“Ballad of Buster Scruggs” displays creativity over cohesion
Keely Lyons, Staff Columnist
February 1, 2019
In the opening scene of the Coen brothers’ newest film, a ragged and worn book titled “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” lies centered on a nondescript wooden floor as Western guitars and horns play in the background. A wrinkled hand opens the cover as the names of some of Hollywood’s biggest hit...
Review: “A Quiet Place” captivates audiences
Allie O'Connor, Culture Columnist
April 27, 2018
My ears were ringing the moment the credits rolled, a distant hum that stayed with me as I caught the late-night bus back to campus. Though I’d seen the movie with friends, the feeling of isolation and fear throughout the film stuck with me. It wasn’t the jarring scares or the sight of bloody monsters t...
Review: “Blockers” falls flat on plot, brings feminism
Hunter McKenzie, Culture Columnist
April 19, 2018
If you enjoy feminist perspectives and John Cena butt chugging beer, “Blockers” might be the film for you. “Blockers” stars Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz, and follows three parents as they try to prevent their daughters from losing their virginities on prom night. Although it...
Review: Red Sparrow leaves viewers uninspired
Hunter McKenzie, Arts Columnist
March 20, 2018
There’s fashion, sex, espionage and violence, but not even Jennifer Lawrence can make this bloated spy thriller work. “Red Sparrow” follows prima ballerina Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) who, after a career-ending injury, is forced to join a Russian secret intelligence school that trains studen...
“Black Panther” brings black superheroes into the spotlight
Alec Collins, Arts Columnist
February 28, 2018
The latest addition to Disney’s sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Panther,” is the most important superhero blockbuster since “Iron Man” reinvented the genre in 2008. “Black Panther,” released Feb. 15, has a majority-black creative team and cast, as well as an unabashedly...
“Phantom Thread” enchants and surprises
Hunter McKenzie, Arts Columnist
February 8, 2018
Silk, lace, muslin, taffeta, chiffon and satin. In every instant of “Phantom Thread,” fashion pours out of the frame and couture overwhelms the eye with bold elegance. There are sleeves, crisp collars, bow ties, trimming, devilish coats and dress trains trailing behind. Fabric, and the bodies th...
“Dear White People”
November 11, 2014
This week, I had the pleasure of getting to see the new racial satire “Dear White People.” Its primary focus is on the relationship between blacks and whites, first and foremost from the black perspective. It takes place at a university, where students of both races excel, but where there is much raci...
