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(01/16/20 3:15pm)
by Rex Meyer
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Season 1 of You.
Loosely based on Caroline Kepnes’ novel Hidden Bodies, the sequel to her sleeper hit You, Season 2 of You ventures deeper into the psyche of its serial killer protagonist Joe as he trades the wholesome literary scene of New York City for the fame-hungry background of Los Angeles. The people are prettier, the fashion is more sophisticated, the hunger for stardom is ever more present, and social media encompasses the identity of the people surrounding him. Unfortunately for Joe, his fresh start quickly transforms into murderous mayhem as his lust for a new girl takes him down a dark, chaotic rabbit hole. In the fashion of a typical psychological thriller, You Season 2 contains numerous twists and turns that will leave audiences with their eyes wide and jaws dropped. Although these plot twists serve for an enticing viewing, the overabundance of them risks taking the show into absurd and redundant terrain. Nevertheless, the show retains its millennial charm and endearing cast of characters that makes it stand out from other shows about romance and murder.
(01/14/20 5:08pm)
by Jack Gillespie
The '10s have finally passed, after what seemed like a never-ending decade, and the landscape of popular music has seen countless shifts in that time. The way music is marketed, made, consumed, released, and even popularized is leagued differently than it was in 2009. Many phases and waves have come and gone as well: the EDM boom, the renaissance of the modern pop divas à la Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Rihanna, etc., dancehall, tropical house, and the ascension of rap as the nation’s dominant musical genre.
One way one can get a good idea of what music defined the decade is to look at the biggest songs of the decades. What tracks caught the attention of the country in a way few tracks can? And a more important question: which of those tracks were actually worthy of the platform? This list has the best that the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart had to offer in the ‘10s, as well as the worst. In order to fully understand the past, you need to take a look at both the trash and treasure.
(01/12/20 10:00pm)
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for The Witcher.
(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.
(01/10/20 9:03pm)
by Blake Chapman
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for The Witcher.
The Witcher series of novels and short stories by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski tell the epic tale of a mutant monster hunter named Geralt of Rivia. While traveling through the unnamed continent, Geralt is hired to slay a plethora of beasts; most often focusing on horrors from Slavic mythology. When brute strength is not the answer, he must use his wit and keen understanding of human nature to escape from the persecution of himself or others. Through this greater narrative, Geralt encounters themes of xenophobia, class warfare, and gender prejudice while on his travels, and more often than not finds that humans are the true monsters of this world.
After eight published books translated into 23 languages and three world-renowned video games, Netflix decided to adapt the tale of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri into an eight-episode season based solely off of Sapkowski’s works. While the series so far leaves plenty to be desired from long-time fans as well as rookies, this introduction has more potential than just being another Game of Thrones knockoff.
(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.
(01/10/20 5:38pm)
by Mason Kupiainen
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.
Before I continue, I do like the Rogue One and Solo movies. That said, I was frustrated that Lucasfilms decided to stay within the tight box that the Star Wars films and television shows have built for themselves. The Star Wars universe is filled with countless characters and stories to tell. For Lucasfilms to make a spin-off movie (that no one was really asking for) with one of their most popular characters and a movie directly connected to A New Hope was disappointing as a Star Wars fan. With the release of The Mandalorian, my faith in the Star Wars universe has been restored.
(01/09/20 4:07pm)
by Daniel O'Connell
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.
The film follows Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic jeweler who works in the New York Diamond District and is struggling to pay back his gambling debts. However, his luck begins to change when he comes across a rare uncut black opal priced at over a million dollars. With loan sharks after him and his life crumbling all around him, Howard has to go through a series of high stakes acts, such as appealing to his buyers and to loan sharks, in order to get the gem and come out on top.
(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.
(01/06/20 7:30pm)
Disclaimer: The following review of Cats is of the original release of the film. Current Cats screenings contain “enhanced special effects” which are not reflected upon in this review.
(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 10:22pm)
by Anthony Herring
Disclaimer: This review contains minor spoilers for 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
On May 25, 1977, the world—or should I say, the galaxy—was introduced to a groundbreaking sci-fi film called Star Wars. Chronicling the epic adventure of a young farm boy, Luke Skywalker, the film opened to critical and commercial acclaim, with critics and audiences alike falling in love with the galaxy far, far away. Such a massive success spawned two beloved sequels, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi. This trilogy of films was eventually labeled as the “original trilogy” upon creator George Lucas’ announcement that he was going to start creating a prequel trilogy in the late 1990s. This trilogy consists of 1999’s The Phantom Menace, 2002’s Attack of the Clones, and 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Unlike the adoration that fans give the original trilogy, the prequels weren’t as positively received---although in the years since, many have come around on them.
The sequel trilogy succeeded the prequels, starting with 2015’s The Force Awakens and continuing with 2017’s The Last Jedi. Overall, many fans are mixed on this trilogy, with many loving it for feeling like classic Star Wars, and with many others hating it for its missed opportunities, weird creative decisions, etc. Despite that, the trilogy has been quite successful, bringing the franchise to new heights. With those heights comes this year’s The Rise of Skywalker, which was advertised as being the final chapter of not only this trilogy but the nine-film “Skywalker Saga” as a whole. Now, when the film works, it truly excels, but when it doesn’t work, it really, really does not.
(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.
(12/27/19 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.
(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.
(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?
(12/24/19 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.
(12/24/19 4:30pm)
by Trevor Sheffield
Disclaimer: The following review of Cats is of the original release of the film. Current Cats screenings contain “enhanced special effects” which are not reflected upon in this review.
In 1982, a man named Andrew Lloyd Webber opened a musical called Cats on Broadway. Based on author T.S. Eliot’s poetry collection entitled Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the show follows a gaggle of audacious felines as they effectively debate over who deserves reincarnation. It’s gone on to completely revolutionize musical theater as we know it, and became Webber’s most iconic work, which lives on in infamy to this day.
In 2019, a man named Tom Hooper (of Les Misérables “fame”) directed a film adaptation of Mr. Webber’s production, and I’d dare argue that it is the single-most horrifying film this year has to offer—and it doesn’t even have a body count.
(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: