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(01/08/20 4:30pm)
by Katherine Simon
The early 2000s was arguably the peak of emo music’s popularity. While the origins of emo date as far back as the mid-1980s; the start of the millennium would be when the genre entered mainstream popularity, and the emo subculture as we know it today would be formed. This was due in part to the success of emo bands like Paramore, All-American Rejects, and arguably the face of the whole emo subculture: My Chemical Romance.
Formed in 2002 by lead singer/songwriter Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelisser, MCR went on to become one of the most prominent emo bands of the 2000s, and is probably the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the genre. If you were an angsty, hormonal teenager like me, chances are you spent a lot of time listening to their music and ended up resonating with their brand of angsty songwriting with surprisingly hopeful and positive messages. With the band recently reunited, I thought it would be a good idea to look back on their discography and see what made them stand out from the crowd.
(01/02/20 7:07pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
Growing up, I was introduced to the world of superheroes through films like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Tim Burton’s Batman, and even Ang Lee’s Hulk. I later went beyond the screen and became an avid reader of Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Flash comics. I loved all of those and more, but now I get to indulge in the great superhero films of today.
It’s crazy to think that just a few years ago, we were lucky if we had at least one superhero film a year. Currently, we are seeing upwards of eight superhero films a year. From the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe, and all of the Sony Spider-Man properties, we are being treated to what feels like a new insurgence of superhero movies with one coming out every other month. Comic book-based films are also some of the highest-grossing films each year. In 2019 alone, we’ve seen three comic book films (Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Joker) reach the billion dollar mark, and even one (Avengers: Endgame) hitting that glamorous two billion dollar mark and going on to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
Superhero films have not always been what they are today. The superhero craze didn’t start until 1998’s Blade, which helped show that superhero movies could be made for adults and be taken seriously. Even though Blade was the first to kick off the superhero craze, 2000’s X-Men really paved the way by showing the potential for success for superhero movies. The popularity of the movie helped launch other movie adaptations of superheroes, such as Daredevil, Hulk, and Spider-Man, since studios saw the cash cow these movies could become. While the box office success of these movies show that audiences are attracted to this genre, it doesn’t really explain the continued popularity of these types of movies years later since movies, like other trends, reach a peak and then plummet to a hard and fast death.
The basic foundation of comic book movies is not new. Having the good versus evil plot line has been used countless times in movies, most notably in Westerns. Arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stephen Spielberg, once compared superhero movies to Westerns.
(01/01/20 7:00pm)
Following this year’s edition of The Game Awards, there were a lot of questions asked. How did Disco Elysium win the most awards? Well, because Disco Elysium is very good and everyone should play it. Or, why did Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice win Game of the Year over both Death Stranding and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Because Sekiro deserved it over the other two for being a real video game and not, say, a walking sim or a cheap party game. Or perhaps you were wondering: Why are there so many Google Stadia ads when, judging by the numbers on certain titles, no one will care about the platform by this time next year? Now, that…that’s a valid question.
But the one question I have is: How did Final Fantasy XIV lose in every single category it was nominated in, despite having one of the best years of any massively-multiplayer online game? Its new expansion, Shadowbringers, is widely considered to be one of the best MMO expansions—if Metacritic scores are anything to judge by—if not the best role-playing games on its own, following its accolades in previous years for best MMO and best expansion. Time and time again, this game receives praise, but on the biggest awards stage, FFXIV is pushed aside so a talking condiment with a bad haircut could talk about Fortnite announcements. Naoki Yoshida, the game’s lead producer and director, was even there in person, but just got to watch as Apex Legends holds their own glorified advertisement mid-show before winning best multiplayer, which FFXIV wasn’t even nominated for.
And so, this leads me to talk about how Naoki Yoshida, referred to by fans as “Yoshi-P,” is an under-appreciated game director, designer, producer, and overall cool guy.
