The Hoya: The Guide: February 25, 2022

FILM Star-studded “Death on the Nile” fails to shine despite lauded source material. B4

FILM Netflix’s “Tall Girl 2” falls short of alreadylow expectations with poor writing. B6

MUSIC British indie rock band alt-J’s latest album poetically explores the journey of life. B7

February 25, 2022

How Georgetown Students Jam

Student songwriters forge community connections, carve out artistic spaces on the Hilltop.

Abigail Corrao and Emily Smith Hoya Staff Writers

ILLUSTRATION BY: NOA BRONICKI/THE HOYA

Sounds of the Hilltop: Student Musicians Embrace Community Passionate about their craft, Georgetown student songwriters find new ways to embrace their musicality both on campus and around the DC area.

Abigail Corrao and Emily Smith Hoya Staff Writers

For students like California girl Sophia George (SFS ’23), music has really struck a chord.

During online school last year, George — known by her stage name “Sophia Marie” — found herself with an abundance of free time in her Los Angeles County home. To fill the time, George turned to a long-time passion project: songwriting.

“I realized that there was so much I took for granted. So I just wanted to start songwriting.

I’ve always wanted to make music, so I started doing that in August of 2020,” George told The Hoya. “By the time spring 2021 came around, over quarantine, I’d written 70 songs.”

George said the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it expanses of extra time, allowing her to

B2 |

COURTESY LINNEA PETROPOULOS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students used music to escape the pressures of academic life.

To help this effort, Prospect Records, a student-run music label, provides campus artists with access to professional equipment for their craft.

finally pursue songwriting alongside her schoolwork and other campus commitments.

Across campus, talented students like George are walking out of their “Borders and Security Concerns,” “Organic Chemistry” and “Problem of God” classes and sauntering straight into the studio, choosing to pursue their artistic talents despite the academic and professional pressures of student life. Thanks to the talents of these artists, as well as support from organizations like Prospect Records — a student-run music label — the music scene on the Hilltop is alive and well, offering a place for musicians to explore their passions and escape the pressures of class, work and clubs.

selves in search of something to relieve them of the stresses of living in a pandemic. For some students, this meant diving deep into their psyches for inspiration for songs and reconnecting with old friends to create new musical memories.

COVID-19 isolation became an opportunity to truly devote oneself to music. For George, having an abundance of time during quarantine meant there were many new opportunities to sit down and workshop her songwriting.

Drawing inspiration from pop queens like Lana Del Ray and Taylor Swift to bands like TV Girl and even a romanticized cosmopolitan lifestyle, George chose to escape into her own lyrical world during the profound disruption of the pandemic.

Pandemic Blues “So during quarantine, I was like, ‘Oh my god I After long days of Zoom classes in desolate bed- have to be this person I want to be.’ Music was what rooms, many Georgetown students found them- totally allowed me that because it was something

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

I always wanted to do but I was like, ‘I don’t have time to do this.’ And I was like, ‘Well, yes, yes you do, you have no excuse not to do this,’” George said.

George recently released the fruit of her labors, her single “Venice Beach to D.C.,” in which she reflects on the transition from a beach-based California existence to life in the nation’s bustling capital.

For other student artists, like Fabiola Castro (COL ’22) music was a place of solace in a world made even more tumultuous by the pandemic.

“Music was my escape and my way of exploring how I was feeling or looking deeper into the things that I wouldn’t have thought about or explored enough before. It was like a comfort,” Castro told The Hoya.

Castro graduated in December 2021, shortly after releasing “a la temporada,” an album available on Spotify and Apple Music. The album, created for her senior capstone project as a music major, and inspired by Castro’s favorites like The 1975 and Depeche Mode, explores and articulates the emotional journey she took over her college experience.

Castro had been involved with the music department at Georgetown throughout her entire college career prior to the pandemic, so losing access to the music community because of COVID-19 was painful.

“I would see videos of, like, violin players playing on their balcony, so that people could listen to them from across the street or something, or I had a professor tell me how he would just sit out on his front porch and play guitar with his neighbor,” Castro said.

