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(05/15/18 8:33pm)
By Connor Tighe
Charlie Puth returns with his new pop songs on his latest album, Voicenotes. Although this album doesn’t differ compared to his earlier hits, this album still provides what Puth is all about. A man that can hit those sexy high notes while talking about his mystery girl—whoever that might be. Voicenotes perfectly symbolizes an artist who has grown along with his music.
(05/14/18 6:42pm)
By Phil Akin
This was played on the Nintendo Switch
This review mainly focuses on the new Funky Mode
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Switch is a challenging port. Not to mention that it’s a stunningly beautiful game both in docked and handheld modes. If you’re only in it for the visuals, you won’t be disappointed. Never before has Donkey Kong’s hair looked this good. I’ve never played a Donkey Kong game before, and what better way to jump into the series?
(04/26/18 5:35pm)
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/animation-a-team-s4e6-problems-with-apu[/embed]
We've got to talk about the problem with Apu, specifically the recent Simpsons episode that address the yearlong debacle with Apu being called out as an out-dated, racist stereotype of a character that either needs to be updated or ousted. We all know Apu: he's the Indian guy who owns the convenience store who's voiced by a white dude doing an Indian accent. In the new episode, the show addresses that this went unquestioned in the 90s, where as now it's framed as politically incorrect. But hey, what're you gonna do? Don't have a cow about it. Is this the right attitude to take up? Is this an issue of political correctness or that the Simpsons haven't evolved past their 90's heyday? Should things that are old be excused for their faux pas? (note that this episode came out this year) Is Apu an example of casual racism? It's telling that those arguing for his being a offense are actually Indian-American or Asian-America, while those saying to calm down are white. How should shows evolve overtime? Should they? Let's discuss all of this and some more on this Coven-esque A-Team.
Hosted by: Daley Wilhelm, Courtney Tuchman, Tanner Kinney
Edited by: Ashley Curry
Graphic by: Daley Wilhelm
Thumbnail by: Isabella Torres
(04/10/18 8:35pm)
By Makayla Hughes
Warning: This review may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of My Hero Academia
The first episode of the third season of My Hero Academia, “Game Start,” did not have much going on in the episode, but mainly served as a refresher for what happened previously. After the action from season two, the viewer may expect a little more, but this episode is light-hearted while teasing at what is next in this season.
The hype leading up to the release of the new episode led to a slight disappointment of it being a recap episode, with most of the episode focusing on flashbacks and what happened previously. It also dedicates time to each character and their quirks. By the end of the episode, the viewer is left feeling as if nothing really happened from this filler. There is a little plot development with the leader of the League of Villains, Tomura Shigaraki, sharing his goals, and every other character getting ready for the summer training camp.
Since the up-and-coming heroes had been previously attacked by the League of Villains, U.A. asked the students to not stray too far away from the school while on summer vacation. This upset a few of the female characters, so they decide to rent the school’s pool to sunbathe. Minoru Mineta and Denki Kaminari catch wind of their idea and decide to rent the pool with Deku under the cover of “extra training.” Deku decides to message all the other boys in the class and invite them to the pool for training exercises.
This light-hearted episode is a breather from the chaos of last season and before the pick-up of the summer training camp arc that will happen next. The reunion of class 1-A is refreshing as the characters are allowed to use their quirks since they are on school grounds. This allows the viewers to see how far each character has come with some of the quirks. It also shows the viewer of why both Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki became heroes and mentions what their goals are for this next season, especially since each of them wishes to be the best.
Naturally, when you get the class of 1-A together unsupervised, the viewer is in for a fun ride because of the mash of personalities. Everyone is here for their own reasons, but it is always humorous when they are able to relax together. The humor makes this show so lovable and memorable. My Hero Academia revolves around kids, but with everything 1-A has been through in the past, they rarely get time to have fun and be kids, making the episode different from what the viewer has seen in the past.
As always, the visuals of My Hero Academia captivate the viewer with the beautiful scenery and action sequences. The scenes look natural and fluid. A personal favorite scene of mine was when the camera zoomed in on the scars on Deku’s hand in order to remind the audience of how far he has come. He went from only being able to break something to use his super power to calling it with ease. Although there were many flashbacks, they still looked beautiful and in sequence with the show.
There is not much in the way of character development; they mostly use this episode to share why some of the major characters are there and what their goals are. There is a fair amount of screen time dedicated to each of the characters so most of them get a little screen time, with the girls of the class getting the least. It also shows how a lot of the characters have more respect for each other and what they can do. Some, like Bakugo, don’t want the others to go down without a fight.
This episode sets up well for the training camp to come. It also shares how nervous the teachers at U.A. are with the upcoming camping and what they are doing to make sure the students are safe, along with what Tomura Shigaraki hopes to accomplish in the upcoming months and his deep hatred for All Might. The creators also make sure to connect Shigaraki’s focus with Bakugo’s own for All Might because for him to be the best hero, he needs to beat the current number one.
Overall, the episode wasn’t much. It sets up the rest of the season and allows for the viewer to remember the lovable characters, while teasing what the League of Villains is up to. It was nice and easy to watch, and will make any viewer eagerly await the next episode.
(03/29/18 4:28pm)
By: Phil Akin
Stay Outside, a local band consisting of vocalist Aaron Becker, guitarist Garrett Johnston, bassist Sean West, and drummer Noah Mitchener, released a remixed EP called O,FN II. The EP takes the songs “Braveheart,” “Void," and “Wanderer” from their previous EP, Okay, For Now and revamps them in a softer, more mellow tone while adding an appropriate “II” to the end of each title. It’s important to know going forward that this is a remix, this isn’t what the band normally sounds like. While these new songs aren’t a stretch for the band, it isn’t what you’d usually hear from them.
(03/22/18 8:03am)
by Joe Bursley
Looking back at the 2010s, it’s amazing how many wonderful cartoons that have graced our screens. With shows like Gravity Falls, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, We Bare Bears, DuckTales (2017), and Over the Garden Wall, this decade has been so great for TV animation that it is easy to forget about trite like Teen Titans GO! (shudders). However, we would be remiss to leave out an important female creator that made waves in the industry on not one, but two great shows. That creator, in case you can’t tell by the article title, is none other than Rebecca Sugar.
Having started as a story writer, storyboard artist, and song writer for Adventure Time, Rebecca Sugar is perhaps more widely known for creating and developing Steven Universe. Both of these shows have been successful for similar reasons, which is what makes Sugar’s impact and legacy so phenomenal.
Before we dive into her works, let’s first get some background on Sugar herself. Sugar’s first dip into the world of professional art was drawing comics for her high school newspaper and winning first place in a Newspaper Individual Writing and Editing contest. Later, she would attend the School of Visual Arts in New York, before joining the Adventure Time team as a storyboard revisionist. After a month, she was promoted to storyboard artist during the second season, before leaving in the fifth to dedicate her time to Steven Universe.
Sugar is often credited for many of the songs in Adventure Time, such as “I’m Just Your Problem,” “Remember You,” and “My Best Friends in the World.” She even returned to write the song “Everything Stays” for the Stakes miniseries while working on Steven Universe. She is also noted for adding some of the more heartfelt and emotional episodes into the series, which helps explain much of the similar appeal behind Steven Universe. When she pitched Steven Universe, she became the first female to independently create a show on Cartoon Network.
