Arts & Entertainment

Unbelievable is not for the faint of heart

By BINYAMIN NOVETSKY
September 26, 2019

It’s hard to write a review about a show as well-made and powerful as Unbelievable while simultaneously not recommending it. There is no question that Unbelievable is about as intense and emotionally draining as any show I’ve ever seen. It had me ...

gordon correll/CC BY-SA 2.0
Daniel Åhs karlsson/cc by-s.a 3.0

Tove Lo’s new album is derivative and boring

By YOOSOO YEO | September 26, 2019

Swedish singer and songwriter Tove Lo dropped her fourth album, Sunshine Kitty, on Friday, Sept. 20. In the making of this album, she collaborated with various artists, including English producer Jax Jones for “Jacques,” a lively house-vibe song. Doja Cat, an American rapper and singer, and Australian singer Kylie Minogue are also featured in two of Tove Lo’s songs.

5B highlights sacrifices of AIDS patients and doctors

By COLE DOUGLASS | September 25, 2019

The Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted a screening of 5B, a recently released documentary about the AIDS crisis and the creation of the first dedicated AIDS ward at San Francisco General Hospital on Friday, Sept. 20. The documentary — which received the Grand Prix Award in Entertainment at the Cannes Film Festival — is a gut-wrenching, yet occasionally joyful exploration of the early days of the epidemic and the attempts of the medical staff to provide care to the victims of the disease.

CANADIAN FILIMCENTRE/CC BY-S.A 2.0 Canadian screenwriter Paul Haggis directed 5B alongside Dan Krauss. 
TENASIA/CC by S.A-3.0 BTS fails to honor its UNICEF partnership by performing in Saudi Arabia.

Why it's a mistake for BTS to perform in Saudi Arabia

By KATIE TAM | September 26, 2019

My senior year of high school, while procrastinating on writing my college application essays, I stumbled upon a Korean-pop (K-pop) music video by a group known as “Bangtan Sonyeondan” (BTS). Fast forward almost four years, they’re easily one of my favorite musical groups. I have their songs on rotation, have been to multiple concerts of theirs and have created amazing friends thanks to our shared love of them. 

Even without a host, the Emmys proved entertaining

By EMILY MCDONALD | September 25, 2019

The 71st Annual Emmy Awards aired on Fox this Sunday, and I started watching with very few expectations or prior knowledge — except that Game of Thrones earned more nominations than any other TV show this year and that I was rooting for Fleabag to win Best Comedy Series. But the awards show ended up being surprisingly entertaining, with its earnest speeches, diverse wins and, of course, celebrities’ elaborate red carpet outfits (personally, I thought Billy Porter’s hat and Zendaya’s green dress stole the show).

Courtesy of Sam Farrar  Tyler gave a riveting performance replete with colorful visuals and displays of high fashion.

Tyler, The Creator performs new and old hits

By SAMUEL FARRAR | September 25, 2019

On Saturday, Tyler, The Creator kicked off the second American leg of his tour at Merriweather Post Pavilion alongside Jaden Smith and GoldLink. This tour celebrates the release of his latest album, Igor, which many consider to be his best album yet. 

Pull Quote Template 32 (43).png

The Great Believers looks at art’s enduring power

By SOPHIA LIPKIN | September 22, 2019

The Great Believers begins, like all great novels, with a funeral — only not a funeral, exactly. Yale, the bookish and gentle main character, arrives with his dashing British boyfriend, Charlie, at the doorstep of a friend’s Chicago row home. It’s a gathering to celebrate the life of their friend, Nico. 

Charli XCX reflects on nightlife and mental health

By JAE CHOI | September 18, 2019

One of Charli XCX’s most redeeming qualities as a musician is her unflinching artistic sincerity and independence. From the very beginning of her career, Charli has been committed to brave sonic experimentation and exploration, not just in the way that she produces her albums, but also in the manner by which she proactively incorporates features from diverse artists into her music. This very sincerity and independence is at the forefront of what is her most revealing and dynamic album yet, Charli. 

Tuomas Vitikainen/CC BY-SA 4.0
MANDIBERG/CC BY-SA 2.0

New York Fashion Week is hip as ever

By YOOSOO YEO | September 18, 2019

Once again creating a huge buzz, this year’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW) ended just last Saturday, Sept. 14, telling us what our closets will look like this coming season. 

