

Alex Cullina, Theatre & Books Editor
All content by Alex Cullina


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: May 10 to 12
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• May 9, 2019


Vampire Weekend Plays Surprise WSP Set
The Grammy-winning indie rock group played an acoustic set in Washington Square Park earlier today, the same day they released their first album in six years.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• May 3, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: May 3 to 5
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• May 2, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: April 26 to 28
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Apr 25, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: When the Villain Was Right
Our staff gives you some of their best hot takes on some of pop culture’s most notorious bad guys.
Nicole Rosenthal, Dante Sacco, Alex Cullina, and Sakshi Venkatraman
• Apr 24, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: April 19 to 21
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Apr 19, 2019


Tisch Alum’s Film Shines New Light on Emily Dickinson
Writer and director Madeleine Olnek’s new dramedy “Wild Nights with Emily” uses relatively recent insights into the poet’s private life.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Apr 17, 2019


Unpopular Opinion: A24 Films
Before you watch “Under the Silver Lake,” let’s revisit past A24 films and break down if they’re really as good as Tisch kids say they are.
Nicole Rosenthal, Guru Ramanathan, Alex Cullina, and Dante Sacco
• Apr 17, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: April 12 to 14
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Apr 11, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Young Adult Novels
The Arts Desk gives some fresh takes on novels for younger audiences.
Guru Ramanathan, Dante Sacco, and Alex Cullina
• Apr 10, 2019


Gallatin Arts Fest Embodies School’s Unique Spirit
The annual showcase of visual and performing arts work by Gallatin students celebrates the school’s interdisciplinary academics and community spirit.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Apr 8, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: April 4 to 7
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Apr 5, 2019


Devanshi Khetarpal | An Indian Poet Finds the Sublime in the Everyday
Alex Cullina, Theatre & Books Editor
• Apr 4, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: March 28 to 31
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Mar 28, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Animal Characters
No animals were harmed in the making of this list.
Guru Ramanathan, Dante Sacco, and Alex Cullina
• Mar 27, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: March 15 to 17
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Books and Theater Editor
• Mar 15, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Children’s Book Series
In honor of the new Nancy Drew movie coming out, the Arts Desk is giving its hot takes on children’s book series.
Nicole Rosenthal, Guru Ramanthan, Dante Sacco, and Alex Cullina
• Mar 13, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: March 7 to 10
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina , Theater & Books Editor
• Mar 7, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Remakes and Reboots
With A24’s “Gloria Bell,” the remake of the Chilean film “Gloria,” receiving a lot of early praise, the Arts Desk is looking at other remakes and reboots that are also up to par with, or better than, their predecessors.
Guru Ramanthan, Alex Cullina, Nicole Rosenthal, and Dante Sacco
• Mar 6, 2019


Dramatic Writing Professor Brings Blockchain to Theater
Sofia Alvarez, a Tisch professor and the screenwriter of Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” is the co-founder of the Blockchain Theater Project, which draws on blockchain’s peer-to-peer model to dismantle the institutional barriers of the theater world.
Alex Cullina, Theater and Books Editor
• Mar 4, 2019


Tisch’s ‘Fiction’ Asks, ‘What Does It Mean to Be a Spectator?’
The new performance piece, written and directed by theatermakers 600 Highwaymen, explores the nature of art and spectatorship through the work of photographer Diane Arbus.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Feb 28, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: Mar. 1 to 3
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Feb 28, 2019


Gallatin Galleries Show Meditates on Sexuality, Masculinity, Race
In “Steve Locke: in the name of love,” the multimedia artist ponders what it means to be black and gay in America today.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Feb 25, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Oscar Hosts
The Arts Desk is tired of giving hot takes on snubs and surprises and have decided to critique a different aspect of awards shows: the hosts!
Guru Ramanathan, Claire Fishman, Alex Cullina, Nicole Rosenthal, and Dante Sacco
• Feb 20, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: Feb. 14 to 17
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theatre Editor
• Feb 14, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Romantic Comedy Protagonists
Valentine's Day is coming up and the Arts Desk cannot wait! Thus, they’ve decided to critically analyze rom-coms in anticipation of the big day.
Guru Ramanathan, Claire Fishman, Alex Cullina, and Nicole Rosenthal
• Feb 13, 2019


Steinhardt’s ‘Rags’: A Tale of Trump’s America, 100 Years Ago
Steinhardt presents the newest version of an emotionally stirring musical tale of Jewish immigrants in turn-of-the-century New York City.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Feb 11, 2019


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events this Weekend: Feb. 8 to 10
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Alex Cullina, Theater & Books Editor
• Feb 7, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: Super Bowl Commercials
In which the Arts Desk gives hot takes on what is the most important of the big game, anyway.
Guru Ramanathan, Nicole Rosenthal, Claire Fishman, and Alex Cullina
• Feb 6, 2019


Terrance Hayes Talks Trump, Teaching at NYU
At the Lillian Vernon Creative Writing House, the award-winning poet and NYU professor read published and unpublished work from a series he started after the 2016 election.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Feb 4, 2019


Unpopular Opinions: ‘Black Mirror’
The first spring 2019 edition of one of the Arts Desk’s acclaimed weekly series deals out hot takes on Netflix’s Emmy-winning sci-fi series.
Alex Cullina, Guru Ramanathan, and Nicole Rosenthal
• Jan 30, 2019


