Category: Reviews

#10: Finding Dory – Finding Nemo continues to hold up as one of Pixar’s best, most vivid, and heart-warming films making this Dory-centered sequel one that audiences have awaited for years. The lovable blue tang’s search for her parents could easily be the next smash-hit for Pixar, provided it has something new to offer beyond simply living off the success of its predecessor.

#9: Warcraft – Warcraft with its name-recognition, big budget, and competent director, is seeking to upend the notion that all “Video Game Movies” have to suck. Its CGI-heavy story about the ongoing war between humans and orcs is given a boost of legitimacy with Duncan Jones’ name attached, having established a notable track record with films like Moon and Source Code, definitely making this one to look out for.

#8: Sausage Party – Seth Rogen’s hard R-rated animated comedy is about a talking sausage who’s trying to warn his fellow food-based friends about what really happens when humans take them home from the grocery store. Fans of Rogen’s crude humor are likely to enjoy this one, just know that it is not for everybody. Do not take the kids unless you want them learning some fun new words.

#7: Suicide Squad – DC’s lack of a sense of humor in their films is something Suicide Squad aims to fix, reintroducing the Joker and a number of Batman villains for Ben Affleck and the rest of Gotham to worry about. After such a mixed response to Batman v. Superman, DC needs a slam dunk here. The trailers have been promising. If Suicide Squad can actually deliver then Marvel may have to start paying attention.

#6: The Conjuring 2 – Ed and Lorraine Warren continue their paranormal investigations, counseling a young girl in London who is being tormented by another evil spirit. Horror movie sequels usually fall way short of their predecessors and The Conjuring set that standard pretty high, but if the trailer is any indication of 2’s overall quality then none of us are sleeping for weeks.

#5: Kubo and the Two Strings – From the director of Coraline and ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings looks beautiful. A young boy sets out on a quest to defeat a vengeful spirit, armed with only his friends and his small, important-looking guitar…thing. Anyone familiar with Travis Knight’s other films will be familiar with Kubo’s distinct, vivid animation. It is a unique looking film with plenty of character to sustain the film beyond simple aesthetics.

#4: Pete’s Dragon – The original Pete’s Dragon was a middling Disney movie with its standout feature being the melding of a live-action world with a two-dimensional dragon. That feature no longer feels like a gimmick today, but the trailer for this summer’s remake looks simply incredible. So close on the heels of Jon Favreau’s Jungle Book adaptation, to see Pete’s Dragon be given blockbuster treatment in such lavish fashion makes it look like another fine addition to Disney’s catalog.

#3: Swiss Army Man – Swiss Army Man is a dark comedy about Hank, (Paul Dano) who’s been stranded on a deserted island and finds a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe) that’s been washed ashore. Hank discovers that he can not only speak to the body, but he can use him for essentially any necessary task, plausible or surreal. It is completely bizarre and seemingly impossible to describe the film briefly. It is better just to watch the trailer and appreciate how strange it really is.

#2: The Lobster – The Lobster is an odd indie flick where single people are arrested and sent to retreat centers where they are required to fall in love within a 45-day window. If they cannot, those people are turned into animals, literally. It’s a quirky, dark comedy with an unsettling tone and critics are already raving about it.

#1: Captain America: Civil War – Marvel has outdone itself every year and Civil War is being called the best film in its lineup. Captain America vs. Iron Man, Liberty vs. Security. This is a film that provokes just as much thought as it does adrenaline. It is a visual spectacle foremost, but it also considers morality in a way that most superhero movies, heck, most movies fail to address. Oh, also Spider-Man is in it. You cannot forget Spider-Man.

The Oscar’s have been maligned for many things: “They’re too long”, “No one’s even seen the Best Picture nominees”, “The host won’t be funny”, “If Leo’s not winning, I’m going to bed”. Year after thankless year these criticisms are levied against the Academy in its putative inability to accurately reflect the interests of “The Average Moviegoer”, to honor the films that people actually care about. As if those allegations aren’t jarring enough on any given year, the familiar flak has been all but eclipsed by the ongoing and widespread allegations of prejudice within the film industry, Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes racism supposedly has been responsible for the lack of diversity among this year’s very pale nominees.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in a move undoubtedly made to appease those disappointed with the #OscarSoWhite controversy, decided to invite edgy stand-up comedian Chris Rock to host. Thankfully enough for both audience and Academy it turned out to be a smart move. The Academy, to its credit, held up a mirror and allowed itself to be subjected to a healthy dose of reality that they may realize how difficult it has become for minorities to penetrate the upper echelons of Hollywood.

