|
SPOILER WARNING for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes  Image c/o Lionsgate By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief Eleven years after the first movie in the Hunger Games franchise was released, a prequel hit theaters. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before Katniss volunteers for her sister in the reaping. The film centers around Lucy Gray Baird, a singer from the poor District 12 and her romance with capital student, Coriolanus Snow. The film is essentially the villain origin story of the evil President Snow that we see in the original Hunger Games trilogy.
Normally a prequel or spinoff of a popular franchise can be a severe disappointment to fans. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, however, held up to the standard set by The Hunger Games over ten years ago. The movie not only filled a void that was left after Mockingjay Part 2 was released but can have some fans leaving the theater with a moral conundrum. The central character, Coriolanus Snow, spends the entire film in constant conflict with his morals. Those with knowledge of the original trilogy know that Snow eventually becomes the ruthless dictator who causes so much death and violence. In the film, however, the audience even starts to pity him: the poor pretty boy down on his luck doing what he thinks is best for his family and country. It did not hurt, of course, that the actor chosen to play the young Coriolanus Snow was extremely attractive. Overall the film was impressive and fit extremely well into the Hunger Games universe. It may surprise some people, but the focus of the film is not on the Games but rather Snow’s life and internal conflicts. While it is a serious film with a lot of death, there is a surprising amount of humor. Lucky Flickerman steals the show with his witty and snarky commentary. “Ill Dill, tuberculosis on legs,” said about one of the characters, was out of pocket but made the entire theater chuckle. If you enjoyed the previous movies or just want a deeper understanding of the trilogy, I highly recommend reading the novel of the same name. It goes in such depth and is told through Snow’s point of view, giving a much deeper angle to the character’s intentions and thoughts.
0 Comments
 Image c/o writer By Olivia Burke Visiting Entertainment Columnist The holiday season holds many different traditions. A large part of many peoples’ traditions is food, and as businesses start to roll out holiday merchandise, seasonal flavors come back into the spotlight. With Thanksgiving having come and gone, we’ve passed the height of what many people call “pumpkin spice season”. For many, the pumpkin spice craze begins on September 1st, regardless of the fact that the official autumnal equinox is September 22. Many companies take advantage of the excitement over this seasonal flavor, and thus the scope of pumpkin spice-flavored products has grown exponentially. With the addition of stranger and stranger products each year.
Why is it that pumpkin spice is so beloved? In a Today interview with Martha Stewart, published on November 10, Stewart gave her opinion on the pumpkin spice craze. When asked how she felt about pumpkin spice she replied, “In a pie, I love it. In anything else, I do not love it” . This is certainly an unpopular opinion, as most people seem to love pumpkin in any form they can get their hands on. A pivotal moment in pumpkin spice history occurred in 2003 when Starbucks released their now famous pumpkin spice latte, commonly known by its nickname PSL . As many of us know, this launch was an incredible success, and it was merely the beginning of the craze. The pumpkin spice lovers of the world have fueled what is essentially a new industry of pumpkin flavored and scented products, and it is making millions. An article from NBC New York states that, “A new study timed to National Pumpkin Spice Day found sales are on the rise. Last year, in 2022, sales of [pumpkin spice] products reached more than $800 million, up 42% compared to 2019.” Nearly every company that markets food products has made an attempt to participate in the pumpkin spice trend, and understandably so knowing just how much money they have the potential to make if folks continue to gravitate towards this fall flavor. Some very unusual pumpkin-flavored products have hit the market in the past several years. A few of the strangest being Pumpkin spice Goldfish crackers, hummus, protein powder, soda, Cup Noodles, and SPAM. A company called Chosen Foods released a limited edition pumpkin spice caviar this year, and despite the fact that it is made with avocado oil in place of fish eggs, it doesn’t sound very appetizing. Although pumpkin spice is primarily a flavor, the trend extends far beyond food, and now includes practically any product that has a scent. Pumpkin spice lip balm, candles, toiletries, air freshener, and pumpkin spice scented trash bags, have all been on the market, allowing consumers to take their love for pumpkin to new heights. What is it that makes pumpkin spice a fan-favorite? The love for pumpkin spice really relies on the spice aspect, since pumpkin has a very subtle flavor on its own. Most “pumpkin flavored” products truly just contain the flavors of various autumn spices. As for the reason we love the flavor, some say it is loved for the seasonal novelty, while others say it retains its popularity as a result of the fond memories of holidays and family that are commonly associated with the flavor (Reilly, Deirdre). Regardless of the reason, pumpkin spice remains a cozy classic that is savored year after year.  Image c/o Getty Images By Matthew Colvin Entertainment Columnist On October 28, 2023, renowned actor Matthew Perry passed away from an apparent drowning in his Pacific Palisades home. The “Friends” star was found unresponsive in his hot tub after a 911 call that afternoon and was pronounced dead at 4:17 PM that day. Perry was an incredibly successful comedic actor, most well known for portraying Chandler Bing in NBC’s long-running hit sitcom “Friends.” His comedic ability and timing were such that he earned an Emmy nomination in 2002 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He performed in numerous other comedic and dramatic roles as well, including “The West Wing” and “Scrubs.”
