On your marks, get set, go! The 2025–26 school year hits the ground running, picking up pace now more than ever with its first installment of the campus-famous Arts & Entertainment section’s weekly series, To Watch and Watch For. Before review material and get-to-know-you discussion posts give way to half-day homework assignments and midterms, how should you be spending your free time? Look no further — this list provides a cheat sheet of all the answers. And if you’re already strapped for time, then have no fear: I’ve simplified my answers to arrive at one personal recommendation for each section.
Are you still reeling from the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, starring Paul Mescal? If not, then perhaps Challengers, starring Josh O’Connor? If you answered yes to one of the above — or even if you answered no — then The History of Sound, releasing Sept. 12, is the next movie for you. It’s a World War I romance between two young men embarking on a mission to cement in history the experiences and music of their nation-united brothers. Have you Googled “tickets near me” yet — what are you waiting for?
To give your eyes a well-needed break from the lights and screens to which they’re forcibly subjected, pick up a good book. Hot Wax by M.L. Rio, author of the popular If We Were Villains — which reminded me of a British, Shakespearean The Secret History — is an obvious candidate. Rio knows how to keep you turning pages, and her newest novel is sure to satisfy.
King Princess (Mikaela Straus) has hard-earned 2.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and that number may go up with the release of her new album Girl Violence. Modern listeners may despise “bandwagoners,” but at the same time, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Who’s to say this isn’t the lowest her monthly listeners will be until the far-flung future? Isn’t now the perfect time hop on the King Princess bandwagon before it takes off without you?
As tempting as it may be to stay in and appreciate your finally decorated, finally unpacked dorm room or apartment, we all need to get out and about from time to time. Take this trustworthy personal recommendation for a Hopkins live event as a call to action: On Thursday, Sept. 11, hop on the JHMI down to the Mount Vernon and don’t miss the 6 p.m. departure for the Walters Art Museum’s Express and Explore Tour: Renaissance Babies (and don’t forget to register for free beforehand). To borrow from their website: “Chubby cheeks, curly hair, and…six-pack abs? Join us for a playful tour of babies in our galleries of Renaissance and Baroque art.” Who wouldn’t sign up?
If you’ve finished the above recommendations and are still hungry for more, take your pick from the menu below.
To watch…
The History of Sound, directed by Oliver Hermanus — Sept. 12
Task: series premiere, created by Brad Ingelsby — Sept. 7
The Girlfriend: series premiere, directed by Andrea Harkin and Robin Wright — Sept. 10
Rabbit Trap, directed by Bryn Chainey — Sept. 12
The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence — Sept. 12
To read…
Hot Wax, by M.L. Rio — Sept. 9
All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation, by Elizabeth Gilbert — Sept. 9
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival, by Stephen Greenblatt — Sept. 9
The People’s Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward, by Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith — Sept. 9
The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown — Sept. 9
To listen…
Girl Violence, by King Princess — Sept. 12
Breach, by Twenty One Pilots — Sept. 12
Broken Homes and Gardens, by Michael Hurley — Sept. 12
Play, by Ed Sheeran — Sept. 12
You’re Weird Now, by Guerilla Toss — Sept. 12
Live events…
Writing Seminars Presents: Anna Celenza — Sept. 10 from 6–7 p.m. in Gilman Hall 50
- This event is free.
Express and Explore Tour: Renaissance Babies — Sept. 11 from 6–6:30 p.m. at the Walters Art Museum, Centre Street lobby
- This event is free with registration.
Drop-in Art Making: How I See Me — Sept. 13 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Walters Art Museum, Sculpture Court
- This event is free.
