American Ballet Theater enchants Mount Holyoke
Five College Film Festival inspires creativity in the Consortium
At first, Amherst College’s Stirn Auditorium — this year’s location of the 2020 Five College Film Festival — was almost empty, save for a few students chatting about last-minute preparations. The only indication I was in the right place were the programs on the front table and the festival flyer on the auditorium projection screen. But soon, people started pouring in, filling the air with a sense of artistic pretentiousness and a kind of off-beat humor that only 200 film students could produce.
“Call of the Wild” successfully reimagines Jack London’s classic novel with CGI Buck
Released Feb. 21, “Call of the Wild,” starring Harrison Ford, traces the journey of Buck — a large Saint Bernard — as he and Harrison’s character, John, explore the Alaskan wilderness in the height of the Yukon gold rush. The film is a heartwarming adventure from start to finish; one that beautifully captures the spirit of Jack London’s novel of the same name.
“Swimmer” is another visionary release from indie duo Tennis
I fell in love with the music of indie pop duo Tennis in high school, back when my older brother’s cool girlfriend was their biggest (and it felt like only) fan. Their albums earned regular spots in my CD rotation and YouTube history — I loved that every song created an atmosphere, told a story and was infinitely listenable.
Andrea Gibson embraces queer community in Holyoke
Taylor Swift steps out of the spotlight for “Miss Americana”
Sammy Rae talks origins, influences and the Friends, announces upcoming performance at Mount Holyoke
Tame Impala looks back in time with “Lost in Yesterday
Amherst College rocks political “American Idiot”
“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.
