Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 18, 2025 November 18, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment

Latest film in Fantastic Beasts franchise disappoints audiences

By JUSTIN KIM | November 29, 2018

Continuing the spinoff series that nobody asked for, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise that keeps teasing the showdown between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. It keeps confusing me. Why is this series even called Fantastic Beasts? At least the Harry Potter movies were actually about the boy who lived; unless Dumbledore and Grindelwald are going to have an aerial dogfight on top of dragons and Hippogriffs, I don’t see why the Fantastic Beasts part should have any relevance.

New York Public Library exhibition honors Atkins

By KATHARINE LEE | November 29, 2018

This winter the New York Public Library celebrates Anna Atkins, an English botanist and artist from the 1800s. The exhibit Anna Atkins Refracted: Contemporary Works explores Atkins’ influence through the works of 19 contemporary artists. 

UPROXX/ CC BY 3.0 Lucas Hedges stars as Jared Eamons in Joel Edgerton’s new film about conversion therapy, Boy Erased

While a powerful film, Boy Erased erases its star

By RUDY MALCOM | November 29, 2018

I wasn’t expecting the uplifting sensation of a feel-good rom com when I went to see Boy Erased on Tuesday, Nov. 20. That shouldn’t come as a surprise; the film — based on producer and LGBTQ activist Garrard Conley’s same-titled 2016 memoir — is about Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges), who begins gay conversion therapy after his Baptist father tells him: “We cannot see a way that you can live under this roof if you’re going to fundamentally go against the grain of our beliefs.” But I wasn’t anticipating the unshakable tremor of a disturbing horror movie either.

courtesy of Jon Schroeder/JHU Consensus performed show ‘ConCERNed’ on the Hopkins campus, combining rap and STEM fields

British rapper Consensus explores a passion for physics through rap

By COLE DOUGLASS | November 29, 2018

As a student majoring in the two very different fields of Cognitive Science and Writing Seminars, I am fascinated by the ways that one area of study can be used to deepen our understanding of another, completely unrelated, subject. This is one of the reasons that I like the musical Hamilton so much; by pairing a historical narrative with a musical medium, Lin-Manuel Miranda has helped me retain more about the American Revolution than any history class has.

the comedy show/ CC BY 2.0 Anderson .Paak’s third studio album, Oxnard, is already a hit among his dedicated fanbase

Anderson .Paak releases much awaited new album, Oxnard

By CATE TURNER | November 29, 2018

If you’ve never heard of Anderson .Paak, or at least don’t know how to pronounce his name (read: Anderson Pack), you should invest a solid amount of time in getting to know his music. On Nov. 16, .Paak released his fifth studio album, named Oxnard after his hometown in California. He first gained major recognition when he was spotted by Dr. Dre. He was featured on Dre’s album Compton (2015) and subsequently worked with the legendary MC for the rest of his own albums. 

Incase/cc By-2.0 Tyler The Creator released accompanying album for new movie, The Grinch

Tyler the Creator puts new twist on Grinch music

By KATY OH | November 29, 2018

It is officially the holiday season, and amidst the oncoming stress of finals that hits students immediately after the week long November hiatus, many will undoubtedly turn to their favorite jingle bell tunes and holiday movies to celebrate the season and the end of another year. For most millennials, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, released in 2000, is a familiar holiday favorite; Jim Carrey, covered in green fluff, lets out a distasteful, green burp and runs off with his iconic, cynical smile. 

Courtesy of Emma Sun The National Geographic Gallery in San Diego shows their popular photos.

Nat Geo Gallery offers a window into humanity

By EMMA SUN | November 29, 2018

This Thanksgiving, I went westward to visit friends and family in La Jolla, San Diego and visited some art galleries. At La Jolla Cove, I was amazed by the artistic atmosphere. While there, I spotted the National Geographic Gallery; Nat Geo has long been my number-one favorite Instagram account, so I was more than excited. I always spent time checking out the breathtaking pictures taken by National Geographic photographers. Curious to find out what the art pieces inside were, I hurried through the glass doors.

KENNY SUN/CC by-2.0 Mitski performed at the 9:30 Club in D.C. on Friday, November 16.

Mitski performs emotional new music on her tour

By EMILY WHITNEY | November 29, 2018

Singer-songwriter Mitski played at the 9:30 Club on the D.C. leg of her Be The Cowboy tour on Nov. 16. In the newly freezing cold weather, my friends and I joined the line that snaked for blocks around the club and missed out on the electro-folk opener The Overcoats, but the sold-out show still mounted traffic outside the venue well into the night as the young crowd packed inside. It had been sold out for months, and I managed my tickets from a re-seller for about double the original price.

31st annual Culture Show highlights diversity of Hopkins students

By CHAEBIN JEON | November 15, 2018

The Office of Multicultural Affairs hosted its 31st Annual Culture Show in the Rec Center on Saturday, Nov. 10. The event showcased many student cultural groups and included dance performances by Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe and Baila!, as well as a capella performances by Music Dynasty and Ketzev.

