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Was ‘Zootopia+’ what we expected?

By Nicole Bilyak · Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022

In 2016, Walt Disney Animation released its 55th animated film, “Zootopia.” Many fans of the film have been patiently waiting for a sequel to the movie to pick up right where the film left off. However, Disney decided to take a different approach to the “Zootopia” world and announced they were going to release a web-television series that is simply titled “Zootopia+.”

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Book Nook: The infamous and upcoming Percy Jackson adaptations

By Caitlin Brannigan · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

I recently watched the 2005 film “Pride and Prejudice,” based on Jane Austen’s 1813 novel of the same name. It was excellent. Many movie adaptations of books struggle to convey their lengthy events in a completely different medium, but this is not the case with “Pride and Prejudice.” The writing succeeds in staying true to the book and creating an enjoyable movie. Readers of the novel will appreciate the actors’ interpretations of their respective characters. However, you could watch the film without reading the book and immensely enjoy it.

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Remembering Stephen Sondheim

By Andy Ottone · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

On Nov. 26, 2021, the theater world mourned the loss of composer Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim, 91, passed away due to cardiovascular disease at his home under the loving care of his husband Jeffrey Scott Romley. One year after his passing, we look back at his career through his works, those he inspired and the legacy he has left behind.

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‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season five: Never giving in

By Sophia Michetti · Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

Any fan of the Emmy Award-winning, “The Handmaid’s Tale” could not deny their anticipation for the premiere of the show’s fifth season on Sept. 14. Streamed on Hulu, “The Handmaid’s Tale” expands upon Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, telling the story of June Osborne’s life after being forced to become a Handmaid under the theocratic country of Gilead. As a Handmaid in this dystopian world, June Osborne was faced with bearing children for the Commander whose house she lived in under the guidelines of his wife. I think it’s safe to say the show is set on a pretty wild premise, but fans have shown dedication to watching the characters’ strength against a belief structure that sees them as property.

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Not-so-Royal Shakespeare Co. gives incredible performance

By Marcelle Couto · Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Not-So-Royal (NSR) Shakespeare Co. performed an only slightly abridged “The Winter’s Tale” (circa 1609-1611), which, with its almost symmetrical split into two halves of dark tragedy and comic romance, illustrates — perhaps more clearly than any other Shakespearean play — the genre of tragicomedy.

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‘Bergman Island’ and the paradise of Scandinavian cinema

By Angela Mathew · Monday, Nov. 14, 2022

“Bergman Island” (2021) was screened at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center this past Wednesday as part of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies’ film series. The film is directed by French-Swedish director Mia Hansen-Love who follows two filmmakers and their relationship with each other and with famed director, Ingmar Bergman.

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'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story': The quintessential biopic

By Andy Ottone · Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

Before I watched “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” I knew very little about “Weird Al” Yankovic. What I knew was that he wrote song parodies and that he played the accordion. That's it. However, the movie is so full of extremely specific aspects of his life that I have no reason to doubt Weird Al. I’m taking everything the movie told me as truth. After all, who would lie in a biopic? 

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‘Black Adam’ was not the film we deserved

By Nicole Bilyak · Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022

DC Comics has not been able to make a great film since they started trying to copy Marvel’s style and themes. More often than not, DC is able to make a decent film that isn’t blatantly copying Marvel. However, one exception to this rule is the recent DC film “Black Adam.”

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Smino’s ‘Luv 4 Rent’ and the soul of modern hip-hop

By Brendan Nolte · Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022

St. Louis rapper and neo-soul artist Smino’s third studio album, “Luv 4 Rent,” presents some of the smoothest and most entertaining music of the entire year. While this has been the case for most of the music he’s released, Smino’s latest effort builds beautifully on his previous work. In “Luv 4 Rent,” he improves both his production and vocal compositions while broadening his horizons in terms of influence and song structure. 

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Animation Nation: 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'

By Gabriel Zarazua · Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022

This past week was one of my roughest weeks yet. Yes, I got to see a part of history and storm the field while Notre Dame beat Clemson, but waiting for me was three paintings and one drawing with fast-approaching deadlines. The Sunday Scaries were hitting hard and more late nights were coming.

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‘Stick Season’: An ode to New England

By Olivia Schatz · Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022

Noah Kahan teased his newest album “Stick Season” as an ode to New England. When he released his first single, the namesake of his album, it blew up on Tik Tok, and the once-niche indie singer was thrown into stardom. The single “Stick Season” was released on June 8, while his second single “Northern Attitude” was later released on Sept. 16. 

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‘The Metamorphosis of Birds’ is a visual Masterpiece

By Rose Androwich · Monday, Nov. 7, 2022

Catarina Vasconcelos’s “The Metamorphosis of Birds” tells a beautiful story of her family life. Vasconcelos’ visual storytelling further showcases her talent. Caterina wrote, directed and appeared in this documentary. Within the images in the movie, the importance of visuals becomes clear.

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‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ grabs your attention and does not let go

By Claire McKenna · Monday, Nov. 7, 2022

War is awful. Most everyone believes that, but those without firsthand experience cannot truly grasp the horrors of war. “All Quiet on the Western Front” does a stellar job of imparting the devastation of war onto its viewers. Before I dig deeper into my review of the movie, however, I’d like to give two quick disclaimers. First, I have never read the book “All Quiet on the Western Front,” nor have I watched the previous 1930 and 1979 film adaptations. Second, beware because spoilers lie ahead.

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‘What’s the deal with the heads?’: ‘The White Lotus’ premieres with Sicilian style 

By James Thompson · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

On the coasts of Italy, among the beautiful beaches, gauche restaurants and tastefully nude Greco-Roman statues, crime is afoot. Yet another “White Lotus” location is the scene of a grisly crime, but now the stakes are much higher. There are five bodies that have shown up floating in the crystal-clear waters of the resort. The show flips the onus onto the audience to figure out the culprit and the victims as they get to know the messy characters of the resort.

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‘House of the Dragon’: A worthy heir

By Matheus Herndl · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

There have been few disasters in entertainment history comparable to the final season of “Game of Thrones” back in 2019. In only six episodes, the once worldwide phenomenon that drew in millions of viewers collapsed, ridiculed for outright bad writing, ruining even its previous seasons in the eyes of many fans. When the “Game of Thrones” prequel show, “House of the Dragon” was announced shortly after, many were skeptical that it could succeed, considering how audiences had soured on the series. So, does “House of the Dragon” stumble as Thrones did, or does it soar?

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‘Bear in the Big Blue House’ and ‘PB&J Otter’: A retrospective

By Nicole Bilyak · Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022

Since its final airing in 2011, Walt Disney Studios’ preschool channel Playhouse Disney has been all but radio silent for years. But a little thing called Disney+ came along, and the streaming service began to gain several well-known Playhouse Disney shows such as “Rolie Polie Olie” and “Out of the Box.” For years, fans of Playhouse Disney have wanted “Bear in the Big Blue House” to join Disney+. Finally, on Oct. 19, 2022, Disney+ finally put all four seasons of “Bear in the Big Blue House” as well as all three seasons of “PB&J Otter” on the platform. With these two shows appearing on Disney+, it seems reasonable to look back on both shows, see why they were so lovable back then and understand why they resurfaced now in 2022.

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