“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 ...
‘Uglies’ leaves a not-so-pretty impression on audiences
By Katlynn Rossignol
In the sci-fi future society of “Uglies,” everyone undergoes cosmetic surgery at 16 to become Pretties and live in a city of pleasure. Until their surgery, youth are kept separate across the river and labeled Uglies. Tally Youngblood can’t wait until it’s her turn to become a Pretty, but her world falls apart when her friend Shay decides to leave their society and join The Smoke, a rebel community that rejects the surgery. Determined to bring her friend back so ...
Summer Film Recap: Sophie Monastra’s small theater summer
By Sophie Monastra
I don’t watch films in theaters.
I know, I’m bad for the local economy and films are better enjoyed on the big screen as opposed to on my 33-inch Best Buy home TV. Unfortunately, I’d rather wait to rent a film from Amazon–or even better, check out a physical DVD from the library–and enjoy it in the comfort of my couch than spend $20 and gas money to go sit in a sticky theater chair for two hours.
This summer, I became a better person. Unrelated ...
‘Speak No Evil” shows us the danger we allow in for the sake of our comfort
By Ben Konuch
“We've been pretending it's normal since we got here. This is so not normal!”
Human beings do something that I find fascinating. I do it, and you probably do it too without even realizing it. It’s our defense mechanism, our ability to be a chameleon in a group. And if you say you don’t, then you’re probably lying to yourself.
When push comes to shove, people don’t speak up when they’re uncomfortable with something. Sure, if something big enough ...