(12/28/19 4:20pm)
by Sam SmithThe opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.Hallmark is known for their Christmas movies. They produce several movies every year that do very well. According to Marketplace, Hallmark made more than $500 million across both of their channels just with Christmas movies in 2017. In 2018, Neilson found that the Hallmark Channel was the most-watched channel for women ages 18-54 for eight consecutive weeks.Hallmark was showing commercials for Zola, a wedding planning site. Hallmark was originally showing six ads for the company, four of which featured a same-sex couple. On Dec. 12, Hallmark pulled these ads from their channel. According to The New York Times, the ads were pulled for being “controversial.” This controversy is due to a petition started by the conservative group One Million Moms (1MM). The petition was to remove the Zola commercials and to ask Hallmark not to consider movies with LGBTQ+ leads because Hallmark “is not the outlet in which to be politically correct by forcing tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality.” The petition received 34,748 signatures. The commercial was then removed and a Hallmark representative, Bill Abbot told 1MM “the advertisement aired in error” and they only discovered it aired because of 1MM.On Dec. 15, Hallmark announced they would be reinstating the ads, along with an apology. In a statement made by Hallmark, they stated that removing the commercials was the wrong decision and they were sorry for any hurt that it caused. They then go on to say they are “committed to diversity and inclusion—both in our workplace as well as the products and experiences we create.” They specifically cite their LGBTQ+ greeting cards as evidence of their diversity. They also announce in their statement that they will be partnering with GLADD, an LGBTQ+ media group, to better represent the LGBTQ+ community.Hallmark has had an ongoing off-and-on relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. In 2007, Hallmark released a Father’s Day card with a homophobic joke inside. In 2008, before same-sex marriage was even legalized fully in the US, Hallmark released same-sex wedding cards. Then in 2013, Hallmark released Christmas ornaments with the deck the halls lyrics, but replaced the phrase “gay apparel” with “fun apparel.” Hallmark clarified that they did it to avoid offending anyone. Hallmark is also home to the Movieguide Awards, which has been homophobic in many of their reviews.
(12/26/19 6:22pm)
By Blake Chapman and Tt Shinkan
Every year, those who celebrate Christmas find themselves reaching for their go-to jolly movies; however, that does not always mean we all agree on what the best classics are. In particular, it seems that A Charlie Brown Christmas has come into question this year. Let's take a dive into the argument... is A Charlie Brown Christmas one of the best classics?
(12/23/19 8:00pm)
by Mason Kupiainen and Baylie Clevenger
Ever since the film's release in 1988, there has been an endless debate over whether or not Die Hard could be considered a Christmas movie. This argument almost always seems to resurface whenever the film is brought up around the holidays, with nobody seeming to agree on whether or not it deserves to be seen as a holiday classic. While we may never come to a consensus on the film's Christmas-y status, we can continue to argue about it and see where both sides are coming from:
(12/19/19 4:31pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
Written, directed, produced by, and starring Tommy Wiseau, The Room only scavenged $1,900 during its two-week run back in 2003 on a budget of 6 million dollars. Although the movie was somehow able to get everything wrong, from the acting, script, and story, this became the brilliance of the movie. The acting and dialogue are so terrible, and the story doesn’t even really make any sense. In spite of all of this, the movie has become memorable and rewatchable. Thanks to the horrendous acting and even worse dialogue, The Room has been dubbed “The Citizen Kane of bad movies,” with the appalling dialogue and quotes from the movie being etched into pop culture.
Similar to Rocky Horror Picture Show, another cult classic, The Room has gained a cult following with movie theaters around the world constantly showing midnight screenings. During these screenings, people often dress up as their favorite character, shout out various things during the movie, and act out scenes. Occasionally, Tommy Wiseau even makes appearances at various screenings across the country. Out of all of these traditions at screenings of the movie, the most famous yet bizarre one involves throwing plastic spoons at the screen. In the movie, photos of spoons can be seen around the apartment of the main characters, with no context as to why. Whenever a picture of spoons appears on the screen, fans will shout out “Spoon!” followed by the chucking of plastic spoons at the screen.
It’s at these screenings where many fans of The Room are first introduced to the movie. Libby Fox, a Muncie local, was working at a movie theater when she was introduced to The Room for the first time.
“I thought it was interesting. It was just so fun and ridiculous,” she said.
Even famous actors have jumped on The Room bandwagon, including James Franco and Seth Rogen, who went on to adapt the story of the making of The Room.
The Disaster Artist, a movie about the making of The Room, was based on the book of the same name by Greg Sestero, the actor who portrayed Mark in the original movie. After reading the book, Franco was inspired to adapt the story. The Disaster Artist went on to be a hit with critics and audiences, holding a 91% critics rating and 86% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while also pulling in $29,820,616 at the box office. The movie also won the 2018 Golden Globes award for best actor in a musical or comedy, the 2017 Gotham Awards for best actor, and the 2017 NBR award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
It’s strange to think a movie this terrible has garnered so much attention. Libby Fox, a Muncie local who worked at the movie theater when the movie was released, said the movie is funny in its own way.
“It’s really funny. I’ve seen it so many times and it’s crazy to see how much money they put into it only to have it turn out the way it did,” she said.
There’s not a clear answer as to why so many people watch this movie if it’s so bad. Seth Rogen even made a comment saying, “What’s good about this movie? If it’s a bad movie, why have I seen it so many times-- and if it’s a bad movie, why are we making a movie about it?”
