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(10/13/16 4:03pm)
This week’s episode of HBO’s sprawling sci-fi Western focuses on the idea of memory and history for those involved in the creation of Westworld, while still advancing the tired plot of malfunctioning A.I. The episode focuses around different hosts who are experiencing memory, something that has been explicitly removed from their code previously.“Chestnut” introduces new characters William (Jimmi Simpson) and Logan (Ben Barnes), who are business associates with opposite personalities, with yet-to-be-clear motivations for visiting the park. While Simpson, who has blown up since first appearing in Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Barnes are convincing in their parts, their characters are cookie cutter and simple. Logan is an obnoxious jerk whose bad intentions are not-so-cleverly conveyed by his black cowboy hat, while William’s virtuous traits are illustrated by his white one. Without any backstory or interesting moments for the two, it is hard to find a reason to be invested in their journey.
(10/07/16 8:35pm)
The Birth of a Nation, directed by Nate Parker, follows the true story of Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a preacher slave who is ordered to go to other plantations to placate any uprising. But, after seeing first-hand the horrors of some of the slave masters, he orchestrates a rebellion in 1831. After killing around 60 people over the course of 48 hours, the rebellion was put down. In retaliation, nearly 60 slaves were executed and 100 to 200 more slaves were killed by roaming militia. The title of the film is taken from the 1915 silent film of the same name. The older film was directed by D.W. Griffith and depicts an incredibly racist view of the South if it was ruled by the black slaves.
(10/07/16 8:26pm)
Author Paula Hawkins capitalized on her 2015 best-selling thriller novel The Girl on the Train (2015), by following in the footsteps of the movie Gone Girl, which also features a “missing woman, unhinged protagonist” plot, and was adapted to the big screen fairly quickly after its initial print release. Directed by Tate Taylor and starring the exceptional and industrious Emily Blunt, the movie stays largely faithful to the book, weaving together a dramatic tapestry of sex, lies and murder.
(10/06/16 4:31pm)
HBO’s latest venture, Westworld, tells a tale of a futuristic world where wealthy humans run an Old West theme park full of artificially intelligent “host” characters that the visitors can use to live out their Western fantasies. Based on the 1973 film of the same name starring Yul Brynner and James Brolin, the show decides to follow a similar premise while tacking on a star-studded cast and traditional HBO staples of excessive rape, violence, and profanity. While the show has all the makings of a hit, the first episode offers plenty of ideas that have already been featured in numerous other sci-fi works.
(10/06/16 2:03pm)
Episode six of Donald Glover’s groundbreaking show Atlanta asks both the audience and the characters how they define value. “Value” is the first episode of the season to focus entirely on a character other than Earn (Donald Glover), centering instead around Vanessa (Zazie Beetz). Beetz shines in her role as the woman who just can’t seem to win in a system that is set up to make sure that she fails.
(10/04/16 2:33pm)
On April 20, 2010, the oil rig Deepwater Horizon had a wellhead blowout, causing the rig to explode and turn in on itself. It truly was a chaotic, tragic experience not only for the Gulf of Mexico and its wildlife but also the workers of the Deepwater Horizon – exactly what the film written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand, directed by Peter Berg has attempted to encapsulate. Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) and the crew of the Deepwater Horizon, contracted by BP, are set to work for 21 days on the oil rig. However, after boarding the rig, they are informed that the rig’s drill was not properly checked for 100 percent safety. Ultimately, what follows is the consequences -- a blowout so large that the burning rig could be seen from satellites. After 87 days, the loss of 11 souls and 210 million gallons of oil later, the spill mercifully stopped by capping, thus effectively killing the well. Still, the event is historic and will serve as the basis for exactly what not to do in the future.
(10/03/16 4:21pm)
For those living in Shondaland, school is officially back in session!
(10/03/16 1:15pm)
Masterminds is a comedic retelling of a true story about a 1997 bank heist. The movie shares the same humor as films like Dumb and Dumber and Anchorman. In fact, the director, Jared Hess, directed Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre; Masterminds is in the same vein as Hess’s previous work.
