“Disenchanted” is a delightful film with wasted potential
By Janie Walenda
Long before “Frozen” made fun of the love at first sight trope, “Enchanted” subverted the Disney fairytale playbook. The 2007 film is hilarious and heartfelt and utilizes its premise to deliver one of the best Disney romances to date. While “Disenchanted” is still a wildly enjoyable movie, it lacks a lot of the cleverness and meaning of its predecessor.
The premise by itself is genius. Fifteen years after “Enchanted,” Giselle, Robert, Morgan and new baby ...
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is a stunning tribute
By Janie Walenda
Not every movie can make me cry before the opening credits roll, but not every movie loses its star seven months before filming. Somehow, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” manages to both continue the themes of colonialism and imperialism from the first movie, but also craft a raw, complex portrayal of grief.
The actors are the absolute shining jewel of “Wakanda Forever.” There are no weak links in the cast, and there are too many standout performances to count. ...
‘Andor’ episode 10 rises up in glorious revolt
By Ben Konuch
“I would rather die trying to take them down than die giving them what they want.”
In the last few episodes, “Andor” has explored complex themes such as oppression, complacency and capitulation to overreaching authorities through the imprisonment of Cassian in one of the biggest metaphors in all of Star Wars. Throughout these episodes, the tension and the danger has gradually built up to a breaking point where Cassian and his fellow prisoners will have to take the ...
‘Enola Holmes 2’ is an enjoyable sequel
By Ella Smith
When the first Enola Holmes movie came out in 2020 I was skeptical about yet another Sherlock Holmes spinoff but was pleasantly surprised by the new spin on the classic plot twists and intriguing characters. With this in mind, I was interested to see how the next installment would continue the storyline.
One of the highlights of the first Enola Holmes was the intriguing and likable main characters. “Enola Holmes 2” expanded on most of the main characters from the first ...
‘The Good Nurse’ Slowly Tells A Fascinating Story
By Samuel M Acosta
I knew almost nothing going into this movie. All that knowledge that I had was that it was a slow-burn drama. This led to me having a mixed reaction to my experience with “The Good Nurse.” While there was a deeply fascinating true story at the foundation of the film, it clung to the slow-burn genre in a way that made me fight to stay engaged. Even when I reached the huge climax of the film, I didn’t feel like I was being rewarded for my patience.
“The ...
James Gunn, Peter Safran and the future of the DCU
By Ethan Charles
The DC Universe, or DCU, has struggled immensely with becoming comparable to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, but this unprecedented announcement from the Warner Brothers aims to change that.
Much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s success came about at the hand of the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige. While the Warner Brothers company does not have a comparable equal, the recent announcement to appoint James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios ...
Samuel Acosta’s STP ‘Rabbit Hole’ is a collaborative effort.
By Maria Smith
Samuel M Acosta directed his Senior Theatre Project "Rabbit Hole," which was performed on Saturday, November 12th. "Rabbit Hole," by David-Lindsay Abaire, is the story of a grieving couple and their struggle to cope with the loss of their child.
Sam acted as director, set designer and props master of his project. Important players in the STP also included Lily VanBrocklin, stage manager, and Anna Varney, assistant stage manager.
From start to finish, this project ...
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 ...
‘Andor’ episodes 8-9 slows down to showcase oppression
By Ben Konuch
“Welcome to Narkina 5.”
“Andor” slows down its pacing in its eighth and ninth episodes, but for good reason. In these last two episodes, Cassian is taken to Narkina 5, an Imperial prison colony with unrelenting rules but decent conditions and a promise of release at the end of each worker’s sentence. Forced to work to exhaustion for twelve-hour shifts and compete against other worker teams, most inmates want to keep their heads down and get through their term, but ...
‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ season two begins an international scavenger hunt
By Katlynn Rossignol
It's been a few years since the Mysterious Benedict Society foiled Dr. Curtain’s evil plot known as “The Emergency.” Unfortunately, the group’s happy reunion is interrupted as news comes in that Mr. Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped! It's up to Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance to follow the clues and travel around the world to rescue them.
As a fan of the first season of “The Mysterious Benedict Society”, I found the first three episodes ...
