by Ellen Butterfield | Feb 8, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
The Space Between Us is a heartwarming reminder of the complexity of love, but there are elements in which the film is ultimately lacking. There is nothing shockingly new or overwhelmingly picturesque about the cinematography, and while the soundtrack inspires a feeling of adventure, that’s the best sensation the audience receives from the film. Gardner Elliot, played by Asa Butterfield, is born on Mars after his astronaut mother left Earth unknowingly pregnant. Sixteen years later, all Gardner wants is to return to Earth to find his father and meet a girl he met online named Tulsa, played by Britt Robertson. He returns to Earth, and a breathtaking adventure to find love ensues. The Space Between Us may be the type of feel-good romantic comedy couples will flock to on Valentine’s Day, but the film doesn’t prioritize romantic love as the end-all be-all of relationships. The primary focus is Gardner’s search for his birth father and discovering all he can about his family. Despite the film’s releasing around Valentine’s Day, there is a crucial motif showing that being single is never the same as being unloved. The nature shots are stimulating and immersive, thanks to the beautiful color grading and artistic drone shots. However, if the best shots of the film were the drone shots, that’s not highly redeeming of the cinematography. Warmer color grading is used intentionally on Earth symbolizing the longing and passion represented on the planet. The film mostly showcases the adventurous scenery captured by Barry Peterson, the film’s director of photography. Besides the spirit of adventure, the defining feature of the film is the female characters. So often in films,...
by Erin Franklin | Feb 4, 2017 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
Ageless wonder Tom Brady, coming off one of his best seasons, faces likely-league MVP Matt Ryan in Super Bowl LI. The matchup between Ryan, who statistically performed better than any QB in the league, and the experienced Brady should be one of the better Super Bowl QB matchups in recent memory. The Falcons’ Super Bowl inexperience won’t permit an easy upset over the perennial-favorite Patriots. With both the Falcons’ and the Patriots’ high-scoring offenses and best quarterbacks in the league, the game will come down to strong defensive strategy and some offensive creativity. Brady, widely considered by many to be the best quarterback of all time, has taken the Pats to seven Super Bowls total, winning four. In the AFC Championship against the Steelers, head coach Bill Belichick won his 11th conference championship game, the most in NFL history. With Brady having a 384 yard day against the Steelers, the Patriots’ offense will continue to excel in the matchup against the Falcons. In the Patriots’ past five games, dating back to Week 15, they’ve won by an average of 21.8 points, and with Brady at the helm since Week 5, they have won 13 of their last 14 games. Expect Brady to do what he’s done all season — not make many mistakes. QB Ryan leads the Falcons, earlier picked by some experts to finish towards the bottom of their division this year, into the Super Bowl with a high-flying offense. With a plethora of weapons at his disposal, Ryan has thrown at least one touchdown pass to 13 different receivers, his favorite target being Julio Jones, who has...
by Lorena Coleman | Jan 26, 2017 | News Slider, Opinion
A Dog’s Purpose, directed by Lasse Hallstrom is a film based on the novel by W. Bruce Cameron. The movie follows Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad), a lovable and spirited dog who finds himself being reborn again and again. As Bailey discovers something new with each life experience, he begins to wonder what his purpose is in life. The film, which also stars Dennis Quaid, Britt Robertson and Juliet Rylance, is rated PG even though it contains several jokes that only the older viewers will catch. Be sure to bring a box of Kleenex for this film. Since Bailey goes through many different lives, each one has to end for the next to come. The Golden Retriever also spends time as a German Shepard named Ellie and a Corgi named Ellie, among others. The best part of the movie has to be the connection between Bailey and one of his owners, Ethan. Their relationship carries on throughout the movie and is an essential part to making the story come full circle. It also highlights one of the main themes of the movie: the unbreakable bond between owner and pet. While the plot line is at times sappy, the film succeeds in its purpose of engaging sentimentality in its viewers. Intertwined with several different stories, some pleasant and others sorrowful, each section inspires a variety of emotions in the two-hour run time, as Bailey the dog goes on his journey. Rest assured, Bailey does discover his purpose, and when he does, you’ll be happy you packed that Kleenex. Unfortunately, the film’s touching story has not been what has made headlines...
