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

A photo of Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer eating ramen against a bookshelf.

In favor of smallness

Four years of editing the Washington Square News’ arts coverage have convinced me my task was trifling, but meaningful.
Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Arts Editor May 5, 2023

Consider this my coda. I have edited the Washington Square News’ arts desk since early 2020 in varying capacities. At times distant, other times immersed, generally distracted,...

An illustration of a silver and black laptop which has on its screen a crucified man with a multi-eyed goat head.

Off the Radar: Magic mushrooms, monkeys and melodrama in ‘Altered States’

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Altered States” is currently available to stream on Swank.
Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Arts Editor April 21, 2023

In 1980, the enfant terrible of British cinema Ken Russell decided to venture out to the United States and adapt Paddy Chayefsky’s novel “Altered States.” The book follows...

An illustration of a man with red skin wearing a pair of goggles with the text “Ready Player One” printed on it.

‘Ready Player One’ is a cinematic masterpiece, actually

Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” is often maligned as pure commercial noise by hoity-toity cinephiles. Despite the criticism, Spielberg’s love letter to the gaming community upholds the essence of fun action films in the face of pretentious cinema.
Andre Garcia, Contributing Writer March 31, 2023

Every decade has a defining film that taps precisely into the zeitgeist. For American audiences, the ’60s had “The Graduate,” the '70s had “Apocalypse Now” and the '80s...

A family — including a mother with a blonde bob haircut who is wearing a white shirt and a black dress, a son, and a father wearing a gray, plaid three-piece suit — watches a movie in the theater.

Review: ‘The Fabelmans’ is Spielberg at his most vulnerable

In a career notable for poignant moments, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg gets more personal than ever in this Oscar-nominated, semi-autobiographical tale. 
Madeline Kane, Staff Writer March 8, 2023

In a career spanning over half a century, Steven Spielberg has tackled a wide array of subjects in his movies: dinosaurs, archaeologists, aliens, combat soldiers, sharks, rebelling...

Illustration by Debbie Alalade.

Standing United Against COVID-19

We're all eating more home-cooked meals, family-style dishes, TV dinners in our homes or our apartments — all inside — not because it's Christmas or Thanksgiving, but because we all want to stay alive.
Brittany Talissa King, Contributing Writer April 16, 2020

It’s been over two months since the first American was reported to be diagnosed with coronavirus during his visit to Wuhan, China. To date, there have been over two million...

Illustrated by Julia Hope Riguerra.

“Hi! Where are you from?”

When you live far away, home looks a little different every time you return.
Vaishnavi Naidu, Contributing Writer March 23, 2020

When I moved to India at the age of nine, it became easy and almost natural to associate everything good I had ever known with America: annual passes to Disneyland, self-checkout...

Give Me Liberty is a fast-paced film following a medical transport driver across Milwaukee. (Via Music Box Films)

‘Give Me Liberty’ Acts as a Manifesto for a New Style of Madcap American Cinema

Kirill Mikhanovsky’s pseudo-autobiographical film stars unprofessional actors in a bold new fashion for American filmmaking.
Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Contributing Writer December 3, 2019

“Give Me Liberty” never comes to a halt. From its title card to its final one, director Kirill Mikhanovsky doesn’t allow you to breathe, kidnapping the entirety of your being...

Scene from Easter Snap, directed by Oscar nominee RaMell Ross. (Via Field of Vision)

‘Easter Snap’ Is What Nonfiction Films Should Strive to Be

RaMell Ross’s “Easter Snap” is a quietly elegant look into a distant way of life.
Nicholas Pabon, Contributing Writer October 7, 2019

“Easter Snap” is not a normal documentary; there is no narration and it isn’t explicitly informative. No, “Easter Snap” is hardly a documentary at all — it is a piece...

Sports Editor Bela Kirpalani was blessed by the Bobcat in the spring. (via @belakirps12 on Instagram)

The Best Sports Mascots, Ranked

Hi @Gritty
Bela Kirpalani, Sports Editor September 30, 2019

To some, mascots may seem utterly useless or distracting from the actual game. To others like me, however, that is exactly what makes them so important to the American sporting...

Erturk graduated from Tisch in 2016 and premiered his feature film debut at Tribeca. (via Cenk Erturk)

Tisch MFA Alum Cenk Ertürk’s Journey to Tribeca

WSN sits down with Tisch MFA alum Cenk Ertürk to talk about “Noah Land,” his feature debut at Tribeca.
Guru Ramanathan, Arts Editor May 3, 2019

When Turkish immigrant Cenk Ertürk first set foot in the United States, he came with a dream of being a filmmaker despite having no formal education in the craft. Little did he...

Cover art for Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. (via Facebook)

Staff Recs: Books We Should Have Read in High School

If you hated your high school humanities classes, the Arts Desk is here to give recs so that you can redo your education the right way.

“Romeo and Juliet.” “The Catcher in the Rye.” Ernest Hemingway. Jane Austen. Classic titles and names that filled our high school syllabi and glazed our eyes over. But...