‘Gatz’ at Skirball: ‘Gatsby’ Reimagined for the Stage
Elevator Repair Service’s staged reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is a great work in its own right.
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Jan 28, 2019


Staff Recs: Best Holiday Films
Ali Zimmerman, Daniella Nichinson, Nicole Rosenthal, Guru Ramanathan, and Alex Cullina
• Nov 30, 2018


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events this Weekend: Nov. 30 to Dec. 2
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Ali Zimmerman and Alex Cullina
• Nov 29, 2018


Unpopular Opinions: Actors
Daniella Nichinson, Guru Ramanathan, Nicole Rosenthal, and Alex Cullina
• Nov 28, 2018


In ‘Chasing the New White Whale,’ Heroin Ravages a Working-Class Community
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Nov 27, 2018


Staff Recs: Best Film Ensembles
Every so often, a movie ensemble absolutely blows audiences away and makes us ask ourselves, “How can one movie could contain so much talent and power?”
Ryan Mikel, Daniella Nichinson, Guru Ramanathan, and Alex Cullina
• Nov 16, 2018


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events this Weekend: Nov. 16 to Nov. 18
How to experience arts if you're pinching pennies.
Ali Zimmerman and Alex Cullina
• Nov 15, 2018


Staff Recs: Best Albums for Fall
Ryan Mikel, Daniella Nichinson, Nicole Rosenthal, Guru Ramanathan, Alex Cullina, and Ali Zimmerman
• Nov 9, 2018


Staff Recs: Best Villains
Get your watch queue ready for the baddest villains of them all.
Ryan Mikel, Daniella Nichinson, Nicole Rosenthal, Ali Zimmerman, Guru Ramanathan, and Alex Cullina
• Nov 2, 2018


A Starving Artist’s Guide to Arts Events This Weekend: Nov. 2 to Nov. 4
Stay entertained this weekend for $20 or less.
Ali Zimmerman and Alex Cullina
• Nov 1, 2018


Unpopular Opinions: Supernatural Villains
This week we’re getting spooky niche with our unpopular opinions and taking a look at supernatural villains!
Daniella Nichinson, Ryan Mikel, Nicole Rosenthal, Alex Cullina, and Guru Ramanathan
• Oct 31, 2018


A Karl Marx Festival in the Age of Late Capitalism
Alex Cullina, Books & Theater Editor
• Oct 15, 2018


Melissa Lozada-Oliva
Doesn't Want to Be Relatable
Alex Cullina, Books & Theatre Editor
• Oct 11, 2018


Staff Recs: Hollywood Movie Musicals
Ryan Mikel, Daniella Nichinson, Alex Cullina, Guru Ramanathan, and Ali Zimmerman
• Oct 5, 2018


Unpopular Opinions: Film & TV Protagonists
Main characters we love to hate.
Ali Zimmerman, Guru Ramanathan, Daniella Nichinson, and Alex Cullina
• Oct 3, 2018


Staff Recs: Best Songs To Fall In Love To
Fall is the season when everyone wants to find in love — here are the best songs to indulge your inner romantic.
Daniella Nichinson, Guru Ramanathan, Ali Zimmerman, Alex Cullina, Ryan Mikel, and Nicole Rosenthal
• Sep 21, 2018


Staff Recs: Best Netflix Originals
Netflix is the future of cinema and here's why.
Daniella Nichinson, Nicole Rosenthal, Melanie Pineda, Ryan Mikel, Alex Cullina, and Guru Ramanathan
• Sep 14, 2018


Sidelined on Screen, Glenn Close Shines as ‘The Wife’
Alex Cullina, Film Editor
• Sep 4, 2018


‘We the Animals’: A Portrait of Childhood
Alex Cullina, Film Editor
• Aug 26, 2018


Tribeca 2018: A Complex Examination of Grief in ‘To Dust’
Alex Cullina, Staff Writer
• Apr 30, 2018


Tribeca 2018: ‘The Night Eats the World’ Is A Great Zombie Movie
Alex Cullina, Staff Writer
• Apr 27, 2018


Min Jin Lee Talks Representation at ‘West 10th’ Launch
Alex Cullina, Staff Writer
• Apr 23, 2018


The Rise of Queer Cinema
Alex Cullina, Staff Writer
• Apr 5, 2018


A Forgotten Queer History in ‘Speed Queen’
Alex Cullina, Staff Writer
• Mar 27, 2018


The Politics of Joy in ‘RIOT’
Alex Cullina, Contributing Writer
• Feb 20, 2018


Zadie Smith Talks New Book ‘Feel Free’
Alex Cullina, Contributing Writer
• Feb 12, 2018


The Two Worlds of a ‘Cage Fighter’
Alex Cullina, Contributing Writer
• Feb 5, 2018


‘A New Brain’ Is a No Brainer
Alex Cullina, Contributing Writer
• Feb 5, 2018


NYU at the Oscars, Again
Alex Cullina, Contributing Writer
• Jan 26, 2018


Cora Snow, Deputy News Editor • Mar 28, 2023


Kaisei Arai, Contributing Writer • Mar 28, 2023




Rojienne Groves, Contributing Writer • Mar 28, 2023


Pablo Ocariz, Staff Writer • Mar 28, 2023


Ania Keenan, Features Editor • Feb 6, 2023


Ania Keenan, Staff Writer • Nov 3, 2022