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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

All content by Dante Sacco
Promotional poster for season eight of "Game of Thrones." (via Flickr)

Popularity, The Displeasing and ‘Game of Thrones’

“Game of Thrones” is both one of television’s most popular and least decent shows.
Dante Sacco, Deputy Arts Editor May 1, 2019

Few elements of the American experience even approach ubiquity. The internet, thousands of TV channels and cultural polarization have led to a nation of enclaves and isolation,...

Stephen Curry (pictured) of the Warriors won his first Most Valuable Player Award in 2015. (via Wikimedia)

In Appreciation of the NBA’s Middle Class

How staying the course and refusing to tank paid off for a few non-contenders in the Western Conference.
Dante Sacco, Deputy Arts Editor April 28, 2019

One looming, immutable fact weighs on the mind of every NBA fan at the beginning, middle and end of every season. There are 30 teams, and only one of them can end the season with...

Sharpay had some valid points, OK? (via Disney)

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.

It’s one of the most fundamental, elemental tropes in storytelling — the good guy vs. the bad guy, light vs. darkness, good vs. evil. The examples are infinite — Harry Potter...

The movie poster for Moonlight, an A24 film. (via A24)

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.

Over the past few years, indie film studio A24 has taken over the independent movie zeitgeist, and certainly captured the love of the NYU community to the point where everyone...

Book cover of It's Kind of a Funny Story. (via Hyperion)

Unpopular Opinions: Young Adult Novels

The Arts Desk gives some fresh takes on novels for younger audiences.
Guru Ramanathan, Dante Sacco and Alex Cullina April 9, 2019

A new young adult novel adaptation, “After,” hits theaters this weekend, and for once it’s not based on a book by John Green or Nicholas Sparks. But instead of needlessly...

(via 20th Century Fox)

Unpopular Opinions: Animal Characters

No animals were harmed in the making of this list.
Guru Ramanathan, Dante Sacco and Alex Cullina March 26, 2019

The live-action “Dumbo” remake comes out this week, and it got the Arts Desk thinking about the countless animal characters that have graced the silver screen, especially in...

Aml Ameen plays a young courier named ‘D’  in 'Yardies'. (Courtesy of Rialto Pictures)

‘Yardie’ Is a Jamaican Throwback to Gang Dramas of Old

Idris Elba tries his hand at directing in “Yardie,” based on Victor Headley’s novel.
Dante Sacco, Deputy Arts Editor March 25, 2019

They are the familial and relational conflicts that preface and define their violent stories: Grangerford or Shepherdson, Greaser or Soc, Shark or Jet, Native American or Dead...

Movie poster for Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019). (via Warner Bros. Pictures)

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.

If you weren’t already aware, “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase” is coming out this week. Since it’s based on the popular children’s book series, the Arts Desk is...

The Outlying and Malicious Tuition Policy of NYU

The Outlying and Malicious Tuition Policy of NYU

How NYU’s per credit tuition policy lags behind its peers.
Dante Sacco, Deputy Arts Editor March 11, 2019

You would be hard pressed to find an NYU student clamoring for more responsibilities in their schedule. But when it comes to academic classes, the responsibility required is remunerated...

NYU Professor’s ‘NYLON’ Makes a Complex Plot Work

NYU Professor’s ‘NYLON’ Makes a Complex Plot Work

The past is at the forefront in this new play by Tisch Dramatic Writing professor Sofia Alvarez.
Dante Sacco, Deputy Arts Editor March 11, 2019

Nylon is a polymer plastic. It’s a long and durable molecule notable for its ability to hold things together, used in products like ropes, stockings and parachutes. In the new...

A scene from "Dinner for Schmucks," a remake of the French comedy "Le Dîner de Cons." (via Paramount)

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.

From “A Star Is Born” to the upcoming live-action “The Lion King,” remakes and reboots have been mainstays in Hollywood for decades. Though it is easy to immediately discredit...

Unpopular Opinions: 2000s Disney Channel Shows

Unpopular Opinions: 2000s Disney Channel Shows

The Arts Desk is here with takes on some of your childhood faves.
Guru Ramanthan, Dante Sacco and Nicole Rosenthal February 27, 2019

While we recover from the Oscars, it’s time to take another stroll down memory lane and revisit our childhoods. In the past, the Arts Desk has written about some of our favorite...

Ellen DeGeneres hosted the 86th oscars. (via Youtube)

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!

Well, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to forgo a host for this year’s Oscars, so what better way to ignore such a boring move than to celebrate the art...

New Netflix documentaries focus on Democrats Beto O'Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Netflix Could Be Influencing the Next Election

Everyone complains when celebrities get political, but what happens when the line between entertainment and politics blurs beyond repair?
Dante Sacco, Deputy Arts Editor February 19, 2019

Dating back to before his presidency, President Donald Trump has consistently crowned himself a master of ratings, possessing an undeniable talent for stoking interest in the American...

Cover art for "Fyre" on Netflix (Courtesy of Netflix).

Fyre Festival Scam Continues

The music festival scandal that led to a social media riot culminated in two competing documentaries, but even they were unable to escape ethical issues in their production.
Dante Sacco, Staff Writer February 11, 2019

Fyre Festival, the brainchild of practiced millennial manipulator Billy McFarland, was a 2017 ultra-luxe music festival in the Bahamas imagined to appeal to the basest desires...