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Dune Part 2 Review

Written By: Caleb Tiedemann (’25)

Dune Part 2 was my most anticipated movie of this year. At the moment of writing this, I have seen it three times in theaters. When it was first released I got the privilege of seeing the movie in IMAX, and I was so enthralled, that I went and saw it again the very next day.

I can confidently say that the stereotype of “sequels being worse than the originals” does not even remotely apply here. Despite my love of Dune Part 1, I can admit that it is slow and long. However, I find beauty in that. Part 2, takes what the first movie did and improves on it in every way. Is it slow? Not at all. Does it manage to find that sweet spot between world-building and action? Yes. 

The movie focuses primarily on the spiritual aspects of the Dune universe. The author of the Dune series based the spiritual elements loosely on Islam, and even though I am no Islamic scholar, from what I do know, it has a fascinating sci-fi representation. The juxtaposition of believers and non-believers in the “Lisan Al-Giab” (Messiah), creates a tense religious atmosphere among the inhabitants of Arrakis – The Fremen. As Paul becomes accustomed to the Fremen ways he is worshiped by some and scoffed at by others. 

In the first movie, I scoffed at the idea of Timothee Chalamet playing Paul, who is supposed to grow into a powerful messianic leader, but I can say that Chalamet pulls the role off beautifully, being equally emotionally resonant and powerfully dominant. Zendaya plays Chani well; a skilled and capable fighter who falls in love with Paul as he ascends. Rebecca Ferguson plays Lady Jessica wonderfully, hiding so much calculating intelligence behind her eyes as she manipulates others for her and Paul’s benefit. Javier Bardem plays Stilgar, a believer of the Fremen tribe in the Lisan Al-Giab, who comes off as an intelligent warrior, intensely spiritual man, and loyal follower, almost to the point of being funny. However, the main standout is Austin Butler’s portrayal of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen: a devilishly psychotic Harkonnen warrior, equally thirsty for both power and blood. Butler plays the role magnificently. Every time he comes on the screen he commands it with menacing gravitas. 

Dune Part 2 is one of the most beautifully shot movies that I have seen in a long time. Cinematographer Greig Fraser captures the beauty and simplicity of the dunes. One would think it hard to capture beauty in a sandy environment but through twilight, eclipse, and natural lighting the color palette of Dune is surprisingly varied. At one point in the film, certain scenes are filmed using an infrared camera. I have never (to my knowledge) witnessed the use of one of these cameras in a film before and it crafted the scenes it was used in beautifully. The pale soft white is utilized to film a particularly brutal scene so the contrast of color and content was an odd but tasteful choice. Hans Zimmer’s score is immaculate. It captures an almost tribal feeling in its use of drums, unorthodox instruments, and sounds. Yet, at the same time, it is a beautiful composition, brimming with emotional resonance and profound meaning.

The last half hour of the movie is one of the most impressively shot, incredibly well-acted, and beautifully lit, endings. As I said, I have seen it three times and every time the ending’s technical aspects just floor me. You don’t have to love the first movie to enjoy the second. I strongly recommend the movie. One of the easiest 10/10 movies I have ever seen.

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Americans are Weird: A Cultural Comparison

Written By: Limat Takale (’27)

Americans are weird. From their weird ways of measuring things to their habit of smiling at strangers, engaging in small talk, acting entitled, and not putting taxes on price tags—plus the confusing array of coins—there is a lot that is different here. Like the way they measure things here—why can’t they just use the metric system or Celsius like the rest of the world? And the coins—why do they have so many? Why are dimes smaller than pennies and nickels? Why are the bathroom stall doors so short, and why are there gaps between them? Why are taxes not included in the price? Americans are just weird. Adapting to a new culture is never easy. I knew that I was going to struggle with many things when I came here, but greeting people was not one of them. Back in Ethiopia, saying hello is a big deal. It is not just a quick thing. It is a whole ritual, showing respect and connection.But here in America, greetings are so casual. They say, “How are you?” but they do not really mean it. It is just a way of saying hello. It is like they do not care about really talking to you. In Ethiopia, when you ask, “How are you?” you mean it. You are ready to have a real conversation, to connect. And you have to know that you have at least 20 minutes free before you ask someone how they are doing because they might want to share everything that is going on in their life. Ethiopians go through the whole family tree—they ask about your day, your mom, your dad, your siblings, and even about a distant cousin you have never met in your life.It is weird how different it is here. Saying hello should mean something, shouldn’t it? It is a small thing, but it shows a significant difference in how we communicate. It makes me miss home, where greetings are more than just words—they are a way of showing you care.Americans are weird, from the way they interact with each other to the way they handle everyday things. It has taken some getting used to, that is for sure. But hey, maybe one day I will get the hang of it and be as weird as the Americans, or maybe I will make the Americans around me less weird. ★

