When “Kingsman: The Secret Service” was released in 2014, it proved, along with “Deadpool” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” that R-rated blockbusters still had a place in Hollywood. The original “Kingsman” was a delightful surprise, parodying the classic James Bond movies while still managing to be an incredibly entertaining movie on its own merits. Though “Golden Circle” may have lost some of the magic of the original, this sequel maintains the franchise’s characteristic ultra-violence, endearing characters and surprisingly heartwarming moments.
As the class of 2018 came back to campus for their fourth and final year, people reunited with friends who had gone abroad during junior year. As the date of commencement looms over the horizon, seniors commiserate in a mix of relief and terror that college is soon to be over. While dauntingly close, the finish line also feels impossibly far with theses, comps and 400-level seminars staring down at us. The mantra of choice, “Well, we’ve made it this far,” reminds us that, at three-quarters of the way there, we may be exhausted but we have to push through.
Saya Woolfalk’s project, “The Empathetics,” highlights issues of gender, culture, identity, technological advances and commercialization in an innovative series of works that combine technology with art and storytelling. The exhibit, featured in the Mead Museum, examines the lives of women, called Empathetics, in a fictional world where they can modify their genetics at will and fuse with plants.
This fall’s political conversations and actions surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Dreamers and the border wall have revived fears and questions of what our country would look like without immigrants.
Our minds first go to political questions of American life without immigrants, but how would America’s — and Amherst’s — culture change with the restriction and exclusion of immigrants?
Summer 2017 was filled with huge releases from the likes of Lana Del Rey, DJ Khaled, Lorde and Tyler, the Creator. We were inundated with new projects from Meek Mill, A$AP Ferg, XXXTentacion, 21 Savage and Young Thug. There was so much new music released that I delayed my listening of Lil Uzi Vert’s album by two whole weeks. Two weeks! With all of these new albums coming in from big names, it is inevitable that some music will go unnoticed. That’s why I’m here with some albums that may have slipped under your radar this summer.
Every three years or so, the world’s greatest invisible actor Andy Serkis decides over morning coffee that the time is ripe to once more pretend that he is an ape. He then contacts director Matt Reeves, and a secret monastic order of computer wizards aid him in his quest. Critics and audience unite in their marvel at Hollywood’s thickening silver screen spellbook and the quiet brilliance of the man behind the monkey. Then, they forget Serkis and his associates, with nary a faux-obituary at the unfailingly disappointing Academy Awards.
Returning to school after a relaxing summer break is hard, and it can be easy to let the healthy practices you developed over the summer fall to the wayside once you’re back on campus. That’s where your phone comes in to save the day. With engaging graphics and daily challenges, these apps may feel like games but they can make a huge difference in encouraging you to keep healthy habits and maybe even avoid the next campus wide cold.
