‘Nigerian Prince’ is a dark (and scarily relevant) look into the financial underworld of Nigeria, held back by a fairly scattered story and an emphasis on style over substance. That said, when it hits its stride, you’re practically begging for it to take your money, and when it falls, it’s like the stock market. It sinks.
For both newcomers and veterans of ‘My Hero Academia,’ ‘My Hero Academia: Two Heroes’ captures your attention from the start. Class 1-A are their usual loveable selves, especially Bakugo, and the few new characters were memorable. Some background was given for All Might, so it was neat to see the No. 1 hero when he was younger. The fighting sequences were action-packed and just beautiful to watch. The animation looked amazing, and ‘My Hero Academia: Two Heroes’ proved just how much better MHA would be if it were always on the big screen.
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.
‘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.
As a queer woman, I have to come out over and over again. This process can be exhausting, especially as I’ve come to realize that straight people never have to “come out.”
“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.
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.
'Alaska is A Drag' may be a unique film in it’s premise, but it’s familiar in a feel-good kind of way; it’s a clever take on the sports film genre. It’s also just a feel-good movie in general: it’s lovable, sometimes dark sense of humor is very enjoyable and the leads are an absolute joy to watch. And at the core of 'Alaska' is an inspiring story for all those people who don’t fit in and have dreams bigger than their small town.
‘Nathan’s Kingdom’ is a gritty, real film that tackles familial relationships involving a developmental disorder in a way that very few films are willing to stomach. It’s tough to watch at times (sometimes unintentionally so), but the hardships make the triumphs all the more worth it. It really is a beautiful journey to watch all the way through, with an extremely satisfying and tear-jerking ending. This film is a must-watch for anyone looking for a heart-warming story about such a tough subject matter.
'93Queen' showcases the determination and accomplishments of women in the Hasidic community in a respectful, authentic way. The film makes the process of establishing Ezras Nashim's credibility the struggles faced along the way rewarding and emotional. The filmmaking and editing is smooth and engaging adding to the film's appeal.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh will officially sit on the Supreme Court as confirmed in the 50-48 vote by the United States Senate.
In this week's episode of How It's Played, we are discussing cross-platform gaming. Sony finally caved to allowing cross-platform gaming in Fortnite. What does this mean for the gaming community? What all does cross-platform entail? All of this and more on this week's episode of How It's Played.
All throughout high school, I questioned my capacity to survive in the college world.
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.
