Even if the story doesn’t bring anything new to the table, 'A Star Is Born' is still a solid execution of a tried and true story. Much of the thanks has to go to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, whose chemistry was gold. Their solo performances also deserve to win gold, Oscars, that is. This may just be remembered as one of the high points of Lady Gaga’s career. She finally got the chance to prove herself as an actor on the silver screen, have her name in the same group as icons such as Garland and Streisand, and release a song (“I Will Never Love Again”) that is bound to become a classic power ballad along the lines of “I Will Always Love You” and “My Heart Will Go On”. It’s a wonderful start for what could be an illustrious career in film, and solid proof that Lady Gaga will most likely go down as one of most memorable, beloved artists of this decade.
‘Venom’ is a must-see with all of its dark, gorgeous combat scenes. Tom Hardy makes Eddie Brock lovable and memorable, and Venom himself adds to the movie’s dark factor. It is fast-paced, which makes it enjoyable, but also hurts the movie in a few ways. Despite that, even without Spider-Man included, ‘Venom’ makes a beautiful movie worth watching.
‘Howard’ is a beautiful, emotional odyssey through the life of a genuine showman that avoids the typical biographical documentary tropes in favor of letting his loved ones and the things he left behind tell the story themselves. It’s funny, it’s sad, and it will forever change the way you view the man and his works.
‘God Friended Me’ continues to have interesting ideas and brings in a refreshing message with “A Good Samaritan”, but it’s all tied to an average TV show. Respecting others is the message of this episode, and it actually listens to its own message and shows respect for all parties involved. Its depiction of autism deserves major props as well. However, bad writing, bad pacing, and some odd cinematography make the show a struggle to sit through. If those issues continue to plague the show, its sermons will stay left unheard.
WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey confirmed in an on-stage interview that the new service would be subscription-based and arrive in the fourth quarter of 2019. “We are committed to launching a compelling and competitive product that will serve as a complement to our existing businesses.” Stankey went on to add that this advancement will, “help us to expand our reach by offering a new choice for entertainment with the WarnerMedia collection of films, television series, documentaries and animation.” Currently Time Warner owns several media brands like CNN and TBS as well as entertainment properties such as “Harry Potter” and “Batman”.
‘Life is Strange 2: Episode 1’ offers a promising start to a brand new story. The game does a great job of recreating the at-home feel of the ‘Life is Strange’ universe with a new storyline and new characters to boot. The simple gameplay allows players to focus on the story though sometimes this cuts into immersion. Overall, ‘Life is Strange 2: Episode 1’ is a strong start to what promises to be another moving and exciting story from the developers at Square Enix.
“Gold Experience” is an excellent start to the long-awaited fifth part of the ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’ anime. Despite most of the episode being expository, it manages to stay entertaining with its great protagonist and intense cliffhanger ending.
Welcome back to Input 2. On this week's episode, we will be discussing Repo the Genetic Opera. This timely discussion regarding what some might call a, cult classic, goes into the depths of this odd, rock-horror opera. Tune in to this week's episode of Input 2 to find out more.
One of art’s main goals is to elicit a reaction from its audience. In those terms, Back Roads is quite the success. It is a heart-wrenching film that skillfully shows the bleakness and hopelessness of the Altmyer family’s downward spiral. But looking past the story and the better performances, there are a lot of faults that come with the film. For those who love movies that will slowly tear your heart out, and even those who just want a powerful cinematic experience, Back Roads is recommendable. Just be willing to look over quite a bit.
The short film is a time-honored genre. Sometimes informative, sometimes thrilling, and sometimes absolutely mind-boggling, the short film is a place where documentarians, animators, and storytellers can experiment and hone their craft on a smaller scale.
‘God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut’ is a disappointing documentary. This film reaffirms the idea that Kurt Vonnegut was a really cool guy, interacting with the world around him in a way that few other people do. His overwhelming positivity about other people becomes sort of infectious during the film, even oddly inspirational. Yet, the documentary constructed around him is amateurish and aimless. Vonnegut is amazing, this film is not. And so it goes.
