Why Media Representation Is So Important

Written by: Kanita Tariq

With Black Panther, the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, breaking box office records across the nation, it’s important to think of why this particular stand-alone superhero film was such a phenomenon. Since its release on February 16th caused a frenzy with fans of the Marvel Universe and otherwise, it has become vital to address the importance of representation in the media to viewing audiences.

Hollywood has remained a racial battleground since its existence - with a slight yet crucial increase in diversity in the 2017 Oscar nominees and winners.

So why is Black Panther introducing such a mania amongst audiences- more so than any other superhero film released to date? How is it single-handedly initiating cultural conversations between people of all ages?

The answer is simple but complex. Black Panther’s success should not be a surprise. With minority-led film ideas often left on the back-burner, many audiences yearn for some form of representation. When millions of people can see themselves mirrored on the big screen with a variety of roles to identify with, films are bound to have such a profound impact.

With Black Panther’s positive depiction of life on the African continent, black heroes and villains, and well-executed portrayal of human complexity, its success is well-earned, and a strong reminder that everyone’s story deserves to be told.

Beauty and the Beast: A Fresh, New Walk Down Memory Lane

Written by: Kanita Tariq

I’ll say it right now - I am a Disney princess enthusiast. No matter how questionable some of their stories may be, when someone asks me what my favorite Disney movie is, I cannot answer with just one. However, I do find myself relating to Belle more than any other princess for many, many reasons. We’re both major bookworms, we both want to travel the world, and we both feel like we just haven’t found our place yet. That being said, when I discovered that Disney was making a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast and that my all-time favorite actress Emma Watson was going to star as the lead, obviously, I was excited. This is what I wanted so badly, and I knew it could go two ways - as wonderful as I would expect, or horribly, horribly wrong.

This entire experience was one that I had never experienced before. I was prepping for this film for months, watching interviews and every teaser, reading every update, and listening to the soundtrack as soon as it was released. Was I just a bit crazy? Perhaps. If you know me, then you know that I take everything I love to the next level. My expectations were high!

Emma Watson was a perfect choice for Belle. She was just as I imagined and more, and her acting was very convincing. Her singing voice definitely did not beat the amazing Paige O’Hara from the original, but wasn’t as terrible as critics were implying. Her acting fell flat a few times, especially when interacting with the animated characters (“Be Our Guest” must not have been fun for her), but she otherwise did incredible. Dan Stevens was an amazing Beast and Prince, and the level of character development he managed to display was excellent. Luke Evans brought everyone’s favorite villain to life, but much less one-dimensional. His acting and singing abilities did not disappoint, and he was very enjoyable to watch. Josh Gad seems like the funniest, sweetest person, and the complexity he had given his character, whom he had very little basis on, was very impressive. Shoutouts to the wonderful voice actors, like Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette), Audra McDonald (Madame Garderobe), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), the legendary Sir Ian Mckellen (Cogsworth), and Ewan McGregor, bringing my favorite character, Lumiere, to life.  

The sets were, as far as my investigation had gone, almost entirely practical. The castle was lavish and majestic, giving me major Hogwarts vibes. Many critics complained about the CGI on Beast’s appearance. I disagree, having loved the sensitivity of his face and the emotions you can clearly see in him. In that respect, Dan Stevens did a wonderful job. However, the animation of the household objects was very intricate and realistic, unlike the simplicity of the original. While this change is understandable, it is difficult to sympathize with them simply because of their design.

Many of our unanswered questions are addressed in the film. What happened to Belle’s mother? Where is Beast’s family? Why is Gaston so admired in the village? Where is Mr. Potts? And most importantly, how are the villagers unaware of their former Prince and his many servants? Each of these plot holes and more are sealed with detail in the film. Most of my favorite scenes were when Beast and Belle became friends and how easily their relationship was panned out for us to see. It was quite a grand production and it never felt like there were too many subplots. However, this left the iconic waltz sequence at the center of the film quite underwhelming, certainly not like the showpiece of the musical.

The music was catchy and almost completely true to the original, and some new additions were fresh and completed the soundtrack perfectly. I found myself singing along to “Be Our Guest” and a new tune, “Evermore.”

