Movie Blog: Can Netflix save the romantic comedy?
By Emily Wolfe, Contributing Editor
July 9, 2019
Ten out of the 20 highest-grossing movies of 2018 were sequels; eight out of 20 were superhero movies; 18 were based on existing properties. In an age where movie studios are all about the blockbuster, that’s become the story of the box office.
Movie Blog: Ode to Fox’s ‘X-Men’
By Melanie Pantano & Thomas Wick, Staff Writers
June 26, 2019
When most people think of superhero movies, they think of Marvel Studios. When most people think of Marvel Studios, they think of the Avengers — the superhero squad consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow — and their string of box office-topping and family-friendly action films. Though this team mastered the art of the comic book-to-movie adaptation, they by no means invented the art itself.
Movie blog: Curse of the video game adaptation
By Thomas Wick, Staff Writer
June 5, 2019
Once upon a time in the year 1993, an abomination crawled out from the darkest depths of the underworld and into the light of our Earth: the first film adaptation of a video game. The movie, “Super Mario Bros.,” turned the villain of the video game series it was based on, Bowser, from a vicious fire-...
Unconventional options after graduation
By Anna Bongardino, Digital Manager
April 17, 2019
This page was made possible in part by a grant from Year of Pitt Global. We’ve all heard the dreaded, anxiety-inducing question. It’s the favorite conversation topic of every well-meaning family member you have, at every family gathering in the year or two before you graduate from college. ...
PGH foodie blog: Squirrel Hill’s Chaya serves authentic Japanese cuisine
By Josh Gaylord, For The Pitt News
April 5, 2019
Japan is known for its glorious mountainscapes, plethora of anime series and strong gaming industry, but their cuisine is easily one of my favorite things. Most people are familiar enough with sushi, but the small island nation has a myriad of other scrumptious delicacies to tempt the adventurous foodie...
Weekend Watchlist: The best of the worst
By The Pitt News Staff
April 4, 2019
This installment of our recurring Weekend Watchlist blog takes a slightly different approach — we wrote about the absolute worst shows and movies we could find online. These films and shows are just so bad they’re good, and we really can’t get enough of the cringey comedy unintentionally found in this week’s watchlist.
Northeastern Kitchen brings traditional Chinese food to Pittsburgh
By Ben Spock, For The Pitt News
April 3, 2019
Northeastern Kitchen is easy to miss. The Chinese restaurant sits in a basement on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill with its narrow storefront nestled between a bank and a consignment store. Inside, it’s a cozy and humble space, sparsely decorated aside from the red tapestries that adorn the walls and the wa...
Streaming now: must-see foreign language films, TV
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Senior Staff Writer
March 20, 2019
This year we have made several different watchlists of great, enjoyable TV shows and movies. Considering this school year is the Year of Pitt Global, you should take some time to celebrate foreign-language media too.
Photo blog: midterms, spring break edition
By Bader Abdulmajeed, Staff Photographer
March 8, 2019
Kick off your break from class and the stresses of midterm exams by reading about how these Pitt students wind down from midterm exams and plan to spend their spring breaks. ...
Make time for mindfulness
By Ashna Gupta, For The Pitt News
March 8, 2019
Do you ever find yourself trying to study for chemistry and then you remember you have an assignment due in another class? Or do you remember all the errands you need to run while trying to get work done? It’s a natural human tendency to be doing something while our minds are in another place. P...
Blog: Spring break watchlist
By The Pitt News Staff
March 7, 2019
As promised in our 2019 spring break bucket list, The Pitt News staff is here with yet another installment of our Weekend Watchlist blog series.
Blog: Weekend watchlist, take five
By The Pitt News Staff
March 1, 2019
For the fifth time, The Pitt News staff is sharing our top picks of films and TV shows. For a post-midterms binge-watching session, look no further than the TPN Weekend Watchlist.
Venture outside Europe for study abroad
By Anna Bongardino, Contributing Editor
February 27, 2019
Young self-designated travelers who have just returned after a few months abroad often say things along the lines of “Study abroad changed me. It was amazing!” Many of us tend to roll our eyes in response. While two, four or even six months in a country may seem like a short time, the things...
Blog: Our weekend watchlist, LGBTQ+ edition
By The Pitt News Staff
February 15, 2019
Valentine’s Day is a day of love, but here at The Pitt News, it is also the day we release our annual Sex Edition, which this year had an LGBTQ+ focus. To continue with this theme, this Weekend Watchlist features series and movies with a strong LGBTQ+ presence.
Blog: Valentine’s Day, more than romantic love
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Staff Writer
February 15, 2019
A long-held belief in our society is that we need to be in relationships or get married to be happy and successful — to achieve a “happily ever after,” so to speak. We have a myriad of romantic comedies and princess films that center on romance or heavily feature love interests. There’s also ...
PGH Foodie Blog: Oakland’s Americanized Chinese food gems
By Joshua Gaylord, For The Pitt News
February 15, 2019
The majority of people have heard of the Ten Commandments, but very few have heard of the elusive 11th commandment. Thou shall never find good cafeteria food. I’ve been to several colleges for visits, and I studied at College of the Ozarks in southwest Missouri before my time here at Pitt. The o...