Now, why is Steven Universe so appealing as to have over 100 episodes in five seasons spanning five years? Part of that comes from what Rebecca Sugar has carried over from her time at Adventure Time. The series focuses on the Crystal Gems, mystical beings dedicated to protecting Earth from monsters and such. The titular character, Steven, is the youngest and only half-human member of the Crystal Gems, and the show focuses on his adventures with his mystical guardians Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, as well as the diverse and wacky residents of Beach City.
Unlike a typical action/adventure show, Steven Universe goes the extra mile by including heartfelt characters with realistic development, excellent music, and a mysterious backstory that touches on themes of war, identity, and good and evil. All wrapped up in a colorful, imaginative, and seemingly lighthearted cartoon. Y’know, for kids!
Not to get too spoiler-y here, but some of the more “adult” and “sophisticated” themes that Steven Universe and Adventure Time focus on are war and its victims, LGBT+ relationships (Rebecca herself is bisexual), identity and self-definition, mental illness, and the permanence of death. It is really amazing that both of these shows are able to mix these themes with genuine humor and lighthearted stories without looking like it belongs on Adult Swim, such as Bojack Horseman or Rick and Morty.
For instance, despite the main protagonist being a young boy, all of the other Gems in the series, from allies to enemies, have been coded as females. Nearly all of the Gems are strong, powerful, and unique characters with their own story arcs and development, passing both the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests for fiction. Some of the characters also represent the LGBT+ community, such as Garnet who is the embodiment of a lesbian relationship. The show also deals with intimate relationships and consent, using fusion between two gems as a not-so-subtle metaphor for sexual intercourse. In an era when kids’ shows, such as Cartoon Network’s favorite Teen Titans GO! (*shudders*), are one-dimensional, goofy, and generally shallow, Steven Universe’s poignant yet important handling of real-world issues and topics is bold and refreshing.
If you want to explore more about these shows, Adventure Time is currently airing it’s tenth and final season of the series this year. Steven Universe, on the other hand, is in its fifth season, with new episodes scheduled to air April 9th. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up! After all, we could go on another six month hiatus after the new episodes premiere, just like we did last year! (*laughter turns to violent sobbing*)
Both of these magnificent cartoons have been fully manifested at least in part by Rebecca Sugar, who was named one of Forbes’ “30 under 30 in Entertainment” in 2012, for her outstanding work on both series. It’s been amazing to see her bold creativity these last few years, and personally, I can’t wait to see what she’ll deliver in the future.
(03/18/18 4:15pm)
by Tt Shinkan
Even if you’re not from Chicago, you’re probably familiar with one its most famous pieces of art. The magnificent statue called Cloud Gate, or what’s commonly referred to as The Bean. Built in 2004 by Indian-born British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, the statue stands right in the middle of Millennium Park, a few feet away from the Art Institute of Chicago. Since it’s unveiling nearly 14 years ago, The Bean has been a hub for tourists and locals alike, standing next to it’s mirror-like exterior trying to snap that perfect selfie telling the world, “Look at me! I’m in Chicago!”
Growing up just a half an hour away from the city, I never saw the appeal of The Bean. I even have this running joke among my family and friends that I even despise the structure, which honestly, isn’t far from the truth. I believe my disliking of it started my junior and senior years of high school when my prom group wanted to go see the statue the day after prom both years. We grew up in a small Indiana town a half hour away, we’ve seen The Bean before. There’s even a picture of me in front of it last summer with an unamused expression. If I’m being honest, I can write a whole book about why I don’t like The Bean, but this feature isn’t about my dislike for Cloud Gate, actually it’s more of a story of irony. You see, back last October, I created a Facebook event dedicated to The Bean that went viral.
(03/12/18 9:00pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
Indiana is not exactly known for music production. While people like Michael Jackson and Matchbox Twenty’s Kyle Cook were born here, Indiana is no music giant. However, there are still artists everywhere working hard and producing work. Indiana is home to many incredible local artists.
Former Vandal is a musical duo out of Fort Wayne, comprised of Quinn Wentz (vocals) and Christian Delzoppo (drums). Currently, on Spotify they have more than 57,000 monthly listeners. They also have popular songs like “Well Off” which has reached more than 700,000 streams, “War” which has reached more than 500,000 streams and “Good Kid” which has reached more than 188,000.
<a href="http://formervandal.bandcamp.com/track/war">WAR by Former Vandal</a>
<a href="http://formervandal.bandcamp.com/track/please-mama">PLEASE MAMA by Former Vandal</a>
They recently spoke with Byte about who they are as artists and what being an artist in Indiana is like.
(02/28/18 9:44pm)
by Joe Bursley
The latest premium smartphone from Samsung, the S9 and the S9+, were announced on Sunday, February 25th. Many people were expecting a follow-up to the groundbreaking S8 phones from last year, as well as a “rival” to the iPhone X, because every phone needs to be compared to Apple and not the other way around—obviously. After an explosive year for smartphones, there were many skeptics believing that Samsung would be unable provide an innovative and amazing new phone that would live up to the hype set by the previous year. After watching the official release video, I have one thing to say to those skeptics: You were right.
The Samsung S9’s best and most prideful feature is the camera; in fact, the tagline for the new flagship device is “The Camera. Reimagined.” In my opinion, this outranks “Bigger than bigger” for worst phone tagline ever. If you’ve read my critiques of the iPhone 8 and X or the Google Pixel 2, you know that super-fancy camera technology does not sell me a phone. That being said, I understand that in today’s selfie culture, high-end cameras are a vital consideration for smart devices. But, come on. I’m not the first person to point out that this new phone is the Galaxy S8 with a nicer camera. Samsung has tried for years to break into Apple’s iron grip on THE “selfie” phone, but now they are just being obtuse about it.
I knock the fancy camera, but to be fair, this is actually a slick piece of hardware. The camera features a dual-aperture option on the rear 12MP camera, allowing the camera to adjust to different light levels just like the human eye. Since most other phones only have one aperture setting, they instead change the shutter speed and light sensitivity of the picture for digital camera work. Samsung has also improved the slow-motion video to a stunning 960 FPS, and added their very own somehow creepier AR emojis to rival the Animojis of the latest iPhone.
Samsung also is working with their personal assistant, Bixby, and utilizing AR to superimpose live translations of foreign words (fitting, since Samsung is a Korean company marketing primarily in the US), supposedly show calories in food, and give live updates of the weather and location information directly in the camera app using Bixby Vision.
Outside of the camera, there doesn’t seem to be much going for the S9, other than that it operates on Android 8 Oreo until this fall when Google releases Android 9 P-something (my guess is something with peanut butter or pie...peanut butter pie?). Overall, the body and hardware specs remain almost the same as the S8, only slightly shorter and fatter. 18.5:9 aspect ratio on a curved Infinity display, SD/microSD card slot and (thank the heavens) headphone jack, USB-C charging port—the only key differences I can see are the repositioned fingerprint sensor (underneath the camera lens instead of next to it) and dual speakers at the top and bottom for stereo sound. Oh, and a “lilac pink” color option is available. Needless to say, I think I and many people were expecting more innovation for this smartphone.
