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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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Jordan Peele Spotlight

Written By: Caleb Tiedemann (’25)

Jordan Peele is a name many people know. Perhaps not associated with his films but rather due to his comedy sketches with his good friend Keegan-Michael Key. The two appeared as the comedic Key and Peele with various SNL skits that originally prompted them to fame. But comedy reaches only so far, and Peele wanted to do more with his writing talents. Thus, he began writing and creating movies in an effort to “expose the “lie” of post-racial America.” Through this, Peele not only casts very talented African American actors and actresses, but he also steers clear of the “black guy dies first trope.” Each of his movies has a message behind it – one that needs to be deciphered through his magnificent writing. After watching the movies multiple times, I still have not discovered every single detail, yet that is what continually brings me back to his films – the message (Spoilers for all of Jordan Peele’s movies beyond this point).

His first film, Get Out, released in 2017 to much critical acclaim as it explores the race relations between a Caucasian family’s daughter who brings home her African American boyfriend. Built from the very beginning with tense foundations, Get Out exposes the clash of cultures, lifestyles, and racial differences. The psychological horror element is on full display as the Armitage family attempts to take over and use Chris’s body; virtually enslaving him. The most positive aspect of this movie is its atmosphere. The tensions are dialed up to 100, but Peele keeps you guessing. He maintains the 0-20 range with ease, and then, out of nowhere, it spikes! And when it does… man, your heart starts beating, and blood starts pumping. The plot is very odd, but it’s unique, and the movie operates as more of a thriller than actual horror. The score is very reminiscent of John Carpenter’s Halloween with the tense build-up and spike of music. The message received from this movie is the desire, specifically in earlier America, but possibly in modern-day, to possess the African American body. 

Jordan Peele’s second film, Us, was released in 2019 and praised as a great horror thriller. I tend to agree; while Get Out works on a psychological level, Us works on a more personable horror level. It’s far more bloody and violent as the Shadows (Clones) of every person finally break from their underground prison and take revenge on their counterparts above. The general theme of Us is that there are clones of every human trapped beneath the surface of the Earth, copying the movements and experiences of everyone above. When one of these “shadows” traps a human girl and switches places with her, living her life, the human leads the rest of the Shadows on a brutal killing spree across the globe. This “spree” is exactly what makes Us more terrifying. In Get Out, the Armitage family did not necessarily want to hurt Chris – he was a good product. They wanted to replace him and use him. The entire movie operated on a less scary and more thrilling premise. Us is scary because the good directly mirrors the bad and vice versa. Peele perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being hunted and trying to survive. Us boasts a stellar cast of all ages with a wonderful score/soundtrack and some good classic horror tropes. Peele’s intended message is a more complicated one involving a bit more thought. One of the first things that is explored is the class division between the richer and poorer and the classic “money doesn’t buy happiness” cliche. The second message is one of isolation and how the isolation of communities such as the rich and poor can contribute to an “us vs. them” mentality. Upon my first watch, I had trouble connecting the two, but upon my second viewing, I was able to navigate Peele’s careful insinuations. The Shadows refer to themselves as “tethered” to their above-ground clones, and only when they cut those tethers are they set free. This commentary seems to insinuate that society is often “tethered” to certain things that cause division among people who could just as easily be our friends but are rather portrayed as enemies. 

His third and most recent movie, Nope, was released in 2022 and follows the same lines of being another thriller type of horror film. It, again, released to much praise, and I even got the chance to see it in theaters. The best aspect about Nope is the unknown. Nope is more of a creature feature than anything else, and therein is where the commentary lies. The movie boasts a strong cast, with each member holding their own, as well as some net-level impressive cinematography and score. The sound design alone should have won this movie an Oscar, and though it was nominated, it did not win. When strange occurrences happen on Haywood ranch, OJ and Em look to the clouds to discover a large alien UFO hiding within. They quickly learn that the “saucer” is animalistic; it hunts at night, flying over the valleys and abducting horses from the ranch, and as the plot progresses, it becomes more and more active. The sound design on the saucer was where the technical aspects shined the brightest. The fading of the whooshing and screams from within the saucer were truly bone-chilling. At one point, a nearby amusement park attempts to set free a horse for the saucer to abduct for the viewing pleasure of an audience. It goes all wrong, however, when the saucer instead abducts all the viewers and kills them. From that point forward, the UFO rejects being “tamed” and treated as a spectacle and becomes more active and territorial. This scene is essential to understanding the core message or, more accurately, a keyword within the movie. Spectacle. Each facet of this movie revolves around animals in the entertainment industry. The Haywood ranch specializes in training horses, a brief subplot features a trained chimpanzee that went berserk on an old television show, and an attempt to control the UFO all act as a message to watchers about “spectacle.” We often do not think about the live animals used in films – trained animals to entertain and enthrall audiences. But Peele’s message is clear: wild animals are not to be domesticated. The movie-making industry is very exploitative and attempts to make the impossible possible, but Peele offers up a counter-question: “What happens when you try to domesticate nature?” Nature is not meant to be tamed or controlled and lashes out in multiple ways and forms throughout this film. Unsurprisingly, Nope is another magnificent commentary on the entertainment industry, with both old and new being applicable.