It’s really a mix of the awfulness of the movie itself and the heart behind the making of the movie that makes it special. The movie is so wild, entertaining, and fun that it becomes so rewatchable. It’s fun to make fun of the acting and dialogue and laugh at how the people working on this movie thought it was a good idea. At the same time, there’s something inspiring about the creators of the movie. The importance of The Room has come into question because of the peculiar nature of the film.
“The fact that you can have success in anything is inspiring. If you take your goal and go for it, you can turn it into a success,” Fox said.
The fact that they wanted to make a movie so badly that they went out and created their own is inspiring. How many of us say we’ll do something, but then never actually do it? Some people may say they want to publish a book, or start a business, or learn a new skill, but never actually follow through with it. According to The Disaster Artist, these guys said they wanted to make a movie, and when no one gave them the chance to do it, they went out and made their own movie. It didn’t turn out the way they had planned, however, but in the end, they got the result they wanted; they wanted critical acclaim and have people love their movie.
While they achieved their goal of making a memorable, famous movie, it’s doubtful that part of their plan was to produce a movie that would become a joke of Hollywood and an example of how not to make a movie. Through all of the laughing and making fun of the movie, we all can relate to Tommy and Greg by having a dream that people may not believe in, so we have to be able to believe in ourselves and go for it.
(12/14/19 5:05pm)
Power metal is a subgenre of metal in which a band sings about fantasy, mythology, emotions, personal struggles, and even war and death. Most of the time, a story is told throughout a song, teaching listeners about a mythological god, a historical event, or the band’s personal theme.
Learning from Lyrics is a biweekly column that will choose a band and one of their songs, then break down the lyrics to fully understand the story they’re trying to tell.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPvh6UgJtRw[/embed]
Brothers of Metal hails from the northern land of Sweden and they deliver power metal with the lyrical themes of vikings and their mythology. Even their attire and the way they present themselves on their social media stays true to their theme. In fact, when researching them, I couldn’t find a serious description of the band. Their biography on Facebook is this:
Their song “Njord” is the first single from their upcoming second studio album, Emblas Saga, which is releasing on Jan. 10. The song is a tribute to the Norse god, Njord. Unlike the previous Learning from Lyrics where I went through most of the lyrics and explained the significance of them, I’m only going to include a few lyrics that have significance to Njord’s story or his significance to the Vikings.
The beginning of the song doesn’t really have any significance to Njord but is rather setting up the “story” of the song. A group of Vikings is setting said west to achieve great wealth.
I’ll also be describing the story of this group and trying to put historical significance to the story.
(12/11/19 5:00pm)
by Katherine Simon
When one thinks of the arcade giants of the 1990s, some of the big names that might come to mind are Capcom, Namco, Konami, Sega, and Midway; however, one arcade innovator that always seems to be left out of the discussion—despite their innovations in the field—is Shin Nihon Kikaku (SNK), creator of the Neo Geo arcade cabinets and multiple successful game franchises, such as Metal Slug and The King of Fighters. Despite their early success in arcades, they’ve seemed to have fallen off the map after the shift to home consoles. The company’s recent titles still sell relatively well, and their characters are even showing up in the likes of Tekken and Soul Calibur, but they’re no longer the juggernauts they used to be during the golden era of arcades.
More recently, when Fatal Fury protagonist Terry Bogard was revealed to be the next DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a lot of younger, casual fans were confused and wondering who this ripped Pokemon Trainer look-alike was. Then, everyone immediately forgot about him as soon as Sans showed up and overshadowed literally any other announcement made that day. I love Sans Undertale just as much as the next person, but SNK and Terry Bogard have such a legacy in the arcade gaming scene, and they don’t deserve to be overlooked. To celebrate Terry's Smash debut, we’re going to go through the history of SNK, and hopefully bring light to the impact they left on arcade gaming.
(11/21/19 8:11pm)
by Tt Shinkan
Power metal, a subgenre of metal in which a band sings about fantasy, mythology, emotions, personal struggles, and even war and death. Most of the time, a story is told throughout a song, teaching listeners about a mythological god, a historical event, or the band’s personal theme.
Learning from Lyrics is a biweekly column that will choose a band and one of their songs, then break down the lyrics to fully understand the story they’re trying to tell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1gvNaC17B4
Sabaton is a Swedish power metal band whose main lyrical themes are historical battles or acts of heroism throughout history. Every song they produce has some sort of historical significance.