Samsung isn’t the only phone company struggling with this issue; I critiqued Apple for the not-so innovative iPhone 8, which was practically a glass iPhone 7. In fact, there has been growing criticism for the “marginal” improvements from high-end phone companies over the last few years. It seems as though the market is moving faster than the pace of innovation in the smart device world. The only phones that typically stand out are those mid-range phones with fancy gimmicks employed to sell an otherwise average phone: Moto Z mods, Caterpillar’s thermal-imaging phone (why is Caterpillar even selling smartphones?), and the LG Flex all had fancy selling points that never caught on to the mainstream.
What all does this mean for consumers and the smartphone market as a whole? Well, for one thing, it means you shouldn’t feel the need to upgrade your phone every year or every other year because the minor technology improvements likely won’t justify the hefty price tag associated. For instance, when I upgraded from my 2013 Samsung S4 to the 2016 Google Pixel, I jumped forwards in technology and OS versions by a significant amount. It’s now been about 17 months since the first Google Pixel was introduced, and the flagship phones that have been released—including the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, Samsung S8, and Google Pixel 2—I haven’t seen as significant a leap in technology as I did previously. So, if you buy a new iPhone every other year, maybe you don’t need to. That extra cash could go towards any number of other purchases.
Smartphone manufacturers that don’t have mobs of people lining up for the latest and greatest phone will likely have to shift their strategies for both marketing and developing new phones. There has been talk about flexible smart phones, and I’m quite disappointed we didn’t see the rumored Galaxy X released here. Perhaps they are waiting until later in the year for a foldable Galaxy Note. Regardless if we, as consumers, refuse to buy phones that aren’t innovative and groundbreaking, then these companies will be forced to develop phones that are.
(02/04/18 1:44am)
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/remixed-s3e1-wait-what-year-is-this[/embed]
We're back with a brand new season of Remixed! On this episode, we talk about some recent dub step goodness, disappointment in Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, as well as the return of Black Eyed Peas and Enrique Iglesias.
Hosts: Tyler Wheatey, Matthew Yapp
Edited by: Sarah James
Graphic by: Daley Wilhelm
(02/02/18 9:52pm)
By Daley Wilhelm
Hey 90’s kids, remember PBS? Remember Arthur? Based on a book series of the same name, the show centered around an anthropomorphic aardvark and his friends. Despite it’s after school special nature, the show managed to avoid a condescending tone and featured an entertaining and relatable cast of characters.
For a show that often came down to messages of “reading is fun” and “don’t lie to your parents about getting cut on a rusty can at the dump” Arthur was highly meme-able, which is perhaps is what led to the show’s renaissance on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/shadyarthur/status/712483249759641600
https://twitter.com/shadyarthur/status/926101293206327296
https://twitter.com/shadyarthur/status/924651090892779521
The most recognizable meme to come out of Arthur is easily the “Arthur fist clench meme” which gained the attention of the show’s production who said that while they appreciated the memes, they were “disappointed by the few that are outside of good taste.” They are a kid’s show after all.
https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/834143194619138048
https://twitter.com/iceefiji/status/758570195120037888
https://twitter.com/josieyvette_/status/758566209075884032
But there is so much more to Arthur than meme-ability. While that certainly adds to the show’s appeal, there’s much within the content of the show itself that we all should stop and appreciate for a moment.
https://twitter.com/shadyarthur/status/839286422460903424
Arthur is more than memes
Okay, so technically everyone is anthropomorphic animals. Aardvarks, rabbits, moose, and whatever the hell Nadine is. Ignoring that--and that like with Disney, some dogs are people and some dogs are pets--there is racial coding to each of the characters.
While Alan “The Brain” Powers is a bear, he is also coded as African American. This is mentioned throughout the show, most prominently during the Christmas special wherein The Brain talks about celebrating Kwanzaa. Being the smartest character in the show, and being on a show unafraid of diversity, viewers actually learn about the holiday from him.
Even more prominently featured was Francine Frensky’s Jewish heritage. There was an entire episode entitled “Is That Kosher?” wherein the Frensky family celebrates Yom Kippur. Francine’s grandmother who she calls “Bubby” (grandmother in Yiddish) as voiced by one of many celebrity guests, Joan Rivers, comes to celebrate too.
During the episode, various Yom Kippur traditions such as fasting are mentioned, along with the fact that Francine’s Turkish penpal Adil Akyuz was celebrating Ramadan. It should be noted that this was the episode after the one in which Binky and his family adopt a baby girl named Mei Lin from China.
Throughout the series, Arthur explores the cultural, racial, and physical differences that kids might encounter in their everyday lives. A season 13 episode called “When Carl Met George” gained widespread praise when it featured a new character named Carl, who had Aspergers. The autism spectrum is something adults have a hard time explaining to other adults, but Arthur managed to encapsulate why Carl saw the world differently in about two minutes.
As previously mentioned, Arthur keeps consistent in featuring these characters and explores their issues, rather than the issues the main cast might have with them. Like when Prunella (who is a dog… I think) was found guilty of the crime of reading ahead in the final Henry Skreever book that she was supposed to wait to read with her blind friend Marina.
This episode came out during the same time the final Harry Potter book was released. Arthur would often comment and parody the latest pop cultural phenomenons.
https://youtu.be/K2Mq9weziwY
But Arthur also has a particular penchant for literary callbacks that children might not be familiar with. During one of many Halloween specials, The Brain makes a reference to Edgar Allen Poe’s The Telltale Heart. Several episodes are puns on various films like “Citizen Frensky” or “The Good, the Bad, and the Binky.”
And then you have references that are clearly meant to go over kid’s heads:
https://twitter.com/BlaireMoskowitz/status/957958881111674881
https://twitter.com/shadyarthur/status/927248417952329728
Arthur is also a kid’s show that doesn’t pull punches. Early on it tackles issues like death, plagiarism, and income inequality. All this while featuring numerous cultural figures like musician Yo-Yo Ma, poet Jack Prelutsky, and that one weird time with Matt Damon.
https://twitter.com/buildmeacity/status/956714681682579458
https://twitter.com/shadyarthur/status/857738348491886592
Arthur is still ongoing, and although I’m not as big a fan of the obvious Flash animation, it’s core characters and values are still there. Arthur is definitely worth remembering, fellow 90’s kids, if not worth a rewatch. Just listen to the theme song, and you’ll find yourself back on the couch after a tough day of 4th grade:
Sources: Arthur Wikia, Wikipedia
Images: Twitter, YouTube, Playrific
(01/24/18 2:47am)
By Gunner Masters and Teri Lightning Jr.
Fans and motors whir and lights blink on as a subtle beep confirms the machine’s coming to life. A game is booted up and worlds and universes of infinite possibility open upon a screen, a window into the digital realm. Perhaps a story of a legendary warrior imbued with mystical powers or a fast-paced multiplayer shooter with friends and strangers set in the battlefields of the World Wars.
These experiences harken back to familiar times when Pac-Man and Galaga ruled arcades. Whether people are screaming at a significant other in Mario Party, moving their body to Just Dance, or testing their skills against another player in Street Fighter, gaming plays a serious role in many people’s lives.
Zach Sexton, a graduate student at Ball State University began playing video games when he was young and his first experience with gaming led him to become a lifelong gamer.
