Fringed: Highlighting women and diversity in the film industry
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.
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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.
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.
by Arianna SergioThe 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. It’s no secret that the film industry lacks diversity and inclusion. In 2015, the Oscars were called out with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite because every category listed lacked an artist of color. And I mean literally every category. This movement was the beginning of the shift that the film industry is slowly making to be more diverse and inclusive. When April Reign, a media strategist and advocate for diversity and inclusion, created the hashtag and spilled it onto every social media platform known to man, the Academy membership was 92% white and 75% male. Since then, the membership has improved. In 2020, the academy membership was 84% white and 68% male. The UCLA 2020 Hollywood Diversity Report is an analysis of the top-grossing films of 2018 and 2019. It includes a workplace analysis of 11 major and mid-major studios, which found that 91% of corporate-level executive positions were held by white people and 82% were held by men. Among all senior executive positions, 93% percent were held by white people and 80% by men.
by Mason KupiainenThe 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. Over the past decade, we’ve seen an increase in female directors given the opportunity to direct more high-profile projects including Wonder Woman, Charlie's Angels, Captain Marvel, and Mulan. Other films like Booksmart, Little Women, and The Babadook get high praise for their quality, as well as being directed by women. However, there have been many other great films from previous decades that were helmed by women that were exceptional, and maybe even better than ones directed today. However, they have not received the same praise or been even mentioned when discussing films directed by women.
Theatre and dance majors will be performing in the first dance show of the spring 2021 season in "Tribute." "Tribute" is a 50 minute show choreographed by Anne Beck and Michael Humphrey showcasing the African roots of popular musical stylings such as Jazz and swing, and how it even affects modern styles of dance and music. The show will be only shown as a livestream on March 13, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, please visit bsu.edu/theatre. [ngg src="galleries" ids="44" display="basic_imagebrowser"]
By Brandon Carson Metal-core/pop-punk band, A Day to Remember (ADTR) has been around the block before. They’ve written teenage pop-punk anthems like, “Have Faith in Me,” metal-core ragers like, “Sometimes You’re the Hammer, Sometimes You’re the Nail,” and of course emo ballads like “If I Leave.” They were on many Vans Warped Tours and helped put metal-core into the mainstream with records like Homesick and the almighty Common Courtesy. Unfortunately, ADTR flopped hard with 2016’s Bad Vibrations, full of filler and basic metal-core songs. However, throughout their career, the band established a sound and used it as much as possible. But You’re Welcome is a true anomaly. The record is an attempt to bring ADTR back into the mainstream. Every song feels like the band is trying to do an impression of popular, radio-friendly, rock bands. The songs feel too produced, repetitive, bland, and forgettable. But the biggest headache of You’re Welcome is that it has no idea what it is. Familiar faces ADTR has always held a recognizable sound and mainstream qualities. Homesick saw the band hone in on what makes ADTR great: the catchy hooks, hard-hitting riffs, brilliant pop-punk screams, and vocals from Jeremy McKinnon. What Separates Me From You pushed their boundaries further, bringing the band deeper into the mainstream and on the radio as well as Common Courtesy. But on You’re Welcome, they keep trying to sound like other popular mainstream rock bands, when they already are one. “Bloodsucker” takes a page from Imagine Dragons’ book with a big “Woahs” and “Ohs” chorus and heavy percussion. “Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend)” starts quite promising with a heavy, Code Orange-esque riff. But then, out of nowhere, McKinnon does his best Ivan Moody, of Five Finger Death Punch, impression with the lyrics, “Twist the blade/Leavin' a wound that never heals inside me/Twist the blade, let it die/Vengeance is hereby mine.” “Resentment” is what probably happened when ADTR listened to Bring Me the Horizon’s newest record, POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR, and “High Diving” has Twenty One Pilots written all over it. The problem here isn’t that ADTR has modern influences, but they get so washed up in them that they barely try and stay original with their sound. Generic madness ADTR has never shied away from their clichés. Their sound contains many metal-core and pop-punk clichés. But in their earlier records like Homesick, What Separates Me From You, and even Common Courtesy, they would balance that with excellent hooks and creative breakdowns. They would have plenty of