Like George, Aleksander Sas (SFS ’23) also found himself with a lot of free time as the pandemic broke out in 2020. Quarantine gave him a chance to reconnect with childhood friends. The longtime pals used this time to form their band, N0clue.

“We reconnected over COVID because everybody was bored, everybody was super depressed. You know, it’s like May, June 2020. So my buddy Neel asks, ‘Does anybody want to jam?’ And so from that one line, six weeks later, we’re publishing our first album,” Sas said.

N0Clue, drawing inspiration from artists like Daniel Caesar and Mac Miller, as well as Sas’ memories of dancing in his kitchen to Michael Jackson, used music as a way to strengthen old friendships in a time when connections were difficult to maintain. The friends have kept up their musical endeavors and are currently working on their third project. N0Clue plans on releasing a new album in summer 2022, according to Sas. Meanwhile, on Georgetown’s campus and away from his childhood friends, Sas is expanding his harmonical horizons individually.

“I’m starting a solo venture here at Georgetown through Prospect Records called Happy Medium,” he said. “That should be fun. I’ll be performing a lot of open mics on campus. And then there’s a lot more from local coming as well. And another LP this summer.”

Andres Alfonso (SFS ’24), also took his quarantine scribbles to the recording studio, developing a series of songs beginning his first year at Georgetown.

“I always wanted to write my own music, so there was always this tension between that

but I never had the time to. Because of the pandemic, that really gave me the time I needed to actually work on stuff,” Alfonso said.

For Alfonso, it was not the COVID-19 pandemic that stirred his love for music, but another disaster entirely.

“So, I started playing music like six years ago, because I picked up the guitar after my family lost power during Hurricane Irma. And so I was just bored. And I kept on doing that. I just didn’t stop practicing,” Alfonso said.

Now on campus, Alfonso explores his musicality under the name “ARAUJIA.” His project, inspired by his favorite rock bands like Radiohead and The Cure, is a self-described DIY venture. Alfonso is the Renaissance man of Prospect Records, writing, recording and producing all of his own music.

But, according to Alfonso, it’s been difficult to strike a balance between Georgetown’s academic rigor and creating new music, something that Prospect Records has stepped up to help on-campus artists find for themselves.

COURTESY SOPHIA GEORGE

Students like Sophia George are working with Prospect Records to produce their own singles and albums. The club also helps forge a community of like-minded, passionate student artists on the Hilltop.

Turn Up the Volume

Coming back to campus in fall 2021, students went from having all the time in the world to work on music to having to refocus their attention toward school work in order to meet the demands of an in-person college experience. This change left students in need of an on-campus outlet to continue working on their music.

Though music comprises an important part of many students’ lives, its role on Georgetown’s campus has often been pushed aside in favor of other clubs and activities. Despite their talent, passion and hard work, the student musicians on campus are still searching for more recognition for their art, according to Sas. “Truly, I’m disappointed. I wish there was a stronger music community,” Sas said. “There’s not a whole lot unless you’re directly affiliated with the music department. There’s so many crazy talented people who study computer science, so why should you limit it just because you don’t have time in your schedule for a minor or major?”

Searching for a way to share their newly developed talents with their Georgetown peers, many student musicians have found a home within Prospect Records, a student-run record label that represents N0Clue, Castro and Alfonso, among other musicians.

Bringing the recording industry to Georgetown, Prospect Records ensures that student musicians have access to resources to benefit their passion on campus, according to Linnea Petropoulos (COL ’22), president of Prospect Records.

“We help them with anything that they may need for their music and their music career, ranging from recording to marketing, to photoshoots and filming music videos, to merch sales to actually getting their music uploaded onto Spotify and other streaming services,” Petropoulos said in an interview with The Hoya.

Prospect Records was founded in 2019 to offer Georgetown students the opportunity to explore music in a professional environment without the added cost of studio fees and agents, as well as to help

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM

foster a larger musical community on campus.

