by Kush Bansal | Dec 3, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
The classic. Will Ferrel running around as an elf in New York City – what a genius plot! In 2003, this movie on Day 1 was a masterpiece. Elf is categorized as the “must” of the holiday season, along with How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Christmas Story (review coming shortly). The movie starts when Santa comes to a house and Buddy (as a baby) climbs into Santa’s sack of toys. Now, this isn’t obvious until later on when it turns out to the other elves that Buddy is a human, being much taller than everyone else. As a result, he goes on a journey back to New York City to find his real parents.
Everyone should definitely watch this movie because it delivers humor, emotion, and some of the most iconic scenes in movie history. The direction of this movie is excellent because it allows for a healthy mix of character development, humor, and the overall spirit of Christmas. I believe this is Will Ferrel’s best movie because just from the performances you can see how much fun Ferrel had while filming, overall adding the extra longevity of Buddy. This is a fantastic movie and I highly, highly recommend you to check it out. I’m going to rate it an A+.
Stay tuned to more movie reviews this December, with the next one being A Christmas Story on Thursday. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.
by Saber Slate | Nov 17, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
What’s a good series without constant delays before finally delivering? Back in October, I put out a form to ask what music albums students would want reviewed. Finally, my schedule has opened up from my own musical activities (concerts, auditions, etc.) and I can put my time into reviewing your selections!
Up first is “a modern tragedy vol. 1” by grandson. Yes, I did not miss any capitalization in the album title or artist name. I love the styling choice of all lowercase titles – it seems to provide a more concise style, while possibly hiding a hint of laziness.
(Bias note: I usually tend to listen to instrumentals more than vocals, so I apologize if I criticize an album you might find lyrically intense for having weak music behind them. However, I don’t think that’s something I’ll need to criticize with this album.)
Track 1: Blood // Water – I love the distortion used over the vocals. I’m also loving the style of alternating between the hard electronic chorus and the more guitar-based verses. That contrast is exemplified by the distorted singing during the verses and the more screaming style during the chorus. The lyrics are a little repetitive, but they definitely get their point across.
Track 2: Stick Up – The verse has a really nice driving bass drum beat, really easy to bob your head to, tap your foot, etc. The chorus does some great addition of backing vocals behind ‘grandson’. However, the breakdown near the end is a little simple, and seems to be too close to sounding like the rest of the song.
Track 3: Despicable – The guitar intro sounds really good, and the clean vocals on top of it with added reverb gives the entire thing a great feel. I loved the build up into the drop, and the break itself is great. I love the random noise in the background of the drop, it seems to add a lot to the tone of the song. This is especially true on the last drop, with the held out synth note in the background.
Track 4: 6:00 [Explicit] – The lyrics on this strong are a little bit more edgy, and talk much more about physical violence. This kind of turns me away from the song, but the instrumental in the background is very strong and keeps me from skipping over it. However, I would consider this the weakest track on the album – it seems a little bit too repetitive for me, in both lyrical and musical content. I did like the bridge’s use of explicit language, however – it helped strengthen the emotion in the lyrics.
Track 5: Overdose – The lyrics were a bit unrelatable for me, so the song in general was a little weird to listen to. The more mellow guitar sound compared to the rest of the album was used very well to fit with the more depressing tone of the song. Connected to the mellow guitar, the entire song has a more mellow feel than the rest of the album, which provided a greater contrast. It might have worked better as a midpoint for the album, but it was still a strong closer for the album.
I’m going to use my own system of ratings in order to put how an album is put together from my point of view. The different factors I will be rating are: How much the album bops, how approachable the album would be to a general audience, how artistic the album is, and how unique it is; each factor will be rated out of 10. I personally prefer more unique albums, but since everyone has different opinions, I won’t put one specific score to judge the album by.
My final ratings are:
Bop level: 8/10 – The buildups and drops feel great, and all it needs is a little stronger feel in some of the tracks.
Approachability level: 7/10 – Nothing too weird for a general audience on the album in the instrumental backing. However, the lyrics are a bit political, and can get tense (especially in the last two tracks).
Artistic level: 5/10 – Each track has a distinct enough sound to set a certain tone for the song, but it could use more variation in instrumentation to have the songs stay distinct from one another.
