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(09/30/20 8:55pm)
Fall marks the time of year when Americans go to haunted houses, carve pumpkins, and curl up on the couch with a bucket of popcorn while walking horror movies. One of the horror flicks that should be at the top of every list is Scream. The film is like lightning in a bottle. It combines horror and comedy while having clever commentary on horror films woven throughout. With an all-star cast including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Jamie Kennedy who have created some of horror's most iconic characters, the film was able to go on to be a success both critically and financially. But how did this iconic film, not based on any previous source material, begin in the first place?
(09/30/20 8:04pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
Fall marks the time of year when Americans go to haunted houses, carve pumpkins, and curl up on the couch with a bucket of popcorn while walking horror movies. One of the horror flicks that should be at the top of every list is Scream. The film is like lightning in a bottle. It combines horror and comedy while having clever commentary on horror films woven throughout. With an all-star cast including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Jamie Kennedy, who has created some of horror's most iconic characters, the film was able to go on to be a success both critically and financially. But how did this iconic film, not based on any previous source material, begin in the first place?
(09/30/20 7:34pm)
By Mason Kupiainen
Generally speaking, Netflix doesn't have the best track record when it comes to their original films. While some of their films in recent years have shown that they can produce quality originals, like Marriage Story and El Camino, given the vast quantity of originals they release (nearly one a week), one would expect better quality more often.
Based on the novel by Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time is Netflix’s newest original with a stellar cast including Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Bill Skarsgard, and Jason Clarke. The film follows Arvin, a young man dealing with his past while trying to protect those around him from a large cast of sinister characters including a husband and wife serial-killer duo, a sleazy preacher, and a crooked sheriff. Throughout the course of the film, Arvin’s story crosses paths with these characters, leaving him to do what is necessary to keep those he loves out of harm's way.
(09/29/20 9:03pm)
Welcome back, witches, to another season of the Coven! Bubbling in the cauldron this week is the controversy engulfing the World Athletics Association and South African Olympic runner, Caster Semenya. Semenya has a condition called Hyperandrogenism which causes higher levels of testosterone. This has caused raised questions surrounding gender identity and regulations surrounding athletes with sex development disorders. What makes a woman a woman? How is this justified through science or societal means? Find out all this and more in this week's episode of The Coven!Hosts: Shwetha Sundarrajan and Annie BastianEdited by: Annie BastianGraphic by: Kellyn Harrison
(09/29/20 8:43pm)
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/covens7e1-validating-femininity-in-athletics[/embed]
Welcome back, witches, to another season of the Coven! Bubbling in the cauldron this week is the controversy engulfing the World Athletics Association and South African Olympic runner, Caster Semenya. Semenya has a condition called Hyperandrogenism which causes higher levels of testosterone. This has caused raised questions surrounding gender identity and regulations surrounding athletes with sex development disorders. What makes a woman a woman? How is this justified through science or societal means? Find out all this and more in this week's episode of The Coven!
Hosts: Shwetha Sundarrajan and Annie Bastian
Edited by: Annie Bastian
Graphic by: Kellyn Harrison
(09/26/20 10:10pm)
(09/22/20 9:27pm)
MUNCIE, Ind. — After five months of online-only sales, Village Green Records hosted the first of three rescheduled Record Store Day events outdoors on Aug. 29.
(09/22/20 9:11pm)
Going back out into the real world can be scary, with businesses beginning to reopen, and this awkward transition period the world is in. If you find yourself in need of another reality, fall in love with one of the most passionate and well-written authors of our time. I encourage you to dive into one of five novels by the illustrious author, screenwriter, and playwright Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy has captured an enormous fan base while telling gripping tales of horror and mischief around the United States. He is like no other author in his grasp of storytelling, and his work will stand the test of time. Several of McCarthy’s works have been turned into films, and you may recognize some of them. With 10 novels published, McCarthy has written some groundbreaking narratives. Let McCarthy’s dark world take you with these five novels of justice, revenge, and real evil.
(09/21/20 9:21pm)
By Blake Chapman
“Representation” is a term that, at this point in entertainment history, has become a necessary luxury. The amount of effort studios put into researching how their films will resonate with a minority crowd has become exponential. The affirmation fans feel when seeing characters who match their race, gender or sexual orientation on the silver screen is worth more than any box office haul. However, a world such as that would not have been even a passing thought in Hollywood just 20 years ago. The technicolor world of animation is going through a similar realignment, albeit with a few decades head start thanks to films like Mulan.
