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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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Book Nook: ‘Throne of Glass’

By Caitlin Brannigan · Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022

“Throne of Glass” is a young adult high fantasy novel about a teenage assassin, Celaena, who has been given a life sentence in prison and tries to win her freedom via a combat tournament. Although I enjoyed the novel, I wanted more from it.

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Why you should visit more museums

By Marcelle Couto · Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022

To me, a museum is an incomparable location and it eludes precise description: it is a confluence of beauty, culture and history. One of my favorite activities is going to museums, and I immediately look for one whenever I am somewhere new. As such, I decided to argue this hobby should be actively cultivated. 

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