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December 11, 2025 | Latest Issue
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Arts
Arts

Review: ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ weaves history into a tale of grief

By Mia Nelson | April 9, 2019

“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders is a luminary novel depicting a single night of grief. Set in a graveyard where Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie, is buried, the story follows Lincoln’s visits to the tomb where several ghosts discuss their lives and their deaths. The novel is narrated by these ghosts who all occupy a purgatory-like existence called, after the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, “the bardo.”

Arts

First-year seminar reflects upon and explores immigrant literature

By Lauren Segal | April 9, 2019

The first-year seminar ENGL 53.10: “Immigrant Women Writing in America” provides students with the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences through film, novels, short stories and poetry. English professor Melissa Zeiger offers the class to all students, but caters the literary content of the first-year seminar toward the goal of helping first-year students establish their skills as writers and find their bearings in their new college environment.

Arts

Intro to UI/UX: Designing Beauty and the User-Experience

By Mia Nelson | April 5, 2019

 This spring is the inaugural term for the class “Intro to UI/UX Design I” with professor Lorie Loeb. According to Loeb, the class, which is open exclusively to first- and second- year students, focuses on creating meaningful, accessible and beautiful interfaces for technology. The class, which requires no previous experiences, uses elements of human-centered design, graphic design and design with digital tools. As the first part in a two-class sequence, students are expected to take “Intro to UI/UX Design II” in the following summer, fall or winter terms in order to apply their skills in the DALI lab as a designer.  

Arts

Hasan Minhaj's 'Patriot Act' is breath is a breath of fresh air for comedy

By Joyce Lee | April 4, 2019

Netflix has been a boon for stand-up comedians these past few years, offering an enormous platform for artists whose work would have been a little more difficult to find for our generation of instant streamers. I fell into the rabbit hole of stand-up around the same time I started my Netflix subscription, which means for a while, I hadn’t done much else but listen to the upteenth comedian give a self-deprecating monologue. 

Arts

The Inventor is a near miss about an American fraud

By Willem Gerrish | April 2, 2019

HBO’s new documentary “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley” chronicles the rise and fall of Elizabeth HolmesSilicon Valley entrepreneur whose company, Theranos,claimed to revolutionize the world of blood testing. Spurred by an intense desire for wealth and fame, Holmes devised a way to carry out complex blood tests — the sorts that usually require an uncomfortable venous draw — with only a drop of blood obtained through a finger prick. The problem she and her company encountered, though, was that they simply couldn’t get the process to work. Terrified of failure and obsessed with her own legend, Holmes lied and connived to keep Theranos afloat, deliberately misrepresenting the abilities of her company. “The Inventor” dutifully tracks these events with straightforward documentary reporting, but it fails to fully delve into the fascinating character of Elizabeth Holmes or her web of deceit, resulting in a film that lacks intrigue and coherence. 

Arts

'Apollo 11' is compelling, even without embellishment

By Willem Gerrish | April 2, 2019

In my review for HBO’s “The Inventor,” I wrote about the varying necessities of documentary art, focusing on the balance between pure recording and critical analysis. I acknowledged that some documentaries only require the deft eye of observance, while others, such as “The Inventor,” need an extra layer of insight and analysis to fully succeed. Todd Douglas Miller’s extraordinary new documentary “Apollo 11” succeeds with such simplicity as a documentary entirely composed of recorded moments and devoid of any analytical imposition. As such a work of art, it is a marvelous testament to the sheer power of observance, carried not by narrative or analysis but rather by the awe and wonder of what it captures on camera. 

Arts

Shrill’ is a quiet celebration of plus-size women

By Jordan McDonald | March 28, 2019

In Hulu’s original comedy “Shrill,” a TV adaptation of Lindy West’s 2016 essay collection “Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman,” Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant gets the spotlight she deserves as the lead character Annie Easton. An earnest writer in her late twenties, Annie is introduced to audiences as a charismatic dreamer stuck in a rut. After years and years of being demeaned or discounted for her appearance as a “fat” woman, she has come to her breaking point in her workplace and her love life. As Annie reclaims dominion over her body and self-esteem, we bear witness to the changes taking place as she resets the standards for those who wish to remain in her professional or personal life. 

Arts

Review: ‘Us’ is a new masterpiece that blends horror and comedy

By James Cronin | March 26, 2019

It’s been a while since I’ve been as excited to see a movie as I was to see “Us,” the new film directed, written and produced by Jordan Peele. Like millions of people, I was blown away by how unexpectedly good Peele’s 2017 film “Get Out” was, so I came in to “Us” with high expectations, looking for something just as thought-provoking and well-constructed. While I don’t think that “Us” has “Get Out” beat, I still think it’s a fantastic, smart film that should be watched by everyone looking to walk out of a movie theater all giddy — like you used to before everything became a reboot or a third sequel in a franchise. I enjoyed it so much that I gladly paid to see it twice this past weekend.