“Our goal is to provide a fun and creative outlet for artists and also to support them in. We give them space where they can create art and also share that art with each other,” Petropoulos said.

Since joining the club her freshman year, Petropoulos has seen tremendous growth in the size of the label’s membership — from 12 members to over 100 in 2022 — reflecting the increase in interest in music on campus.

“It is definitely growing and establishing itself.

When I was a freshman, it felt like there weren’t a lot of ways for student musicians to meet each other and to really make being a student musician part of their identity or part of their Georgetown career,” Petropoulos said. “So we’re becoming more ingrained in Georgetown by working with the departments and working with other clubs such as Radio and GUCCI.” Aside from physical resources to film music videos or record music, Prospect Records provides Georgetown’s student musicians with a community of like-minded individuals. Not only does this enable students to form bonds with others who share their interests, it allows them to collaborate on their art and learn from one another, according to Alfonso, who has been part of Prospect since his first-year spring.

“I still want to keep on going with the [independent] project and getting better at production. But I also want to try and experiment more in a band setting which is why I’ve joined Prospect Records.

Getting more involved with them to, you know, meet with other musicians, work with them and see what comes out of it,” Alfonso said.

Creating an official club that centers around both

individual and collective musicality allowed artists to find their place in campus culture that often focuses on other extracurriculars, according to Katelyn Barr (SFS ’22), a musician that has worked with Prospect Records since its beginnings and had a song go viral on TikTok last March.

“It’s really helped me connect with different types of people that I wouldn’t have had the chance to without music,” Barr said in an interview with The Hoya. “And really, it’s been inspiring to see these people, you know, for me as a first-year being so lost and not knowing what to do, or as a sophomore to actually seeing people go through the same things I went through and starting to make music here. So it’s just been really a great community that’s grown a lot in the last four years, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it and see that growth happen.”

This increase in community forges a new spark of belonging among the members, one that will hopefully continue to give the arts more of a presence on campus, according to Barr.

“Even if I’m not always collaborating with people, it’s also nice to know people are out there that have the same interest as you and that kind of thing,” Barr said.

Whether it’s watching an open mic, streaming on Spotify or joining Prospect Records, students have found that the music community at Georgetown is one that is worth the investment, Castro said.

“Music was everything. I think if it wasn’t for music, and the music community that I found, I would not have survived the typical Georgetown climate of pre-professionalism. Thankfully, I was able to find the music community early on in freshman year,” Castro said.

| B3

@DOTNMOVIE/TWITTER

The subpar plot and twodimensional characters in “Death on the Nile” will disappoint readers of the original novel. The movie embodies Old Hollywood’s luxury, but fails to entertain.

FILM

‘Death on the Nile’ is Dead on Arrival Directed by: Kenneth Branagh Starring: Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer

 Victoria Chen Hoya Staff Writer

“Death on the Nile” attempts to embody a luxurious, Old Hollywood aesthetic — and that’s it.

With two-dimensional characters and a subpar plot, this movie transforms Agatha Christie’s iconic, complex mystery novel into a mindless watching experience that prevents viewers from figuring out the mystery for themselves.

The film is set in 1937, and Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot) is a wealthy heiress set to marry her friend’s ex-fiance Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) in Egypt. However, the wedding festivities, which take place on a boat perusing the Nile River, are cut short when a murder occurs, setting off an investigation by Christie’s iconic detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh).

Bluntly put, the film’s version of its source material’s plot is mediocre at best. Above all, the pacing is strange, since all of the action is

B4 |

shoved into the second half of the movie.

With all the action packed into the latter half, one might think the movie would use the first half to develop its characters’ backstories, especially because these backstories become quite important in establishing each character’s possible motives for murder.

However, instead of steadily developing characters throughout the plot, each time a character is sat down for their interrogation by Poirot, their entire backstory is vomited at the audience.

The combination of stunted pacing and disorganized backstories leaves the audience confused as to what connections exist between certain characters and the murder victim, even as far as two-thirds of the way into the movie.

