by Drew Graves | Mar 8, 2022 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
“The Batman” has finally been released to overall positive but also some mixed reviews. I’ve heard this film heralded as the legendary superhero’s best film adaptation yet – and others saying that it didn’t hold a candle to Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy. As a longtime fan of Batman and the universe presented in the comics, I thought the movie looked promising from the first trailer. First things first, this movie differentiates itself from previous Batman films in one key way: a heavy emphasis on the “detective element” of Batman’s character. The movie almost felt more like a crime/psychological thriller than a superhero flick. This was a welcome change for comic fans, such as myself, who have always known Batman to be a detective, but this change was understandably quite disorienting for a lot of Batman fans who were introduced to the hero through the “Dark Knight” trilogy. Another big difference I noticed in this version of “The Batman” was that Gotham felt more developed as a setting. In the other films, I was a bit disappointed in how the city was essentially just a backdrop for the action. Gotham has always been a huge part of what I love about Batman – and this movie absolutely did the city justice. The cinematography was amazing throughout the film. There were a lot of gloomy, rainy scenes but I feel it certainly fit the darker atmosphere Matt Reeves was going for. Another polarizing element of the film is its extremely long runtime at almost three hours. I personally know quite a few people that aren’t able to sit through movies...
by Hamilton Jones | Feb 14, 2022 | News, News Slider, Opinion, Politics, Uncategorized
We return to another round of seeing who will become the newest member of the highest court, the Supreme Court of the United States. I use the words “another round” because, more often than not, the nominating process is literally like a prizefight. Nine justices make up the court, one being the chief justice, with eight associate justices. Their job is to ensure equal justice for all and to protect the constitutional rights of each citizen. Federal justices have no mandatory retirement and are chosen by the president of the United States, with confirmation up to the Senate. The reason for this “prizefight” is because Associate Justice Stephen Breyer announced he will retire this year after serving for 28 years. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton and is generally associated with the more liberal justices. The sitting president selects the nominee, beginning the Senate debate and confirmation or rejection. This is one of the most important jobs of the president, and it can affect theway we live for generations to come. Former President Donald Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his administration: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Cooney Barrett. Trump appointed more Supreme Court justices than any other sitting president since Ronald Regan, who appointed four. Trump’s confirmed nominations flipped the court to have a conservative majority, now outnumbering the liberal-leaning justices, six to three. Justice Breyer’s retirement offers President Joe Biden the opportunity to nominate a liberal-leaning justice who will help balance out the court. This also gives the Democrats the chance to claim a much-needed victory before the 2022 midterms and will help to...
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 Canaan Wilson | Nov 18, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
With the way I grew up, the influence that R&B music was prominent. Whether it was car rides or cleaning the house the genre would be the soundtrack to a lot of the formative moments of my life. My parents would play the likes of Stevie Wonder, Al Green and many others that flooded the speakers with soul and vibes. It’s now the genre I gravitate towards and there is no shortage of artists today that have strived to create those similar songs and sounds that carry the genre forward. One example of this is the dynamic due of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, who formed the group Silk Sonic. These two artists have created that nostalgic sound that many have fallen in love with. The smooth instrumentation and lyrics have brought back the sonance that artists of previous generations of music have laid the foundation for. They’ve added their own unique style and voice to it, which has brought R&B music back to the forefront of what people listen to today. The two feed off of each other in the music and it has been a seamless fit for the two to create together. They met back in 2016 when Anderson joined Mars on the European leg of the latter’s 24k Magic World Tour. After hanging and doing a bit of creating they would go on to record as a group. They haven’t looked back and the music they have created has been phenomenal. Their new album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, was released on November 12th and I have to say it may be one of my favorite albums to drop this...
by Hannah Cron and Camryn Given | Sep 19, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
The pandemic’s impact on this year’s Emmy Awards has been abundantly clear. Although there are still favorable shows that made the list, there are some shows on here that may have been given a shot because of the circumstances. A couple of our staff writers have made their choices for a few major categories below. Be sure to tune into the Emmy Awards on Sep. 19 at 7 p.m. CDT to see how they did. Comedy Series “black-ish” “Cobra Kai” “Emily in Paris” “Hacks” “PEN15” “Ted Lasso” “The Flight Attendant” “The Kominsky Method” Camryn’s Choice: “Ted Lasso” I can’t lie, COVID has really altered the choices for the Emmy Awards this year, most obviously with “Emily in Paris” making it on the list. I think most critics would agree that no one saw that coming as that show received very poorly and was primarily mocked. However, some beloved shows are still on the list including “Cobra Kai” and “PEN15.” The one that will probably take the cake will be “Ted Lasso,” considering the number of other awards it has already won. “Ted Lasso” is such a fun show that has offered the good comfort of a sitcom in such a weird year to many. Hannah’s Choice: “Ted Lasso” I would be shocked if “Ted Lasso” didn’t win. It has already been an awards-season favorite and it seems to have picked up traction with viewers more quickly than some of the other nominees. “The Flight Attendant” would be my wildcard pick for giving Kaley Cuoco a chance to shine beyond her “Big Bang Theory” years. As long...
by Allie Greenhaw | Sep 9, 2021 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports, Student Spotlight
Fifteen years ago in a churchyard in southern Bogotá, an energetic, dark-haired little boy kicked around a soccer ball as the youth minister droned on during his Sunday lessons. The minister’s pleas for him to stay still were in vain—this boy’s heart was taken by soccer. In some ways, the young man so many at Lipscomb have come to know is reminiscent of that boy, but there is a light in his eyes that says something changed. To say that junior Colombia native David Silva has stories to tell would be an understatement. The key to understanding Silva is his love for the game of soccer. For him, this game is woven into who he is. “The ball was my best friend, like Wilson in that Tom Hanks movie. It’s funny because that’s my name too!” Growing up on the southern side of Bogotá brought its own challenges. Although soccer runs in the veins of Colombian culture, not everyone in his neighborhood owned a soccer ball. Sometimes, a plastic water bottle was the next best thing. Silva played constantly, with whatever bottle or ball was around, and he got really good. By the time he was 13 years old, Silva had caught the eye of the academy team of 15-time Colombian champions Millonarios FC. They trained on the north side of Bogotá, so he traveled four hours round-trip every day on a bus to train in the afternoons. He woke up each day at 5 a.m., attended school, stood on the bus for a couple of hours, trained, took the bus home, and returned at 8 or 9 p.m. to his homework and family. Silva kept up this grueling schedule for two...
