The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

From left to right: Jamie Foxx as Slick, Teyonah Parris as Yo-yo, and John Boyega as Fontaine.

“A Blaxploitation Scooby-Doo”

Dayne Bell February 20, 2024

Netflix gives us yet another hit with Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor’s debut film They Cloned Tyrone, a Blaxploitation Sci-fi comedy. Released to the streaming platform on July 21, the film mixes components...

WENDELL & WILD - Kat (voiced by Lyric Ross). Cr: Netflix © 2022

“My demons have names.”

Dayne Bell November 8, 2023

Do you love Halloween classics like ParaNorman and Corpse Bride? Are you looking for a new animated film to enjoy? Released in 2022, Netflix’s Wendell and Wild is a horror comedy that wrenches the heart...

Farts, poop and Mussolini too

Farts, poop and Mussolini too

Gabby Wells March 14, 2023

Director Guillermo Del Toro is well known for his fantastical storytelling, making the auteur’s stop-motion macabre reimagining of the 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” an artistic standout...

Still thrilling over thirty years later

Still thrilling over thirty years later

Hannah McMahon October 25, 2022

In his directorial debut, Tom Holland’s “Fright Night” was released on Aug. 2, 1985. The film has gained a cult following that has lasted into the 21st century. The story is simple: a teenaged boy...

“Don’t Look Up” impresses

“Don’t Look Up” impresses

Alli McLaughlin February 21, 2022

“Don’t Look Up” is a Netflix original film that crosses the line of fiction and entangles it with the nasty truths of modern society. Director, producer, and writer Adam McKay collected a star-studded...

House of Gucci

A Gucci Movie

Alli McLaughlin, Staff Reporter December 9, 2021

The new Ridley Scott film based on named for the fashion empire Gucci, starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, gives just enough intrigue and drama to make me want to watch the movie again. Scott has directed...

Dune promotional poster

Dune disappoints but not fully

Kai Jamil, Staff Reporter November 18, 2021

If you’re a sci-fi nerd, then I’m sure you’re already aware of the long-awaited film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s beloved and iconic 1965 novel “Dune,” starring Timothee Chalamet as the 15-year-old...

My desperate search and love for “Grass”

My desperate search and love for “Grass”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Managing Editor September 23, 2021

For my last semester of Reel Bad, I want to focus mainly on movies that mean something to me. To kick off, I figure I may as well start with “Grass,” a movie about two girls smoking a backpack full...

“In Secret,” secretly amazing

“In Secret,” secretly amazing

Samantha Brodzinski, Contributor May 3, 2021

Everyone can enjoy a sweet romance story every once in a while, even those who think they are rather cheesy. However, what happens when the sweet story turns sickening in the blink of an eye? I recently...

The dude abides

The dude abides

Rebecca Flieder, Copy Editor May 3, 2021

Sometimes when you’re down and out, it’s just nice to watch a nice family movie about pissing on rugs, German kidnappers, and a case of mistaken identity. Of course, you won’t find a new family-friendly...

Reel Bad? No, I said Reel BAT

Reel Bad? No, I said Reel BAT

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor May 3, 2021

There’s no arguing that 1997’s “Batman and Robin” was cinema’s greatest failure to present the caped crusaders on screen. That said, there’s a special place in my heart for Batman’s first...

telegraph.co.uk

Del Toro has a bit of Gothic fun

Samantha Brodzinski, Contributor April 12, 2021

Everyone loves a good ghost story, especially one that takes place in a beautifully enticing and spooky location. The idea of dancing in a mansion where snow is falling through the roof to light yet striking...

When in doubt, assume it’s aliens

When in doubt, assume it’s aliens

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor March 18, 2021

I went into “The Faculty” about as blind as I could— I knew it had something to do with teachers and aliens, but that was about it. As a result, there was a moment which should not have come as a...

A herr-razing tale!

A herr-razing tale!

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor March 3, 2021

A lot happened in the ‘60s. Among the rubble from that trip of a decade, we find a film named “They Saved Hitler’s Brain,” the kind of title which prompts only one reaction--”I wonder what this...

