Movie Review: ‘Parasite’
by Hunter Johnson
Director Bong Joon-ho has displayed social issues in many films. In “Okja,” he asked some difficult questions in regard to animal cruelty. Before that there was the sci-fi action film “Snowpiercer” that addressed class conflict. Now he’s made another film about class conflict, but this time, his work has received four Academy Awards, including the highest honor of all: Best Picture.
“Parasite” tells the story of a poor family and a rich family. The poor ...
Album Review: “American Standard” by James Taylor
By Joshua Stevens
As artists grow older, many of them choose to focus their music and art on their own mortality. In the years past their prime, they shift from lighthearted lyrics to more serious tales of death and regret. Except, singer-songwriter James Taylor doesn’t do that. On his newest album, “American Standard,” Taylor focuses mostly on more positive material, and the album both prospers and suffers as a result.
This album is loaded with cheerful, sunny lyrics and traditional ...
“Togo” Review
By Hunter Johnson
Most everyone has heard of Balto, the heroic sled-dog who led the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, saving dozens of lives as a result. But most people haven’t heard the full story.
“Togo” tells the real-life tale of the dog who led the eighteenth team of dog sleds across Alaska. It shows that Balto did not actually run the entire serum run, but was only the twentieth and final team. However, Balto still received all the attention in the aftermath.
Director of ...
Album Review: “Are You Gone” by Sarah Harmer
By Joshua Stevens
Longing for someone who is no longer there: this is a common theme in music. With Sarah Harmer’s new album “Are You Gone,” the ideas of loss and sorrow are so subtle that the listener doesn’t even know they are on this journey until the end.
“Are You Gone” is Harmer’s first album since 2010’s “Oh Little Fire.” Active since the late 1980s, Hamer’s newest outing provides a look into her love life and centers on the process of moving forward. She ...
Top 5 Movies of 2019
By Hunter Johnson
5. 'Ad Astra'
“Ad Astra” is not like most space travel epics. It’s not about big stories or loud action set pieces or overly-relatable protagonists. It’s about holding onto hope in the midst of deep and despairing abandonment.
“Ad Astra” is about an introverted astronaut named Roy (played by Brad Pitt), who’s sent on a mission to retrieve his longlost father from space.
This film is brought to life by three bigname stars. In this film, Brad Pitt ...
Album Reviews
By Joshua Stevens
‘Behold the Lamb of God’ by Andrew Peterson
From the history of Moses and the Israelites to the birth of Christ, Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” isn’t an album. It’s a Biblical history lesson.
Eight months after the Christian singer/songwriter spoke and performed at Cedarville University, Peterson has released his newest album. It showcases his unique songwriting ability, while also putting a spin on a Christmas classic and other old favorites.
...
‘Judy’ Review
by Hunter Johnson
Biographical films are not a new concept. Films like “Walk the Line” and “Chaplin” tell life stories from start to finish of their true-life protagonists. Other biopics focus just on the biggest event of someone’s life. “The Social Network” did this for Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and “The Disaster Artist” for film director Tommy Wiseau.
In “Judy,” rather than looking at what audiences are already aware of, director Rupert Goold focuses solely on ...
“Ad Astra” Review
By Hunter Johnson
Brad Pitt is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. . He’s played a cowboy, an ancient Greek hero, a secret spy, a psychopath, a guy who ages backwards, the list goes on. It only makes sense that he would eventually play a futuristic astronaut.
“Ad Astra,” starring Pitt and directed by James Gray, tells the story of Roy, an extremely reserved man who feels disconnected from the world, including his family.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Roy’s father, Clifford, who ...
“The Peanut Butter Falcon” Review
By Hunter Johnson
In “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” writers and directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz turn what could’ve been a standard retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story into a modern tale of discovery between a redneck fisherman and a runaway person with Down Syndrome.
Zak (played by Zack Gottsagen) is in his early twenties and has been treated differently his whole life because he has Down Syndrome. Having no family to look after him, he lives in a retirement home, ...
Movie Review: ‘Shazam!’
by Hunter Johnson
DC has always had a rough time in their cinematic side of things. Nearly all of the thirty films released by the company over the last four decades — with the exception of less than 10 Superman and Batman films — has been critically panned as unsuccessful attempts at filmmaking.
This all changed in 2017 when “Wonder Woman” was released, becoming the first non-Superman, non-Batman DC film to receive worldwide acclaim. The next year, “Aquaman” released, and while ...
