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(10/25/21 9:27pm)
Welcome back fellow witches to another season of The Coven! This episode, Ball State Journalism professor, Kate Elliot, discusses what it like to be a woman in the journalism industry today with our host Shwetha! How are women faring in the journalism industry today? What are some new challenges arising? What can aspiring journalists expect once entering the workforce?
(10/26/21 4:30pm)
The reign of Michael Myers has been ongoing for more than 40 years now in the classic Halloween movies, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, and now Michael has once again come home to Haddonfield, Illinois to wreak vengeful havoc. It takes not even two minutes for the dead bodies to start piling up and to see Michael’s characteristically slow-paced walk carry him across the screen in his mask, although it has been terribly damaged. Just as early as characters begin to die, the audience is reunited with previous victims of Michael's such as: Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace (played by her original actress), the little boy and girl Laurie babysat in the first movie, and a few other key characters from the past.
(10/25/21 8:30am)
Welcome movie-watchers to another season of Input 2! At the start of the season, Nintendo directors, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, announced the voice acting cast of the new Mario movie set to release December 2022. While some of the castings started fans, others enhanced the excitement for the new video game movie. What are some concerns for the movie? How will it fare in comparison to other video game movies? Tune in for all this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
(10/24/21 11:00pm)
Who would beat who in a fight? Would Superman beat Batman? Would my dad beat your dad? A lot of these questions will never be answered (except my dad would totally beat your dad for sure). The point is, these questions that turn into full-blown arguments exist across pop culture, and one group of people who champion their icons more than most are horror fans. Now you have the chance to help decide who would win in a fight in the metaphorical boxing ring. Your votes directly relate to who moves on in the bracket, but I took the liberty of making this list for you so that your support is, at the very least, educated.
(10/24/21 2:30pm)
The leaves are changing, temperature levels are slowly dropping, and autumn is officially here. It’s just like any other year where pumpkin spice is met with anticipation and the perfect football weather is right around the corner.
(10/23/21 7:30pm)
The first Venom movie was not a hit with critics, but was more popular with audiences, or at least the audience members that know how to have fun. Those who enjoyed Venom were eagerly awaiting a continuation of Eddie Brock and his strange symbiote partner's escapades.
(10/23/21 8:30pm)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was not predicted to be a box office hit in the wake of movies releasing simultaneously in theaters and onto streaming services. Furthermore, it features a lesser-known Marvel protagonist that had a lot of people doubting the movie’s potential. Despite this speculation, Shang-Chi was a smash hit. Bringing in $94 million over Labor Day weekend, it was even breaking Marvel records. There could be a great deal of reasons for its success, but taking into account the fact that nearly 60 percent of the world is Asian and this is the first Marvel film to boast a cast that is as high as 98 percent Asian, that is a win for representation. The numbers in the United States were boosted in cities with a larger Asian population such as San Francisco and New York City. It has grossed over $257 million despite not being released in China, where Simu Liu is from.
(10/22/21 9:00pm)
Shawn James, an American singer-songwriter born in the South Side of Chicago, is not an artist many know or have heard of. Though recently, he collaborated with popular video game studio Naughty Dog, leading to his song "Through the Valley" to be covered in "The Last of Us: Part II" by lead actress Ashley Johnson. This obviously began to garner fans to his folk, blues, and rock melodies and lyrics.
(10/22/21 9:30pm)
Who would have thought that a middle-aged British pop group and a much younger Korean pop group would team up and produce a song together? Not me, I was surprised to say the least when the collaboration between Coldplay and BTS was announced. The two groups together seem like an odd, unexpected combination, especially because of the language gap. However, their passion for music transcended language and they were able to produce a song with both English and Korean lyrics.
(10/01/21 8:06pm)
Follow Sam as he breaks down the events and interviews participants at this year's Gen Con convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.Anchor: Sam Shipe
(09/16/21 8:00pm)
Disclaimer: This review was conducted on an Xbox One X.
(09/14/21 5:14pm)
On this episode of Remixed Sam dives into another minisode this time going in on the Sara Kays and AJR concert at Emens this past weekend. Did they make a fan out of Sam? Listen and find out!