Moreover, because there are so many characters, their motivations are often only briefly explained without enough time for the audience to comprehend their interwoven relationships or motives for anything.

Subsequently, the majority of characters come out as two-dimensional personalities, contributing to the flatness of the plot.

The ultimate consequence of this messy plot is that without appropriately developed backstories, viewers have virtually no chance of piecing together the film’s central puzzle themselves.

At most, viewers may be able to guess the identity of killer, but the complex layers of the murderer’s motive are completely lost. Viewers have to be okay with being force-fed exactly what happened.

Ultimately, the movie itself gets caught up in its own world building, excessively focused on creating an ambiance of “old money” wealth and spending more time on shots of clothes than on developing the characters themselves or the plot.

This cinematic misstep muddied the characters’ backstories and motivations and clouded the plot’s coherence.

Still, even though this excessive world

building detracts from the film’s plot, it is superb on its own. “Death on the Nile” provides viewers with a sense of luxury akin to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”

The movie features stunning wardrobe choices like chic white pantsuits, silky chiffon, wide-brimmed hats and sparkling jewelry, all set against the backdrop of a yacht floating on the majestic Nile surrounded by Egypt’s awe-inspiring limestone statues.

Although this cinematic opulence contributes to the film’s fragmented plot, the luxurious set matched with characters’ old-timey manner of speaking evokes a pervasive sense of the Old Hollywood aesthetic, offering viewers an escape into a world most cannot afford. Georgetown AMC’s pricey $15 tickets almost seem like a cheap way into this expensive existence. But perhaps potential viewers’ money would be better spent buying the far superior book.

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

FILM WITHOUT FLUFF

‘Kimi’ Showcases Heroic Side of Artificial Intelligence Elena Martinez Columnist

Many sci-fi thriller movies like “I, Robot” or “The Matrix” explore distant futures that are dominated by artificial intelligence, but none reflect a reality as close to ours as director Steven Soderbergh’s 2022 film “Kimi.”

Set in a post-pandemic world, “Kimi” explores the real anxieties of today’s society and ruminates over our emerging virtual future. Alongside creative cinematography, this crime thriller offers viewers a thought-provoking experience about the AI that is quickly infiltrating our world, ironically from the comfort of their technology-filled home.

The film begins with an interview with the CEO of the fictional firm Amygdala, Bradley Hasling (Derek DelGaudio), attesting to the promising future of his company and his hot

product “Kimi” (voiced by Betsy Brantley), a smart speaker à la Alexa or Siri.

Viewers then meet the agoraphobic hypochondriac Angela Childs (Zoë Kravitz), traumatized from being assaulted in the past. She works for Amygdala as tech support for the Kimi devices, whose main selling point is that humans correct their mistakes to help them adapt accordingly.

When Angela discovers a violent assault committed by the Amygdala CEO himself and recorded on a Kimi device, she must overcome her fear of the outside world to expose the truth.

With the film’s hero being a flash drive, in “Kimi,” technology turns the tables on classic tropes. Instead of attempting to destroy humanity, technology actually reveals man-made illusions to expose human crimes. The role of technology as the secret hero even extends to most of the shots, which are from the view of tables and shelves as if the audience was viewing the events from Kimi’s point of view, providing the film with an additional sense of originality. Even with an onset of new

NEW RELEASES

privacy concerns and fast-moving advances, technology’s risks may become its strengths.

Yet beyond the intellectual nature of the movie’s themes, the humans of “Kimi” are seemingly mechanical. There was little chemistry to suggest a relationship between Angela and her love interest, Terry Hughes (Byron Bowers). Even when Angela’s life was on the line, it was difficult to feel anxiety for her situation. Part of this stems from Kravitz’s much-too-subtle portrayal and the writer’s interpretation of Angela, whose agoraphobia is not seen to be a debilitating challenge but a mere character flaw. The film does little to highlight how difficult it is to live with such a condition and avoids creating any sympathy from the audience.

The film’s real strength is its brave attempt to portray artificial intelligence as a tool to advance human life beyond convenience.

