In the weeks following every year’s annual round of flu shots, some new mysterious disease always makes its round around Hopkins at about the same time that the weather takes a turn towards the brisk breeze of mid-Atlantic autumn. Whether you find yourself bedridden, looking for a new book to pass the time, or full of energy and searching for things to do in the Baltimore area, hopefully you’ll find the time to check out some of this week's recommendations!
Oscar-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s newest film Digger stars Tom Cruise as a wealthy oil tycoon trying to save humanity before an impending disaster he started. Besides sporting movie star Cruise himself as the lead, the satirical black comedy holds a similarly stacked supporting cast with Riz Ahmed, Sandra Huller and Jesse Plemmons in supporting roles. As a satire, Digger seems to be a promising investigation into the perils of climate change and corporate greed simmering in our society. The film releases this Friday, Oct. 2.
1972 saw the airing of John Berger’s influential BBC television mini-series, Ways of Seeing, which has since become a staple in many introductions to art history. The English-born artist, critic and essayist lived from 1926 to 2017, amassing a prodigiously varied oeuvre of novels, poetry, art, and literary and cultural criticism. He married four times and traveled the world; in the second half of his life, he self-exiled himself to a village among the southern French peasantry. Tom Overton, who has previously edited Berger’s essays for the collections Portraits and Landscapes, takes on the challenge of describing such a life in John Berger: From Life. In capturing the man whose art was in writing about art, Overton, too, must paint a portrait with words. John Berger: From Life publishes on Sept. 29.
Just barely a year after the release of his fourth studio album Vanisher, Horizon Scraper, Quadeca is already returning to release another album, and it’s gearing up to yet more proof of his endless creative evolution. While Vanisher saw Quadeca exploring a distinctly orchestral sound, the singles from Life 1 so far seem to indicate an album that will see much more electronic influence. Fans of indietronica and chamber pop will find Quadeca’s new album chockfull of the type of joy that makes the mundanity of everyday life feel beautiful.
Too often, we think of the lush world of tapestry largely as a medium meant to blend into our floors, but Erin M. Riley’s work has always been meant to provoke. By drawing from a distinctly American nostalgia, reflections on her past relationships and the erotic, Riley puts to fabric intimate views of her lived experiences. If you’re searching for inspiration and insight, come watch her in conversation with the public at the JHU-MICA Film Center this Tuesday!
As always, we hope that something else in the full list below might also pique your interest:
To watch...
- Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu — Oct. 2
- Verity, directed by Michael Showalter — Oct. 2
- Beware Boiuna, directed by Mike P. Nelson — Oct. 2
- Rolling Loud, directed by Jeremy Garelick — Oct. 2
- The Scout, directed by Paula González-Nasser — Oct. 2
To read...
- John Berger: From Life, written by Tom Overton — Sept. 29
- The Only Thing There Is to Want: A Memoir of Three Loves, written by Sarah Hepola — Sept. 29
- Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World, written by Dorian Lynskey — Sept. 29
- Man in the Mirror: Hope, Struggle, and Belonging in an American City, written by Anand Giridharadas — Sept. 29
To listen...
- Life 1, by Quadeca — Oct. 1
- Frequency of Love, by Victoria Monét — Oct. 2
- hunting what we already killed, by Dev Lemons — Oct. 2
- QRÖMELIFE, by Quavo — Oct. 2
- walt disco, by Walt Disco — Oct. 2
Live events...
-
Visiting Artist Talk: Erin M. Riley — Sept. 29, 2–3 p.m. at the Saul Zaentz Screening Room, 2nd floor, JHU-MICA Film Centre
- This event is free.
-
2026 Latin American Film Festival: "Bacurau" — Sept. 30, 5–7 p.m. in Room 266, Mergenthaler Hall
- This event is free.
-
THE INVISIBLE YEARS Book Launch Event: A Conversation with Translator Lily Meyer — Oct. 1, 5 p.m. at Bird in Hand Cafe
- This event is free with registration.
-
The Marvelous Magic Lantern — Oct. 1, 6–7:30 p.m. at the Homewood Museum
- Ticket prices vary between $5–10. This event requires registration.
-
New/Next Film Fest — Oct. 1–4 at The Charles Theatre
- Ticket prices vary.