Perry was notably outspoken about his lifelong struggle with drugs and alcohol, publishing a chronicle of it in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” In it he openly detailed everything from opioid-induced near-death experiences to how he had spent as much as $7 million on rehabilitation efforts over the course of his life, only to relapse several times. Perry’s exact cause of death is still “deferred,” as his autopsy results are yet to be released until a toxicology report is fully completed. Seeing that such reports can take weeks to run, it may still be some time until his cause of death is known for certain. Since Perry’s death, a massive outpouring of love and support has occurred, with dozens of celebrities paying tribute. Perhaps chief among them were his former Friends costars, who issued a statement saying, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We were family.” In honor of Perry’s battle with addiction, the Matthew Perry Foundation has been established in the wake of his passing by the National Philanthropic Trust in order to help those similarly affected by alcoholism and drug addiction. Perry is survived by his divorced parents, Suzanne Morrison and John Perry, and five half-siblings. A review of the new Blumhouse production Five Nights at Freddy’s  Image c/o Universal Pictures By Val Hill Visiting Entertainment Columnist In August of 2014, a man by the name of Scott Cawthon released a game called Five Nights at Freddy’s. This game was produced by ScottGames Clickteam Illumix, and was quickly picked up by YouTubers like Markiplier and MatPat. These YouTubers were a key aspect of most of the success of the franchise, and there was talk of a movie since around April 2015 with the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s 4. But it was taking too long for most fans, so some took matters into their own hands to make their own fan movies. So when horror production company Blumhouse announced that they would be producing the movie, fans had high expectations. Blumhouse is responsible for producing other films like Split and The First Purge, so fans were ready for a blood and gore-worthy movie. A film that was worthy of a rated R, and definitely not kid-friendly. However, the movie was going to be released as a PG-13 and this is what started the downfall of the movie.
The movie was marketed as a horror movie, but it was anything but horror. The movie took more of its inspiration from the book “ The movie follows a guy named Mike (Josh Hutcherson) who is having a difficult time trying to keep a stable job in order to take care of his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio). She is very distant and almost cruel to her brother, even after all the sacrifices he made to try and keep her aunt from taking her away. Meanwhile, Mike finds it difficult to keep a job following the kidnapping of his younger brother Garrett. So after being fired from another job, Mike finds his way as a night-time security guard for a place called “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza”, a family-friendly arcade game pizzeria. Mike is offered this job by an all-too-eager guidance counselor played by Matthew Lillard. There are four remaining animatronics left in the place: Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy and Chica along with her Cupcake. But unknown to Mike, these animatronics are possessed by the spirits of four children who disappeared in the ‘80s. Over the course of the movie, Mike tries to figure out what the spirits want along with a female police officer named Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail). Who gives off the aura that she knows more than she is letting on, and over the movie you wonder if Abby somehow fits into the plans of the animatronics. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: A film that should be a holiday classic  Image c/o Paramount By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief In 1987 a film was released about a man struggling to get home to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles features two comedy legends: Steve Martin and John Candy and was directed by the iconic 1980s director John Hughes.
Of all the holiday films, very few center around Thanksgiving. Most “I have to get home” films are about people struggling to get home for Christmas. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, however, is about a man trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Like the title suggests, Steve Martin’s character Neal takes a series of planes, trains, and various automobiles on his quest to return home. On this quest he gets stuck traveling with Del (John Candy), and the two suffer a series of accidents and delays, preventing their journey. The holiday season has been increasingly overwhelmed with films about Christmas, so here is the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving without angering the “it's not Christmas yet” relatives. After the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Westminster Dog Show, and whatever football game is on, consider Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The heart warming story is nothing compared to the great comedy duo that was Steve Martin and John Candy. |
STAFFMadison Sciba '24, Archives
May 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed