The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Entertainment

Erika Alexander and Jeffrey Wright star in the satirical dramedy American Fiction. The film, based on the novel Erasure, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Wright. Photo courtesy Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

Review: ‘American Fiction’ is a smart, overstuffed satire on racial equality

Daniel Patchen, news correspondent March 10, 2024

In past years, historically white industries have made sweeping efforts to promote diversity and spotlight Black culture. But writer-director Cord Jefferson is not buying the apparent goodwill of these leaders and companies. In his satirical dramedy “American Fiction,” Jefferson...

Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper star as actress Felicia Montealegre and composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. The film endured several controversies before opening to positive reviews last year. Photo courtesy Netflix.

Review: ‘Maestro’ miraculously manages to carry a tune

Jake Guldin, lifestyle editor March 10, 2024

Every awards season, like clockwork, pundits and film fanatics comb through the perceived frontrunners across the major categories for one thing — a villain. Think “Elvis,” “Green Book” or “Bohemian Rhapsody”: decently-reviewed — if somewhat controversial —...

Dominic Sessa, Paul Giamatti and DaVine Joy Randolph (left to right) star in The Holdovers. The film, set at a New England boarding school in the 1970s, was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Photo courtesy Focus Features.

Review: ‘The Holdovers’ provides Christmas warmth year-round

Kristina DaPonte, deputy lifestyle editor March 9, 2024

Nothing sums up “The Holdovers” quite like this Letterboxd review: “A movie that is both hot chocolate for the soul and chicken soup for the lazy eye.” Set at Barton Academy, a fictional Massachusetts boarding school, the film follows Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a...

Column: Hollywood precursors could signal 2024 Oscar winners

Column: Hollywood precursors could signal 2024 Oscar winners

Derek Telep, news correspondent March 9, 2024

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are recognized as the highest honor in the movie industry. The 2024 ceremony, set for 7 p.m. March 10 at its usual venue, the Dolby Theater, in Los Angeles, will feature Jimmy Kimmel as its host, once again. The Academy of Motion...

Sandra Hüller stars as a woman accused of murdering her husband in Anatomy of a Fall. The film won the Palme dOr and earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Photo courtesy mk2 Films.

Review: ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ leaves no easy answers in its study of a toxic marriage

Daniel Patchen, news correspondent March 7, 2024

A marriage’s tragic demise is deconstructed in “Anatomy of a Fall,” writer-director Justine Triet’s courtroom thriller that leaves no simplicity in its underlying mystery. “Anatomy of a Fall” centers on Sandra (Sandra Hüller), a German writer who lives in France...

Column: Female artists win big at the 2024 Grammy Awards

Column: Female artists win big at the 2024 Grammy Awards

Camryn Cunningham, news correspondent February 23, 2024

The 66th Grammy Awards was a success for women in music — from Miley Cyrus’ first-ever win to Taylor Swift’s history-making Album of the Year triumph, women dominated the Feb. 4 ceremony.  Before the main ceremony even began, Phoebe Bridgers, along with fellow boygenius...

Column: Is the BAFTA jury system out of touch?

Column: Is the BAFTA jury system out of touch?

Caleb Lee, news correspondent February 17, 2024

The nominees for the 77th British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTAs, were unveiled Jan. 18, and the responses were far from positive. Notably, there was widespread criticism regarding major snubs, with several actors of color, including Greta Lee of “Past Lives” and Charles...

Column: 2024 Super Bowl features revolutionary ads, garners new viewers

Column: 2024 Super Bowl features revolutionary ads, garners new viewers

Ella Warner, news correspondent February 17, 2024

There are the Super Bowl fans, and there are the Super Bowl commercial fans. Both are equally important, but in recent years, the latter has dominated conversation online. This year’s Super Bowl broadcast amassed over 123.4 million viewers and is now the most-watched television...

Retro Review: ‘About Time’ is the time loop subgenre’s saving grace

Retro Review: ‘About Time’ is the time loop subgenre’s saving grace

Ben Churney, news staff February 15, 2024

This article is part of the “Retro Review” series. Each month, four films — united by a singular theme — are assessed. The theme for January 2024 is “time loop.” “I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one, to enjoy it, as if...

The First Run Through, led by Mashimo, plays its last set. Mashimo fell in love with African American music while studying at Berklee and finds purpose in supporting fellow musicians at Wally’s. “Being a part of the history of this place has significant meaning to me,” Mashimo said. “It’s a great pleasure, and Im doing it for the community here.”

Wally’s Jazz Club walls continue to witness emerging young talent

Aiden Stein, photo correspondent February 14, 2024

Tucked between brownstones on Massachusetts Avenue sits the nearly 80-year-old Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club. Though the independent venue is one of the last of its kind, Wally’s seems to have no problem filling seats for live jazz every day of the week.  Each night, bands performing...

Madonna raises her hands as dancers circle around her. The Celebration Tour showcased various milestones across her decades-long career.

Review: ‘The Celebration Tour’ revels in 40 years of Madonna’s hits

Jake Guldin, lifestyle editor February 8, 2024

Madonna arrived fashionably late at TD Garden Jan. 8, emerging on the smoke-shrouded stage two hours later than expected. But the pop icon’s ardent fans, dressed in “do-it-yourself” renditions of her greatest looks, didn’t seem to mind — it was finally time to celebrate. And...

Paul Mescal (left) and Andrew Scott (right) star in All of Us Strangers. The film sees the latter, who plays Adam, encounter the ghosts of his parents who died decades earlier. Photo courtesy Searchlight Pictures.

Review: ‘All of Us Strangers’ will both break and warm your heart

Claudie Bellanger, news correspondent February 7, 2024

Fans of both devastating television and Irish actors rejoiced over the pairing of Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal in director Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” — and for good reason.   Opening with a limited release in December 2023, “All of Us Strangers” fell...