“Sex Education” better the second time around
Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter
March 12, 2020
If you have been privy to the public school system’s sex education courses in the last decade or so, you know that they need to step up their game. The limited information they are allowed to cover leave many students behind and uninformed, leading to more risky sex practices later on. This is a...
“The Circle” is worth the watch
Solil Devyn Borthwick, Staff Reporter
March 12, 2020
At first, “The Circle” is easy to judge too harshly. The show is Netflix’s US import of a British reality show bearing the same name. In it, players compete for a cash prize by vying to be the most popular player of the game – without face to face interaction. Every conversation and competition...
Bad plot, bad porn: “The Room”
Solil 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 language and expressions that seem genuine and effortless. The score is one of the most beautiful...
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 between Olympic gold medalist Michel Phelps and a great white shark. It was going to be extreme and...
The Joker: Maybe not so funny
Justin Robertiello, Staff Reporter
February 10, 2020
The film Joker was released Oct. 4, 2019, and was screened at the Bijou Cineplex 4 in Morrisville. The movie was also screened at The Roxy located in Burlington, and the Essex Cinema. The movie was directed by Todd Phillips and production was done by Warner Brothers. The Joker was played by Joaquin Phoenix,...
DiCaprio’s disturbing documentary disappoints
Jenn Dezotelle, Student
December 12, 2019
“Before the Flood,” staring Leonardo DiCaprio aired a little over three years ago. This Hollywood star used his fame in attempts to bring climate change to light in a way that creates change like never seen before. A beautifully filmed documentary doesn’t seem to have lived up to its standards. The...
Compelling and cruel: “The Report” is a true story at breakneck pace
Thomas Streeter, Staff Reporter
December 12, 2019
From Director Scott Z. Burns, the producer and writer of “Side Effects,” “Contagion” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” comes an Amazon Prime Original Movie, “The Report.” The film was released in select theaters on Nov. 15 and made its way to Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 29. Starring Adam...
Hilariously happy ever raptor
November 7, 2019
“The VelociPastor” is an understated character study with a lot to say, subtly mining pathos from small moments of everyday life. Just kidding. “The VelociPastor” is a movie about a priest who sometimes turns into a dinosaur and fights ninjas. It’s one where that priest, upon being told...
“The Mask” show confidence
Allison Irons, Staff Reporter
October 3, 2019
Why have young men been raised to not show emotion? Why can men not share their emotions without being called feminine? In what ways has the media in our society changed the way boys are raised? Many of these questions and more are answered in the 2015 documentary “The Mask You Live In” written and...
“The Act”: true crime, truly bizarre
Mike King
April 4, 2019
True crime dramatization is a hard genre to master, often playing out on the screen more like a low budget B movie than a feature quality production. Hulu’s new series “The Act” has managed to capture the genre in a smooth and interesting way that engages viewers with solid acting and one of the...
Dysfunction works for “Umbrella Academy”
Mike King
March 21, 2019
“Umbrella Academy” is a Netflix series based on the comic book by Gerard Way, the front man of alternative rock band My Chemical Romance. With the rise of comic book-inspired television anyone who hasn’t read the comic might pass up “Umbrella Academy” as just another show about a team of superheroes,...
Dumplin’ disappoints
February 21, 2019
Well, it’s happened again. Movie trailers have led us to believe that Netflix made a great movie about strong women, body positivity, empowerment and acceptance of all kinds of people, when in reality, it is about a petty conflict that is so loose it never should have happened in the first place. Netflix...
“House of Cards” falls flat without Spacey
December 14, 2018
When developing the sixth and final season of his Netflix series "House of Cards," creator Beau Willimon was put in an impossible situation by the show’s star, Kevin Spacey. Spacey, who played the primary protagonist politician Frank Underwood, was fired by Netflix following a series of sexual assault a...
Charmed, I’m sure
Kylie Brown
November 9, 2018
In light of the "Charmed" 2018 reboot now airing, let’s take a minute to remember and appreciate the wonderful 1998 original "Charmed" that was influential enough to be brought back 12 years after its last episode. This beautifully quirky show is supernatural fiction, following the three Halliwell s...
Jack Ryan returns
October 2, 2018
As Amazon Video continues to try and chip away at the streaming service monopoly of Netflix, they have invested more funds into creating their own original series. The latest installment is a new take on Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan,” which was released on Aug. 31. Jack Ryan is a fictional character...
