I grew up in a town about 20 minutes south of Indianapolis in Greenwood, Indiana. I went to Center Grove High School. According to the U.S. News and World Report, the diversity rate there as of the 2015-2016 school year, the year I graduated, was 11 percent.
‘The House with A Clock in Its Walls’ is a spooktacular Spielberg throwback marred by some iffy effects and poorly-done punch-up. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett absolutely steal the show with a surprising amount of chemistry, the latter adding a necessary sense of heart that the main narrative tries to pull off (to mixed results). Darker than your average Autumn family flick, it makes for a perfect matinee and a potential staple of yearly cable Halloween movie marathons for years to come. Not as well-wound as it should have been, but even a broken clock can still get the time right if the conditions are favorable.
‘Dragalia Lost’ is everything great about JRPG’s combined with everything horrible about mobile games. The characters and art-style are both wonderful, and the gameplay itself is fun and addictive. However, the game is bogged down by a sub-optimal control scheme and horrendous progression that walls you the moment you really start getting into the game. It’s definitely worth a try, but once it starts demanding cash, tell it to get lost.
“Pilot” serves its purpose to establish the procedural nature of ‘God Friended Me.’ The episode itself, however, doesn’t give confidence that this series will have a long lifespan. Somewhere buried underneath all of the cringey dialogue, terrible acting, contrived plot points, there’s a solid core that has potential to make an interesting show discussing religion and social media. That, however, would be too complex and unique for a primetime CBS show. It may be fun to watch as something fascinatingly bad, but that doesn’t actually make it good.
Much like the first album of their first trilogy, "iridescence" sounds like a solid blueprint that will polished with the following albums. The blemishes are visible, but the bigger picture is so wonderful that those blemishes are (mostly) excused because the possibility for improvement is pretty much guaranteed. How could a group that shows as much talent as Brockhampton not have the ability to improve? But as it is, without thinking of the follow-ups, "iridescence" still captures the magic of the original "Saturation" trilogy and stands as one of 2018’s most inventive hip hop records in a year that has brought us a lot of amazing hip hop.
All in all, 'Shadow of the Tomb Raider' is a fun experience and the perfect ending for Lara Croft’s origins. The great story is aided by Croft’s character development and Luddington’s performance. Stale gameplay is enhanced by a stealth component and there’s plenty of side content to spare. It’s a fine and fun wrap up for the trilogy.
‘Twisted Crystal’ finds Guerilla Toss at their most experimental yet also at their most interesting. They create a truly unique album where every song is worth listening to. Every song can offer something different to people who like different genres of music. Guerilla Toss leaves the listener with a sense of wonder and discovery.
Here’s what you do: go to Track 10 on Brockhampton’s newest album “Iridescence,” press play on a little number entitled “J’OUVERT" and tell me that the self-proclaimed “America’s hardest working boyband” has run out of things to say.
These past few weeks I hadn’t realized September was Hispanic Heritage Month. I felt awful, having forgotten this month was the month to celebrate my culture.
“You are pretty for a dark skin girl” is the bane of my existence.
'Room 25' sees Noname and Co. successfully transitioning from mixtape to album with flying colors. The root of what makes Noname such a captivating figure in the rap scene right now is still intact; it’s just been polished and elevated to the point where it’s worthy of being the debut album from an artist as promising and intriguing as Noname. There are still some aspects that could be improved upon, but 'Room 25' sounds like a big step towards even greater things.
Suicide is something that is talked about so often in today’s society, but never seems like it can be talked about enough. We know suicide is a very sad and serious problem. We know that it is an issue that plagues our nation and world.
In this week's episode of How It's Played, we are discussing the epidemic of open-world games. This includes the many issues that plague these games and some of the major benefits of the genre.
While 'The Predator' suffers from unexplored ideas it is still a enjoyably fun and entertaining movie. Packed with 80s action movie tropes, black comedy, and catchy dialogue, it’s one hell of a ride from beginning to end. All in all, it provides a lot of entertainment value.
'Cry Pretty' shows what Carrie Underwood is all about. Talking about sensitive topics, drinking and heartbreak coping, this album will surely capture the interest of country fans. Country music seems to be overlapping with pop recently, but this album is a symbol of what has stood against the test of time. Her depictions of faith never go out of style. The stories behind the music are touching and will leave listeners replaying for pleasure.
Growing up, I always felt like everyone had a safe place.
With ‘Live at the Royal Albert Hall,' Alter Bridge has crafted a live album that will please both hard-core and casual fans. The Parallax Orchestra gives the songs a new life and sound that I will never get tired of. The production gives all members a part of the spotlight and is a huge improvement from the band’s last live album.
The 70th Annual Emmys have come and gone, and here we are left with some... disappointing, but not unexpected results.
'Dragon Quest XI' is a simple yet effective piece of entertainment. It gives the veteran 'Dragon Quest' player exactly what they have expected from the franchise over the past 30 years: a fun, simple adventure. However, it also gives the newcomer something incredibly digestible. For those who have played 'Pokémon' or something of the like, it should be an easy transition to pick up and play 'Dragon Quest XI.' Though the music is not varied, and voice-acting is somewhat intrusive, 'Dragon Quest XI' is a worthwhile, enjoyable experience. However, as noted before, this likely will not change the mind of anyone who is JRPG averse.
'Kin' is a movie that is aided by its strong performances, fantastic score, and interesting visual aesthetic. However, its shortcomings of tone and pacing issues, as well as wasted potential that comes with its ending, drag it down. All in all, it’s a movie that’s best saved to watch on Netflix on a lazy Saturday.