Jordan Peele is one of the newer faces in the movie-making industry and has already made an interesting and provocative name for himself. I eagerly look forward to his next projects hoping for deeper exploration and commentary on societal norms or stereotypes. Hopefully, I have given everyone reading a couple of movies to look into and enjoy themselves. 

Get Out- 9/10

Us- 10/10

Nope- 10/10

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Review- “A Voice in the Wind”

Julia Collins '26

Hello again, dear readers!

This semester, my idea was to read some of the books from the Houghton Library and review them! 

My first book that I’ll be reviewing is “A Voice in the Wind” by Francine Rivers. This book is an older one, but it has a good message and a bit of a historical background on the early Christians. 

“A Voice in the Wind” is the first of three books set in the decades following Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. The story starts in Jerusalem, with a girl named Hadassah. Hadassah’s entire family have been killed by the persecution from the Romans, and Hadassah is expected to die as well. Yet, she survives, and is then sent to Rome to be a slave. 

In Rome, a slave named Enoch convinces his master, Decimus Valerian, to buy seven jewish slaves, including Hadassah. Decimus doesn’t want to do this, but his wife, Phoebe, has pity for Hadassah, knowing she will suffer more if they do not take her. So, Decimus and Phoebe decide that Hadassah will be the servant of their teenage daughter, Julia. 

Julia quickly realizes that she can trust Hadassah, who is kind and gentle to her. But Julia makes many bad decisions, and Hadassah has to suffer for Julia’s mistakes. While all of this is going on, Julia’s brother, Marcus, finds himself attracted to Hadassah. He sees that Hadassah is a good servant, and that she has something that everyone around him didn’t have- a faith in a loving God. Throughout the story, Marcus is torn between loving Hadassah, and loving the sinful culture of Rome. Hadassah, meanwhile, tries to teach the Valerian family about Jesus, and his love for them. At the end of the book, the reader will find out if she succeeds, or if the Valerian’s will reject her and her faith. ★

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It is all in God’s Hands

By Rebecca Dailey

College is perhaps the most formative four years of any person’s life. For some, it is a chance at freedom; for others, it is a continuation of their schooling. However, I believe all of us can agree that this is the final gateway before adulthood. High school is the stepping stone before that, one last hurrah as teenagers, even as we pursue colleges, enter applications and scholarships, and perhaps hold part-time jobs. Many of us became caught up in the unknown variable of COVID-19, forever changing the way we look at our schooling. I graduated high school in the class of 2021, and the next stop on the train route was community college. 


Community College was not my first choice, but at the time, I didn’t see any other option. I was not able to look at college campuses, nor did I really want to, simply because I wanted my high school experience to have ended normally. God, however, had a much more interesting plan. After some last-minute scrambling, my school-issued email decided to shut down, so I missed a lot of important messages, including knowing the bill was ready to be paid. That first fall semester was spent online in mostly asynchronous classes and a few Zoom meetings where I feigned attention while working on other assignments. The spring semester of the same school year was much the same, with the exception of one class. Even then, the teacher, more often than not, would cancel classes, and I taught myself anyway. 

