Arts

Arts

'Three Months:' A comedic, coming-of-age film about HIV

By Ryan Fairfield | March 3

Despite being mainly known for his singing career, Troye Sivan is no stranger to acting. In 2018, Sivan starred in “Boy Erased,” an adaptation of a memoir about a boy who struggles through conversion therapy, alongside Golden Globe-nominated actor, Lucas Hedges. Since “Boy Erased” (2018), Sivan has been focusing on his music career, with the release of an EP, “In A Dream,” in 2020 and a single, “Angel Baby,” in 2021. Sivan chose to merge his music career with his acting career in his recent project, “Three Months” (2022), where Sivan not only played the leading role, but also wrote and sang music for it.

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Arts

Micro-Trend of the Week: Look no further than good old raisins and peanuts (GORP)

By RaiAnn Bu | March 3

A couple of months ago, I was shopping with my mom for a pair of hiking boots for her birthday. Our journey sent us to the Merrell outlet store where we browsed for shoes and deals (buy one, get 25% off). But while shopping, I was struck by the shoes — the shoes were packing. I was drawn to these beautiful mid-rise cream hiking boots with a rainbow speckled sole and matching rainbow laces. Unfortunately, I don’t hike.

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Arts

'Doubles': an evening of piano with Stumpf, Auner and the Department of Music

By Blake Anderson | March 2

Four hands, two pianos, 176 keys, 20 fingers: On the evening of Thursday, Feb. 17, Tufts’ Department of Music highlighted two of its most gifted pianists. "Doubles: Thomas Stumpf and Edith Auner, piano" showcased spectacular feats of musical skill, precision and artistry. 

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Arts

K-Weekly: The beauty of PLT’s 'Planetarium Case#2'

By Odessa Gaines | March 2

One of my favorite K-groups is, hands down, PLT. PLT is unique because it is not technically considered a K-pop group. PLT is labeled a project group: a few solo artists who come together every so often to make music every so often under one record label.

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Arts

Artist, advocate, prankster, pioneer: A portrait, as shown through ‘The Art of Banksy’ exhibition

By Mackenzie Tatananni | March 1

Banksy has become a pop culture icon. His creations have appeared throughout England and at Paris Fashion Week and are emblazoned on T-shirts and stickers — some bootleg, others genuine. While Banksy is elusive, his presence is felt globally.

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Arts

Tool delivers an exceptional performance at TD Garden

By Victoria DeJoy | March 1

Since Tool’s 2020 tour was canceled due to the pandemic, fans have been eagerly waiting for their return to live performance. On Feb. 19, the legendary metal band made their way back to Boston’s TD Garden to put on an unforgettable show for those in attendance.

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Column

A Compendium of Actors: Lady Gaga the actress?

By Henry Chandonnet | March 1

A Compendium of Actors: Lady Gaga the actress?

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Arts

'The Legend of Vox Machina' spins a standard but satisfying tale

By Carl Svahn | February 28

Dungeons and Dragons campaigns usually aren’t remembered for their stories. In a game so reliant on group charisma and improvisation, there’s usually little room for the intricate storytelling seen in more plot-driven mediums like film or television to shine. But in rare cases, like with the “nerdy-ass voice actors” behind the DnD web series “Critical Role,” there’s enough pure passion put into the characters and plot to make a campaign worth some kind of remembrance. “The Legend of Vox Machina” (2022–), the new Amazon Prime animated show based on Critical Role’s first campaign, has that passion, and though it overcomes most of the hurdles in turning a DnD plot into a competent story, some tone and plot issues remain.

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: French onion underwater

By Sadie Leite and Ellie Lester | February 28

A delinquent, an anti-nut guest columnist and a Cabbage Patch Kid walked into Foundry On Elm in Somerville. It was a Thursday evening. The air was frigid and the weather daunting, but they had one goal in mind — French onion soup. And they were prepared to trek in any conditions, be it snow or hail or Sharknado, to fulfill their deepest desires of warming their frosty souls with a steaming bowl of salty, cheesy, gluten-filled goodness (except for the ginger girl … she doesn’t have a soul).

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Arts

A message from our Assistant Arts Editors for Daily Week

By Tufts Daily Arts Staff | February 25

To celebrate the Daily this week, the arts section’s new assistant editors explain what their experience with the Dailyhas been and what it’s meant to them.

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Arts

Feminism, sex and Ali Wong: 'Don Wong' is a comedic masterpiece

By Ryan Fairfield | February 25

This year, Ali Wong decided to give Netflix subscribers a unique, untraditional Valentine’s Day gift with her comedy special, “Ali Wong: Don Wong" (2022). “Don Wong”marks Wong’s third Netflix comedy special in addition to her previous work with Netflix for her film, “Always Be My Maybe” (2019), and her voiceover work for the series “Big Mouth” (2017–).  As in her previous specials, Wongis still sporting her red glasses and patterned dressesthat became greatly associated with her comedic image. 