generic, relatable qualities, but the way they crafted a song around it was interesting and unique. You’re Welcome is the complete generic package: with no unique qualities, filler tracks, repetitive structures, and an overproduced mix. The first offender is “Only Money,” which begins the song with the tried and true, “My momma called me…” The song is basically every radio ballad you hear on the radio. The lyrics are bland and repetitive, the definition of filler. “F.Y.M.” is equally as generic and bland, not even sounding like the same band. The third offender, “Mindreader,” is the band on autopilot, with the same structure that every song on the record contains. Among the fillers in the record are: “Resentment,” “Degenerates,” “Permanent,” and “Re-Entry.” But the biggest misstep on the record goes to the closer, “Everything We Need.” Not only is the instrumental a bland, overproduced mess, but the lyrics are painfully dull and clichéd. It sounds like the first chorus they came up with for the song and never wanted to make it any better. “Cuz I know I got you/And you know you got me/We got everything we need/We got everything we need/I know I got you (I know I got you)/And you know you got me/We got everything we need/We got everything we need.” To give credit where it’s due, “Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend),” and “Resentment,” have some explosive, heavy moments that blend well with the new songwriting style. It should also be acknowledged that they are taking a big risk, changing their sound from something pop-punk/metal-core to radio-friendly hits. No identity This record suffers the most from having no identity or vision with its bland lyrics and instrumentals, each track sounds completely different from the next, and not in a way that still connects it all as a whole. The result is that the record suffers an identity crisis. It’s constantly changing moods and styles, but still managing to contain the bland and annoying mainstream clichés. It jumps from the seemingly Imagine Dragons inspired, “Bloodsucker,” to “Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend),” to “F.Y.M.,” in a row! Then the filler tracks arrive and throw off the pacing of the record near the end. Fortunately, “Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend)” has a brutally heavy riff. Top tracks: “Looks Like Hell” “Resentment” “Re-Entry” Recommended if you like: Pierce the Veil Bring Me the Horizon We Came As Romans Sources: Revolver Featured Image: Genius
by Conner Tighe 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. As a raccoon in thieving wear, scales a wire overhead a museum, a turtle maneuvers the underground sewers searching for tech disaster while a large pink hippo sits patiently in the getaway van. This picture is all too familiar for fans of the Sly Cooper franchise, which has spanned a little over a decade. What made the series so unique was not its concept of a thieving raccoon, but its realistic appeal replaced by a world dominated by animal characters. Locations in the series-like the jungles of India, the city of Venice, Paris, and wastelands of Australia-were all run by animals in place of what would’ve been humans in any other game. The franchise mainly has players sneaking around bodyguards and maneuvering thin wires overtop dangerous heights. Still, the series expanded beyond that, allowing fantastic boss fights, team-led operations, and the inner workings of a hacking device. You’ll find the police, often led by Cooper’s love interest Carmelita Fox, siding with Cooper’s gang at times, as circumstances force the two to band together for the greater good. No other game franchise before or after has taken such a creative concept and created a world so recognizable. It’s only appropriate to show why the series has lasted so long. From the first title released in 2002 to the latest released in 2013, here are the titles ranked from best to worst. Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves [caption id="" align="alignright" width="384"] Image from Pinterest[/caption] Cooper’s second adventure turned out to be the most memorable in more ways than one. Band of Thieves took away the player’s limitations on scene and location by introducing open-world playability. Cooper, Bentley, and Murray return once again, this time allowing players to control all three characters depending on the mission. In addition to, providing the option to explore whichever city/town the gang is holed up in. The humoristic approach is again present in the second title and the familiar animated narration detailing Cooper’s life as a thief, continuing his lineage of master thieves. This bit will be explored in later titles. Interestingly, Band of Thieves is the only title in the series to feature a female character as the main antagonist. Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in Time [caption id="" align="alignright" width="388"] Image from Venture Beat[/caption] The Cooper series' fourth installment was interesting if not inventive in its approach, compared to previous installments. When pages of the Thievius Raccoonus begin to disappear, Bentley gets the trio back together to discover what’s happening. As the title suggests, players will travel back in time and play as some of Cooper’s ancestors, like the inventor of sushi, Rioichi Cooper, and Western outlaw, Tennessee Kid Cooper, to unveil just what’s going on with the notorious Cooper handbook. The adventure again was incredible, like any other installment, but unfortunately, there was no fifth release. There was a small fight to get the familiar raccoon back on platforms again, but game developer Sanzaru Games claimed there would be no more signs of Cooper after Thieves in Time. Sly Cooper 3: Honor Among Thieves [caption id="" align="alignright" width="381"] Image from IMDB[/caption] When Cooper learns of his family’s vault, locked away on Kaine Island, he gathers a team of experts to break into the vault under the control of Dr. M, the main antagonist of the game. Cooper and Bentley seek out Murray, who seeks a life of peace and meditation after having caused Bentley’s wheelchair-bound condition. Players will have a blast controlling the familiar trio and new faces like Penelope, a tech expert, the Guru, a wildman who has taught Murray how to find inner peace, and the Panda King, who was one of the antagonists of the original game. All the fun aspects of stealing coins, jumping, scaling over walls and wires, and escaping from dangerous foes are included in this installment. Although there were new characters and locations, the experience seemed like another copy of Band of Thieves. Sure, new characters were introduced, the classic animated humor returned, and beating up bad guys in ridiculous fashion stayed consistent, but it was something old at this point. The series giving its predecessor that much more credit for being the best in the series. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus [caption id="" align="alignright" width="378"] Image from Moby Games[/caption] The trio’s first mission, players get to experience, involves a break-in of Inspector Fox’s office. The three retrieved a page of the legendary Thievius Raccoonus; a book passed down from generation to generation in the Cooper family. The book details all the tricks of the trade when it comes to being a thief. With this title being the first, it’s understandable the following titles only got better. Players can merely peruse museums, palaces, and temples with Cooper; however, they can collect coins to further upgrade Cooper’s skills, which were also expanded upon in later titles. However, one quality that makes this game stand out is the fact that players can buy the ability to slow down time, making the rest of the game a cinch. Sources: Fanbyte, Sly Cooper Wiki Images: IMDB, Moby Games, Pinterest, Venture Beat Featured Image: Wireframe Magazine
Graham and Blake break down the "newest" addition to DC's competing cinematic universe, Zack Snyder's original cut of Justice League.Checkpoint is Byte's video news series, reporting on recent events in the world of entertainment, tech, and pop culture. Whether its video games, film, television, or music, we've got you covered!Anchors: Graham Harding, Blake Chapman Executive Producer: Aaron DwyerVideo Editing: Graham HardingAudio Editing: Shwetha SundarrajanGraphics: Kellyn HarrisonMusic: Jack McGinnis
Blake and Graham break down the opening of Japan's new Nintendo themed amusement park.Checkpoint is Byte's video news series, reporting on recent events in the world of entertainment, tech, and pop culture. Whether its video games, film, television, or music, we've got you covered!Anchors: Blake Chapman, Graham Harding Executive Producer: Aaron DwyerVideo Editing: Blake ChapmanAudio Editing: Shwetha SundarrajanGraphics: Kellyn HarrisonMusic: Jack McGinnis
Blake and Graham break down the opening of Japan's new Nintendo themed amusement park. Checkpoint is Byte's video news series, reporting on recent events in the world of entertainment, tech, and pop culture. Whether its video games, film, television, or music, we've got you covered! Anchors: Blake Chapman, Graham HardingExecutive Producer: Aaron DwyerVideo Editing: Blake ChapmanAudio Editing: Shwetha SundarrajanGraphics: Taylor SheridanMusic: Jack McGinnis
Graham and Blake break down the "newest" addition to DC's competing cinematic universe, Zack Snyder's original cut of Justice League. Checkpoint is Byte's video news series, reporting on recent events in the world of entertainment, tech, and pop culture. Whether its video games, film, television, or music, we've got you covered! Anchors: Graham Harding, Blake ChapmanExecutive Producer: Aaron DwyerVideo Editing: Graham HardingAudio Editing: Shwetha SundarrajanGraphics: Taylor SheridanMusic: Jack McGinnis
In recent years, Stephen King has been shifting away from the strange and horror genres. Books like The Outsider and If It Bleeds still implement horror and bizarre elements, but it’s beginning to feel as if these elements have been placed on the backburner. He's been fixated on the crime, mystery, and detective genres with novels such as the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider. King has released novels under the Hard Case Crime imprint, books intended to catch the feel of classic pulp fiction and noir novels, beginning with The Colorado Kid and Joyland. King once again returns to Hard Case Crimes with Later.
