Arts & Entertainment

(Photo courtesy of Netflix/Yana Blajeva)

‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2022) review: Not worth the watch

By Maia Venuti | Feb. 23

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2022) is the newly released sequel to the 1974 classic of the same name. It follows a group of young influencers looking to revive the ghost town of Harlow, Texas nearly fifty years after the original film. However, the group quickly realizes that the town of Harlow is a ghost town for a reason, that reason being the chainsaw wielding Leatherface, who kills everyone who crosses his path.

Amulya Veldanda holding a picture of her book (photo courtesy of Amulya Veldanda).

Alumna Amulya Veldanda self-publishes children’s book, ‘Cosmo Faces the Forest of Fears’

By Chelsie Derman | Feb. 21

For Amulya Veldanda, a Class of 2018 graduate of the College who majored in biomedical engineering, reading and writing will always stay close to her heart. Ever since she learned to read, she would go to the library every day after school, indulging in numerous stories and rhymes. Veldanda may currently be a scientist at the Integra Lifesciences in Plainsboro, NJ, but her inner book-lover self has never withered. Now, she plans to self-publish her first children’s book “Cosmo Faces the Forest of Fears,” on Tuesday, March 1 — and she couldn’t be more thrilled.

‘Death on the Nile’ unfortunately falls flat

By Nick Delvescovo | Feb. 21

Directing and starring Kenneth Branagh, “Death on The Nile” was released in theaters on Feb. 11. This film is a followup to the 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” which, like “Death on the Nile’ is also based on an Agatha Christie novel. It also stars Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey and Armie Hammer.

Movie posters featured are “Belfast,” “The Power of the Dog,” “West Side Story” and “Drive My Car.” The directors of each of these films are nominated for Best Director (Photos courtesy of IMDB).

The Oscars 2022: predictions, reactions

By Maia Venuti | Feb. 20

The 2022 Oscar nominations were released on Feb. 8 and there has been a lot of buzz regarding who got nominated, as well as shock at who did not. The Oscars are a way to reflect on the films from the past year, and the awards give the more unseen roles in making a great film the recognition they deserve. I wanted to take some time today to talk about some of my favorite categories and give my predictions for who I think will win the Oscar in five of the most popular categories.

(Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

‘Peacemaker’ is a brutally violent show with a surprisingly emotional story

By Jack Deegan | Feb. 19

Set after the events of “The Suicide Squad,” the series follows the villain Peacemaker (John Cena) as he is forced to join a black ops squad called “Project Butterfly” in order to maintain his freedom from prison.

The Trentones members pose for a picture (photo courtesy of Hannah Stratton).

The College’s only competitive a cappella group, The Trentones, take on the ICCAs

By Signal Contributor | Feb. 18

The Trentones, the College’s only competitive a cappella group, attended the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella’s (the ICCAs) mid-Atlantic quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 12.

‘Drive My Car’ review: a deep character study with powerful themes of grief, regret and growth

By Nick Delvescovo | Feb. 17

With the recent release of Oscar nominations, I made it a personal goal to watch all the movies that were nominated. “Drive My Car,” directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, is among those films. Currently, the movie is only playing in a small number of theaters, so I took a trip to an arthouse theater in Princeton and was pleased with how this movie turned out. “Drive My Car” was released in the U.S. on Nov. 24, and is set to hit HBO Max on Mar. 2.

ACT having a fun time at their first meeting of the semester (Photo courtesy of Braden Drake/ ACT’s publicist).

The behind-the-scenes of what’s going on with theater groups on campus

By Chelsie Derman | Feb. 17

When Covid struck and the world went into quarantine, show productions were critically affected. Unfortunately, shows couldn’t happen like normal and were either canceled altogether or moved to a virtual format. Now, shows are coming back strong in a somewhat normal — or traditional — manner. Of course, that doesn’t mean Covid isn’t completely disregarded. Masks-wearing is still required for both cast and audience members. However, shows can now return in-person with a full audience.

For those who attended in person, The Nathan Fielder event took place at Kendall Hall (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Shen/ Photo Editor).

Nathan For TCNJ: A CUB-hosted conversation with Nathan Fielder

By Riley Eisenbeil | Feb. 17

CUB LIVE hosted its first spring comedy show of the semester on Feb. 11 at 8:30 p.m in Kendall Hall, inviting Canadian writer, director and comedian Nathan Fielder to campus for a Q&A. Students also had the option to attend the event virtually.