The second year came, and for the first time in almost three years, I was able to step foot in a physical classroom. I became frustrated by the lack of application my classmates had when it came to assignments. Due dates would often get extended while I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, having stayed up the night before. Perhaps the biggest nightmare was my children’s literature professor. He made it very clear how he felt about religion, especially Christianity. He enraged me, and I passive-aggressively protested and made my position clear. It was around the same time that I began looking for four-year schools to continue my degree. Fast forward through four in-person classes in the spring and waiting for them to mail my physical degree in the mail, I was more than happy to be finished. I didn’t even bother going to graduation, nor did I get involved around campus. I didn’t even stay in the dorms, but even nightmares come to an end. 

Houghton University was one of a handful of colleges I had considered. Some very quickly lost their place on the list for various reasons. I looked at one other campus, but none of it sat right. Stepping onto Houghton’s campus was the most surreal moment I’ve ever had. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, greeted me and dozens of others who were touring the campus. I was barely home that very same weekend and put my application in; Houghton was the only school I put an application in for. 
We can fast forward to right now as I write this as the semester begins. It has been a whirlwind of classes and new friends, and I couldn’t wish any other way. I have so far joined multiple clubs, took part in the Open Mic Night at Java, auditioned for HeartSong, bonded with the girls on my floor and throughout Gillette, still have time for homework, and I’m thriving. Every day is a new adventure with new friends and excitement. I once wrote in my application essay, “Every story has a purpose, but that purpose can only be acted upon when it is read and shared, creating the world of possibilities that I believed God wanted for us.” The possibilities are extraordinary because they are endless, but God knows, After all, he brought me here, and I can’t wait to see what he has for all of us. ★

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Review: DC’s The Flash

By Caleb Tiedemann

It’s no particular surprise that DC is on its last legs. We (the viewers) are stuck trekking through the sludge of what needs to be thrust out. Being an avid Justice League fan, I was very excited to see the first movie outing for the Flash. He has always been a fun character to see in various media. However, upon watching, I was left disappointed. The Flash is just messy. It has some good ideas, but they don’t play out well. The explanation of time travel makes no sense and seems rushed, thrown together and it greatly upsets the movie’s flow. The computer-generated imagery (CGI) is horrendous! Mostly everything that used CG or a green screen just looked ugly. The script has some fun jokes and gags, but is also, in some areas, simplistic and has lines that feel completely isolated from the movie. Reprising his 1989 Batman role is Michael Keaton and though there is some nostalgia in Keaton’s “Let’s Get Nuts” line (a line from the original movie), it feels so tossed in and completely out of place in the actual film. It serves no purpose other than a nostalgic cash grab. One of the few things holding this movie together is Ezra Miller, who proves to be incredibly talented as an actor. Despite the many controversies that have come up within the last couple of years, it is very surprising that this movie even came out! Despite that, the chemistry between the two Barry’s (Miller) is unreal for a single actor playing two different versions of the same guy. Michael Keaton as Batman continues to be amazing and acts as the real star of this Flash-centered movie. Sasha Calle as Superman (Supergirl?) serves almost no purpose in this movie. She gives a very bland and forgettable performance. A big win is Danny Elfman’s score making a return. The movie does have some good humor and a touching plot, but it is held together by the tiniest of threads. It feels like there were too many ideas that just did not fit, which makes the entire thing come off as incoherent. With James Gunn taking charge of DC, perhaps we will finally get a well-thought-out and more complexly written narrative. However, until the first movie comes out…★

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Into the Woods Review

by Kat Wojsiat

I had the pleasure of seeing Houghton University’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods twice! Director Amanda Cox did something a little different and split the cast so that many roles had two actors, and I wanted to see and compare both casts. 

Both did an amazing job, and it was fun to see each actor put their own spin on their character. For those of you who did not get to see it, Into the Woods follows a baker (Luc Peirera) and his wife (Rebekah Scharf) as they journey through the mysterious woods to find four objects demanded of them by their neighboring witch (Linnette Taylor). 

Along the way, they come across multiple fairytale characters who live in their world, including Jack (Thomas Auld & Ethan Carr), Little Red (Grace Vuolo & Josey Ikker), and Cinderella (Emily Quick & Rachel McVeigh). Together, they face giants, death, princes, and a race against time. 

All of the actors in the show clearly put a lot of work into learning their lines, choreography, and characters, and it is clear that there was so much fun and dedication put into these performances. The vocal performances put out by the leads were highly impressive. Most of the leads had at least one solo or duet where the audience got to see them shine. 

