Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 20, 2024

Arts & Entertainment



COOLBEANSPIE / CC BY-ND 3.0 DEED
21 Savage releases his third solo studio album with a familiar theme under a slightly different context.

21 Savage's American Dream is the same blood-soaked nightmare

21 Savage released his third studio album American Dream on Jan. 12, 2024, alongside a fake biopic trailer which tricked rap fans and critics alike. Though there are a few songs which feel fresh, with expertly constructed flows, the lyrics never live up to the album’s call for personal expression and vulnerability.



DAVID LEE / CC BY 2.0
Baltimore-native Indie Artist Snail Mail gives fans a look into her songwriting process through the release of Valentine (Demos).

Valentine (Demos) by Snail Mail and the sanctity of indie songwriting

The creative process for any artist is sacred — this incredibly vulnerable and personal affair is unique to so many artists, and yet local legend Snail Mail (the moniker for solo indie artist Lindsey Jordan) has let fans into her own creative journey with the release of her new extended play (EP), Valentine (Demos).






JULIO ENRIQUEZ / CC BY 2.0
Danny Brown uses music as a way to address his past mistakes and trauma, especially in Quaranta, when he starts to question the effect of the music industry on his life.

Danny Brown's Quaranta turns a midlife crisis into music

Danny Brown’s newest album, Quaranta, is a retrospective piece in which the Detroit rapper analyzes his past 40 years of life, questions how his profession has affected his relationships and ultimately reaffirms his love for expressing himself through music.



ARANTZA GARCIA / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR 
This week’s picks include the latest Studio Ghibli film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron, a historical mystery novel called The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the Pink Friday 2 sequel album from award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra performing Vivaldi, Liszt and Brahms at Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall. 

To watch and watch for: Week of Dec. 3

This week’s picks include the latest Studio Ghibli film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron, a historical mystery novel called The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the Pink Friday 2 sequel album from award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra performing Vivaldi, Liszt and Brahms at Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall.


CRAIG DUFFY / CC BY-NC 2.0
David Fincher, the director of The Killer, is the creative mind behind movies like Fight Club, Gone Girl and Se7en.

The Killer: David Fincher’s new take on empathy

Does it feel like every new Netflix release somehow makes it to No. 1 in movies in the U.S. on Netflix? Conveniently, yes. Does every single one of them even deserve to be there? Absolutely not. Will I continue to watch every single one of them? Yes, especially if they’re by David Fincher.



BANTRANIC / CC BY-NC 3.0
The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie follows a night security guard at an abandoned pizzeria as he tries to survive its murderous haunted animatronics.

The Five Nights at Freddy’s film is enjoyable but still plagued by predictability

When my friend and I burst out laughing at an unintentionally funny jumpscare, I knew that the Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) movie wasn’t going to succeed as a horror movie. Instead, it exists in the weird space where it doesn’t achieve real horror but rather uses subdued scare tactics to achieve a PG-13 rating (and ultimately, get a larger audience for the box office).


PHILIPPA WILLITTS / CC BY-NC 2.0
Gen V is a spinoff of the popular show The Boys and follows the lives of students at a university for superheroes.

Gen V doesn’t hold back in its dystopian take on college life

What is a superhero? I think, for most of us, what instantly comes to mind is a caped crusader in brightly colored spandex. This costumed person uses their superpowers, which vary from flight to invisibility to X-ray vision, to fight bad guys. They do what’s right. They’re moral. They protect their city or their world from the stuff the average person can’t. 


 ARANTZA GARCIA / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR
This week’s picks include a highly-anticipated prequel film to the Hunger Games trilogy, a novel by Michael Cunningham taking place over only three days called Day, a rock album by country star Dolly Parton and a pair of operas at the Peabody Institute.

To watch and watch for: Week of Nov. 12

I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. You’re looking forward to Thanksgiving. Even our professors are probably desperate for a break. With that in mind, if you want to get started on break early, we here in the Arts & Entertainment section have the best new releases and recommendations for you!



ARANTZA GARCIA / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR
This week’s picks include the new superhero film The Marvels, Rebecca Yarros’ highly anticipated sequel to Fourth Wing, a collaboration album between Meek Mill and Rick Ross and a performance of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.”

To watch and watch for: Week of Nov. 5

As finals season draws closer and closer, the weather is getting frostier and student groups are finally starting to crank out the performances that they’ve been rehearsing for all semester.




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