MUSIC Future's “Mixtape Pluto” isn't as stellar as promised, says Evan Bournazian (CAS ’25). B2
FILM Francis Ford Coppola's “Megalopolis” was a mega bust, according to Isabelle Cialone (SOH ’27). B4
TELEVISION Stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody carry “Nobody Wants This,” says Grace Ko (CAS ’27). B7
OCTOBER 4, 2024
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan turned up the heat in Baltimore's CFG Bank Arena. B3
Caroline Woodward Guide Deputy Editor
‘Mixtape Pluto’ Isn’t Quite Out of This World
Evan Bournazian Special to The Hoya
Despite first debuting commercially over 12 years ago, Future remains more prominent and dominant in the rap sphere than ever, reaching unprecedented heights this year alone. Future’s success only continues with “Mixtape Pluto,” the rapper’s first mixtape in eight years and one that serves as a celebration of his past and current accomplishments.
As “Mixtape Pluto” marks Future’s third number one album in six months on the Billboard 200, a record only the Beatles can match, Future continues to scorch the music landscape at an unmatched rate. In March, Future collaborated with producer Metro Boomin first on “We Don’t Trust You,” a record featuring blazing rap-trap singles such as “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar. He followed this up with a more R&B and pop-rap-focused sequel, “We Still Don’t Trust You,” in April. However, “Mixtape Pluto” works as a return to Future’s rap roots, with the artist constructing his first solo mixtape since 2016’s “Purple Reign.”
“Mixtape Pluto” proves to be a gritty yet illustrious project in which Future reunites with previous collaborators, producers Southside and Wheezy, for 17 tracks that encompass Future’s roots in Atlanta, Ga. From the cover art alone, which features “The Dungeon,” a home in which Atlanta rap icons such as OutKast recorded their early records, it’s clear that Future is embracing his past, attempting to recapture the nostalgic energy of his classic mixtapes, 2014’s “Monster” and 2015’s “56 Nights.”
In “Mixtape Pluto,” Future hones in on a dense trap-infused sound that sways between self-indulgent lyricism, periods of introspection and melodic cathartics. Yet Future’s passion and delivery depreciate after the first tracks, with track length and effective quality decreasing steadily as the mixtape goes on. With numerous songs under the two-minute mark, many of the tracks in the latter half of the mixtape feel closer to half-baked demos than fleshed-out songs. Future begins “Mixtape Pluto” with “Teflon Don,” a Southside-assisted track featuring soul samples and booming trap pro-
duction that sees Future declaring himself having “Beat the first case like John Gotti” in a moment that serves as his return to the rap throne. The momentum only continues with the following track, “Lil Demon,” on which Future’s lyricism thins, repeating, “Yeah, I’m trappin, yeah, I’m trappin’, yeah, I’m still trappin’ / (Yessirski).” Still, the song has an infectious flow that is only amplified by Southside’s hard-hitting instrumentals. The mixtape further peaks on the following tracks, “Ski” and “Ready to Cook Up.” The latter, in particular, is a highlight of the mixtape, forming a haunting and intoxicating atmosphere in lines like, “Can’t say too much on these tracks ’cause I’m with gravediggers / (Yeah, yeah),” as Future alludes to a return to his indulgent and drug-reliant past lifestyle. While these opening songs on “Mixtape Pluto” appear as aggressive as Future’s past mixtapes, the next track, “Plutoski,” offers booming production from Wheezy which ultimately fails in execution due to Future’s tired delivery. In the chorus, on which he nearly incoherently mumbles, “Trappin’ out the trap, oh yeah (yeah,
@FUTURE/INSTAGRAM
According to Evan Bournazian (CAS ’25), Future’s new “Mixtape Pluto” doesn’t reach the stratospheric heights of the two albums he released earlier this year.
yeah),” Future seems to lack the focus necessary to create a hard-hitting trap sound. While the quality of the mixtape picks up with “Too Fast” and “Ocean,” on which Future takes a more introspective route, the rest of “Mixtape Pluto” never quite reaches the same stride as the opening tracks. Instead, on songs such as “MJ,” Future presents a seemingly incomplete concept record that features the rapper raspily muttering about indulging with women for just over a minute.
A similar, truncated track length appears on “South of France,” in which a spacy instrumental ebbs and flows promisingly as Future recalls his past and relishes in his current successes. Yet at only one minute and 48 seconds long, the song fails to live up to its potential. The tracklist sees another bright spot with “Surfing a Tsunami,” but the following three tracks, which each clock in at under a minute long, continue the trend of unfinished concepts. Nevertheless, one of the closing tracks, “Lost My Dog,” allows Future to express more emotion as he grieves over the death of a close friend after a fentanyl overdose.
