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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 Ella Sabrina Malabanan
An illustration of a Christmas wreath wrapped in shiny gold ribbon and an ornament, with red and green sections showing different film posters. In the middle is the Netflix logo wearing a red santa hat.

Ranked: Every 2024 Netflix Christmas rom-com

This year, Netflix put out four new holiday romantic comedies, ranging from trashy to genuinely fun.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Staff Writer December 9, 2024

Every holiday season, you can find a ton of new, usually low-budget, Christmas romantic comedies on Netflix. While the streaming giant that gave us three “The Princess Switch”...

10 songs for your cold-weather playlist

10 songs for your cold-weather playlist

It’s finally feeling like winter is near, and these songs will let you lean into your chilly-weather sensibilities.

Sure, it hit 80 degrees on Halloween. But as we creep into the second half of November, it’s hard to deny that students are breaking out their winter coats and bracing for colder...

A man and woman stand facing the audience in adjacent rooms on a stage. The woman’s has a purple hue while the man’s is blue.

Review: ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ melts even the most robotic hearts

The new Broadway musical starring Darren Criss and Helen J Shen is a refreshing comedy merging robots and romance.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Staff Writer November 14, 2024

“Maybe Happy Ending” is a tale as old as time — boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl also happen to be robots. The new musical playing at the Belasco Theatre...

A sad Claymation figure with wide, teary eyes wearing a textured hat and snail-eyes headpiece.

Review: ‘Memoir of a Snail’ will make you want to come out of your shell

Adult animation legend Adam Elliot’s first film in nearly a decade is both crude and heartwarming.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan and Gabriel Murray November 12, 2024

Coming out of your shell is never easy, but “Memoir of a Snail” shows you that there’s no point in hiding from the world — even when life is trailing by at a snail's pace....

Against a blue, red and white background reminiscent of the Filipino flag, there's a yellow sun pattern in the center with the letters “F. A. H. M.” in blue type.

5 books to read as Filipino American History Month wraps up

These reads are a perfect introduction to the rich world of Filipino literature.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Staff Writer October 28, 2024

Although Filipino American History Month is coming to an end, it is not too late to learn more about Filipino culture through its literature. It would be impossible to create...

A collage of four illustrated book covers.

Books beyond Bobst: An art criticism compilation, a romance set in Communist Poland and more

Books beyond Bobst is a book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light, 100 Art Writings 1988-2018” by Peter Schjeldahl “Schjeldahl has enriched the sensibilities of several generations by narrating his own process...

An illustration of a film reel frame depicting a woman holding an umbrella surrounded by other people.

How a long-lost Filipino masterpiece came to NYFF 62

Writer and producer Gil Quito spoke to WSN about the restoration of Lino Brocka’s “Bona,” which premiered at this year’s New York Film Festival.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Contributing Writer October 1, 2024

Filipino director Lino Brocka’s 1980 film “Bona” is known as one of the greatest works in Philippine cinema. The film depicts the story of titular character Bona, documenting...

An illustration of a laptop screen and red mug in front of a purple background. On the screen is a woman in a red dress holding a red shawl above her head.

Off the Radar: The stylish, picture-perfect escapism of ‘Funny Face’

Off the Radar is a column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Funny Face” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Contributing Writer September 20, 2024

When “Funny Face,” Stanley Donen’s movie-musical with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, first premiered in 1957, it was a box office disappointment. Seven years later —...

Collage of four illustrated books: on the top left is an illustration of a book cover filled with oranges under a plastic film. The title “BLISS MONTAGE Stories” lies on top of the film. On the top right is an illustration of a black book cover titled “POVERTY, BY AMERICA” on a light green background. On the bottom left is an illustration of a book cover with a black, bold line across it. A bee is in the top right corner, along with the title “The Bee Sting” written between the lines. On the bottom right is an illustration of a dark green book cover with a pink box in the center, titled “THE VIRGIN SUICIDES.” There are five dark green flowers in the box and one of them has a missing petal. A pink petal is in the bottom left corner.

Books beyond Bobst: A modern classic, a short story collection and more

Books beyond Bobst is a book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray — Emily Genova, Deputy Managing Editor  This nearly 700-page novel follows an Irish family as they reckon with a failing family-run...

An illustration of a human-form collage of arboreal textures and human-figure illustrations.

NYU’s ‘Here Lies Love’ syllabus dives deep into the controversial musical

Two NYC-based professors, one from NYU, collaborated to compile a selection of resources that contextualize David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s musical.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Contributing Writer September 28, 2023

An NYU professor contributed to a public syllabus analyzing David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s “Here Lies Love,” a controversial disco-pop musical about former First Lady of the...