Arts

Columns

A playlist to ease your quarantine woes

By Mackenzie Tatananni | April 21

Yeah, things haven’t improved much since last week — if anything, they’ve gotten worse. As I write from New York, where we have entered a state of full-blown panic, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep a cool and collected head. I’ve always relied on music to ground me, whether I’m making art or working on a paper that I’d much rather not be writing. Keeping in line with this mentality, I have curated a playlist that hopefully some of you can vibe with. Here are some past and current favorites:

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Column

HillSide Story: 'Newsies'

By Anna Hirshman and Allison Morgenstern | April 21

We are back again with another musical recorded on stage. This time it is “Disney’s Newsies: The Broadway Musical!” (2017). Let’s start by answering the question that is on everyone’s mind: Did you two go out on a weeknight to see this in a movie theater one of the few days it was being shown a few years ago? Yes. We absolutely did that. That’s right, everyone. During our first year at Tufts, we saw this recorded Broadway musical in theaters, and now we’re watching it during our senior spring. “Newsies” takes us back to the end of the 19th century where Jack Kelly (played by our favorite and yours, Jeremy Jordan) and his fellow orphans-turned-newspaper sellers plan to go on strike in order to earn the pay they deserve. Ordinarily, this standoff between the newsies and Joseph Pulitzer (Steve Blanchard) would be incredibly boring to learn about, but this musical does a great job of making this story more exciting to watch. The Broadway musical is jam-packed with incredible dance numbers and inspiring songs, all performed on a grandiose set. If you’re lacking energy during this quarantine, try watching “Newsies” to hype yourself up.   

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Arts

'Killing Them Softly' stays alive, relevant

By Daniel Klain | April 9

Much content has been written recently reviewing and discussing films like “Outbreak” (1995) and “Contagion” (2011). In times like these, it is intriguing to hypothetically compare and contrast pop culture’s depictions of our environment to our actual situation. Seeing if artists had the foresight to predict what was coming, not just culturally, but also politically and technologically, has this large cultural appeal. We prop up these works of art for their ability to capture the future, praising them for their accuracy. The articles we currently see are just a mutation of a long-running trend about “How x is the thing that properly describes our time now.” These films typically take strong stances on grand topics such as race, technology, wealth and constructs of division and power in the United States. If a film is able to depict our time, it's equally comforting and discomforting, giving us relief because we can tell ourselves that we, the viewer, saw this coming, but at the same time, it's terrifying because it makes the fictional suddenly very real. 

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Arts

'New Horizons' builds on 'Animal Crossing's' 18-year legacy

By Stephanie Hoechst | April 9

It’s remarkable how little “Animal Crossing” has changed since the first installment dropped in the U.S. in 2002. In the 18 years since, its relaxing, wholesome, open-ended, short-daily-play-sessions formula has stood the test of time — everything from paying off your debt to Tom Nook to the ability to decorate your own home to the fishing and bug-catching into which any longtime “Animal Crossing” player has probably sunk a borderline-worrying number of hours. The somehow both addicting and soothing gameplay of maintaining and improving your town — a welcome return to a sense of normalcy given the current circumstances — clearly has worked and will continue to work for “Animal Crossing.”

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Columns

Love It Or Haute It: Quarantine style

By Colette Smith and Madison Lehan | April 9

In these strange and unfamiliar times of pre-recorded classes and structureless days, we call all fall prey to losing track of time and getting into very weird sleep schedules. But, whether you are going to bed at 4 p.m. or 5 a.m., there is still one common thread. At some point, you probably need to put clothes on (at least from the waist up). So, today we will discuss how we have adapted our outfits and relationship with clothes during this quarantine. 

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Arts

A first-timer on 'Animal Crossing' island

By Nathan Kyn | April 7

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” (2020) released on the Nintendo Switch on March 20. Two weeks before then, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it. One week beforehand, I decided to order it on Amazon, feeling like I wanted any new game to play while stuck at home. A few days beforehand, I canceled my Amazon order… and purchased the game digitally on my Switch so I could play it right at 12:00 a.m. on the Friday morning it was released. Why did I do that? I’ve never been into the “Animal Crossing” series, only having experienced it through brief gameplay of the 3DS version “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” (2012) and trying the mobile game “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” (2017). Needless to say, neither really hooked me. Yet the love and excitement for this game all over the internet really drew me in. The memes and serious discussions about Tom Nook, the raccoon landlord who builds your house, made me interested in seeing just what he was like. Fans of “Animal Crossing” games had been patiently awaiting a Switch version for years, and I was also curious whether this game would live up to their expectations. It seems like it has, and it’s certainly exceeded whatever vague expectations I had.

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Columns

HillSide Story: Keep it positive

By Anna Hirshman and Allison Morgenstern | April 7

The world has gone off the rails, and so have we. This week we are switching it up and discussing a filmed musical theatre production instead of a traditional movie musical. Omigod you guys, it’s a free recording of a musical and it’s “Legally Blonde” (2007). Now, the story of Elle Woods can be quite misleading. A fashion merchandising major and sorority president decides in her senior spring that, after her boyfriend breaks up with her, she will just get into Harvard Law School. And the admissions officers will let her in because love is just that strong. While we love that the message is about a strong woman finding her voice and proving her ability to be an independent force of nature, the idea that love can get you into Harvard Law is just not how real life works, and it is important that everyone understands that. Anyway, we would like to thank MTV for blessing us with a recording of this musical that is never taken off YouTube. It makes the world a better place.