This Beauty and the Beast has the opportunity to resonate in our hearts today, a contemporary remake of arguably, the first modern Disney princess. As I walked out of the theater with tears streaming down my face, I felt a new appreciation for Belle, and a new connection formed between us that makes her even more special to me than before.

The Great Wall Movie Review

Written by: Sean Hannon

The Great Wall was directed by Zhang Yimou and stars Matt damon and Jing Tian. It is based on an Ancient Chinese folktale about The Great Wall stopping monsters from plundering the Chinese countryside. The trailers for the film looked campy and it was mostly advertised as your typical action film. To be honest, the movie is interesting in the worst ways. It is one of the first major movies I've seen that directly panders to Chinese audience, and shows Matt Damon and other European outsiders as mean and greedy outsiders.

Overview

Matt Damon and his group of traders are on their way from Europe to China in the search of black powder or gunpowder. But when they stop in Mongolia to camp, they are attacked by a monster who kills most of the party besides Damon and one other. They make it to The Great Wall where they are captured by the Chinese who are intrigued by the monster attack. The attack signals to the Chinese military that monsters that attack every 60 years are coming to besiege the wall early, and they immediately mobilize to defend the wall against large hordes of monsters.

Positives

This movie is funny, not in the intensional way but in a campy or cheesy way. Some of the action shots look cool, and the advanced defences of the wall are intriguing. Otherwise there's nothing much to say about this movie

Negatives

As I’ve said before this film blatantly panders directly to the Chinese audiences, it describes China in the time being more advanced than Europe, more progressive than Europe, and morally superior to Europe. These themes are stated horribly as some of them are just blatantly stated in the dialog. Speaking of dialog, I'm 90% sure all the English dialog was roughly translated from Chinese, a lot of lines are phrased oddly and most of those mistakes are very funny. The plot is not great as there seems to be a lot of major events that when thought about, don't make much sense. Finally the CGI for the monsters looks very outdated which makes the movie even more cheesy and campy.

Overall

It's clear that I have a negative opinion on this movie, and if anything that I've mentioned before in the negative section do not even think of watching this film. One thing which I've mentioned might kill any joy in this movie’s stupidity is the theme of Chinese superiority in this era. It breaks up the action and very quickly becomes obvious and annoying. If you want to have a laugh and are willing to put up with the theme, you should see this film. If not than avoid it like the plague!

Hidden Figures Review

Written by: Sean Hannon 

Hidden Figures tells the true story of three female African-American scientists working with NASA to get a man into space and back safely which is enjoyable to watch as you can feel tension between characters. This story is parallel to the story of the  scientists overcoming sexism and racism in their environments. Luckily the film barely focuses on the previous sub theme making the movie feel less preachy than expected. The three scientists all face similar adversity trying to climb the ladder at NASA and it is both interesting and tense for the viewer to watch it resolve.

Summary

The film opens with the three African-American women on the side of the road next to their broken down car. Katherine Goebel, arguably the smartest women of the group is staring into space in the car which shows her awkwardness, making her a target of empathy later in the film. Dorothy Vaughan is under the car working on the engine which shows her resourcefulness and learning attitude which becomes an object of contention later in the film. Finally, Mary Jackson is applying makeup and making sarcastic remarks which shows her rebellious and flirtatious attitude, also important later in the film. After some banter between the characters a policeman shows up. Being that the film is set in 1961 when segregation was in full swing the women prepare for the worst, but after showing the policeman their NASA ID’s he gives them a ride. This is one of the first in the motif of a black woman doing something impressive that surprises others. From there the three scientists live their life - trying to climb the NASA ladder, going to court, and finding love, all while simultaneously working on Freedom 7.

Positives

This movie has a surprising amount of plots and subplots and they're all handled pretty well, with one not completely taking over the other. As previously mentioned, the message does not feel preachy which is great to anyone interested in the main plot instead of the various subplots. No characters seem odd or out of place and nothing is unbelievable. The music chosen is all appropriate to the time period and catchy. Overall in this film there are no overarching problems that would ruin anyone's experience.

