Scene

The best of Notre Dame's 2023 Student Film Festival

Notre Dame’s Film, Television and Theatre students put Sundance to shame with the 34th annual Notre Dame Student Film Fest last weekend. With a diverse group of work — ranging from documentaries to dramatic shorts — this showcase demonstrates the creativity and wit of the Notre Dame student body. Working within the constraints of the semester, FTT majors rose above expectations and blew away the audience with “Lily.” All the films this year were fantastic — we just don’t have space to review them all. Kudos to the budding filmmakers at Notre Dame! 

The best of Notre Dame's 2023 Student Film Festival

‘Aftersun’: Parenthood and grief

“Aftersun” is the most poignant and sensitive portrait of parenthood, depression and grief that I have ever seen.

Whatever people said they were, that's what they're not: Arctic Monkeys in retrospect

On Jan. 23, popular British rock band Arctic Monkeys celebrated 17 years of their debut LP, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.” This album is one of the most influential rock albums of the 21st century and stands as an early testimony of the power of the Internet in the music industry. With the release of their seventh studio album, “The Car,” and a long list of tour dates spanning multiple countries on almost every continent, it’s important to take a step back and look at how the famed quartet got their start. 

Will the new Open Gaming License be the death of ‘Dungeons & Dragons?’

As the Scene department’s resident “Dungeons and Dragons” connoisseur, it is my job to know about anything and everything “Dungeons & Dragons.” At the beginning of 2023, a leak of the new draft of the Open Gaming License (OGL) circulated around the internet and caused quite an uproar in the “Dungeons & Dragons” community. So much so that many people have begun to search for new systems to play, going as far as taking a trip back in time to the 1970s and picking up the very first edition of “Dungeons & Dragons.” 

‘Pokémon Violet:’ A dream still working out the details

Few franchises have a better pitch than “Pokémon”: tame and trained magical animals battle each other, save the world with a team of them and ultimately become “the very best, like no one ever was.” 

I’ve seen ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ three times and counting

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was recently announced as a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. It’s a sequel to the 2011 “Puss in Boots” film, which was so culturally impactful that I couldn’t remember anything about it even after I looked up the plot synopsis, despite the fact that I saw it in theaters when it came out. Some may ask: Why wait 11 years to release a sequel to a film almost no one remembers? Why produce a new addition to the “Shrek” franchise years after its time in the sun? Why make “The Last Wish” at all?

The mutated adaptation of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

When HBO announced that they were adapting my favorite game, “The Last of Us,” as a nine-episode TV show, I was terrified. After just two episodes, I now realize something truly special is unfolding. My goal for this article, though, is not to review the show, or to even praise the accuracy of its adaptation.

‘Emily In Paris’ season 3 is a dazzling showcase of character assassination

This review contains spoilers.

‘Break Point’ is good, but doesn’t win any grand slams

Riding on the success of its documentary series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”, Netflix has greenlit a slew of new sports documentary series to come out on its platform over the next two years. The first of these new documentaries to come out is “Break Point” — a series that ostensibly gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the goings-on of a tennis player’s life while they are on tour.

Black Mirror’s vision of ChatGPT

I’ve been on a “Black Mirror” phase since winter break and there’s a special episode, titled “Be Right Back,” which we must reflect on due to Black Mirror’s trademark “predicting the future” abilities. 

‘The Menu’: When your passion becomes a burden

The release of Mark Mylod’s “The Menu” came during a time where I was struggling with my passion for art. Where the fun was no longer there, not the carefree emotions I used to have, now being replaced with the burden of finishing work and moving on to the next piece. It was an emotionally draining time, one where I wondered constantly if I would be able to handle this lifestyle I’ve chosen for years to come. Then during winter break, I realized “The Menu” was on HBO Max and decided to give it a watch. What I expected to be a horror thriller about a psycho chef, turned out to be a beautiful dark comedy with themes on losing passion for something you once adored.

The creativity of ‘Velma’

I’d never had the experience of loving something that is popularly recognized as bad, until “Velma,” HBO Max’s new adult animation series reimagining “Scooby-Doo.” According to Rotten Tomatoes, only 9% of its audience liked the show. Well, I found myself in that 9%.

‘The Fabelmans’: Spielberg in the factory of dreams

I know what you’re thinking. Another movie about how great and fantastic “the movies” are? We get it, we know directors think they’re amazing. But trust me, “The Fabelmans,” despite playing on this overused trope, manages to combine innovative and moving elements with grace and ease. It is Steven Spielberg’s most personal movie, and maybe one of his best. It is a collage of its director’s memories that becomes a beautiful celebration of the playful spirit and power of cinema in our imagination.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a cosmic lesson in humanity

“Avatar: The Way of Water” has enough ambition to fill a cinematic universe, a masterpiece in computer-generated imagery that successfully whisks the audience away to the moon of Pandora and its picturesque oceans. But James Cameron’s newest film has another trait lacking in today’s typical blockbuster: sincerity. This is a movie that unashamedly aims to encourage everyday compassion through the example of blue aliens who ride dinosaurs. It isn’t shameful to be earnest and a little bit strange. But it is beautiful and impactful, and ultimately, a soaring success that hopefully can be a model for blockbusters to follow.

2022 was the year of Pinocchio

Who doesn’t love Pinocchio? Whether it’s Carlo Collidi’s original novel or Walt Disney’s 1940 feature film, many know the story of the wooden boy with the growing nose. In 2022, three film adaptations were released, and I took it upon myself to watch all three. I would be remiss to not mention an influence on many “Pinocchio” adaptations: Walt Disney’s ideas to make the talking cricket Pinocchio’s friend, and the Blue Fairy bringing Pinocchio to life, both details not in the original text. 

Observer Spotify Wrapped 2022: In our Taylor era

Ladies and gentlemen, kids of all ages, we’re back with the Observer Spotify (and other music platforms) Wrapped. Our team of student journalists, frequently found at major campus events or hunkered in our office in the basement of South Dining Hall, listen to a lot of music. Maybe even more music than the average listener, as we blast it away during late night production shifts, while traveling to cover Irish athletics or while writing a story. 

Scene’s Top 22 Albums of 2022

22. 'Cave World' by Viagra Boys

Best of 2022: Scene on the screen

Scene has voted. Here are the top 15 films of 2022, carefully selected and compiled by The Observer’s entertainment and culture section.

Gay love laid ‘Bare’ in PEMCo’s fall show

As Congress was passing the Respect for Marriage Act last week, members of Pasquerilla East Musical Company (PEMCo) were hard at work preparing for their fall show, “Bare: A Pop Opera,” which features a closeted gay couple.