Arts & Culture - The Brown Daily Herald

The head of a stuffed monkey on a person's body, staring at the camera through their legs.

Arts & Culture

‘The Monkey’ is fun, but that’s about it

By Gabriella Wrighten | February 25

The film delivers little story and emotion, instead opting for shock-driven laughs and outrageous violence.

A pink-haired DJ puts her hand in the air, with the other on her turntable.

Arts & Culture

Behind the scenes of Brown’s DJ culture

By Ann Gray Golpira | February 25

Students highlight the music, narratives and history behind their journeys into DJing.

A picture of a mother, father, their young daughter and son on the beach. Everyone is smiling besides the mother looking off into the distance.

Arts & Culture

‘I’m Still Here’ portrays the power of familial love amid Brazilian political turmoil

By Sanai Rashid | February 25

It is the first Brazilian-produced film to be nominated for Best Picture in Academy Awards history.

A picture of the exhibit's title reading "Looming in the Shadows of Łódź" with the words "Artist Leslie Starobin" underneath the title.

Arts & Culture

Watson installation presents multimedia portrayal of Holocaust survivors’ experiences

By Nora Rowe | February 23

Developed by artist Leslie Starobin, the exhibit will be on display through May 30.

The Lumineers stand side by side In front of a blue sky.

Arts & Culture

‘Automatic’ by the Lumineers cuts to the core of modern-day melancholy

By Alyssia Ouhocine | February 23

The band’s new album is plain-spoken and a vivid depiction of the challenges of the 21st century.

Captain America, played by Anthony Mackie, stands in a black suit in a softly lit bedroom holding the red, white and blue Captain America shield.

Arts & Culture

‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is a poor start for a powerful new version of the hero

By Gabriella Wrighten | February 19

For the last decade and a half, Disney has been churning out Marvel films with regularity. Fans got used to receiving a few films a year, each carefully crafted and strategically released to form a cohesive universe — or multiverse. But since “Avengers: Endgame” — briefly the highest-grossing ...

An illustration of an old-fashioned movie camera on a purple background. Coming from the camera's lens is a red triangle, mimicking a light beam. Within the red space there is a golden Oscars statue, old film and an audience.

Arts & Culture

Who needs the academy when you have The Herald? Our picks for Oscars 2025

By Ayana Ahuja | February 19

With the Oscars set to air soon, The Herald picked its winners from this year’s nominees.

A photo of singer Jason Isbell leaning over a microphone and playing an acoustic guitar.

Events

Jason Isbell guides audience through lyrics, emotion, memories in Providence show

By Ann Gray Golpira | February 19

Jason Isbell treated fans to a beautifully intimate show on Tuesday night.

A photo of the album covers of Sabrina Carpenter's “Short n’ Sweet” and SZA's “SOS”.

Review

Sabrina Carpenter and SZA are at the top of their game with deluxe releases

By Alyssia Ouhocine | February 19

Deluxe editions of “Short n’ Sweet” and “SOS” draw listeners deeper into the worlds of Sabrina Carpenter and SZA.

An image of Timothée Chalamet with sunglasses walking through a wet street.

Review

‘A Complete Unknown’ attempts to strike a chord with viewers, but rings hollow

By Gabriella Miranda | February 18

The film features stunning acting performances, but struggles to captivate viewers with its storytelling.

Tomasina Morris performs while Chachi Carvalho DJs.

Arts & Culture

Watson Institute hosts spoken word, open mic event to celebrate Black History Month

By Nyria Delph | February 14

Local artists at the event aimed to connect Brown with the wider Providence community.

A woman in an LA apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows vacuums a pink carpet. In the background is a billboard with a woman on it.

Arts & Culture

‘The Substance’ contrasts grotesque visuals with the temporal nature of beauty

By Ayana Ahuja | February 12

“The Substance” is grotesque, jarring and honestly quite gross. What it lacks in dialogue it makes up for in creeping noises and visuals. The film’s gory nature glaringly contrasts with the idea of youth and beauty standards, becoming almost unbearable to watch — but that’s precisely the point. ...

Close up shot of Sophie Thatcher playing Iris in "Companion". Her eyes glitter a brilliant blue beneath teal eyeshadow. Red lipstick colors her smirk.

Arts & Culture

‘Companion’ brings a fun twist to an old story, but not much else

By Gabriella Wrighten | February 12

Even with an enjoyable premise and strong acting, the film fails to stand out within the horror genre.

Award-winning writer Bernadine Evaristo speaks into a microphone during Tuesday's event. Award-winning writer Claudia Rankine sits to Evaristo's left, and Professor Kwame Dawes sits to Evaristo's right.

Arts & Culture

Award-winning authors Claudia Rankine, Bernadine Evaristo reflect on literary arts at Brown event

By Annika Singh | February 12

On Tuesday, the two read excerpts of their work and shared perspectives on storytelling.

A bald older gentleman talks in front of a microphone at a desk.

Arts & Culture

New documentary tells the story of legal suppression in India

By Summer Shi | February 10

The film examines the 2020 arrest and ongoing imprisonment of student activist Umar Khalid.

A picture of Doja Cat, Lisa and Raye on the set of the "Born Again" music video. Doja Cat is in the front wearing chain mail on her head, Lisa is in the middle with a metal breastplate and blonde hair and Raye is in the back with a pearl necklace and white dress.

Arts & Culture

Three new singles that deserve a spot on your playlist

By Manav Musunuru | February 9

New music from Lady Gaga, Lisa and Doechii would be great additions to any Spotify playlist.

Kendrick Lamar stands with a microphone among a crowd of dancers in red, white and blue.

Arts & Culture

Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show stuns with powerful commentary and raw vocals

By Gabriella Wrighten | February 9

The rapper’s performance blended strong political messages with smash-hit songs.

An illustration of children sitting a table and painting/creating art.

Arts & Culture

RI organizations, artists win $300,000 in national arts grants

By Ava Stryker-Robbins | February 9

Meet three of the 12 winners of the recent National Endowment for the Arts grant.

An image of the front of the gallery, with a sign reading "After Hours: Annual Staff Art Exhibition" and a cluster of comic-book pages and paintings by staff visible in the background.

Arts & Culture

‘After Hours’: A glimpse into Brown staff’s artistic 5-to-9s after their 9-to-5s

By Maria Kim | February 7

The annual exhibition represents the creative processes that happen after working hours.

Will Ferrell, playing Jim in "You're Cordially Invited," looks at Reese Witherspoon, playing Margot. Witherspoon looks ahead smiling.

Arts & Culture

‘You’re Cordially Invited’ is exactly what rom-com viewers might expect

By Gabriella Wrighten | February 5

Led by an incredible cast, director Nicholas Stoller’s latest feature is funny, but not memorable.