“Dolittle” relies on star factor, not substance
Released Jan. 17, “Dolittle,” a heartwarming adventure film, was the perfect way to unwind after a jam-packed first week of classes. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer, Kumail Nanjiani, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Tom Holland and John Cena. These actors lend their voices to a wide array of animals. Though human characters are fewer in number, big-name actors Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen take on these roles.
Apple TV’s anachronistic “Dickinson” lacks depth
Along with Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, Starz, ESPN and plenty of other streaming services, Apple has introduced its own five-dollar-a-month streaming service, Apple TV Plus. One of the shows Apple has pushed is “Dickinson,” an anachronistic telling of Emily Dickinson’s life in the years shortly after she left Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
(Sandy) Alex G brings experimental sound to Holyoke
At 8 p.m. on a Saturday night in Holyoke, a crowd anxiously awaited the performance of (Sandy) Alex G. Alexander Giannascoli, known by fans as (Sandy) Alex G, performed at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, Massachusetts on Nov. 16 as part of his tour for his new album, “House of Sugar.” Accompanying (Sandy) Alex G on this leg of his tour were the bands Tomberlin and Indigo De Souza.
“Parasite” is a thrilling genre-melding social commentary
Every few years, a genre-bender comes along, breaking some of those conventions but maintaining the essential ethos of that genre. “Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho’s haunting depiction of class struggle in South Korea, doesn’t fit into either category — the film neither conforms to nor breaks free of genre convention. Instead, Joon-ho’s latest thriller is indubitably a masterful genre-melding exercise, gaining the audience’s trust and comfort only to shatter the carefully constructed world later on.
Dance department presents Fall Faculty Concert
Paul Rudd shines in “Living with Yourself”
“Body and Space” course expands the bounds of the classroom
On the mornings of Tuesday, Nov. 12 and Thursday, Nov. 14, students stopped in awe between classes to admire some unusual events. Scattered around campus, students in the course “Body and Space” were engaged in two and a half hour-long performances. Seemingly unaware of the students gathered around them, they remained fixated in their art.
Netflix’s “The King” is entertaining but inaccurate
FLIP celebrates First-Generation Day with student art exhibition
“Today is National First-Generation Day,” Dannye Carpenter ’21 said, standing outside a First Generation and Low-Income Partnership exhibition on Nov. 8. The exhibition, titled “Collective Dream: The Fearless First and Low Income Experience Through Art,” featured a projection of over 100 images submitted by FLIP members.
Dark and complex, “The Lighthouse” is worth the quiet build
Kanye breaks ground and bread with new album
Lady Lamb delivers emotional set to fans in Holyoke
“Joker” offers disconcerting perspective on problematic origin story
Student direction puts modern spin on “Pride and Prejudice”
The Lumineers evolve sound on haunting new album “III”
Visiting dance Professor Ninoska M’Bewe Escobar talks West African dance, Alvin Ailey
Live action “Dora” explores a positive portrayal of South America
Winter is here: “Game of Thrones” season 8 premieres
BY NADIA BABAR ’19
After a painfully long, two-year wait, the final season of “Game of Thrones” premiered on April 14. The eight-season series is based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire,” an epic high fantasy series first published in 1996, opening with the novel, “A Game of Thrones.” Set primarily on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, “Game of Thrones” follows seven families as they struggle for the Iron Throne. The television series premiered in 2011 and has since established itself as one of — if not the most — popular television series of this decade. Created by Dan Benioff and D. B. Weiss, Martin also serves as an executive producer for the series, which smashed HBO’s ratings record with the premiere of its eighth season on Sunday.
Jenny Lewis opens a new chapter with solo album
BY EMMA MARTIN ’20
Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis has certainly been busy since her 2014 exit from indie band Rilo Kiley. Her 2014 solo album, “The Voyager,” was the product of five years’ work and reflection and preceded by the hit single and feminist anthem, “Just One of the Guys.” In 2016, she debuted with female rock trio “Nice as F*ck” alongside Erika Forster and Tennessee Thomas at a Bernie Sanders rally. The group released a self-titled LP of garage rock tunes that are a tougher backdrop for Lewis’ folksy twang. Lewis’ latest solo project, her album, “On the Line,” was released in late March and demonstrates that she is just as much a vanguard now as she was in 1998 as a standout lead singer and guitarist in a male-dominated genre