Host: Sam Shipe
Edited by: Sam Shipe
Graphic by: Talor Sheridan
(05/03/21 10:03pm)
By Mason Kupiainen
Tom Clancy’s work has become a staple across multiple mediums. We were first introduced to Clancy’s characters in novels, but they have since expanded to films, television, and video games. Arguably his most popular character, Jack Ryan, has been portrayed by five different actors with John Krasinski currently portraying the character in the Amazon series. Once again, Amazon brings another popular Clancy character, John Clark, to the screen.
Without Remorse follows Clark after the murder of his pregnant wife. Seeking out those responsible, Clark discovers a dangerous plot involving America and Russia.
Throwback action film
Not every action film can be the next The Raid 2, Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick, or Predator, breaking down the barriers and being inventive within the genre. However, at the very least, action films must provide exciting and thrilling action sequences that leave you at the edge of your seat. Although not a perfect movie, Without Remorse is able to avoid this disease that plagues most action films. It feels like a throwback to classic 80s and 90s action films, with the film taking plenty of inspiration from Slyvester Stallone or Steven Seagal movies. It can feel a little too similar to other films at times and doesn’t provide anything new for the genre, but it can still be an entertaining ride.
The fight choreography is thrilling to watch and looks realistic, which is, unfortunately, saying a lot when discussing modern action films. The best part about the action is that everything is filmed with wide, focused shots, allowing you to see everything being put on screen. Shaky-cam doesn’t plague the film as it does with countless others, most recently Mortal Kombat. Although the action never feels fresh or original—since it sticks with the traditional hand-to-hand combat and gun violence—it’s still able to keep all these scenes feeling exhilarating and entertaining.
Subpar storytelling
Aside from the action, everything else is bland and sometimes poor. The story is predictable and feels like any other political, espionage action film. With a script written by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples—the first being the same writer behind incredible films like Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River—it was upsetting to see the story be this weak. The film does move quickly and never lets you catch your breath, so by constantly keeping the action moving, you can almost forget about the subpar story.
Every great action movie has a great action hero, but sadly Without Remorse lacks that as well. Clark is not well written or developed, but is still a character you can latch on to. Michael B. Jordan gives an acceptable performance, but it feels a bit bland at times. Clark doesn’t develop much throughout the film and stays the same rage-filled character he is from the beginning. His motivation is understandable and allows audiences to care for him, but beyond having his pregnant wife killed, the film doesn’t give you much else to grasp onto. Perhaps if they carry on with the sequels (which an end credit scene suggests that they are setting up a franchise), they can develop his character more.
Thrilling filmmaking
As mentioned before, the action sequences are handled well. A major issue in action films is the over-saturation of shaky-cam and quick-cut editing. The action is filmed with wonderful wide shots that allow you to see everything. Jordan also appeared to have done much, if not all, of the stunt work himself, which helps make the action more believable. There are no action sequences that stand out as some of the greatest put to film, but there are many memorable well-shot scenes. For example, in one scene, Clark fights off guards in a jail cell, which was well-choreographed and executed. The punches and kicks looked real and messy, as if it wasn’t practiced and was occurring naturally. There are also many long takes with few cuts. In a time when many action films are filled with countless quick cuts and poor editing, it was refreshing to see a film provide well-made action sequences.
A downfall for the film was the lack of creativity. The film repeated certain styles of sequences to the point of feeling like the filmmakers didn’t have any other ideas. For example, there are multiple car accident scenes. One, in particular, follows Clark lighting a car on fire and interrogating a person inside while it burns. Another shows Clark interrogating someone in a vehicle while underwater, and yet another scene revolves around a sinking vehicle. The action also never changes and sticks with the traditional physical and gun action. If you go into the film aware that it’s a standard action film with some well-choreographed and directed action, you’ll most likely have a fun time.
Sources: Novel Suspects, USA Today, IMDB, IMDB
Images: Polygon, The Patriot Ledger, Collider
Featured Image: Collider
(04/30/21 10:34pm)
As part of Spring Homecoming, groups from across Ball State competed against each other in Bed Races at Briner Sports Track on April 30. Bed Races is the last event of Ball State's first spring Homecoming, moved to the spring semester due to the coronavirus outbreak. This event was streamed virtually with no guests allowed in the stands, a break from tradition due to COVID-19 concerns.
