By Hannah Akerly
This fall we saw the newest in fashion and style with Fall Fashion Week 2018. The world’s most illustrious designers displayed their new work on runways all across the world.
Category Archives: A & E
Wedeman exhibits dimensions of wellness Reply
Megan Palumbo & Danielle Hogan – Co-editor-in-chief & 1851 staff
“Re ection” by Dianne Freeman displayed how she reconnected with a past lover and ignited a part of her she previously denied. Photo by Danielle Hogan
This month, the Wedeman Gallery in Yamawaki featured “Wellness: Art for Physical and Emotional Healing.” This exhibit featured artists from Unbound Visual Art based in Allston-Brighton. Artists featured in this exhibit live and create in the Greater Boston area including Newton, Chestnut Hill, Brookline, and Cambridge.
The art reflects different interpretations of wellness. According to the National Wellness Institute, there are six dimensions of wellness: emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, physical, and occupational. The artists depicted various concepts of wellness for themselves such as nature, nutritious food, anxiety, and others.
Executive Director of Unbound Arts, Inc. John Quatrale curated the gallery. “We want people to think about the various aspects in their own life. What aspects of wellness are they good at, which ones are they not so good at, and this gives them a reminder ‘oh yeah I have to get outside more’ or ‘I need to have more relationship.’ But you can also just look at it for its beauty,” he said.
“Reflection, a Self-portrait” by Dianne Freeman created a memoir through art. According to Quatrale, Freeman was homeless for many years, but holds an art education. The piece tells the story of how she reconnected with a past lover “who stirred in me part of my womanhood I had been denying.”
“Wellness” puts the meaning behind a picture holds a thousand words. Each piece holds a unique understanding of the aspects of wellness through art. “I think [wellness] is more important than happiness, when you get right down to it. Wellness will create happiness,” Quatrale said.
This was a brilliant exhibit to schedule for this time of year as the days grow shorter and colder. Students are drowning in the midst of mid-semester activities and the Wedeman Gallery provides a visual “Wellness” space for students. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 1-4 p.m.
A star somewhat shines Reply
Emily Long & Pavel Zlatin – 1851 staff
The highly anticipated film starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper released on Oct. 5, “A Star is Born” is the third remake of the musical drama film released in 1937. The movie is another major role for Gaga and Cooper’s directorial debut.
The film follows Jackson Maine (Cooper) and Ally (Gaga), two star crossed lovers who meet under unlikely yet completely cliché circumstances. Maine is a musician plagued by alcohol and substance addiction. After performing in Los Angeles, he meets Ally as she performs “La Vie en Rose” in an obscure bar. The pair get drunk and Ally sings one of her original songs to Maine. Her talent strikes him immediately, leading him to introduce her to the music world. As Ally’s career progresses, Maine is further ravaged by his inner demons.
The duo’s acting is nothing but fantastic. Cooper has fully embodied the persona of Maine, a rugged Arizona cowboy. Gaga allows Ally to grow throughout the film from timid performer to a full-fledged starlet.
The clear star of the movie is the soundtrack. Gaga’s vocals are a powerhouse with her edition of “La Vie en Rose”. The film showcases how well Gaga performs in a variety of styles from ballads with Cooper to pop songs similar to Gaga’s personal style. Cooper’s music talent is reminiscent of classic rock.
While most of the elements of the film are great, the plot of the movie is awkward, paced too quickly, and cliché. Luckily, as clumsy as the plot is, it is not bad enough to ruin all the good things about the movie. The original film also had a clumsy plot line, forgiving that particular flaw.
Overall, “A Star is Born” is a movie worth seeing. The acting is incredible, the soundtrack is simply beautiful, and Gaga has proved once again that she can do it all.
“Venom” lacks a clean bite Reply
Colin Froment & Brian Cohen – Co-editor-in-chief & 1851 staff
Spider-Man supervillain Venom swings back into cinemas in his self-titled film, “Venom,” released on Oct. 6. The film highlights the character’s anti-hero persona on a path of redemption in a film separate from any Marvel film released.
Investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) attempts to revamp his career by investigating the Life Foundation and its sinister founder, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). This causes him to be forcibly bonded with the alien symbiote Venom, giving him superhuman strength, shapeshifting abilities and a constant hunger for human beings. Brock must learn to find the balance between his morals and the symbiote’s cannibalistic intentions in order to take down the Life Foundation.
And the film does get as interesting as it sounds – for the most part.
