Arts

Arts

‘Our Flag Means Death’ sets sail with humor and heart

By Nate Hall | April 4

In the last few years, Taika Waititi has become popular for a distinct brand of comedy that mixes absurd humor with emotional depth, which is exemplified in “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), “Jojo Rabbit” (2019) and “What We Do in the Shadows” (2019–). In his newest project, the HBO Max series “Our Flag Means Death” (2022–), Waititi’s comedic instincts as an actor are stronger than ever.

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Arts

10 years of 'The Hunger Games'

By Ryan Fairfield | April 4

The 2010s birthed dozens of book-to-movie adaptations, mainly based on young adult books. There was “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (2010), “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” (2013), “The Maze Runner” (2014), “Divergent” (2014) and many more. Of all of the popular adaptations, few have stood the test of time and most remain forgettable, with fans of the books remembering them as disappointing. Yet, one adaptation stands out among the rest as impactful and memorable, while also having garnered both critical and popular acclaim — “The Hunger Games” (2012–2015).

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Oh, ginger!

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | April 4

This week we went home. A place that loves us and cares for us and sometimes does things to us like making us fall asleep in our friend’s bed across campus and walk home at five  in the morning because you swore you would just take a nap. No? Just Ellie? Anyways. 

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Arts

Putting a twist on ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’

By Odessa Gaines | March 31

In the year 2022, viewing audiences are intimately familiar with reboots, sequels and spinoffs of dearly loved TV shows and movies. By March of this year alone, Hulu released “How I Met Your Father” (2022–), Peacock released “Bel-Air” (2022–) and Disney+ has released “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” (2022–) and “Cheaper by the Dozen” (2022). 

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Column

Micro-Trend of the Week: 'I'M SCREAMING'

By RaiAnn Bu | March 31

In recent marketing and advertising trends, there has been a shift from high production value to an intentionally unpolished bid for authenticity. Ads have become sponsored hauls: an ordinary girl following the familiar template and vernacular of another haul video, seemingly devoid of a secondary motive to sell you a product, or a Twitter screenshot posted on Instagram captioned with “I’M DYING” or “THIS IS SO CUTE,” followed by pictures of some trendy piece of jewelry.In the caption is a much too convenient link to the item and a sheepish #ad hiding in the corner.

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Arts

Charli XCX's "Crash" channels the joyous irony of dance pop

By Henry Chandonnet | March 30

Charli XCX has entered her dance pop sellout era. This may read as scathing or critical, but the act is intentional. In a combination of joyous reflection and deep irony, Charli XCX reclaims her pop sound and takes the pop music market head-on. The result is her fifth studio album and eighth long-form project, “Crash” (2022). The album is a sonic trip and is sure to be a club classic. “Crash” brings back the Charli XCX we know and love, returning to the iconic pop sound but with a new aura of reclamation and free-spirited nature. In short, Charli XCX is free. She can be a self-actualized sellout, so long as she wants to. 

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Columns

K-Weekly: What’s in your K-pop album?

By Odessa Gaines | March 30

One small difference I feel goes overlooked in the K-pop community is, to put it simply, the albums. And by this, I mean the actual, physical album that you can purchase from a store, or — more likely — Amazon.

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Arts

Oak + Fort Refined: Sustainable clothing in Boston

By RaiAnn Bu | March 29

Oak Refined by Oak + Fort opened on March 25 in the Prudential Center in Boston, demonstrating sustainable fashion holistically through the decor of the store, clothing materials and company transparency. 

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Columns

A Compendium of Actors: Ana de Armas, the actress and the image

By Henry Chandonnet | March 29

The 2020–21 season was gearing up to be the breakout of Ana de Armas. After gaining critical acclaim for her leading performance in “Knives Out” (2019), de Armas hit a career jackpot: a Marilyn Monroe biopic, an erotic thriller with Ben Affleck and even a starring role as the newest Bond girl. This is, of course, until almost all of those films were delayed in release with the pandemic or even off-loaded to streaming services. So what happened to Ana de Armas? Is she the burgeoning star of acting that we all thought, or has she just created a strong media narrative for herself?

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Arts

Weekender: Alt-pop hot rod Dayglow runs the bedroom pop world

By Megan Szostak and Michael Friedman | March 17

For alt-pop sensation Sloan Struble, aka “Dayglow,” everything is ‘fair game’ when it comes to making music. The 22-year-oldsinging, songwriting and producing triple threat propelled to virality as a teenager with the release of his debut album “Fuzzybrain” (2018) and has amassed nearly 7.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify since then. Infectious melodies and colorful harmonies seem to pour out of Struble’s (not-so) fuzzy brain and will soon spill onto the Academic Quad in a highly anticipated performance at the university’s Spring Fling concert.