Kimi’s capabilities range from playing music to ordering groceries online, but at the very crux of this film, she also serves as an objective arbiter of truth. This new perspective on the possibilities of AI suggests an alternative stance

for the disenchanted public to take, that perhaps the overimposing nature of technology in our lives can be harnessed for the greater good.

Unlike today’s narrative that places technology in an “us versus them” binary, in Soderbergh’s world, Kimi and technology in general are an embodiment of truth and a helping hand rather than a treacherous villain. Technology does not serve as an enemy or an ally, but a medium through which human intentions can be revealed.

Though the film’s story bears little distinction from a large array of whistleblower-centered cinema creating discourse on the dangers of technology and the capitalist hierarchy, the narrative’s broader themes of justice and truth enhance the need for a film like “Kimi” as we enter a decade dominated by Meta. Even if robots do take over the world, perhaps, as “Kimi” argues, it will be a good thing.

Elena Martinez is a first-year in the SFS. Film Without Fluff appears in print and online every other week.

By James Pocchia

DAN ERICKSON

TEARS FOR FEARS ‘THE TIPPING POINT’

‘SEVERANCE’: SEASON 1

The British pop-rock duo Tears for Fears has developed its first feature-length studio release in almost two decades. Early reviews applaud the album’s bright, cathartic tone, born of the duo’s reflection on and reaction to personal trauma.

“The Tipping Point” will be released Feb. 25.

A new and cerebral sci-fi drama series from Ben Stiller has been taking Apple TV+ by storm since its release Feb. 18. Thanks to a stellar script and an impressive cast, “Severance” has captivated critics and audiences alike with its complex portrait of corporate monotony and its toll on the psyche.



 @MRADAMSCOTT/TWITTER

@TEARSFORFEARS/TWITTER

LANCARSE ‘MONARK’

CHANNING TATUM AND REID CAROLIN ‘DOG’

Centered upon a dystopian world fractured by the emergence of a strange mist encircling an academy, “Monark” plunges players into a fascinating story brimming with unique visuals and combat. Unfortunately, critics say the game is hampered by a repetitive structure and tedious pacing that substantially detract from the overall experience. The game will be released for PlayStation 5 on Feb. 22.

 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM

One of mainstream Hollywood’s latest offerings is a fast-paced buddy comedy, starring Channing Tatum as a soldier tasked with transporting a rambunctious military dog to her owner’s funeral. Critics are calling the film, which was released Feb. 18, a familiar but feel-good adventure that benefits from the talents of its human and canine stars. @NISAMERICA/TWITTER



@DOGTHEFILM/TWITTER

| B5

@TALL GIRL 2/IMDB

“Tall Girl 2” has kept the horrible legacy of its predecessor, “Tall Girl,” alive.

The movie has caricatured acting, banal writing and strange karaoke, creating an utterly disastrous rom-com.

FILM

‘Tall Girl 2’ is the Worst Romantic Comedy Film Since ‘Tall Girl’  Mason Stempel Senior Guide Editor

Apparently being a gratifying sequel to Netflix’s original teen rom-com about a six-foot-one-and-ahalf girl is too tall of an order for “Tall Girl 2.”

With caricatured acting, banal writing and strange ABBA karaoke moments, “Tall Girl 2” falls short of the already-low expectations set by 2019’s “Tall Girl.” Starring Ava Michelle and Griffin Gluck, this romantic comedy has zero standout characteristics — besides the fact that the main character is, well, a tall girl.

Picking up three months after Jodi (Ava Michelle) delivers her ostensibly rousing speech

B6 |

about the harrowing struggles of being tall at prom, she completes an extremely successful, though cringe-inducing, audition for her high school production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” However, during the audition, a new “character” is introduced — the mean voice that lives in Jodi’s head.

During Jodi’s audition, an administrator questions Jodi’s right to complain about her mental health struggles when there are so many others who face arguably more detrimental injustices.

