Arts & Culture - The Brown Daily Herald

A picture of a camera that says The Optic.

Arts & Culture

Brown’s first photography magazine to launch first print edition this spring

By Suhani Garg | April 24

The Optic has aimed to create a space for student creativity.

A picture of Kendrick Lamar superimposed on a collage of background images of attendees at Spring Weekend, on Brown University's campus.

Arts & Culture

75 years of Spring Weekend, by the numbers

By Manav Musunuru | April 24

From jazz to Kendrick Lamar to Offset, explore 75 years of performers at Brown.

A picture of Cate Blanchett looking at Michael Fassbender.

Review

‘Black Bag’ lacks the ‘thrill’ in thriller

By Rebecca Goodman | April 24

Steven Soderbergh’s newest film is entertaining, but lacks build in terms of both plot and suspense.

A picture of dolls on a stage with a lace border.

Arts & Culture

The Herald’s guide to Spring Weekend 2025

By Ann Gray Golpira | April 24

Between Gigs on the Green, barbecues and a carnival, Spring Weekend 2025 has something for everyone.

Colin Jost, wearing a black suit with a white shirt, sits in a chair holding a microphone in front of a red and tan Brown University banner.

Arts & Culture

Colin Jost takes students behind the scenes of SNL at Brown Lecture Board talk

By Talia LeVine and Sophia Wotman | April 23

On Tuesday, hordes of students flocked to the Salomon Center for a conversation with Colin Jost.

Sean Baker poses wistfully before a cyan wall.

Arts & Culture

Sean Baker details filmmaking process, authenticity at Ivy Film Festival

By Manav Musunuru | April 21

The four-time Academy Award-winning director was invited to speak at the 24th annual festival.

The picture shows alum and filmmaker Justin Kuritzkes talking with Herald-staffer and moderator Kendall Ricks. Kuritzkes is wearing a black shirt, dark blue pants and is smiling, while Ricks is wearing a yellow skirt and gray blouse.

Arts & Culture

‘Challengers’ screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes ’12 reflects on artistic inspiration, time at Brown

By Tiffany Xiao | April 21

The event was part of the 24th annual Ivy Film Festival.

A group of four people are in a bar, dancing. On the left are two women, one wearing a gray cap and tiara, the other letting her black hair flow. On the right are two men, one with glasses and short, cropped hair, the other with hair that covers his eyes. The light filtering through the room is tinted in violet.

Review

‘The Wedding Banquet’ excels in portraying vulnerability, despite cliche delivery

By Alice Xie | April 21

The advance screening was shown as a part of the 24th annual Ivy Film Festival.

Photo from the film in which two people are looking at one another on a rolling hill landscape with a sunrise in the background

Review

‘No Other Land’ resists sensationalism to present devastating reality

By Ayana Ahuja | April 20

The documentary depicts the aftermath of the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank.

Arts & Culture

Comedy takes center stage in ‘Potatoes of August’ with sentient potatoes, mathematics

By Ann Gray Golpira | April 20

Featuring vasectomy debates and twerking potatoes, “Potatoes of August” is an acid trip of a spectacle. From April 10 to 19, the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies staged the play in the Leeds Theatre. Written by Sibyl Kempson and directed by Kathy Ng ’17 GS, “Potatoes of August” ...

An image of Tim Robinson on the left and Pedro Pascal on the right, talking to each other in the woods.

Arts & Culture

Secondhand embarrassment soars to new heights in ‘Friendship’

By Manav Musunuru | April 17

The film was screened as a part of the 24th Annual Ivy Film Festival.

Arts & Culture

Brown alum and student help produce hit Broadway show ‘John Proctor is the Villain’

By Ann Gray Golpira | April 16

Nathan Winoto ’25 and Jillian Robbins ’11 joined forces on the show’s production team.

Raphael Bob-Waksberg, wearing a khaki baseball hat and jeans, sits in a chair across from moderator Gabriella Wrighten. They are in conversation in front of a brightly lit presentation.

Arts & Culture

‘BoJack Horseman’ creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg talks screenwriting at Ivy Film Festival

By Ann Gray Golpira | April 16

Ivy Film Festival hosted the acclaimed writer on Tuesday as part of this year’s speaker panel.

Photo of a designer sitting on the floor with a sewing machine hand sewing part of an outfit.

Arts & Culture

A haunted house, a funeral for a wedding, crafted steel and Vincent Van Gogh: The stories behind four Fashion@Brown collections

By Summer Shi | April 16

The looks were modeled on Friday at the group’s annual runway show at 1 Davol Square.

Arts & Culture

Coachella 2025’s extravagance is overly dystopian amid current federal turmoil

By Talia LeVine | April 14

Coachella’s extravagance against the current backdrop of today’s increasingly authoritarian politics is straight out of a dystopian novel.

A picture of a pink square with a black square inside of it.

Review

‘SABLE, fABLE’ is a masterful rebirth by Bon Iver

By Alyssia Ouhocine | April 14

Split into two parts, the album explores what it means to emerge from darkness intact.

A photo of Michael Cera and Michael Angarano in a car driving down the road.

Review

‘Sacramento’ depicts the whining of two struggling, selfish men

By Rebecca Goodman | April 14

The buddy-comedy road trip movie fails to adequately address themes of mental health.

A picture of Violet Gates, the main character of "Drop" played by Meghann Fahy. In the picture, the character is wearing a red dress in an upscale restaurant and is looking a her phone with a concerned and distressed expression on her face.

Arts & Culture

Don’t take ‘Drop’ too seriously

By Gabriella Wrighten | April 13

Director Christopher Landon’s latest film is a fun addition to the technology-inspired thriller collection.

Arts & Culture

Offset, JT, Ravyn Lenae, Zack Fox to perform at Spring Weekend 2025

By Ann Gray Golpira and Talia LeVine | April 11

Offset, JT, Ravyn Lenae, Zack Fox and the Undertow Brass Band will perform at Spring Weekend 2025, the Brown Concert Agency announced at a midnight release party on Friday.

The picture depicts Chappell Roan. She is wearing a red construction cap and is drawing the right side of her mouth up in a sneer.

Arts & Culture

Spring has sprung for these new pop releases

By Alyssia Ouhocine | April 7

In March, new pop releases highlighted the genre’s ability to command listeners’ attention.