“My first memory of playing video games was playing Sonic the Hedgehog with my dad on Christmas,” Sexton said, as he reflected on that cherished experience and he explained that his parents grew up as gamers. “He got a Sega Genesis and decided that a good way to bond as father and son was to play games.”
Chase Neukam, the president of the Cardinal E-Sports Club at BSU, also became a gamer because of his family.
“As a kid I stayed with my grandma and she had a Nintendo 64 and I don’t remember my first game, but I remember playing Mario Kart and Donkey Kong 64,” Neukam said. “It honestly changed my life.”
“I originally got into gaming because of stories,” Neukam said. “Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first game I ever one-hundred-percented because I loved it so much.”
Chris Robinson, the media director for the Cardinal E-Sports Club, grew up gaming as well.
“I would say my first game was either Pokemon Red or Blue on the GameBoy Advanced and if I wasn’t playing that it was something on the PlayStation 2,” Robinson said. “I think I was in third grade at the time.”
(12/30/17 4:30pm)
By Daley Wilhelm
Unpopular opinion: 2017 wasn’t actually a complete garbage fire. Despite a constant flurry of bad news, natural disasters and national scandals, there were some bright spots in the darkness, too. For the sake of positivity, let’s look back on some of the best moments of the year.
1. We live in the future
Sometimes we forget the incredibly technologically advanced times that we live in. It’s easy to take for granted that we have more computing power in our pockets than what NASA used to reach the moon. Interest in space travel has spiked once again under the advances made by companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its rival in the newfound space race, Blue Origin, which is looking into being the first to supply the burgeoning demand for space tourism.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/936782477502246912
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/836328719165763584
The stars have never been closer.
2. Women are wondrous: getting abusers fired
Wonder Woman was an absolute inspiration for all those who saw it, but especially to women since it was the first superhero film with a heroine at the center of it’s narrative. Gal Gadot embodied Diana Prince with grace and integrity that translated both on the screen and off. Wonder Woman 2, an important title considering that the first film is the highest grossing DC film to come out in a while, will happen under the condition that Brett Ratner will not be involved with it’s production. Gadot, who had not yet been signed to the movie, stated that she would not work with Ratner because of the many sexual assault accusations against him.
In the current sleaze-ridden state of Hollywood, Gadot has taken a step further in preventing serial assaulters from having continued access to people to prey on. While I’m hesistant to say that there’s a good thing to come out all these sexual assault scandals, it’s important to note that people are being heard and that there are finally some consequences to be had.
3. Nintendo is killing it
This year we got the Nintendo Switch after so much anticipation. All the fantastic games created for their unique setup do not disappoint: 1-2-Switch, 2017’s Game of the Year The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the infinitely delightful Super Mario Odyssey have made for many wonderful memories for both longtime Nintendo fans and new players.
Nintendo is giving fans what they’ve wanted for a long time in opening up to third party, triple-A games for the Switch. Playing Skyrim on the go is an experience, but what’s even better is the indie library for the Switch. Stardew Valley is a personal favorite of mine, and has charmed both PC and console players.
But let’s face it: the Nintendo game that got us all hooked in 2017 was the mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
4. Music saved us
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/remixed-s2e4-paint-the-town-pnk
Bad times means good music. Music can be cathartic, can give voice to all the frustrations caused by a bad year. Green Day came back with a vengeance, proving that divisive political climates creates the best punk music. Eminem also returned to the music scene, performing an incredible cypher during the BET awards that garnered 42 million views.
Many of the best bops of 2017 were from old favorites like P!nk and Demi Lovato. Kendrick Lamar delivered in usual fashion yet another fantastic album in DAMN. He’ll finally be getting deserved recognition for it too, having been nominated for 2017’s Album of the Year at the Grammy’s this coming February.
There’s a lot of music that we would highly recommend for your New Year’s Eve playlist. Check it out here.
5. We had some movies that weren’t actually remakes
It’s a little sad when it’s become the exception to the rule that an original concept is made into a movie. 2017, like 2016 was and like 2018 will be, was filled with superhero sequels and poorly conceived anime adaptations and while those are sometimes good, great even, it’s nice to not be able to predict the end of the movie for once.
We had a lot of favorites, but in terms of originality films like Split and Get Out surprised us in the best ways. Pixar took a step away from its old formula to give us a whole new kind of tear-jerker in Coco. And Byte had a great time at the Heartland Film Festival, where originality was the rule.
Escapism was the name of the game this year, and the entertainment industry provided welcome distraction from the seemingly constant bad news 2017 had in store. If you want to wallow in the bad, you can remind yourself of all the reasons why 2017 was a dumpster fire here. Or you can stay here and look at this cat.
https://twitter.com/catsu/status/946822474653724673
(12/30/17 4:20pm)
by Daley Wilhelm
Let’s be honest: last year wasn’t the best. But 2017 had a special way of astounding me every time I glanced at the news. Astounding me in the wholly worst of ways. The list of why 2017 was a horrible, terrible, no good year is a long one, but excluding natural disasters and national embarrassments, I narrowed it down to five things that contributed to 2017’s particular brand of rankness.
(12/29/17 10:00pm)
by Daley Wilhelm, Sarah James, Conner Tighe, Michael Robb, Emily Reuben, Ryan Fine and Jeremy Rogers
Every year produces a relentless heaping of blockbuster films that sell fantastically, but how many of them are actually good is another question entirely. Though the major circuit may have been a little bit short on masterpieces this year, it was by no means empty. We got another great Pixar movie, a beautiful shoutout to The Room, and the best M. Night Shyamalan film in a long time. We also caught a whole host of independent films at Heartland Film Festival this year, some of which were made in our own backyard. So as it turns out, the year of The Disaster Artist wasn't such a disaster after all.
Split
2017 showed that M. Night Shyamalan is back to being a master at the plot twist after his past critical stumbles with After Earth and The Visit. While visually and aurally enthralling, it’s really the acting that makes Split one of 2017’s most memorable. James McAvoy plays Kevin, whose dissociative identity disorder has splintered him into 24 unique personalities, and his embodiment of these individual identities is nothing short of impressively terrifying. There’s a subtle physical shift as each personality emerges that is not always inherently creepy, but there’s just something unsettling about the ease in which McAvoy can switch from a gruff germaphobe with a Jersey accent, to a manipulative matron with plush cardigans, to a young British Eminem-wannabe named Hedwig.
McAvoy’s performance does not eclipse the satisfying writing of the film. It’s a horror film without the frustration of characters that lack common sense. The kidnapped girls at the center of the narrative are smart, sharp and apt to survive. Whether or not they do would be spoilers, but there’s no telling what might happen in an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Split was no exception, and was a refreshingly original concept in a year filled with sequels and remakes. - Daley Wilhelm
Click here to read our original review of Split.
Get Out
Perhaps the best movie to be released in 2017, Get Out is an excellent film full of great writing, superb acting and a plot that is sure to keep viewers at the edge of their seats. This film still boasts a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s pretty easy to see why; comic icon Jordan Peele did not disappoint with his directorial debut. Get Out is full of subtle details, and begs to be watched again and again. With excellent pacing and a fantastic cast, Get Out is a film that stands out in an oversaturated horror genre, tackling racism in an inventive and thought-provoking way. - Sarah James
Click here to read our original review of Get Out.