Production and atmosphere remain two essential elements of Future’s work. In the case of “Mixtape Pluto,” these factors remain inconsistent between highs that invest in dark trap-rap and melodic introspection and lows that could easily be throwaways from any of the past five years of Future’s solo records. While “Mixtape Pluto” attempts to follow up on Future’s critically acclaimed mixtape run, Future does not quite offer the same aggressive, Southern-hip-hop-infused rap he rose to stardom through in the mid-2010s, but instead presents a more subdued version of himself across the mixtape.
“Mixtape Pluto” serves as an exciting victory lap for Future that celebrates his numerous achievements throughout 2024, but it ultimately does not quite reach up to the same bar that Future set for himself with his collaborations with Metro Boomin earlier this year.
Caroline Woodward
Guide Deputy Editor
Sunglasses, miniskirts and vibrant neon green clothing packed the streets near Baltimore, Md.’s CFG Arena Sept. 26. Crowds of young adults in loud, bright outfits flocked together in excited anticipation for what an outsider may have thought was a highly coordinated experimental fashion show. Fans donned everything from timeless leather jackets and heels to the latest TikTok trending accessories like large silver jewelry and sparkling glitter makeup. Complete strangers were chatting, gossiping and sharing cigarettes as they waited in line to get into the event. The air felt electric, excited and straight-up intoxicating. What act could bring such an array of the colorful and creative, the young and fashionable, the girls and the gays, people from all over Baltimore, the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area and beyond together? Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s joint act, the “Sweat” tour, of course.
Charli XCX and Sivan are, in one word, iconic. The two artists have operated in similar, but distinct, bubbles of pop culture with their own individual projects, amassing sizable and solid fanbases over a significant period of time. Sivan, a 29-year-old Australian singer, songwriter and actor, had his start on YouTube, releasing song covers, original work and even vlogs as far back as 2007. There, he found initial success until eventually signing with a record label and releasing his first studio album, “Blue Neighborhood,” in 2015.
Since “Blue Neighborhood,” Sivan has released two other albums since, his most recent being his 2023 album “Something to Give Each Other.” Sivan’s music is most known for its pop-centric sound that can range from fun dance music to sad ballads. His style and brand are further known for their queer themes, as he has used his music to explore growing up, discovering yourself and navigating his love life as a gay man.
Charli XCX’s pop explores a variety of emotions and experiences. Her topics range
from driving cars a little too fast to dealing with the loss of loved ones, leaning into hyper-pop, dance-pop and alternative styles — generally appealing to a queer audience. She makes the kind of music you want to hear on a night out to the sparkle of bright lights and the overtones of synth beats — considering the English singer and songwriter started her career posting on MySpace and performing at raves, it makes sense.
For over ten years, Charli’s myriad popular singles, including “Boom Clap” in 2014 and “Vroom Vroom” in 2020, have reached fame, but many of her full albums have failed to meet overwhelming commercial success. That was until “Brat” dropped in June. The sleek and almost ironically bright neon green cover, with the simple typography of the album’s single-word title, make it immediately recognizable. It’s cheeky, it’s modern, it’s cool. The songs act as a culmination of everything Charli represents: going out, having fun, being young and free while also having a darker, more serious edge. The album feels like dancing the night away but only to ignore your
@CHARLI_XCX/INSTAGRAM
At their Sept. 26 “Sweat” tour performance, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan wowed Baltimore.
Caroline Woodward (CAS ‘27) covers the perfect end to “brat summer.”
ever-encroaching problems and insecurities. With “Brat,” Charli XCX took over popular culture, the music scene and even politics: When Charli endorsed Kamala Harris for president by tweeting “kamala IS brat,” it popularized the summer of 2024 as “brat summer.” With “Brat” and “Something to Give Each Other,” Charli and Sivan have become certified hitmakers, cementing themselves as touchstones for our time and music scene. Their collaboration concert series reflects this entirely. Their vibes, styles and audience mesh almost seamlessly for an act that no one may have seen coming — and yet it’s one that maximizes their joint talent.
Each artist alternated performing, singing around two or three songs before switching off to their other half. Sivan absolutely brought the audience home several times with his complex and stylized choreography, using the set more than his counterpart. His recognizable hits from all three previous albums bought on some perspiration and lost voices, but he effectively balanced his set out with more melodic and slow songs, which led the audience to quiet and calm. Charli XCX, playing songs almost entirely from “Brat,” brought the crowd’s energy back and put the sweat in the “Sweat” tour, with the audience singing almost every lyric along with her and dancing throughout the night.
