Crimson staff writer
Aziz B. Yakub
Latest Content
‘First Reformed’ Marks the Return of a Genius
It is on the small, fundamental building blocks of filmmaking that “First Reformed” thrives.
‘The Americans’ Shows Subtle Signs of Complacency
Despite aspects of its unmitigated success, some of the premiere’s smaller moments lack the nuanced craft that previous seasons consistently maintained. “The Americans” is on the cusp of getting stale.
21 Colorful Crimson Talk Opening for Yardfest and Breaking Old Musical Norms
21 Colorful Crimson is a music collective composed of 21 Harvard freshmen who will open for Lil Yachty and Wale at Yardfest.
‘The Death of Stalin’ Amuses, But Lacks Second Gear
“The Death of Stalin” is much like the leaders it depicts.
On Comedy: Originality’s Trickery in Maria Bamford’s ‘Old Baby’
At least Bamford is humble enough to acknowledge how polarizing her comedy can be.
On Comedy: The Comic as a Motivational Speaker in Iliza Shlesinger’s ‘Confirmed Kills’
I do not want to reduce Shlesinger’s comedy to a series of moderately problematic asides. That would not be fair to Shlesinger, nor would it be fair to you, dear reader.
Arts Vanity: Undying Adulation in the Age of the Internet
The following comments, compiled from Reddit, Facebook, and the comment section of The Harvard Crimson, are all in response to my two-star review of “DAMN.”
Music Video Breakdown: ‘Rake It Up’ by Yo Gotti
Yo Gotti’s “Rake It Up”—despite seemingly being a paean to lazily refusing to pick up your money in a strip club—is a representation of the American dream.
On Comedy: The Dangers of Lazy Readers in Katherine Ryan’s ‘In Trouble’
The reader is not always right.
Stray Thoughts: The Emmys and the State of Television Today
Perhaps this should not be framed as a single-year decline in the quality of dramatic television.
On Comedy: The Intoxication of Coolness in Deon Cole’s ‘The Standups’
Cole is crafting a character in the crevices between the loosely held joke structure of his special.
On Comedy: Introductory Remarks and Hope in Norm Macdonald’s ‘Hitler's Dog, Gossip and Trickery’
That is, perhaps, the highest form of comedy: The kind of comedy that reminds us of what we can be.
Music Video Breakdown: ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ by Taylor Swift
To a listener with eyes, its music video asks the undeniably important question: Why don’t we take Swift seriously as an artist?
'Better Things': "September" is Nostalgia for a Childhood Never Lived
There is a certain audacious wonder in such an honest depiction of childhood and adolescence.