Investigating the CIA: “Wind of Change”

Investigating the CIA: “Wind of Change”

Emmett Avery, Staff Reporter November 28, 2020

From the ghostly whistling intro, the song “Wind of Change” by the Scorpions is weirdly riveting. It was released in 1990, and as Patrick Radden Keefe says in his recent podcast, also called “Wind...

“Sharknado”

“Sharknado”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor November 28, 2020

When I finally got around to watching 2013’s bluntly titled “Sharknado,” I was expecting two things—sharks and tornadoes. What I was not expecting was family drama, uncomfortable romance and dialogue...

Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) and
Abbie Hofman (Sacha Baron Cohen)

Drama in “Chicago 7”

Emmett Avery, Staff Reporter November 13, 2020

The war in Vietnam was not going well in 1968, and although some 16,000 police and national guard were deployed to the streets of Chicago, the Democratic National Convention in that city did not go well...

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in the 1979 classic Alien.

1979’s “Alien” still holds up as a sci-fi/horror blend

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor November 13, 2020

Despite it being on my mind as a film I wanted and needed to see, I dawdled for a long time before watching 1979’s “Alien” since I was worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. However,...

Oh, the horror!

Oh, the horror!

Marcus Allen, Contributor November 13, 2020

In all of its forms, whether it be novel, video game or film, horror makes you question your own reality and peek under your bed in the dead of night. For many people like me, horror is the best genre...

“Plan 9 from Outer Space”

“Plan 9 from Outer Space”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor November 13, 2020

Only a few things are usually needed to ruin an otherwise fine film. However, writer, director and producer Ed Wood seemed to take no risk of a good movie when creating his most famous film, “Plan...

9 and 5 exploring some old ruins

9: animated ragdoll horror

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor October 26, 2020

One of my favorite underrated gems of animation is a post-apocalyptic horror movie starring a collection of ragdolls whose goal is to save all life on Earth. Based on a 2005 short film by Director Shane...

From left to right: Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Paulson, Jon Jon Briones

A Ratched Review

Allison Irons, Staff Reporter October 26, 2020

“American Horror Story” creator Ryan Murphy released his newest glam and gore series on Sept. 18. The Netflix series, “Ratched,” follows the origin story of Nurse Ratched from the book “One Flew...

Stolen

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor October 26, 2020

A bad movie can be made due to any number of reasons. A low budget, sloppy writing, lackluster acting and executive incompetence can all lead to a film’s failure. A bad movie can also be made by rehashing...

You don’t know Jack

You don’t know Jack

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor October 8, 2020

“What Did Jack Do?” is a fifteen-minute short film that takes place in a locked down train station. Director and writer David Lynch stars as a detective interrogating a Jack, a monkey voiced by Jack...

Reel Bad: Rubber

Reel Bad: “Rubber”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor October 8, 2020

When I came to the realization that I could turn my hobby of regularly watching shitty movies into publishable work, I knew I needed to start off with a notoriously bad film. There are a few movies that...

1982 cult classic The Thing still horrifies and delights

1982 cult classic “The Thing” still horrifies and delights

Marcus Allen, Contributor April 15, 2020

John Carpenter’s 1982 film “The Thing” is one of the greatest achievements of horror. The film is a terrifying look into the human psyche when a group is put in isolation and they begin to mistrust...

Sesame Street and SNL: Sack Lunch Bunch

Sesame Street and SNL: “Sack Lunch Bunch”

Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter April 13, 2020

As the Netflix logo fades out, an obscure quote from Erika Jayne of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” fades in reading, “Do you know who tells the truth? Drunks and children.” “So I have...

Sonic movie is a bad joke

“Sonic” movie is a bad joke

Meghan Hilferty April 13, 2020

Amateur director Jeff Fowler made his first “successful” and full-length movie with the video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog, who just makes cliché jokes and never develops character. It’s like...

Oh hi Mark!

Bad plot, bad porn: “The Room”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Staff Reporter February 20, 2020

Imagine a film that has it all. Every scene is perfectly shot – the way the camera moves is entrancing. The dialogue is gripping and delivered masterfully. The physical acting is just as good, with body...

An un-bear advantage

An un-bear advantage

Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter February 20, 2020

I had been let down before by the Discovery channel and wasn’t sure I would be able to trust them again. It was the summer of 2017 and Shark Week was swimming along the TV guide. I was promised a race...

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