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The Dartmouth
August 26, 2026
The Dartmouth
Arts
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. 

Arts

Masterpiece: The portrait of Beatrice Cenci, the muse and the myth

By Isabelle Blank | February 26, 2019

Just as contemporary crowds flock to the Louvre today to catch a glimpse of DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa,” during the 19th century, there was one painting that stood out amidst all the rest as the most captivating work of the “Grand Tour.” The artwork, falsely identified as Guido Reni’s 1599 portrait of Beatrice Cenci attracted visitors from all around the globe and spawned numerous copies. Writers such as Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville all documented their journey to Rome to see the painting.

Arts

A Cinematic Review of 2018: Ten great films and five flops

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | February 26, 2019

The Oscars may have come and gone, but I’m still not quite ready to embrace the new cinematic year. So, as a final send-off, it seems fitting to reflect on the best and worst films that 2018 had to offer. A couple of caveats before I begin, though: 1) Rather than organizing these films into a meaningless ranking, I’ve arranged them alphabetically. However, I have bolded the titles of the best film and the worst film of 2018 (in my humble opinion). 2) There are plenty of films from 2018 that I would have loved to see but haven’t gotten a chance to, largely due to accessibility issues. If you don’t see one of your favorite films from last year on this list, assume that I wanted to see it, didn’t get the chance to and would have included it on this list if I had. That last part is total wishful thinking, but it will keep everyone marginally happy. As a disclaimer, I did see all the Best Picture nominees. 

Arts

John Keats’ poetry mixes lush lyricism with social commentary

By Courtney McKee | February 22, 2019

Tomorrow is the 198th anniversary of John Keats’ early death at age 25 from tuberculosis. Keats, one of the most prominent Romantic poets of the 19th century, wrote lyrical meditations on many themes, including nature, love, beauty and death, arguably the most famous of which are his odes “To Autumn,” “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and “Ode to a Nightingale.” Criticized in its time for its frivolity, Keats’ poetry soon became widely recognized for its mastery of poetic forms, delicate evocations of the natural world and heartfelt representations of love and loss. 

Arts

Slam poetry breathes new life into the age-old topic of love

By Mia Nelson | February 21, 2019

Slam is a venue away from the traditional stuffiness of poetry, which is why it makes sense that the most fertile ground for slam is on the Internet. Both slam and YouTube are young, fresh and inviting to younger generations. The account Button Poetry compiles the most promising and innovative slam poets from the most respected competitions into one accessible platform. 

Arts

Review: ‘The Green Book’ doesn’t leave a mark as an artistic work

By Willem Gerrish | February 19, 2019

After a two-decade career spent directing lighthearted comedy films with his brother Bobby, Peter Farrelly has struck out on his own to co-write and direct “Green Book,” a comedy-drama about the relationship between notable black pianist Dr. Don Shirley and his driver for a tour of the American South, Tony “Lip” Vallelonga.

Arts

Student Spotlight: Will Maresco ’19 lights up the theater stage

By Shera Bhala | February 19, 2019

Every theater production involves a great amount of behind-the-scenes work. Will Maresco ’19 is a theater major with minors in digital arts and engineering, who finds his passion in lighting, sound and stage design. He designs for many student productions with his skilled and wide-ranging talents.  

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