(10/02/16 6:04pm)
The fifth episode of FX’s Atlanta examines the politics that celebrities, and those who work for them, go through to reach the level of fame and respect they desire. The episode centers around a celebrity basketball game, one akin to the NBA’s All-Star Celebrity match or one that is hosted by rappers, typically Southern ones. While shows such as Entourage frequently had episodes that satirized the relationships that celebrities have with the entertainment media and each other, “Nobody Beats the Biebs” puts both a uniquely funny spin on it, and one that has a fully realized African American voice.
(10/01/16 9:12pm)
There are thousands of stories about star-crossed lovers; Tanna recently joined this class of storytelling. However, Tanna is a version of Romeo and Juliet with a twist. It is based on a 1980’s true story of a forbidden love in a very traditional tribe on the island nation of Vanuatu.
(09/30/16 5:05pm)
What do you get when you combine the eeriness of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks with the 80’s nostalgia of films like The Goonies? Unsurprisingly, a captivating television show is born from this fusion of cult classics. Since it premiered on July 15, 2016, Matt and Ross Duffer’s Stranger Things has quickly earned a well-deserved spot alongside other Netflix original hits, staking claim as their third most watched program in its first month.
(09/30/16 4:00pm)
One has to wonder if all of Tim Burton’s movies take place in a shared universe. They at least have a shared aesthetic and Burton’s latest film, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, based off of the Ransom Riggs novel of the same name, is slathered in it. However, the characteristic wackiness becomes the only feature of interest.
(09/29/16 1:20pm)
“Sometimes you do things for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong ones and sometimes it’s impossible to tell the difference.”
(09/28/16 6:49pm)
The fourth episode of Donald Glover and FX’s smash hit, Atlanta, aptly entitled “The Streisand Effect,” weaves together an incredibly relatable, funny and thoughtful story in just over 20 minutes. While the show walks a fine line between comedy and drama, as many of the best shows now do, opting for the traditional runtime of a comedy, this episode conveys exactly why the show’s balance of comedy and drama works so well together in a shorter format.
(09/23/16 2:00pm)
“Somehow I don’t think you’ve solved my problem,” is a line said by the villain, Calvera (Eli Wallach) in the 1960’s version of the western film The Magnificent Seven, and something that rings true for much of director Antoine Fuqua’s remake. This version of the film stars Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington as guns for hire who promise to defend their town from Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), a man whose greed has crippled a small town out in the desert during the late 19th century.
(09/23/16 4:00pm)
New York Fashion Week is when the most fabulous and elite people in fashion come together to celebrate the fashion and makeup industry. Icons, such as Christian Dior, Valentino and Marc Jacobs inspire many people to mimic the styles their models wear. For those not fortunate enough to be there, here’s a list of this season’s newest makeup trends to follow, straight from the runway:
(09/24/16 4:00pm)
The fictional world of Westeros has real world implications about how we view the way plot and action take place on shows across networks. Netflix’s Narcos, whose second season dropped at the end of August, failed to adapt to the uber-tense sequences, horrific violence and emotional weight that Game of Thrones made standard. Thrones has Reddit users up late crafting theories, researching lore and trying to fit the puzzle pieces that are the show’s characters into a possible storyline that makes sense.
(09/22/16 1:19pm)
Snowden LIVE was broadcasted to over 800 movie theaters after an early screening of the new movie Snowden on September 14. The event was a live streamed interview with the director of the new movie, Oliver Stone, actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, as well as Edward Snowden, the man whose actions inspired the film.
(09/21/16 6:04pm)
Episode three of FX’s breakout hit, Atlanta, entitled “Go For Broke,” lives up to the stellar start of the series and tells an engaging and all too true story about chasing your dreams while dealing with harsh realties. Donald Glover’s aptly named character, Earn, attempts to win back his girlfriend Vanessa by taking her out to dinner, while his cousin, Paper Boi, partakes in a comedy of errors while trying to sell drugs.
(09/20/16 6:12pm)
Oliver Stone’s new biopic Snowden covers about 10 years of Edward Snowden’s life, and depicts the major life experiences that led him to leak confidential files belonging to the NSA. The film is set in 2013 in a Hong Kong hotel, where Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) tells Guardian reporters Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) and Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson) as well as documentarian Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) how he obtained secret NSA files, eventually giving them copies of the information.