Surely word has spread, but this show was made even more eventful thanks to the campus-wide power outage that occurred on Saturday. Right toward the end of Auld’s solo during the matinee, the power went out, causing the stage and the mics to go dark. Auld continued without faltering, delivering an impressive and composed performance through the confusion. After his scene ended, the show took a brief intermission during which the tech team went to work finding solutions. They quickly found lights, and the rest of the performance was completed in darkness, as well as the Saturday night performance. The actors adapted very well and delivered a great performance. I got to go to three of the four performances (although I did not get to stay the whole time for each one) and each one was meaningful and fun. They did a great job, and I highly encourage students to go to future lyric theatre productions! ★

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Houghton STAR Review (STAR April Fools 2023)

By [REDACTED]

WARNING: This is not satire!

This is a cry for help coming from an unspecified STAR official. If you are thinking about joining the STAR team: DO NOT! It is a place of pure terror. Everyone who joins is treated as less than human. Near the end of this upcoming year, the evil and terrifyingly tall Christian Welker intends to overthrow Victoria Hock in a bid to become the leader. Victoria is in her senior year and has been fighting for far too long; I fear she will go down in flames. But once Christian establishes his reign as an eye of Sauron-type figure, the rest of us will be forced to follow his lead. 

Joining his conquest is Joshua Carpenter, a real-life juggernaut. He will probably serve as second-in-command, servicing every one of Christian’s evil desires. Day in and day out they lounge around under the belief of assured destruction come the end of the year. Once they achieve their goals, I fear we may be unable to stop them from corrupting the rest of the campus. One of the biggest tells thus far is how they seem to know everything that’s going on. They have the stories and news before the rest of the campus. I suspect dirty dealings with faculty. Both have admitted close “friendships” with certain professors. But what do they and professors have in common? Wanting to see fellow students suffer under harsh leadership and work hours!

The biggest problem comes with the newer recruits such as Victoria Arndt and Caleb Tiedemann. Both are confined to horrendous work hours, constantly having to find people to write articles and edit the STAR to perfection, under a penetrating gaze. When it does not come out perfect, threats fly and punishments are dealt. These punishments include eating Metz food, being confined in a Big Al’s booth, and worse! Arndt and Tiedemann are given the quotes and works of other students to be edited and made their own. 

Another STAR staff member, Savannah Stitt, is constantly forced to run around and take pictures of various students and events for Christian’s big brother takeover. He MUST know everything that is happening. She acts as a scout, lurking in the shadows, neither seen nor heard to get the best pictures possible, spying on certain clubs and article writers that could very possibly help Christian in his quest for power. 

I urge everyone reading this to look out for the STAR- it is not what it claims to be, it is an institution of black site operations. I request that the college stops looking over the cries of anguish of all the STAR staff members and calls to arms for the necessary reinforcements against Christian and Joshua, for they are indeed an unstoppable duo capable of only the most heinous of crimes. My name is [REDACTED] and as a writer, I stand to be the voice of the people and will not let [REDACTED]★

Message from the Co-Editor-in-Chief:

We apologize for the confusion and fear. This writer has clearly lost their mind and is no longer fit to work within our wonderfully non-evil club. The perpetrator has been sufficiently dealt with and will not taint our wonderful news pages any longer. 

On a completely unrelated and equally non-evil note, we are looking for a new News Editor to replace my minion the current News Editor Josh Carpenter as he steps into the Co-Editor-in-Chief position, replacing Victoria, who will be sorely missed.

Thank you for your consideration, we apologize again for the startling and completely false review.

Long live the Editor-in-Chief

Thank you and have a good day,

Christian D. Welker

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SPOT 2023 Review

By Lexi Brown

VBS has come to college! I grew up where VBS was a “suggested opportunity” for me every summer, and even though the activities were always bordering on being way too cheesy, I ended up with good memories to look back on every time. SPOT this year was just as memorable and had the same goofy playfulness that I miss from childhood. Veggie Tales was always a family favorite for car rides, and as the band, Archibalding, played during SPOT, I definitely found forgotten lyrics springing to mind at the start of a simple riff. Hearing an audience full of college students scream the lyrics to We are the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything was certainly not what I expected from my college experience, but I didn‘t know it was missing  until I heard everyone singing all around me. I also found myself making some serious eye contact with Bob, Larry, and Junior Asparagus, who were all wonderfully painted and decorating the stage. 

