The Common: A Modern Sense of Place

The Common, a new print and online literary magazine based at Amherst College, released its newest issue (Issue 6) on Oct. 28th. Issue 6 beautifully brings together poetry, short stories, essays and images by both local and international authors. All of the pieces included in The Common fall under the overarching theme of, as Editor Jennifer Acker ’00 says in The Common’s mission statement, “a modern sense of place.” The magazine’s goal is to publish “literature and art powerful enough to reach

Salinger Rolls in His Grave Over Tribute

“Salinger,” a documentary directed by Shane Salerno, hit theaters Sept. 6, a release date that was chosen so the film would qualify as candidate for the 86th Academy Awards. Unfortunately, Salerno did not take into account any other qualities of Oscar-winning films in the making of this documentary. With a score that will rattle your bones and have you questioning whether you entered the correct theater (perhaps you accidentally wandered into “Insidious: Chapter 2” instead?), “Salinger” is 120 m

Love Spectacularly Conquers Reality

“The Spectacular Now,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Festival and hit theaters everywhere Aug. 2, is an honest and unapologetic depiction of love on the cusp of adulthood. Based on the book “The Spectacular Now” by Tim Tharp and directed by James Ponsoldt, the film stars Shailene Woodley of Golden Globe-winning “The Descendants” and Miles Teller of “Project X” as teens in their senior year of high school in Atlanta, Georgia. A budding alcoholic, Sutter Keely (Teller) has no aspirations,

In Case You Missed It: Macklemore's Magic

This past Saturday night, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, with opener Sol, played the Spring Concert here at Amherst College. To say that this was a step up from last year’s Ludacris (“What up, Connecticut?!”) Spring Concert would be an understatement. Macklemore rocked this campus. In the midst of pre-finals tension and hysteria, he got Amherst College students to throw shit to the wind for one night and actually enjoy themselves. If that isn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is. Hip hop artist Sol opene

Wizards, Gangsters and Starlets: Oh , My!

The two latest James Franco movies, “Spring Breakers” and “Oz the Great and Powerful,” were released within weeks of each other, and could not appear to be more different. In “Spring Breakers,” sex, drugs and violence abound in pursuit of the “American dream” — embodied, in this case, by a killer spring break. “Oz,” on the other hand, is a 3D Disney wonderland with scenery stronger than its plot. Neither film is a great success, but each has its merits, and it’s quite magical to watch them back-

Looking Forward to Summer Festivals

During this increasingly digital age, instant gratification is something we are starting to take for granted. It’s becoming easier and easier to get our hands on any sort of media we want with the click of a button or the touch of a screen. CDs are bought more for their nostalgic value than for the music they hold; when the Internet has made it so simple to instantly listen to newly released music, it’s often unnecessary to pay for music at all, let alone purchase physical copies of it. The days

With No Effort, Workaholics Works Out

Currently in the midst of its third season, Workaholics airs on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central. The raunchy 21-minute-long sitcom revolves around the lives of college dropouts who are having trouble adjusting to their newly adult lives. Blake Henderson (Blake Anderson), Adam DeMamp (Adam DeVine), and Anders “Ders” Holmvik (Anders Holm) form something of a family as they share a house in Rancho Cucamonga, California as well as a cubicle in TelAmeriCorp, a telemarketing company. Unaccusto

Blink-182: Dogs Have Their Day Again

The release of Blink-182’s latest EP “Dogs Eating Dogs” on Dec. 18 marked the band’s second release since their reunion in 2009. Although they reunited in 2009, they didn’t come out with “Neighborhoods” until 2011, which meant that fans weren’t quick to hold their breath in anticipation of new material any time soon. “Dogs Eating Dogs” should by no means be considered to be the stopgap that most EPs are, however. Luckily for their fans, the music on this five-track EP shines bright with the kind

Deschanel’s “New Girl” Walks a Fine Line

“New Girl” premiered its second season on Fox late this September after a successful season last fall. What started off as a means of channeling the cutesy and awkward caricature that has become Zooey Deschanel’s trademark since “500 Days of Summer” soon morphed into a full-fledged hit as its directors fleshed out the supporting characters and gave them stronger plotlines. The show revolves around the lives of four often down-and-out characters in their late twenties as they struggle to keep the

A Better, Sexier TV Show Version of "Twilight"

A drama about vampires, werewolves, vampire/werewolf hybrids, witches and ghosts, “The Vampire Diaries” is currently in its fourth season, airing on The CW on Thursdays at 8 p.m. The show revolves around the unfortunate life of high school student Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and the horror and havoc that are wreaked on her hometown of Mystic Falls as a result of the constant presence of the supernatural. The town of Mystic Falls has a rich history of supernatural inhabitants, and long-time (as i

More Than Awkward Nerd And Hot Girl

Currently in its sixth season, “The Big Bang Theory” is a sitcom that revolves around the lives four nerdy scientists and their friendships with Penny, an aspiring actress and waitress at The Cheesecake Factory. Roommates Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstader (Johnny Galecki), both physicists, live in an apartment across the hall from the beautiful and blonde Penny (Kaley Cuoco). The group of four scientists, completed by aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrop

“Wilfred:” The Story of a Dog and His Man

“It’s easy not to worry when you don’t have any real problems. Dogs don’t have to think about money or crime or social injustice,” says Ryan to his neighbor’s dog, Wilfred. Such is a constant theme in FX’s late-night sitcom “Wilfred:” the never-ending conflict between what Ryan (Elijah Wood) wants out of his life, and what Wilfred, whom executive producer David Zuckerman describes as “part Labrador Retriever and part Russell Crowe on a bender” wants out of it. The show is based off of an Austr

The Third Season of a New Kind of Family

Currently on hiatus during its third season, “Modern Family” is a sitcom on ABC about the lives of three vastly different immediate families within one larger extended family. Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) is the eldest member of the family and is married to an attractive Colombian woman named Gloria (Sofia Vergara) who embodies the epitome of a Latin trophy wife. Upon marrying Gloria, Jay also gained custody of her very young yet very wise and romantic 11-year-old son Manny, who causes Jay daily d

"The Office" Without Steve Carell

Currently in its eighth season, “The Office” is a television show about a group of workers in the small Scranton, Penn. branch of a dying paper company called Dunder Mifflin. Set in a mockumentary format, the show follows the lives of each of the workers as personalities clash, paper is sold and clients are lost within the isolated and seemingly self-sufficient world of their office. Towards the end of the first seven seasons, the show had fallen into something of a comfortable (and hilarious)

“Neighborhoods”: The Return of Blink-182

On Sept. 27, Blink-182 released its latest album, “Neighborhoods.” It was the group’s first album release in eight years, following the release of the self-titled “Blink-182” in 2003. To the fans who had waited through those eight long years, wearing out classic Blink tracks from the band’s first four albums, the possibility of another album release seemed minute. Most fans would not have dared to wish it. But the album is finally here, and after quite the hiatus, we can truly say that Blink-182