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Critic’s Pick

Arts & Life
Helen Oyeyemi's acclaimed collection consists of enigmatic short stories, left open to the reader's imagination (courtesy of Riverhead Books).

‘What is Not Yours is Not Yours’ exquisitely enchants and eludes

Shana E. Hadi
  •  
April 18, 2019
Arts & Life
n Fritz Lang's "The Big Heat," a detective becomes subsumed in the sordidness of society (courtesy of Dr. Macro).

American culture is under fire in ‘The Big Heat’

Amir Abou-Jaoude
  •  
April 16, 2019
Arts & Life
Ram's Head's "The Addams Family" is an enjoyably over-the-top romantic comedy with a gothic aesthetic. Courtesy of Ram's Head / Frank Chen

‘The Addams Family’ is a macabre marvel

Jacob Kuppermann
  •  
April 15, 2019
Arts & Life
Edgar G. Ulmer's "Detour" was cheaply made. Still, the 1945 film has become a canonical classic (courtesy of Dr. Macro).

‘Detour’ provides a dark commentary on dreams and destiny

Amir Abou-Jaoude
  •  
April 12, 2019
Arts & Life
Prior to creating "Cellular Songs," composer Meredith Monk presented the powerful "On Behalf of Nature" (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Meredith Monk’s ‘Cellular Songs’ and ways of living

Adrian Liu
  •  
April 9, 2019
Arts & Life
Simon Longnight plays Thomas Jefferson in the touring production of "Hamilton." He describes the hit musical as "the story of a man who decided to make his legacy last" (courtesy of Joan Marcus).

Bay Area high school students participate in ‘Hamilton’ education event

Chloe Wintersteen
  •  
April 8, 2019
Arts & Life
Billie Eilish uses ambivalent tonalities to express her complex emotional state in "Ocean Eyes" (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The shimmering tonal ambivalence of Billie Eilish

Adrian Liu
  •  
April 5, 2019
Arts & Life
Sherlock Holmes would be shocked if he read "City of Glass." Paul Auster's story deconstructs classic detective fiction (MARK YORK/The Stanford Daily).

In constructing a deconstruction — ‘City of Glass’ as the detective novel’s autopsy

Mark York
  •  
April 4, 2019
Arts & Life
Award-winning author Sofia Samatar explores an ancient Scottish myth in "Selkie Stories Are for Losers" (courtesy of Jim C. Hines).

‘Selkie Stories are for Losers’ is a bittersweet winner

Shana E. Hadi
  •  
April 3, 2019
Arts & Life
Tadizo's ethereal beauty hastens Gustav von Aschenbach's "Death in Venice" (courtesy of Photofest).

‘Death in Venice’ documents the decline of the bourgeoisie

Amir Abou-Jaoude
  •  
April 2, 2019
Arts & Life
Billie Eilish has just released her debut album "WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?" (Courtesy of Flickr).

At 17 years old, Billie Eilish may have the album of the year

Holden Foreman
  •  
March 29, 2019
Arts & Life
In "Climax," director Gaspar Noe uses long takes to capture dynamic dancing (courtesy of A24 and Wild Bunch).

Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ is a chaotic triumph, not for the faint of heart

Marika Tron
  •  
March 18, 2019
Arts & Life
Bobby Pragada '19 and Gwen Le '22 star in Olivia Popp '21's "Double Vision," a riveting sci-fi musical comedy. (Courtesy of Olivia Popp)

With ‘Double Vision,’ Olivia Popp ’21 envisions new creative paths

Jacob Kuppermann
  •  
March 14, 2019
Arts & Life
"In the Heights" showcases the musical and dramatic talents of Stanford students of color (courtesy of Renata Miller).

Making Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music soar in ‘In the Heights’

Natalie Francis
  •  
March 8, 2019
Arts & Life
"The Vela" is a serial speculative fiction story, but it addresses the current refugee crisis and climate change (courtesy of Serial Box).

Unveiling ‘The Vela’: An interview with Becky Chambers, S. L. Huang and Yoon Ha Lee (Part 2)

Shana E. Hadi
  •  
March 7, 2019
Arts & Life
"The Vela" is a serial speculative fiction story, but it addresses the current refugee crisis and climate change (courtesy of Serial Box).

Unveiling ‘The Vela’: An interview with Becky Chambers, S. L. Huang and Yoon Ha Lee (Part 1)

Shana E. Hadi
  •  
March 6, 2019
Arts & Life
The songs the Harmonics performed in "mood" captured various aspects of Stanford student experience (courtesy of Amanda Lim).

The Harmonics melodiously muse on the ‘mood’ of winter quarter

Natalie Francis
  •  
March 5, 2019
Arts & Life
"Sex Education" is edifying because it focuses on dynamic characters and features a diverse cast (courtesy of Netflix).

‘Sex Education’ is compulsory viewing

Caroline Keyes
  •  
March 4, 2019
In her landmark essays "A Room of One's Own" and "Professions for Women," Virginia Woolf critiques female archetypes (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Woolf, witches and wives: Coming of age through archetype

Claire Francis
  •  
Feb. 27, 2019
Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer deliver impassioned performances in Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence" (courtesy of Columbia Pictures and The Criterion Collection).

Scorsese uses allusion to conjure up ‘The Age of Innocence’

Amir Abou-Jaoude
  •  
Feb. 26, 2019
The Stanford Daily

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