Their song “Lion From The North” comes from their sixth studio album, Carolus Rex, a concept album detailing the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire from 1611 to 1721. The song is about Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Adolphus was the king of Sweden from 1611 until his death in 1632. The song focuses on his time during the Thirty Years’ War.
(11/21/19 5:00pm)
by Arianna Sergio
These past two and a half years, Timothée Chalamet has created more buzz than actors who have been in the business for decades. It all started in 2017, with his Oscar-nominated role as Elio Perlman in Call Me by Your Name. He has been one of the most talked about people in Hollywood. His success is even being compared to that of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. His on-camera likable personality reflects his real life
charm. He is extremely relatable and down to earth compared to other actors. He isn’t afraid to fanboy in the presence of his idol Kid Cudi or when the news first broke that The Office star Steve Carell would be playing his dad in Beautiful Boy. In his interviews, he gives such insightful and intelligent answers that this alone is a tell tale that he is so passionate and knowledgeable about what he does - this is what makes people so drawn to him.
(11/13/19 9:31pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
2019 has been an outstanding year for Stephen King fans. Not only was his latest novel, The Institute, released in September, but several movies and television series based on his work have come out. From films such as the Pet Sematary and It Chapter Two, to the television adaptations of Mr. Mercedes season three, to Castle Rock season two, and Creepshow season one, Stephen King works really are everywhere. With the upcoming release of Doctor Sleep (the long-awaited adaptation of the sequel to The Shining), it’s as good a time as any to rank Stephen King’s films.
(11/13/19 6:40pm)
by Christian Dixie
Wheel of Fortune, the most successful syndicated program in history, has been captivating audiences since its nighttime debut in 1983. The history of the show spans 44 years, with $250 million in cash and prizes being given away to its contestants over the course of the show’s run. Wheel of Fortune, created by Merv Griffin, gets over 1 million applications for contestants vying to be on the show. Ten thousand people get the chance to audition for the show and only 600 contestants appear on the show every season. Let’s take a look at the history of Wheel of Fortune.
(11/11/19 7:05pm)
by Arianna Sergio
When Sister Act was released in 1992, the movie quickly became a massive hit. Grossing more than $231 million worldwide, it easily became one of the most popular comedy movies of the early '90s. Due to the movie’s success, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit was released shortly after on Dec. 10, 1993. Sister Act the Musical then made its world premiere in 2006 at the Pasadena Playhouse. Sister Act has been so popular to have even spawned Motown-inspired choral arrangements everywhere. Sister Act 3 is in the works and is set to release on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.
Sister Act the Divine Musical Comedy opened at Muncie Civic Theatre on MainStage Oct. 11-12, 18-20, and 24-26. The Thursday, Friday, & Saturday shows were at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday show at 2:30 p.m. This drew a lot of excitement within the community because it was Muncie Civic Theatre’s first time doing Sister Act.
Sister Act the Divine Musical Comedy follows the story of lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier. Cartier witnesses her mobster boyfriend Curtis commit murder, so the police put her into the witness protection program. They did this to ensure her protection from Curtis and his entourage. Now under the alias Sister Mary Clarence, she winds up in a local Catholic church called Queen of Angels. After Mother Superior learns that she can sing—and actually sing well—she has her become the new choir director in hopes that she can improve the choir.
Muncie Civic’s version of Sister Act was different from the other versions for a few different reasons. Director Dr. Thomas Conroy’s production had the band interact with the cast more, added more comedic moments in movement and dialogue, and the song order followed the original Broadway production with only one difference. That difference being that in Act 1, Muncie Civic added a reprise of “Here Within These Walls.”
“It’s always a great time to meet the new people,” said Myles Harris about all the newcomers and working with the cast. Harris played TJ, Curtis’ nephew who just follows him around for the thrill of it. This wasn't Harris’ first time in a Muncie Civic production. His first production was last year in West Side Story, and then shortly after in Tarzan.
“This is the first time I have done Sister Act. For me, it was learning a brand new role, which was an adventure and a journey in itself at 63 years old to learn a brand new role. I think that we really have gelled as a cast and it’s just really became a family, so I’ve made friends and family for life here,” said Kendra Cline, who played Mother Superior.
Cline described Mother Superior as a no-nonsense, tough leader of the Queen of Angels. She loves her sisters so much and just wants to protect them at the end of the day.
Cline is certainly no stranger to theatre, either. “I have done Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music numerous times, so I kind of have been in this role before, so I took that experience and Tom’s vision of her and kind of merged those together to come up with Mother Superior.”