Around the end of the last millennium, the Disney princess pantheon was lacking in terms of substantive female leads. While some offered a lot in terms of individuality, most of their narrative arcs ended the same way: whisked off their feet and saved by another generic prince whose personality rested on looks alone. That all changed when Mulan first released in 1998. Now young girls had an incredible fictional mentor that was loyal, brave, and proved that women could perform just as well or better than other men all on their own; a concept that would not be explored again until 2012’s Brave.
After close to 80 years of doing the classic animated fairytale schtick, Disney decided it was time to reinvent their beloved productions in live action. After a strong start with Cinderella (2015) the remake train has begun shuddering to an uncomfortable halt following the release of Aladdin (2019). Now the house of mouse has decided to take another go at the legend of Hua Mulan and her quest to save China, this time without the song and dance. However, if you thought that there was no way this remake cycle could get worse, then I regret to inform you that, much like 2020 itself, it can and will. At its worst, Mulan (2020) is an unintelligible excuse for an adaptation and a passable oriental action movie at its best.
(09/20/20 2:41am)
(09/22/20 8:00pm)
“Representation” is a term that, at this point in entertainment history, has become a necessary luxury. The amount of effort studios put into researching how their films will resonate with a minority crowd has become exponential. The affirmation fans feel when seeing characters who match their race, gender or sexual orientation on the silver screen is worth more than any box office haul. However, a world such as that would not have been even a passing thought in Hollywood just 20 years ago. The technicolor world of animation is going through a similar realignment, albeit with a few decades head start thanks to films like Mulan.
(09/18/20 10:33pm)
The Sleepover is a family action-comedy, the sort that moms use to wrestle all their children into a row of theater seats, either as a treat or—in the case of a summer blockbuster like this one—because it’s too hot to play outside. Nowadays, due to the pandemic and the rise of streaming, you can find it released directly to Netflix.
(09/18/20 9:30pm)
By Aaron Dwyer
The Sleepover is a family action-comedy, the sort that moms use to wrestle all their children into a row of theater seats, either as a treat or—in the case of a summer blockbuster like this one—because it’s too hot to play outside. Nowadays, due to the pandemic and the rise of streaming, you can find it released directly to Netflix.
In The Sleepover, siblings Clancy and Kevin haven’t been getting along with their parents lately. Their mother, Margot, never wants them to do anything fun, and their father backs her up by making them stay home on a Friday for the world’s lamest sleepover. As it turns out, Margot has good reasons for wanting to keep the kids safe: she used to be a high profile thief before she settled down, and is now in witness protection. Margot’s old boss has tracked her down and requested that she complete one final heist, and he’s made it clear that he won't be taking no for an answer. Margot goes along with the plan but leaves clues behind for the kids to figure out where she’s gone. Clancy, Kevin, and their friends are determined to rescue Margot, the trail of clues leading them all over her old hideouts and into various wacky predicaments as they attempt to track her down. The story splits its time between both sides of the family as they try to make it out in one piece and, hopefully, reunite with each other by morning.
Now, that sounds like a movie concept designed to be fun for the whole family if I’ve ever heard one. But despite its surface-level appeal, The Sleepover could hardly be called fun for the whole family, because it isn’t really fun at all. It would be very easy to label this movie as simply "meh" and move on, but looking closer, there is some nuance to how underwhelming it is.
(09/18/20 5:00pm)
by Conner Tighe
Going back out into the real world can be scary, with businesses beginning to reopen, and this awkward transition period the world is in. If you find yourself in need of another reality, fall in love with one of the most passionate and well-written authors of our time. I encourage you to dive into one of five novels by illustrious author, screenwriter, and playwright Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy has captured an enormous fan base while telling gripping tales of horror and mischief around the United States. He is like no other author in his grasp of storytelling, and his work will stand the test of time. Several of McCarthy’s works have been turned into films, and you may recognize some of them. With 10 novels published, McCarthy has written some groundbreaking narratives. Let McCarthy’s dark world take you with these five novels of justice, revenge, and real evil.
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5. Suttree (1979)
McCarthy's 482-page semi-autobiographical novel is the heaviest of his works. Cornelius Suttree, a fisherman living off the Tennessee River, calls the South home while dealing with past trauma. Shunned from his family, Suttree makes his way across the Tennessee region to make a living. The story is intriguing but appears dry halfway through the novel. Only genuine McCarthy fans will tolerate the never-ending story of grief in Suttree’s life. With the grim take on life in Tennessee, McCarthy stays true to what his fans know best: life can always be worse. And life commonly is.