Negatives

One negative is due to how many plots and subplots the film took on. In the end they tried to recognize the women effect on the project. They are successful with two of the women, but one of them is not included. They make a lackluster connect to connect them but it comes off bad to the viewer. There is also little to no change in most characters attitudes towards the end (It seems that the other scientists would have a more obvious change of heart towards women and African Americans in this movie) which I personally don't find that a problem, but some may.

Overall

From the plot to the characters this movie is very well done. I could not recommend it more. Being that this is still a drama you may like this movie due to the science and work put in by the scientists.

Patriots Day Review

Written by: Sean Hannon 

Patriots Day is an action drama movie pertaining to the Boston Marathon bombing that took place in April 2013. It follows the stories of multiple characters like Sgt. Tommy Saunders, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, a cop on the scene hoping for a promotion and desperately tracking the bombers. Richard DesLauriers (staged by Kevin Bacon) is an FBI agent who is also trying to discover the identity of the bombers. Most surprisingly, the viewer follows the story of the actual bombers and witness their attempt to flee the boston area.

Summary

Tommy Saunders, a cop desperately seeking a promotion, is assigned as a guard at the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Two Chechen brothers plant bombs in backpacks in certain parts around the finish line. When the bombs go off, Tommy Saunders and the other guards help the survivors and later join the search for the Chechen men with the help of the FBI, the Governor of Massachusetts, and the people of Boston. In the meantime the bombers attempt to leave Boston by stealing cars and taking hostages. Of course, everyone knows the fate of these bombers but their inner motivations that are shown are very intriguing.

Positives

Every good drama requires some comic relief and this film does it very well. It highlights the classic blue-collar Boston stereotype with its harshness and accents. It has a very prominent “Boston Strong” theme that shows the unity of the Boston community during the 5 day manhunt. It does a very good job portraying characters realistically, sometimes the movie cuts to one from one of the bombers entering a store to actual surveillance footage of the bomber in the store, which adds a touch of realism. Although the viewer knows the end of the story, the movie does a fantastic job keeping tense and interesting.

Negative

There is not much to say negatively about this movie, as it does its job pretty well. I can recommend people to not see this movie if they are disturbed by blood as after the bombing it does showcase limbs separated from the bodies and many other things not for the faint of heart or anyone with a weak stomach. Personally I enjoyed the accents, but if you are annoyed by thick accents this may not be the film for you. The drama can be very tense so if you do not enjoy that I would pass this movie.

Overall

Writing this review made me want to see this movie again, the characters and plot were portrayed perfectly and when it gets too tense the comic relief works very well. If you were to watch a movie this weekend I could not recommend Patriot's Day more.

Rouge One Review

Written By: Sean Hannon 

Rouge One is a prequel to the critically acclaimed Star Wars film franchise (to be more clear it is before the first three movies and after the last three movies directed by George Lucas). It stars Felicity Jones and Diego Luna as the main characters. This movie was acclaimed as an instant classic by Star Wars fans, whom many saw the production of the film as a cash-in on the Star Wars fanaticism occurring after its revival. Disney needed to reassure those fans, as the previous movie, The Force Awakens, faced a plethora of criticism from the fanbase.

Summary

Jyn Erso is the daughter of Galen Erso, an engineer working on the Death Star during its construction. His heart is with the rebellion and he wants to isolate himself from the empire with no success. Fearing that her daughter will be indoctrinated by the empire, he sends her to be raised by a brutal rebel, Saw Gerrera. She grows up rebellious because of this and somewhat angry at her father for leaving her. In unseen events, she ends up in prison and is saved by the rebellion. This begins her journey with other rebels to either kill or capture Jyn's father. Through a majority of the plot, the film focuses on six main characters which make the film lively and in some cases comical.

Positives

In short, most of the movie was great. The city settings seemed alive with commerce and the barren planets looks beautiful to the viewer. The characterization was amazing and truly made the viewer care for each character. The plot felt like a classic Star Wars plot, and not just a made up story to generate revenue as many had thought. The fight scenes kept the viewer on their toes and the space battles filled them with adrenaline. This is a state of the art action movie of our times.