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Arts

Hidden Panels: 'Venom'

By Drew Weisberg | April 6

Welcome back, gang. Living in the age of the coronavirus can be tricky and, despite it all, we at The Tufts Daily remain dedicated to bringing you content that will inform and entertain you during this turbulent time. With that in mind, I’m proud to announce the return of my first-year passion project, “Hidden Panels: The Best Comics You Aren’t Reading” as a semi-regular fixture in the arts department. Without any further pomp or circumstance, let’s dive headfirst into the book de jour: Volume 1 of Donny Cates’ 2018 ongoing series from Marvel Comics, "Venom."

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Arts

'The Glass Hotel': An examination of disasters large and small

By Peter Lam | April 3

With the coronavirus moving rapidly around the world, it feels both eerie and well-timed to be reviewing Emily St. John Mandel’s work. Of the author’s past four books, her last was “Station Eleven” (2014), a novel about the devastation of the world following a flu pandemic (Mandel herself hasadvocated to wait a few months before picking it up). Her most recent work is also relevant, given this country’s current economic outlook: “The Glass Hotel” (2020) shifts gears to a story about financial collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.

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Columns

Oldies But Goodies: 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'

By Peter Lindblom | April 3

In June of 2001, Wilco presented its newly finished album to its record company, Reprise Records, and was promptly dropped from the label. Time Warner had recently merged with America Online and wanted to cut costs with its record companies, which included Reprise Records. As a result, all it took was for one important person in the company to dislike the album, and that person happened to be interim President David Kahne.

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Arts

'And Then We Danced' hampers its own triumphs

By Tommy Gillespie | March 31

“There is no sex in Georgian dance,” a stern instructor tells protagonist Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) in an early scene of “And Then We Danced” (2019). This directive, barked out when the young dancer imbues his movements with a bit too much personality for the rigid strictures of masculinity ...

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Arts

Take Care: How to work and learn from home

By Christopher Panella | March 30

Who thought that our anthem for our current school situation — online classes, working from home — would come from Fifth Harmony? But unlike "Work From Home" (2016) — its biggest song? Regardless, it's not very good — it's not as easy as Fifth Harmony makes it sound. Not everyone ...

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Music

Dua Lipa's 'Future Nostalgia' is pop music escape

By Christopher Panella | March 30

Picture this: it’s 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night. Normally, you’d be getting all dressed up in some thrifted clothes to go pregame with some friends — and maybe that cute boy you like — before you go to a basement party or a club. But thanks to recent events, you’re stuck in your childhood bedroom, ...

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Arts

Books to read while you self-quarantine

By Mackenzie Tatananni | March 27

These are troubling times indeed, as surely none of us need reminding — we’re told everyday that the pandemic is guaranteed to grow worse before it gets better, and the uncertainty of the future ahead makes it feel like everything is spiraling out of control. It’s too easy to feel static while ...

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Columns

Love It Or Haute It: Hair accessories

By Colette Smith and Madison Lehan | March 27

Introduction: During these challenging and uncertain times, it can feel like most things are coming to a grinding halt. We are here to remind you that there is something that waits behind for no one: fashion. So, while we would love to be lounging around, scrolling through TikToks, we have a job to ...

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Columns

Oldies But Goodies: 'Goodfellas'

By Peter Lindblom | March 27

You only need to have seen a “gangster” film or two to understand the nature of the genre: The films are almost always androcentric, and any scene can turn violent in a moment’s notice. Legendary director Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” (1990) undoubtedly fits into the “gangster” genre, ...

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Arts

Take Care: The 5 best recipes from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen

By Lexi Serino | March 26

Over the past few weeks of self-quarantine and social distancing, one question has come up in conversation quite often: "How are you staying busy?" It's a valid and important question: We want to make sure that the people we love are finding ways to take care of themselves and adjust to ...

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Columns

Beginner Mentality: Thank you, friends

By Aidan Menchaca | March 26

These last two weeks have been a long train of emotions.First, was the disbelief that our college experience would be cut short. Decisively short. Shortly after President Monaco released the decision that Tufts' campus was closing, friends were already making plans to return after break, imagining ...

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Columns

HillSide Story: Maybe (Super) Far Away

By Anna Hirshman and Allison Morgenstern | March 26

Welcome back to our column. It is with true sadness that we must report that these columns must now be written remotely as we now sit on couches about 1,000 miles apart from one another. But, as they say, the show must go on. At this point, the Olivier Awards have been canceled, and we cannot bear the ...

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Arts

Take care: 10 films to watch while social distancing

By Christopher Panella | March 24

The past week has been life-changing for students, families, children and workers across the globe. We’re facing a pandemic that’s disrupting the ways we work and socialize. It was a meme we could laugh at; now, it’s spreading rapidly. In order to make these next few months a little easier, Lexi ...

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