The Best of 2018: Daily Iowan Arts top picks

A  Quiet Place Mission Impossible: Fallout Avengers: Infinity War On the top of list of standout 2018 movies, two Hawkeye alumni screenwriters lead the way with the horror masterpiece A Quiet Place. Starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt (they’re married), this postapocalyptic thriller  is set on an Earth that has been overrun by blind aliens that sense the world around them with especially ...

“thank u, next” (Ariana Grande) Ariana Grande gave everyone the breakup bop they didn’t know they needed. The only comparable song in pop music that comes to mind is “Potential Breakup Song,” by Aly & AJ. If you haven’t heard either of these bad boys, man, are you missing out. After the song dropped on Nov. 3, it shot to Billboard’s Hot 100 No. 1 slot and remained there until Dec. 8,...

The Haunting of Hill House The Netflix original premièred on Oct. 12, with fright and terror for the most experienced horror-film fanatics. A family broken by their mother’s suicide in a haunted mansion tries to piece the puzzle together of what happened on that night.  “The Haunting of Hill House” provides suspense and the occasional jump-scare, but it deserves a standing ovation for psychol...

If there is one trend that has absolutely consumed colleges around the nation, it would be Juuling. Pick your poison, everyone. There’s been significant controversy over the past year regarding the new e-cigarette brand Juul and its explosion in popularity among college and high-school students, with nearly 12 percent of high-schoolers using e-cig products, according to a 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey....

Despite being released for fewer than two years, Fortnite has become a cultural gaming phenomenon that will likely be associated with 2018 forever. With a cartoon-inspired design and bright colors, flashy dance moves and themed events, Fortnite seems like every child’s dream. But it’s not just for children. With millions of players ranging from elementary-schoolers to adults, it draws a huge ...

Iowa City has had its share of drama in 2018, from the closing of Zombie Burger, the City Council special election, the Ped Mall construction nightmares, and the seemingly weekly protests that take place on the Pentacrest. The most dramatic moment in Iowa City in 2018 had to be the grand opening of Cactus 3 in September. It was a shock, as two other Cactus restaurants  exist downtown, just doors away fr...

2018 has been an incredible year for concerts in Iowa City. Among shows at the Englert, smaller-scale venues such as Gabe’s and Blue Moose, and shows presented by SCOPE, there has been no shortage of good live music to check out this year. The wonderful local festivals, Mission Creek and Witching Hour, have also produced a great wealth of must-see musical talent. Additionally, 2018 saw a great level of dive...

2018 was rife with viral meme sensations, from the deep collective desire to eat Tide pods — despite the urging of the company to not eat them and nearly 13,000 calls to poison control in 2017 in relation to laundry pods, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers — to the Laurel vs. Yanny debate in the early summer to recent memes including bongo cat, the strange “Johnny Joh...