Uniqueness level: 4/10 – While the album does have a bit of distinction between songs, it still doesn’t stray too far from a standard electronic buildup and drop style.
If you disagree, or want me to clarify any of my thoughts, please leave a comment! If you want to request a new song to review, submit it in this form.
by Kush Bansal | Oct 29, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
Ah, the 60s. JFK, Martin Luther King, the rise of NASA, and Jazz, the 60s were the time that defined America. But also the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the space race showed America’s true colors. However, on July 16, 1969, USA won the Space Race. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong floated from Earth to the Moon to be the first to approach the Moon and the first to walk on it. And while there are many conspiracy theories regarding the moon landing, keep them to yourself, as Damion Chazelle (Academy Award for Best Director) believed this truly uplifting story, and created his most unique tale yet.
Damion Chazelle (who also directed Whiplash and La La Land) wanted to create a story that revolves on Armstrong and Armstrong only. Apart from a few sequences in space, the entire story is set on Earth, showing the hardships that Armstrong went through and how, despite his stoic and irregular emotions, is someone who is hurting. Before we get to the performances, script, and directing, the best thing I can say about this movie is that the Space scenes looked and felt like they shot it in space (fun fact: the moon landing scenes were actually shot at a park at night, using the biggest light ever used in a Hollywood film). The close-ups and the constant camera movement physically made you sick but also on the edge of your seat for what happens next. And this all leads to the beautiful moon shot, as the camera pans around the landscape, showing the true sense of what space really feels like. Going to the performances the main stars are Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy (playing Armstrong’s wife). Both of them created a stoic, damaged, bleak but supporting relationship. As she worries for Armstrong, she also has to experience the impacts of the moon landing with her friends. And, without going into spoilers, there are some decisions this movie makes that are both respectable but may differ based on your perspective. This leads me to my main issue with this film, which is that the script cannot balance Armstrong’s life, the NASA subplot, and focus on creating an entertaining movie, as a good hour or so can be described as boring and very, very bland. This was disappointing because I expected more from the movie, coming from a praised director. However, is this a deal breaker? Absolutely not.
While I think this movie has many issues regarding its pacing and script, I definitely think this movie is a must-watch. I rate it a B+. It is rated PG-13 and you can watch it in theaters today. Thank you guys for reading and comment below on more movies you think I should review.
by Kush Bansal | Oct 24, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
After 10 terrible movies and 40 years, we got it. The true sequel to Halloween 1978 (this movie ignores all the other movies). And what can I say, it was AWESOME! After 40 years, we see Nick Castle return as Michael Myers as well as Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode in this 1-hour 44-minute film. This movie is directed by David Gordon Green and takes place 40 years after the original where Michael Myers returns from prison to kill more people to get to his number 1 enemy, Laurie Strode. And while on this adventure there is action, comedy, and dram, plus a lot of gruesome deaths (more on that later). Let’s start off with the directing.
David Gordon Green uses a different way to pace this movie. The first 30 minutes of this movie is setting up the next hour, introducing the characters, the plot, and the environment. This is my main issue with this movie because it felt very slow, granted it was fun seeing returning older characters. Apart from this the rest of the movie was incredible. Right, when the first kill happens it is a non-stop ride. This was the best part of this movie in that the kills and action were authentic and masterfully done. From the suspense building to the final kill, it put me to the edge of my seat. The acting and comedy were also awesome as Jamie Lee Curtis does an excellent job at making me care about her character, not to mention the comedy being done at just the right parts. John Carpenter’s score (fun fact: John Carpenter directed the first Halloween movie) as well as the editing and homages to the original were also done well and added even more positives to this movie. From a script perspective, the writers were able to craft a story that was able to set up the next hour that showed Michael Myers in his true form, while also adding new subplots and character development that pays off later. I recommend you see this movie soon with more people or bring a friend along (shout out to Ryder) so that then you are able to enjoy the experience for anticipating the next kill even more.
