Amidst the gaudy, star-studded advertisement landscape of Hollywood, one billboard stuck out the most between 2003 and 2008. Looking up at the sign, you would meet Tommy Wiseau’s cynical scowl, a phone number to RSVP, and the reason behind it all printed large: The Room.
Since 2013, I have forgotten that this depiction of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax existed in the same world I live in. Ever since the work of gravity from the pockets of actor Zac Efron occurred, The Lorax has been kept out of my mind and far from my screens. Recently, I found out the Askew Student Life Center on campus will be having a showing of The Lorax on April 14th at 7 PM. Hearing this not only brought back memories of the year 2012, a year filled with the challenges of being nine years old, but brought the memory of the movie that is The Lorax. To be completely honest, I have mixed feelings about this movie; it is excellent, informative, colorful, and memorable. Zac Efron and Taylor Swift were mostly what 9-year-old me thought about, apart from One Direction. However, Dr. Seuss has invaded most of my childhood memories, beginning when in preschool, I watched The Cat in the Hat, a movie that scarred me without repair. Mike Myers as The Cat in the Hat is forever imprinted within my brain.
Warning: Spoilers for the film’s conclusion ahead!
Commonly misconstrued as a genre, the fast-growing animation style of anime has affected both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Its vast viewer demographics, ranging from youth to adults, have allowed both anime and its manga origins to flourish in recent decades. One film deemed an anime staple, the renowned cult classic, Akira, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, has continued to captivate the population since its debut in 1988. The film’s appraisal clings to its hyperfixation on futuristic perceptions of existentialism and the excessive presence of violence. To some, the bloody action, which serves as a factor for the R rating, may be a put off, but its presence is what helped determine Akira as the “it” anime movie for decades to come.
As the scale of video game experiences has grown, so has the scope of the fantasy they offer players. For many developers, it is no longer enough to guide a player through a linear journey from one level to the next. Instead, many recent releases have a player dropped into a singular, massive map for them to explore to their heart’s content, with various challenges, quests, and treasures scattered throughout. This format promises that players don’t just get to embody their favorite characters but inhabit a fully realized setting with no barriers to impede on how they wish to experience the game.
Matt Reeves' The Batman, which hit theaters March 4th, is the latest adaptation of the beloved caped crusader. With nine live action films already made, getting another film may feel redundant to some. Especially with the success of The Dark Knight trilogy, many felt the new installment would not be able to live up to its predecessors. However, The Batman delivers a new, grittier, and comic accurate story.
Did you know that Florida State University was at one time a women's college? While it had existed for years before in many different forms, the university would become known as the Florida State College for Women in 1909, when “the Buckman Act reorganized Florida's six colleges into three institutions segregated by gender and race” in 1905. By the year 1933, “the Florida State College for Women was the third-largest women's college in the U.S.”* It wouldn't be until 1947 that the school would become known as Florida State University and return to a co-educational university, largely due to the influx of returning soldiers looking to take advantage of the G.I. Bill.
La película de Little Women trata de las vidas de cuatro hermanas, cada una con diferentes personalidades y ambiciones. El cuento se enfoca en las relaciones entre las hermanas, desarrollando sus historias individuales durante todo. Muy temprano en la película, los sueños de las niñas son increíblemente claros. La hermana mayor, Meg, sueña que un día podría empezar una familia. La segunda hermana, Jo, desea que pueda tener éxito como escritora. A la tercera hermana, Amy, le gusta pintar y a la hermana menor, Beth, le gusta tocar el piano. La película cambia entre escenas del pasado y del futuro. Mientras las escenas de sus jóvenes enfatizan juego y esperanza infantil, las escenas de sus adultos demuestran a las hermanas con obstáculos más graves. Aunque Meg espera que sus niños tengan una vida buena, a ella le cuesta trabajo cuidarlos porque la familia tiene poco dinero. En el futuro, Jo es presentada como una maestra. Aunque ella sueña con ser escritora, no tiene éxito porque el campo de escritura está controlado por hombres. Amy ha pasado mucho tiempo estudiando arte en Francia, pero ella duda que pueda ganar suficiente dinero como artista y, en lugar de eso, se enfoca en encontrar un esposo que pueda apoyar a su familia. Las hermanas están enfocadas en ellas mismas hasta que la hermana menor, Beth, muere de fiebre escarlata. Este evento reúne a las hermanas para así darse cuenta que ellas necesitan seguir juntas. También aprendí la lección de que la familia es lo más importante de todo. En resumen, esta obra muestra la importancia de depender de la familia. Enseña que no importa a donde vayas en la vida, la familia siempre es un parte integral de nosotros mismos.
Amidst the vast award ceremonies held each year, the Academy Awards reigns above them all. It notoriously highlights brilliant actoral direction, original scores and each aspect of the directorial artistic vision. I was first introduced to the cinematic celebratory phenomenon when I was about twelve. Prior to the Oscars itself, my mother would put on the red-carpet exclusive interviews on the television. Together we would gawk at all the beautiful women in their triple dollar priced gowns, creating imaginary personal connections with each and every celebrity that attended. I remember vividly gasping in bewilderment at the men’s lack of style, of course with the exception of Christian Bale, Jared Leto and maybe Brad Pitt. I would always blush in perplexion at all the grown-up jokes that never actually matured into comicality as I grew to understand. It is safe to say I think of the Oscars rather fondly.
Ukrainian homes and Ukrainian lives are lost daily. There is ten-ton sorrow weighing on the world, and the world is doing its best to push back on Putin’s arrogance. On March 1st, in President Biden’s State of the Union speech, he announced the freezing of Russian bank accounts on a global scale, closing off U.S. airspace to Russian flights, and plans to seize the properties of Russian oligarchs, following the statement with a menacing, ominous riff over the applause: “[Putin] has no idea what's coming.”
To go back to the days of 101 Dalmatians on VCR: my beaten-up The Little Mermaid backpack happily sits on my back while I dance to the Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack and his light-up Lion King Sketchers glow as we play kickball during recess. I always catch my mind wandering back to those times, the times of seven dwarfs running around and Cinderella running back home when the clock strikes midnight. Disney never ceases to remind me of my childhood. The Walt Disney Company started in Los Angeles, California, on October 16th, 1923. Since that day, childhoods all over North America have been filled with Mickey’s heartfelt laugh and the image of Tinkerbell flying over Cinderella’s castle. We all understand the shared experience of Disney films being present in our youths. These films are reminders of the child we all have within.
