The Arts Desks’ weekly picks for movies, books, music and television shows
Movie: “The Half Of It” dir. Alice Wu
Wallflower Ellie Chu spends her high school days writing papers for her peers in exchange for some extra cash. When a dim jock with a heart of gold, Paul Munsky, offers Ellie $50 to write a love letter, she initially refuses. But with enough persistence, she agrees, and the two set out to make Aster Flores fall in love with Paul. However, the pair quickly become aware that they need more than just love letters. Cue the montage of lessons on writing, poetry, conversation and love. I hate using the word underrated, but nothing describes this movie more. It’s not getting the praise it deserves. I also just love the dumb-jock-with-a-kind-heart trope. But I think the best part was that the movie branded as a romance wasn’t solely about a romance. The movie was perfect, and I fell in love with every character they gave me. It made my heart melt in a small time span, and I only wish I could erase my memory so I could watch it again for the first time.
Book: “Go Ask Alice” by Beatrice Sparks
I always appreciate a book in diary form. The 1971 fiction focuses on a teenage girl’s life as she turns to drugs and runs away from home. The language makes you feel like you’re walking in unannounced, seeing things you shouldn’t have. It is also a widely banned book in the U.S. and as we all know, we need to read banned books.
Music: Dove Cameron
Dove Cameron is not only an Emmy Award-winning actress but also a Broadway singer. Her new singles such as “Remember Me,” featuring rapper BIA, dives into her potential as an adult, leaving behind the Disney scene. She’s on her way to finding her own voice through music and an exploration of stories she couldn’t delve into as a Disney actress. With her recent upsurge of singles, the 24-year-old actress continues to surprise me with her new music, giving me something I never knew I needed.
TV Show: “Dickinson”
Dickinson is a historical comedy-drama series based on the life of Emily Dickinson. Staring Hailee Steinfeld as Dickinson, she takes on the character that lived unapologetically through her poems. The series touches on the possibility of what Dickinson’s life could have been like as she faced gender and family impositions. With the use of her poems as the main narrative, the show portrays a clever take on her life. “Dickinson” has a new spin on the historical narrative and the language we use now. It brings a fresh perspective for Dickinson fans and the everyday viewer. I love historical fiction, but my favorite ones are those that make the story relatable to what we live in now. “Dickinson” provides everything I wanted in this kind of genre and I was surprised I loved it as much as I did.
Written By: Itzelth Gamboa — arts@theaggie.org
