Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 2, 2026 September 2, 2026 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment

RED CARPET REPORT ON MINGLE MEDIA TV / CC BY-SA 2.0 Along with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy reprises her role as one of the Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus 2.

Hocus Pocus 2: A nostalgic mess

By ALICIA GUEVARA | October 15, 2022

With Halloween just a few weeks away, if you’re like me, you’re likely on the lookout for a festive, spooky film to snuggle up and watch over a bowl of candy corn. Luckily, this October has been filled with new horror films, from Halloween Ends, the last in the Halloween trilogy, to Prey for the Devil coming out on Oct. 28. However, as someone who enjoys a milder scare, I was beyond ecstatic when I heard Disney+ was releasing a sequel to the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus on Sept. 30.

COURTESY OF JINGYAN ZHANG This year's Hoptoberfest concert was headlined by Desiigner, a rapper.

Rapper Desiigner electrifies crowd at Hoptoberfest

By JINGYAN ZHANG | October 12, 2022

The week-long festivities of Hoptoberfest 2022 concluded on Oct. 8, with an exhilarating performance from Brooklyn-born rapper Desiigner at Shriver Hall. Known by his stage name Desiigner, Sidney Royel Selby III is perhaps best known amongst the Gen Z undergraduate student body for his hit debut single “Panda,” which premiered in December 2015.

COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK This week’s picks include Heat, Blue Rev and As the Moon Rests.

To watch and watch for: week of Oct. 9

By VAREN TALWAR | October 10, 2022

As the semester gets crazier and crazier with each passing day, the need for some escapism gets more intense. Taking note of that, the world of arts has once again stepped up to the occasion to help us Blue Jays out! 

LENKE SZILÁGYI / CC BY-SA 3.0 Hungarian novelist and screenwriter László Krasznahorkai penned Spadework for a Palace.

“Reality is no obstacle”: a review of László Krasznahorkai’s Spadework for a Palace

By JULIAN LASHER | October 10, 2022

It’s hard to know what to make of the newest effort by László Krasznahorkai, Spadework for a Palace. The novella concerns an aging librarian at the New York Public Library named herman melvill. He is overtaken by an obsessive interest in three artists who also lived and worked in Manhattan: the writers Herman Melville and Malcolm Lowry and the architect Lebbeus Woods.

COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK Amsterdam, Our Missing Hearts and Charlie are a few of the most anticipated picks this week.

To watch and watch for: week of Oct. 2

By SOPHIA LIN | October 4, 2022

With the first round of midterms seemingly sneaking up already, it’s certainly around the time when we’re all pressed for time. But, in a little twist of counterintuition, this week might actually be perfect to squeeze in a trip to the theater, read the first chapter of a book or switch up your playlist.

WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION / CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 Maggie Cheung is the lead actress of Wong Kar Wai’s 2000 romance drama In the Mood for Love.

In focus: In the Mood for Love (2000)

By VAREN TALWAR | October 3, 2022

I distinctly remember the suffocating depression I fell into the weekend I went to see Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love at the Charles Theater last semester. There, in the company of an auditorium full of strangers, I watched a profound tragedy that haunts me to this day. 

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY-SA 2.0 Florence Pugh is one of the stars of Olivia Wilde's new film Don't Worry Darling.

Don’t Worry Darling is actually not that bad?

By ALICIA GUEVARA | October 1, 2022

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, odds are you’ve heard at least something about Olivia Wilde’s latest film Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. Most likely, you’ve read headlines about casting feuds, on-set affairs or spitting accusations and concluded, unlike Styles in his viral interview, that this movie feels anything but like an actual movie. 

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY-SA 2.0 Steven Spielberg’s ET: The Extra Terrestrial returns to the Senator Theatre as this week’s revival screening.

To watch and watch for: week of Sept. 25

By VAREN TALWAR | September 26, 2022

It’s another exciting week for the arts! From movies to books, there are tons of promising new entries for people looking to indulge themselves in something original, while some old classics also return briefly to the scene, like James Cameron’s Avatar and Steven Spielberg’s ET: The Extra Terrestrial. 

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY-SA 3.0 Camila Mendes stars as a tortured queen bee in Netflix’s Do Revenge.

Do Revenge is a fun high school drama that suffers from mixed messaging

By HELENA GIFFORD | September 25, 2022

Do Revenge, released on Netflix on Sept. 16., follows two girls who attend a prestigious prep school, Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke), as they execute revenge plots on the students who’ve wronged them. Without going into spoilers, the movie has many twists and turns that made it fun to watch. It might even be worth watching it a second time to pick up on any hidden details that I missed the first time through.

JAMIE CURIO / CC BY-NC 2.0 Moonage Daydream, one of the picks of this week, documents the enigmatic life of David Bowie.

To watch and watch for: week of Sept. 18

By SOPHIA LIN | September 20, 2022

As the parade of tent pole summer blockbusters leave the cinema, the throes of September are known to offer slim pickings when it comes to arts and entertainment. But who’s to say this is bad news? Instead, I find it can double as a fruitful time to try something new.

BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA / CC BY 3.0 Alia Bhatt is one of the stars of the innovative but lazily written Brahmastra: Part One — Shiva.

Brahmāstra feels like a crayon-drawn script mistakenly taken seriously by producers

By VAREN TALWAR | September 17, 2022

After years of Indian audiences imploring Bollywood to depart from its monotonous formulaic productions, the industry has boldly answered the calls with Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva. It’s by no means a perfect movie, and it fails to avoid many of the common pitfalls that contemporary Bollywood movies fall into, like clunky dialogue and awkwardly-paced plots. However, in the grand scheme of things, Brahmāstra breaks new ground by ushering the industry into the 21st century with its visual effects and introduction of the Astraverse, perhaps the first planned cinematic universe and trilogy in Bollywood.

PUBLIC DOMAIN The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ultimately disappoints, lacking the soul of Tolkien fantasy.

Amazon’s The Rings of Power delivers stunning visuals in an empty world

By ZACHARY BAHAR | September 9, 2022

Nearly five years after it was first announced, Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted its first two episodes on Friday, Sept. 2. Drawing in more than 25 million views and costing over $715 million dollars for the first season — both record-breaking numbers — The Rings of Power was bound to enter the TV universe with a splash.

NICOLAS GENIN/ CC BY-SA 2.0 Poking fun at himself, Nicholas Cage mostly delivers on The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Nicholas Cage is back — not that he went anywhere

By VAREN TALWAR | May 3, 2022

Few actors have entertained, confused and bewildered audiences over the years more than Nicholas Cage has, and his unique ability is aptly celebrated in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. His character may not be the most accurate reflection of the actor’s real personality, but Cage gives the audience what it wants by playing the role with the hilarious intrigue of his cult status.

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