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Cyberware Review (April Fools 2024)

Written By: Caleb Tiedemann (’25)

With all the talk lately regarding human life expectancy, it’s ironic that the biggest breakthrough has been made. After Elon Musk’s Telsa company was disbanded due to a shortage of electricity, his company has made a breakthrough in the cyberware industry. We’re all familiar with cyberware; our bionic limbs and Neuralink transmitters that communicate with all forms of technology have been around for a few decades. But as Tesla delves deeper into research, the general public has been let in on the various updates. The most recent being Apple’s acceptance of Neuralink’s compatibility with their devices. Disgraced Apple CEO John Cena previously called Neuralink “neanderthal technology that would die off in a couple of years.” Two decades later the CEO has been forced to eat his own words. It has also made waves in the political realm as Neuralink has reportedly made Congress actually do the jobs that citizens have been paying them to do. That being said, I, your humble news reporter, am here to give you the first in-depth review of Neuralink 1.0. With this technological advancement, Musk has promised a variety of in-depth features such as “self-flushing toilets, turning the lights on and off, and of course, worldwide genocide,” That last Neuralink comment/promise came from the practical jokester Musk himself. With that being said, as I write this review, I have successfully flushed my first toilet just by looking at it. Turning the lights on and off has proven to be something of a challenge, however. The implant allowed me to trace the electric current from my devices to the source by some form of X-ray vision. By simply blinking at it, it cuts the power line. It has arrived with some other challenges, especially when it came to finding all the bugs placed around my house. Since destroying those the mafia has been leaving dead fish on my doorstep. As someone who dislikes seafood, this has caused a rivalry between myself and the mafia. Whenever I find that worldwide genocide button, I shall be sure to utilize it. That being said, Elon Musk’s Neuralink technology has made my life far easier. Instead of exerting small amounts of effort in my everyday life, I am now able to save that physical strain for more important things like watching football or Tweeting on X. ★

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The Green Mile (1999)

Written By: Caleb Tiedemann (’25)

“I’m tired, boss. Tired of bein’ on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with, or tell me where we’s coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. I’m tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There’s too much of it.” – John Coffey

The Green Mile is the tale of Paul Edgecombe’s experience as a prison guard on death row. When a gentle giant John Coffey is sentenced to death, Paul and the other guards are confronted with Coffey’s mysterious healing power and do everything to stave off his execution. The Green Mile is one of those movies that leaves the viewer with so much to think about. It touches on themes of friendship, innocence, sadism, love, and guilt. Each character is so marvelously crafted to represent one of those themes throughout the movie. John Coffey represents innocence, Paul Edgecombe represents guilt, Brutal Howell represents friendship, Percy Wetmore represents sadism, and Eduard “Del” Delacroix represents love. All of these characters and all of these representations are wonderfully done with each actor giving their utmost in terms of performance. From a technical aspect, The Green Mile is in capable hands. Frank Darabont handles the camera with perfection, highlighting such visceral and raw emotional scenes. He manages to break brilliant performances from every actor. Percy is one of the vilest characters to ever exist in cinematic history and disgusts me in a way that can only be answered by throwing punches. I have to hand it to Doug Hutchinson for his performance because he gives one of the most despicable portrayals of a character. On the opposite side of the spectrum is John Coffey: a gentle giant with a very special gift. These characters are the foundation of what can be considered such a morally complex movie. Death Row is a hot topic in certain circles from the legal perspective and this movie does much to highlight the sadness and brutality of an organized death. The climactic ending is potent and seers itself into your heart and mind hitting every perfect emotional beat. The final walk on the Mile proves to be emotionally detrimental and morally convoluted. One of the themes that stuck out to me was the similarities between Christ’s crucifixion and Coffey’s death. Both were innocently convicted and killed men with special gifts of healing. Just some interesting food for thought. I cry over a lot of movies and this one was no exception. I do truly love film in a way that I can hardly explain until a movie, such as this, comes along and shows everything good about the movie-making industry. ★

