by Ashley Bingham | Jan 18, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Glass is a movie full of thrill and shocking twists and turns, but does it live up to the hype? Many people have been anticipating this sequel to Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2017). Director M. Night Shyamalan, who also served as a writer for Glass, has been working on this film for almost two decades — 19 years to be exact. In this movie, we see the return of the hero and villain of Unbreakable, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), who also goes by Mr. Glass. The overpowered hero and the brilliant mastermind meet Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), who suffers from DID, and whom the audience was introduced to in Split. These three men are held in a psychiatric ward for their supernatural abilities, where psychiatrist Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) attempts to convince them that their “abilities” can be explained scientifically. She has each of them recall the first moments they felt like they were different than others, and explains how each of their miraculous feats were simply in their heads. The beginning of the movie starts out very slow, with odd pacing and a hard-to-follow storyline. The viewer is thrown into the movie and, unless the audience knows the storyline of the previous two films, it can be a bit confusing to watch. There are also several points with some very strange cinematography choices, as well as some plot holes that are difficult to look past. Towards the end of the movie, however, are when things get interesting. The story picks up, and the audience can’t help but sit on the edge...
by Spencer Boehme | Jan 13, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion
DISCLAIMER: This article is the opinion of the author and is not intended to reflect the opinions of Lumination Network. As classes begin ramping up once again, now is a great time to continue the conversation about how ludicrous the parking situation at Lipscomb University is. It really baffles me that Lipscomb, a flourishing school in the Southeast, cannot seem to accommodate its growing student body with an equal number of parking spaces. Instead, it seems like more spots continue to be taken away. I have a couple of examples. Right before the 2017 fall semester began, Patrick Cameron’s parking email at the time stated that the parking garage with the tennis court on top would “now be for Faculty, Staff and Guest use only.” To this day, that has not changed. Okay, so if you get paid to go to Lipscomb, you can park in the garage. That’s great. I’m not sure if they had previously closed off the garage in that manner before, but the point is that I wasn’t going to be able to park there. And then, towards the end of the 2018 spring semester, the Ezell parking lot next to the garage got the axe in favor of the upcoming George Shinn Event Center. If you’re a freshman or a transfer this year, yes, that building they’re working on used to be a parking lot. Again, all this blows my mind. You do have Stokes, which is honestly not that bad. It’s right next to the campus and is a short walk, especially if your first class is in McFarland or Hughes or one...
by Lumination Staff | Dec 28, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, Fashion, News Slider, Opinion, Sports
Editor’s Note: Click title to view each story 2018 was an exciting time to be a Lipscomb student. The year came with both celebratory and controversial moments. Lipscomb’s athletic teams reached new heights, the administration made steps toward connecting with LGBT students, Allen Arena hosted the GMA’s Dove Awards for the sixth year in a row and a recent alum joined Kelly Clarkson’s touring band. But amid the positive news, there were also times of controversy and frustration. A Trump cabinet member spoke at a private healthcare event in Shamblin in September, firing up students on both sides of the aisle. 21 Fast-Track MBA students were found cheating on a final exam. Hurricane Florence ravaged the homes of several students. Lumination journalists were there to cover all of this — plus more. By combing through Google Analytics and our social media platforms, we determined our top 10 stories of 2018: No. 1: Lipscomb basketball NCAA tournament coverage, by Erin Franklin, Cole Gray & Russell Vannozzi Lipscomb men’s basketball made school history by winning its first-ever ASUN tournament title and advancing to the NCAA tournament thanks to a 108-96 victory at FGCU on March 4. There were several top stories that emerged from the Bisons’ tournament run, including: – In their own words: Lipscomb students react to historic win, by Cole Gray – Column: Lipscomb finally breaks into NCAA tourney after long, disappointing road, by Russell Vannozzi – A look back: the rich history of Bisons basketball, by Erin Franklin – Lipscomb falls to UNC in first round of NCAA Tournament after historic run, by Cole Gray No. 2: Students cheat...