Logan
Ending Wolverine’s story on a high note, Logan introduced a different take on the claw-wielding hero. The film is the darkest of the series, featuring its first-ever R rating. It has been nominated for Best Action Movie at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, with Patrick Stewart also picking up a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film has already claimed Best Music at the Golden Trailer Awards and Best Duo between Hugh Jackman and Dafne Keen at the MTV Movie and TV Awards. Wolverine fans will enjoy the familiar action and adrenaline flow Logan has to offer. - Conner Tighe
Click here to read our original review of Logan.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
Marvel kicked off the summer of 2017 with its long-awaited sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy. Full of bright colors and the same quippy characters from the first film, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 has a lot of what made the first film great, even though it ultimately falls short to its predecessor due to its heavy-handedness. It’s true that Vol. 2 is very funny, and has plenty of quality jokes as well as another kicking soundtrack, but in the end, some of the jokes were a little too ham-fisted and took away from the more dramatic plot elements. Still, overall it’s definitely a fun movie, and if you were a fan of the first one, then you’ll enjoy this adventure as the Guardians save the galaxy once again. - Sarah James
Click here to read our original review of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Out of all the Marvel movies released this year, Spider-Man: Homecoming was one the greatest. For the first time on the big screen, Spidey was convincingly shown the way he was supposed to be: a young kid trying to find his place in this world, both as a student and a hero. Tom Holland does an incredible job of capturing the quirkiness of Peter’s personality, and his performance has cemented him as the face of Spider-Man for many movies to come.
This film stands head and shoulders above other Marvel films due in large part to Michael Keaton’s character, the Vulture. Other than Loki, no villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had really stood out in any memorable way, but the twist that occurs in the middle of the film - and the tense conversation between him and Peter shortly after - cement Vulture as one of the top villains in the MCU. Let's hope Thanos can keep this trend going into Infinity War. - Michael Robb
Click here to read our original review of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The Best of Heartland Film Festival
This year Byte had the wonderful privilege of covering Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis for the first time. Several of our writers were in attendance at the nearly two-week event, meeting with various casts and crews and covering a dozen great films in a short span of time.
Life Itself
Life Itself isn’t one of this year’s new releases, however it remains exceedingly powerful and emotionally rewarding years following its release. The story of film critic Roger Ebert’s life is filled with ups and downs, but ultimately this documentary is an incredibly uplifting experience. Showcasing Ebert’s immense love of cinema and remarkable writing skills amongst his ailing health, Life Itself offers a very sincere, human look into a man who simply loved going to the movies. - Emily Reuben
Click here to read our original review of Life Itself.
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
Usually when raving about the success of a film, all we hear about are the efforts of the directors and cast. Producers are largely background figures operating outside of the spotlight. This is definitely true for Alan Ladd Jr., though he has garnered fame for his involvement in getting Star Wars off the ground. Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies gives some insight into Ladd’s movie career and the movie industry as a whole. Anyone remotely interested in cinema should know Ladd’s name and should certainly see this film! - Emily Reuben
Click here to read our original review of Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies.
The Best of All Worlds
Die beste aller Welten (The Best of All Worlds) is a stunning debut from fledgling Austrian director Adrian Goiginger. Almost completely autobiographical in nature, the film documents the daily life of 7-year-old Adrian, who in general has a fantastic childhood. The only thing that may put a damper on it is his mother Helga's drug addiction and her like-minded friends who frequently hang out around their house. The premise of watching Helga's internal battle between her dependency and her unconditional love for Adrian alone makes this a story worth watching. The intermittent, perfectly shot fantasy-adventure scenes that appear throughout the movie are incorporated delicately and with a stroke of genius, taking the experience to a new level entirely. - Ryan Fine
Click here to read our original review of The Best of All Worlds.
Dealt
Luke Korem's energetic documentary feature Dealt is a magic trick in and of itself. Following renowned card magician (or rather, card mechanic) Richard Turner through performances across the country and around the globe, the primary conflict of Dealt is that of Turner's hardline no-weakness philosophy versus his unavoidable identity as a blind man. With its stellar representation of all sides of a complicated issue and ASMR-like card shuffling imagery, it's no wonder this film ended up on Heartland Film Festival's documentary finalist shortlist. - Ryan Fine
Click here to read our original review of Dealt.
The New Fire
The New Fire is a captivating documentary that does just about everything right. It tackles an issue that is taboo at worst and fringe at best with stunning clarity and good humor. It’s hard to imagine a profession with more technical skill and higher stakes than a nuclear physicist; however, The New Fire succinctly makes its case for embracing a new generation of entrepreneurs who are trying to reinvent how we interact with nuclear energy in the United States. Not content with having an opinion, the documentary crew showcase the opinions of world renowned climatologists and other scientists to demonstrate just how out of touch the common perception is from the scientific reality of nuclear power. The presentation in the documentary is simple and clear but never in a condescending way; the audience is never talked down to while learning about complex subjects. Clear visuals and snappy editing make understanding the complicated subject matter easy and enjoyable.
Unlike other environmental or true crime documentaries that captivate an audience through a feeling of despair, shock, and awe, The New Fire oozes a warm, thoroughly grounded optimism. This is one of the documentary’s greatest strengths. It takes what could have easily been a film full of despair and angry hand wringing, and instead crafts a narrative line about hope, innovation, and opportunity. It even manages to work in a surprise musical number into the mix. The New Fire shows that decades of prejudice and an indifferent political climate cannot stop the millennial generation from solving complex societal issues and lighting the way for the rest of the world with the new, nuclear fire of progress. - Jeremy Rogers
Click here to read our original review of The New Fire.
(12/21/17 2:00pm)
by Ryan Fine
What makes Tommy Wiseau’s The Room such a brilliant film is that from an objective standpoint, it’s one of the worst movies anyone has ever made. You can dissect and analyze what makes The Room bad in exactly the same way you can analyze what makes The Godfather good. In the 15 years since it was first released, its spectacular failure has turned it into a cult classic and a shining pinnacle of so-bad-it’s-good media.
Now, in an attempt to answer some of the many questions surrounding the film, James Franco has concocted The Disaster Artist, an unconventional movie-about-a-movie based on Greg Sestero’s book of the same name. Not only does The Disaster Artist manage to pull off a coherent story based on one of the least coherent stories of all time, but this is actually the first great movie James Franco and Seth Rogen have ever made.
Playing the impossible character
Where is Tommy Wiseau from? How did he get the money to make The Room? How old is he? All of these questions and more are asked of Wiseau in The Disaster Artist, but he answers none of them and hasn’t done so in the real world either. Considering that Wiseau is one of the most mysterious figures on the planet, James Franco had his work cut out for him trying to portray him on the big screen.
But man, did he pull it off.
In The Disaster Artist, James Franco focuses on the bare essentials of Tommy Wiseau. His character is aloof but good-humored, and passionate but certainly not talented. He even does a pretty good job at catching the nuances of Wiseau’s infamous accent from God-knows-where. It’s tough to call him a natural fit for the role, but then again, who would be? He does as good of a job as anyone could have when playing a real-life alien creature.
James Franco is not the only star of this show. The Disaster Artist serves as the first collaboration between James and Dave Franco, the latter of whom plays opposite his brother as Greg Sestero (Mark in The Room). Though Dave Franco usually avoids working with James on principle, it’s easy to see why he had to break that rule to co-star in this movie. Based on both his looks and his demeanor, he is a prime choice to fill the shoes of Sestero.
The supporting characters are equally well cast. Cameo roles from Hannibal Buress, Bob Odenkirk and Bryan Cranston are a delight to watch, and none of them even compare to the performances from those playing actors from The Room. The on-set scenes feature countless shot-for-shot remakes of moments from the original movie, with Josh Hutcherson as Philip Haldiman (Denny), Zac Efron as Dan Janjigian (Chris-R), Nathan Fielder as Kyle Vogt (Peter) and Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle (Lisa). Graynor in particular is an expert at replicating her original role and all of its quirks, to the point where sometimes I couldn’t believe she wasn’t the original Lisa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZSAf47IGUk
The story and the story within the story
There’s a reason this movie’s title refers to its source material openly as a disaster. Tommy Wiseau, bent on trying to present The Room as a “real Hollywood movie”, forgot to make sure that it was actually a coherent work of art first and foremost. Its countless sins include repeating lines far more times than necessary, introducing an entire cancer plot and immediately abandoning it, and even planting an entire new character into the last act with no introduction and expecting us not to notice.
But The Disaster Artist isn’t The Room, it’s just a documentation of how The Room happened. And that’s an important distinction, because there are two levels of storytelling going on here at any given time. The marriage of the real-world story of Tommy and Greg with the cinematic story of Johnny and Mark is one of the strong points of The Disaster Artist.
The problem? Anyone who hasn’t seen The Room is immediately going to miss out on half of that narrative. It’s not that it’s impossible to enjoy it without an in-and-out knowledge of the original movie, but considering its nature as a celebration of terrible filmmaking, it works much better as a companion piece than as a standalone movie. Sure, it’s a story of friendship, but on a surface level, it's tricky to assert how well that friendship works for people who are just now experiencing it for the first time.
“If a lot of people love each other, the world would be a better place to live”
Some of the strongest areas of The Disaster Artist are its personality and its faithfulness. It’s a hilarious movie, and although well-deserved credit should be given to the writers and actors, much of that humor comes directly from the fact that it’s a movie about Tommy Wiseau. And that’s not to mock him; Tommy Wiseau is a legitimately interesting person and he’s a lot of fun to watch on screen. The heart that he puts into his work is unmatched by just about anyone else in the industry, regardless of how it turns out.
The chemistry between Tommy and Greg is bizarre but magnificent. Tommy’s early interactions with Greg’s mother as the two are about to move in together are hysterical, as is Tommy’s attempt to make up for his mistakes by injecting them into his screenplay. The Disaster Artist is James Franco’s most critically successful film to date, and that’s because he didn’t have to try to make it funny. He just told the story as it happened, and if it turned out to be funny all the better. Most of the re-shot scenes from The Room are stunningly faithful to the original, done with the same care and respect you would expect from a remake of a movie leagues better. By the end of the movie, it’s hard to avoid laughing at the simple fact that a story like this could possibly be so heartwarming.
Featured image from AnyGoodFilms
(11/29/17 8:42pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
If you’ve watched PBS kids, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, CNN, AMC, TBS, Nickelodion, Discovery, or Animal Planet within the last two decades, there is a good chance you’ve already seen the work of Douglass Grimmett and his animation company, Primal Screen.
When Grimmett came to Ball State to talk about his company earlier this month, he talked about his childhood and how he got from being a kid who couldn’t draw to being the founder of a company that routinely works for Cartoon Network, PBS and Nickelodeon.
As a young child, Grimmett was inspired by the 1950 Oscar winning film Harvey to start drawing. The story of a man (Jimmy Stewart) who sees a 6’3” white rabbit named Harvey walking and talking with him that no one else can see or hear. Grimmett took his love of drawing to school with him, where he was the sole artist for his school’s newspaper. He drew comics such as In the Lunchroom and Butch Rotten, which was inspired by Goofus and Gallant, a comic series featured in Highlights magazine. After school, Grimmet went on to make his own independently published comic, Mindecay Funnies.
After a while Doug discovered that he didn’t like drawing that much, but he still loved using pictures to tell stories and relate to people. So he settled on using his talents to focus on graphic design instead of animation or illustration, difficult fields to break into if you are not good at drawing. Striking out and finding his strengths, in 1995 Grimmett founded Primal Screen, a digital design firm telling stories across every sort of screen. The company was involved in the redesign on Cartoon Network, the launching the Boomerang channel, relaunching Nick Jr., and several redesigns of the PBS Kids network.
The key to this success according to Grimmett? Embracing disruptive technology. In 1994, Adobe bought After Effects and started repackaging the revolutionary technology as Adobe After Effects. The next major disruption in the animation world was Photoshop 3.0, which introduced layers into the image creation process. Since desktop publishing all but destroyed typesetting, the next logical move for Primal Screen was to jump onto the bandwagon of the next technology out to destroy traditional motion picture production.
Embracing the next big thing was not Grimmett’s only advice to the attendees of his lecture. He also emphasized the importance of being adaptable, using Primal Screen as an example. While most people associate individual animators with their own signature styles, being an animation company means being able to adapt to and create new, unique styles. Having the versatility to tackle Adult Swim’s thin borders and gritty aesthetic as well as PBS Kids’ outline-less, solid color look is invaluable to Primal Screen’s success.
[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="http://bytebsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/634643868.mp4"][/video]
The three big takeaways from Grimmett’s presentation?
(11/21/17 3:00pm)
by Joe Bursley
There seems to be an entire decade’s worth of pop culture that will only ever be remembered by those born into the decade. Despite my parents spending much more time in the 1990s than I did, only I will be able to remember any of it. Having been born in 1999, I am technically designated a “90s kid.” It is an almost universally-accepted truth that from approximately 1987-2004 we lived in a period of wonderful, creative, diverse entertainment existed like no other. From the Disney Animation Renaissance, to the explosion of Nicktoons, to a dozen or so cult classic movies, the rich media of the 90s that many of us grew up with will, sadly, never be achieved in quite the same vein. That, however, won’t stop Hollywood from trying.
https://twitter.com/ByteBSU/status/927534448316477440
In recent years, Tinseltown has made a point of trying to revive older properties in the form of constant film and television reboots, revivals, sequels, or adaptations. Disney currently is on a quest to remake nearly every successful animated movie as a live action adaptation within the next decade. Dora the Explorer is getting a gritty live action movie, unsurprisingly helmed by Michael Bay. Similarly, the Transformers expanded universe (a phrase for which I have the utmost hatred) is creating a nostalgia/merchandising monstrosity. It’s important to note that this is happening all across the industry, but the question is why?