“When people come to see Sister Act they think ‘Oh, it’s nuns, it’s about Jesus,’ but it’s not. It’s about this woman who overcomes and realizes that she doesn’t need to be in the spotlight. She thought that that’s everything she longed to be, but then she found a relationship with all these people and I think that that’s what it shows. It shows unity,” said Ian Sanchez, who played Pablo. Pablo is a part of Curtis’ trio entourage, who plays the comedic relief and speaks mostly in Spanish during the show. Sanchez has also been a part of a past Muncie Civic production, with his role in West Side Story.
In the great words of Kendra Cline, “You should come and see us because we are fabulous, baby. We’re fabulous.”
(11/07/19 7:44pm)
by Sam Smith and Baylie Clevenger
Every year, autumn brings about the same argument: Is the pumpkin spice latte worth the hype? Is it delicious? Is it disgusting? Where did the spices from the infamous fall flavor even come from and do they count as pumpkin-flavored? Nobody can agree, but we can still hear the arguments:
(11/04/19 10:11pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
Every year, Ball State students fill Emens Auditorium on Halloween for the shadow cast performance of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show. The movie is a cult classic and has been for a long time, but what makes this show special? A few of the cast members from this year's performance sat down with Byte to explain the ins and outs of Rocky Horror.
(10/31/19 8:05pm)
In under two hours, four Ball State students take part in a team of makeup artists who see more than 200 zombies, clowns and other actors at Indy Scream Park.
(10/31/19 3:00pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
Throughout my life, I have had a few prominent role models—most of them being women. I idolized strong women who did not fit into the mold that was socially constructed for them. That being said, there is still one underappreciated man that I have looked up to for many years: Harry Styles.
Aside from being talented and humble, Styles holds many—in my opinion—positive ideals, while making the world a better place.
(10/30/19 9:00pm)
by Blake Chapman
Satisfying villains are hard to come by these days. Their motivations are often shallow (fame, fortune, power, influence, etc.) and how they carry out their plans for world domination lack genuine creativity. A villain becomes noteworthy when they can effectively torment the hero of their story, making them question their own morals and values by pushing them to their physical limits. When combined with a desire to turn the populous against their guiding light, this outlaw can tear down the pillars of their environment without lifting a finger.
The Joker represents all sides of the quintessential antagonist with as much style and grace as you can expect from a unhinged clown with a knack for dark comedy. Throughout his expansive comic book, television, and cinematic history he has evolved from a trickster knocking off rich businessmen to a relentless terrorist focused on gutting Gotham from the inside out.
(10/26/19 5:43pm)
by Matthew Yapp
Disclaimer: The following contains conversations of violence, rape, sexism, and racism.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
On Oct. 4, Todd Philips’ Joker was released worldwide. The film is an origin story of DC Comic’s infamous Batman villain, the Joker. The film was met with praise and success at several film festivals, including a massive win at the Venice Film Festival. Some critics, however, believe that the film was not only subpar, but even problematic. Certain critics felt that the film was glorifying violence.
In an article for Time, critic Stephanie Zacharek stated that the movie portrayed violence as something that made the protagonist feel “more in control, less pathetic. Killing—usually with a gun, though scissors or a good old-fashioned suffocation will do just fine—empowers him.” She also felt that the film made the Joker seem less like a villain, and more like someone the audience was meant to feel bad for. “In America, there’s a mass shooting or attempted act of violence by a guy like Arthur [Joker] practically every other week. And yet we’re supposed to feel some sympathy for Arthur, the troubled lamb; he just hasn’t had enough love. Before long, he becomes a vigilante folk hero.”
Fear resulting from this movie wasn’t just based on its content alone. The US Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a joint-intelligence bulletin to the police, later obtained by CNN, stating that there had been a number of violent threats posted online, including calls for mass shooting at showings of the movie. This led to the NYPD increasing police presence at several theaters. The Century Aurora and XD movie theater publicly stated that they will not be showing the film at all. The Century Aurora theatre was the location of the 2012 mass shooting, which occurred during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.
The bulletin notes that the threats make references to the incel community. This may have to do with, as Zacharek stated, the film depicting the Joker as someone who could “easily be adopted as the patron saint of incels.”
But what exactly is an incel? The term incel is an abridged version of the term “involuntarily celibate,” meaning someone who would like to be having sex but is unable too. Incels are an online culture centered around the concept that they want and deserve to have sex, but women are withholding it from them. Because of this, they believe themselves to be victims of society.
Incels create communities on sites like reddit and 4chan, but are often removed for misogynistic language and attempts to incite violence against women. Below are several posts found on different online incel community forums. While I find them disgusting and disagree with them entirely, I am adding them to get across the severity of many incels' radical beliefs.