This conversation could have introduced an intelligent critique of the first movie’s premise, but the entire dispute ends up being wrapped up in a tight bow with a few sentences from Jodi that sound like something that was plagiarized from a

feel-good BuzzFeed infographic.

The discussion on mental health, defined by cartoonishly demeaning voice-overs from Jodi, comes off as more of a punchline directed at those facing anxiety and depression rather than empathetic commentary about Jodi’s experience with bullying.

The screenplay’s attempts at being “woke” read as if the screenwriter Sam Wolfson had a checklist of buzzwords to include just for brownie points. Wolfson does not address any critiques of the original “Tall Girl” in any meaningful ways, nor does Jodi’s anxiety subplot add any weight or consequences to the flimsy film.

Is the audience supposed to accept these pa-

thetic, surface-level attempts at poignancy? It seems so. Otherwise, if the audience has any intelligence and does not accept these conundrums, the movie completely crumbles.

With such poor thematic foundations, one would think that the screenplay would at least try to be funny, or clever or entertaining at the very least. Nope. This film’s screenplay makes “The Kissing Booth,” another Netflix masterpiece, look like the pinnacle of rom-com writing.

But do not twist my words: “Tall Girl 2” is funny, just not intentionally.

“Tall Girl 2” just might be a big inside joke created by Wolfson to see how much he can get away with, while still receiving a paycheck. Cheers to you, Sam Wolfson.

In addition, it should come as no surprise that every character in this film exists purely to serve our poor, tall Jodi Kreyman. The film makes the oft-committed crime of reducing one of its characters of color to the “Black best friend” trope.

Anjelika Washington’s Fareeda is completely sidelined unless she’s celebrating Jodi — and given the disservice of a really awkward parking lot kiss.

Speaking of kisses, the film includes an irrelevant, unromantic love-triangle subplot.

Paired with a weird dance sequence to resolve the plotline, it leaves the viewer with the impression that an enemies-to-lovers plot with Dunk (Griffin Gluck) and Stig (Luke Eisner) would have been more enjoyable than whatever Jodi’s crumbling love life has to offer.

The only redeeming quality of “Tall Girl 2” is thanks to Gluck’s awkwardly charming, pathetic persona. His characterization once again rescues the romance of the film with a touching, and honestly sad, final gesture of love to Jodi. But not even this small spark of joy can change the dumpster fire that envelops the tall girl.

If you are up at three in the morning and need something to take your mind off of midterms, “Tall Girl 2” is a phenomenal option to help show that, yes, you are doing fine in life. It could be worse: you could be a girl whose only “flaw” is being tall who cannot choose between Boy A or Boy B! And to ABBA — please sue for that “Take A Chance On Me” scene.

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

@ALT_J/TWITTER

alt-J’s latest album “The Dream” introduces listeners to memories they wish they made. The project has an indie-rock feel, moving instrumentals and lyrics that reflect life’s various emotions.

MUSIC

alt-J’s ‘The Dream’ is a Walk Down Memory Lane of the Life You Didn’t Live  Emily Smith

Hoya Staff Writer

In their new album “The Dream,” alt-J analyzes memories you’ve never made and stories you’ve never told — and all in a way where listeners still understand everything on a deep level. alt-J, a British band comprised of Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Gwilym Sainsbury, recently gained traction after their 2014 song “Left Hand Free” was featured in the hit Netflix show “Outer Banks.”

The band has become known for their heavy drum and guitar beats accompanied by Newman’s distinctly haunting vocals that sound like the songs teenagers play on the way to the beach while hanging out the sunroof.

The band’s fourth studio album, “The Dream,” holds the same indie-rock feel of their most famous works, while implementing new instrumentation and lyrical nuances to create a 49-minute montage of life’s pinnacle stages and emotions.

The band’s previous works were slow and melodic, with quiet instrumentation that left the vocals

as the primary focus. With this album, however, the band leaned into their new association as a thoughtful beach-rock powerhouse.

The album opens with “Bane,” an eerie tune accompanied by choral-like chants and a dramatic crescendo in the first minute. This first song sets up everything the rest of the album references.