Despite the slow beginning, this is the best horror movie of this year and I highly recommend you check this movie out soon. I’m going the rate this movie an A. It is rated R (caution: there is a brief scene of nudity that may be offensive and/or too inappropriate for some users) and is playing in theaters now. Thank you guys for reading and don’t forget to comment below on movies you want me to review and as always, have a great day.
by Kush Bansal | Oct 24, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
It’s October, AKA SPOOKY MONTH! Halloween, Trick or Treating, and even clown attacks (well, in 2016 anyway). While we live in the capitalist world of 2018 where every horror movie is a cash-grab for more green in the bin. In 2018 alone we had the Slender Man, Truth Or Dare, The Nun, Venom (though it’s a comic book film), and The First Purge, and these are just the start of the terrible, jump scare gimmicks these cash grabs have to offer. But no, forget those atrocities, the best horror movies are the classics. The scariest movies to watch on Halloween are The Shining (1980) and the original Halloween (1978).
The Shining is a Stanley Kubrick film starring Jack Nicholson. It was the most hated movie when it released, with critics calling it boring, repetitive, and not very creative (granted this was before film today where everything is a mystery). However, over the years, it has gained a cult following, with famed directors such as Steven Spielberg praising this film for its creativity by Stanley Kubrick, as well as the ecstatic performance by Jack Nicholson (fun fact: he played Joker in the 1989 Batman). The movie takes place at a hotel and is about a psychopath murderer threatening the hotel, along with other supernatural forces. That’s all I can say without diving into spoilers. This movie is a must see. It evokes the haunted house atmosphere that you and even a friend can watch, home alone, in the middle of the dark (for a spooky tone). The Shining is on Netflix and is rated R (because no good horror movie is rated PG-13).
John Carpenter had only one vision for this movie: suspense. The original Halloween, released in 1978 (which is getting a direct sequel which releases in theaters in 2018), was created on a $325,000 budget. In today’s terms, that wouldn’t even cover the poster for a major motion picture. This started the genre of slasher movies as this movie for its time was so brutal regarding the violence with a knife that it almost got an NC-17 rating (AKA only for people 17 and above). The plot for this movie is Michael Myers, a serial killer ever since he was 6, attacks babysitter Laurie Strode. He tortures her by murdering all of her friends, then she’s next. This movie is fantastic because it reinvents the horror genre in that before you only got scared because of haunted houses after this movie released no one even felt safe in their homes. This movie is rated R and you can find it to rent, buy, or watch on TV.
The movies I have talked about today are only the couple out of hundreds and thousands of horror movies (good and bad) that you can watch today. I hope you enjoyed this article and are looking forward to watching these movies. As always, comment below on more movies you want me to review and of course, have a Happy Halloween!
by Saber Slate | Oct 24, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
Trick or Treating. Who doesn’t love it? I’m sure we all had memories of going around the neighborhood carrying those little pumpkin baskets before we got smart and started bringing pillowcases. The time when take one didn’t cause an all-out war for the whole bowl. You know, young trick or treating. The kind parents love. They don’t want any snotty teens on their lawn asking them for candy, they want the cute princesses. That’s why some towns have been banning trick or treating for kids over 12. In my unbiased opinion as a teenager who trick or treats, this isn’t fair. But if you are trapped in a situation where you can’t trick or treat for one reason or another, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Halloween. So here are some fun alternatives to trick or treating on Halloween.
Just the tricks
If you don’t feel like walking around a neighborhood and asking strangers for candy, you can be the stranger and hand candy out. Pass the time by scaring children with novelty masks and yelling boo. Or you can go all the way and dress up in a creepy costume and chase 5-year-olds around. What could be more fun? Make it a challenge to scare as many people as you possibly can, your friends, family, everyone you know! If you do it well enough, I can guarantee you it will be a Halloween you’ll never forget. I suggest turning the power off late at night and doing as you please.
Staying at home
Don’t have friends? You can just stay home and have a fun time on your own. Most TV shows have Halloween specials to watch, or you could play video games, read a book. You could eat oranges until the sun comes up. You could eat oranges until the sun goes down again. Or you could just do what you do every other day of your life. However, this is highly unrecommended, as Halloween is one of the best times of the year and you should be having a life.
Go trick or treating
Who cares what those prudes think? Trick or treating is amazing! You get to dress up as anything, from skeletons to bananas, while also getting free candy. If you are so worried about people wondering if you are 18 years old, just slap on a John Cena mask and be a tall 12-year-old. Nobody will be any the wiser. Plus, free candy. You can’t pass it up. Forget society, get out there!
Halloween only comes around once a year. So celebrate it in some way! Don’t be boring. Go out and be spooky, be fun, and be scary!
