By Zach Houle – 1851 Staff
The rap group Migos is one of the latest popular presences in hip-hop. Songs such as “Bad and Boujee,” “Slippery,” and “Pipe It Up” put them on the map. Members Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff have produced hit after hit. The three members are launching solo projects; Quavo started with “QUAVO HUNCHO” released in October. Takeoff released his solo album “The Last Rocket” on Nov. 2.
By Emily Long & Brian McGloughlin – 1851 Staff and Sports Editor
“Beautiful Boy” was released in cinemas on Oct. 12. Directed by Felix Van Groeningen, the movie was and adaptation of the novel, written by David Sheff. The star-studded cast included Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan.
Emily Long & Pavel Zlatin – 1851 staff
The highly anticipated film starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper released on Oct. 5, “A Star is Born” is the third remake of the musical drama film released in 1937. The movie is another major role for Gaga and Cooper’s directorial debut.
The film follows Jackson Maine (Cooper) and Ally (Gaga), two star crossed lovers who meet under unlikely yet completely cliché circumstances. Maine is a musician plagued by alcohol and substance addiction. After performing in Los Angeles, he meets Ally as she performs “La Vie en Rose” in an obscure bar. The pair get drunk and Ally sings one of her original songs to Maine. Her talent strikes him immediately, leading him to introduce her to the music world. As Ally’s career progresses, Maine is further ravaged by his inner demons.
The duo’s acting is nothing but fantastic. Cooper has fully embodied the persona of Maine, a rugged Arizona cowboy. Gaga allows Ally to grow throughout the film from timid performer to a full-fledged starlet.
The clear star of the movie is the soundtrack. Gaga’s vocals are a powerhouse with her edition of “La Vie en Rose”. The film showcases how well Gaga performs in a variety of styles from ballads with Cooper to pop songs similar to Gaga’s personal style. Cooper’s music talent is reminiscent of classic rock.
While most of the elements of the film are great, the plot of the movie is awkward, paced too quickly, and cliché. Luckily, as clumsy as the plot is, it is not bad enough to ruin all the good things about the movie. The original film also had a clumsy plot line, forgiving that particular flaw.
Overall, “A Star is Born” is a movie worth seeing. The acting is incredible, the soundtrack is simply beautiful, and Gaga has proved once again that she can do it all.
Colin Froment & Brian Cohen – Co-editor-in-chief & 1851 staff
Spider-Man supervillain Venom swings back into cinemas in his self-titled film, “Venom,” released on Oct. 6. The film highlights the character’s anti-hero persona on a path of redemption in a film separate from any Marvel film released.
Investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) attempts to revamp his career by investigating the Life Foundation and its sinister founder, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). This causes him to be forcibly bonded with the alien symbiote Venom, giving him superhuman strength, shapeshifting abilities and a constant hunger for human beings. Brock must learn to find the balance between his morals and the symbiote’s cannibalistic intentions in order to take down the Life Foundation.
And the film does get as interesting as it sounds – for the most part.
“Venom” really struggled with pacing. The first half of the film is a large, dull exposition that takes a slow approach focusing on Brock, making fans wait what seems like forever for him to actually become Venom. Once the symbiote finally emerges, there is more excitement to witness, but then the movie feels rushed as it progresses. As the predictable climax comes to a close, the audience is left thinking, “wait, that’s it?”
The film left little time for character development for the supporting cast. Drake is about as generic as it gets when it comes to devious corporation CEOs, even when attached to the murderous symbiote, Riot. Michele Williams as Anne Weying had stand out moments that set her apart from other superhero love interests, but it doesn’t completely make up for some personality flaws she displays in the beginning of the film.
On a less darker side, Hardy proves to be the perfect choice as both Brock and Venom, mixing two very distinct personalities into one character with such ease. The monster unleashes brutal action scenes and displays signature dark humor to create the film’s funniest moments. With a visually striking and frightening appearance, thanks to detailed visual effects, Venom looks ripped straight out of the comic pages for enjoyment.
With a rushed plot that begins at a snail’s pace and dull characters, “Venom” feels like an unfinished product but with a little glimmer of a potentially fun flick. “Venom” is like Play-Doh, a messy but entertaining pile of goop that kids might not want to eat a second time around.
Pavel Zlatin — 1851 Staff
Anna Kendrick is a primary female lead for “A Simple Favor”. Photo courtesy of Live For Films
A family, a house in the suburbs, a high-profile PR job, brilliant bartending skills and an excessive collection of Louboutins. Everything about Emily (Blake Lively) seems to be absolutely perfect, unless you make the mistake of becoming her friend– the mistake Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) did.
Danielle Hogan & Pavel Zlatin— Arts and Entertainment Editor & 1851 staff
The season five premiere of “Bojack Horseman” was highly anticipated before leading up to its release on Sept. 14. The Netflix original animated series follows half horse, half man Bojack (Will Arnett) filming the first season of series-within-a-series, “Philbert”, with Gina (Stephanie Beatriz), colleague and lover in both “Philbert” and reality, and colleague Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins), as well.
By Pavel Zlatin – 1851 Staff
Photo courtesy of IMDB
An incredibly ambitious project that didn’t live up to viewers’ expectations, “A Wrinkle in Time” is a science-fantasy adventure film, released on March 9, is based on Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel. The movie was directed by Ava DuVernay, known for her 2014 historical drama “Selma,” and written by Jennifer Lee.
By Colin Froment & Justin Fosdick – News Editor & 1851 Staff
The film “Black Panther” was highly anticipated not just by Marvel fans, but also by the general public for highlighting one of the most racially diverse casts in a recent movie. This cast serves as one of the film’s main strengths, while combing dazzling visuals and underlying political themes to provide another entertaining superhero adventure. More…