Despite this shift in energy, each component of the performance, from the bright red and neon green in their unique styles to their songs, made the “Sweat” tour an undeniably unique and culturally significant experience moment of 2024. It was the perfect end to “brat summer.”
Isabelle Cialone
Special to the Hoya
Imagine the most insane and nonsensical fever dream you have ever had — whatever it is, it pales in comparison to what this psychedelic trip of a movie has in store for you.
Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial return after a 13-year hiatus, his self-funded, longtime passion project “Megalopolis” delivers a cinematic experience unlike any other. Set in New Rome, a parodic modern-day New York-esque city where avant-garde architecture meets praetorian influence, this epic fable seeks to depict the corruption of U.S. society as a parallel to the fall of the Roman Empire. Visionary architect and genius savant Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) has plans to build a utopia, but his rival, New Rome mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), vehemently repudiates them.
In Catilina, we see Coppola himself: an artist
with huge dreams who will stop at nothing to see them realized. “Megalopolis” serves as both an homage to the ingenuity of man and a reproach of the numerous social issues at the root of the United States’ downfall: rampant capitalism, corrupt leadership and violent civil unrest, to name a few. Unfortunately, Coppola’s ambition is ultimately what makes the movie such a mess. It tries to explore far too many avenues and as a result, everything from the characters to the countless subplots are severely underdeveloped. Audiences get the sense that every idea he conceived for this movie over the last 40 years managed to weasel its way into it.
This mess of a thematic collage obscures the central plot and throughout the nearly two-anda-half-hour movie, very little is done to advance it. When the story is finally picked back up again after a disaster destroys parts of New Rome, it is in a completely underwhelming and unoriginal way — a stark opposition to the otherwise overwhelm-
ing hallucinatory nature of this phantasmagorical film. Most of the scenes feel randomly compiled together until they are, at some point, contextualized — but adding more and more context only renders the plot more incoherent.
And yet despite the incomprehensibility of its plot and themes, “Megalopolis” is a weirdly straightforward movie, never achieving the depth likely intended. The metaphors are painfully on the nose and the script is littered with philosophical musings and misplaced quotes from the likes of Shakespeare and Marcus Aurelius in an attempt to be thought provoking, which only succeeds in making the dialogue feel stilted and unnatural.
Driver and Esposito both deliver solid performances despite the poorly written script, but the standout is in Aubrey Plaza with her hilarious depiction of Wow Platinum, a clout-chasing TV presenter and Catilina’s mistress, which might have entirely saved the otherwise completely random
IMDB
Isabelle Cialone (CAS ‘28) finds Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” fun and grand but much too chaotic.
and frankly insane character. Unfortunately, the tonal inconsistencies in the script create an environment in which none of the actors seem to be acting within the same genre, and some lines are painfully delivered in a way that indicates that even the actors don’t understand why they’re saying them.
Individually, each subplot has the potential to be interesting — among them, virginal pop star Vesta Sweetwater (Grace VanderWaal) becomes involved in a sex scandal, corrupting her youthful purity; a Russian satellite slowly falls toward Earth, spelling imminent disaster; and media mogul Wow Platinum attempts to manipulate her way into power among the aristocrats’ debauchery. Oh, and Catilina also has the ability to stop time — a pretentious attempt to comment on how art freezes time, which serves as a rather cruel reminder of the two and a half hours I spent trying to digest this grandiose spectacle.
The overstuffed script does not do justice to any of these ideas and neither does the editing, which cuts every scene just as it’s getting started and intersperses what should be sequential scenes so far apart that you’ve completely forgotten about a subplot by the time it finally reappears.
Visually, the imagery is awe-inspiring at times, and Coppola creates an interesting atmosphere, meshing art deco and surrealism with classical Roman architecture. The overall look of the film, as golden-baked and gaudy as it is, deserves credit, but the cheap CGI and PowerPoint-esque transition slides with agonizingly obvious attempts at cryptic inscriptions squander an otherwise enthralling visual experience.
Coppola set out to create a movie that would redefine the future of filmmaking. Needless to say, he certainly succeeded in creating something experimental on a scale that will likely never be seen again. The director clearly imbued a piece of his soul into the movie; it somehow manages to feel like a social experiment while still coming across as a deeply personal manifesto of his beliefs and philosophies— and indeed, Coppola’s compassion for humanity and criticism of society’s oppression of human fulfillment comes through across the film.
