What Arts & Culture has been consuming over the three-month break
8/26/21 by Staff Reports
School is back in full swing! While we’re getting back into the groove of in-person classes, let’s reminisce on the media that’s kept our minds busy. Here are some of Arts & Culture’s favorite pieces of media from the summer.
Lakhsmi Chatterjee, Arts & Culture Editor
I regressed this summer and finally watched “Death Note.” I was honestly surprised by how funny it was. I wasn’t expecting it. Every time Light feverishly wrote like 100 names in the Death Note I cracked up. I think the English dub was the best part of it. Every little thing they said just sounded so dramatic. Like wow, Light ate a bag of chips. Amazing. The show was just the right thing to watch with friends who have no exposure to anime. Watching their facial expressions through it was almost better than the show itself, especially when they introduce Misa. But other than that, the concept really does make you think. Does power make you evil? I highly recommend watching it for fun.
Krishna Patel, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
This past Father’s Day, I watched “Minari” with my whole family. The plot of the movie revolves around a Korean immigrant family moving to rural Arkansas in the 1980s to start a family farm growing Korean produce. The movie was produced in the United States, but is mostly in Korean. However, the subtitles are easy to follow and there is limited dialogue. I was highly impressed with the actors’ performances as well as the unique plotline highlighting the complex emotional struggles of immigrant families. The film was incredibly heartwarming and I really enjoyed watching it with my family — all of us appreciated being able to see a family in a Hollywood movie that we could relate to. “Minari” demonstrates a greater trend in Hollywood catering to a larger audience by reflecting unique and historically underrepresented narratives and life experiences.
Sam Lillianthal, Arts & Culture Intern
A piece of media I consumed over the summer was the movie “Old” by M. Night Shyamalan, a film about a group of people that go to a beach and start aging rapidly with no escape. It is such a dumb movie with an abundance of plot holes and horribly written scenes. The movie is so stupid, though, that it became fun to watch. Making fun of it in the theater and referencing it with other people who watched the movie was a blast. It’s a “so bad, it’s good” type of movie that any group of friends could watch and have a fun time.
Makoto Toyoda, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
I finally finished the fourth season of “The Good Place” this summer on a plane ride home. Although the plot of the first season was the most creative and shocking with its twists and turns, the producers have managed to keep the audience hooked by developing the show’s beloved characters. Fans like myself got to witness the budding relationship between Eleanor and Chidi, as well as the quirky bond between Michael and the four main characters. Due to the premise of the show and its questions of morality and the afterlife, the last few episodes pulled some heartstrings — especially because it seems as though this is the final season. It felt like we were saying goodbye to the show.
Jamie Nguyen, Arts & Culture Intern
A retelling of the English folktale “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the movie “The Green Knight” had mixed reviews. At first glance, it appeared to be tailor-made for film snobs and English majors, containing neither satisfying action nor cutthroat politics. Yet it emerged from this fatal flaw strangely hypnotic. Dev Patel adds a much-needed side of vulnerability to Gawain’s character, which can easily be skewed into pitifulness, and the movie did not shy away from exploiting this. Patel spent most of his screen time running away from the problems he causes, being tricked and getting robbed. Intersected by intensive shots of his journey, Patel hardly speaks more than twice in a scene. It is a movie that will be enjoyable for people that overthink while consuming media and people who are entranced by music videos’ plots.
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