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When you worry — Look to the Birds

Written by: Karl Schmidt

Luke 12:22-25 says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples; ‘therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the Ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storerooms or barns, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?’” We have many occasions in life to worry. What career path to take, who to be friends with, who to date, who to marry, etc., the list is never ending. Years ago, I had finished my bachelor’s degree and student teaching and was looking for a job. After a whole summer of interviews, I went back home to my parents’ house, with no job and a wife and baby. I had a great opportunity to worry. A month into the school year I was called for an interview, as a long-term sub, and finally got a job teaching history at Rushford Central School (Cuba-Rushford Central School) where I stayed for 30 years. I think all of us can look back at our lives and see how God sustained us and by doing so taught us not to worry.Besides my love for teaching, I’ve always had a love for birdwatching. I’ve been fascinated about the variety of ways birds find things to eat and what they eat: from a Belted Kingfisher or an Osprey diving from a great height into the lake to catch a fish, to Ruby Throated Hummingbirds drinking nectar from my bee balm flowers (they also eat a lot of spiders), or to Vultures that eat dead animals (they have special enzymes in their gut that can break down the most disgusting rotted meat that would probably kill us). Last summer I watched a little American Redstart, a bird in the Warbler family, like a miniature fighter pilot chase a moth, finally grabbing it with its beak and after struggling with it a little bit, swallowing it down. Once while out for a walk, I watched an enterprising Gray Catbird in front of a beehive picking off bees as they flew out. For those of you who visit Florida, you might know of the Anhinga, a bird that chases fish underwater and spears them with its beak; or the various species of herons that wait patiently to grab a fish in the shallows. Closer to home, while canoeing by a rocky island in the Adirondacks (Canada Island, Lake Lila), I watched a baby Spotted Sandpiper struggling with a dragonfly it had caught by the tail — perhaps the first meal of its life. Winter can be a particularly hard time for birds to find food. But again, God cares for His creation. Cedar Waxwings, Robins, Chickadees, and Bluebirds are sustained throughout the cold winter by eating berries left over from the Fall and the tops of Sumacs. We’ve all seen woodpeckers at suet feeders, but many times in the wild I have seen Downy Woodpeckers and Chickadees picking at the fat of a dead deer carcass. For one month in May thousands of songbirds flying north from Central America get to the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio and stop exhausted and hungry. But at that very time in early May, hundreds of thousands of Caddisflies hatch and provide the needed food for the birds to make it across the lake. The same scenario I’ve seen in birds that make it across Lake Erie at Point Pelee, a park in Ontario with a peninsula that stretches out into the lake, one of the first spots birds stop to find more to eat to replenish their supplies.Many of you may have witnessed God supplying birds with food in some way or another. The Creator of the universe has provided for His birds, sometimes specifically by how they were created, and sometimes by the impact of other parts of His creation like the Caddisfly hatch. God loves us so much, how much more will He provide for us.Karl Schmidt, Birdwatcher ☆

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Sword Art Online

Written by: Julian Veley (’25)

A-1 Pictures’ Sword Art Online is an anime based on a manga series of the same name. Personally, I have not read the manga but instead chose to begin by watching the series. SAO is a story full of emotion; if you are a hopeless romantic, it will hit you deeply.