As a whole, the experience of “Megalopolis” is unparalleled: completely baffling, at times frustrating yet impossibly fascinating and brilliant. It is occasionally intentionally, but mostly unintentionally, hilarious. As flawed as it is, it’s ridiculously enjoyable and hard to hate: It will have you questioning exactly what it is you watched for days afterward, but therein lies the genius.
As Catilina says in the film “When you jump into the unknown, you prove you are free.” One of many non sequiturs from a script overbrimming with them, it is one Coppola wholeheartedly embodies in the absolute chaos of this cinematic adventure. “Megalopolis” is grandiose and ridiculous and seriously suffers from an overabundance of ideas, but it shouldbeappreciatedfortheimpenitenceofitsflaws.
Nick Williams Special to The Hoya
For the Little Monsters, “Harlequin” is something of a curveball. In August, Lady Gaga dropped the soft rock duet “Die with a Smile” with Bruno Mars all the while teasing an upcoming project tentatively titled “LG7.” Then out of the blue last week, she announced “Harlequin,” a jazzy companion album that speaks to the character of Harley Quinn, the DC Comics villain she portrays in the upcoming film “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Composed of 11 covers and two original songs, “Harlequin” builds on Gaga’s previous genre-bending work.
Gaga first stepped into the world of jazz back in 2014, recording a new rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” with jazz legend Tony Bennett. Bennett and Gaga worked together again on 2021’s “Love For Sale,” Bennett’s final album before his passing in 2023. “Harlequin” recalls these previous forays into jazz while sprinkling in some more modern pop tunes to pad out the album.
The first half of the record contains covers from the Great American Songbook, mainly musical theater cuts from the 1930s to the 1960s. Gaga sings over upbeat jazz instrumentals, often incorporating electric guitar, organ, soaring brass sections and swelling strings. Despite the intriguing blues and doo-wop elements that find their way into these tracks, the first half of “Harlequin” can feel a little
homogenous. After six upbeat jazz numbers, we’re ready for something new.
The emotional heart of the record shows itself around track six, “That’s Entertainment.” Written for the 1953 musical film “The Band Wagon” and later popularized by Judy Garland, the track alludes to Harley Quinn’s character while simultaneously speaking to Gaga’s relationship with the spotlight. Then on “Smile,” a song from Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 “The Modern Times,” the album slows down. Gaga’s voice feels intimate but strong, dancing over the soft textures of piano and muted cymbals. Though the title and Gaga’s melancholic delivery allude to the painted smile of the iconic DC villain The Joker, the track also succeeds in paying homage to early Hollywood.
The second half of the record is admittedly more interesting. Track eight, “The Joker,” hails from the 1964 musical “The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd,” although Gaga and producer Benjamin Rice modernize the tune. Her vocal delivery resembles that of her earlier pop projects, with a soaring hook where Gaga repeats: “The joker is me!” Sure, it’s a little corny, but with the pulsing instrumental and evocative delivery, it’s chill-inducing. At the end of “The Joker” her voice breaks into grimy screams, reflecting the internal struggle of her character. The following track, “Folie à deux,” is one of two originals written for the record, with the name
If food trucks, cider tastings and live music by Jessica Allossery and the Rock Creek Kings sound like your type of Saturday, take a stroll across Key Bridge into Rosslyn this weekend. Walk about 15 minutes south of the Car Barn to enjoy Gateway Park’s plethora of “fall-favorite” activities from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 5.
invoking her upcoming film and translating to “shared psychosis.” Musically, the song is a waltz, fitting in smoothly alongside the album’s other jazz standards. Lyrics like “Take my hand, stay here, my friend” and “I know where we’re going” recall Gaga’s 2016 country LP “Joanne” and its quiet, understated title track. Might “Folie à deux” be drawing a parallel between Harley Quinn’s psychosis and the trauma Gaga’s family experienced after her aunt’s death? Outside this intriguing allusion, there’s not much to chew on lyrically. The song is sparse and lines like “They might say that we’re crazy / But I’m just in love with you” feel somewhat uninspired.
My personal favorite track is “Close to You,” a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song popularized by the Carpenters in 1970. While Gaga sounds amazing on this song and it certainly fits Harley’s obsessive longing for a man just out of reach, the soft-pop instrumentation does feel slightly out of place on a jazz record.