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4. The Orchard Keeper (1965)
The Orchard Keeper gave McCarthy a point on the roadmap. The novel established his career as a novelist, and it still entertains today. The story revolves around strange circumstances featuring orchard keeper Ather Ownby, who passes on his knowledge of the Tennessee wilderness to a boy named John Wesley Rattner. Rattner’s father, Kenneth, is killed by bootlegger Marion Sylder. Sylder develops a close friendship with Rattner, who is unaware Sylder killed his father. McCarthy captured the rich, unique nature of the Tennessee town, Red Branch. Nature itself seems like a character as it plays a significant role in telling the story of the people. Although it’s not his best novel, it’s still, patient, and cool with its suspense and eventual climax.
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3. The Road (2006)
By far McCarthy’s bleakest and darkest book, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the journey of a man and his son across a desolate wasteland that is written in a captivating and powerful manner. McCarthy keeps you reading by providing twists and scenes of terror that no human should have to encounter. During a time like this in America, the novel makes you wonder what could be in America. McCarthy leaves room for thought with his novels. What happened to the world in this novel? There are theories, but nothing is confirmed.
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2. Child of God (1973)
Evil roams the Tennessee wilderness in this McCarthy thriller. Like my number one choice, this novel revolves around a cat-and-mouse chase of good and evil. A violent nomad beyond humanity is murdering the public while the local sheriff is running off clues to track the man down. The narrative is tense and includes a kicker of an ending. For those that get a thrill from gruesome violence and an engrossing narrative, this is a strong recommendation.
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1. No Country for Old Men (2005)
By far McCarthy’s greatest piece of literature, this story revolves around greed and coming to terms with aging in a broken world. Hunter Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong. Nearby, lays a briefcase of a substantial amount of cash; here is where our story begins. McCarthy creates his greatest villain to date. Anton Chigurh, a ruthless hitman, hunts down Moss while sheriff, Ed Tom Bell, tries to keep up with the mess of events. The novel found its way onto the big screen in 2007. The film comprised a great casting group featuring Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Kelly Macdonald. The film also won four Academy Awards — Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay — and grossed $171.6 million. The film certainly lives up to the amazing story that McCarthy crafted.
Images: Amazon
Featured Image: Los Angeles Times
(09/17/20 10:54pm)
Blake and OK return to break down the delay of the upcoming Batman film, The Batman. 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, OK SchlatterExecutive Producer: Evan FischerVideo Editing: Evan FischerAudio Editing: Shwetha SundarrajanGraphics: Kellyn HarrisonMusic: Jack McGinnis
(09/14/20 10:14pm)
The three-member rock band Point North has returned with their third album Brand New Vision. Originally founded in California, the band consists of vocalist Jon Lundin, guitarist Andy Hershey, and drummer Sage Weeber, who play progressive rock. The rock genre has undergone many phases since the 90s with bands like Nirvana and All-American Rejects, and 20-plus years later, mainstream rock has evolved into something more pop-inspired, but with the same emotion that rock provides.
(09/14/20 10:13pm)
For decades, superheroes (and by extension, their superpowers) have been all the rage. Characters such as Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and many more possess abilities that regular people like you and me can only dream of having. Who wouldn’t want to leap tall buildings in a single bound, create and generate their own electrical fields, move objects with only their mind, or shoot laser beams out of their eyes? The possibilities are seemingly endless.
(09/14/20 10:12pm)
Debuting in 2013 with a self-titled EP, Glass Animals stormed onto the scene with the song “Black Mambo,” a quirky indie-pop song about being outmatched by someone. Hailing from Oxford, England, the band grew quite an audience with their hip-hop inspired beats and fun, sexy melodies. The band released their first full-length album ZABA in 2014, which featured more or less the same sounds from their EP with more realized songwriting. Their creativity continued to shine with the release of How to Be a Human Being in 2016. The album is a light concept of stories that people had told front man Dave Bayley on tour. Overall, it wasn’t too different from ZABA, but with songs like “Youth,” “Season 2 Episode 3,” and the beautiful closer, “Agnes,” the vocals became just another instrument and made the songs even more powerful. Their new album, Dreamland, unfortunately falls flat and continues to milk the same sounds that gave them success. Don’t get me wrong, as with their two past records, there are quite a few good songs. However, the concept is inconsistent musically and some songs are so by-the-numbers for Glass Animals that they come off as filler. That being said, there are a number of notable tracks that stand out and save the album.
(09/14/20 10:11pm)
Disclaimer: This review is of the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
(09/14/20 10:10pm)
“This digital life was not for them. Not in a mean way, they meant no offense. It’s not you; it’s them, and they needed more. They didn’t know what that ‘more’ was, but they needed it, so they went to find it, and this is that.”