I wasn’t very interested in seeing Ready Player One, considering I hadn’t read the book nor was I very interested in the concept at all. I had also heard the book had some problematic elements when it comes to representation. Nevertheless, right before spring break ended my friend asked me to go see this with him, since he had read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I decided to go and see it.
Disclaimer: Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I genuinely enjoy the new movies being released by Lucasfilm and I love seeing this new, younger generation of Star Wars fans get excited the same way I did when The Clone Wars came out. I am not forcing you to like the new movies, but please do not come at me saying I am not a “true fan” just because I actually liked The Force Awakens. The new movies do not make me love the original trilogy any less.
Ever since NBC has started airing live musicals on national television, I’ve either not watched the show or been massively disappointed. It nearly ruined Grease, The Sound of Music, Rocky Horror, and other shows so I was prepared to write off Jesus Christ Superstar when I saw the commercials.
From the stunning stop-animation to his dynamic characters, Wes Anderson has truly outdone himself yet again, in his latest film, Isle of Dogs. As a huge fan of Wes Anderson’s work, as well as a huge lover of dogs, I was super excited when I saw the preview for this filmwhen I went to see Black Panther (which, of course, was also brilliant.) And, I’m happy to say, my expectations were certainly met and perhaps were even exceeded.
Paris, Rome, London, New York City, the Bahamas, and a nonspecific desert in Mexico. What do all these fun, romantic places have in common?! They are all settings of prime Mary Kate and Ashley movies that you once held dear to your childhood. As you get older, you may feel a need to be #retro and re-watch some of these twin classics, especially if you are spending a semester abroad.
Netflix released yet another original back in February called Everything Sucks! and I’m here to spoil it for you. The show is set in 1996 in Boring, Oregon, which is actually a real place, though it was filmed in Oregon City and Portland. The show revolves primarily around the stories of Luke and Kate, a freshman and a sophomore at Boring High School. Surprise, surprise, these kids are played by real 14-year-olds and not random 24-year-olds pretending like they still look young enough to pass as high schoolers. I’m going to take you through each episode, give you the highlights, and hopefully explain why I got so emotionally invested in this short-lived Netflix original.
Ahhh Netflix, you narcotics dealer you, you know exactly what you’re doing when you release an entire season of Jessica Jones at the same time, you know that I’m a college student and therefore I’m obligated to stay up until 3am and binge watch the entire thing. I’m beginning to think that Netflix wasn’t built by people looking to make money, but instead by time vampires hellbent on depriving the world of sleep and productivity. Well, congrats Netflix, it worked.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, one of the most anticipated movies in recent years just came out: Black Panther. Now, this is not going to be a typical movie review where I go into detail on how the cinematography was lackluster but compensated for by the acting, or by the screenwriting…yeah, I’m not doing that.
I’ll be the first to admit that cyberpunk is my guilty pleasure. The writing could be subpar, the actors could be boring, but god damn if you slap some neon lights and rain onto a setting, I’m instantly a fan. Of course, cyberpunk would be meaningless without its partner in crime, neo-noire; which gives framing for why everything is grey, gritty, and miserable.
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity––nay, the privilege––to see the long-awaited finale of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. With Fifty Shades Freed finally adapted for and released on the silver screen, this trilogy of sin is complete at last. The film itself is nothing short of a masterpiece––awkward cinematography, agonizingly clumsy line delivery, and some of the most cringe-worthy writing I have personally ever witnessed make this movie among of the finest of its genre. All fifteen people in the movie theater I attended, especially the sixty-year-old man who kept shushing my friends and I, were on the edge of our seats, completely enthralled by the performances. But this delightful little film wasn’t merely entertaining. Were Sir Philip Sidney (God rest his soul) still with us, he would have been proud of Fifty Shades Freed’s ability to delight and to teach. Here is but a small list of life lessons, in no particular order, that I have picked up from the final installment of the timeless trilogy that is Fifty Shades of Grey.
