Stop me if this sounds familiar: In a post-apocalyptic nation, one spunky hero sparks a trilogy-long revolution against a corrupt government, as the fate of the world rests upon their shoulders. The 5th Wave proves to be a lacklustre addition to the current trend of young-adult (YA), dystopian thrillers, which includes[Read More…]
Film and TV
Tarantino adds some sauce to the classic spaghetti western in “The Hateful Eight”
When you walk into a Quentin Tarantino film, you can expect three things: Lots of blood, an intricately layered storyline, and Samuel L. Jackson. If you’ve seen The Hateful Eight, you’ll recognize that Tarantino meets those expectations, and then quickly surpasses them. Granted, this movie is not for everyone. It[Read More…]
Past vs. Present: Paradise Lost (1667) vs. Ex Machina (2015)
Warning: This piece contains spoilers from the film Ex Machina. Alex Garland’s 2015 film Ex Machina is, in fairly obvious ways, a creation story for the modern age. Nathan (Oscar Isaac)—who strikes the balance between charm and egomania with uncanny precision—is the film’s self-styled deity. Nathan is Narcissus equipped with[Read More…]
Growing up is hard to do: Welcome to F.L.
From unrequited love to acne to peer pressure, adolescence isn’t always particularly easy-going. Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ new documentary, Welcome to F.L., follows a group of Québécois high schoolers tasked with photographing each other to decorate the dull, grey exterior of their school. The film alternates between talking head interviews and[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: How TV can improve in 2016
2015 was arguably the best year for television in the history of the medium, both in terms of quality and quantity. Last summer, John Landgraf, president of FX network and de facto ‘mayor of television,’ stated that people have reached an age of “peak TV in America,” pointing out that[Read More…]
Flashback: The Swimmer (1968)
The Swimmer opens by tracking Neddy Merrill (Burt Lancaster) in his tight swim trunks as he cuts through the wilderness into his neighbours’ yard and gracefully takes a dive into their pool. Slicing through the water with powerful breaststrokes, Merrill surfaces to receive a glass of gin. A midsummer sun beams,[Read More…]
Sherlock’s “The Abominable Bride” leaves fans hungry for more
Warning: This review contains spoilers Sherlock, by its very nature, is designed to keep fans feeling constantly under-satisfied and begging for more. In the six years since its first season came out, Creators and Executive Producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have blessed viewers with just nine actual series episodes, each[Read More…]
Star Wars: The fans awaken
The force is strong with this one Ten minutes into The Force Awakens, viewers witness a stormtrooper’s moral struggle between right and wrong, and it’s here where the question on everyone’s mind is answered: The Force Awakens works. Showing how stormtroopers deal with morality just as much as Luke Skywalker[Read More…]
Best of 2015: The Snubs
This year, the Arts & Entertainment section editors worked with our staff writers to come up with the best songs, music videos, albums, TV shows, and movies of 2015; however, not everyone’s favourite made the list. To let the close runners-up shine we’ve each picked our two most-beloved snubs that[Read More…]
Flashback: Barfly (1987)
Deemed a “laureate of American lowlife” by Time in 1986, Charles Bukowski was a 20th century poet, novelist, and working-class alcoholic. His deadpan confessional style, glorification of alcohol, and misanthropic view of humanity has appealed to a large cult readership over the years. In 1987, unknown to most, Bukowski entered the[Read More…]