Reanimated Animation
Given the Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie coming out this Thanksgiving, I’m going to begin with the world of animation. Along with the Hey Arnold! movie, Nickelodeon and Viacom are producing a Rocko’s Modern Life film and an Invader Zim film within the next year or two. The teaser trailers aired during San Diego Comic Con this past summer. Many hope these movies are a sign that Nickelodeon is returning to its roots of Splat-era NickToons. This hope is further supported by TeenNick’s primetime programming block, NickSplat. NickSplat airs classic 90s and early 2000s Nickelodeon shows from 11 PM to 6 AM every evening, along with occasional original bumpers and special programming. I’ve indulged myself a few times and watched the program back when it was just called The Splat and began at 10 PM. While the shows are typically limited to select episodes of Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, Rocket Power, and Rocko’s Modern Life, occasionally other 90s shows are aired as specials. I recall a promotion in which Double Dare and Double Dare 2000 episodes were specifically aired with bumpers starring Marc Summers, the show's original host. Nickelodeon certainly seems to be trying to recapture their former glory, but they aren’t the only children’s entertainment media doing so.
https://twitter.com/marshall_law13/status/930115233804374016
Cartoon Network and Disney have also been dabbling in the nostalgia waters recently. Cartoon Network infamously rebooted Teen Titans and The Powerpuff Girls into tone-deaf, humiliating shadows of the original cartoons that fans enjoyed. I won’t say much about Teen Titans GO! (yuck) or Powerpuff Girls 2016 (double yuck) here, because of the extent to which CN dropped the ball. A failed attempt at nostalgia, however, still has the words “attempt at nostalgia” in the phrase. Ironically, Disney has never really been a powerful force in the TV animation industry – despite the fact that the company brought cartoons to the mainstream back in the 1930s. In recent years, however, after the success of Phineas and Ferb, Gravity Falls, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, as well as Nick and CN proving they know how to run good cartoons into the ground (cough, Steven Universe, cough), Disney XD has become a well-matched competitor in children’s entertainment. This year, Disney XD premiered their Ducktales 2017 reboot 30 years after the original Ducktales cartoon first aired. This show, drawing elements from the original series, Carl Barks’ Scroog McDuck comics, and the overarching Duck-universe (a phrase I never anticipated I would ever write), has been quite entertaining. This is another example of taking a successful, well-liked property from decades ago and rebooting it for nostalgia's sake – although it was much better handled than CN’s Teen Titans GO! (again, yuck).
https://twitter.com/sheisalbum/status/929766743727312896
The "Disney Renaissance" Renaissance
Disney is also reviving nearly their entire catalog of successful animated movies as live action marvels. This started with the 101 Dalmatians movies of the early 2000s, but has accelerated rapidly with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast – which went so far as to auto-tune Emma Watson as Belle to sell tickets. Disney has four movies slated for the next two years and 21 adaptations total announced for the coming years. This includes the recently announced Lion King live action movie (it’s going to have one less human actor than The Jungle Book which only had one human actor to begin with), a Cruella de Vil spin off from the 101 Dalmatians, and back-to-back Peter Pan and Tinkerbell movies. Heck, they're even remaking The Sword in the Stone – a movie that I can almost guarantee nobody is petitioning to see a reboot of.
Many other movies premiering soon or currently in production are just gritty remakes of classic properties. This began with 80s media, but has encroached into 90s entertainment. The Transformers expanded universe doesn’t need to be a thing; it already has five movies too many and more on the way. Apparently, there is talk of a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie. Somebody already made the mistake of letting Michael Bay ruin the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and now he’s got his grubby little paws on an upcoming Dora the Explorer movie. In 2015 we saw reboots of Star Wars, Star Trek, Jurassic Park, and Terminator. 2016 then brought us the cringe-worthy gender-bent Ghostbusters movie. This year we’ve already seen Power Rangers, Blade Runner, The Mummy, and freaking Baywatch all get movies. In a few weeks we’re getting Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Kevin Jonas in a Jumanji reboot. When will enough be enough for these vultures?
Why we still watch
There’s a reason Hollywood keeps rehashing older properties with little grace or tact; it’s green and rhymes with “honey.” These properties have an established base of fans and have had success in the past – even before good CGI was a thing. Why waste time coming up with an original idea when you can just add explosions to Transformers, or Power Rangers, or Baywatch? There is a reason, after the success of Iron Man in 2008, we’re getting nine superhero movies in 2018 alone (of which I will probably end up watching many). There is a reason Disney paid a metric butt-ton of money for Lucasfilm in order to make another trilogy and a Han Solo spin-off movie without the real Han Solo. There’s a reason we're getting a gender-bent Ocean’s Eleven reboot next year. The reason Hollywood keeps doing this is that we as consumers have spoken with our wallets and told them it’s basically okay.
https://twitter.com/TheWacoKid6/status/931221133210345473
I’m not here to rip on adaptations and remakes. I enjoy many of these movies just like the rest of the population (except Transformers, which makes me gag). I do, however, share some of the concerns being raised by many in the new media entertainment sphere. CinemaSins Jeremy, for instance, goes on a terrific and entertaining rant about Disney announcing a live action Winnie the Pooh remake. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Movie adaptations and remakes can be good on occasion, but they shouldn’t be the norm for all blockbusters coming out in the next few years. I love a Hey Arnold! movie and a Ducktales reboot series, but I hope that CN, Nick, and Disney don’t become stagnant and comfortable just remaking old properties to satisfy 90s kids.
https://twitter.com/WeAre90sKids/status/930539082219913216
What 90s kids enjoyed so much about this era, what many of them are really nostalgic for is the diversity and creativity that all the different shows and movies offered. There was a mix of good and bad shows and plenty of cringe-worthy movies for every Jurassic Park or Fight Club, but the amount of content enabled that to exist and persist throughout the 90s into the early 2000s. When there is a lack of diverse, original content, most of the entertainment is either bad or, at best, just okay. Dwindling summer blockbuster revenues have shown that we haven’t had a truly good movie for a while. Superhero movie fatigue is already setting in with even the most dedicated comic book fans. Even new properties just don’t resonate with audiences the same way they did a twenty years ago, as we still talk about them to this day. The problem with rebooting old nostalgia instead of creating new properties is that, in twenty years from now, there won’t be anything nostalgic to remake. Perhaps then Hollywood will start to create original content for future generations to be nostalgic about.
Sources: Polygon, YouTube, Byte, Insider, SlashFilm, Movie Pilot, IMDB, Fortune, Disney Wikia, KnowYourMeme, Den of Geek, Taste of Cinema,
Images: Twitter, Collider, IndieWire
(11/19/17 6:30pm)
[embed]https://youtu.be/qYE0j7SrUWc[/embed]
On this week's episode of Pop Tabs, Matt forces his guests to eat Pop Rocks when answering their questions! They tackle issues surrounding the cast of Stranger Things, discuss Blizzcon and whether or not Esports should be considered a sport, and the strange claims that Taylor Swift is a white supremacist.
Pop Tabs is Byte's news commentary podcast, focusing on popular culture and how it relates to issues in the media world.