Rock’s opening monologue was as funny as it was poignant, even becoming wincingly uncomfortable at times when some jokes began to feel less and less funny and more and more unsettling in the truths underlying them. Of course, some punchlines missed their mark, as is customary (see above, standard complaint #3), but the continual presence of the energetic host and several others throughout the night who managed a laugh or two kept the admittedly overlong ordeal moving along at a relatively brisk pace. More than most, this year’s Oscar’s experience was an introspective one, the audience having to grapple with several complex issues, not only of race, but of sexuality, big business, and the environment, to name a few of the accompanying themes that manifested themselves as the show went on.

All that taken to heart, the Oscar’s are still, by their nature, an awards show meant to honor excellence in cinema and in that department the presentation went off largely without a hitch. Two female first-time nominees walked away with the Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Brie Larson winning the former for her role in Room, and Alicia Vikander securing the latter for her performance in The Danish Girl. Always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride Leonardo DiCaprio finally (FINALLY) won his long-awaited Best Actor Oscar for his visceral performance in The Revenant. Both the film’s director and cinematographer, Alejandro Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki taking home awards in their respective fields as well.

Cleaning up in nearly every category it was nominated was 2015’s best reviewed blockbuster, Mad Max: Fury Road. The action movie titan didn’t win any “major” awards per se but did manage to come away from the night with six Oscar’s for Achievement in Film Editing, Hair and Makeup, Production Design, Sound Mixing and Editing, and Costume Design, the film being more than deserving of such accolades.

The show was not without its upsets, however, the distinction of Best Actor in a Supporting Role causing the biggest stir of the night. Mark Rylance won the award for his role in Stephen Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, many believing Sylvester Stallone’s emotional return to the Rocky franchise in Creed being the superior performance. Pixar collected its eighth Oscar for Best Animated Feature for Inside Out many critics wondering beforehand whether the more mature, Charlie Kaufman film, Anomalisa with its existential gravitas and unique romance made it a more deserving candidate.

While Mad Max did not win the coveted Best Picture Oscar, Spotlight, the little film that could and did, was the most welcome upset of the night. The emotionally compromising story of the group of Boston Globe journalists who worked tirelessly to uncover the Catholic Church’s involvement in the molestation of children was not only the year’s best film but its most important one. Perhaps, it’s telling that both Spotlight and this year’s Oscar’s share the admonition that when it comes to securing justice, it is genuine perspective that seems to be key.

“As long as you can grab a breath, you fight.” These opening words whispered by an unkempt Leonardo DiCaprio set the tone for The Revenant, a visually assaulting cinematic masterpiece that explores the sheer brutality of the human condition.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, Amores Perros, Babel), The Revenant follows the grueling story of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), a fur-trapper in the untamed 19th century American Midwest. Early into the film Glass gets mauled by a bear in what might be the most viscerally affecting scene of the entire movie (this is saying a lot, as we also witness DiCaprio devour raw bison liver, crawl inside of a horse carcass for warmth, and descend down an icy waterfall). His throat and back are violently ripped open by bear claws, and we hear DiCaprio’s expertly agonized cries, the sound of bones crunching. Glass somehow manages to kill the bear, but his half-Pawnee son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) and companions find him in grim condition. There’s nothing like seeing someone’s throat get ripped out to remind you that your own day isn’t going so badly.

It’s no accident that despite the violence that saturates the film, the setting and cinematography are devastatingly gorgeous. Shot entirely with natural light, the beautiful scenes of nature form an interesting contrast to Glass’s suffering, perhaps as a testament of nature’s callous unconcern.

After the attack, Glass’s companions and son valiantly attempt to carry him back on a makeshift stretcher, but the journey is too far and the weather becomes dangerously cold. Companions John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) are nominated to stay behind with Glass, if only to give him a proper Christian burial. It’s the decent thing to do.

Glass is in terrible shape, but it’s clear he’s still fiercely fighting for his life. Unfortunately Fitzgerald doesn’t seem to care about this. When he sees Glass’s wounds he dismisses him as “already dead” and believes waiting behind is a dangerous waste of time. After all, his fur-trapping companions are getting further and further away while he is stranded in the wilderness. This is not to defend Fitzgerald; his motivations are mercenary and he remains the scummiest of scumbags. Fitzgerald dupes Bridger into leaving the still-breathing Glass behind, but not before throwing him into a freshly dug grave. What makes this scene so frustratingly poignant is Glass’s utter helplessness when confronted with betrayal. He cannot speak or move, only stare in rage at his betrayer. The range of emotion DiCaprio is able to convey with grunts is astonishing; if this performance doesn’t finally win him an Oscar, I’ll eat raw bison liver.