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(04/30/21 6:45pm)
By Brandon Carson
Classic indie-rock band, Dinosaur Jr., has been on a roll since their reunion album, 2007’s Beyond. Before this incredible run of albums, their guitarist/bass player, Lou Barlow, had left the band in ‘89 after the release of their third album, Bug, and drummer, Patrick Murphy after ‘93’s Where You Been. Guitarist and lead vocalist, J Mascis, kept going with the band for two more records. Beyond is a record that sets the tone for the next four to come. It’s a return to form, while still feeling fresh and unique to their discography. Farm continued this momentum and even pushed their own boundaries on melodies and production with songs like, “Plans” and “I Don’t Wanna Go There.” These two records helped move Dinosaur Jr. forward and show growth as a band. Later, the band saw the release of “I Bet On Sky,” which benefitted the punk side of their sound. It’s another solid addition to their discography, while not being the best. Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not, released in 2016, kept the streak of strong albums alive. It had plenty of catchy hooks in songs like “Tiny,” and even experimented their sound a bit with “Knocked Around.” Sweep It Into Space carries the same torch as all the post-reunion albums. Co-produced by Kurt Vile, each song has emotional, gripping instrumentals, and their sound has adapted all while staying true to them. A few forgettable tracks don’t spoil the bunch, but still affect the album’s quality overall.
More great songs, same old Dinosaur Jr.
“I Ain’t” starts the record off with a driving riff and drum beat and introspective lyrics from Mascis. It’s followed by “I Met The Stones,” a fairly straightforward track that constantly gets better as time goes by. The first stand-out on the album is “To Be Waiting.” The production feels like a mix between the 80s and modern Dinosaur Jr., as well as the structure, pushing together all the great Dinosaur Jr. clichés into one song: a moody chorus where Mascis sings one line, an emotional solo that helps the listener feel the mood of the song, and reverbed drums that fill the space perfectly. The solos on this track are transcendent and all over the album (and their discography), Mascis pushes and experiments with his guitar playing style. The solos seem to always come in at just the right time for each song. “I Ran Away,” sounds like a happy, carefree song, but the lyrics say otherwise. The multiple layers of guitars take the song to great heights, and once again, Mascis’ emotional guitar solos will always improve the quality of these songs.
Barlow’s first song for the record is “Garden,” a slow, Pixies-eqsue jam with a big wall of sound for a chorus. It changes the pace of the album for the better. One of the constants for the reunion albums is Barlow singing and writing a couple of songs, and it always adds more dynamics to each one. “Hide Another Round,” threw me for a loop. The beginning seemed to foreshadow a forgettable track, with nothing interesting, maybe even filler. But after the first chorus, everything comes together, and deserves a spot on Sweep It Into Space. “And Me,” is another prominent track, that takes Dinosaur Jr.’s 90s era sound (Green Mind, Where You Been) and mixes it into a cleaner production, changing the album’s flow.
Expanding their sound, while keeping it the same
One thing that AC/DC seems to have lost, is the ability to keep their sound while trying new things with it. Dinosaur Jr. is a similar band, in that, if one heard a couple of their songs, they’d soon understand what the band sounds like. But what Dinosaur Jr. does that AC/DC doesn’t, can be found in the back half of the album, with songs like, “Take It Back,” and “You Wonder.” “Take It Back” brings a piano into the mix and plays with song structure. The bridge for the track is surprising and grand, with big soundscapes. It really helps the back half of the album and makes the flow of the record more interesting as a whole. Another unique song comes from “You Wonder,” the closer of the record and another Barlow track. The melodies change constantly but still work together, Mascis plays one of his most different-sounding solos on the whole album, and the lyrics feel dense with multiple meanings to be deciphered.
