Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
January 19, 2026 January 19, 2026 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

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RON RAFFETY / CC BY-SA 4.0 Phan reviews the latest Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland.

One Battle After Another isn’t the perfect Pynchonian movie, but it’s the exact picture of today’s America

By RIVER PHAN | October 18, 2025

Paul Thomas Anderson has an obsession with the past. His dynamic body of work is vast and varied in genre, but all of his films operate with a sort of disinterest in the modern world. One Battle After Another, however, is different from his other works; it’s today’s most relevant love story of a father and a daughter in the midst of eerily familiar political turmoil. 

SYDNOR DUFFY / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR The 25th Annual Baltimore Comic Convention is Oct. 17–19, in the Baltimore Convention Center! This event is not free; tickets and registration are required.    

To watch and watch for: Week of Oct. 12

By ARTS EDITORS | October 14, 2025

Fall break is on the horizon, and the temperature is finally starting to approach the 50s. In other words, it’s the perfect time to grab a blanket, cozy up and immerse yourself in your new favorite watch, read or album and take the break to explore some of the wonderful live events this week.

RON FRAZIER / CC BY 4.0 This article connects the most recent Banksy mural to both the philosophy of Simone Weil and the current events involving Palestine. 

Banksy, Palestine and Simone Weil: What does it mean to look?

By Anonymous | October 8, 2025

From the artist behind the half-shredded “Girl With Balloon” comes a new mural on the walls of the British Royal Courts of Justice. Appearing on Sept. 8, this latest Banksy depicts a judge beating a protestor with a gavel while the protestor defends from the ground, holding a blood-splattered sign.

SYDNOR DUFFY / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR “The Infamous“ East Coast hip-hop duo Mobb Deep returns with their new album “Infinite“ on Oct 10.

To watch and watch for: Week of Oct. 5

By ARTS EDITORS | October 6, 2025

The first breeze of the fall season has hit campus, foxes are prowling the sidewalks and we (at least most of us) are finally through with the menial duties of midterm exams. This week, we have a plentiful batch of arts, including a return from a revered hip-hop duo and an exciting underground music live show running all weekend.

SYDNOR DUFFY / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR Tune in this week for another list of upcoming releases and events, including a sure-to-succeed collage workshop.

To watch and watch for: Week of Sept. 28

By ARTS EDITORS | September 29, 2025

With many of the semester’s firsts in a series of nightmarish midterms in our rearview mirrors, everyone deserves a moment to breathe and unwind with some of these exciting new media releases.

MARTIN SCHUMANN / CC BY-SA 4.0  Wang connects his experience listening to Big Thief’s Double Infinity to his first weeks at Hopkins.

Big Thief's Double Infinity will make you happy to be sad

By STEVE WANG | September 27, 2025

Is Double Infinity Big Thief’s magnum opus? No, not by a long shot. If I could, would I make it mandatory listening for all of my friends? Yeah — I wouldn’t even have to think about it. We all deserve to experience humanity, don’t we?

SYDNOR DUFFY / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR Check out Doja Cat’s new album Vie, out Friday, Sept. 26! 

To watch and watch for: Week of Sept. 21

By ARTS EDITORS | September 23, 2025

Welcome back to another week’s To Watch and Watch For. Now, in the midst of exams, here's to hoping that you can weather the storm and squeeze in a free hour here and there to check out the wide array of media releasing in the upcoming days. 

COURTESY OF MITRO HOOD Virginia Anderson, museum curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art, describes her educational experiences and life path in an interview with The News-Letter.

Virginia Anderson: on museums and academia

By GRACE OH | September 16, 2025

Virginia Anderson is an adjunct professor in the Program of Museums and Society at Hopkins and the Baltimore Museum of Art’s (BMA) Curator of American Art and Department Head of American Painting & Sculpture and Decorative Arts. In an interview with The News-Letter, Anderson discussed her academic journey and her current experiences at the BMA. 

SYDNOR DUFFY / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITOR Check out Young Thug’s new album “UY Scuti,” out Friday, Sept. 19!

To watch and watch for: Week of Sept. 14

By ARTS EDITORS | September 15, 2025

This week’s installment of To Watch and Watch For comes conveniently before the inevitable onslaught of midterm season. One way to soften the unstoppable march of time is to slow down, immerse yourself in the arts and appreciate what the world has to offer at the moment. 

COURTESY OF STEVEN SIMPSON Margaret (McKenzie Christiansen; left) is about to learn some troubling news from Gregory (Benjamin Roberts; right).

The Witness Theater 2025 Spring Showcase does more than persevere

By RILEY STRAIT | May 4, 2025

On April 26 and 27, the Arellano Theater came alive with more than the wafting smells of vegan sesame chicken and taco meat from the neighboring Levering Kitchen. It was the site for the Witness Theater’s 2025 Spring Showcase: a performance of student-written, student-run plays rejuvenating a campus of otherwise finals-weary Blue Jays.

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