Arts & Culture

Review: “All the Bright Places”
Arts & CultureApril 14, 2020
For once, the movie might be better than the book When I first read Jennifer Niven’s young adult (YA) novel “All the Bright Places,” I was a 15-year-old sophomore — quite remarkably the worst year of high school for me. I relied solely on YA books to get me through the never-ending days of AP […]

How the “John Oliver Effect” is changing the way we consume news
Arts & CultureApril 14, 2020
HBO talk show host John Oliver uses compassion, sharp wit to engage America on issues we didn’t know we should care about In the second season of John Oliver’s late night talk show “Last Week Tonight,” he announced that he had officially started his own church: Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption. This entire (legally binding) […]

Can Lea Michele Read?
Arts & CultureApril 13, 2020
Unpacking The Conspiracy Acclaimed journalist Henry Grunwald once said, “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.” In July of 2017, Jaye Hunt and […]

Review: “Tiger King”
Arts & CultureApril 10, 2020
Absurd, addictive documentary about big cat people Netflix released “Tiger King” on March 20 — a seven-episode, true-crime miniseries about the feud between big cat breeders Joe Exotic and Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, and big cat rescuer Carole Baskin. During the COVID-19 crisis, Americans have asynchronously gathered to fall in love with an animal-abusing, but emotionally […]

Animal Crossing: A tropical escape in the time of COVID-19
Arts & CultureApril 10, 2020
The simple pleasures of Animal Crossing My alarm went off at 7:15 a.m., playing the once-loved but now highly detested “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. I woke up a bit groggy, rubbing my eyes and lifting myself out of bed. My hair looked bad, my beard was unkempt and the bags under […]

Culture Corner with Sierra Jimenez
Arts & CultureApril 10, 2020
The Arts Desks’ weekly picks for movies, books, music and television shows. Book: “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed As COVID-19 takes over our lives, all we want is to get the hell out of our houses, but unfortunately that’s not a possibility right now. This book may torture you with its adventure and outdoorsiness, or perhaps […]

What your backpack says to the world
Arts & CultureApril 9, 2020
Six different backpacks, six different personality types When my backpack ripped at the beginning of this year and I was faced with choosing a new one, I was met with an overwhelming amount of choices. I had to decide which backpack I would be identified with for the remainder of my college career. Was I […]

The Rise of Doja Cat
Arts & CultureApril 8, 2020
A look into the TikTok generation’s fastest rising star Nothing has rocked the music industry like the introduction of TikTok, and no artist has benefited from the app more than Doja Cat. “Candy,” “Cyber Sex” and “Say So” are just some of the 24-year-old singer and rapper’s multiple songs that have gone viral on the […]

Review: Tame Impala’s “The Slow Rush”
Arts & CultureApril 7, 2020
Parker’s fourth studio album is an atypical mixed bag with glimpses of the genius we’ve become accustomed to After a tormenting five-year hiatus, Tame Impala — the Australian one-man write it, play it, mix it machine, Kevin Parker — released his fourth studio album on Feb. 14. “The Slow Rush” follows in the imposing shadow […]

Review: “Stupid Love”
Arts & CultureApril 6, 2020
Lady Gaga’s lead single for Chromatica proves colorless, drab On Feb. 28, Lady Gaga released the lead single, “Stupid Love,” from her upcoming album “Chromatica,” set for release on April 10. The song debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and currently sits at No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. Despite the song’s success, […]

Culture Corner with Liz Jacobson and Mathilda Silverstein
Arts & CultureApril 2, 2020
The Arts Desks’ weekly picks for movies, books, music and television shows Movie: “GoodFellas” dir. by Martin Scorcese “GoodFellas” is one of two Scorcese films we watched during Spring Break, and it didn’t disappoint. This almost three-hour film was entertaining and engaging the whole way through. The story of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill, an associate […]

Can’t decide how you feel about Pete Davidson? Neither can the rest of us
Arts & CultureMarch 30, 2020
For every amount of praise Davidson receives, he is involved in double the amount of controversy — and the American public can’t get enough of it Pete Davidson has become quite the controversial character over the last few years. The Staten Island native made a name for himself as one of the youngest “Saturday Night […]