“Go, mystery, go/Let me shine a light/The dark corner of our yesterday/Let mе get it right/Before wе met I thought I'd lose my mind hiding/All the time you wonder how I feel”
A few forgettable cuts
The only problem that ensues across this record is a few bland songs. This isn’t to say that they don’t sound like Dinosaur Jr., or that they are terrible. But when a record is full of great songs that push their discography forward, it is easy to hear when a song doesn’t reach that level. “I Expect It Always” meanders about and feels boringly familiar. “N Say” has a good guitar solo, but the song itself is disinteresting and doesn’t go anywhere new. “Walking to You” has stand-out lyrics, but the mix overall is off-putting and too muddy, surprisingly. The album overall isn’t better than say, the all killer, no filler, You’re Living All Over Me, or even the catchy and instrumentally strong, Farm, not that it needs to be. But when compared to those classic Dinosaur Jr. albums where every song on it is great, “I Expect It Always,” and “N Say” drag down that chance of the record being on that level.
Top tracks:
And Me
You Wonder
Take It Back
Recommended if you like:
Pixies
Pavement
Built to Spill
Sources: The Toronto Star, All Music, Genius, Genius, Genius
Featured Image: Genius
(04/26/21 2:00pm)
By Mason Kupiainen
Netflix has been one of the best distributors when it comes to television. Many of the most talked-about series usually are originals from the streaming giant. However, Netflix does not have the same track record of quality when it comes to their original films. They release a few gems now and then, including films like The Trial of the Chicago 7, Hillbilly Elegy, The Old Guard, and The Devil All the Time. Like Project Power or Thunder Force, many of their high-profile films usually turn out to be some of the worst films of the year. However, Stowaway walks the line by being a mixture of excellent and poor filmmaking.
Stowaway follows a three-person crew on a two-year mission to Mars. On the ship, they discover an accidental stowaway and cannot turn back around to Earth. After his discovery, the ship’s commander learns that their supplies and resources are only suited for three people, their morals begin to be tested.
Lackluster characters
Anna Kendrick and Toni Collette, the two leads for the film, are typically excellent other roles. Whether or not it was the writing or their performances, probably a mixture of the two, their characters were uninteresting. Rounding this short cast, Shamier Anderson and Daniel Dae Kim seem like great performers, but their characters lack substance. They are the only two characters given a backstory, but they still were unable to be compelling. The four were unable to elevate the material they were given and make the characters enjoyable through their performances. Their characters were not terrible, but it was difficult to find a reason to latch on to any of them.
Since only two of the characters were given the bare minimum for their backstories, it was difficult to truly fear for them during the tense moments. Part of the reason why these characters were flat was the dialogue. Even though the movie is almost two hours, there are not many moments where they’re allowed to talk about themselves. The few moments they were given were dull and developed the characters poorly. Whenever the characters are discussing the situation at hand, the dialogue here is boring as well. It fails to add suspense or reflect the character's development.
Beautiful filmmaking
The film shines with the work done behind the camera. Since most of the film takes place within close confinements, it was great to see the filmmakers get creative with what they had to work with. The camera work felt very smooth, with many memorable moments filmed in one continuous shot. The framing of the shots also helped to give the feeling of living in close confinements and add to the intensity of the situation. Once the characters have to start handling things outside the ship, the visuals were stunning. They were able to get multiple shots that would make for beautiful still images. There is a scene that revolves around radiation that was visually stunning with its use of color. The final shot of the film is also stunning and ended the film on a friendly note. It was able to convene the sorrow of the scene while adding beauty to the moment.
Beyond the technical aspects, the story is a mixed bag. Like mentioned before, the characters could have been crafted better. If they were, it probably would have elevated the film considerably. However, the story can provide intense, powerful moments, but also drag in many areas. The beginning of the film is slow with its set-up and character development. Although the beginning tries to introduce the characters and story, it felt clunky and dull with the route it takes.
Once the tension of the situation begins to build, the film switches into an edge of your seat thriller, but only for a short while. Some scenes provide plenty of suspense, while others go back to the dull moments that plagued the beginning. Although the story questions the characters’ morality, it is still confusing to see where they stand. The film also never truly presses them with this issue or allows the audience to see them struggle with it.
