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.
BY EMMA CHAFFEE ’22
Five female choreographers, 39 dance students and two sold out shows: from Nov. 8-10, Mount Holyoke’s Kendall Sports and Dance Complex hosted this year’s Fall Faculty Dance Concert. “I am really happy about the way it came out and I am so proud of each and every one of those dancers,” said Shakia Johnson, a visiting Artist in Dance and one of the faculty choreographers. “Their commitment and dedication was through the roof.”
BY MIRANDA WHEELER ’19
Award-winning actor and playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb has accumulated a variety of impressive credits over the course of his screen and stage career, but none quite like “American Moor.” The self-written and largely self-performed play explores Cobb’s relationship as a black man in America to Shakespeare’s tragic protagonist Othello.
68-year-old Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is an English musician, performance and video artist, author, occultist, philosopher and influencer. Identifying as a third gender (using s/he, h/er, and h/ers pronouns and recently referring to h/ erself in the plural), P-Orridge is also an important name within the LGBTQ+ community. S/he may be one of the most significant people you’ve never heard of. S/he is best known for h/er musical work, especially with the groups “Throbbing Gristle” and “Psychic TV.”
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” directed by Bryan Singer (“X-Men”) is a biopic about Freddie Mercury, iconic frontman of the band Queen. The movie begins with Queen’s famous Live Aid charity concert of 1985, which catapulted the group into stardom and cemented their place in rock and roll history.
BY EMILY ROLES-FOTSO ’21
Actor and playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb sat down with artist Curlee Raven Holton last Friday, Nov. 3 to talk about Shakespeare’s “Othello” and their experiences as Black male artists. The event, moderated by English Professor Amy Rodgers, is part of Cobb’s nine-day residence at Mount Holyoke College which began on Nov. 3 and will last until Nov. 11.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
As the first biopic about Neil Armstrong, Damien Chazelle’s (“La La Land”) “First Man” is visually stimulating but fails to capture the context of the important social movements surrounding and impacting the first moon landing. The film, starring Ryan Gosling (“The Notebook”) as Armstrong, is based heavily on the almost 800-page biography written by James R. Hansen, “First Man.” The book chronicles the adult life of Neil Armstrong as he navigates harrowing personal struggles — from the tragic death of his daughter to his difficult marriage — all while trying to become the first man to walk on the moon.
Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College
Chinese Yue Opera stars Qi Tao (L) and Jun’An Wang (R) performed scenes at Mount Holyoke last week.
BY RENN ELKINS ’20 AND HEALY MILLER ’19
Mount Holyoke’s Rooke Theatre hosted a performance of Chinese Yue Opera scenes featuring award-winning actors Jun’an Wang and Qi Tao on Friday, Oct. 26. Wang and Tao flew in from China specially for this event and performed three scenes from the classic operas “Liu Yi Delivers a Letter for the Dragon King’s Daughter,” and “Searching for and Probing the Wife,” featuring full costume, makeup and choreography.
BY MIRANDA WHEELER ’19
General audiences may feel they know Natalie Portman from her years as a Hollywood star, but she is hardly done evolving. Portman is a prolific, critically acclaimed and award-winning actress, already an enduring A-list household name at 37 and showing no signs of slowing down. Instead she’s speeding up and expanding her repertoire to include a turn in the director’s chair.
BY SHLOKA GIDWANI ’22
The Indian YouTube channel All India Bakchod (AIB) recently faced controversy after a freelance comedian who worked with the channel, Utsav Chakraborty, was accused of sexual harassment. Writer and comedian Mahima Kukreja shared a Twitter thread on Oct. 4 accusing Chakraborty of sending her unsolicited pictures of his genitals. She also spoke on behalf of other women, some minors, who were either harassed by Chakraborty or felt unsafe in his presence.
BY MIRANDA WHEELER ’19
“Well, women are used to worrying over trifles,” said Mr. Hale, played by Kylie Levy ’21 in last week’s production of Susan Glaspell’s 1916 one-act play “Trifles,” directed by Brianna Sloane. With set design by technical director Shawn Hill, lighting design by Lara Dubin, costume design by Elizabeth Lowe ’19 and dramaturgy from Heidi Holder, the one-act play opened Rooke Theatre’s Fall 2018 season.
BY EMMA MARTIN ’20
This Sunday, Oct. 13, Sarah Cavar ’20 held a reception for the publication of their collaborative zine, “[S]PACE,” featuring student work from self-identified members of the disabled community. The event was meant to elicit new creation; Cavar shared prompts for those gathered to write and create with during the event.
BY SARAH CHAIT ’21
Well it looks like our good friend Banksy is back to his old tricks again after a prolonged media silence. This latest stint by the English artist occurred about two weeks ago at an evening auction in the historic Sotheby’s, when a piece by Banksy titled “Girl with Balloon” sunk into its frame and shredded itself the split second it was sold to an unnamed buyer for 1.04 million British pounds ($1.36 million). The stunned crowd was unsure if this was the work of the enigmatic Banksy himself, but it was later confirmed to be Banksy’s doing by the artist himself as well as Pest Control, a society for the authentication of street art.
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