Blog: Spring break watchlist
By The Pitt News Staff
March 7, 2019
Filed under Blogs, Culture, Movies, Television, Top Stories
As promised in our 2019 spring break bucket list, The Pitt News staff is here with yet another installment of our Weekend Watchlist blog series.
FOMO, grocery shopping and Netflix binging: Our 2019 spring break bucket list
By Alex Dolinger, Staff Writer
March 6, 2019
Filed under Culture, Food & Drink, Movies
For those of us staying in Pittsburgh or heading back home for the week, here are some ideas to make this spring break worthwhile.
Blog: Weekend watchlist, take five
By The Pitt News Staff
March 1, 2019
Filed under Blogs, Culture, Movies, Television, Top Stories
For the fifth time, The Pitt News staff is sharing our top picks of films and TV shows. For a post-midterms binge-watching session, look no further than the TPN Weekend Watchlist.
‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ caps the ‘Dragons’ trilogy with stunning visuals and stirring emotion
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Senior Staff Writer
February 28, 2019
Released on Friday, “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” — written and directed by Dean DeBlois — has earned widespread critical acclaim and is visually dazzling and mature with its storytelling.
‘Fighting with My Family’ leaves out the fight, waters down Paige
By Alexa Marzina, Staff Writer
February 26, 2019
The new film “Fighting with My Family” takes on the challenge of portraying the deep emotional highs and lows of WWE superstar Saraya-Jade Bevis (Florence Pugh) — who is known simply as Paige in the ring.
Netflix’s latest show ‘Russian Doll’ asks — but doesn’t answer — major questions of mortality
By Alexa Marzina, Staff Writer
February 19, 2019
Lots of people, whether they’re depressed or not, grapple with the idea of their own mortality in life. But in Netflix’s new series “Russian Doll,” it really doesn’t matter.
Blog: Our weekend watchlist, LGBTQ+ edition
By The Pitt News Staff
February 15, 2019
Filed under Blogs, Culture, Movies, Television
Valentine’s Day is a day of love, but here at The Pitt News, it is also the day we release our annual Sex Edition, which this year had an LGBTQ+ focus. To continue with this theme, this Weekend Watchlist features series and movies with a strong LGBTQ+ presence.
Blog: Our weekend watchlist, take three
By The Pitt News Staff
February 8, 2019
Filed under Blogs, Culture, Movies, Television, Top Stories
For the third time, our weekend watchlist is back by popular demand. This time with both television shows and movies featured on popular streaming services.
‘Velvet Buzzsaw:’ highbrow comedy, lowbrow delivery
By Vikram Sundar, Staff Writer
February 5, 2019
“Velvet Buzzsaw” follows various participants of the very niche contemporary art scene in Los Angeles. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo.
Josh Peck talks YouTube, Nickelodeon and Oprah during CMU visit
By Sarah Connor, Culture Editor
January 31, 2019
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television, Theater
Former star of the sensational TV show “Drake and Josh,” Josh Peck, stopped by CMU to speak about his life and newfound YouTube career. College students from both Pitt and CMU were excited to hear what Peck had to say, as many grew up watching his TV show.
“The Kid Who Would Be King:” A familiar, but heartwarming story
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Senior Staff Writer
January 28, 2019
On the surface, “The Kid Who Would Be King” seems to fit the bill of kitschy family film shunted into the January dump of films, but it offers much more.
Blog: Our weekend watchlist, movie edition
By The Pitt News Staff
January 25, 2019
Filed under Blogs, Culture, Movies, Top Stories
Last week we shared our top television shows to stream during the bad winter weather. This week, there may not be a storm coming, but we are ready to share our weekend watchlist. Instead of a series, The Pitt News staff is recommending some of our favorite films.
Blog: What to watch this wintery weekend
By The Pitt News Staff
January 18, 2019
Filed under Blogs, Culture, Movies, Television, Top Stories
With bad weather on the way, it’s looking like this weekend will be spent indoors. For the best indoor entertainment, our staff has shared their top picks of shows from online streaming services.
“On the Basis of Sex” highlights RBG’s early days
By Elizabeth Donnelly, Staff Writer
January 14, 2019
The new film “On the Basis of Sex” follows RBG’s journey through the early days of her legal career, starting with her time at the Harvard Law program.
Golden Globe-winning film ‘Roma’ hits home for Alfonso Cuaron
By Maya Best, Staff Writer
January 10, 2019
Alfonso Cuaron's “Roma” has won a number of awards this year, including the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
Netflix’s ‘Bird Box’ creates social media craze
By Shahum Ajmal, Contributing Editor
January 8, 2019
Though the new Netflix film “Bird Box” is known for its viral social media challenge, the film itself has gained a record-breaking 45 million views.
Staff Picks: Holiday movies to go with a cozy cup of cocoa
By The Pitt News Staff
November 27, 2018
From “The Polar Express” to “Love Actually,” there is a classic holiday film for everyone — and those are just two of our staff’s favorites.
