By JON AGUIRRE Staff Writer @TheEtCetera When you listen to the very first track of “Atrocity Exhibition,” you become aware that this isn’t your average hip-hop album. You realize you’re about to embark on a journey, a ride full of terror, pain and hilarity through the mind of Danny Brown. Brown...

By JON AGUIRRE @TheEtCetera When you think of experimental music, you may think it has to be weird, inaccessible or unpleasant. But experimental hip-hop trio clipping shows that innovation in music can be enjoyable and accessible. Clipping. has mostly been categorized as “noise rap,” a genre...

By DAVID SILVA @DavidSilvaETC Editor’s Note: Includes season one spoilers. How do you kill Pablo Escobar? Don’t ask anyone in season one of the critically acclaimed Netflix original series “Narcos.” They’ve all tried and failed. Local police officers, drug enforcement agents and other...

By KEVIN ORELLANA Reporter @TheEtCetera It’s been some time since I’ve watched, much less enjoyed, a Tim Burton film. Faced with the task of keeping my eyes in their respective sockets during a screening of Burton’s latest vision of spirals, white make up and sunken eyes in “Miss...

By RODRIGO MENDOZA @TheEtCetera Pittsburgh native Mac Miller has had a lot of hit songs including “Donald Trump” and his 2013 duet “That Way” with his now-girlfriend Ariana Grande. Miller’s last few albums have not done very well commercially or critically, but I think that when the couple...

By RODRIGO MENDOZA @TheEtCetera Rebecca Skloot’s debut nonfiction book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” is this year’s common book, a literary work integrated into classes and activities throughout the academic year. The common book experience is designed to encourage the college...

By Macks Prewitt @TheEtCetera John Krasinski stars in and directs “The Hollars,” a humorous family drama that follows struggling cartoonist John Hollar (Krasinski) living in New York City with his pregnant girlfriend Rebecca (Anna Kendrick). When his mother (Margo Martindale) suffers a stroke,...

By DAVID SILVA @DavidSilvaETC Director Fede Alvarez takes audiences on a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in his new horror-thriller “Don’t Breathe.” Alvarez, director of the 2013 “Evil Dead” remake, scales back the blood, gore and shock horror that characterized his breakthrough film by delivering...

  By Jeremy Christian “Free State of Jones” is an action-drama that tells the true story of an unlikely, little-known episode in American history: A gang of poor white farmers and runaway slaves band together to rebel against the Confederacy during the later stages of the Civil War. The...

By James Hartley Just keep swimming and don’t give up on Dory, even if she does have a tendency to forget important things throughout her “Finding Nemo” sequel, “Finding Dory.” Shortly after returning home from their adventure to save clownfish Marlon’s (Albert Brooks) son, Nemo...

By Caitlin Piper The infamous difficulty curve of the “Souls” series isn’t so much a sharp incline as it is a Sisyphean trek up the mountains of the Underworld. Just when I think I’ve gotten used to the weight of that boulder and manage to reach the peak, it slips from my hands and goes...

By David Silva The legendary country singer with a larger-than-life personality Hank Williams gets a film rendition in Marc Abraham’s “I Saw The Light.” Hank is known as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and is one of the most beloved characters in country music. During...

By Tarryn Lingle Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s debut novel explores the impact money can have on families and individuals. “The Nest,” released March 22, currently sits at No. 3 on The New York Time’s Best-Sellers List. Sweeney was a marketing copywriter for two decades before deciding to go back...

  By David Silva “Eddie the Eagle” tells the true story of underdog British athlete Michael “Eddie” Edwards, whose historic showing at the 1988 Winter Olympics made him an international celebrity. Eddie’s (Taron Egerton) dreams of Olympic gold begin in early childhood. As a young...

Tarryn Lingle Robert Eggers’s debut film “The Witch” is an absolute bone-chilling experience sure to haunt you far beyond the closing scene. The film is set in 1630, showing the daunting events William (Ralph Ineson) and his family encounter after being excommunicated...

Though published in 1940, the story of “Native Son” by Richard Wright could resonate with young African-Americans today. Wright is considered one of the most influential African-American writers of the 20th century. “Native Son,” his first novel, was a critical and commercial success. It...

By James Hartley @ByJamesHartley Comic book and superhero movie fans may have set their expectations for “Deadpool” a little low. The first ever R-rated superhero kills his enemies without remorse and takes almost nothing seriously. It makes for a great, funny movie. The humor starts in the opening...

By Mickey Smith Around early 2003 my family picked up a PS2 and a few games including “Kingdom Hearts,” “Madden 2003” and “Dark Cloud 2.” I remember as a kid I spent hours playing all three of the games, but “Dark Cloud 2,” a dungeon-crawling action RPG, was what really grabbed my attention...

By Josh Taylor It seems that the indie community in gaming has made a turn for the better in recent years, with such amazing titles as "Goat Simulator" and "Five Nights At Freddy’s" hitting the top of favorites lists world-wide. It's no surprise that all this success has inspired developers everywhere...

By James Hartley  The latest film starring multi-time-Oscar-deserving-but-not-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant,” is nothing short of stunning. The story, characters and visuals are beautifully woven, creating an astounding tapestry. While collecting pelts in the untamed wilderness...

  By Mayra Rosales-Montoya In director Paul McGuigan’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 19th-century horror novel “Frankenstein,” we see things from the point of view of the mad doctor’s loyal assistant, Igor. Dr. Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) is only beginning his descent into...

By Mayra Rosales-Montoya Adele’s newest album, “25,” is breaking records this year. It sold over 3 million copies just in the week it was released and continues with its impressive gross sales as the holiday season approaches. It has been four years since the release of her last album, and in that...

By James Hartley It’s been a week since I went to see “Secret in Their Eyes,” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts, and it’s still sinking in. Telling the tale of a former FBI agent, Ray (Ejiofor), an investigator, Jess (Roberts) and a district attorney,...

From left, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Brian d’Arcy James portray investigative journalists in “Spotlight.” COURTESY OPEN ROAD FILMS   By David A. Silva When The Boston Globe editor in chief Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) assigns a team of reporters to investigate...

By Jon Aguirre Oneohtrix Point Never, aka Daniel Lopatin, is an electronic music artist. His seventh studio album “Garden of Delete” is his hardest-hitting yet. The album kicks off with 28 seconds of strange, robotic laughter accompanied by jumbled noise, immediately setting the mood. By...