by Lorena Coleman | Jan 17, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Many flocked to theaters nationwide on Monday evening to view the season four finale of the popular BBC television series, Sherlock. The show, which is a modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective series, follows the beloved, sociopathic detective, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), and his sidekick and best friend, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), as they tackle case after case in present-day London. While the “The Final Problem” aired on TV screens Sunday night, the show is offering viewers a unique opportunity to see the series’ latest episode on the big screen, including 15 minutes of bonus behind-the-scenes content on Monday, January 16 and Wednesday, January 18. Whether you watched the show since the very beginning, binge-watched it over winter break or are viewing it for the first time, “The Final Problem” serves as a mini-movie that is easy to follow for all viewer types. If you are new to the series, the bonus content that airs prior to the showing offers a mini recap of prior events to catch you up on the latest case Sherlock and co. are attempting to solve. As for the actual episode, be prepared for an emotion-inducing thrill ride that will have you still trying to wrap your mind around everything that happened as the credits roll. Show creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat promised season four would have a much darker tone than previous years, and that was certainly the direction it went, with tragedy and heartbreak occurring in the very first episode of the season, leading into what is arguably the most emotional episode of the series in the season...
by Erin Franklin | Dec 29, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
With an all-star cast and several hit songs, SING is exactly what you’d expect from an average musical — shining in musical numbers, lacking in an original story. The story revolves around Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) — an optimistic, sometimes annoying Koala who fell in love with musical theater at a young age — and his theater, which is not doing as hot as it once did back in its glory days when young Nana Noodleman (Jennifer Hudson) was still performing. However, Moon comes up with a surefire plan to revive his theater — a singing competition (basically American Idol with animals). Contestants pour in for auditions in hopes to get their hands on some of the prize money, but he narrows it down to the lucky few: Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) — the housewife pig who is currently just using her voice for lullabies to her many piglets, Mike (Seth McFarlane) — a jazzy mouse who’s down on his luck, Ash (Scarlett Johansson) — the husky-voiced, better half of a hard rock, porcupine duo, Gunter (Nick Kroll) — Rosita’s entertaining, disco-loving partner and Johnny (Taron Egerton) a young, misunderstood gorilla with a natural talent for crooning. Meena (Tori Kelly), a shy elephant with some powerful vocals, also eventually makes her way into the production. This summer, Illumination proved its worth outside of the Despicable Me universe with the highly enjoyable, The Secret Life of Pets. Noting the all-star cast and hit songs in SING’s amusing trailer and recalling the entertaining action from Secret Life, I likely went in with too high of expectations. SING doesn’t quite reach its potential and falls...
by Brooke Dorris and Erin Franklin | Dec 15, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
One of the most anticipated films of 2016, Rogue One succeeds in taking viewers on a different kind of Star Wars journey. Rogue One is not your typical Star Wars film. In fact, it doesn’t even have the classic opening crawl viewers have come to expect at the beginning of any Star Wars-associated movie. Jedi and lightsabers are hardly mentioned, and for the first time, Obi-Wan Kenobi is not seen or heard. That’s not to say that Rogue One isn’t a good film. The action takes place in between Episodes III and IV, and it fills in the gap between the prequels and the original trilogy perfectly. However, it also works well as its own standalone film. It tells the story of how the rebels got the plans which tell where the Death Star’s weak spot is. For moviegoers who have seen Episode IV, we know that the plans Leia sends out had to come from somewhere, and Rogue One tells us of the struggles and battles endured to get those very plans. Felicity Jones’ portrayal of Jyn Erso is especially convincing, but the whole cast delivers admirable performances. Notably, there’s a new droid in town, and Alan Tudyk’s portrayal of K-2SO might make you love this imperial-turned-rebel droid just as much as some old favorites like R2-D2 and C-3PO. Speaking of old favorites, there are some classic characters with cameos that you don’t expect to see, but of course, you’re glad you do. Rogue One is complex, but, since it is a standalone film, it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone who hasn’t seen any of the Star Wars films to...