Negatives

When on the topic about characterization, the main character Jyn is the most blatant strong female character role. Her personality quickly changes from trope 1 too trope 2 and it's such a huge change that it comes off as odd to the viewer. Also many people may be sick of the classic Star Wars as it has been overused for a long time, so reintroducing the Death Star may not have been the smartest idea from Disney. And by now the nostalgia of the past Star Wars movies has worn off and the references off the past movies just feel old to some viewers.

Overall

I would definitely recommend this movie, it has great characterization from the most part, and the plot is strong enough to hold up on its old without relying on nostalgia. Even if you are not a fan but are still enjoy action movies this is a must see as the action scenes are fantastic and exhilarating. This is not a movie you will regret seeing.

MOVIE REVIEW: ARRIVAL

Article By: Sean Hannon 

Arrival is the critically acclaimed film by the director Denis Villeneuve, known for other pieces such as Sicario and Enemy. The film stars Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner as the two main characters. The movie is very plot oriented while nearly everything else takes a back seat to it. That may seem like a negative point, but the plot is interesting enough to hold its own.

Summary

Dr. Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams, is one of the world's top linguists with many books on the topic of language. She is teaching a class when news breaks of alien objects landing in 12 spots in the world. It is discovered that these are space ships. The government calls for Louise to try and translate their language to communicate. The plot becomes very complicated from there and I won't leak any spoilers!

Positives

The more I think about this film the more I like it. First of all the plot of Arrival is very interesting, I would not like say anything too specific about it to ruin your experience prior to tuning in! The characterization mainly focuses on Louise Banks as she is mostly the character that the plot surrounds. The entire process of translation is interesting and always keeps the viewer engaged. The viewer knows that something can go wrong, for example, many government officials don't trust the aliens and would prefer to take up military action against them. There is also an abundance of foreshadowing of events which makes the plot feel very odd up until the end(in the best way possible).

Negatives

As previously stated, the movie is plot oriented so almost everything else takes a back seat. If you have come to this movie expecting the War of the Worlds you will be horribly disappointed. Most other characters are uncharacterised which can make them very uninteresting. Some of the cinematography is off, for example, some scenes are completly out of focus for no legitimate reason. For the first half of the movie, the plot seems very run of the mill but it speeds up at the end so keep in mind that the movie can be slow at first.

Overall

If you have come to this movie for anything but the plot you should not watch. But if you are somewhat interested in the plot, I cannot recommend the film more. It is a masterpiece in plot that will make you think about the movie for days on end.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Movie Review

Article by: Sean Hannon

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Movie Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a book written by J.K Rowling as a prequel to the popular Harry Potter books. The success of the Harry Potter movies makes transforming this book into a film a profitable idea for Warner Brothers, Inc. The movie was an attempt to reignite the Harry Potter frenzy that had gripped America not too long ago. The movie is directed by David Yates, the same director of the last four Harry Potter films. The cast is completely original, but of course some Harry Potter characters are mentioned, and I'm confident some will show up in the four sequels Warner Brothers has planned. A lot of references to the past Harry Potter movies were left out.

Summary

In the 1920’s Newt Scamander, a young British man, had just arrived in New York City. He is a wizard who collects magical beasts in his magical suitcase, which acts as reservation for these magical beasts. He is writing a book documenting the beasts, hence the name of the book/movie.  But in the United States wizardry is driven underground and is very secretive and restricted to the public. While in a bank, one of his smaller beasts gets loose and Newt has to recapture it. This is when he runs into Jacob Kowalski, a nomag(non-magical person/muggle for Harry Potter fans) who is caught up in Newts shenanigans and accidentally switches their suitcases, meaning Jacob Kowalski has the magical one containing the beasts. After the suitcases are switched, Newt is met by Porpentina Goldstein, a wizard who tries to turn in Newt to the wizarding body of America, for unleashing the beast on the city already afraid of magic. But they discover that Jacob has the suitcase and they have to track him down before he opens it. They are too late and a wide selection of beasts are released and Newt, Porpentina, and Jacob have to track them down.