The penultimate track “Happy Mistake” is the second original, produced alongside longtime collaborator BloodPop. “Happy Mistake” is a downbeat and melancholy pop song that simmers below the surface, threatening to erupt into chaos but never reaching the boiling point. Acoustic guitar drives the track forward, as Gaga laments about performance, insanity and addiction. Her light falsetto on the earworm chorus solidifies
By Caitlin McBride
On the first Friday of every month, the Duke Ellington Plaza in front of Howard Theatre in Shaw — just a half-hour G2 bus ride from Georgetown University — bursts with local artists, musicians and businesses. Celebrate community with art and refreshments Friday, Oct. 4, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“Happy Mistake” as an album highlight. Gaga then closes out the record with a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life.” The song feels grandiose, from its crashing cymbals, piano stabs and lush strings to its aspirational lyrics that champion positivity.
On “Harlequin,” Gaga places herself at the unique intersection of two powerful U.S. mythologies. First, she’s entered the canon of U.S. superhero movies, playing a notable sidekick in a sure-to-be blockbuster film. But she’s also solidifying her role among the musical greats by bringing beloved jazz standards to a new audience.
Although Gaga and Bennett covered a number of musical theater greats and jazz standards on their previous LPs, several tracks on “Harlequin” suggest she isn’t done with traditional pop. Above all else though, I think “Harlequin” is proof of Gaga’s diversity and willingness to adapt. She debuted with “The Fame” 16 years ago, an electronic dance album that channeled 1980s synth pop. Over the next decade, she explored gothic pop, electronic rock, techno, EDM, country, folk and house music.
The key to sustaining a career in the music scene and in Hollywood is that kind of extensive repertoire, one that keeps the audience asking “What’s next?” As she continues to surprise the Little Monsters with “Harlequin,” it would seem Lady Gaga possesses the magic to keep generating public interest in her art for years to come.
THIS WEEK’S THEME: Fall Fever
On Thursday, Oct. 10, honor Hispanic Heritage Month through the cultural fusion of Mexican and Indigenous traditions at the National Gallery of Art’s celebration of Día de los Muertos from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Register in advance for up to two tickets in the free lottery online!
As the calendar flips from summer to autumn, dive into how the U.S. Botanic Garden’s plants have evolved defenses against infection, herbivores and even their fellow plant competition. This multisensory (and free!) exhibit showcases the “ferocious side” of flora and fauna from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all week.
Joey King Is Actually a Great Actress. Why Does Netflix’s ‘Uglies’ Keep Pushing Her Down?
Apara Chandavarkar
Special to The Hoya
When I opened my computer to watch Netflix’s newest young adult book-to-film adaptation “Uglies,” I sighed in dread. Another YA adaptation with Joey King? I could only picture King’s tragic thumbs-up Glambot incident. However, after the 100-plus minutes of the movie were up, “Uglies” had actually exceeded my low expectations — but not for the reason you think.
Based on Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel of the same name, “Uglies” depicts a future where teens undergo extreme cosmetic
surgery when they turn 16 so they can be a “Pretty.” Joey King plays a soon-to-be “Pretty” girl named Tally who finds herself joining the resistance to this society as she discovers the dark truths to the Pretty system. “Uglies” touches on important themes like beauty standards and — surprisingly for being based on a novel from 2005 — contains relevant commentary on toxicity in social media as well.
On the technical side, the film doesn’t completely fall through either. While some of the CGI is awkward — like in the incomplete rendering of one hoverboard skatepark scene — the futuristic architecture and ac-
tion sequences of “Uglies” are pretty convincing. Many have noted how the visuals of the “Pretties” bear a striking resemblance to Snapchat’s “Bold Glamour” filter. The adaptation also clearly tries to stay as close to Westerfeld’s novel as possible, keeping to its original cliffhanger ending that suggests an unconfirmed second movie. Where “Uglies” excels, though, is in its casting and chemistry. King makes you root for Tally, standing out against the roster of YA protagonists who often seem cliche and insufferable. King’s strong chemistry with her character’s new friend, the rebellious Shay (Brianne Tju), feels authentic and the
IMDB
In Netflix’s “Uglies,” Joey King’s performance is anything but ugly. Apara Chandavarkar (CAS ’28) says “Uglies” restricts King’s full potential.
romantic tension between King and the leader of the resistance, David (Keith Powers), seems to radiate off the screen. But despite all these good factors, there’s still something that feels cheesy, cliche and disconnected about the adaptation.