Rowling writes out representation in ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ focuses on sequel-baiting
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Staff Writer
November 20, 2018
While “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” looks as fantastic as its title, the substance of the story leaves viewers with many questions.
Don’t stop him now: Rami Malek shines in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
By Darren Campuzano, Staff Writer
November 8, 2018
Despite some mixed reviews, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was not a flop. Lead actor Rami Malek stole the show as Queen rock legend Freddie Mercury.
‘Halloween’ returns to form 40 years later
By Apoorva Kethidi, For The Pitt News
November 1, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
“Halloween” is back. After 40 years and 10 poor sequels, the franchise finally hits a high note with the latest installation.
Remembering horror film icon Romero at Carnegie Lecture Hall
By Maggie Medoff, Staff Writer
October 23, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
George A. Romero is the filmmaker behind the classic film “Night of the Living Dead,” and he was remembered over the weekend with the event “Reflection on Romero.”
33rd annual Reel Q Film Festival brings LGBTQ+ cinema to the ’Burgh
By Siddhi Shockey, Staff Writer
October 16, 2018
For a weekend full of LGBTQ+ themed cinema, film buffs of Pittsburgh headed to the Harris Theater, for the Reel Q LGBT Film Fest.
‘Venom’ disappoints critics, delights sci-fi fans
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot, Staff Writer
October 9, 2018
Although “Venom” was met with dismal responses from critics, the film lit up the box office this past weekend, breaking a record for October openings.
Japanese history evoked in new documentary from local filmmaker
By Kim Rooney, Contributing Editor
October 2, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
On Sept. 28, the Row House Cinema premiered the documentary “Day of the Western Sunrise,” which details the story of Japanese fishermen.
Silk Screen Film Festival celebrates Japanese culture
By Maya Best, For The Pitt News
September 27, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
The Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival kicked off its 13th year on Sunday with a Japanese music performance and film screening of Shuichi Okita’s 2018 film, “Mori, The Artist’s Habitat.”
‘The Nun’ offers a whole bunch of nun-thing
By Apoorva Kethidi, For The Pitt News
September 11, 2018
As Halloween approaches, fans of the horror genre are gearing up for the their favorite time of the year. However, the latest addition to one of the most popular horror franchises might be a let-down.
‘Christopher Robin’ is unoriginal but uplifting
By Shahum Ajmal, Contributing Editor
August 20, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Welcome Back 2018
The drama-fantasy is a somewhat slow and cliche, yet heartwarming and beautiful continuation of A.A. Milne’s stories.
Artisan Pittsburgh welcomes fans for Jeff Goldblum Day 2018
By Delilah Bourque, Staff Writer
July 18, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Movies
Everyone has celebrities they adamantly adore. For some, they’re heroes of westerns like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, while for others they’re sex symbols like Angelina Jolie and George Clooney. For a certain group of people, there is one man who perfectly embodies all that a celebrity shou...
Duolingo debuts ‘Something Like Home’ documentary
By Jon Kunitsky | Staff Writer
June 27, 2018
Pittsburgh-based education software company Duolingo is most popular for teaching foreign languages to millions of people worldwide through its phone app and online learning program. But the company’s newest marketing project goes beyond the screen and travels into the real world to share the persona...
The Incredibles return without skipping a beat
By Grey McGettigan | For The Pitt News
June 20, 2018
After Disney-Pixar introduced international audiences to “The Incredibles” — a family of five superheroes struggling to live a super mundane life — the project’s creative linchpin, Brad Bird, kept busy. Blockbusters “Ratatouille” and “Tomorrowland” demanded most of his time, but the write...
Pittsburgh Filmmakers to close doors in North Oakland
By Sarah Connor and Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot
May 29, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
After 20 years of providing classes to residents of Pittsburgh and students at Pitt, Pittsburgh Filmmakers will end its days in Oakland. Due to financial struggles, Pittsburgh Filmmakers has canceled its fall courses in film and photography, and has made plans to sell its building on Melwood Avenue...
‘Deadpool 2’ delivers laughs and action
By Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot | For The Pitt News
May 23, 2018
“Deadpool 2,” released May 18, claims to be a family movie, despite leading with a murder — no different than movies like “The Lion King” or “Bambi,” according to the title character. But based on its R rating and crude jokes, it’s safe to say “Deadpool 2” doesn’t qualify. ...
Sneak peek: Free entertainment for this summer in the City
By Sarah Connor, Culture Editor
May 23, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Food & Drink, Movies, Music, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Now that college students have finished their finals and high school students are going to prom, the summer season is truly about to begin. The City of Pittsburgh is ready to celebrate the sunny months with some free outdoor events. Typical summer events — like the Independence Day celebration ...
