

Comfort Cartoons: Neo-noir and gothic 'Batman: The Animated Series'

Following the episodic adventures of Batman, Robin and Batgirl, the series takes on a darker tone that feels inspired by both Tim Burton’s two Batman films and the ‘70s and '80s comic books. Those interpretations are seen in every detail: Gotham City’s skies are dark even during the day, the buildings are tall and gothic and gangsters sneak around in alleys and side streets.

Courrèges, Nicolas Di Felice steal the show at Paris Fashion Week

There were some shows with small, socially distanced audiences, but the majority of shows were primarily viewed in digital formats. Many designers chose rather nontraditional locations for their shows which created unique and engaging experiences. Many were even pre-recorded. One of the best uses of this alternative showing experience was from Courrèges. 

A Fantastic Voyage: 'Solve Everything' Part 1

It always impresses me when a writer can find a novel concept in long-running series with decades of lore and a tried and true premise like “Fantastic Four” (1961–). I chuckle even harder when that novel idea is both literal and figurative. The secret behind that riddle is the subject of today’s story arc, “Solve Everything” (2009). 

'The World's a Little Blurry' pulls back the Billie Eilish curtain

The lore of Eilish’s wildly successful album is well known among fans: Eilish and Finneas wrote and recorded it in Finneas's tiny bedroom in their parents' home in Los Angeles. “The World’s a Little Blurry” keeps this intimacy at the core of its filmmaking style, eschewing any “Miss Americana”-style sit-down interviews to instead capture the relationship between Eilish and her family.

'Tom & Jerry' falls short of the original cartoon

Why do filmmakers feel the need to take successful entertainment and spin it into something ludicrous? While the answer to this is often simply that production companies are willing to exploit the original story for profit, it proves upsetting nevertheless. Unfortunately for the classic cartoon, Tim Story’s "Tom and Jerry" falls victim to just that.

Hot Take: ‘Twilight’ is a comedic masterpiece

OK, hear me out — I don’t think "Twilight" (2008) is that bad. No, I mean it. Is it a good movie? No. Does it have Oscar-level acting? Absolutely not. But does it deserve to be pop culture’s cinematic punching bag? I don’t think so.

Leslie Epstein's 'Hill of Beans' explores truth, history

The novel details the lives of Epstein’s uncle Julius ("Julie") Epstein and father Philip Epstein, who were screenwriters for the iconic “Casablanca” (1942). Significant historical figures appear in the new book, including Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Goebbels (Nazi politician and Reich minister of propaganda).

Pokémon announces remakes 'Brilliant Diamond,' 'Shining Pearl' and new 'Arceus' game

The Pokémon Company finally announced its most anticipated games of the past 25 years on Feb. 26. The franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary with many things — like the surprisingly fun virtual Post Malone concert — but the crown jewels of the commemoration were the “Pokémon Brilliant Diamond” (2021), “Pokémon Shining Pearl” (2021) and “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” (2022) game announcements.