The problem? Joey King is just too good for “Uglies.” The lower-budget, YA bookto-streaming service genre does not quite match King’s more serious performance. While it is generally good for actors to give each performance their all, watching King act in her full dramatic capacity makes it clear that she’s outgrown the typecast of YA protagonists. Instead of her talent raising the bar for “Uglies,” it primarily highlights the weaknesses of the script and plot. No longer is she the kid in “Ramona and Beezus,” nor is she the girl from “The Kissing Booth.” After seeing her shine in “Bullet Train,” where she delivered a dually girly and grisly performance as a layered, ruthless assassin daughter, it’s clear she’s capable of far more complex, challenging roles, a stark contrast to her usual typecast.
And yet, like clockwork, Netflix continues to cast her in these same kinds of YA films. While “Uglies” is not a bad YA adaptation, it is a step backward for King, who is outgrowing the repetitive projects the industry continues to throw at her. Joey King deserves more than “Uglies,” and Hollywood needs to catch up.
Grace Ko Hoya Staff Writer
“Nobody Wants This,” created by writer Erin Foster, is the latest entry to the recent romantic comedy renaissance. With unexpected sparks between a free-spirited podcaster and a soft-hearted rabbi, “Nobody Wants This” builds an all-too-recognizable yet still unique and charming love story.
“Nobody Wants This” focuses on Joanne (Kristen Bell), who has turned her unsuccessful, crazy love life into a career as she details her failures, reflections and relationship advice on a podcast with her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe). However, after a chance encounter with Noah (Adam Brody), a charming rabbi who has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend Rebecca (Emily Arlook) at her friend Ashley’s (Sherry Cola) party, an undeniable attraction connects Joanne and Noah as they dive headfirst into love. As the pair’s romance grows, the couple is forced to come to terms with the disapproval of those around them, particularly from Noah’s headstrong mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), who disapproves of the agnostic Joanne’s apathy towards religion.
The performances and electric chemistry between Bell and Brody truly set this show apart from the wave of recent romantic comedies. Bell brings a biting charm that gives Joanne a certain charming unlikability that,
when balanced by Bell’s ability to bring out Joanne’s insecurity, creates a relatable character who often hides her heart beneath layers of sarcasm. As for the other half of the pair, Brody is in all ways the image of dorky sweetness as Noah, who attracts people both because of his position as a rabbi and his inherent kindness. Despite this, Brody still adds little bits of defiance to Noah: While the character often seems to follow the paths others set, the way he expresses his love for Joanne reveals a contrasting side to the character, who otherwise seems more willing to walk down paths and expectations set by those around him.
The supporting cast further uplifts the show’s charm. Morgan and Sasha (Timothy Simons), Noah’s married brother, are both well-developed characters who provide a comedic presence to the cast — Morgan delivers a plethora of sarcastic dialogue and Sasha always provides earnest, dry humor. While the pair aren’t quite given the spotlight, they each individually give quick glimpses into the loneliness they experience within their families as “the loser siblings,” as Sasha puts it. Together, the two characters share an interesting dynamic as they slowly find comfort in one another and establish a friendship that slightly blurs the line between platonic and romantic. However, “Nobody Wants This” seems to trust the performances of its cast to the point
that the writing suffers. Often, throughout the show, I felt that the charm of the central relationship was purely fueled by Bell and Brody’s individual performances and the chemistry between them, rather than by fully realized and developed characters. Much of what is known about Noah and Joanne seems to be simply stated. Not much time is spent on solidifying these explicitly stated characteristics and working to make them believable parts of the characters and the established dynamic between them.
The clearest example of this is in the show’s fourth episode, “Obliterated.” This episode’s established conflict is Joanne’s insecurity about her passionate — even a tad bit obsessive — attitude toward her romantic partners, further exacerbated by Morgan’s skepticism that Noah will stay with Joanne when he starts to gain a glimpse of this side. However, throughout the date, while Noah and Joanne banter, flirt and shyly smile enough for any viewer to giggle, such an inner conflict rarely appears at all.
Besides a brief panic that seizes Joanne when Noah almost sees her search history filled with traces of his ex-girlfriend, Joanne does not seem to have a particularly obsessive personality. Without an actual buildup of this inner conflict other than its introduction and a few subtle details sprinkled throughout, the vulnerability that Joanne shows in her confession to Noah falls flat: There is no clear mo-
ment that reveals Joanne’s insecurity about her obsessive personality. The writers simply stated such facts — and that’s not enough to really bring these aspects of the character to life.
