Yawnward: Pixar’s latest film follows predictable formula
By Allen Zhang
April 18, 2020
Disney-Pixar’s latest animated film “Onward” debuted on Disney+ April 3 after a short-lived premiere due to the closure of many theaters caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Forbes, “Onward” only made $39 million in box office sales, scoring Pixar’s lowest opening ever in term...
Film face off: ‘Charlie’s Angels’ 2000 versus 2019
January 8, 2020
The 2019 movie adaption of "Charlie’s Angels," originally an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1981, is most definitely superior to the version released in 2000. The plot between the two film versions differs greatly. In the 2000 movie, all three angels, played by ...
‘Frozen II’ melted my heart of ice
By Allen Zhang
December 13, 2019
With gorgeous animations, catchy songs and a chance to revisit fans’ beloved Frozen characters, Disney’s “Frozen II” hit theaters Nov. 22, almost six years after the first film was released. [SPOILER ALERT: read at your own discretion] While adapting to being queen of Arendelle, Elsa h...
No need for concerns
By Anika Karody
November 18, 2019
Hysterical, inappropriate laughter. A cynical villain. That is what I had initially thought about the DC Comics character Joker, until I watched the new movie about him, which is titled “Joker.” The film premiered on Oct. 4 and follows the psychological transformation of Arthur Fleck, a reject...
Abominable’s rise through cultural influences
November 8, 2019
A bominable, a movie set in Beijing, China, surrounds the idea of finding yourself. The film stars actress Chloe Bennet playing the main protagonist, Yi. Albert Tsai stars as Peng, Yi’s close friend, providing the movie with outstanding comedy and Tenzing Norgay Trainor stars as Jin, Peng’s cous...
The circle of life
By Jack Xu
September 26, 2019
In 1994, one of the most remarkable Disney movies - “The Lion King” - was released by Walt Disney. It tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba's paternal uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking...
‘Ready or Not’ enjoyable but unremarkable
September 20, 2019
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s horror/thriller movie “Ready or Not” is an enjoyable experience, but not one worth rewatching. The film begins with the wedding of the couple Grace (Samara Weaving) and Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien) and follows Grace as she is introduced to Alex...
‘Pet Sematary’ has merits, yet is a cliched, boring dead end
By Patrick Yu
April 21, 2019
"Pet Sematary” continues the line of Stephen King story adaptations, following the wildly successful “It”. But unlike “It”, “Pet Sematary” fails to convey a similarly unique and odd tone, instead falling back on old cliches that make the film a formulaic - albeit scary - horror flick. ...
Movie Literate: Broaden cultural horizons through foreign films
By Claire Torii
March 4, 2019
“I’m not really in the mood to read subtitles right now,” is a common phrase whenever I try to convince my friends to watch some of my favorite foreign films. A lot of the time, I want to show them the French and Japanese films that I grew up on and that helped me embrace my mixed-race identity, and informed me about When I’m faced w...
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ does not deserve an Oscar
By Patrick Yu
February 27, 2019
This year’s Oscar nominees for Best Picture are “Black Panther”, “Blackkklansman”, “The Favourite”, “Roma”, “Green Book”, “A Star is Born”, “Vice”, and, inexplicably, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. How this insultingly inaccurate movie is listed to as one of the year’s best movi...
Isn’t it cliche
By Kate Gabrielson
February 26, 2019
Romantic comedies: after a while, they all tend to blend together. An average-looking young woman with low self-esteem vies for the attention of her Dream Guy, only to discover her soul mate was right in front of her all along. Try as it might, “Isn’t it Romantic” is no different. It just takes a siz...
Netflix’s attempt at science fiction
By Eden Pollitt, Senior Design Editor
February 3, 2019
If you haven’t already watched Bird Box you probably have heard about from social media. Memes about Sandra Bullock’s children, boy and girl, filled Instagram feeds and YouTubers began playing the “Bird Box” challenge. But is the movie worth the hype? In short, no. While I found Birdb...