Courtesy of Sarah Linton Hopkins students and alums acted alongside Baltimore actors in new play

Charm City Fringe Festival premieres production of Black Dog

By SOPHIA LIPKIN | November 15, 2018

At first, the theatre in which Black Dog takes place, at the Charm City Fringe Theatre Festival in downtown Baltimore, doesn’t look like much. It’s more of an art gallery than a theatre, and the only furniture on the stage, if you can even call the area marked off by black curtains a stage, is a collection of IKEA patio furniture. But any thoughts I had about how minimal and bare the stage looked were all forgotten as soon as the actors took to the stage, in a play that was so viscerally, devastatingly real that the audience sat stunned in their chairs for minutes after the actors had left the stage. 

Even with Nazi zombies, Overlord fails to stand out

By JUSTIN KIM | November 15, 2018

World War II has an entire gallery of movies at this point. With countless films like Saving Private Ryan, Inglourious Basterds, Dunkirk, Fury and others all diving neck-deep into the grime and filth of one of the worst man-made disasters in history, how do you make a new story out of that?

Courtesy of Katy Oh Baltimore Youth Film Arts Program hosts its third annual film festival.

Film festival spotlights Baltimore’s creative youth

By KATY OH | November 15, 2018

Any doubts that I had about whether Hopkins does enough to integrate with the wider Baltimore community were completely challenged when I went to the Baltimore Youth Film Arts Fall Festival. Since 2016, the Baltimore Youth Film Arts Program has built a strong community of young creators who represent their stories through various artistic mediums, including photography, screenwriting, film production and animation.

Courtesy of Cate Turner Travis Scott performs the first stop of his tour at Royal Farms Arena.

Travis Scott hits first stop of his tour in Baltimore

By CATE TURNER | November 15, 2018

Travis Scott, one of the most famous names in music right now, began his widely anticipated Astroworld tour last Thursday, Nov. 8 at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. Students on campus, and most likely every campus in Baltimore, have been buzzing since the tour was announced this summer. 

Courtesy of Cole Douglass Witness Theater put together an impressive show in just 24 hours.

Witness Theater’s 24-Hour Show features a range of student talent

By COLE DOUGLASS | November 15, 2018

The most impressive aspect of Witness Theater’s 24-Hour Show was, unsurprisingly, the time limit. The act of writing and producing a show is incredibly daunting on its own, so the addition of such a short deadline almost seems like a cruel joke. Despite the time constraint, Witness’ most recent production — held on Saturday, Nov. 10, in Arellano Theater — had all the hallmarks of an excellent production. The jokes were funny, the acting was tight and the entire performance was a testament to the group’s creative talent.

Courtesy of Kanak Gupta “Runways” is currently on display on M-Level in MSE Library.

Runaways MSE exhibit prompts tough discussion

By KANAK GUPTA | November 15, 2018

When was the last time you paid attention to the art in the library? The last time I did, perhaps one of the only few times, was when it was pointed out to me by an enraged security guard. This was a piece called Runaways by Glenn Ligon.

Indian Summer garners praise for two-week run

By EMILY WHITNEY | November 15, 2018

Indian Summer, Gregory S. Moss’ play, opens on a beach setting to soft sounds of birds and the ocean in the background. The mid-July Rhode Island beach is slowly populated. The first person there is Daniel (played by junior Sebastian Durfee), a teen dropped at his grandparents’ house by his wayward mother for the summer. Bored and nervous about his mother’s delayed return, his summer takes a turn when he meets Izzy (played by senior Rachel Underweiser), a brash, Rhode-Island accented local. The pair’s feisty first encounters develop into an unlikely relationship that softens into something the audience can’t help but root for.

Courtesy of Throat Culture Members of Throat Culture, pictured above, showcased their comedic talent in their latest show

Throat Culture performs the comedy show “Existential Crisis”

By COLE DOUGLASS | November 8, 2018

One look at the title of Throat Culture’s most recent show on Saturday, Nov. 3, “A Not-Quite Halloween, Not-Quite Thanksgiving, Not-Quite Christmas Existential Crisis,” explains basically everything that you need to know about the performance. The comedy was as eclectic as usual, and it was never absolutely clear what the group would bring to the stage next. 

Doug Kerr/CC BY-SA 2.0 Kathleen Hellen’s poem “Tunnel” was inspired by her trips through the Liberty Tunnels.

Kathleen Hellen reads from her newest poetry collection

By CHAEBIN JEON | November 8, 2018

I returned to the Ivy Bookshop this past Saturday, Nov. 5 to see Kathleen Hellen read from her new poetry collection, The Only Country Was the Color of My Skin. Born in Tokyo, Kathleen Hellen is the half-Japanese author of the award-winning collection Umberto’s Night and two chapbooks, The Girl Who Loved Mothra and Pentimento. Her poems have won the Thomas Merton and James Still poetry prizes, as well as prizes from the H.O.W. Journal and Washington Square Review. 

TV adaptation of “Angel of Death” flops

By JUSTIN KIM | November 8, 2018

With the recent trend in films and TV shows to have as dark a plot as possible (in order to appeal to the group of angsty teens that gush whenever blood or death comes on screen), it’s no surprise that Satsuriku no Tenshi, an anime literally called the Angel of Death, has been released.

Trending
Weekly Rundown
News-Letter Magazine