Crimson staff writer
Amy Friedman
Latest Content
"Draft Day" Fails to Make the Cut
“Draft Day” offers a somewhat interesting look behind the curtain of the NFL draft and stars Kevin Costner.
Memory and Identity are Present in “Absence”
Though many stories of dementia focus primarily on the relationships and emotional struggles of patients’ close friends and family, the script of “Absence” distinguishes itself by choosing to focus primarily on Helen’s interior losses. In doing so, the production forces the audience to contemplate the fine line between memory and identity in a way that lingers in the viewer’s mind afterwards.
"Thor" is Marvelous Entertainment
As with many recent Marvel films, “Thor: The Dark World” gives equal weight to wry wit and hammer-clashing battle. Though assuredly a superhero flick, “The Dark World” rises above expectations thanks to its pithy humor, gorgeous visuals, and the creation of a perfect supervillain.
"Parkland" Falls Short of Promise
Writer and director Peter Landesman’s “Parkland” tries to tell the story of the assassination of John F. Kennedy through the eyes of a few bystanders who were directly affected by Kennedy’s death in unexpected ways. Unfortunately, the film packs too much in during its relatively short run time to be very coherent or satisfying, despite its deeply compelling subject matter.
"Bangerz" a Mash of Confused Ideas
Considering her new “fearless” image, “Bangerz” is surprisingly guarded. The best songs on the album are the few where Cyrus sings on her own and takes on any kind of emotional range.
Singles Rundown
Miley Cyrus' new single is a welcome departure from her earlier single "We Can't Stop," although the music video complicates the message. Icona Pop resurfaces after their massively successful "I Love It" to remake a classic Lesley Gore song. And Coldplay releases their new song for the "Hunger Games: Catching Fire."
"Tower" Rebuilt
The eleventh season of “Ivory Tower” begins this fall with a new story that one executive producer, Joao A. Vogel ’16, describes as part “Romeo and Juliet,” part “Godfather,” with a Harvard twist. The coming season will feature two “student groups”—the Italian Mafia and the Ninjas—vying for control of the UC. “Ivory Tower” has been kicking for more than a decade, and after a severely truncated single-episode season last year, the new leaders are looking to resurrect the show.
Shel Silverstein Should Not Grow Up
The program for “An Adult Evening With Shel Silverstein,” which ran until August 31, forewarned the audience that the “show is not suitable for children.” This might seem like a surprising disclaimer to accompany the work of an author best known for child-friendly poems, but the play took on a lot, from wild obscenities, to killing horses, matricide, infanticide, and being raped by a bunch of Koreans (we never find out why the Koreans are in the story specifically, but it gets dwelled on).
Warren Secures Democratic Nomination for Senate
In a landslide victory of 95.7 percent of delegate votes, Elizabeth Warren secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention on Saturday. Her only competitor, Marisa DeFranco, failed to gather 15 percent of the 3,500 delegates to qualify as a candidate in September’s primary election.
Vaccination Company Wins President's Challenge Grand Prize
Vaxess Technologies, a company working to increase global access to vaccines through harnessing silk technology, has won the grand prize in the President’s Challenge, a competition that looked to foster social entrepreneurship across Harvard’s campus, the University announced Monday.