Well… another day, another reboot of a beloved childhood property. And yet somehow, I never saw this coming. Didn’t they already try making a Tom & Jerry movie back in 1992? And wasn’t it a widely-panned disaster that failed to make its money back, relegating Tom and Jerry’s “cinematic” presence to direct-to-TV specials on Cartoon Network? Yes, to all of the above. And yet, apparently, someone thought they could do it better this time. Luckily, this one doesn’t make the mistake of having Tom and Jerry talk, but it does make the mistake of writing in human characters that we’re supposed to care about.
By Mason Kupiainen In recent years, Stephen King has been shifting away from the strange and horror genres. Books like The Outsider and If It Bleeds still implement horror and bizarre elements, but it’s beginning to feel as if these elements have been placed on the backburner. He's been fixated on the crime, mystery, and detective genres with novels such as the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider. King has released novels under the Hard Case Crime imprint, books intended to catch the feel of classic pulp fiction and noir novels, beginning with The Colorado Kid and Joyland. King once again returns to Hard Case Crimes with Later. Later follows Jamie Conklin, who has the ability to talk to the dead, but with minor exceptions. When asked a question, the dead have to give him the truth, and these ghosts can only stay around a few days until passing on. Jamie lives with his single mother, who’s a struggling editor. Once her bestselling author dies without finishing his final novel, she uses Jamie to talk with the deceased author to finish the book. His mother’s detective girlfriend, Liz, struggles to believe he has this ability while drawing him into a case with the hopes of stopping a deceased serial killer who left behind one final surprise. King at his finest One of the best aspects of King is his approach to bizarre and outlandish ideas. Novels like Pet Sematary, The Shining, and It perfectly showcase his ability to take strange concepts and turn them into some of literature’s finest works. Later follows this same idea with having a concept that might sound similar to The Sixth Sense but approaches it differently. The concept is structured in a way so that it feels fresh and unique. Since it is a Hard Case Crime novel, the book has a quick and speedy pace; these novels tend to be shorter than King’s usually lengthy tomes. Unlike some of King’s other works, like Pet Sematary and The Stand that linger around in some areas, Later gets to the point right from the start and never slows down. The story also bleeds in and out of different smaller stories that connect to the overall tale. It begins with Jamie’s mother trying to finish the dead author’s novel before leading into the small crime portion of the book. Both of these then lead into the actual meat of the story. The book also makes use of its title by incorporating multiple layers. The word “later” holds many meanings and is used continuously throughout, without ever feeling repetitive. For example, the story is told from a first-person perspective, with Jamie reflecting on his life. On almost every page, Jamie will point out something that might seem minor now which comes into play “later” or mention a subtle detail he didn’t catch until “later.” For being published under the Hard Case Crime series, it was surprising to find that Later wasn’t a crime novel. There are crime elements sprinkled throughout, and for the exception of a minor section of the book, there isn’t much detective work. The focus on horror instead of the detective work is a detour from The Colorado Kid and Joyland — both released under Hard Case Crimes. However, Later turned out to be the best of the three by improving upon many aspects. Later feels less like King trying to force his style into a genre that can’t support it and instead feels like a stereotypical King novel. And, of course, you can’t have a King novel without references to the larger King universe. Fans of his work will enjoy the connections to the rest of his universe. From small references to a novel like The Shawshank Redemption to major plot elements taken from It, this tale was almost like a Where’s Waldo? for King fans. Maybe later Later does struggle from some elements that feel like a result of King’s age. The dialogue and actions at times when Jamie was younger did not feel natural to how kids are today. Although King is notorious for capturing the essence of children within his books — most notably It and The Body (adapted into the film Stand By Me) — Later feels almost as if King is too far removed from his youth