‘Arcane’ season two returns with a vengeance
By Janie Walenda
“Why would you let this voice set in your head? It is meant to destroy you.”
At its core, “Arcane” seems most interested in asking questions about change. How does change come about? Is it through the progress of science and innovation or through rebellion and revolution? Will innovation ever be able to remain pure-hearted, or will it always be corrupted by those searching for power? Is there a way to fight for the oppressed without violence, or as Silco said in ...
‘The Worlds Divide’ is a triumph in independent animation
By Isaac Steward
When I first saw the trailer for “The Worlds Divide”, I’ll admit I didn’t have very high expectations. As impressive as it is for a two hour movie to be completely written, directed and animated by one person, I couldn’t see how one person could tell a story of this scale with so little help. Even working with sound designers, composers, actors and a few other people, it still just didn’t make sense to me. So when I went to watch “The Worlds Divide”&n...
‘Agatha All Along’ is effortlessly entertaining and compelling
By Janie Walenda
This article contains spoilers for “Agatha All Along”
I’ve been burned by Marvel shows before.
Most MCU shows have followed an unfortunate pattern of starting off strong and crashing at the finale. You see, the superhero formula requires that the climax of the story be a high-stakes action scene. This formula has been mastered in the film format but proven difficult to execute in television.
“Agatha All Along” joins the short list of MCU shows ...
“Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” returns to silly spells and heartfelt lessons
By Danielle Cherry
A powerful wizard, an unsuspecting mentor and magical hilarity await viewers of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.” Aimed at children, this magical world deals with very adult topics of perseverance and forgiveness. This show in all its silliness and wand twirling would have been the perfect watch for my younger self.
“Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” is a spin-off sitcom of the 2007 show “Wizards of Waverly Place” following the life of the magical and ...
‘September 5’ is a deliciously intense historical drama
By Isaac Steward
One of the best weeks of my year happened over fall break when I attended the Heartland International Film Festival. I spent that whole week in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I watched all sorts of films created by passionate and talented filmmakers. It was at the end of this festival that I was roped into watching the early showing of “September 5,” a German-produced historical drama about the American sports broadcasting crew that covered the 1972 Munich Olympics ...
‘The Wild Robot’ is a gorgeous and heartfelt film
By Janie Walenda
I’m excited for a lot of films every year. It comes with my job, and more importantly my lifelong love of cinema. But ever since I saw the first trailer of “The Wild Robot,” I was hooked. The animation, the music and the emotion packed into the short trailer quickly made “The Wild Robot” my most anticipated movie of 2024.
While sometimes trailers can be deceptive, I’m thrilled to say this one wasn’t. “The Wild Robot” is not just stunningly animated, but ...
“The Penguin” midseason review: Gotham’s depravity sprints full speed ahead
By Ben Konuch
“All of a sudden, you’re on my side? Look at that! My little helper? You’re desperate. Scrambling.”
“The Penguin” starts off strong. Its first episode shows nuance, great writing, intriguing characterization of its main players and justifies why we needed to explore more of Gotham from the streets instead of perched upon its rooftops. But as “The Penguin” expanded its episode count from one to four, it's proving that every strength the premiere showcased is ...
‘Io Capitano’ provides an eye-opening perspective on African emigration
By Isaac Steward
This review contains spoilers for “Io Capitano”
“Io Capitano” is different from the movies I normally watch.
I’ve always felt drawn to films with far away settings, high stakes and happy endings. “Io Capitano” has all of these things, and yet it is so incredibly different from what I usually watch. The setting isn’t as far away as we can be tempted to think, the stakes are very real and the ending isn’t as happy as it might seem. All the same, ...
‘The Penguin’ premiere shows the many faces of darkness in Gotham City
By Ben Konuch
“They don't even know what they got, cause they always had it. Never hungry, born full. But not us. The world wasn't built for guys like us.”
Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” was one of the greatest superhero films we’ve gotten in recent years, and without a doubt the best product out of a tortured DC Studios in decades. It portrayed of Batman and his world as gritty and realistic yet undoubtedly “comic-book-ish” in its storytelling and aesthetics. So, when DC ...
“Agatha All Along” wavers between wicked and whimsical.
By Janie Walenda
Raise your hand if you weren’t allowed to read “Harry Potter” as a kid.
As Christians, we’re rightfully cautious of stories that use witchcraft as a source of magic. I feel comfortable watching something if it’s clear that the magic is more fantasy-based than reality-based, as in Harry Potter. If not completely fantastical magic, then the content should portray the witches as evil. The first “Hocus Pocus” distinguishes witchcraft as something exclusively ...