The comedic and innocent irony of selling one’s soul for a soda and a masterpiece of a backing track all set the listener up for a powerful trip — one that the rest of the album lives up to.

The album progresses through “U&ME,” a cheery anthem about summer romance that makes you want to sit by the pool with a smoothie, and “Hard Drive Gold,” a song more on the rock-side that showcases the immense talent of Unger-Hamilton and Sainsbury. But it’s not until “Happier When You’re Gone” that the lyrics shift from afterthoughts to the focus of the album—the harsh realities of life.

“Happier When You’re Gone” marks this shift from the nostalgia of past happiness to the realities of current life that can be difficult to deal with. The track features strings, with a violin quietly underscoring the pain of lines like “it’s not easy / homeslessness

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 | THEHOYA.COM

at home,” which feel like a punch in the gut after the upbeat ambiance of the first few tracks. alt-J doesn’t try to create an idyllic escape for its listeners. They frame the album around what life is really like, and it feels oddly comforting to not be experiencing a sugar-coated world.

The album continues to explore deeper and darker themes of addiction, loneliness, death and crime.

The tracks of each song manage to perfectly match the mood, with a sinister organ playing as the narrator dies alone in “Philadelphia.”

While the lyrics in some tracks are forgettable and a bit repetitive, others manage to explore complex emotions. The stand-out of the album, “Get Better,” manages to encapsulate the grief of losing a loved one and the beauty of your memories with them in such a way that you don’t know whether to smile or cry.

“Front the garden bouquet, I threw it at the fire brigade / I was admonished and told to go back inside/From the living room window/I stand and watch the white sheet go” has the capability to tear your heart into pieces, but somehow soon remedies it with “Your shyness stokes my

boldness / ‘Shall we go in?’ I smiled / Your hand warmed walking through the gallery.”

Through this experience of trauma and pain, “The Dream” also evokes hope. The album ends with “Powders,” an innocent story of teenage romance. The album almost goes in a circle, bringing us back into the sweet comfort of love and happiness before again flinging up into the unfortunate realities that interrupt our bliss.

These pains are not explicitly distressing. Each song has slivers of hope and comfort to remind us that life goes on, and always will. The nostalgia you feel while experiencing this album is not just one of beach days and sunshine, but also one of overcoming hardships and past tragedy.

“The Dream” reminds us that happiness cannot exist without sadness, but also that sadness will not last forever. These emotions cycle through our lives, but they do not define us. They merely help us appreciate the beauty of what we have, and what’s to come.

“The Dream” is a diary that each listener feels like they have written in. Listening to this album feels like a warm hug, steadfast amid all the pain, joy and uncertainty in life.

| B7

BETWEEN THE COVERS

‘Attachments’ Channels Essence of Classic ’90s Rom-Coms Hoya Staff Writer

When you read this next sentence, please imagine that I am screaming it from a rooftop or while running down M Street: “Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell is one of the best romantic comedy books — ever.

You might recognize the author’s name, as she is known for her young adult fiction with hits like “Eleanor & Park,” “Fangirl” and “Carry On” in her repertoire. However, Rowell actually started her writing career with adult fiction novels like “Attachments” and “Landline.”

“Attachments” tells the story of Lincoln, an aimless young character who takes a night job in a newspaper’s IT department reading emails that have been flagged for inappropriate content.

Set in 1999, the book rests on the unique cultural moment when people were worried about the Y2K problem, the idea that computers would glitch and become unable to differentiate between data based on the last two digits of the year. People were realizing just how powerful

directly into their worlds, even though Lincoln is a background character in their realities.

“Attachments” is the Nora Ephron romantic comedy of books, which is on the same level as the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in my world. The whole novel is a master class in restraint, from the jokes to the romance. It is not too much of anything, balancing its romantic and comedic aspects with the steady voice that Rowell brings to everything.