Indeed, this show’s best story arcs occur when it allows for sufficient buildup, taking time to show both conflict and resolution. One such arc is that of the fate of Joanne and Noah’s relationship. This arc is established from the very first episode when Joanne appears at a service Noah leads, leading to Bina’s instant disapproval. The conflict between Bina’s refusal to accept Joanne and Noah’s steadfast love for her is constant throughout, growing more tense. Whether it be in small comments about Joanne’s quiet fears about Bina’s lack of acceptance or other pressures like Noah’s dream to be head rabbi, which would require Joanne to convert to Judaism or leave Noah, the conflict’s constant presence means the writers can steadily build to a well-earned conclusion.
In its current state, “Nobody Wants This” exists in a strange balance between mediocrity and novelty. Nevertheless, as any love story would dream of achieving, I do believe in the romance crafted between Joanne and Noah and the potential they have to grow in both the story and their relationship. It’s just a matter of whether this love will be able to grow beyond the basic stage or die, stunted by miscommunication and the same old failures of romance.
Mauro Mazzariello
Special to The Hoya
We’ve been told since we were little not to get into cars with strangers, to go nowhere with people we don’t know. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow, but what if the stranger in question is James McAvoy?
“Speak No Evil” asks this very question, following a U.S. couple, Louise and Ben Dalton (Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy), who befriends a British couple in Italy and decide to spend a long weekend with them in the British countryside. The Daltons are at a rough point in their marriage. Ben feels emasculated after discovering Louise was cheating on him over text, and in an effort to ease tensions, they go to Italy for a short vacation. However, while in Italy, they meet Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), a light-hearted British couple who show the uptight Daltons how to relax and have fun. The adults try to connect the Daltons’ anxious
daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) with Paddy and Ciara’s son Ant (Dan Hough), who can’t speak due to a genetic condition. After returning to the gloom and doom of their London home and the bleak reality of their marriage, Ben convinces Louise to accept an invitation to Paddy and Ciara’s home in the countryside for an off-thegrid weekend. Ben thinks this trip will be the cure for their marriage, yet to no one’s surprise except Ben’s, this is unfortunately not the case.
The Daltons’ weekend starts off strong with homemade cider and a cozy cottage. However, much to Ben’s chagrin, this idyllic countryside vacation slowly devolves into a nightmare as Paddy and Ciara’s odd and abusive behavior starts to creep through. McNairy does almost too good of a job playing the most inattentive husband known to man, constantly whining about feeling emasculated despite uprooting his entire family and destroying his wife’s career just to move to London for work. Ben’s
insecurities become an easy target for Paddy, who represents everything Ben wishes he could be: a real man who brews his own cider, doesn’t take life too seriously and just likes to have fun with his gorgeous and loving wife. It becomes increasingly unclear whether Ben wants to become Paddy or wants to be with him.
Paddy’s rustic charm blinds Ben to countless red flags, which Louise brings up, and Ben’s utter lack of a backbone allows Louise to step into the spotlight, something that Davis does beautifully. Louise is the voice of reason and the real hero of the story. She first recognizes that something is off with Paddy and Ciara and is brave enough to pack up and leave. Louise’s dynamism comes much to the audience’s relief, as Ben’s pitiful act gets tiring pretty fast.
The climax of the movie plays out much as expected: Louise takes aggressive action against Paddy, Ciara and their henchman while trying to calm down a blubbering Ben.
For a moment, it seems like Ben might actually find a shred of bravery and fight for his family, but those hopes are soon obliterated: I’ve never seen someone throw a Molotov cocktail so poorly. Out of nowhere, Ant instead steps into this role, fighting back against Paddy and Ciara.
“Speak No Evil” toes the line between thriller and horror, utilizing the on-screen tension and buildup to develop a strong feeling of terror. While the film ticks off most of the classic characteristics of a thriller — unusual behavior that devolves as the movie ticks on, third act reveals and the main characters playing into their stereotypes by stupidly going back to the house for an emotional support stuffed animal — it also adds originality, provoking the audience’s anxiety through off-screen noises and adding a twist in the character of Ant. This movie doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but it brings just enough nuance and deranged James McAvoy behavior to make it an enjoyable watch.
Anandita Agarwal Guide Columnist
From low budgets to shattered iPhone screens to a ban on its target audience, “Monkey Man” is stronger for its jugaad (scrappy resourcefulness) and amateur newness.