The story is based in the 2020s with the release of a new Virtual Reality headset titled “Nerve Gear.” This new headset, unlike VR headsets we know, does not require the user to stand and move. Instead, the user lays flat on their back with the headset on. When powered on, it takes control of the five senses, putting the user in a vegetative state to the outside world, but in the headset, their mind is active, controlling their characters and remaining very conscious. Viewers follow the story of Kazuto Kirigaya, “Kirito,” (voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuok) and his experience in the Nerve Gear.

On the release day of the Nerve Gear alongside the VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlay Game) Sword Art Online, 10,000 players logged on for the first time to experience the opening ceremony. When some users are unable to log out of the game, tension rises. They are then informed by Kayaba (the Games’ creator) that in order to leave, they must beat all 100 Levels of Aincrad, the steel castle the world of SAO is set in. He also informs the players that those who suffer in-game deaths or attempt to forcibly remove the Nerve Gear will experience death in the real world. Kirito, being one of one thousand beta testers, has a headstart on the game. In order to protect other players, he sets out on his own. On his journey, he meets another player by the name of Asuna Yuuki (voiced by Haruka Tomatsu), with whom he develops an attachment and soon falls in love with. From that point forward, the story is a battle for their love, showing the extent to which one will go to save another and how willpower is stronger than any physical or mental barrier. The entire first season is powerful – a rollercoaster of emotions, with mystery, sacrifice, death, plot twists, cliffhangers, and more than I can fit into this review.

In comparison to popular anime shows such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, etcetera, there are no filler episodes. Every episode moves the story along. Even if it’s a side quest that does not directly follow the main mission, it has a relation. I highly recommend this to anyone who has an appreciation for anime. You don’t need to like romantic stories, and you don’t need to like video games. The action and adventure is incredible, and you’ll find yourself sucked in before you even realize it. ★

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The Beatles: In Review

Written By: Josey Ikker (’24)

I don’t know anyone else who has a good knowledge of the Beatles except for maybe a Houghton professor and a sibling, but I’ve been listening to the Beatles since I was about 7 or 8. The first instance I was introduced to this classic boy band was Yellow Submarine, a jukebox musical adaptation, based on the song of the name, released in 1968. The story focuses on a fantasy world that is taken over by henchmen called the Blue Meanies and numerous other villains who despise music-making. A captain, Fred, then travels to Liverpool, London to seek help from the fab-four to return to Pepperland and bring music back into the paradise. The film uses a lot of unique art styles done by Czech-German Heinz Edelmann; however the voices for the Beatles were done by counterpart actors with a live-action sequence at the end of the film of the original members. Growing up, I often overheard my sibling, who is also a Beatles fan, listening to a handful of albums throughout the day including, Rubber Soul, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts, White Album, Abbey Road and a handful of others. Recently I began collecting vinyls and my first Beatles record, as a birthday present, was Rubber Soul, which has been in my top 3 favorites for some time now. Though Rubber Soul showed a lot of growth in their style, I was a little shocked, but realized that it made sense when I found out that the Beatles were in a rush to complete Rubber Soul. Yet they put most of their time and effort, not even on a Tour or filming session. It took almost 2 weeks to record and another six days to mix everything together. In November 2023, I had discovered news that the Beatles would be releasing their “Last song.” This final song would be called Now and Then. But how was this possible? John Lennon hasn’t been with us since December 1980 and George Harrison since November 2001. Well, back in the ’90s, Paul, Ringo and George had attempted to use demo recordings of John Lennon’s and mix those with their instrumentation. They had completed 2 of 3 songs from John Lennon; those being Free as a Bird and Real Love as part of their Anthology project. However, the one that wasn’t completed at the time was of course Now and Then as the vocals muffled with the piano made it too difficult to interpret and they didn’t have the technology at the time to complete it. Fast forward to 2022, Paul and Ringo, as George had passed away in 2001, came back to tackle Now and Then again. Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings films, had done a lot of work restoring archives of The Beatles, specifically for the Disney+ documentary series: Get Back from 2021. Jackson was able to create a technology to create separate tracks for the vocals, and accompaniment. Jackson shared in the Get Back Short Film, found on YouTube, “That ultimately led us to develop a technology, which allows us to take any soundtrack and split all the different components into separate tracks based on machine learning.” Now and Then represented a legacy the Beatles created and is still recognized to this day, with uses of 1970s vocals and contemporary instrumentation with simple, yet powerful lyrics. A week after Now and Then’s release, The Beatles had also come out with re-releases and expansions of the Red and Blue Albums including the new single. Overall, The Beatles, to me, still hold a place in my heart with the many genres and styles in rock and roll they portrayed, including creating that final song for a whole new generation. I would recommend listening to Now and Then, even if you’re not into the Beatles as much. You might be surprised how deep and meaningful it is. ★