The Revenant is a story of raw endurance. Driven forward by a thirst to revenge himself against Fitzgerald, Glass crawls up from the grave and begins his long journey of both survival and vengeance. We see the desperate lengths he goes to survive, and we are disgusted and impressed. The movie serves as a reminder of our own mortality: as we watch Glass gut a dead horse in order to crawl inside its warm body we may shudder, but we also understand.

When Glass finally succeeds in revenging himself on Fitzgerald, it feels perfectly unsatisfying. Glass’s sole motivation for survival is over; Fitzgerald’s death fades and falls in line with the rest of the carnage in this film. If Glass’s success feels anticlimactic, perhaps that is the point.

This Spring Semester SPOT, the fresh princes of Houghton, seniors Garren Barna and Jon Eckendorf, hosted an excellent 90s-inspired SPOT. It was pretty much da bomb.

Bringing together numerous references from sitcom laugh tracks to a Full House spin-off, Garren and Jon fluidly brought the best of the 90s back while simultaneously avoiding many over-used Houghton clichés. Words and phrases like “community” and “ring by spring” were not uttered once- something that has never happened before in my decade of SPOT experiences.

The night’s transitions were in sync as 90s hit pop songs videos from Back Street Boys to Smash Mouth intermittently entertained the audience.

Buzz kills for the night were rare and far between. Certain skits were longer than desired (such as the five person dance mash-up), the Radiance skit left the audience confused, and the Pokémon pickup lines fell flat.

Furthermore, Houghton students were thrilled to finally see what has been chillin’ on the quad all week, but an awkward paws occurred, making the mascot reveal anti-climatic. Student athletes ran on stage excitedly only to slowly back into the shadows as a Highlander flag was waved and Houghton publicity photos were taken. The reveal would have benefitted from an athletic director or a coach introducing the mascot instead of a staggered excitement that dwindled the longer students stood on stage.

Also, the order of the acts and skits was weak. The CAB and SGA act, though clever, was long and slow when placed near the end; the act would have been more successful if placed earlier in the lineup.

Laura Johnson’s knock out performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” should have been put at the end of the night. The audience raised the roof with cheers and enthusiasm, yet because it was a tough act to follow once it ended the skits following dragged.

Overall though, the pros of the night far out weighed the cons. Often in SPOT, acts based on talent rather than humor feel awkward and out of place; yet, rather than feeling bored during the talent-based performances, I found myself impressed. For instance, the swing dance duos were impressive and full of energy, which created a fun and lively performance.

Strangely this SPOT did not hold any incredibly funny acts or films. No acts stood out as superior, but instead many performances were equally clever and entertaining.

Among the stronger performances of the night were the Shen Men Lion King parody (though Jason and Kendra, your baby looked fairly traumatized), the N-Sync vs. Backstreet Boys battle of the bands, and the “I Want it That Way” video.

In sum, it is safe to say that most Houghton students are happy that our parents decided to go to the bedroom and watch some cartoons back in the 90s so that we could enjoy some good ole’ family full chapel fun on a Saturday night two decades later. Congrats dawgs- SPOT was all that and a bag of chips.

On an unassuming night sometime late August I settled into my cinema seat ready to watch the previews for whatever mediocre movie I had found when I was struck with a tiny drop of film magic: Krampus. The preview promised some laughs, scares, Christmas glitter and grisly deaths. It also promised something I have been secretly dying to see for years- the revival of the Christmas horror genre.

Finally after months of waiting, my sister, myself and a rag-tag gang of Houghtonites piled into the car and beheld the wonder. And Krampus pretty well held up to expectations, though I have a few notes.

The general story is solid. In a very “National Lampoon” way an extended family crams together in one extremely nice suburban home to celebrate the holidays. Between a gentle german-speaking grandmother (Krista Stadler), a rough and tumble country crew (Allison Tolman, David Koechner), a persnickety angry dowager aunt (Conchata Ferrell) and the trying-to-hold-it-together matriarch (Toni Collette) and patriarch (Adam Scott) we have comedy gold. I was pleased to see that besides the proven comedy heavy-hitters of Ferrell, Koechner, Collette and Scott they were joined by the stoic genius of Tolman.