As Harry Styles would say, my favorite thing about Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” is that it is a movie that feels like a movie … a real go-to-the-theater film. And apparently, I wasn’t alone in feeling this for “Monkey Man.” After a tumultuous start in the gears of bankrupt Bron Studios, award-winning filmmaker and comedian Jordan Peele, along with Universal Studios, saw the film’s potential and believed that it was destined for the big screen. And after a first watch, it’s easy to see why. Veteran actor and pop culture icon Dev Patel sought to arrive onto the directorial scene with this John Wick-esque film and boy did he arrive with a bang — or, more fittingly, a punch. Before going into the cinematography and thematic wonder of “Monkey Man,” it is important to understand how the film came to be. Before Peele picked it up, Netflix bought “Monkey Man” for $30 million upon seeing Dev Patel’s script. However, when
the script ended up with a darker, messier inflection than expected, Netflix ended up dropping it and Bron bought its rights.
Under Bron Studios, “Monkey Man” was plagued by budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic. While you would expect Bron’s bankruptcy to be the nail in the coffin for “Monkey Man,” Patel persevered, filming many scenes through an iPhone 15 camera after the crew could no longer afford filming equipment (Indians — we won’t do it first, but we’ll definitely do it cheapest). Patel even continued filming with a broken hand and arm. It’s this ever-changing history of studios, budgets and scripts that forced Patel to be relentless and gave “Monkey Man” its gritty charm. The film’s choppiness gives it space to breathe as something new and free.
This is evident in the bold and unapologetic message Patel chooses to herald. Set in the fictional Indian city of Yatana, which was loosely based on the social disparity of Mumbai, India, the film follows Kid (Patel), an underground, scrappy boxer seeking to avenge his mother’s death at the hands of the corrupt, elitist policeman Rana (Sikandar Kher). Kid’s journey takes him everywhere from dive bars to temples to hijra communities (homes to transgender outcasts). Baba Shakti (Ma-
By Tanvi Gorripati
karand Deshpande), the overarching villain, is a man heralded by a religious movement known as Hindutva that consumes India and its government today.
Through long, mise-en-scène outtakes of religious backstory and mythological symbolism, the film brings to the forefront an important message on Indian classism and religious corruption. For example, it likens Rana, one of the antagonists, to Ravan, the Hindu demon, while Kid’s persona takes inspiration from Hanuman, the half-human, half-monkey deity — hence the title.
What is also unique is the kind of Indian person the film chooses to portray, which Patel has said is deliberate: “I haven’t seen someone such as myself expressed in this manner. Normally we’re given the roles of comedic relief: the guy who opens that laptop and hacks the mainframe type of thing.”
But this inspired Patel to radically change the narrative that he is often forced to play to one about a violent vigilante — a unique change that is the reason why I was propelled into writing this review.
I watched the film in a way unlike Peele intended it – on my laptop, hunched over in the dark, illegally streaming it through a VPN and 123movies. Why? Well, the film
is banned in India. Yep, you read that right. A film made by and starring a man of Indian heritage, set in India, about Indian society is banned in India — yet another item on the laundry list of obstacles that “Monkey Man” faced. This one comes from the Indian government, a force that embodies Hindutva, the ideology the movie chooses to condemn. Ironically, this makes the film’s power even more evident, as it has a resilience that makes the establishment afraid of its voice.
And in my eyes, that’s what it means to be Indian now. That’s what the spirit of Gen-Z jugaad is: frugality, change and innovation. The film has been criticized for its sharp, unceasing barrage of action sequences and uneven pacing thanks to the one-take action scenes noticeably shot on an iPhone. This untraditional recording makes the film stand out in a landscape of surface-level South Asian media.
It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s Indian, and that’s what matters.
Anandita Agarwal is a first-year in the School of Foreign Service. “Spilling the Chai” will appear online and in print every other week.
1. Mysterious sky visitor
6. A Hawaiian island shaped like an apostrophe
7. Between, in French
8. A shaky plane landing may cause ____
9. Good mates
DOWN
1. A skydiver’s exit
2. A pilot may ___ ___ plane at their destination
3. Secretive information
4. Brings in money
5. A Russian refusal
1. Possible descriptor for Miguel in “Coco”
6. First Indian Prime Minister
7. To extract an insight
8. A frequent text exchange between Georgetown students:
“studying at ___, dinner in a few?”
“bet, __ __ in 10”
9. What your D&D character gains when they absolutely demolish a dragon DOWN
1. The Pixar lamp is bent at an _____
2. Something you WON’T be able to do if you wake up at 7:50 a.m. for your test at 8 a.m.
3. “___ best Pixar movie is __”
4. “No way, ___ is better!?!” (possible response to 3 Down, backwards)
5. Interim Bangladeshi Chief Advisor