to portray children perfectly. The way the story follows Jamie growing up was done well for being a shorter book, but it still has its minor missteps here and there. Something annoying that King has usually been good at leaving to the wayside is talk of politics. King’s never been afraid to add monologues about topics and ideas within his books, but he usually tries to avoid putting his political beliefs within his work. Even though Later doesn’t contain many examples of this, it was annoying at certain points when the story felt as if it paused to present his views on the political climate. Perhaps if these elements were better woven into the story, so they didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, it would have appeared less intrusive. However, in the beginning, there are certain points where it felt as if King was sacrificing the characters to force political drama that did not feel natural to how the characters were introduced. Since the book revolves around the young boy being able to talk to the dead, this ties in with the theme of secrets. Countless times throughout the story, disturbing secrets are revealed about characters, tying into a theme that some secrets are better left unknown. This concept works well for most of the secrets, except for one. A mystery that haunts Jamie is who his father is because his mother refuses to tell him. Once his identity is revealed in the end, it works with the theme of leaving secrets alone. It does feel like King went a little too far because most will wish they hadn’t learned the answer to this particular question. Sources: Hard Case Crime, IMDB Featured Image: GameSpot
Welcome back to another episode of Wrapped Up! Tune in as we cover this week's top stories with Microsoft Mesh, the Golden Globes ratings, casting choices for the new Dungeons and Dragons movie, and reports for a potential model for the Nintendo Switch.
Ball State Daily · Wrapped Up S1E5: Golden Globes ratings SAGWelcome back to another episode of Wrapped Up! Tune in as we cover this week's top stories with Microsoft Mesh, the Golden Globes ratings, casting choices for the new Dungeons and Dragons movie, and reports for a potential model for the Nintendo Switch.Host: Blake ChapmanEdited by: Blake ChapmanGraphic by: Emily Hanes
By Aaron Dwyer Well… another day, another reboot of a beloved childhood property. And yet somehow, I never saw this coming. Didn’t they already try making a Tom & Jerry movie back in 1992? And wasn’t it a widely-panned disaster that failed to make its money back, relegating Tom and Jerry’s “cinematic” presence to direct-to-TV specials on Cartoon Network? Yes, to all of the above. And yet, apparently, someone thought they could do it better this time. Luckily, this one doesn’t make the mistake of having Tom and Jerry talk, but it does make the mistake of writing in human characters that we’re supposed to care about. In this family comedy, Tom and Jerry find themselves stranded in New York with nowhere to sleep - apparently, the cost of living there is so high now that even street animals have to pay rent - and Jerry finds the perfect solution: sneaking into a ritzy hotel to live a life of luxury and resume his usual trouble-causing ways. Meanwhile, a young lady named Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz) has lied her way into getting a job at the Royal Gate Hotel right as it's preparing to host a wedding for one of New York society’s hottest couples. The last thing she needs is a mouse sneaking around, so she enlists Tom to hunt down Jerry through various slapstick routines. Throw in an uptight manager that’s onto Kayla’s scheme, some oddball hotel workers, the bumbling high society guests, and you’ve got… well, kind of a mess, to be honest.
After a year without many blockbusters, it seems like studios are being forced to start releasing their more high-profile works. Warner Brothers has been doing this recently with films like Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things, and Tom & Jerry. Now, Disney follows Warner Bros.’s similar concept of releasing films on their streaming services on the same day they drop in theaters. However, Disney is taking a different approach by including a premium charge on top of requiring a subscription to their service.
It’s been well over a year since we’ve received the last bit of Marvel content. Ever since Spider-Man: Far From Home was released in July of 2019, there’s been a year and five-month drought of Marvel films and television. With Black Widow, Eternals, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier all getting bumped, WandaVision became our first look into where Phase Four of Marvel will go.