After some shenanigans and stress building the story’s protagonist, the young boy Max (Emjay Anthony), is fed up with his family’s constant bickering and tension and as a result revokes his belief is Santa Claus and instead accidentally summons the pagan god Krampus to wreak havoc on his home and community. What follows is complete terror as Krampus and his horde of demonic toy-creatures and elves descend on the snow-laden home.

While the story is indeed strong, it does lack some details. By this I mean we could really use a bit more on the history of this Krampus (who is, after all, an actual pagan Christmas god). There is a beautiful scene where Omi (the grandmother) tells her understanding of the entity and, while the story is interesting, we still could stand to understand the truly terrifying origins of the beast. Additionally the ending is somewhat weak. It is clear the writers hit a wall and ended up using a somewhat old horror trope to round things off. Without spoiling it I will say it’s not the worst…but it’s not the best.

However Krampus’s true strength certainly lies in the amazing mind of director Michael Dougherty. Dougherty has written for the horror genre for a while (among others Urban Legends: Bloody Mary) but only made his directing debut in 2007 with the instant Halloween classic Trick r’ Treat. His strengths in both Trick r’ Treat and Krampus are clear and lie in two places: creating 3-dimensional characters that you actually care about and providing the audience with some of the coolest creepy creatures you have ever seen. He is imaginative and unique and the results are beyond fabulous.

From killer gingerbread men to a monstrous snake-like jack-in-the-box that devours its victims whole, Dougherty gives the viewer part-organic, part-mechanic monsters, straight from the bowels of hell. Even Krampus is the perfect beautiful blend of terrifying and amazing that makes you squirm and never want to look away- a twisted dead-skinned, hoofed St. Nick with hollow eyes and a broken jaw sagging open to reveal his long serpentine tongue. All these creatures attack the family the audience has somehow been endeared to in just the 45 minutes they have spent watching. These two strengths alone turn a film with a few plot holes into a pretty solid horror flick and one I would certainly recommend to anyone who likes a good scare.

I think it is safe to safe that Michael Dougherty has officially set his mark on the horror world, I can’t wait to see what he presents us with next. In the meantime grab a candy cane and some popcorn and head to the theaters for some Frank Sinatra Christmas tunes and terrifying man-eating monsters. How festive, how cozy.

The Neighbourhood have enjoyed an astronomical rise to fame propelled by catchy radio singles like Sweater Weather, but underneath their pop exterior, the band packs an aggressive commentary on the struggles of growing up in an increasingly fractured society.  Wiped Out! is an album backed by hip-hop inspired vocals and punchy, guitar-laden tracks.  Present in their initial EPs and cemented by songs like Afraid on their first full length album I Love You, the struggles of identity, relationship, and the duplicitous nature of fame saturate lead singer Jesse Rutherford’s lyrics.

The band’s sophomore album Wiped Out!—released on the 30th of October— only serves as a more mature distillation of the themes presented in I Love you. The album’s narrative is grounded in the band’s own anxiety about growing up, and the electric beats and crooning guitars on the album lend an intense and introspective mood to the album.  Rutherford’s own honest assessments of his life and the loss of his father appear on tracks like Wiped Out! and Daddy Issues, and serve to highlight the fractured nature of youth.  Finishing with the aptly named R.I.P. 2 My Youth, Rutherford ends the album with a melancholy dirge to his lost youth, burying his past self while stumbling forward into the future.

The advertising campaign for this year’s SPOT show was unique and intriguing, with figures in fluorescent morphsuits prancing about the chapel stage, promising excitement and hilarity throughout Homecoming week. This excitement culminated during SPOT, Houghton’s own comedy and variety show. Yet, any semblance of anticipation for the show was marred by the fifty minute wait the audience endured before the event. Still, despite technical difficulties, delightful roars of applause echoed through the chapel as the projector booted up, signalling the occasion would continue on as planned. Fall SPOT 2015 turned out to be one of the most consistent SPOTs yet.

This year’s SPOT hosts Meagan Palm  and Breanne Smithley carried out their hosting duties diligently over the course of the show. Though there wasn’t a consistent theme connecting their between-act dialogues, , they were probably the most successful hosts the college has had in a few years. Their material was light and quite funny, garnering significant laughs from the audience. Whether they were blending Dorito-ketchup milkshakes, dressing up as elderly women, or inventing Christian curse words, they remained a staple of good natured humor that kept the crowd interested and entertained amidst grapefruit jokes and “so-bad-they’re-good” puns.

