Every award season, one genre of films is always missing: superhero films. Why don’t superhero films get prestigious awards like the Oscars? Not all superhero films deserve awards because, let’s be honest, not all of them are great pieces of storytelling or great acting, but there are enough that are.
BY DEMETRIA OSEI-TUTU ’17
In these trying times when activism is prevalent and more important than ever, many wonder where celebrities stand on participating in movements. There are many celebrities who actively participate in activism and in social justice. They use their social media profiles to be vocal about the issues. Others do not. Can and should celebrities remain neutral when human rights are being violated?
BY MARIANA JARAMILLO ’20
"Hidden Figures" is a 2016 movie directed by Theodore Melfi and produced by the wonderful Pharrell Williams. It's the hidden story of the group of women, Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, who contributed their genius to NASA during the Space Race. They had to overcome the hurdles of both blatant racism and sexism that were prevalent in their time. These three women not only had to deal with the already seemingly impossible task of putting a human in space, but also had to dismantle the racism that prevented them from doing their best.
BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19
On Jan. 27, Creating Awareness and Unity for Social Equity hosted a jam called IceCapella featuring Mount Holyoke a cappella groups: Diversions, Milk & Cookies, Raag, The Nice Shoes and The Victory Eights. The event took place at Chapin Auditorium from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and was free to the public.
BY MARIANA JARAMILLO ’20 AND SONYA ROBINSON ’20
“Moonlight,” a beautiful and heartbreaking story of a gay man growing up in 1980s Miami projects, will solidify Barry Jenkins’s name in cinematic history. Formerly known for his 2008 indie film “Medicine for Melancholy,” Jenkins has skillfully delivered the year’s most important coming of age movie. Split into three parts — Little, Chiron and Black — “Moonlight” grapples with the intersection of race, sexuality and class.
BY SONYA ROBINSON '20
If asked what my favorite comic book movie is, I would undoubtedly say 1989’s “Batman.” Featuring Michael Keaton in his first turn as the charming billionaire Bruce Wayne as well as Jack Nicholson’s iconic Joker, the movie is pure fun, a refreshing film compared to this age where superhero movies are often dark and gritty. I felt similarly refreshed after leaving the most recent Marvel vehicle “Doctor Strange.”
BY DEMETRIA OSEI-TUTU '17
As far as late night talk-show hosts go, Jimmy Fallon is something else. At first, he appears like a breath of fresh air. Games like the whisper challenge, wheel of freestyle and lip-sync battle (before it got big and became its own show on Spike) are fun and new — it’s safe to say that we hadn’t seen a late night host engage celebrities in that way before. And for a while that blinds you into thinking Jimmy Fallon is a great late night host when in actuality he is not.
BY NAIEKA RAJ '19
The department of theater arts opened its fall season with Lynn Nottage’s “Intimate Apparel,” directed by Hampshire College professor Natalie Sowell. Set in 1905, the play explores themes of race, class and gender through the eyes of a New York City seamstress named Esther, played by Robyn Sutton-Fernandez ’17.
BY NAIEKA RAJ '19
Project:Theatre’s production of Alice Threw the Looking Glass, written by John Walch, merges Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the famous grammar manual The Elements of Style. The central themes of this story, as described by the character EB White, are “learning to find [one’s] voice” and developing ways to deal with one’s “inner critic.” After failing her English paper, Alice travels to a magical land called Effingham, and acquires the unique skills necessary for academic writing.
BY ANISHA PAI '19
With access to professional makeup artists and costume designers, celebrities have always won the Halloween game. According to Elle Magazine, Halloween 2016 officially began on Oct. 14 when Kylie Jenner debuted the first costume of the year. The 19-year-old celebrity snapchatted a picture of herself in a skeleton onesie.
BY DEMETRIA OSEI-TUTU ’17
With the drop of her new album “A Seat at the Table,” her carefree artsy aesthetic (just look at her 2014 wedding photos) and the infamous elevator situation with Jay-Z, Solange has been on the rise for a while now. While she often is overshadowed by her larger-than-life sister Beyoncé, it’s clear that Solange has crafted a style and a sound that is all her own.
BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19
Eva Snyder ’17, a computer science and music double major and founder of HackHolyoke, is creating a small album and recording the entire process as part of her senior thesis. By using the program ‘Logic’ to create music electronically, this thesis project blends her love of music with her love of technology, while reflecting Snyder’s entrepreneurial spirit.
BY SARAH OLSEN ’18
Lady Gaga reveals a new side of herself in her fifth studio album, “Joanne,” released Oct. 21, 2016. “Joanne” diverges from Gaga’s previous pop sound and embraces a raw, stripped-down version of Lady Gaga. The result is an honest album in which Gaga boldly expresses her natural self.