A couple of key musical moments: Archibalding was not the only band to rock out to some fan favorites this SPOT. They also were not the only ones balding! The “Dad Band” took the stage and played a couple classic 80s hits, and I definitely wouldn’t be surprised to see an animated meme of Dean Jordan jumping making its way around campus. I had never heard our a cappella club sing before, but quite enjoyed their rendition of Pentatonix’ Hallelujah, and look forward to seeing more performances from them. Bunnies (with an honorable mention to Shua’s fluffy companion) also invaded the chapel in a very suave and mysterious way and played songs that had the audience singing and laughing along with them. They really did come dressed to impress. Also impressive, Nuri returned with a violin accompaniment this year and sang about the preciousness of a mother’s love. 

From parodies on the popular Netflix series Cunk on Earth to Blair Witch-esque footage from Paine to the emotional trauma of class evaluations, the short films submitted were all funny, well done, and relatable, even though I’m sure no one has broken any of the Houghton PDA standards. Keep those 11 bibles on hand!  I’ll also be sure to keep my eye out for little German cows from now on. 

The hosts, Julianna and Anna, led some classic VBS activities, such as sword drills to see who’s the best at finding a Bible verse, and a cowboy-themed chair-wrangling competition complete with on-theme cowboy hats. They also sat around a campfire as Caleb See told a scary story, and they challenged faculty in a Bible trivia game that, as far as I could tell, was extremely fair and definitely not rigged. Thank you to both of them for creating this memorable SPOT!

The show closed out with the announcement from a wildly expressive puppet Luckey that Roth was this year’s winner of Hall Brawl. John announced his retirement with an unexpected villain redemption arc that left us wondering who could ever take his place? See ya at SPOT next year for more memories and to discover who’s to walk in his footsteps! ★

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Houghton Choir Review

By Alaska Dunstan

This past Friday marked the final concert in the Spring 2023 Houghton Choir tour. The theme of the tour was Christ, Our Home. The Houghton Choir performed in 5 states before returning home to the Houghton Chapel for the last concert in this series. 

There were several memorable moments including the reading of an original poem by Linette Taylor. Linette wrote the poem as a reflection of the choir tour and was encouraged by other members of the choir to read it aloud at the final performance.

There was a multitude of beautiful music performed including a composition by Ethan Carr, a graduate student, who also sings in the Houghton Choir. This piece, I Went To the Woods, was conducted by Rebakah Scharf, a fellow graduate student who also had a solo during another piece. The choir also performed pieces such as Christ the Appletree,  Here I Am, Lord, and Great is Thy Faithfulness. My personal favorite was Roll, Jordan, Roll, an exciting song that was performed extremely well by the Houghton Choir. The choir was conducted by Dr. Dibble for the remainder of the performance. 

Overall the concert was a huge success for the Houghton Choir and was a very strong finish to the Spring 2023 tour. ★

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Review: 2022, A Wonderful Year for Movies

By Caleb Tiedemann

With the Oscars right around the corner, I am scrambling to try and watch each nominated movie to see if they are truly worthy of the categories they were nominated for. This year was terrific for movies that were not big-budget IP films. In this brief essay, I will discuss the various films I watched throughout the year, ones that were amazing and ones that flopped.

Firstly, Marvel and DC finally got knocked down a couple of steps from their pedestal as they released quite a few stinkers. The year started very strongly, with Marvel’s darker-themed thriller in “Moon Knight,” which truly showed the amazing acting range of Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, as well as DC’s Matt Reeves’, directed, very darkly lit, almost horror-esque thriller; “The Batman.” “The Batman” was a wonderful return to the form of a dark detective adventure, showcasing Wayne’s early years as he brutally navigates an evil Gotham. “The Batman” emerges from 2022 as the best superhero movie. 