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Arts

Domee Shi’s 'Turning Red' is a significant Pixar addition

By Ryan Fairfield | March 17

Pixar has become one of the most renowned animation studios of the modern day. Pixar has continuously pushed the boundaries of animation; however, they have been criticized for their lack of diversity. Out of their 25 films, few have centered on female protagonists, and Pixar had only once before featured an Asian lead. With their most recent film, “Turning Red” (2022), Pixar finally brings representation to a community that has been frequently underrepresented in both Pixar and Disney films while also bringing much-needed female representation behind the camera.

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Columns

Micro-Trend of the Week: He was a punk; she did ballet

By RaiAnn Bu | March 17

The ballet platform has become one of the most coveted new shoes of the season, featured on the runway by designers such as Simone Rocha, Miu Miu, Comme des Garçons and Cecilie Bahnsen. The style has surely begun to make its way into the closet of TikTok influencers, capitalizing off of the ephemerality of the trend. However, this does not discount the history and creativity of asking what would have happened if she didn’t say ‘see u l8ter boi.’

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Arts

Peach Pit's ‘From 2 to 3’ is sweet and thoughtful

By Ellie Lester | March 16

Peach Pit, the Vancouver-born quartet, released its third album, “From 2 to 3” (2022) on March 4. The Alternative/Indie group delivers yet another well-balanced combination of playful guitar riffs and thoughtful lyrics. Its latest project is hardly shocking but reliably good. 

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Arts

'The Gilded Age' provides a joyously simple viewing experience

By Henry Chandonnet | March 16

The period piece is a fundamental staple within modern media. It’s riveting to be transported back to another age, to see the flourishes of the lifestyles and to identify the predecessors to our modern actions. Still, the genre’s impact would be fairly minimal without the contributions of a leading figure, creating the landscape and driving a television empire: Julian Fellowes. Fellowes created the iconic “Downton Abbey” (2010–15), a British historical melodrama that received widespread critical acclaim and a cult following. Fellowes returns to the television scene with “The Gilded Age” (2022–), bringing the same period allure to a new American setting. The new series may not have a broader significance to the culture or community ideals, but it succeeds in providing what “Downton Abbey” provided for so many: simple, enjoyable television. 

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Column

K-Weekly: Black appropriation in K-pop (Part 1)

By Odessa Gaines | March 16

I happen to be a firm believer in the idea that you can enjoy things that are criticized, and that it’s kind of impossible to not enjoy things that are criticized. Everyone has skeletons in their closets as well as mistakes they made when they were young and ignorant, so I believe in forgiving but not necessarily forgetting. This is why I can enjoy K-pop, despite the not-so-cool parts of it. 

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Arts

Florence Price’s compositions still ring in modern ears

By Megan Szostak | March 15

Racial bias and misogyny are endemic in the practice and performance of classical music and have restricted many great talents from making their way into the classical canon. Florence Price (1887–1953) was one such musician whose compositions were celebrated during her lifetime but have since fallen into regrettable obscurity.

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Column

A Compendium of Actors: Meryl Streep — then and now

By Henry Chandonnet | March 15

The influence of Meryl Streep is far-reaching, with her performances fundamentally changing the field of acting. Thus, to focus on just one or two of Streep’s performances as encompassing of her talents would be an exercise in futility. Rather, one must consider the sheer glut of content. So, for this week, let’s go back in time and do a decade-by-decade analysis of what makes up a Streep performance.

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Arts

‘Aldus Manutius: Renaissance Printer in Venice’ promotes Special Collections

By Sadie Leite | March 14

Elettra Conoly (A’21) wants the students of Tufts to read more early printed books. Conoly works full time for Tisch Library’s Special Collections. She started her job at the end of January and works with social media, programming and more to support the section she fell in love with during her sophomore year.

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Arts

‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ keeps up the energy and humor in its penultimate season

By Nate Hall | March 14

When your life seems like it’s falling apart around you, what do you do? For Midge Maisel, the answer is stand-up comedy.

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Wet tomatoes

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | March 14

We have a confession to make. This week, we almost forgot about good soup. We were so caught up planning events, hosting guests and counting doors and wheels that our minds were elsewhere. We even got stuck in the ‘80s for a bit. And then we got lost in the jungle. It was a little scary, until we realized that camouflage is ugly. Like, really ugly.

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