BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
The 91st Academy Awards took place on Sunday night, marking the culmination of a monthslong awards season. The Academy managed to land itself in so many controversies in the weeks leading up to the night that it seemed highly likely that the show would sink into oblivion before reaching Sunday. The fact that the show managed to be one of the most engaging Academy Awards ceremonies in recent years is a testament to its structural changes.
BY EMILY ROLES FOTSO ’21
Based on James Baldwin’s classic novel of the same name, Barry Jenkins’ (“Moonlight”) “If Beale Street Could Talk” tells the story of a young Black couple, Tish (Kiki Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James). After Fonny is falsely accused of rape and sent to jail, Tish discovers she is pregnant with his child, and she and her family set out to do whatever it takes to prove his innocence
BY ERIN CARBERRY ’19
Given the Academy’s history of favoritism toward period dramas, it may not come as a surprise to even a casual filmgoer that “The Favourite,” a historical dramedy set in early eighteenth-century England, holds this year’s crown for most Academy Award nominations with a whopping ten potential trophies.
BY EMILY ROLES FOTSO ’21
Tate Farris, better known by her stage name Yung Baby Tate, released her debut studio album “GIRLS” this February, a 39-minute homage to womanhood and self-love. Since her beginnings as a producer in 2009, the Atlanta singer and rapper has combined pop, hip-hop and R&B elements to create a fun, unique and catchy sound. Long-awaited after the release of her first EP “ROYGBIV” in 2015, “GIRLS” does not disappoint, combining her youthful sound and rap and production skills to create a promising first work full of potential.
BY EMMA MARTIN ’20
The traveling American Ballet Theatre Studio Company performed to receptive audiences in the Kendall Studio Theater last Friday and Saturday. The 12 young dancers were met with gasps, murmurs and extended applause from the crowd in the small, dark space as they performed six stunning, diverse pieces.
BY TESS TUITOEK ’21
In 1913, labor lawyer Inez Milholland Boissevain, a suffragist and World War I correspondent, rode down Pennsylvania Avenue on a white horse sporting a white cape to lead a suffrage parade in the nation’s capital. More than a hundred years later, women in Congress wore their own version of white armor to the State of the Union Address to make a bold and effective fashion statement.
BY SABRYNA COPPOLA ’22
Last Thursday, Feb. 7, WMHC hosted DIY bands BIG MOOD, DUMP HIM and Told Slant in the Blanchard Great Room. The concert drew a large crowd from the Five College community. Based in Amherst, BIG MOOD describe themselves as “wmass thot rock.” DUMP HIM is a “pop punk queercore revival” band from Northampton and Told Slant is an indie-pop group from Brooklyn, NY.
BY SHLOKA GIDWANI ’22
“Koffee with Karan,” hosted by famous Bollywood director and producer Karan Johar, is the longest running talk show in India. Every week, Johar interviews famous personalities including Bollywood actors, filmmakers and sports stars. The interviews, casual conversations about celebrities’ personal, professional and romantic lives, are always conducted over a cup of coffee.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Like Father, Like Son,” “Nobody Knows” ) paints a poignant picture of a family that survives through theft in his latest film “Shoplifters.” Nobuyo (Sakura Ando), Osamu (Lily Franky), Aki (Mayu Matsuoka), Shota (Jyo Kairi) and Hatsue (Kirin Kiki) all sleep under the same roof in a shabby room, surrounded by other worn out apartment buildings in the sleepy suburbs of Tokyo.
BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20
Who among us does not enjoy a good binge-worthy Netflix show to soothe post-finals stress? I know I certainly do. After re-watching several episodes of “Gilmore Girls” and “Stranger Things” over winter break, I found myself craving a new, exciting, binge-worthy show. On Jan. 11, Netflix released its original series “Sex Education,” a funny, heartwarming and honest British show.