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Columns

Public Cinemy No. 1: Sexualization in 'Euphoria'

By Sacha Waters | February 25

Every teen drama criticized for graphic portrayals of sex is met with arguments that many teenagers do have sex lives, and that these shows’ portrayals are realistic and refreshing. Although many high schoolers are indeed sexually active, the casting of adult actors by shows like "Euphoria" (2019–) and "Riverdale" (2017–) can quickly become distasteful. While I don’t believe in pearl-clutching over teenage sexuality nor in not portraying it at all, I am disturbed by Hollywood’s tendency to cast adult actors to play minors. The fine line between a realistic portrayal of teenagers and oversexualization is found in how teenage sex is portrayed, and the current, popular teen drama "Euphoria" fails on many counts.

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Television

Are theories killing our film and TV experiences?

By Odessa Gaines | February 24

In the era of social media and creation platforms, it has become significantly easier to discover communities of people with common, loved interests. From niche topics like different types of soups to extremely popular Disney movies like "Encanto" (2021), platforms like TikTok and YouTube make it possible for individuals to broadcast their own thoughts and theories about their favorite media pieces and for others to build on or encourage them. A noticeable section of this shared love is shown through fan theories. 

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Arts

Why you should swipe right on Netflix's 'The Tinder Swindler'

By Alexis Enderle | February 24

According to Cecilie Fjellhøy, “Nowadays the best way you can meet someone is on a dating app.”

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Columns

Micro-Trend of the Week: Mushroom leather and water bottle leggings

By RaiAnn Bu | February 24

In the past few years, sustainability and ethics in fashion have been frequently brought into the public eye. With the rise of brands marketing sustainable alternatives, clothing brands — including fast-fashion labels — have scrambled to acclimate to new standards of transparency. Consequently, the phenomenon of “greenwashing” has brands such as H&M marketing its fabrics and practices as environmentally friendly, but with little evidence. Green innovations in fashion now include using recycled fabrics and turning to new fabric alternatives such as recycled plastic bottles and mushroom leather. But how easily can these sustainability trends be integrated?

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Music

On ‘The 7th Hand,’ Immanuel Wilkins seeks divine inspiration

By Miles Singer | February 23

Although he is only in his early 20s, saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins has already risen to prominence as one of jazz’s brightest stars.His debut album, “Omega” (2020), released on the famed Blue Note record label and earned a No. 1 spot on The New York Times Best Jazz Albums of 2020 list. On his sophomore album “The 7th Hand,” which was released on Jan. 28, Wilkins brings together the same quartet featured on “Omega,” consisting of pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns and drummer Kweku Sumbry.

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Arts

‘Inventing Anna’ captures the glamorous tragedy of scammers

By Henry Chandonnet | February 23

We are living through a scamming golden era. American pop culture loves a scammer, especially when an individual uses the self-improvement narrative foundational to our economic system for personal, albeit criminal, benefit. This fascination is heavily represented in the media, whether it be feature films on Tammy Faye Bakker using her televangelist audiences as cash cows or the journalistic fascination with Caroline Calloway and her steeply priced ‘creativity workshops.’Elizabeth Holmes, famed fraudster and biotech giant, has both a buzzy miniseries and film about her coming out soon. Still, none have captured this scamming fascination quite like the story of Anna Delvey. Delvey built herself a life as a fake German heiress and New York socialite and was ultimately arrested for defrauding banks, hotels and friends of thousands of dollars.Shonda Rhimes recently adapted this story into a Netflix miniseries, “Inventing Anna” (2022), which attempts to translate Anna Delvey’s crime trajectory into a television drama. Though the series fails at many of its basic entertainment goals, it is effectively able to capture the glory and downfall of scamming that so intrigues American culture. 

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Column

K-Weekly: How do K-pop groups work?

By Odessa Gaines | February 23

If you’re new to the world of K-pop, chances are you've given one look at a performance or group photo and been left confused. A typical comment Western listeners have to the world of K-pop is: Why are there so many members? 

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Arts

'Peacemaker' shakes up the superhero genre with high-octane action and humor

By Nate Hall | February 22

Everyone loves a good superhero story. In 2021, characters like Scarlet Witch, Loki, Shang-Chi and Spider-Man captured people’s attention and dominated the entertainment conversation. What do they all have in common? They come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel continues to reign supreme, its main competitor, DC, has begun to pose a threat to Marvel’s untouchable status. After releasing two successful films last year, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021) and “The Suicide Squad” (2021), DC is trying its hand at television with “Peacemaker” (2022–), a new series that’s worth a watch.

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Arts

Gracie Abrams sells out The Sinclair for ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ tour

By Ryan Fairfield | February 22

Gracie Abrams has quickly become an artist many have grown to love and admire at the young age of 22. From partying with Taylor Swift at her 32nd birthday to her music inspiring the hit song “drivers license” (2021), Abrams has shown that her music and character have impacted fellow artists and fans alike, making it come as no surprise that she was able to sell out her concert at The Sinclair in Cambridge on Feb. 12.

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