Host: Matthew Yapp
Co-Host: Mayzie Brammer
Guest: Daley Whilhelm
Video Editing: Phil Akin, Michael Robb
Audio Editing: Sarah James
Graphics: Daley Wilhelm, Sarah James, Luis Pulido
Music: Jack McGinnis
(11/18/17 10:20pm)
By Joe Bursley
I remember practically being raised by Nickelodeon cartoons. Not to say anything against my parents, but Nicktoons, as they were often referred to, were a very prominent figure in my adolescent years growing up. From '90s cartoons like Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, and Hey Arnold! to cartoons of the early 2000s, such as ChalkZone, Danny Phantom, and Avatar: The Last Airbender¸ classic Nickelodeon cartoons bring a wave of nostalgia that, sadly, contrasts sharply with the current state of Nickelodeon. There are only five cartoons currently listed as regular programming on Nickelodeon today: Welcome to the Wayne, Bunsen is a Beast, The Loud House, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and of course, Spongebob Squarepants. While these shows have varying levels of quality (I’ve enjoyed a few episodes of The Loud House, and Spongebob is reportedly much better in season 9 now that the original script writers have returned), it’s safe to say that Nickelodeon is nowhere near the cartoon powerhouse it was back at the turn of the millennium.
Many “cartoon connoisseurs” like to blame the amazing success of Spongebob Squarepants on the decline of all other cartoons on the channel, as well as a general shift away from TV animation during the mid-2000s (remember Cartoon Network even went through the infamous "CN Real" phase). While I don’t think this is entirely inaccurate, this theory fails to look at the big picture.
The theory goes something like this: Nickelodeon had lots of great cartoon programming from the 90s and early 2000s. Then, Spongebob Squarepants was greenlit and became an instant hit. The popularity of the first three seasons and the first movie have even encapsulated meme culture. Nickelodeon saw how insanely marketable and popular the yellow square became, and began milking it for all it’s worth. The channel even refused to let the show die after the original creator, Stephen Hillenburg, departed from the show after creating the standard 60 episodes and the theatrical movie. Stephen returned in 2014 to work on the second movie, Sponge Out of Water, and has since helped bring back some quality to the show. But throughout the period between the two movies, Spongebob sank to critical lows in terms of quality and humor, though still maintaining its massive popularity. As Spongebob’s popularity grew, other Nicktoons slowly grew unpopular or ended naturally after exhausting their creative material. Unfortunately, Nickelodeon was hesitant to greenlight and/or maintain other shows that didn’t live up to the hype that Spongebob created. This led to the infamous story of Adventure Time being pitched to the channel’s Random Cartoons! block twice, before eventually becoming a hit on the Carton Network.
https://twitter.com/micah_wave/status/931957215421968384
As I said before, this theory has some merits. Spongebob’s popularity certainly did initiate a revolution in Nickelodeon that lacked creativity or risk-taking (see the change from Nickelodeon Studios pre- and post-2005). But what this fails to recognize is the general trend towards live-action children’s sitcoms that now permeate Nickelodeon. And the primary producer for these live-action “comedies” is none other than Dan Schneider himself.
Dan Schneider is now more infamous than Butch Hartman at Nickelodeon Studios, sitting as the executive producer for classic comedy hits such as Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, The Amanda Show, and All That. Currently, Schneider has two shows airing on Nickelodeon, with a third coming in 2018. Schneider has created/produced 11 total shows for Nickelodeon in the past two decades.
Now Nickelodeon has always had live-action shows in its repertoire, and actually started out as primarily live-action programming before the explosion of cartoons that persisted in the 90s that made Nick a household name. Schneider helped produce some of these hit comedies, such as All That, Kenan & Kel, and The Amanda Show. But during the early-mid 2000s is when his prominence at the Nickelodeon Studios began to grow, along the same time as the Nicktoons began to decline. Schneider and his production company, Schneider’s Bakery, began working on Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious between 2004 and 2010.
https://twitter.com/bvorwerk/status/928330280502546433
Now, correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation, and I’m not insinuating that Dan Schneider made it his mission to replace the Nicktoons atmosphere with his decreasingly-funny “kidcoms”. However, I can easily imagine an environment where Nickelodeon is so focused on making a quick buck that they go with shows they feel comfortable airing that are less risky. That is why they stuck with Spongebob for so long and greenlit fewer cartoons, and it also explains Schneider’s prominent rise as a tried-and-true live action producer. Nickelodeon has now dug itself into a hole, relying too much on “cheap” and “safe” entertainment, allowing competitors like Cartoon Network and Disney XD to dominate in the cartoon industry, with breakout hits like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Without a major change in direction, Nickelodeon may never revive the success of the Splat-era Nicktoons. But what catalyst could incite such a drastic change?
Well, as it turns out, Dan Schneider.
This is based off of mostly rumors, of which there are multiple and are not necessarily unfounded. An article from Redstate reports that the next big Hollywood sex scandal after the revelations of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey could be surrounding Schneider and his time at Nickelodeon Studios. Rumors about alleged foot fetishes, hiding more than his fair share of sexual innuendos in his show scripts, all the way to possibly being the biological father of Jamie Lynn Spears’ child. There are even suggestions that executives higher up in the Nickelodeon and Viacom chain helped legally cover for Schneider whenever allegations became court cases. Again, most of these claims are just rumors, but we’re starting to see a trend of behaviors like that of the Harvey Weinstein rumors that turned out to be true. As Redstate reports:
If Schneider is the monster people seem to believe he is, some things do fall into place. Jamie Lynn Spears was on track to eclipse her older sister in fame when she dropped out of Hollywood in “disgrace” because of her unplanned pregnancy. To this day she has never said a word about the real father of her child (and kudos to her for bringing her baby into the world). Amanda Bynes is an extremely gifted performer but tragically lost contact with reality for a while. She went on a now infamous twitter rant blaming her parents for basically making her a prostitute. It makes a lot more sense when you put it in the context of a Dan Schneider.
If these rumors turn out to be true - and I’m not claiming they are pure fact or fiction - it would be devastating for Schneider and Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon would likely have to hastily dissociate from Schneider, similar to how Netflix handled House of Cards after Kevin Spacey’s allegations came to light and he basically admitted they were true. This would leave Nickelodeon in a tough situation, having relied so much on shows created and produced by Schneider in recent years. In order to successfully rebrand, similar to how Subway rebranded after Jared’s scandal came to light, it would be in Nickelodeon’s best interest to move back towards Nicktoons. They likely wouldn’t kill off Spongebob, but it could usher in a new wave of Nicktoons as Nickelodeon and Viacom work to move away from Schneider’s scandal…. IF all these rumors turn out true. These Dan Schneider rumors could be headline news if they are substantiated, unless Schneider releases a statement claiming to be gay, in which all bets are off.
https://twitter.com/matte_bIack/status/829974085203431424
Even if they aren’t substantiated, I think Nick should still begin moving back towards cartoons. Having a diverse palette of shows would help protect Nick in the event of another big scandal, instead of the channel trying to play clean-up in the aftermath of a big story breaking. It would also signify to many fans of the Splat-era golden Nicktoons that Nickelodeon is working to restore itself to its former glory. Nickelodeon already appears to be heading in that direction, with TV movies of Hey Arnold!, Rocko’s Modern Life, and Invader ZIM being released in the next year or two, as well as the success of TeenNick’s primetime programming block NickSplat, which airs old 90’s shows and Nicktoons between 11 PM and 6 AM. But Hollywood’s trend into nostalgia territory is a discussion for another time….
Sources: Wikipedia, Reddit, Toonzone, KnowYourMeme, Imgur, RedState, The New York Times, CNN, Reuters, Polygon, and NickSplat
Images: Twitter, Youtube, TV Series Finale, the Sam and Cat Wikia