Positives

The characterization and interactions in the film are great. Newt is characterized as awkward, book smart and anti-social where Jacob’s traits are almost exactly the opposite. He may be considered awkward but the almost the entire film he is in a new world of magic which is alien to him. Jacob is the most memorable character in the movie. I would almost call him an Olaf from the movie, Frozen but not just serving a comic relief. His jokes come at perfect times and are never repetitive - seeing him interact with the magical world can be humorous. Newt and Jacob make a perfect team as they hunt down magical beasts in 1920’s New York City. The setting is very fitting as the political turbulence and enormous wealth of the 1920’s seem integrated with the plot and make for a more interesting movie.

Negatives

There are numerous problems with this movie. First, the plot is odd as in there's almost two stories within the movie.  One is ignored throughout the middle of the movie, but for little references here and there. These plots are very loosely connected and if one plotline were gone it wouldn’t very much affect the other. Secondly, the overuse of CGI is also a problem as it gets pretty old throughout the movie and can even hurt your eyes.  The ending is pretty underwhelming(don't worry, no spoilers here!). It feels like nothing has changed in the world, or was learned by the main characters. It is almost as if this movie was made just to set up the characters in the next film. As well as the plots, there are also two villians. One of them is defeated in 20 minutes and the other in a half a minute, which is odd for a movie from Warner Brothers.

Overall

This movie was good. If you are a Harry Potter fan I fully recommend it - you would probably enjoy it more than me.  If you're indifferent on the franchise, it's an okay movie and if you are really want to be introduced about the franchise I still recommend it. If you could care less I would go and see a different movie.

Doctor Strange Movie Review

Article by: Sean Hannon 

    Doctor Strange is the most recent movie by Marvel Studios, an extension of the Marvel universe to new lore and a new character Doctor Strange.The lead role, Doctor Strange, is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, a seasoned actor who plays quite well for his character in this movie. Other seasoned actors include Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong featured in The Martian, who also play their characters well. The cinematography in the movie is spot on like most Marvel films, although the CGI could be better in some scenes, it is nothing that ruins the entire movie.

Summary(Minor Spoilers!)

    Doctor Strange was an egotistical, arrogant, yet talented neurosurgeon in New York. He lives his wealthy life to its fullest extent, but when a freak accident causes damage to his hands, he is in a desperate attempt to fix himself and save his surgeon career. He looks for healing by spiritual means which leads him to Nepal. There, he joins a group of sorcerers and finds himself caught up in an ideological war between two sects of the sorcerers. The plot is in the Marvel theme of villain vs hero where Doctor Strange emerges as a hero against the opposing sect.

    Positives

    Overall, Doctor Strange is a fantastic movie. The fights between the sorcerers are beautiful as they incorporate many different types mystical weaponry and spells to make fights interesting. For example, a sorcerer changed the center of gravity by making people gravitate to a side of a building, therefore interrupting their spells and making them fall a couple of feet. Besides the fights the plot is very strong considering the universe they’re in and takes advantage of advanced magics like controlling time and the effect it may have on people. The clash of the ideologies of the sorcerers are very interesting, (unlike many movies) the conflict actually makes the viewer question which side is true, but after some time it's very obvious who are the “good guys”. The jokes hit most of the time and are well thought out.

Negatives

    The movie had some problems that may break the immersion of many intelligent viewers. The injury that Doctor Strange has inflicted in the beginning of the film seems to fade away in a fight scene as he uses the injured body part to its full potential, but after that it appears weak again as if the whole fight scene didn't happen. Some fans may be turned away by the lack of realism in the movie, but to my personal opinion I didn't find it a problem. As mentioned in the positives some jokes miss badly and only the most dedicated of children can enjoy. The arrogance and ego of Doctor Strange lingers a little too long in the film which can get irritating quickly, but past the halfway mark he humbles up fast.

Overall

    Doctor Strange feels like a classic Marvel movie and fits well in the Marvel universe. Besides a few hiccups here and there it's a great experience and I fully recommend it. However, it should not be a first choice pick for those seeking a more realistic Marvel film.