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Southern Tier Symphony

Written By: Grace Vuolo (’24)

Saturday night, the Southern Tier Symphony performed at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University, continuing their twenty-first season, “Journey On!,” with its second series, “Adventure.” The symphony features Houghton’s own Dr. David Clem on viola, Daniel Zambrano on cello, Dianna Clem on piccolo, and graduate Jack Smith on trumpet. The music director and conductor, Benjamin Grow, opened the concert by conducting the ensemble and audience in The Star-Spangled Banner before smoothly transitioning to John Philip Sousa’s The Star and Stripes Forever. Grow’s conducting was lively and displayed precision that would set the tone for his conducting throughout the rest of the concert. This Sousa composition featured portions that highlighted Dianna Clem’s proficient piccolo playing as well as Jack Smith’s strong trumpet and a well-synchronized string section. The next piece played was Giacomo Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville. Grow conducted the dynamic changes with clarity that encouraged accurate playing for the ensemble. The softer sections stood out as the strings and winds maintained an impressive quality of sound through soft dynamic levels. The violins remained well in sync throughout the piece, following the concertmaster, James Ieda, who led with serenity and prestige. The Waltz from Sleeping Beauty by the illustrious Piotr Illych Tchaikovsky stole the show from the moment it began. Commonly associated with the classic Disney film, this Tchaikovsky piece bore much nostalgia that was phenomenally brought to life through the sweet strings, rhythmic winds, and soaring brass. Grow’s conducting perfectly communicated the style of the song and gave clear cutoffs for a synchronized orchestra. The next piece, Hungarian March, was composed by Hector Berlioz. The strings sounded loud and full as the other sections played in good harmony with one another. The brass section entered strong upon the conductor’s cue yielding an even fuller sound. The fast-paced sections within the piece also were played with precision and distinguished talent. Roses of the South by Johann Strauss followed, bearing the same excellence in dynamic and stylistic transitions accomplished by the ensemble and conductor as the previous songs. This piece was succeeded by another one of the best performances of the night, another Tchaikovsky composition, Act 1, No. 2 from Swan Lake. I was excited to see this in the program and surprised when the conductor had a lapse of memory and nearly skipped over it. Fortunately, members of the ensemble reminded him, and the nostalgic, powerful sweetness of the piece enveloped the audience. The brass and percussion played in perfect synchronization, and the featured oboist played out the melody beautifully, making this a highlight of the concert. Leroy Anderson’s Bugler’s Holiday featured Jack Smith along with the other trumpeter who were both surprisingly joined by Grow also on trumpet. A brief intermission followed this piece. During intermission, there was an undeniable anticipation building. If the first half was so incredible, what did the second half have in store?Apparently, not much. The second half opened with the Poet and the Peasant Overture by Franz von Suppé which was a rather generic composition compared to the other songs that had been played. The percussion was overpowering, particularly at the end, and the piece overall brought down the level of anticipation for the rest of the performance. The following well-known piece, The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II, although played well stylistically, featured tired strings and poorly-timed percussion that contrasted the lively conducting and strong brass section. Next was Radetzsky March, written by Johann Strauss I, wherein Grow encouraged audience involvement by clapping to the beat during the main musical motif. The audience kept the beat well, but the strings majorly messed up rhythmically and harmonically, possibly thrown off by the external involvement. At this point, with such a blatant mistake, I had lost hope in the rest of the performance. Fortunately, the show was pulled together beautifully for the Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker, another piece by Piotr Illych Tchaikovsky. Perhaps this reviewer is just partial to Tchaikovsky, but this was the third highlight of the entire performance. Cristin Kalinowski opened with a harp solo free from the conductor. This lilted throughout the room, encouraging dynamically balanced winds and unified strings that followed Grow’s masterful guidance. Finally, the symphony closed out the performance just as it was opened, with a piece by John Philip Sousa, The Washington Post, which was an upbeat, precise, and successful end to the concert.Overall, despite the mistakes, watching the Southern Tier Symphony was a beautiful and inspiring experience for this young musician and reviewer. Given the opportunity, I would certainly encourage going to see them perform, as I would hope to as well at the next chance, which will be again at St. Bonaventure University on May 4th. ★

