Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 19, 2025 November 19, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

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TACKNEY OS / CC BY-SA 4.0 Preston’s novel detailed the infamous sinking of the British ocean liner the RMS Lusitania.

Diana Preston’s Lusitania: The complexity in devastation

By ERIC SMITH | March 7, 2023

I have always had an interest in shipwrecks. The Titanic was once my favorite — the most fascinating shipwreck bar none. It was the epitome of turn-of-the-century hubris and grandeur, a ship the likes of which was never seen and will never be seen again. However, there has recently been a reshuffling in my shipwreck rankings. While not quite supplanted, I have found another shipwreck that rivals my interest in the Titanic — the Lusitania, which sank on May 7, 1915. Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy by Diana Preston is the book that prompted my rethinking.

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY-SA 2.0 Pedro Pascal stars as Din Djarin in the Disney+ show The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian, season three, episode one: A slow start to a promising new season

By ALICIA GUEVARA | March 7, 2023

I have never felt more intensely attached to a character than when I watched The Mandalorian for the first time. Not attached to the Mandalorian, the titular character and intended central protagonist played by Pedro Pascal. Not to any villain, comedic side character or even a character with intelligible lines. No, it was to the real star of the show: Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda.

COURTESY OF JOHN D’CRUZ AND MARY KATE MCCORMICK This week’s picks include Time Bandits, Scream VI and Miley Cyrus’ new album Endless Summer Vacation. 

To watch and watch for: Week of March 5

By VAREN TALWAR | March 5, 2023

It’s a busy week in the film and music worlds! New films like 65 and Scream VI have got fans excited, while the revival series at the Senator and Charles theatres are bringing masterful works like Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu and Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits back to the big screen. Meanwhile, pop star Miley Cyrus and the fictional Daisy Jones and the Six release new albums this week, so, if you can find time, there’s a lot out there for you to watch and listen to!

COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK This week’s picks include Creed III and Zoje Stage’s new book Mothered.

To watch and watch for: Week of Feb. 26

By VAREN TALWAR | February 27, 2023

It’s an exciting week for the arts, especially for film nerds who will be delighted with the opportunity to watch Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen at the Charles Theatre! A similar wave of nostalgia is likely to pervade you if you go for the revival screening of John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at the Senator Theatre. Elizabeth Banks’ new movie Cocaine Bear seems to have all the trappings of a cult classic and is sure to be a lot of fun as well.

THANK YOU (23 MILLIONS+) VIEWS / CC BY 2.0 Many newcomers lead the nominations of the 95th Academy Awards, which will take place on March 12, 2023.

2023 Oscars predictions: Overcoming controversy by appeasing viewers

By JOHN D'CRUZ | February 23, 2023

After a series of contentious years, many wonder whether the Academy’s new leadership, namely President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer, can draw viewers and positive reviews for the upcoming 95th Academy Awards. Due to uncertainty surrounding the value of awards shows, my predictions on who will take home this year’s Oscars will weigh both public opinion and the merit of the nominees themselves to select the most favored winner. 

MARIE CLAIRE KOREA / CC BY 3.0 Park Chan-wook is the director of the South Korean romantic thriller Decision to Leave.

In Focus: Decision to Leave (2022)

By VAREN TALWAR | February 23, 2023

With South Korean cinema gradually becoming more mainstream over the past few years, works of directors like Park Chan-wook are becoming more scrutinized. I urge everyone to jump on the bandwagon to be exposed to the wealth of this industry and its many uplifting and entertaining stories. For now, I recommend the dark and twisted rabbit hole of romantic perversion that is Decision to Leave.

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY-SA 2.0 Paul Rudd returns as Ant Man in Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an entertaining adventure to be expected of the Marvel franchise

By ALICIA GUEVARA | February 22, 2023

Is there any movie franchise bigger than the Marvel franchise? After a quick Google search, I received my answer: a resounding no. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has, according to CNBC , grossed over 22 billion dollars at the global box office. For reference, the second highest grossing franchise, Star Wars, only grossed 10.2 billion, and it started roughly 30 years before Iron Man was released in 2008.

COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK This week’s picks include Season 5 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, The Quiet Girl and Janie Chang’s book The Porcelain Moon: A Novel of France, the Great War, and Forbidden Love.