CASEY ROEPKE ’21
A series full of archival footage and investigative information, “Wild Wild Country” tackles the documentary genre with amazing care and effort. The series follows the infamous and controversial Bhagwan Rajneesh, a guru from India who amassed a tremendous following with his teachings on meditation, religion, advocacy for sexual liberation and a break from traditional Indian values. The show focuses on Rajneesh, his personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela and other pivotal players in the controversial criminal activity that followed the movement’s relocation to the U.S., including the Rajneesh community’s takeover of Wasco County, Oregon. Throughout the whole, the directors, Maclain and Chapman Way, did their best to keep their own opinions out of the documentary, which leaves the fundamental question — who the bad guys are —unanswered. With a gripping narrative style, detailed historical recreations and incredible interviews, “Wild Wild Country” was popular among true crime fans and historians. It’s worth a watch and a rewatch. (Netflix)
There is no better premise for a show: lovable, fluffy and heartwarming, the dogs in this six-part documentary series will steal your heart a million times over. From a service animal for a girl with epilepsy to the refugee willing to do anything to get his dog out of Syria, the series features stories illustrating the unbreakable bond between dogs and humans. It’s impossible to enjoy this television series without a box of tissues in hand, but it’s the emotional catharsis the world so desperately needs right now. (Netflix)
ERIN CARBERRY ’19
Released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in July, “Octopath Traveler” is an unconventional version of the sprawling adventure and turn-based monster-fighting games that have earned a place in every gamer’s heart. The game was developed by Nintendo and Square Enix, known for the “Final Fantasy” and “Life is Strange” series. Rather than a single protagonist, “Octopath” follows eight different adventurers, each with different personalities, abilities and stories. Players select their main traveler at the beginning of the game and can choose to cross paths with as many of the other seven as they want, gaining allies in battle and another piece of the intertwined narrative world. What makes “Octopath” stand out is its cast of compelling characters and its distinctive aesthetic — 16-bit avatars travel a refined landscape full of glistening oceans, rocky ravines and countless types of monsters. The world is immersive, the graphics beautiful and the storylines engaging.
ERIN CARBERRY ’19
The single greatest film in the decade-long Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Panther” is an outstanding achievement in every way. Following the favorite newcomer from 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” home to the rich and vibrant kingdom of Wakanda, “Black Panther” tells the story of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman, “42”) as he struggles with his newfound royal responsibility and a challenger who threatens to change Wakanda forever. The film’s villain, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan, “Creed”) shines, thanks to both excellent writing and Jordan’s performance. Killmonger’s depth elevates the film as both T’Challa and the audience are faced with the reality that the world is not always as simple as good guys and bad guys. In a world where Hollywood white washes role after role and puts on a rather pitiful show of ‘diversity’ when it bothers to attempt it, “Black Panther”’s social importance cannot be understated. The movie’s success shows definitively that it is far past time to change that broken system.
NADIA BABAR ’19
If ever there was a tough act to follow, it was the Arctic Monkeys’ 2013 LP, AM. But Alex Turner proves his boundless potential for musical innovation with “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino,” a fearless experiment that demonstrates Turner’s lyrical genius. With songs about a taqueria on the moon and subdued notes from Harpsichords and vintage keyboards, the album is a true experiment that definitely disgruntled some hardcore fans of one of Britain’s most popular indie rock bands. Songs such as “Four Stars Out of Five” and “Batphone” make obscure references to consumerism, set to the background of Turner’s suave, velvety vocals. “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino” is an amalgamation of hubris, a desperate search for meaning and surrealist narrative, but at the same time it bleeds authenticity and creativity. Either way, the experiment pays off.
SABRYNA COPPOLA ’22
Hozier’s newest album features his signature ethereal ballads, but with underlying themes of activism and hidden strength. The album’s titular song is a bluesy anthem that pays homage to artists of the civil rights movement, including Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. It is the most raw and energetic of his songs so far, celebrating music as a form of protest and the voices of change-makers. The songs on “Nina Cried Power” feel more structured and directed than some of Hozier’s earlier works, while still employing the same heavy rhythms, emphasis on folk-style guitar and cryptic messages of nature, pain, broken love and strength as his 2014 self-titled album. This is my favorite album of 2018 because it empowers protest and the poetry of the planet we live on.
TESS TUITOEK ’21
Ariana Grande’s new single “thank u, next” was the anthem we needed to end 2018 with a bang. Her music video paid homage to all our favorite rom-coms from the early 2000s like “Mean Girls,” “Legally Blonde,” “Bring It On” and “13 Going on 30.” The video broke a record for YouTube’s most watched video in 24 Hours. We can’t wait to see what Ariana has in store for 2019.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
Felix Van Groeningen’s “Beautiful Boy” is based on the memoirs of journalist David Sheff and his son, Nic. Van Groeningen treats the delicate subject of addiction with sensitivity, fully etching out the predominant emotions of grief, anxiety, terror and helplessness that mark an addict and their home.
BY EMMA MARTIN ’20
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning first musical “In the Heights” is about home and family in the vibrant Latinx community of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. This theme is more than just Broadway magic for the Holyoke Community College Theater and Music Department, whose production of the show opened last weekend, Nov. 8-10.