Unfortunately, as the year progressed, the superhero genre released quite a few stinkers. “Morbius,” though entertained as a hilarious internet meme for a while, was quite pathetic in terms of usage for a Marvel hero. “Doctor Strange” managed to be a fun movie but was brought down by studio interference pushing away Sam Raimi’s directorial style and replacing it with uneven pacing and a shortened runtime. This was followed up by the disaster that was “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which was a cheesy, disappointing, almost completely green-screened (and horribly) flop that disappointed nearly everyone that I have conversed with regarding the movie. I will not even mention “She-Hulk” as almost anyone who watched it would rather not ever discuss it again. It was then followed by DC’s “Black Adam,” which is essentially a “Shazam” ripoff with very few redeeming qualities. Our final movie from Marvel was “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and though it was not anywhere as bad as the previously mentioned movies, it felt very bloated and long, with a plot that lacked substance. Still, it managed to be exciting and an honorable tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. So maybe, there’s hope for Marvel in 2023?

Aside from superhero movies, we also got another big production in “Jurassic World: Dominion” which flopped horrendously, being a poorly written and directed film that neither honors the source material nor gives anyone anything meaningful in terms of character development or plot devices. We also got the release of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” which I enjoyed quite a bit, but no one seems all that interested in since Johnny Depp was fired from his role, which, honestly, is completely understandable. 

But all these flops from big-budget  IPs gave time to the others to shine, and shine they did! I started off the year quite nicely with a hilarious Cage and Pascal-led comedy, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” a funny, self-aware film that pokes fun at its own substance and character, as well as provides good laughs and a surprisingly interesting plot. It was then followed by the AMAZING A24 film, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a supreme multiverse comedy/adventure that blows “Doctor Strange”’s multiverse concept completely out of the water. It tells the story of a divided family struggling to tolerate each other brought together by an evil threat from within. It’s a completely insane idea and ride that has brought me to tears in every viewing, with all the heart put in by the production teams. Ke Huy Quan gives an all-star performance, boosted by the rest of the movie’s stellar cast, and is the only answer to the winner of Best Supporting Actor! Jordan Peele also gave a very nice horror film in his unsettling, unique, alien film: “Nope,” a unique concept with a couple of scenes that genuinely terrified me in theaters. The final summer blockbuster that I thoroughly enjoyed was “Bullet Train.” The Brad Pitt-led action, the turn-your-brain-off film was a fun ride to just sit and enjoy and put me in the perfect place to begin my 2022 fall semester.

2022 managed to end off with quite a few triumphs. A24’s second movie, “The Whale,” brings the wonderful actor Brendan Fraser back to the screen after a long departure, and he gives a wonderful performance as the 600 lb recluse, who, when told will be dead within a week, attempts to reconnect with his estranged, rebellious teenage daughter. Fraser gives a painfully honest and heartfelt betrayal as his character goes through the motions of accepting his upcoming death and the mistakes he has made throughout his life. Fraser himself has been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role and truly outperformed everyone else. Damien Chazelle also gave a completely crazy movie with “Babylon,” a movie about the turning point from silent films to talkies and the effect it had on actors and Hollywood itself. It boasts a talented cast and composer who is up for the Best Original Score award; one that I am hoping he wins. 

The final gem of 2022 has to be James Cameron’s long-awaited “Avatar: The Way of the Water.” Cameron truly delivered another unique and fun 200-minute spectacle that manages to fully encapsulate the attention of audiences by providing great action and a whole lot of fun. His dive back into the Avatar world should award him the Best Special Effects award at the Oscars, as the CG is flawless and the motion capture is on point. There are very few movies that can be completely CG and still be absolutely stunning. Avatar is one of them. The final gen of this year and my personal favorite is “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel that outshines the original in all the ways that count. It provided me with one of the most utterly mesmerizing theater experiences that hit every note in honoring the characters and “Top Gun” legacy. The use of practical effects and special tech to achieve an enthralling film experience was worth it and completely blew me out of the water when I saw it. It is up for Best Picture though I doubt it will win with the titans it has been pitted against it. My belief is that Best Picture will either go to “Avatar” or “Everything Everywhere.” 

In the end, I am so glad to be alive for an age of gorgeous movies and was very impressed with some of the original ideas that were put to screen this year. Of course, all of these opinions offered are my own, and if you agree; wonderful! If you don’t, even better! I am sure there are many controversial opinions offered and welcome any new ones. Overall, 2022 was a successful year dethroning the usual titans and allowing others to perform on their own. I look forward to the upcoming Oscars and films that will be released this year, too. ★