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 Hannah Cron | Jun 3, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Since her debut single “driver’s license” was released in January, Olivia Rodrigo has taken the world by storm. Her first album, SOUR, came out in May and quickly topped the charts, earning her appearances at awards shows and Saturday Night Live mere months into her music career. If you aren’t familiar with Rodrigo, she is the latest in the long series of Disney Channel stars turned pop artists, following in the footsteps of singers such as Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. Rodrigo currently stars in Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical The Series (bet you can’t say that three times fast), a series spinoff of the popular High School Musical movie franchise. Rodrigo’s album SOUR pays tribute to her musical inspirations through the 11 tracks which focus on lyrical themes of heartbreak and the coming of age of the artist and her peers. While SOUR is an impressive debut album, it does leave Rodrigo plenty of room to grow and improve in the future. What really holds SOUR back is that it isn’t sure what to be. Many of the songs are pure pop songs and ballads, but there are a couple of songs that lean into an early 2000s pop-punk sound. While variety can be a good thing, there isn’t really a smooth transition between the different sounds and there isn’t an even balance between the two types of songs (mostly pop with two rock songs). The rock-leaning songs are great, but they feel a little bit out of place here. But SOUR’s biggest issue isn’t its genre confusion; it’s how on-the-nose it...
by Jayme Foltz | Nov 12, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
From jumping off trains to using jujitsu against a hired killer, Enola Holmes is a nonstop period film filled with comedy, action and fourth-wall-breaking. Based on the Young Adult series The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer, the film adapts the plot of the first book, The Case of the Missing Marquess. The Netflix film was directed by Harry Bradbeer, written by Jack Thorne and stars Millie Bobby Brown as the positively witty Enola Holmes. Enola wakes on her 16th birthday to find her mother (Helen Bonham Carter) missing, which causes her to reunite with her estranged older brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin). Once Mycroft observes the environment of Enola’s upbringing and her behavior, he becomes determined to send Enola to boarding school. While she attempts to evade her brothers, Enola sets off to find her mother. During her journey to London, she crosses paths with Viscount Tewkesbury and finds herself involved in a second mystery. Who is trying to kill the young Viscount and why? Enola Holmes is a young teen that defies the 19th-century societal norms of women. Instead of teaching embroidery, her mother taught her about literature and science. Enola was raised to be independent. After all, Enola spelled backward is “alone.” She is a clever, yet humorous protagonist with a mind smart enough to rival Sherlock. With Brown’s charming performance and Enola’s constant 4th wall-breaking asides, Enola Holmes is quite enjoyable for family movie night. The story centers on themes of feminism and social activism. A big yet underlying part of the plot is the women’s suffrage movement and their attempt to...
by Martin Baker | Feb 9, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
The classic characters of Oz come to life in the latest incredible performance of the Broadway musical adaptation of the hit film The Wizard of Oz. There really is no place like home to see this show, or at least no place like the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The production value is through the roof for this performance. Elaborate sets, extravagant costumes and some incredible special effects really let you know this was a serious production. You get the sense of being right inside the twister with Dorothy. Dorothy, the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow are all portrayed magnificently. The actors really capture the essence of each character and you feel a sense of real hatred towards the Wicked Witch of the West right from the start. The horrendous witche’s laugh is still frightening just to think about. However, the show is stolen by none other than Toto. From his first appearance, the adoration of the crowd is palpable. The use of a real dog in an on-stage performance is always a risk, but the crew pulls it off thanks to the well-behaved Murphy, the dog who plays Toto. The other highlights of the performance are the musical numbers. With such classic songs such as “Over the Rainbow” and “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead,” it isn’t tough for the whole crowd to get on board and sing along. The show has something for the whole family. For the parents, there is the nostalgia of watching the story you know and love come to life on stage right in front of you. For the kids, it has all...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 8, 2013 | News Slider, Opinion
Thursday night, a mixed crowd of Lipscomb students and those from around the Nashville community got a taste of a locally-spun variety show hosted by campus’ own Dr. Lee C. Camp. Tokens, described by Camp as a “theological variety show,” brought its newest broadcast to Alumni Auditorium, taking on a potentially uncomfortable-yet-always eye-opening subject with “The Birds and the Bees and Loving Thee”. The new recording was a bold, high-spirited celebration one of Christianity’s most ‘hush-hush’ topics. Unafraid to reach deep into the Bible to share some of the “post-Sunday School” offerings (i.e. Song of Solomon), Camp used the show to take an awkward subject and make it light, funny and most importantly, discussable. Not only did this episode of Tokens offer some of Nashville’s finest musicians and storytellers a platform to share their talent, but the audience was given enlightening insight into the true meaning behind a few noted passages and their true intent: to shed a light on our longing for God’s love. Camp kicked off the show and appeared periodically as the event’s emcee. The host and his sidekick and leader of the house band (The Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys) Jeff Taylor, provided snarky and well-supported banter throughout the program. Some of Camp’s ‘fact-sharing’ segments had audience members gleefully cringing. The great harmonica player Buddy Greene joined the band for the evening’s show. Starting the night off right was the duo of Sugar + the Hi-Lows, a folk rock team. Their peppy “Two Day High” brought a finger-snapping energy into the auditorium, with the house band backing up in fine fashion. They also performed a...
