By Aidan Lutz ‘27
With the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, many people wonder “How will this help my community?” Here in New Jersey, it means safe bridges and roads, proofing highways from extreme weather, working on the long-overdue Portal North Bridge infrastructure project, and more. By Sam Cooperman ’22
Ever since the release of the massive “Avengers: Endgame”, MCU fans have been dealing with the loss of four major characters from the past 10 years: Iron Man, Black Widow, Vision and Captain America. The most recent Marvel Disney+ original series, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” continues this intriguing new trend of exploring the grief of the characters closest to the ones who sacrificed themselves in the conclusion to the Infinity Saga. Immediately after “Endgame,” fans were shown their first taste of the MCU post blip with the globetrotting “Spider-Man: Far from Home.” This film was all about Peter Parker, Iron Man's former protege, dealing with the loss of the Universe’s greatest hero and stepping out of his shadow to allow Spider-Man to be his own hero and Peter to be his own man. By Sam Cooperman ‘22
“WandaVision,” the newest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that officially finished airing on Disney+, began shrouded in intrigue but concluded with a whimper. The show started with a mystery surrounding what the overall plot actually was. The trailer indicated that Wanda, or the Scarlet Witch, had seemingly married her love interest, the Vision, who was dead the last time we saw this franchise. On top of this, the show appeared to be presented as a 1960s sitcom causing massive amounts of speculation as to what could have revived the Vision, why the show’s format mocked sitcoms and why the other Avengers have not interfered. Sam Cooperman ‘22
The Monsterverse is Warner Bros’ attempt at a cinematic universe to rival the massively popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the upcoming “Godzilla vs. Kong” will be the make or break moment for this titan franchise. By Josh Lanmcan ‘24 Herman Mankiewicz was a disappointment to his family and bosses. A brilliant playwright who moved to Hollywood during the beginning of the sound period, he succumbed to alcoholism, only writing one great script in his life. But that script became “Citizen Kane,” a film that many proclaim to be the greatest ever made. Similar to the feelings his family holds for him, I too was disappointed by “Mank;” not the man, but the new movie, which is about him and his trials and tribulations while writing his greatest, and only great, script.
By Sam Cooperman ‘22 It took a decade, but 2020’s “Soul” shows the world that the Pixar we know and love is back.
The original 11 Pixar films (from “Toy Story” in 1995 to “Toy Story 3” in 2010) all received critical acclaim and were loved by audiences. However, since 2011’s “Cars 2,” Pixar has been struggling to get back to its roots. Most of Pixar’s original 11 are considered movies for adults that kids can follow which is something I recently discovered while rewatching most of the originals over winter break. The Whole World is Watching, So This Movie Should be Better: “The Trial of the Chicago Seven”12/15/2020 By Joshua Lancman ‘24 When I first found out about “The Trial of the Chicago Seven,” the new historical drama from screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin, about a historical trial in which police brutality was heavily involved, I found myself envying the producers for having a film that would relate so closely to current politics. The trial, trying the organizers of a protest against the Vietnam War for inciting a riot truly started by the police, relates well to the current events of the long-running Black Lives Matter protests. Any producer who ended up owning the distribution rights to this film must admire their luck just a little bit, at least until they realize that they don’t have a particularly good film on their hands.
By Josh Lancman ‘24 The films of Antonio Campos are about lonely people in surprisingly hostile situations. Whether it is a student in an unfriendly boarding school in “Afterschool” or a tourist in a foreign city in “Simon Killer,” his characters are always distinctly separated from the people around them; shown by the shallow focus – an isolator of the subject from the environment – constantly utilized in his films.
By Sam Cooperman
Marvel Studio’s latest film Captain Marvel has a marvelous post-credit scene. Other than that it’s nothing new. Captain Marvel is the 21st movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and introduces us to a very important character in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. She is officially the most powerful hero in the franchise so far, and this film shows us why that is. The film actually has a very big difference from all the Marvel movies before it, but when you watch it, Captain Marvel still feels the same.
Sam Lurie ‘18
As Disney and Lucasfilm count the billions they are making on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” many fans are theorizing about the film’s many unanswered questions. Two of the films most prominent mysteries are the identities of Rey’s parents and that of the new villain, Supreme Leader Snoke. |
Authors and EditorsArchives
February 2022
Recent ScoresSoul: 9/10
Mank: 7/10 Social Dilemma: 9/10 Chicago Seven: 6/10 |