Blog: Reverse culture shock after China study abroad
By Ben Spock, Staff Writer
February 13, 2019
This page was made possible in part by a grant from Year of Pitt Global. I won’t soon forget my experience standing in line at the McDonald’s in the Chicago O’Hare Airport. I had a layover in Chicago during my trip between Shanghai and Pittsburgh after studying abroad in China for two months. I was about to or...
Blog: Further reflections on adoption, Chinese study abroad
By Kim Rooney, Contributing Editor
February 8, 2019
When I become too embroiled in writer’s block, I often remind myself that, so long as I stay alive to do so, I can update pieces I write. I studied abroad in Shanghai in the summer of 2017, during which time I returned to my hometown Gaoyou. When I came back to the United States, I wrote a column reflec...
Blog: Our weekend watchlist, take three
By The Pitt News Staff
February 8, 2019
For the third time, our weekend watchlist is back by popular demand. This time with both television shows and movies featured on popular streaming services.
Blog: Shanghai from sunrise to sunset
By Levko Karmazyn, Staff Writer
February 1, 2019
Shanghai gave me a new appreciation for chaos. Between the insane driving, commerce and sheer number of inhabitants — 24 million or so — it seemed as if there was no way I could ever make sense of it all. But the more my focus narrowed, whether on an individual life, a single small shop or even o...
Berlin internship proves stereotypes wrong
By Maggie Koontz, Senior Staff Writer
January 30, 2019
This page was made possible in part by a grant from Year of Pitt Global. On the very first day of my writing internship at tbd*, a social business startup in Berlin that connects people with employment resources, I stepped through the door and I was immediately greeted by my bosses and ...
Photo blog: Pitt students reflect on winter break
By Bader Abdulmajeed, Staff Photographer
January 25, 2019
Check out the first edition of our photo blog by staff photographer Bader Abdulmajeed. This week he walked around campus and talked to students about music, winter break, mental health and more. — Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity....
Blog: Our weekend watchlist, movie edition
By The Pitt News Staff
January 25, 2019
Last week we shared our top television shows to stream during the bad winter weather. This week, there may not be a storm coming, but we are ready to share our weekend watchlist. Instead of a series, The Pitt News staff is recommending some of our favorite films.
Blog: What to watch this wintery weekend
By The Pitt News Staff
January 18, 2019
With bad weather on the way, it’s looking like this weekend will be spent indoors. For the best indoor entertainment, our staff has shared their top picks of shows from online streaming services.
‘Pitt in London’: Fan-filled adventure
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Staff Writer
January 16, 2019
I have harbored a deep love and appreciation for the U.K. since I was a child. I developed a passion for Arthurian myths and legends, and British film, television and book series like Peter Pan, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. Besides my love for the U.K. and the many ca...
New Year’s traditions around the world
By Sarah Connor, Culture Editor
December 10, 2018
Here in America, the nation tunes in to watch the ball drop at midnight from Times Square, other nations celebrate the new year with their own traditions.
Exploring the Boot with Grace: navigating groceries
By Grace McGinness, Columnist
December 6, 2018
Essentially, there are two types of grocery shopping in Florence. One is simple and familiar. The other, though far more involved, can be unexpectedly rewarding.
Exploring the Boot with Grace: Studying while abroad
By Grace McGinness, Columnist
November 9, 2018
Some students become so excited over their study abroad experience and all the extra bonuses that come with it like new food, new experiences and new friends that they forget their main obligation — studying.
How Global Studies helped Martinec on the path to success
By Elise Lavallee, Digital Manager
October 10, 2018
This page was made possible in part by a grant from Year of Pitt Global. At the age of 21, Alyssa Martinec boarded a plane to Shanghai, embarking on her second trip to China. This time, she was going to conduct research about air quality and the system justification theory. “Environmental issues are extreme...
Exploring the Boot with Grace:
Embrace your inner tourist
By Grace McGinness, Columnist, Blogger
September 25, 2018
Since I have arrived in Florence, the problem of tourists has been a main point of conversation with my professors. Tourists stand in the road and mess up traffic, they don’t know how to speak any Italian or adhere to any of the local customs, they don’t take the time to appreciate anything that they see here.
What are the odds: Making a comeback after losses in Ohio State vs. TCU game
By Colin Martin, Blogger
September 21, 2018
In this week's "What are the odds" blog, blogger Colin Martin examines his losses and how he can make a comeback in the upcoming games. He offers an analysis of each game in college football, providing spreads, over/under numbers and bet suggestion.
Waiver Wire Weekly: Fitzmagic casts spell in time for Week 3
By Adin Link, Staff Writer
September 17, 2018
After last week's results in fantasy football, the Pitt News has put together a new list of targets to watch out for during this week. In a short roundup, we offer suggestions of the top picks of quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.
Weekly Waiver Wire
By Adin Link, Staff Writer
September 14, 2018
With the popularity of fantasy football and the constant weekly changes, it can be difficult for participants to keep up with what is happening. Now, fans have to look no further than this brief list of weekly wire additions to keep an eye on.
Exploring the Boot with Grace
By Grace McGinness, Blogger
September 14, 2018
During my orientation week as newly arrived first-year at Pitt, I picked up every study abroad flyer offered. I’d spent several years studying American history on U.S. soil already — I figured studying another country’s history on its soil would be a nice change of pace. Now, as a junior double...