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The Creator (2023) Review

Written By: Joseph Schmidt (’24)

Set in 2070, 15 years after a nuclear detonation in Los Angeles that started a war against AI, Sergeant Joshua Taylor, played by John David Washington, an ex-special forces agent, is recruited to hunt down a mysterious terrorist going by the name Nirmata, or “Creator”. The United States military has gained valuable information that Nirmata has created a super weapon which could cause the US to lose the war against the AI threat. But when Joshua discovers the super weapon is a robotic child, he finds himself at a loss of what to do.

“The Creator” honestly surprised me as a movie. When I first saw the trailers for the movie, it looked like it was nothing more than a Star Wars rip off, which I suppose is what happens when you get the fantastic Gareth Edwards, the same director who created “Rogue One”. But when I first watched the movie, I was pretty interested in all the concepts of robots, humans and AI all interacting together in a shared universe, only to have AI become the main threat. However, “The Creator” shows an interesting perspective from both sides of this war against the AI. It shows the fear and anger of the US and the US military, who have vigilantly fought against robots, simulants and AI in order to make sure there is no more threat of nuclear extinction, but it also shows the perspective of New Asia, the country harboring and supporting the robots, simulants and AI because they believe that these beings are as real as humans are.Yet, the story never shifts away from Joshua and the super weapon child known as Alphie, played by Madeleine Yuna Voyles.

Joshua’s reason for going after this super weapon is because he’s trying to find his wife, who is in New Asia and supposedly helping the New Asian forces create Alphie. Joshua’s mission was to collect the super weapon or destroy it in order to find his wife and return home with her. However, after the mission goes wrong, Joshua and Alphie must find their way across New Asia and avoid the New Asian forces looking for them both. As Joshua understands what’s at stake, why begin to see and understand more of the perspective of New Asians and how that convinces Joshua to switch sides over the course of the movie. This was something I appreciated, that Joshua didn’t have a quick moment where he changed sides in the middle of a battle, but instead slowly began to understand why Alphie was created as a defense for the New Asians, not an offense.

Overall, “The Creator” is definitely one of my new favorite movies. A compelling story, a new approach of conflict and love and trying to understand that just because something isn’t alive doesn’t mean it’s not real. We watch Joshua struggle as a soldier taking care of Alphie as she learns the world, trying to avoid threats while guarding what he had considered a threat. We watch Alphie gain more understanding of her enhanced abilities and how they impact the people of New Asia in many different ways. We watch the brutality of war, the tactics used in the midst of fear, and the sacrifices and losses that come as a result. No one in this movie is safe. It made the movie seem so real despite being set in 2070.

However, some things were predictable in the movie. While deaths are inevitable and some are definitely shocking and surprising, some events are incredibly predictable. In fact, some are pretty stupidly coincidental as well. And while these coincidences and predictable events aren’t relied upon for the story to continue, it did make me a tiny bit disappointed by such cliche scenes.

In conclusion, I did enjoy the movie. I loved this movie. It surprised me, made me emotional on my first watch through in a few parts, and played into tension beautifully. Not to mention that the cinematography was impressive. It’s definitely worth the watch if you’re a Sci-Fi fan, and it keeps you engaged from start to finish. Seriously, watch it for yourselves!