And even if you don’t read this criminally underrated gem of a novel after finishing my dissertation on why it’s so great, then please at least take the time to appreciate the contributions “Attachments” has made to the best lines of romantic literature: “Do you believe in love at first sight?” “I don’t know. Do you believe in love before that?”

Shakespeare could never! Well … he probably could. My point is, though, isn’t the world just a little better for having writing like that in it? That is a rhetorical question … because the answer is yes, of course. At the end of the day, sharing this book and quote with you has been my good deed for the week, so I can go to sleep tonight knowing I was a Hoya for others.

Melinda Reed is a first-year in the College.

Between the Covers appears in print and online every other week.

THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ

PICASSO: PAINTING THE BLUE PERIOD

1600 21st St NW

A new and revolutionary exhibit at The Phillips Collection will center on the works of Picasso during the early years of his career. The innovative exhibit, the first in Washington, D.C., to focus on the eminent 20th century painter in 25 years, will open Feb. 26 and run through June 12.

JAZZ AND FREEDOM FESTIVAL 2022

1201 K St NW

Come to Eaton DC’s Beverly Snow Warehouse space anytime Feb. 26 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. to experience spectacular performances that blend music and activism! There’s no fee to enter but a $20 donation is recommended, and all proceeds will go to Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, an abolitionist organization.

B8 |

2

By James Pocchia

THEPHILLIPSCOLLECTION

1

CAPITALBOP/FACEBOOK

WHAT TO DO IN DC

and she brought the world around her to life with a word count that would impress any editor.

Though she was primarily a novelist with books like the semi-autobiographical “Heartburn,” she was most famous for her movies.

Three things defined the classic Nora Ephron romantic comedy: actress Meg Ryan, witty banter and a solid ’90s feel, regardless of whether it was actually made then. I present the following movies as her classics: “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail.” Go watch them and come back to this article.

And you’re back! Aren’t you glad you watched them? Now you can go tell all the people, like your dad, who think “The Godfather” is the best movie ever made that they are sorely mistaken.

As it relates to “Attachments,” besides the ’90s setting, it is evident that Ephron and Rowell share the unique ability to make a story out of what is said … and unsaid. The magic lies in their unique type of dialogue — simmering, intriguing, insightful, mysterious, but above all whip smart.

Though the majority of the main love story develops over emails read by Lincoln, as if “You’ve Got Mail” was between Meg Ryan and the mailman instead of Tom Hanks, Rowell still manages to provide a romance that feels anything but virtual. The lively conversations between Beth and Jennifer thrust both readers and Lincoln

3

ARENASTAGE/FACEBOOK

Melinda Reed

the internet was when there were fears that it would disappear with the turn of the century and cause the apocalypse. While at this job, Lincoln is forced to read the communications between two other employees at the paper, Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder, who both constantly procrastinate by emailing each other.

The exchanges are funny and kind, and soon enough Lincoln finds himself enjoying his task. Reading others’ emails is messy in itself — but of course, since things can only get more complicated in a rom-com, he starts to fall for Beth, a girl he has never met.

The plot of the novel juggles a volatile bomb of ethical questions — with one careless movement from Lincoln, it could all go horribly wrong.

Reading other people’s conversations without their knowledge poses ethical concerns, since proper procedure would be to send out a warning that emails were being monitored, but Lincoln fails to do so, keeping his work a complete secret.

However, Rowell turns the potential ethical mess of this plot into a hilarious, heartwarming story that reminds one of — prepare yourselves, because I do not give this compliment lightly — the Nora Ephron romantic comedy.

For those unfamiliar, Nora Ephron was one of the best writers and directors of the ’80s and ’90s. She was sharp-tongued, insightful and blunt,

​​CHANGE AGENT

1101 6th St SW

From Tony-nominated playwright Craig Lucas comes this exciting play about a courageous and savvy woman who changed the course of history during the 1960s. Performances run through March 6 at Arena Stage, so buy your tickets now to watch this masterfully crafted tale of historic heroines!

In honor of President’s Day, find out which First Lady you are in The Guide’s latest quiz this week!

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022