Houghton’s recurring Weekly Update and Thank You Notes segments both had appearances on Saturday night, and the material was only moderately humorous. The continuing focus on Sodexo policy and Houghton dating life are to be expected at this point, but there was a noticeable absence of fresh ideas. Between school-specific Tinder  gags and references to our food supplier’s contract expiring, there was little material that the crowd felt fully comfortable laughing with, the exception being Pam announcing a run for presidency. The Thank You Notes section was well-intentioned and Jackson Wheeler and Garret Kirkpatrick ad-libbed playfully in-between readings, but overall the segment was more derivative than funny.

Video submissions this semester were well crafted and engaging. Music majors made a claim to personhood and relatability in a short film that playfully addressed stereotypes. Intramural teams dubbed over themselves in a hilarious Bad Lip Reading-style segment, and Roommate Confessions interviewed roommates acting as caricatured versions of each other.  Each video successfully mined cheerful reactions from the crowd.

The quality of musical performance at an event like SPOT can be incredibly varied in terms of general talent portrayed, but this semester music was the highlight of the show. Two surprisingly charming Taylor Swift parodies lined the roster, while piano, bagpipes, harp, and drum instrumentals roused the crowd and instilled an overall atmosphere of excitement. The Houghton Singers closed out the night admirably with a cover of Pharrell William’s Happy in their finely tuned acapella brilliance.

This year’s Homecoming SPOT saw a mostly pleasing selection of comedic, video, and musical acts that scored genuine laughs with the crowd, hopefully marking a return to consistency for the show. If Pam is truly running for presidential office, she’s going to have one heck of a following.

Nestled on the quaint Main Street of Angelica, New York, a new coffee shop sits within a rustic building on the left side of the street, just ahead of  the billowing American flag at the center of town. Angelica advertises itself as “a town where history lives,” which becomes apparent as one drives into town. Immediately, there is a sense of slowness that relaxes the heart into an easy, steady rhythm. The town has antique shops, a ceramicist, bakery, post office, and the subject of this review: The Canteen.

The Canteen is a recent addition to the town, but it fits quite naturally into the aesthetic and feel of the surrounding community. The interior treats the building well. Exposed brick offers a nice background to the décor in which the charm of a late fifties farmhouse mixes with the clean lines of a Swedish design studio. There is plenty of seating at tables beside large windows which look out onto Main Street. A bookshelf next to the dining area offers local products for sale. Two couches opposite each other provide a living-room-like space for conversation. There is also outdoor seating, but I expect that will change as the weather becomes less suited for that.

I went to The Canteen on an early autumn Saturday with my girlfriend, Sophia. I ordered a pour-over coffee and Sophia got a latte. Everyone we interacted with was kind and unhurried. They obviously wanted to be there, enjoyed their jobs, and were more than happy to answer our coffee-related queries. They had two coffees already brewed in carafes and would happily brew anything on the menu as a pour-over.

Despite the relaxed mood of the place, service was prompt. By the time Sophia and I had finished removing the work we had for that afternoon from our backpacks, our coffees were on the table. When we later felt peckish, we decided to try their quesadilla with mushroom, onion, and gouda. The food was delicious, hot, and fresh. We were waited on attentively. We felt welcomed.

I tend to get anxious about studying in coffee shops because I never know if I’m buying enough to earn my keep of the table, but that didn’t feel like an issue here. Hanging out in the Canteen feels like hanging out at your friend’s house. Go in and buy food because it’s fantastic, but you won’t be met with shooing glares that suggest you ought to leave as quickly as you can. I say this to contrast it with Five Points in Buffalo which is an old favorite of mine. Unfortunately, with its growing popularity it is now a place where, as my friend described it, “$28 gets you about half-an-hour of time to sit.” The Canteen is free of this pretentiousness.

The website for the coffee shop (the1canteen.net) gives its statement of purpose,“To honor and glorify God as we provide our guests with excellent food and exceptional customer service. To treat team members and guests with respect and appreciation while professionally serving them. To provide the best and friendliest family dining experience in Angelica.” I think they have done well in meeting all of these goals.

I recommend making Angelica a Saturday trip. You can do some antiquing or just walk around. It’s a simple, easy day. Get some work done at The Canteen and enjoy their friendliness and care. Alternatively, stop by on your way back from Church on Sunday. Do note that they are closed on Mondays as a day of rest.

Sophia and I chose to finish our day off with ice cream and milkshakes from The Canteen after doing some antiquing in the shop next-door. The two buildings are connected through an archway that melds the café and shop together nicely. Enjoy an afternoon here with your friends. Come for the atmosphere, the food, and even just to invest in a deserving local business in Allegany County.