‘The Book of Boba Fett’ reveals only a few chapters of Boba’s story

By Signal Contributor | Feb. 11

With the release of the final episode of “The Mandalorian’s” second season, Disney+ and Lucasfilm treated “Star Wars” fans to a surprise announcement after the credits: a spin-off series centering around the longtime iconic character, Boba Fett, developed by “The Mandalorian” creator Jon Favreau, longtime “Star Wars” writer, director and producer Dave Filoni and “Alita: Battle Angel, Spy Kids,” and “From Dusk Till Dawn” director Robert Rodriguez.

‘American Psycho’ reexamined: a brilliant work of satire

By Maia Venuti | Feb. 11

“American Psycho” (2000) is a drama/thriller film that chronicles the daily goings-on of 27-year-old Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a young Wall Street executive, and his slow descent into insanity. Alongside Bale, the film features a star-studded cast with Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon. Over the past two decades, “American Psycho” has carved itself into American pop culture, and the film is just as relevant today as it was at the time of its release. However, in recent years, I started to notice a disconnect forming between the original purpose of the film and those who are fans of it today.

‘KIMI’ is an entertaining techno-thriller with a fresh story

By Jack Deegan | Feb. 11

In a time like today where everyone and everything is being recorded, it can be very hard to stay private. While that might be scary for us to deal with, it makes for an exciting concept for a film from Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh in “KIMI,” which was released on HBO Max Feb. 10.

Music department ranks no. 1 for the 2022 Best School for Music in New Jersey

By Chelsie Derman | Feb. 11

The Instagram account @tcnjbands announced that The College of New Jersey’s Department of Music ranked No.1 in the 2022 Best School for Music in New Jersey on Jan. 24, an honor that recognizes all the diligent work that music majors at the College have put in.

Bastille leaves a scavenger hunt among songs in their fourth album, ‘Give Me The Future’

By Julia Duggan | Feb. 10

Bastille released their fourth studio album, “Give Me The Future,” on Feb. 6, which challenges listeners in a different way than most albums do. The album explores the different insecurities people can have about the future.

(Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Reese/ Publicist of Atlantic Records)

Wallows return with ‘Especially You’

By Lysa Legros | Feb. 10

Wallows, a Los Angeles-based trio made up of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston, came back after two years with their new single, “Especially You.” The single heralds their upcoming album “Tell Me That it’s Over,” coming out March 25. The album, a collaboration with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend, Haim, Adele), offers a variety of musical genres, ranging from lo-fi post-punk to early ’90s pop psychedelia. “Especially You” presents an exciting evolution of Wallow’s sound that pairs the confessional tone of “Are You Bored” with the exciting production of “Ok.”

‘The Power of the Dog’ review: an Oscar-worthy western that shifts the genre’s classic tropes

By Nick Delvescovo | Feb. 10

“The Power of the Dog,” which was released on Netflix on Nov. 17, had one of the most unique plots of anything I’ve seen last year. With Oscar season coming up and this film being one of the top contenders for best picture, I decided to give it a watch. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee. It was also beautifully directed by Jane Campion.

(Photo courtesy of whatsondisneyplus.com)

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ officially gets the greenlight from Disney+

By Riley Eisenbeil | Feb. 10

Calling all demigods and Greek mythology fanatics — Disney+ has officially announced that the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series is on its way.

‘Murderville’ perfectly strikes the balance of comedy, mystery

By Jack Deegan | Feb. 9

Netflix’s new surprise hit show “Murderville” debuted this past week and proves that Netflix can indeed still make good shows. The series centers around Detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett), who partners with a different celebrity guest each episode to help him solve a murder mystery. The big twist is that the celebrities aren’t given a script and have to improvise their way through the case before picking the culprit at the end of the episode.

Senior music education major Ryan Barry performs at Senior Recital (photo courtesy of Julia Duggan).

Four senior music majors perform in the first Senior Recital of the semester

By Julia Duggan | Feb. 5

Even with the remote start to the semester, the music department’s Senior Recitals took place on Saturday, Jan 22 as scheduled. Audience members sat, masked, in Mayo Concert Hall to be treated to three recitals: Ryan Barry, Gaia Hutcheson, and Melanie Katz and Ryan Haupt, all senior music education majors.

A girl watches ‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window’: Season 1 review

By Lea Pichardo | Feb. 5

“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window,” a limited series on Netflix, centers around Anna (Kristen Bell), a bright-eyed, smiley-faced young woman with a generally chipper personality. It is dampened only slightly by the occasional hallucinations of her dead daughter, periods of hysteria, binge drinking and ombrophobia-induced panic attacks.