Arts

Review: ‘Captain Marvel’ is a blockbuster with an indie touch

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | March 26, 2019

At this point, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has garnered a reputation for tenacity when it comes to selecting unique directors whose prior work doesn’t always make them obvious candidates for mega-budget superhero extravaganzas. This strategy is noteworthy because it has paid off time and time again; the fact that Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler have recently managed to reinvigorate the franchise with “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Black Panther,” respectively, suggests that this strategy is extremely viable. 

Arts

Review: Hozier’s ‘Wasteland, Baby!’ is a pleasant musical surprise

By Courtney McKee | March 5, 2019

This past Friday, Hozier’s second studio album was released, closing a five year gap between his debut album from 2014 and his latest. Given the massive success of the Irish singer’s first album, “Hozier” and five years’ worth of expectation, Hozier’s second album was released upon high anticipation. So does ‘Wasteland, Baby!’ rise to the challenge? 

Arts

‘Black Panther’ should have won Best Picture at the Oscars

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | March 5, 2019

You may have heard that the 91st Academy Awards ceremony took place a little over a week ago, and you may have also heard that the results were … controversial. But as much as I disapprove of “Green Book” as the Best Picture winner, I don’t really have the desire to explore that any further in this article. Instead, I’d like to discuss “Black Panther,” another Best Picture nominee and one whose failure to win the top prize reflects a series of ongoing problems with the Academy Awards.

Arts

Review: ‘This Land’ doesn’t provide a cohesive musical identity

By Willem Gerrish | March 5, 2019

Gary Clark Jr. seems to be in the midst of an identity crisis. After bursting out of the Austin music scene as an heir to greats like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, he settled into a comfortable role as a jam-and-solo blues guitarist, yet somewhere along the line grew tired of the redundancy. Starting with his 2015 album “The Story of Sonny Boy Slim,” Clark began experimenting with sounds that veered into R&B and funk, and his latest release, “This Land,” is even more of a departure from the traditional blues image he once presented. 

Arts

Dartmouth Comedy Network fills in comedy gap on campus

By Mia Nelson | March 5, 2019

Dartmouth Comedy Network is Dartmouth’s newest comedy group, joining other comedy groups on campus including Dog Day Players, Casual Thursday and Jack-O-Lantern. Created by Samantha Locke ’22, the group represents Dartmouth’s only scripted comedy group. 

Arts

Review: 'Alita: Battle Angel' is entertaining, but its script falls short

By James Cronin | March 1, 2019

“Alita: Battle Angel” is the latest in the line of big budget, young adult sci-fi films to not do well critically or commercially. Following in the footsteps of the “Divergent” and “Maze Runner” trilogies, I felt like “Alita” tried too hard to recreate the success of “The Hunger Games.” While it might have worked in 2012, I think that today’s audiences are bored of the generic “chosen one” teenaged protagonist who must fight to overthrow a dystopian government, all while having to deal with a ham-fisted romantic subplot that does nothing but drag the plot down. That being said, I did enjoy this movie. 

Arts

Dartmouth Idol creates a space for collaborative student talent

By Veronica Winham | March 1, 2019

Six of the 22 Dartmouth Idol semi-finalists have advanced to the Dartmouth Idol finals, which will be held on Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. This unique opportunity allows students to compete and showcase their abilities. Additionally, the audience is responsible for voting on the winner, making the production even more entertaining.

Arts

'Into the Woods' challenges us to break the curse in our own lives

By Ryan Zhang | February 28, 2019

Having fully immersed myself into “Into the Woods,” I find it rather difficult to express what I felt and thought. It is a meticulous and impressive production carried out by the theater department at Dartmouth, and it is a lot more than a musical out of which one walks and exclaims, “I enjoyed it and will carry on with my life without thinking about it for another second.” The lesson it attempts to deliver provokes much thought about not only the story itself but also our very own lives and this world. Before explaining why that is, let’s first take a look at the story and the amazing production.

Arts

#MeToo exhibit in Berry addresses sexual violence on campus

By Mia Nelson | February 28, 2019

From Feb 22 to March 2, the exhibit “#MeToo: Intersectionality Hashtag Activism and Our Lives” will be up in Berry West in the hallway in front of King Arthur Flour Café. The exhibit is a compilation of poetry, artwork and academic information about the Me Too movement in the U.S. and abroad, created by Dartmouth students. The work included in the exhibit is a product of the 2018 fall women, gender and sexuality studies class, which shares the name of the exhibit. 

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