Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
March 30, 2023

Arts & Entertainment



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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.



COURTESY OF EMMA ANDERSSON
Students present their culture’s traditional clothing at the “Diaspora” Fashion Show.

The "Diaspora" Fashion Show demonstrates the power of clothing in fostering cultural pride

Students took to the runway on April 23 for the Inter-Asian Council’s (IAC) “Diaspora” Fashion Show. The showcase illuminated the diversity of Asian cultures represented at Hopkins, granting Asian Pacific Islander Desi American students the opportunity to flaunt their culture’s clothing. Models sported both traditional and modern clothing from across the Asian continent, featuring styles from the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Myanmar, Mauritius and Malaysia. 



COURTESY OF HELENA GIFFORD
The Lan Yun Blue Orchids perform a fan dance during their Spring Showcase.

Lan Yun Blue Orchids perform Chinese traditional dance with a modern twist

The Lan Yun Blue Orchids presented their Spring Showcase on April 16. Though the on-campus dance group is devoted to learning and performing traditional Chinese dance, they add a twist of modernity by dancing to songs that are popular in China today. This was the group’s first time hosting its own showcase, which also featured performances from the Yong Hang Lion Dance Troupe, Music Dynasty and the Hopkins Oriental Music Ensemble (HOME).




COURTESY OF SOPHIA PASALIS
The Hopkins Film Festival poster displays in a screening room of theater-goers.

The Hopkins Film Festival: Knives Out and animated film steal the spotlight

The Hopkins Film Society presented Whodunnit, a screening of six famous feature-length murder mysteries and selected shorts, for the 2022 Hopkins Film Festival during the weekend of April 8 to 10. The Film Society chose the weekend’s theme as a group, deciding between other interesting theme suggestions, including “red flag” movies.



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