Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 18, 2024

Arts & Entertainment



Book festival offers students a literary retreat

“Don’t get stuck in the Hopkins bubble!” This is a phrase Hopkins students have heard over and over, one that is drilled into many heads during orientation. “That’s not going to happen to me,” most proclaim to themselves internally. Fast forward three weeks and sometimes new students don’t travel farther than the Starbucks on St. Paul Street.


 MIRA/CC-BY-SA_2.0
Natalie Portman wrote, directed and starred in A Tale of Love and Darkness, currently in theaters.

Love and Darkness showcases Portman’s skill

A Tale of Love and Darkness is the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman, who is a triple threat as the film’s star, director and screenwriter. The film is based on the early life of Amos Oz, a prominent modern Israeli novelist. The film depicts his life as a young boy living in Jerusalem with his mother and father during the founding years of the State of Israel. Portman was born in Israel and returned there for the setting of this film, which has a screenplay almost entirely in Hebrew.






Christopher Ricks talks Poems of T.S. Eliot

Acclaimed literary critic Sir Christopher Ricks visited Hopkins to deliver the annual Turnbull Lecture on Tuesday entitled “T.S. Eliot and Matters of Principle,” regarding the importance of principle in both literature and life.


SELENA SMITH/CC By-2.0
Dan Deacon performed a rare vocal-only set at Towson’s Embody.

Embody pulls together voices of local artists

WTMD, the radio station associated with Towson University, held Embody, a curated session focused on showcasing the unique vocal talents of multiple acts last Tuesday. The session completely stripped away every instrument besides the performers’ voices. The event was hosted as well as curated by local beatboxer and Tuvan throat-singer Shodekeh.


NRK p3/CC-BY -NC-SA-2.0
iLoveMakonnen, of Atlanta by way of Compton, will be visiting Hopkins on Saturday to headline JAM.

High hopes for the HOP’s new music festival

The HOP will put on its annual music festival, entitled JAM, for the first time on Saturday. The inaugural festival will feature Robert DeLong, Party Favor and D.R.A.M. as openers, and iLoveMakonnen will headline. These diverse performers will take the stage in the Rec Center as a central part of the larger Young Alumni Weekend festivities.


 GAGE SKIDMORE/CC-by-SA-2.0
 Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as the controversial lead in Snowden.

Snowden provides alternative to media narrative

Released last Friday, Snowden, Oliver Stone’s thrilling biopic of the controversial man who leaked thousands of classified government documents to global journalists, is a well-made film with a globally poignant message that is well worth the price of admission.




The Lumineers refine pop-rock at Merriweather

The Lumineers seemed to be genuinely shocked as they took in the sight of the 17,000 people crowded into the seats and lawn of the Merriweather Post Pavilion, reminiscing mid-set over the fact that just two years ago, while promoting their first album, they played at Baltimore’s very own Ottobar. Of course, that was prior to the massive success of their singles “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love” as well as their two Grammy nominations.



Actor Donald Glover attends the world premiere for "The Martian” on day two of the Toronto International Film Festival at the Roy Thomson Hall, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 in Toronto. NASA scientists and engineers served as technical consultants on the film. The movie portrays a realistic view of the climate and topography of Mars, based on NASA data, and some of the challenges NASA faces as we prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet in the 2030s. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Atlanta flourishes in its cinematography

Donald Glover, better known as rapper Childish Gambino, has a line in his song “Bonfire”: “Why does every black actor gotta rap some? / I don’t know, all I know is I’m the best one.” His new comedy, Atlanta on FX, which premiered on Sept. 6, just might be actual proof of this claim. The show’s amazing writing and production combined with its unique vision puts Glover back on the map as one of today’s most valuable creative minds. Atlanta could change the face of television.


RODRIGO FERRARI/cc-by-nc-2.0
Classic California rapper Snoop Dogg features on and The Anonymous Nobody’s third track, “Pain.”

De La Soul’s new release is a mixed bag

After a nearly silent eleven years, broken only by several strong feature appearances and a couple of recent mixtapes, the legendary hip-hop group De La Soul released their Kickstarter-funded album and the Anonymous Nobody on Aug. 26. Liberated from the oppressive forces of a record label, the quirky, creative collective planned to create an experimental comeback album.




Stranger Things characters revive ‘80s sci-fi

Summer sensation Stranger Things is the sci-fi show you never knew you needed. Set in 1983 in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the Netflix original drama is truly for audiences of all ages. Those who lived through the eighties will enjoy certain throwbacks like Dungeons & Dragons and Eggo waffles while younger audience members will be compelled by the eclectic cast of characters.


Podcast
Multimedia
Alumni Weekend 2024
Leisure Interactive Food Map
The News-Letter Print Locations
News-Letter Special Editions