‘White Noise’ depicts how we are drowning in the noise we make
By Caroline Stanton
I had a lot of really high hopes for “White Noise” after reading the book that it was based on. I can happily report that the film kept me on my toes, gave me new insights into human existence, and truly captured what I believe “White Noise” by Don DeLillo is all about. The movie came out on Netflix on December 30, 2022, and starred Adam Driver as Jack Gladney and Greta Gerwig as Babette Gladney.
The movie is set in small-town America in the 1980s, and ...
Change in comedy
by Ella Smith
From the beginning of creation, laughter has been a gift from God. Likewise, the comedy genre is not a new idea. It has been around since as early as the fifth century in Ancient Greek plays. Many things about comedy haven't changed. Comedy still has the main goal of making people laugh, entertaining people, often showing the absurdities in life and offering a helpful takeaway for the audience.
However, with the growing popularity of streaming and the shift in how society ...
How interactivity is a game changer
By Ben Konuch
Interactivity in media is an interesting enigma. It isn’t anything new, with the popular “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series pioneering the concepts as early as 1979, but the last 10 years have shown a resurgence in the concept of interactive stories. Now reaching past its origin in books to encompass video games and even movies, the concept of interactivity is slowly shaping media with fascinating implications.
Interactivity has been shaping media in two main ...
The era of fan-atical power
By Samuel M Acosta
As long as entertainment has existed, fans have existed. Nowadays, with more entertainment content than ever before, there are seemingly infinite fan bases, all of which are extremely passionate. Yet, in recent years, this passion has become a weapon that fans have wielded countless times. Through frequent successes, this has turned the fanbase into a looming mob. While there are some benefits to this newfound power, there is also a significant danger that has the ...
The power of animation
By Janie Walenda
It’s a tale as old as time. Another animated kids’ film is released, with enough adult humor to make it tolerable for the parents. Animated musicals like “Frozen” or “Encanto” are infamous for being watched by kids to the point of annoyance for parents. Is animation just inherently childish? Or do children’s stories just have more fantastical elements, therefore making animation the ideal medium? Is animation defined as being a child-friendly genre, or is it ...
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is a fascinating, albeit plain, slow-burn
By Samuel M Acosta
When I originally saw the trailer for this film, it looked right up my alley. A low-budget, small cast, indie movie that just breathes raw humanity. Upon watching the film, those criteria were met, and while I enjoy many of the concepts presented by the film, I don’t feel like the slow burn pays off in a satisfying way. I am left wanting something just a little bit more.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” follows Padraic, played by Colin Ferrel, a man living on the ...
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a sequel worth the wait
By Samuel M Acosta
This review may contain spoilers for “Avatar: The Way of Water”
After thirteen years of waiting, the sequel to James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar” has finally been released. After rewatching the original film in IMAX and being blown away by its beauty and world, I rushed to the theaters on opening day to see what the newest installment has to offer. What I discovered is a film that is almost more engaging than the original, and somehow presents an even more ...
‘The Last of Us’ episode one is a triumph of television adaptations
By Ben Konuch
“Billions of puppets with poisoned minds fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection to every human alive by any means necessary. And there are no treatments for this, no preventatives, no cures, it’s not even possible to make them.”
When I was fourteen, I was able to experience PlayStation’s “The Last of Us” for the first time, and it changed how I looked at storytelling. When the game was first released in 2013, what first appeared as a fairly generic ...
‘Matilda the Musical” is far from revolting
By Janie Walenda
Musical adaptations of Roald Dahl’s books have been hit or miss, with an emphasis on the miss. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” has had more commercial success, but that and “James and the Giant Peach” live fondly only in the hearts of theater kids who performed them in high school.
“Matilda,” on the other hand, has been better received, with multiple Tony and Olivier awards, and is still performing in London’s West End after 12 years. Therefore, the ...
‘Emancipation’ walks to the finish line when it could have run
By Ben Konuch
“They cut me. They burn me. They burn my neck. They burn my feet. They break the bones in my body more times than I can count. But they never, never break me.”
“Emancipation,” the new historical drama from Antoine Fuqua starring Will Smith, follows the story of Peter, an enslaved man who embarks upon a daring escape and a perilous journey to get his freedom and his family back. The film is loosely based on the real-life events of Peter and Gordon, two men who ...