The conclusion also continues to be a mixed bag. It provides a heartfelt moment, but also feels lackluster. It is almost like the film was building to nothing and simply unravels in the end. It became unclear what the film’s true message is, if there even is supposed to be one. Although it is a touching ending, it seemed as if the filmmakers did not want to compromise any character development but still wanted a bitter-sweet ending, so they took a strange way to achieve this. Perhaps if they had tacked on an extra 20 minutes to the film to expand upon numerous areas, they could have achieved a superior conclusion. As it stands, it works at the moment, but lessens in value as you reflect on it.
Sources: IMDB (The Trial of the Chicago 7), IMDB (Hillbilly Elegy), IMDB (The Old Guard), IMDB (The Devil All the Time), IMDB (Project Power), IMDB (Thunder Force)
Images: Los Angeles Times, Netflix
Featured Image: IMDB
(04/23/21 2:15am)
By Arianna Sergio
You can’t call yourself a music connoisseur if you’ve never listened to Sir Paul McCartney. McCartney changed the music world forever when he emerged on the scene with his fellow Beatles bandmates—John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—and soon enough, Beatlemania swept the nation. With hits like “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Hey Jude,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” among many others, The Beatles were the biggest thing at the time and were unstoppable. That is, until McCartney famously announced that they were breaking up due to, “Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I [McCartney] have a better time with my family.” Since then, he has had an outstanding solo career, releasing 26 studio albums. His newest album, McCartney III Imagined, is unlike anything he, or anyone else in the music industry, has ever done. Of course, there are plenty of artists who do covers of other artists’ music, but other than McCartney, I have never seen another artist openly invite other artists to create new interpretations of their own compositions.
(04/22/21 8:30pm)
by Sam ShipeEveryone likes a good movie, but what exactly makes a movie good? That’s definitely a topic for debate. A movie can easily be so bad that it’s good. One example being The Room which is objectively a horrible movie, but that attribute is what makes it so entertaining and elevated it to a cult classic. For those who don’t know, a cult classic refers to a film that likely did not do well upon release, but for some reason or another, developed a huge following that launched it into mainstream pop culture. As an example, The Room grossed less than 2,000 dollars when it opened for two weeks in only two theaters in Hollywood, but now it has midnight showings worldwide and had The Disaster Artist released as the story behind the film. The Disaster Artist featured high tiered actors such as James and Dave Franco, and became incredibly well received by critics and fans alike. Sadly though, not all bad movies get this honor, like Cats— which is just plain bad. A simple way to find both objectively and subjectively “good” movies is to check both critic reviews and audience reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives you both for a reason. So, why in the world am I talking about this? Big monkey fighting radioactive lizard, that’s why. Godzilla vs. Kong for those of you who didn’t immediately get it.
(04/21/21 2:52am)
By Conner Tighe
The Wonderlands went for something fresh and daring with their latest single, “Friends,” which features DJ artist Hilliard. This is the first piece of music The Wonderlands have released since their last single, “The Push,” back in February. After at least five listens, my opinion remains unchanged. The single is a new sound and demonstrates the band’s willingness to push past boundaries of what fans expect and what the band wants to explore, but is more stagnant than other releases.
The Wonderlands were founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Ball State student Miles Jena (lead singer/guitarist) and friend Adam Steele (bassist/vocalist). The duo grew into a five-person band with Jill Gavigan (keyboard/vocalist), Derek Johnson (drummer), and Patrick Oakes (guitarist/vocalist). The band first released music in 2018 but dropped their first album, This Digital Life, in 2020.
(04/18/21 10:00pm)
By Kellyn Harrison
Warning: This review may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of "My Hero Academia"
As a die-hard fanboy, Deku has studied many heroes’ abilities and ferociously scribbled notes in his journal well before receiving One For All. The amount of strategy pressed between the journal’s pages has saved him in many fights and helped shape him into the hero he is today. Especially when he takes notes on his classmates for future training scenarios or combat missions, as he did in this episode. While fans and Deku knew Class 1-A’s abilities were complex, we didn’t know how complex they were, more so for the hero course's newest addition, Hitoshi Shinso. This episode continued the joint training arc between Classes 1-A and 1-B introduced in the last episode. I thought this arc would focus more on Shinso and Class 1-B’s abilities, but we received surprises from all parties involved in this fight’s episode. This case made for a satisfying continuation of the class’s development, making the viewer grow even more hooked to the characters’ growth as heroes.