“Venom” really struggled with pacing. The first half of the film is a large, dull exposition that takes a slow approach focusing on Brock, making fans wait what seems like forever for him to actually become Venom. Once the symbiote finally emerges, there is more excitement to witness, but then the movie feels rushed as it progresses. As the predictable climax comes to a close, the audience is left thinking, “wait, that’s it?”
The film left little time for character development for the supporting cast. Drake is about as generic as it gets when it comes to devious corporation CEOs, even when attached to the murderous symbiote, Riot. Michele Williams as Anne Weying had stand out moments that set her apart from other superhero love interests, but it doesn’t completely make up for some personality flaws she displays in the beginning of the film.
On a less darker side, Hardy proves to be the perfect choice as both Brock and Venom, mixing two very distinct personalities into one character with such ease. The monster unleashes brutal action scenes and displays signature dark humor to create the film’s funniest moments. With a visually striking and frightening appearance, thanks to detailed visual effects, Venom looks ripped straight out of the comic pages for enjoyment.
With a rushed plot that begins at a snail’s pace and dull characters, “Venom” feels like an unfinished product but with a little glimmer of a potentially fun flick. “Venom” is like Play-Doh, a messy but entertaining pile of goop that kids might not want to eat a second time around.
Bringing drama to Regis; Lasers ‘kick off Sunday shoes’ Reply
Katie Peters – 1851 staff
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- “Footloose” will be performed at Regis College Nov. 15-18. Admission is free for Lasell students.
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- Photos courtesy of Lizzy Leahy
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- The Footloose display in Donahue was created by Samantha Jenkins , Samantha Betti and Stephanie Desrosiers and Allie Joe Amos. Photo by Morgan VanWickler
Preparations are underway for the fall musical “Footloose”. The performance will include members of the Lasell College Drama Club and Regis College Theater Club. This is the first time both clubs are collaborating, which brings a new dynamic for all students and faculty involved.
Nearly 80 people are in the musical between the cast and crew from both Lasell and Regis. The performance and practice spaces at Regis have proven useful to the production of the show.
Assistant Professor of Performing Arts and Director of “Footloose” Lori L’Italien said, “This was kind of a good opportunity for [Regis] to be able to put on a big musical because they don’t really have enough people to put on a big show on their own.”
The collaboration of these clubs has been anticipated for a while. Out of 38 cast members, 12 are from Regis and 26 are from Lasell. This gives Regis students the chance to work with a larger number of people while Lasell students get the chance to work in a larger space.
L’Italien also mentioned that the drama club has “really outgrown [our] facilities.” Using a professional theater, practice rooms and other spaces at Regis, the club has been able to utilize their resources more effectively than ever.
As of right now, this partnership is just for the fall musical. However, L’Italien is hopeful that it may happen again. “We’re certainly talking about other collaboration opportunities in the future,” said L’Italien. “For now, it’s just for this show and then we’re going to meet and see how it went, what we want to do better, if we do it again. Hopefully, we will.”
The performances will be held at the Eleanor Welch Casey Theatre at Regis. The theatre can hold about seven times more people than the Yamawaki Auditorium where the plays are normally held, seating over 600 people. It also has high-quality professional lighting and sound systems, access to a green room and other facilities to make the show run as smoothly as possible.
Admission is free for Lasell students and shows will be Nov. 15 to 18. The drama club will be providing transportation to Regis College for any Lasell students who are interested in attending this event.
A memory of Monaco Reply
The Theresa Monaco Exhibit in the Wedeman Gallery honored the Emerson College alumna’s work throughout September to recreate memory through light and dark values. Photo by Mackenzie Dineen
Anything but simple Reply
Pavel Zlatin — 1851 Staff
Anna Kendrick is a primary female lead for “A Simple Favor”. Photo courtesy of Live For Films
A family, a house in the suburbs, a high-profile PR job, brilliant bartending skills and an excessive collection of Louboutins. Everything about Emily (Blake Lively) seems to be absolutely perfect, unless you make the mistake of becoming her friend– the mistake Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) did.
Fall magazines highlight diversity Reply
Emily Long — 1851 Staff
Fashion magazines featuring people of color in the Lasell library. Photo by Emily Long
Whoever is chosen for the cover of a magazine is a widely publicized decision. Historically, there has been limited diversity featured in fashion. This year, women of color were highly represented in the September issue. Beyonce was posed on the cover of “Vogue,” Rihanna on “British Vogue,” as well as Tiffany Haddish on “Glamour” and Zendaya on “Marie Claire.”