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a life-affirming exploration of hope

By ELIZA ZIMMERMAN | September 18, 2019

The Peanut Butter Falcon, which hit theaters early last week, follows the journey of Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome who makes a chaotic run away from the nursing home he’s been placed in, all with hopes of making it to a wrestling school in the Carolinas. Along the way, he meets Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a down-and-out fisherman who’s been run out of his nearby home-town after enacting some costly — and potentially misplaced — revenge. 

JOHN BAULD/CC BY-SA 2.0
joella marano/cc by-sa 2.0

The Spy is an aesthetically flawed portrait of Eli Cohen

By BINYAMIN NOVETSKY | September 18, 2019

There is no way to review The Spy, Netflix’s new show about Israeli agent Eli Cohen, without talking extensively about the brilliance of Sacha Baron Cohen. It’s true that the history behind the show is fascinating and that there are some incredible side stories as well. There’s no question that there are distinctive and remarkable artistic decisions taken by the director and cinematographer in almost every episode. 

Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez shine in Hustlers

By COLE DOUGLASS | September 19, 2019

I’ll get the unfortunate news out of the way first. Despite all of the buzz on the internet, Hustlers probably isn’t going to win any Oscars. However, it is easy to see why the film — and Jennifer Lopez’s performance — has garnered so much praise since its release earlier this week. 

dvsross/cc by-sa 2.0
Courtesy of Diva Parekh

What I learned from a Baltimorean published novelist

By DIVA PAREKH | September 19, 2019

Leaving my apartment in Nine East to go to India for part of this summer, I had to wait 15 minutes for my very slow Uber to make its way to pick me up and take me to the airport. The security guard sitting at the front desk was someone I recognized — she always sees me at my sleep-deprived best. Yet, waiting for the Uber was the first time I had the chance to have a real conversation with her.

Madonnari Arts Festival in Little Italy reimagines classic Italian art

By SARAH Y. KIM | September 12, 2019

Pasta is my go-to comfort food. So when a friend suggested this past Saturday that we treat ourselves to dinner in Little Italy, I agreed. It had been a long first week back, and I’d spent too much time on campus. There was also a festival that she wanted to go to, which sounded nice, but I didn’t really know what that was about. 

courtesy of Sarah Y. Kim
COURTESY OF RUDY MALCOM

Dodie delivers an emotional performance at a concert in D.C.

By AMELIA ISAACS | September 12, 2019

About three quarters of the way through every concert that I’ve been to, I find myself transitioning from a state of enjoying the concert and the moment that I’m in, to realizing that the experience will be ending soon and feeling stressed about having to enjoy the performance.

Mourad Asap / CC BY-SA 4.0

It: Chapter Two is a repetitive and disappointing sequel

By COLE DOUGLASS | September 12, 2019

If the first part of the It saga was about the terrors of childhood — the uncertainty of growing up, the possibility that adults can’t or won’t help you solve your problems — then It: Chapter Two is a treatise on stagnation, the fear that maybe we can’t ever escape the demons (metaphorical and otherwise) that haunted us as children. 

Director Justin Chon reevaluates the American dream in Ms. Purple

By ARAN CHANG | September 17, 2019

Many may recognize Justin Chon as a frequent collaborator of popular Asian-American Youtubers Wong Fu, Ryan Higa and KevJumba. Or to others less familiar with YouTube, he can be associated with Eric Yorkie from Twilight or Brenda Song’s annoying brother in Disney’s Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. 

Joe Mabel / CC BY-SA 4.0  Director Justin Chon’s recent film Ms. Purple unveils a new side to Asian-American life.
Frank Schwichtenberg / CC BY-SA 4.0  Young Thug’s album So Much Fun stands out among contemporaries.

Thugger breaks musical ground with So Much Fun

By BRANDT MATTHEWS | September 11, 2019

With the release of So Much Fun, Young Thug is finally seeing the commercial success fans have wanted for him for years. Despite being a household name for many as far back as 2015 with his Barter 6 project, or even 2014 through the single “Lifestyle” as a part of Rich Gang, Thugger’s road to superstardom has been long and fraught to say the least.