“Madame Web” is a nightmarish reflection of Sony’s franchising and it’s time we start asking why
By Ben Konuch
From the opening scenes of “Madame Web,” it becomes abundantly clear that this won’t be a good movie. Awkwardly-delivered exposition dumps from bad actors, good actors who inexplicably have wooden performances, a villain whose lines are almost all completely re-recorded and added back into the film via janky ADR, horrible camerawork and ridiculous editing turn “Madame Web” from a film to a laughing stock.
In fact, calling it a film seems like a disservice to ...
Sam Claude’s senior theater project astounds
By Isaac Steward
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of watching Sam Claude bring Lauren Gunderson’s 2014 script, “Bauer,” to the Alford Auditorium. This play tells the story of German painter Rudolph Bauer, over a decade after fellow artist and Bauer’s ex-lover, Hilla von Rebay, tricked him into signing away ownership of all his works to Solomon Guggenheim, including anything he creates in the future. Rudolph Bauer hasn’t painted since, and now, thirteen years later, is waiting ...
Foreign Film Series: Everyone has a corner of the world
By Thomas J. Cromer
(The following review will contain light spoilers)
Music and Animation-
The theme song of the film “In This Corner of the World” is called “Kanashikute Yarikirenai” which at first listen sounds peaceful, beautiful and softer than it really is. One of the lines of the song in English is “Today, once again, I look to the distance and cry.'' This contrast serves as a good introduction to “In this Corner of the World,” which has plenty of happy moments ...
Abbott Elementary opens season three with a two-part special
By Katlynn Rossignol
Three seasons and thriving, “Abbott Elementary” has made a name for itself on TV and streaming. Season two progressed the show’s premise by expanding the characters and their relationships. The season ended with a victory over Legacy Charter Schools, hopeful development for Janine’s family conflicts and a ‘will-they-won’t-they’ relationship between Gregory and Janine. With multiple plotlines left open, audiences have plenty to look forward to with the ...
Yep, ‘Argylle’ sure is a movie
By Ben Konuch
I really wanted to enjoy “Argylle.” You mean to tell me that we were getting a new spy thriller/comedy from Mathew Vaughn, the filmmaker behind the “Kingsman” franchise, with Henry Cavill, John Cena and Bryce Dallas Howard? Count me in! The trailers looked funny and its premise sounded intriguing, so I was actually a little excited to see what “Argylle” would end up being. I attended an evening showing as a date night with fairly middle-ground expectations, ...
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ faceplants but gets back up fighting in its final two episodes
By Ben Konuch
“I warned you, if you're not careful, you'll find out who I am.”
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is officially over. Or at least, the first season of hopefully many seasons finished airing on Disney+. While its penultimate episode was the season’s worst at building tension and establishing the on-screen presence and impact of the gods, the season finale was the best episode of the entire series. With foreboding gods who feel powerful and intense, exciting fight ...
‘Sense and Sensibility’ opens with a fresh take on a classic story
By Maggie Fipps
The Cedarville Main Stage Productions opened their first performance of “Sense and Sensibility” on Thursday, February 1st. This version of Jane Austen’s beloved classic will run in the DeVries Theatre through February 11th.
The play follows the Dashwood sisters, dashed by their father’s death, struggle to live independently in a new social setting, hopefully without being the subject of scandal. Eleanor, sensible in every sense of the word, tries to guide ...
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ episodes 5 & 6 give the series its best and its most frustrating moments
By Ben Konuch
“If you can help, then you must help.”
Spoiler warning for episodes five and six of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
So far, the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series has reached some pretty high highs and some very low lows. When it's at its best, the series follows the story beats of “The Lightning Thief” novel while not being afraid to change up events details in order to allow the story to fit best on a screen. When it’s at its worst, however, ...
‘Mean Girls’ is a nostalgic mash-up of the film and Broadway musical
By Anna Harman
I love musicals and theater, as well as the original film, so I was interested to see what they did with this movie.
I knew this would be different from the original movie since it is a musical, but this film was significantly more cheesy. Of course, “Mean Girls” was always intended to be a bit ridiculous, portraying how absurd the Plastics act in the film, but there were several factors in the 2004 version that made it more tolerable. The Plastics looked the ...
‘The Gilded Age’ fills a ‘Downton Abbey’ sized hole in my heart
By Janie Walenda
My first introduction to the wide world of television beyond children’s cartoons came in the form of a “Downton Abbey” marathon. My family was staying at my Gran’s for Christmas, and I shared a room with her. She always watches television at night, and this Christmas there happened to be a “Downton Abbey” marathon running. I was thrown into the middle of season two, and from that moment, I was hooked.
Flash forward to 2022, when “The Gilded Age”, a new ...
