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
Billboard rejects “Old Town Road,” igniting genre controversy
BY EMILY ROLES FOTSO ’21
20-year-old Montero Lamar Hill, better known by his stage name, Lil Nas X, has had an eventful few months. It all started with the release of his nowfamous single, “Old Town Road,” in early December. The song was released during the rise of what many call the “Yeehaw Agenda,” a meme that blends cowboy aesthetics with mainstream humor, and bends genres to create what Hill himself calls “country trap.”
“When We Were Young and Unafraid”: Student-directed play rekindles the spirit of ’70s feminism
BY ELLA WHITE ’22
The play by Sarah Treem takes place in the 1970s, specifically in the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, and is set in a safe house for abused women looking to escape unhealthy relationships. Agnes, who runs the safe house with her daughter, Penny, takes in a woman named Mary Anne, who changes their monotonous lives when she encourages Penny to flirt and wear dresses, setting a precedent in the household
Hey Gamers: “Oxenfree” is flawed but a sign of good things to come
BY KIRAN PENMAN ’19
Ever since I had seen the trailers for “Oxenfree,” Night School Studio’s first release, I had been excited to play it. From what I had seen, it seemed pretty ambitious. In “Oxenfree,” you play as Alex, a teenager in her junior year of high school who takes her stepbrother, Jonas, to an overnight beach party. After some exploring, Alex and her friends manage to accidentally open a rift, unleashing a strange ghostly force onto the island. The player follows the friends’ journey to escape the island while slowly uncovering its mysteries. Overall, it all seemed pretty promising. So, with Night School Studio’s latest project, “Afterparty,” set for release later this year, I decided it was time to finally give “Oxenfree” a go
Hey Gamers: Three standouts from the BAFTA Game Awards
BY KIRAN PENMAN ’19
Last week, the British Academy Games Awards held their 15th ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The show is dedicated to honoring the best of gaming each year across a variety of genres and platforms. To continue the celebration of 2019’s creative achievements in gaming, I’ve provided you with a little list of great independent mobile games featured at the awards show that you should definitely try out this week!
Sci-fi classic “The Twilight Zone” is back on the air
BY SABRYNA COPPOLA ’22
CBS and Jordan Peele have reimagined Rod Serling’s classic science fiction anthology “The Twilight Zone” and released the first episode on April 1. Given Peele’s impressive work creating unsettling tales “Get Out” and “Us,” the reboot of this cult favorite is a fitting next project for the star director. Peele’s skill for reflecting the horrors of reality in his work is evident in the new season of “The Twilight Zone.”
Mount Holyoke hosts Five College Jazz Festival
BY EMMA MARTIN ’20
Rain and gloom outside the windows of the Blanchard Great Room set the scene for a cozy day of jazz last Friday, March 29 at the Five College Jazz Festival. Throughout the day, a steady stream of guests enjoyed jazz styles from various regions and time periods on the Great Room stage. Free and open to the public, the festival was an all-day opportunity to hear live jazz from groups representing the Five College music community.
“Queer Eye” Season 3: Fab Five promote self-love in Missouri
BY SABRYNA COPPOLA ’22
Netflix released the eagerly anticipated third season of “Queer Eye” on March 15, providing the perfect binge-watch for this spring break. The Fab Five are back to “zhoosh” up Kansas City, MO. This season, Antoni, Bobby, Jonathan, Karamo and Tan bring a new sense of hope and confidence to nine new ‘heroes.’
Jordan Peele’s “Us” isn’t perfect, but it’s a pretty damn good horror film
BY KIRAN PENMAN ’19
From director Jordan Peele’s growing body of work, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that there is no better choice for the voice of the new CBS “Twilight Zone” series. Peele’s first film, “Get Out,” demonstrated that he is a master at crafting tales of horror and intrigue. “Get Out” was achieved with undeniable cleverness; there’s a kind of art to the way he weaves his films’ plot together, where everything seems to have a setup and a payoff. Peele takes great care with detail, a fact which is equally clear in his latest film “Us,” which follows the story of a family on vacation who are confronted by their own doppelgangers
Solange’s “When I Get Home” an ode to black Texans
BY JAHIYA CLARK ’20
Singer-songwriter Solange Knowles released her fourth studio album, “When I Get Home,” and accompanying 33-minute video, “A Texas Film,” on March 1. From black cowboys to afrofuturistic visions of her hometown of Houston, Solange constructs her album in praise of black Southern life. She uses sounds from today’s mainstream music that are easy to sing and dance along to, while her style and lyricism create something completely new.
Cornell joins MHC Glee for Brahms’ Requiem
Mary Lambert brings new poetry to Hampshire stage
BY EMMA COOPER ’20
“For those of you who have not yet experienced the power and impact of her words — prepare yourselves,” said the announcer on the makeshift stage in the Hampshire College Robert Crown Center. “Mary Lambert makes you feel a lot of emotions.” On March 2, Lambert performed from her recently released book of poetry, “Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across,” at Hampshire College’s 10th annual Five College Queer, Gender and Sexuality Conference. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, musician and spoken word artist showcased her wide array of talents throughout the night by setting her poems to music.
Hostless 2019 Oscars rises above controversy and upsets
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.
Civil Rights love story “Beale Street” is a call for justice
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
“The Importance of Being Earnest” still a relevant classic
APAU celebrates history with “Black.ism” fashion show
“The Favourite” is an absurd, female-driven masterpiece
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.