Ignition Sequence Start: “The Right Stuff” Episode Seven Fans the Flames
by Breanna Beers
[Editor’s Note: The following contains minor spoilers for “The Right Stuff” Season 1, Episode 7]
As launch day approaches, the animosity between our two leads comes to a head. Strong writing and cinematography reinforce rather than distract from the key themes and storylines. This episode brings the moral ambiguity that has lingered in the background for much of the series out into the open, forcing both the characters and the audience to think through what the ...
Episode 2 Brings Horror to “Star Wars,” Sacrifices Story in the Process – “The Passenger” Review
by Hunter Johnson
[Editor’s Note: The following contains minor spoilers for “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Episode 2]
While Jon Favreau promised that the newest season of “The Mandalorian” would focus more on a cohesive storyline, episode 2 takes this promise to an unnecessary extreme, sacrificing substance in the name of connectivity. “The Passenger” is a placeholder episode, stretching out Mando’s journey from episode 1 to 3 into an entire chapter of its own.
Din Djarin is ...
“Clouds” Review: A Heartfelt True Story about a Life Worth Living
by Kristina Birt
“What do you want to do with your one wild and precious life?”
“Clouds” follows the true story of Zach Sobiech (Fin Argus), a goofy, music-loving high school senior who finds out that his cancer has become terminal and that he only has six months left to live. To make the most of the time he has left, he decides to pursue his dream of writing music, with the goal of releasing an album before his death.
Together, director Justin Baldoni (“Five Feet Apart”) and ...
Going Strong: “The Right Stuff” episode six continues skillful story development
by Breanna Beers
[Editor’s Note: The following contains major spoilers for “The Right Stuff” Season 1, Episode 6]
While episode six returns to telling separate stories after the cohesive climax of episode five, “The Right Stuff” generally continues its positive trajectory with engaging characters and palpable tension.
NASA is at risk of dissolution under the scrutiny of the President’s Scientific Advisory Committee (PSAC). In a bid to keep the public on their side, they ...
“The Mandalorian” Meets Boba Fett…Kind of – “The Marshal” Review
by Hunter Johnson
[Editor’s Note: This episode contains minor spoilers for “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Episode 1]
“The Mandalorian” is back for its season two premiere, and it doesn’t go quite where fans may have been expecting.
Series showrunner Jon Favreau directed this episode. Similar to some of the middle episodes of season one, it takes its time enjoying a fun detour from the main story of the show. Some may even view this as a filler episode as the show simply bides ...
“Rebecca” Review: Is This Genre-Bending Film Netflix’s Latest Flop or a New Classic?
by Kathryn McDonald
For Hitchcock fans around the world, the prospect of remaking his film “Rebecca” induces either terror or excitement: terror at the idea of a masterpiece becoming defaced or excitement that a new director might recapture the original spirit of the classic psychological thriller.
In directing Netflix’s adaptation of the film, Ben Wheatly attempts to recreate the suspenseful drama of Hitchcock’s genre-bending movie. The storyline itself reeks of tension, and ...
What It Should Have Been All Along: “The Right Stuff” Episode Five Hits All The Storytelling Beats
by Breanna Beers
[Editor’s Note: The following contains major spoilers for “The Right Stuff” Season 1, Episode 5]
As we enter the second half of the series, “The Right Stuff” is only improving. Episode five is by far the most engaging, most suspenseful and most cohesive watch of the show so far.
Up to this point, each episode in this series has felt disconnected from the others. While their isolated vignettes are supposed to be pushing the plot along, there’s never the ...
Which Sitcom Reigns Supreme?
For many college students, sitcoms are a form of social currency. These shows form the basis of in-jokes, provide experiences for friends to bond over and establish many of the quintessential catchphrases of pop culture. Out of the hundreds of shows that populate this oversaturated market, a special few stand apart as the defining sitcoms of the 21st century. After surveying the Cedarville student body, here are the top five sitcoms of the 2000s.
The Office
by Hunter Johnson
“The ...
“Dick Johnson Is Dead” Review: Film about Dementia and Death is One of the Year’s Most Uplifting
by Hunter Johnson
The premise of Netflix’s new film may initially make audiences wary of pressing the play button. In “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” award-winning documentarian Kirsten Johnson both tells and foretells the story of her father's death.
Kirsten’s father, the aforementioned Dick Johnson, is a retired clinical psychiatrist who has been diagnosed with dementia. With his health deteriorating, it becomes clear to his family that he only has a few years left to live. Kirsten takes ...
Recovering the Right Stuff: Episode Four Successfully Develops Characters, Story
by Breanna Beers
[Editor’s Note: The following contains minor spoilers for “The Right Stuff” Season 1, Episode 4]
As fledgling NASA fumbles, “The Right Stuff” finally starts to hit its stride. The narrative is allowed to breathe in this character-focused episode, a literal Christmas vacation from the confused pacing of the last two episodes.
The script is flipped as we see Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman) spending time with his family over the holidays while John Glenn (Patrick J. ...
