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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

JP Pak

JP Pak, Film & TV Editor

JP Pak is a CAS sophomore studying English and history with a minor in the business of entertainment. Originally from Denver, Co., he loves writing about film, television and developments in the entertainment business. JP is pretty sure that he walked past Noah Baumbach on the street in November 2020 and has yet to stop talking about it. Though he hopes to confirm this one day, he’s accepted the fact that it will likely remain an unverified claim for the foreseeable future. For updates on this matter and more, follow JP at @jpppak on Instagram and @jppak on Twitter.

All content by JP Pak
A man with a child clinging to his back dressed in winter clothes walks through the snowy woods.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi on blurring reality and fiction

WSN spoke with Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi about his newest film “Evil Does Not Exist.”
JP Pak, Contributing Writer May 3, 2024

In the years since his breakout “Happy Hour” (2015) and Academy Award-winning “Drive My Car” (2021), the world seems to have almost conformed to the central concerns of...

A film still from Godland with actor Elliott Crosset Hove, who plays Lucas, in the center on the beach. The ocean, shoreline, and another character can be seen behind him.

Review: ‘Godland’ shows faith at the ends of the earth

In Hlynur Pálmason’s accomplished third feature film, a Danish priest succumbs to a bitter existential crisis in the badlands of coastal Iceland. “Godland” is currently playing at the IFC Center.
JP Pak, Contributing Writer February 8, 2023

In the periphery of “Godland,” director Hlynur Pálmason’s visually breathtaking third feature film, a six-foot wooden cross struggles to maintain its place among cargo that...

An illustration of three Oscar awards, with one placed further in front of the other two to create a triangle.

This year’s Oscars hit different

The 94th Academy Awards were a harrowing milestone for streaming services, an ultimate victory for “CODA” and the slap heard around the world. Also: a full list of winners.
JP Pak, Film & TV Editor March 29, 2022

On Sunday, 15.4 million viewers tuned in for one of the wildest nights in Oscars history. The night marked a historic rebound for the Academy, with the show drawing in a 30% bump...

A headshot of Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier.

Leaps of faith: Q&A with director Joachim Trier of ‘The Worst Person in the World’

WSN spoke with Joachim Trier about failure, impatience in filmmaking and what it means to be the worst person in the world.
JP Pak, Film & TV Editor February 22, 2022

In his 2006 debut feature “Reprise,” Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier began the Oslo trilogy with melancholy. He followed it up in 2011 with “Oslo, August 31st,” a quiet...

If securing a Valentine’s date proves to be a failure, WSN has you covered with a list of movies to watch alone on Valentine’s Day. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Staff Recs: Anti-Valentine’s Day films

The Arts Desk recommends the best films to protest Saint Valentine’s Day.

“The Living End” directed by Gregg Araki Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Arts Editor Nothing says Saint Valentine’s Day like sex, death and hedonism. Gregg Araki’s New Queer...

The 94th Oscar nominations saw academy voters recognize streaming services, with Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV+ receiving close to 40 nominations. (Image courtesy of Kirsty Griffin/Netflix)

Oscar nominations 2022: Streaming takes center stage during the awards’ biggest test yet

The 94th Academy Award nominations were released on Tuesday. The full list of nominations is a strange mix of questionable picks haunted by a long list of snubs.
JP Pak and Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer February 9, 2022

In an attempt to celebrate 2021’s lethargic return to theatrical moviegoing, Oscar voters chose to recognize streaming services’ growing command of the film industry. Together,...

Yoo's interest in aesthetic philosophy was a significant source of her inspiration in her crafts. (Photo courtesy of Sophia Somin Yoo)

Sophia Somin Yoo: A curator’s voice

The designer, ceramicist and art curator finds purpose in bringing new ideas into focus.
JP Pak, Film & TV Editor October 22, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced independent art galleries to consider closing their businesses, curator and ceramicist Sophia Somin Yoo saw an opportunity to begin something new. “It...

“Zola,” directed by NYU alumna Janicza Bravo, is a 2020 comedy-drama film based on a twitter thread. “Zola” is now in theaters and available to rent on demand. (Image courtesy of A24)

“Zola” Review: A modern Floridian fairytale

Janicza Bravo’s sophomore feature is a dazzling adaptation of a legendary Twitter thread.
JP Pak, Film & TV Editor August 25, 2021

If you were on Twitter in 2015, before it was ruled by toxic sanctimony and political scorn, you might remember it as a sort of Wild West — uncharted territory with outlaws,...

"Minari" is an Oscar-nominated semi-autobiographical American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It follows a family of South Korean immigrants as they try to navigate their way in the 1980s rural United States. (Courtesy of A24)

‘Minari’ and the roots of the Asian American experience

Despite its cultural specificity, Lee Isaac Chung’s story of family and dreams is a film for all of us.
JP Pak, Film Editor April 26, 2021

My life changed the day I, a scrawny, Asian-American 11-year-old, watched Korean American actor Steven Yeun fall in love with Lauren Cohan, a white woman, on AMC’s “The Walking...

GODZILLA and KONG in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “GODZILLA VS. KONG,” a Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures release. (Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures)

‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Review: The joys of absurdity

The fourth installment in Warner Brothers’ MonsterVerse franchise is the colossal action movie we need right now.
JP Pak, Film & TV Editor April 2, 2021

This is what we’re thinking: we’ll make a big monkey fight a big lizard. We’ll cast that girl from “Stranger Things” as a woke, rebellious teenager. The FBI agent in...