Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 16, 2025
November 16, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment



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Natalie Portman stars in director Alex Garlands latest film, Annihilation.

Annihilation evocatively blends beauty and terror

Annihilation is one of the most beautifully terrifying science fiction films I’ve seen in the past eight years. It’s wonderfully acted and benefits from the deft hand of someone that has directed more than one film.


EISTRETER/CC BY-SA 3.0
The rose is a common trope in the TV show The Bachelor. which is now in its twenty second season.

Why do audiences love the The Bachelor so much?

I prided myself for a long time on never watching The Bachelor. For some reason, not watching that show made me feel like a better person, like I didn’t need to sink down to the level of trashy TV and getting involved in the lives of people I didn’t know.


PUBLIC DOMAIN
This portrait shows actor Ira Aldridge dressed for his role in Othello.

Red Velvet explores the legacy of Ira Aldridge

It is deeply compelling to observe Aldridge as he grapples with a role previously reserved for white men and the implications that come with it: critics who utilize explicit racial terminology to discuss his performance, fatal fissures in his longtime friendship with the flawed LaPorte, and his fellow cast members who awkwardly and haltingly attempt to understand Aldridge’s experiences. 


GAGE SKIDMORE/CC BY-SA 2.0
Black Panther has grossed $361 million since its release on Feb. 16.

Marvel’s Black Panther is more than just a superhero film

I’m just going to get this out of the way right now: Black Panther is a really good movie — incredibly good. You should definitely go see it. It is a thought-provoking essay on racial issues with a wonderful cast. It is a philosophical tale about the ways that we interact with our culture and our past and whether or not those traditions should be preserved moving into the future. 


COURTESY OF KENNY SUN/CC BY-SA 2.0
Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo successfully reworked Twin Fantasy. 

Car Seat Headrest Successfully Re-records Album

The muted bass that introduces “My Boy” is slow, delicate and groovy. Within two minutes, there is a flood of biting guitars and Will Toledo, the lead singer, is wailing into the microphone. This is the prototype for the usual Car Seat Headrest song.


COURTESY OF GIOVANNA MOLINA
Witness Theater’s Intersession Showcase celebrates the work of students.

Witness Theater debuts an eclectic showcase

Witness Theater presented their Intersession showcase, Welcome to Our House — produced by junior Sarah Linton and stage managed by freshman Dominique Dickey — in the Mattin Center’s Swirnow Theater this weekend. The show featured a diverse collection of four student-directed and written one-act plays. 


COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE/CC BY-SA 2.0
Michael B Jordan delivers a compelling performance as Killmonger. 

Killmonger is Marvel's most nuanced villain yet

If you’re a fan of superhero movies, odds are you’ve noticed that the villains are often not particularly interesting or challenging to the hero’s way of thought. They are kinda just there to kick start the plot and be a punching bag.




STEVEN PISANO / CC BY 2.0
Alsarah & the Nubatones was formed by Sudanese-American musician Alsarah in 2010.

Alsarah & the Nubatones tour Baltimore venues

The rhythmic beats of Alsarah & the Nubatones echoed through the basement of St. Matthews Church on Thursday, Feb. 15. The East African retro-pop group, currently based in Brooklyn, performed for a small yet engaged crowd as part of their tour of Baltimore sponsored by the Creative Alliance. 


COURTESY OF STEVE JURVESTON/CC BY SA 2.0
Lin Manuel Miranda wrote and starred in Broadway's smash-hit Hamilton. 

Mark Bramble gives engaging talk on Homewood Hamilton exhibit

I was very late to the Hamilton party. I’m not going to lie to you, as a Brit, I wasn’t that interested in a musical about America, America’s Founding Fathers and animosity for Britain. That doesn’t by any means suggest that I wasn’t beyond excited to see the show in London just a week after it opened.


Kedi is documentary film-making at its finest

My only New Year’s Resolution was to watch more documentaries. As much as I love movies — getting lost for two hours and escaping from the overwhelming feeling of panic that comes from the news — watching a documentary is something different. 


JAVIER PAREDES/CC BY-SA 2.0
Philippe Garrel directed Lover for a Day, which stars his daughter Esther.

Lover for a Day examines complex relationships

For those who go to the movies only to be swept up by fantastical images and dramatic character arcs, Lover for a Day may not be the movie for you. It’s small and contained, at times presenting more like a play. 


The Death of Walt Disney critiques his legacy

“It’s a Small World” has never been creepier. A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About The Death of Walt Disney at the Single Carrot Theatre is playing from Feb. 2 to Feb. 25, and it’s everything your childhood nightmares are made of — maybe your current nightmares too. 


COURTESY OF TANYA WONGVIBULSIN
3 beans is located in Federal Hill, a popular place for shopping and dining.

Federal Hill coffee shop debuts two new roasts

Last Saturday evening I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by 3 Bean Coffee, a craft coffee shop located in the heart of Federal Hill, Baltimore. They were throwing a release party to celebrate the launch of their own roasted coffee beans: Triton and Triumph. 


COURTESY OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BARNSTORMERS
Usman Enam (left) and Carver Bain (right) starred respectively in the play as Dev and Conrad.

Barnstormers present Stupid Fucking Bird at Arellano Theater

This weekend, the Hopkins Barnstormers presented their Intersession show, Stupid Fucking Bird, in Arellano Theater. The play, written by Aaron Posner, is loosely based upon Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, dealing with some of the same dark and difficult topics as the Russian play in a more lighthearted and modern-day manner. 



COURTESY OF KRISTOFER MADU
On February 3, Karter preformed at the Torrent Lounge in Towson.

Freshman rapper talks music, charity and life

You’ve seen him around. He may have zoomed past you on his electric scooter. You may have seen him in class wearing his trademark ski goggles. You may have even seen him on stage rapping. Kristofer Madu, aka Travis Karter, is that guy. A freshman International Studies major and an up-and-coming rapper, there is a lot more to him than many people know.


CHRIS ROTH/CC BY-SA 2.0
This Is Us—which attracted 27 million viewers after the Super Bowl—is nearing the end of its second season.

This Is Us amazes with post-Super Bowl episode

If you have not watched through the post-Super Bowl episode of This Is Us and plan on catching up on the show, then please, I beg of you, don’t read this article (and getting an editor to say that means something). 


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