by LeBron Hill | Dec 27, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Aquaman first lashed into theaters last year in Justice League, giving us a glimpse into Jason Momoa’s portrayal as the future king of Atlantis. Fast forward one year, and Momoa has made this character into his own with his unique formula of charm and wit. Director James Wan has made a name for himself with films like Saw and Fast and Furious franchises but outdoes himself with Aquaman. After the events of Justice League, Arthur Curry (a.k.a Aquaman) is contacted by the underwater princess Mera (Amber Heard) about his half-brother Atlantean Orm’s less-than-nice plans. A reluctant Curry joins Mera on a quest but along the way becomes what the kingdom of Atlantis needs. The concept of Aquaman — a superhuman who can talk underwater, swim at high speeds and communicate with sea creatures — is the first of its kind to be captured on film. Wan’s capturing of his powers makes it easy for the viewer to understand how they can actually work. Underwater scenes looked too unrealistic, which, admittedly, is the hardest task that the visual crew had to do. The fight scenes are well choreographed, and the camera angles during the fights help to make the action more dynamic. The makeover given to Arthur Curry adds to what makes the movie so well done. Most people who follow the character know him as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed hero who gets mistaken as Mermaid Man from the popular cartoon series Spongebob. Casting Momoa, a Hawaiian native, gives the role a more authentic portrayal. The role wouldn’t have been half as good if Momoa wasn’t casted. He’s the coolest guy...
by Lumination Staff | Dec 20, 2018 | News Slider, Opinion
What are your favorite holiday traditions? Journalism adjunct professor Tim Ghianni asked that question to Lipscomb students in his multimedia story-telling lab before Christmas break. Turns out, the answers range from going to the Waffle House after Christmas Eve service to watching the artificial tree get more barren each year. For others, it’s Grandma’s house, the familiarity and the green china. Enjoy these first-person tales and enjoy your own holidays and blessings. Merry Christmas from Lumination. Peytan Porter: Christmas is hands-down my favorite holiday. It shifts people of all backgrounds to a season of love, celebration, gratefulness and happiness. My traditions aren’t anything super special; we usually just enjoy being able to spend time together as a family without as many distractions. One thing in particular I always look forward to, however, is opening presents with my sisters and parents on Christmas morning. We throw the wrapping paper across the living room into a big trash bag my dad holds open while my cat tries to deflect it in the air. Perhaps my favorite part of the morning is when my dad brings out his “special gift for mom.” We wrap presents for each other, but my dad somehow manages to surprise my mom with a “special gift” each year. It’s always a highlight because it’s usually something he wanted that he knew mom wouldn’t buy him. For example, one year it was Guitar Hero. Dad was so excited – mom was not – but us girls thought both reactions were hilarious. I think a few years later he got her a virtual reality headset which is still something my...
by LeBron Hill | Dec 18, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Mortal Engines has several attractive qualities at the forefront. But these qualities can’t pull it through as a whole, even though the possibilities were high. It’s directed by Christian Rivers, protege of Peter Jackson, who also serves as writer for the film. It’s a movie adaptation of the worldwide best seller of the same name, adding the aspect of having a “cult” following. A world war caused a massive geological upheaval, centuries before the current story, that forces cities to become mobile so that they may escape dangers such as earthquakes and volcanoes. The movie begins with Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) present on a city that is being chased by the Londoner mobile city. Once the smaller city is captured by the Londoner, Hester’s motive for being on the city ship is clear. Her goal becomes more difficult when obstacles appear that take her on a much deeper quest. One of the best aspects of the film is the visuals, yet even these have room for improvement. For those unfamiliar with the book and who only see the trailer will notice the gigantic mobile cities. However, there is only a handful of these that you see in the movie, which also begs the questions, where did all of the cities go? Did the Londoner capture all of the other cities? The movie never answers these questions nor gives light to any other mobile city. Jackson’s career as a great writer and director is already established by his work in the Lord of Rings and The Hobbit franchises, but his vision for this film was hard to grasp for most...
