by Lumination Staff | Mar 26, 2022 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
On Sunday night the 94th Academy Awards will take place from 8 to 11 p.m EST. Three of Lumiantion’s staff members, Jayme, Drew and Camryn, have made their picks below. Check back next week to see how they did. Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”) Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”) Andrew Garfield (“tick, tick…BOOM!”) Will Smith (“King Richard”) Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) Jayme: Will Smith The five nominees for this category are strong contenders for Best Actor, but Will Smith is the frontrunner for this year’s award show for his role in “King Richard.” Smith takes the screen as Richard Williams with a mesmerizing performance that has already won him multiple awards. Drew: Andrew Garfield I’ve heard non-stop about how accurately Jonathan Larson’s mannerisms are mimicked by Garfield, and that’s an impressive feat. A lot of people say this role solidified their opinion of him as an actor, so I could definitely see him winning this. Camryn: Will Smith Will Smith will likely take this one for “King Richard”. Smith’s performance was remarkable and reminded viewers of why he is such a beloved actor. Actor in a Supporting Role Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast”) Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”) J. K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”) Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) Jayme: Troy Kotsur Kotsur has already swept multiple awards for his role in “CODA.” I predict he’ll be taking home the award for this category once again. Drew: Troy Kotsur Kotsur delivers an extremely emotional performance, and these are the types of performances that win awards....
by Lumination Staff | Feb 14, 2022 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Kahwit’s Choice: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Love has been compared to many things over the ages. Legendary Rock Star Pat Benetar once compared it to a “battlefield”. In a way, this is kind of how Edgar Wright’s ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ depicts love. Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series, the film follows Scott Pilgrim, a 23 year old canadian slacker, who falls in love with Ramona Flowers, an American delivery girl from Amazon.ca However, before Scott can date Ramona, he has to go through Ramona’s seven evil exes. The film is just as eccentric as the plot entails and packed with stylish fight scenes, nerdy references to pop culture and of course, love. If you’re looking for a more unconventional romantic comedy and happen to also be a fan of video games and music, then Scott Pilgrim Vs. the world is right up your alley! Available on Netflix Hannah S.’s Choice: Redeeming Love Love has been compared to many things over the years- but how often is love, specifically marriage, compared to God & his church? The film Redeeming Love is an exact representation of the way God pursues us yet gives us a choice to follow Him. This film is based on the novel Redeeming Love, which is heavily influenced from the book of Hosea in the Bible. The movie takes place during the late 19th century, after the Westward Expansion, in California. Michael Hosea asks God for a wife to share his life with. God shows him Sarah on the street, who goes by Angel, and was sold into prositution as a child....
by Lumination Staff | Dec 24, 2021 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
With Christmas approaching, journalist-in-residence Tim Ghianni asked his writing lab students to reflect on their holidays and family traditions. A Columbian Christmas Christmas time in Colombia is very different from here. From my experience, Christmas in Franklin, Tennessee, is very magical just like in the movies, with the Christmas tree downtown, the lights, the decorations around the town, the weather and, if we are lucky, the snow. Christmas in Colombia is more about celebrating with the family and all the parties and reunions start as soon as December starts. There is a tradition that nine days before Christmas we go to a different house each day where we read Jesus’ story, eat traditional Christmas dishes and sing. Then on the 24th we all dress up, prepare a lot of food and put the presents under the tree; at 12 p.m. the kids from the family become the “elves” and start passing out the presents. But we create a dynamic to make it more fun, the elves give each person a gift and then each person has to describe whoever they are giving their gift to and everyone has to guess who it is for. After opening the presents we sometimes play games, dance and all the kids play with their new presents.They are very different, but I like both a lot. I like it here because it’s very magical and beautiful. And in Colombia, I like it because there’s a lot of celebration, music and food. I get very nostalgic during Christmas because all my family is in Colombia and I miss the traditions but overall Christmas is my favorite...
by Lumination Staff | Nov 24, 2021 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
As the Thanksgiving holiday approached, journalist-in-residence Tim Ghianni asked students in his writing labs to reflect on their family holiday traditions. Here are their first-person remembrances: Turkey, R&B and games at the adult table During the Thanksgiving holiday break, my family loves to come together at the dinner table and play a series of three games: Spades, Dominoes and Monopoly. It’s always a good time, because all of us are competitive and hate to lose. The room is full of focus, with the only sounds coming from the R&B music and board game pieces being slapped on the table. These moments are special, because they get to bring us all into a state of togetherness and competitiveness that we all love and thrive on. When me and my brother were young, we would always watch our parents and older cousins play these games and see the fun that they were having. We would always pace around the table and ear hustle the trash talk and banter that we were probably too young to hear. Once we got to be older, we were invited to the table and got to participate in these games and conversations. The blessing was not only getting the chance to play the game with people you love and look up to, but you get the opportunity to be surrounded by people with so much life experience. The conversations were always the best part. The life lessons and stories that were told at the table were always retained in my memory. When I was young, I was simply trying to be a fly on the wall....
by Lumination Staff | Oct 29, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Camryn’s Choice: “Over the Garden Wall” Although “Over the Garden Wall” is technically a mini-series, it serves best as a movie watched all in one sitting. Since it only has 10 episodes, each only 10 minutes long, it is a quick and engaging tale that embraces all things spooky. The Cartoon Network show follows Greg and Wirt, two brothers on a journey to get home through creepy forests and talking pumpkins filled with humor and mystery. It’s the perfect Halloween watch for all ages. Available on Hulu Kathryn’s Choice: “Practical Magic” (1998) “Practical Magic” has been a part of my annual Halloween ritual since I was a kid. The film, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, manages to combine 90s rom-com antics with horror themes. The film ultimately puts an ethereal twist on grief, sisterhood and love. It seriously acknowledges heavy topics while embracing the beauty that can be found in dark times. Available on HBO Max Hannah’s Choice: “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” I really wanted to pick a horror movie for this list, but the more I thought about it, I realized that the movie I am the most scared of is “E.T.” I wouldn’t say that “E.T.” is necessarily a scary movie, but it is creepy and unsettling enough to make a great choice to watch around Halloween. The idea of an unidentified living creature hiding in my childhood stuffed animals is a fear I may never get over, but this classic movie introduced us to a young Drew Barrymore and the magic of Reese’s Pieces, so it’s probably a keeper. If you do have younger family members,...