To watch and watch for: Week of Feb. 19

By SOPHIA LIN | February 19, 2023

It’s a quieter week here in the arts world. Big-budget releases and superstar artists have taken the week off — but all the better for it perhaps. It makes for a fantastic chance to dive into the indies, the debut artists and the up-and-comers.

DAVID TORCIVIA / CC BY-SA 2.0 Your Place or Mine, starring Reese Witherspoon, lacks the essential rom-com spark.

Your Place or Mine: A romantic comedy trying to do too much

By ALICIA GUEVARA | February 19, 2023

What makes a great romantic comedy? Is it option A, the absurdly attractive romantic leads masquerading as average Joes and Janes? Is it option B, the juicy, far-fetched and highly preventable misunderstandings that bring them together? Or maybe it’s option C, the moment when their eyes meet or their shoulders brush and you think, “Yup, they’re endgame.”

COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK This week’s picks include Hidden Blade, Trustfall and The Shamshine Blind: A Novel.

To watch and watch for: Week of Feb. 12

By SOPHIA LIN | February 13, 2023

As we leave January behind, releases are picking up in the art world. Beginning with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios’ latest entry marks the first blockbuster of the year. For fans of crime, neo-noir Marlowe and Chinese espionage thriller Hidden Blade are both out this week too. If those dark and twisted alleys aren’t up your alley, take a look at the indie biopic Emily.

AARON WEBB / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Netflix’s Lockwood & Co. is based on the book series of the same name by British writer Jonathan Stroud.

Lockwood & Co. is a dystopian gem among supernatural teen dramas

By ALICIA GUEVARA | February 9, 2023

I love a good dystopia. Maybe it’s a callback from the early 2010s when The Hunger Games and the Divergent series were at their peak. Maybe it’s a reminder that life and the world could always be worse. In any case, whenever I see a dystopian series getting good reviews, I have to watch it. With a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and as one of the highest-watched shows on Netflix this past week, Lockwood & Co. was a no-brainer. Given the popularity of shows like Wednesday and Stranger Things, this show felt like a natural progression of supernatural teen shows.

 COURTESY OF MARY KATE MCCORMICK This week’s picks include Raven, Code Name Sapphire and Barry Lyndon.

To watch and watch for: Week of Feb. 5

By VAREN TALWAR | February 8, 2023

As the semester takes off into the usual chaos, it is important to take care of yourself and unwind with some movies, books and music — a lot of new entries in these genres are waiting to be explored!

COURTESY OF ALICIA GUEVARA This year’s I-Show involved creative plays all set in the same location: a hotel lobby.

Witness Theatre’s I-Show is a wonderfully fun collection of creativity and mayhem in the very best way

By ALICIA GUEVARA | February 8, 2023

It’s always a bold move to sit in the front row of any group of people. Whether it be a huge lecture hall, a small classroom or an interactive magic show (a mistake I will not make again), back corners have become my safe space. I routinely linger at the edges of rooms, but, at Witness Theatre’s I-Show 2023 in Arellano Theater on Feb. 4, I sat front and center.

THE COME UP SHOW / CC BY 2.0 According to McShea, rapper JID is one of the artists that was unfairly left out from this year’s GRAMMY nominations.

GRAMMY nominations overlook hip-hop masterworks

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | February 4, 2023

When the GRAMMYs revealed their list of nominations for the 2023 awards, I immediately scrolled to the category “Best Rap Album of the Year.” Not because I hold the award in great regard but quite the opposite — the GRAMMYs have a vile history of botching the awards for rap/hip-hop artists, showing a partial disregard and ignorance for their culture. 

DANI CHARLES / CC BY-SA 3.0 The director and cast of the biggest South Indian blockbuster of 2022, RRR, have won multiple awards.

In Focus: RRR

By VAREN TALWAR | February 1, 2023

A long-standing debate in film has been whether cinema is entertainment or art. While I find this idea of a zero-sum game quite sad and unfair, every once in a while there comes a movie that decimates this misconception by being an incredibly entertaining and artistic masterpiece simultaneously. There were a couple of films like these in 2022 but, in my opinion, none more viscerally representative of my point than S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt).

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