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‘The Mandalorian’ flies ‘Star Wars’ to new heights

(01/12/20 7:57pm)

When it was announced that Disney was going to revive the Star Wars movies,  I was excited about the potential of going beyond the Skywalkers and  seeing new stories and characters. The previous movies and television  shows focused on Skywalkers and other stories connected to the  Skywalkers story, rather than introducing new characters. We’ve seen new  stories and characters introduced to Star Wars in the books,  comics, and games, but I was looking forward to a live-action format.  After Disney and Lucasfilms announced they were going to continue the  episodic movies while also making spin-off movies gave me great hope for  the future of Star Wars. However, after seeing the two spin-off movies hope had been all but lost.

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2020/01/the-mandalorian-flies-star-wars-to-new-heights

‘Uncut Gems’ is an intense diamond in the rough

(01/10/20 7:39pm)

Josh and Benny Safdie, known collectively as the Safdie Brothers, are a pair of New York City-based independent filmmakers who have risen to prominence in the past few years. Their NYC settings and use of urban grit are reminiscent of a director like Abel Ferarra. They first gained attention in 2014 with Heaven Knows What, a drama focusing on heroin addicts in NYC, based on the unpublished memoirs of Arielle Holmes (who stars in the movie as a slightly fictionalized version of herself). Soon after, they gained further recognition with Good Time, a movie about a bank robber who desperately tries to get bail money for his mentally disabled brother. The film received critical acclaim, notably for its direction and Robert Pattinson’s lead performance. Now, the Safdies once again bring their A-game with their latest movie, the crime thriller, Uncut Gems.

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2020/01/uncut-gems-is-an-intense-diamond-in-the-rough

Letter to the Editor: Please, no more wars

(01/13/20 5:00pm)

Editor’s Note: The Daily News publishes Letters to the Editor with minimal copy edits and provides a headline only if the author does not provide one. The views expressed in letters do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. We reserve the right to withhold submitted letters depending on the content. Letters should be approximately 500 words and sent to editor@bsudailynews.com. 

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2020/01/letter-to-the-editor-no-more-wars

Despite an emotionally powerful ending, ‘Life is Strange 2: Episode 5’ still underwhelms

(12/27/19 2:00pm)

We’ve finally arrived at the day we all knew would come: It’s time to  say goodbye to Sean and Daniel, our favorite road-trip-brother-outlaws.  After loving Episode 4,  I was excited, yet apprehensive to play the final installment, as I had  faith that the developers could do what they had done before—I just  wasn’t sure if they would. In a way, the game proved both of these  senses right; while there were some elements in the final episode that  were frankly mediocre at best, the ending managed to—more or less—make  up for them by packing an emotional punch that left me sobbing almost an  hour after finishing the game. 

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2019/12/despite-an-emotionally-powerful-ending-life-is-strange-2-episode-5-still-underwhelms

With ‘Fine Line’, Harry Styles cements himself as a visionary creator

(12/26/19 11:37pm)

I have to admit that I used to run a One Direction fan account.  I loved them, and they grew with me through my adolescent years; I  genuinely appreciated them as a band. But, nothing from their era could  ever compare to Harry Styles’ solo career—after all, he was always my  favorite. Apparently I’m not the only one, since Styles’ following has  stayed strong after the One Direction days, which cannot be said for the  rest of his bandmates. 

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2019/12/with-fine-line-harry-styles-cements-himself-as-a-visionary-creator

‘Playmobil: The Movie’ is a choking hazard for the senses

(12/24/19 11:31pm)

With 2019 starting to wind down and some of its final films coming to the big screen, it’s worth noting the various accomplishments mainstream cinema has managed to achieve over the course of these last few months. Disney and Marvel released Avengers: Endgame, which went on to become the highest grossing film of all time. Disney and Pixar released Toy Story 4 to great critical acclaim and capped off the Toy Story saga (for now). Perhaps most importantly, Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and all of its entertainment assets, assimilating studios like Blue Sky and Fox Searchlight into the fold. This also brought the not-so-quiet cracking down of repeat screenings of older Fox films to give more space to things like The Lion King (2019) and Aladdin (2019), to the detriment of non-chain theaters across the country.

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2019/12/playmobil-the-movie-is-a-choking-hazard-for-the-senses

‘The Irishman’ is Scorsese’s first big misstep

(12/22/19 9:25pm)

When asked who I think is the greatest director of all time, directors like Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, Ridley Scott, and Martin Scorsese come to mind. All of those directors are great in their own way, but Scorsese brings something special to his work. Films such as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Casino, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Departed have shown that he is an extraordinary director. He crafts excellent stories that get audiences invested in the characters and what they’re doing. His films have a classy feel to them that no other director has been able to recreate. Because of this, I was incredibly excited to sit down and watch his latest film, The Irishman; however, i was greatly disappointed. 

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2019/12/the-irishman-is-scorseses-first-big-misstep

‘Knives Out’ is an absolutely wonderful murder-mystery

(12/22/19 9:07pm)

Over the past 15 years or so, you might have heard of a writer/director named Rian Johnson. His first film, 2005’s Brick, was a small, independent venture that soon became a cult classic, and helped to establish Johnson as a unique up-and-comer. His subsequent directorial efforts, such as three episodes of the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad and the breakout film Looper, practically made Johnson into a name that people were familiar with, but wasn’t quite a household one yet.

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2019/12/knives-out-is-an-absolutely-wonderful-murder-mystery

‘Jojo Rabbit’ is a clever twist on World War II

(12/11/19 1:00pm)

To start off, Jojo Rabbit is definitely one of the best, funniest, and most touching films of the year. Written and directed by Taika Waititi, the same man behind What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit does the impossible by using World War II, Hitler, and the Nazis as the basis for a heartwarming comedy. People may think a movie like this is disrespectful, but it presents the material in a way that shows how awful the Nazis and their beliefs were while wrapping it all up in a fun, playful package. Digging through the layers of this movie, the audience will find the message that hate can corrupt people and lead them to do terrible things.

https://www.ballstatedaily.com/article/2019/12/jojo-rabbit-is-a-clever-twist-on-world-war-ii