“Send a Prayer My Way” is a collaborative country album between queer indie singers Julien Baker and TORRES. The album’s lyricism was excellent and Baker and TORRES’s vocals worked well together. Though it needed some more sonic diversity.
“The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus” is the latest show from EMU’s Theatre For the Young Tour. Directed by MFA candidate Olivia Allen, the play follows a girl named Sheila and her friends in rural New Mexico. They get roped into conflict with animals and solve it with their ingenuity. The show is lively and funny, with strong messages around environmentalism and conflict resolution.
The third season of “The White Lotus” brought its melodrama to Thailand. It was the most thematically rich season so far with beautiful scenery and great acting. Although the pacing of the series was rocky and it wasn’t as entertaining as season two.
“Death of the Unicorn” is a horror comedy starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd. It follows the fallout of a man hitting a unicorn with his car. It's incredibly funny, especially around a greedy, eccentric rich family who attempts to exploit the dead unicorn. Though a fun romp, its plot is predictable, and Ortega’s talent is underutilized.
A prequel to “The Hunger Games,“ “Sunrise on the Reaping” follows a teenage Haymitch Abernathy during the second Quarter Quell. The book is a brutal, tragic origin story for Haymitch. Most of the book treads similar ground to the first two “Hunger Games” novels, but it has a shocking end sequence.
“Severance” was a sci-fi thriller series on Apple TV+ where people split their memories from their other memories, making them two people. The second season had new highs for the series, with incredible acting, twists, and cinematography.
“Opus” is a horror film about a pop star’s cult. It is a gripping film with outstanding visuals and music. However, the weak script kept the film from reaching its full potential.
Japanese Breakfast’s fourth album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)“ was true to its title with a dreamy, atmospheric sound. Although the overall album was a little too short, needing longer songs and more lyricism. Nonetheless, it was a solid release from the band.
“The Electric State” was a Netflix action film about a robotic war. Although it had potential with some creative visuals, it ended up lackluster with an unsurprising plot.
“Mayhem” is Lady Gaga’s first pop album since 2020. A synthpop album that explored both old and new sounds, it was filled with catchy, perfect pop music ready to become staple Gaga songs. The album was preceded by three singles including “Abracadabra” and the Bruno Mars collaboration “Die With a Smile.”
Solutions by The State News
