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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

Greta Lee stars as Nora Moon, a New York-based playwright, in "Past Lives." The film garnered two Oscar nominations: Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Photo courtesy A24.

Review: ‘Past Lives’ tells a not-so-average love triangle story

Jake Guldin, lifestyle editor March 10, 2024

Since its premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, critics have lauded Celine Song’s “Past Lives” — and it’s easy to ascertain why.  The film, nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards, tells the story of Nora Moon...

Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo star in Yorgos Lanthimos' provocative feminist fairy tale, "Poor Things." It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Stone, Best Supporting Actor for Ruffalo and Best Picture. Photo courtesy Atsushi Nishijima, Searchlight Pictures.

Review: ‘Poor Things’ explores female empowerment, sexuality with humorous moments

Laura Emde, deputy lifestyle editor March 10, 2024

There are very few movies where actor Mark Ruffalo could get away with calling someone a “cunt,” and “Poor Things” is one of them. The 2023 film, currently up for 11 awards at this year’s Academy Awards, follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a pregnant woman in Victorian...

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 Da'Vine 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...

Sandra Hüller stars as a woman accused of murdering her husband in "Anatomy of a Fall." The film won the Palme d'Or 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: 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...

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...

Retro Review: ‘Happy Death Day’ is another shallow time-loop film

Retro Review: ‘Happy Death Day’ is another shallow time-loop film

Ben Churney, news staff February 7, 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.” Should the “time loop” genre exist? No clue. That’s what this month has come to. Christopher...

From left to right, Bebe Wood, Reneé Rapp and Avantika Vandanapu star in "Mean Girls" (2024). They portray Gretchen Wieners, Regina George and Karen Shetty — otherwise known as "The Plastics" — respectively. Photo courtesy Paramount.

Review: ‘Mean Girls’ (2024) updates the original to mixed results

Ella Warner, news correspondent February 2, 2024

To escape the Boston cold, crowds of pink flocked to the AMC Boston Common to endure nearly two hours of singing, dancing and the typical attempt to relate to a predominantly Gen Z audience during Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls” (2024).   In the age of remakes, Fey strayed...

Sandra Hüller stars as Hedwig Höss in "The Zone of Interest." The film follows the day-to-day lives of the Höss family, Nazis living next door to Auschwitz. Photo courtesy A24.

Review: Unfathomable horrors lie just beyond ‘The Zone of Interest’

Ian Dartley, news correspondent February 1, 2024

For the past decade, film director and screenwriter Jonathan Glazer has refined his newest film, “The Zone of Interest,” to be “a warning,” not a history lesson.  Following Glazer’s critically acclaimed feature  “Under the Skin,” “The Zone of Interest”...

Retro Review: ‘12 Monkeys’ can’t compare to its original inspiration

Retro Review: ‘12 Monkeys’ can’t compare to its original inspiration

Ben Churney, news staff January 31, 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.” It appears this time loop subgenre is tough for filmmakers to nail, because, just like “Groundhog...