Book Review: ‘Skyward’
by Sarah Pennington
Spensa Chaser may be the daughter of a coward, but she'll do anything to prove she isn't one herself. Fighting the shame of her father's failures in the Battle of Alta and the resulting stigma against her family, Spensa earns herself a spot in the Defiant Defense Force flight school. There, she trains to become a pilot so she can redeem herself and her family and maybe, just maybe, prove her father wasn't a coward after all. But when the truth proves far different than she ...
“Schindler’s List” 25th Anniversary: a Hopeful Holocaust Film
by Hunter Johnson
This week, I saw Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” for the very first time. The film is back in theaters for its 25th anniversary. Some readers may be immediately tuning me out—how could someone call himself a film lover and not have seen “Schindler’s List” before? But there’s something you have to understand about me and this film.
I’ve spent my entire life loving films, but the first “Holocaust” film I saw was “The Boy in the Striped ...
Movie Review: ‘Creed II’
by Hunter Johnson
The Rocky franchise is full of ups and downs, but over the course of the 42 years that it’s been running, fans have never stopped loving these boxing films.
“Creed II” is the eighth film in the Rocky franchise, and serves as a sequel to both 2015’s “Creed” and 1985’s “Rocky IV.”
For anyone who is unaware, “Rocky IV” is notable for being one of the most ridiculous boxing movies ever made. Following three absolutely beloved Rocky films, it features a ...
Movie Review: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
by Hunter Johnson
Directed by Bryan Singer, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a new film starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. The film focuses on the life of Mercury and his position as lead singer of the band Queen.
Overall, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a well-made biopic that nicely demonstrates the legacy and brilliance of Queen. It’s also a film that feels the need to include as many Queen songs as it possibly can, essentially making the film an extended music video.
While it demonstra...
Book Review: ‘An Absolutely Remarkable Thing’
by Sarah Pennington
What do you do when you find a mysterious statue of a giant robot on the streets of New York City? If you’re April May, the protagonist of Hank Green’s debut novel “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing,” you call a friend and make a YouTube video about it. Then April’s video goes viral and she finds out that the statue, and hundreds of other identical statues across the globe, just might be humanity’s first contact with an alien. Suddenly, she’s thrust into the ...
Movie Review: ‘First Man’
by Hunter Johnson
Damien Chazelle has been an up and coming name in the world of directing for several years now. He’s best know for his most recent film, “La La Land,” which garnered six academy awards and was a huge hit with audiences.
Now, Chazelle is back with his newest film, “First Man.” It’s Chazelle’s fourth film he’s directed, but it’s the first that’s not centered around music. The movie follows the story of Neil Armstrong in his years leading up to becoming ...
Movie Review: “Venom”
by Hunter Johnson
As many people know, “Venom” has just hit theatres and while it’s certainly not a financial failure, it’s getting less than favorable reception from the critics. But it’s important to understand where this movie came from. How does a movie about one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes get made without Spider-Man in it?
Sony Pictures has been trying to get their grip on superhero filmmaking for a long time now. They’ve had the film rights to everything related to ...
Play Review: ‘Fools’
by Summer Lange
“Fools”, the story of a bright schoolteacher determined to educate a town cursed with ignorance, as performed by Cedarville’s talented students, left the audience in uproarious laughter on opening night.
The comedy, written by the late Neil Simon, begins with an optimistic Leon Tolchinsky, played by the fantastic Jeremy Smith, explaining to the audience why he has come to the small village of Kulyenchikov, Ukraine: he has been hired by Dr. Zubritsky (Nathan Robertson) ...
Book Review: ‘A Thousand Perfect Notes”
by Sarah Pennington
Beck Keverich’s life is controlled by his piano. Perhaps that’s why he hates it more than anything else in his life. Or perhaps he just hates everything it represents: his own depression, his wreck of a life, and his abusive mother, a former concert pianist who’s determined that her son will carry on her legacy. Her dream ties Beck to the piano for hours on end, practicing until every note is perfect, leaving him little time for schoolwork, friendships, or even sleep. ...
Movie Review: ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’
by Hunter Johnson
Mission: Impossible is one of the most fascinating modern film series for one specific reason: each of its first five films were directed by a different director. Each movie had its own unique tone and style to it, so each one always felt new and fresh. Really, the only common through line of every film being Tom Cruise’s presence.
That was true until this year, when Christopher McQuarrie, the director of “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” was asked to return to ...
