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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 Ethan Beck
A large crowd in front of a stage with three people in front of a backdrop that says “VAMPIRE WEEKEND." Two screens show close-up shots of a man holding a guitar.

Review: Vampire Weekend packs 2 decades worth of hits into its MSG show

The veteran indie rockers returned to their hometown for the first time since 2019, littering their set with jams, covers and much-loved deep cuts.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer October 11, 2024

Last Thursday, Vampire Weekend took Chinatown by surprise, putting on a concert performance for a small crowd in front of the Time Again bar. The band launched into its classic...

A cowboy girl wearing a yellow top and jeans leaning on a car, surrounded by cows and trees.

Review: Miranda Lambert heads back home on ‘Postcards from Texas’

The Texan country legend plays to her strengths, from her fabulous drawl to explosive breakup anthems, in another satisfying album.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer September 24, 2024

Unstable breakups. New friends at the bar. Drunken hookups. These are just some of the trials and tribulations Miranda Lambert takes listeners through in her new album, "Postcards...

A red mug and a laptop are placed on a purple background. On the screen of the laptop is a woman wearing a green jacket and a pair of sunglasses driving a yellow car through the mountains.

Off the Radar: The surprising tenderness of Jacques Tati’s ‘Trafic’

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Trafic” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer February 23, 2024

Jacques Tati, the French filmmaker behind visually dazzling comedies like 1958’s  “Mon Oncle” and the 1967 “PlayTime,” began his career in entertainment as a mime, performing...

Singer Katy Kirby looking directly into the camera with her hands framing her face in front of a red backdrop.

Review: Katy Kirby expands and excites with ‘Blue Raspberry’

The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter’s sophomore album focuses on Kirby’s first queer relationship.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer February 9, 2024

Of all of our adept indie-folk storytellers, American singer-songwriter Katy Kirby knows how to read people best. Whereas Andy Shauf instinctively understands social settings and...

Two people are sitting on a brown couch. Both of them appear upset and are leaning their head on their hands. The man on the left has short dark hair and is wearing a black shirt. The girl on the right has long, brown hair and is wearing a white shirt with blue shorts.

Review: ‘The Sweet East’ is a freewheeling, antagonistic epic

Sean Price Williams’ directorial debut features a joyful and occasionally grating journey through the East Coast.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer December 8, 2023

School-sponsored overnight trips are often iconic milestones for teenagers, with their moments of unrestricted mayhem and chaos. With a newfound sense of freedom, class clowns...

Chris Stapleton wearing a cowboy hat and a black coat while holding a microphone on a stand to his mouth. The stage behind him is bathed in blue light.

Review: ‘Higher’ shows Chris Stapleton in steady territory

The country star returns with a pleasant, generically good record that’s on par for him, but lacks variety.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer November 20, 2023

Chris Stapleton has a voice you can trust. Over strummed acoustic guitars, bluesy electric guitar riffs or organ hits, Stapleton’s warm, bellowing tenor can feel very familiar....

An illustration of white-colored barbed wire and chain links from a fence. They are silhouetted on a red background.

Review: ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ is a sleek tale of environmental revolution

With Daniel Goldhaber’s stylish direction and a strong cast, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” turns a story about property destruction into a tense thriller.
Ethan Beck, Contributing Writer April 25, 2023

What’s the cure for apathy? In “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” the tight, new environmentalist thriller from “Cam” director Daniel Goldhaber, the answer is direct action....

Actress Michelle Williams as the character Lizzy in the film “Showing Up.” She is working on a sculpture inside a studio with a bookshelf in the background.

Review: ‘Showing Up’ continues Kelly Reichardt’s soft-spoken hot streak

The Oregon-based director focuses on the studio art world in her latest film for A24. “Showing Up” is currently showing at select theaters in New York City.
Ethan Beck, Contributing Writer April 13, 2023

Kelly Reichardt may be the most consistent, empathetic director working in the United States today. Reichardt has regularly put together steady, simple films that reward patient...

Actors Kristen Cui, Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge in the film “Knock at the Cabin.” They are hiding behind a corner in a cabin and looking anxiously to the right.

Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ is an apocalyptic test of belief

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest continues a string of fascinating, mostly-solid thrillers.
Ethan Beck, Contributing Writer February 15, 2023

A new M. Night Shyamalan movie evokes many feelings these days. For years, he was the Spielberg-in-waiting, who built up his name and future with “The Sixth Sense,” a haunting...

As lovers celebrate their romantic holiday, Valentine’s Day can be the perfect time to enjoy a heartbreaking breakup album. (Staff Illustration by Aaliya Luthra)

This Valentine’s Day, listen to a breakup album

If you’re bitter about being alone on Valentine’s Day, check out the breakup albums we rounded up so you didn’t have to.

We’ve all been there — as Feb. 14 approaches, it seems impossible to escape anything red, pink or heart-shaped. If you’re single, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something...