“Magic for Humans” good if you’re bored
Kylie Brown
October 2, 2018
Have a short attention span? Like neat magic tricks? Like to laugh at people’s humanity? Incredibly bored? Watch “Magic for Humans” on Netflix. “Magic for Humans” is a Netflix original reality television series composed of six, 25 minute long episodes. The host and executive producer...
“Ozark” puts the South in your mouth
September 18, 2018
In the social media-driven era we currently live in, it’s rare for a television series to slip through the cracks of the relentless internet hype machine. From the moment a new show is announced, it is seemingly dissected from every possible angle—from the cast to the directors and producers, and...
Enchanted with “Disenchantment”
September 18, 2018
After the incredible success that is and was “Futurama” and “The Simpsons”, it seems only fair that Matt Groening has started something new: “Disenchantment”. On Jan. 15, 2016, it was announced that Groening was working with Netflix to develop a new animated series, and after 30 years of...
“Brockmire” is baseball’s favorite degenerate
Tom O’Leary
May 10, 2018
Often overlooked because it airs on IFC, season two of “Brockmire” arrived on April 25, and it continues to be one of the most hilarious and underrated television series’ currently on air. “Brockmire” follows the outrageous and debauchery-filled life of Jim Brockmire, an iconic Major League...
“Swiss Army Man” is a real gas
May 10, 2018
Sometimes there are films with premises so utterly strange, that you cannot quite believe it actually exists without clear proof. “Swiss Army Man” is one of those films. Disarmingly bizarre and delightfully otherworldly, this is a film you simply have to see to believe. This is director and writer...
Game over, man!
March 29, 2018
When Netflix announced in 2016 that they had signed a film deal with the creators and stars of the Comedy Central series “Workaholics,” one of my all-time favorite shows, I was instantly intrigued. So, when it was finally released at midnight on March 23, I watched it immediately. The movie, entitled...
“Kung Fury” packs a parodic punch
March 29, 2018
If you would like to experience every cop or action movie ever made in the 80s all at the same time, “Kung Fury” is the movie to see. Complete with half-thought-out one-liners muttered during ironic events, a David Hasselhoff theme song, over -elongated and cheesy fight scenes, ripped denim and aversion...
Netflix’s most binge-worthy show yet
Thomas O’Leary
March 15, 2018
As a connoisseur of the true crime genre, I was immediately enticed with Netflix’s surprise release of their new original series “Mindhunter,” on Oct. 13, 2017. It has been lauded as the streaming services “most binge-worthy show yet,” a statement which I passionately agree with as I consumed...
“Lady Bird” provides a tragicomic take on coming of age
February 8, 2018
Has your mother ever made you want to forcefully jump out of a moving vehicle? Self-christened “Lady Bird” starts out the movie of her name by doing exactly this. The neon pink arm cast she earns from this choice brightly stands out throughout the first act of the film alongside her bluntly cut,...
A fantastic space adventure awaits
February 8, 2018
In this latest installment of the newest trilogy, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” directed by Rian Johnson, one can witness the oldest stars such as Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, alongside the newest cast members, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Adam Driver. Boyega, a rising star, has appeared in...
“Dunkirk”: A truly human experience
Nellie Tamboe
October 2, 2017
On July 21, the much-anticipated World War II movie “Dunkirk” was released. It told the story of the 1940 evacuation of 400,000 trapped Allied soldiers from the beach of Dunkirk, France, after the area had become surrounded by the German army. It is a masterpiece. With the threat of enemy U-boats,...
Wooden acting and dumb beards in a sad “King Arthur” knock-off
April 14, 2017
I realize that, right now, Hollywood is currently in the phase where remaking movies is all the rage. Sometimes that works out and the audience gets a halfway decent movie, like the recent “Godzilla” movie. And then other times, the remake drifts into the territory of “lock it in the basement...
Disney remake brings beauty and anachronism to the big screen
April 14, 2017
“Beauty and the Beast” was extravagantly gorgeous, well written and performed well. Director Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 1 and 2) struck a good balance between following the old story and adding new material. While most of the new material is nice, none of it is essential, and some...
Throwing back to hairspray and classic rock in “Adventureland”
March 23, 2017
Hey, do you like the ’80s? Teenage angst? Kristen Stewart trying her damnedest to make a normal human expression? Well then, “Adventureland,” featuring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, is the movie for you. Even though this movie came out only a few years ago, it has that definite feel...
Wolverine’s last ride
March 23, 2017
Three years after his second solo film, Wolverine has returned to the big screen with his claws out and his taciturn demeanor fully intact. Following the enormous success of last year’s “Deadpool,” 20th Century Fox has released its second attempt at an R-rated X-Men film: “Logan,” the 10th...
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