Final Grade: 8.7/10 ★

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2023: A Beautiful Culmination of Cinema

Written by: Caleb Tiedemann (’25)

With Oscar nominations released and the award ceremony around the corner, it is time for another yearly review of the ups and downs of the entertainment industry that is known as Hollywood. 2023 was both a very serious and silly year for film. With films like Cocaine Bear and Five Nights at Freddy’s being released the B-movie representation was present. Marvel released two critically panned and theatrically bombing films in the form of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. Their third, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, managed to defy expectations but mostly due to the quality of the Guardians movies. James Gunn, as usual, pours heart, soul, and humor into his films and Vol. 3 was no different. With these critical flops appearing almost back-to-back and continuing off of the superhero flops from 2022, Marvel is slowly treading water but losing energy. DC seems to be in a very similar boat with 2023 being the final nail in the coffin for the DCEU before James Gunn does a creative overhaul. A sequel to Shazam! came out and though I found some personal enjoyment in the movie, many other fans did not, resulting in a flop for DC. The Flash was also released and was mostly disliked for its convoluted storyline and ugly visuals (both of which I can confirm to be true). The final flatulent note of the DCEU came in the form of Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, a film of muddled messages and ideas, inconsistent humor, generic storytelling, and the almost universally disliked Amber Heard. But it was not just the superhero franchises that suffered, there were many sendoffs to beloved franchises aside from the previously mentioned ones. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was met with very mixed reviews among fans and critics and it provided me with one of the most disappointing, dumbest, plot-hole-ridden, and truly revolting portrayals of modern storytelling that disguised itself as an Indiana Jones film. Poor 80-year-old Harrison Ford is dragged through a terribly written movie that has none of the adventure, character, and heart that the originals contain. Apparently, my feelings were similar to those of others as it drastically underperformed. In other news the pen-ultimate two-parter of the Mission: Impossible franchise came out to fans such as myself who have been watching Tom Cruise do insanely crazy stunts for the past decade. Another send-off came in the form of John Wick: Chapter 4, the well-deserved and intense action film to put the beloved franchise to rest. One of the biggest upsides of this year came from the release of films helmed by popular and beloved directors. M. Night Shyamalan, the beloved horror/thriller director, released Knock at the Cabin, a tense and wonderfully acted film that dealt with familial love and sacrifice in an unconventional and heart-wrenching way. David Fincher released his assassin-led drama The Killer which explored more of the downtime between each job and was received with mixed reactions. Famed director Martin Scorsese released The Killers of the Flower Moon, a brilliant period piece about the horrors the Osage Native-American nation experienced at the hands of greedy and evil white colonizers. The biggest and best releases came around the middle of the year starting with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Across the Spider-Verse was a beautiful, emotional, and well-done film that touches upon a lot of heavier issues than expected and draws so much heart from its main ensemble. But, the undoubted magnum opus from this year is “Barbenheimer.” These two movies that managed to shake the entire internet up by the vast differences of their subject matter. Christopher Nolan’s epic boasts a talented cast of characters, rushing to create the first atomic bomb. As they get closer and closer to succeeding the weight of what they are doing sets in and the aftereffects shock the entire world. With one of the best endings, stellar pacing, and an around amazing cast, Oppenheimer was a true treat and is definitely worth the awards it is receiving. Barbie, on the other hand, did not meet my expectations in the same way. It was still a very fun movie and I am very aware that I am not considered the target audience. The movie boasts a colorful ensemble of characters and heart and seeks to define questions surrounding womanhood and femininity. Though I do think the morals are a bit clunky, and the writers bit off more than they could chew in terms of the message they sought to convey, I would be foolish to deny Barbie’s cultural impact. This year was another great one for movies as we got a wide variety from all across the film-making spectrum. The summer blockbuster season has never been more ominous and exciting and with independent and unique films coming into the limelight, it seems that Marvel and DC are being pushed back to the shadows. Alas, who knows what the future holds? One thing I can say is that 2024 already has a good roster of films to look forward to! ★