Hostless 2019 Oscars rises above controversy and upsets
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
The 91st Academy Awards took place on Sunday night, marking the culmination of a monthslong awards season. The Academy managed to land itself in so many controversies in the weeks leading up to the night that it seemed highly likely that the show would sink into oblivion before reaching Sunday. The fact that the show managed to be one of the most engaging Academy Awards ceremonies in recent years is a testament to its structural changes.
Civil Rights love story “Beale Street” is a call for justice
BY EMILY ROLES FOTSO ’21
Based on James Baldwin’s classic novel of the same name, Barry Jenkins’ (“Moonlight”) “If Beale Street Could Talk” tells the story of a young Black couple, Tish (Kiki Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James). After Fonny is falsely accused of rape and sent to jail, Tish discovers she is pregnant with his child, and she and her family set out to do whatever it takes to prove his innocence
“The Favourite” is an absurd, female-driven masterpiece
BY ERIN CARBERRY ’19
Given the Academy’s history of favoritism toward period dramas, it may not come as a surprise to even a casual filmgoer that “The Favourite,” a historical dramedy set in early eighteenth-century England, holds this year’s crown for most Academy Award nominations with a whopping ten potential trophies.
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” another successful mission
Review: “Moonlight”
BY MARIANA JARAMILLO ’20 AND SONYA ROBINSON ’20
“Moonlight,” a beautiful and heartbreaking story of a gay man growing up in 1980s Miami projects, will solidify Barry Jenkins’s name in cinematic history. Formerly known for his 2008 indie film “Medicine for Melancholy,” Jenkins has skillfully delivered the year’s most important coming of age movie. Split into three parts — Little, Chiron and Black — “Moonlight” grapples with the intersection of race, sexuality and class.
Review: “Doctor Strange” echoes fun spirit of classic superhero films
BY SONYA ROBINSON '20
If asked what my favorite comic book movie is, I would undoubtedly say 1989’s “Batman.” Featuring Michael Keaton in his first turn as the charming billionaire Bruce Wayne as well as Jack Nicholson’s iconic Joker, the movie is pure fun, a refreshing film compared to this age where superhero movies are often dark and gritty. I felt similarly refreshed after leaving the most recent Marvel vehicle “Doctor Strange.”
REVIEW: “The Girl on the Train”
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“Girl Asleep”: A surreal coming of age story
BY LINDSEY MCGINNIS '18
Filled with adventure and nostalgia, “Girl Asleep” captures the complicated adolescence of a young girl in the 1970s. Greta Drescoll (Bethany Whitmore) has just moved into a new suburb and her awkwardness has followed suit. When the most popular girls in school shockingly insist on befriending her, she is overcome by anxiety. Her emotions crescendo when her mother invites her entire grade over to her house for Greta’s 15th birthday party.