Pitt Film Fest features city-wide student work
By Vikram Sundar | Staff Writer
April 17, 2018
While maintaining a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend in Indiana, Pennsylvania, senior Mark Conner spent many a lonely road trip listening to the cassette tape she had given him — Fleetwood Mac’s “Tango in the Night.” It was during these trips that he came up with the idea for his ...
Isle of Dogs delights with animation, disappoints with representation
By Vikram Sundar | Staff Writer
April 12, 2018
Wes Anderson has once again proven himself to be one of the most visually innovative auteurs in cinema with his latest film, “Isle of Dogs.” Set in a futuristic Japan, “Isle of Dogs” tells the tale of a headstrong 12-year-old boy named Atari, voiced by Koyu Rankin, who searches for his beloved d...
Former Film Row finds new life in start-up
By Joanna Li | Staff Writer
April 5, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
As a teenager, movie fanatic Drew Levinson noticed a run-down brick building with a familiar logo — 24 stars circling a mountain — as he passed it on his way to crew practice from Taylor Allderdice High School. The building sat in the back of his mind until 2009, when he stumbled across a film...
Ready Player One: Riddled with nostalgia
By Vikram Sundar | Staff Writer
April 3, 2018
Film deity and acclaimed director Steven Spielberg takes audiences on a two-hour-and-19-minute nostalgia fever dream with his latest film, “Ready Player One.” Based on Ernest Cline’s popular novel of the same name, Spielberg’s adaptation of “Ready Player One” was shaping up to be the defini...
Reopening the tomb: “Tomb Raider” returns with tired tropes
By Derek Wagner | For The Pitt News
March 20, 2018
The original “Tomb Raider” film, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” released in 2001, as well as its equally disastrous 2003 sequel, successfully banished the franchise to cinematic purgatory for 15 years. While reboots and remakes made up the majority of films over the past decade, “Tomb Raider” ...
“Spectacles” film series considers religion in film with “My Name is Khan”
By Vikram Sundar | Staff Writer
March 15, 2018
Moviegoers and religious scholars gathered for a film screening Tuesday in the hopes of viewing religion through a cinematic lens. Spectacles — a film series that analyzes religious and cultural motifs in movies — screened “My Name is Khan” in room 407 of the Cathedral of Learning from 7-...
Pitt film fanatics offer 2018 Oscar predictions
By Vikram Sundar | For The Pitt News
March 1, 2018
Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the film industry will recognize some of the most well-crafted, impactful films of the year at the Oscars Sunday night. But Hollywood’s biggest night will also likely be consumed by social issues such as the Time’s Up movement, which H...
“Annihilation” renovates past sci-fi thrillers
By Derek Wagner | For The Pitt News
February 27, 2018
As my friend and I walked out of the theater after seeing Director Alex Garland’s new film “Annihilation” — both trying to wrap our heads around what we had just witnessed — my friend said, “I feel like this is how audiences felt after seeing ‘2001’ in theaters for the first time.”...
Black Panther revitalizes the stagnant superhero genre
By Vikram Sundar | For The Pitt News
February 20, 2018
Director Ryan Coogler enters new territory with “Black Panther,” peeling back old layers of the formulaic superhero narrative to reveal fresh and exciting elements rarely seen in the genre. Following the enormous box office success of Marvel’s latest entries — “Guardians of the Galaxy Vo...
“Phantom Thread” weaves a tale of style and strange love
By Vikram Sundar | For The Pitt News
February 8, 2018
Leading man Daniel Day-Lewis sews his way into our hearts once again in the stylish, yet heartfelt “Phantom Thread.” Written and directed by filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, “Phantom Thread” is an engrossing portrait of the posh, self-indulgent realm of fashion-driven aristocrats in impove...
Pitt alumni produce ‘Body Farm’ film
By Joanna Li | Staff Writer
January 16, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
When a friend offhandedly suggested that Brandon Keenan — a 2005 graduate of Pitt’s media communication program — research the strange topic of body farms, he quickly discovered a potential story unfolding before him. Keenan, 34, has now seen the production of his first feature film, a psycholog...
Fast Films: UPTV hosts 24-hour film festival
By Siddhi Shockey / For The Pitt News
October 3, 2017
The screen fades to black after the character of Meriwether Lewis gets impaled — by his future self. Lewis uses a power strip as a makeshift time machine and travels back to when he launched a knife into the woods. When he arrives in the past, he appears in the woods and inadvertently becomes the tar...
Asian-American film festival comes back to PGH
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
September 6, 2017
In an age when the United States prides itself on diversity but is plagued with racism, it’s important to support arts from all different cultures. Opportunities to do just this are everywhere, as long as we keep an eye out for them. The 12th annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival will sc...
Pittsburgh’s indie theaters set themselves apart
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
August 21, 2017
Chain theaters and popular franchises are fatiguing after a while — remakes, reboots and sequels, oh my — so why not attend a classic film marathon in a single screen theater to refresh your cinematic palette. Here’s a short list of local, independent theaters that offer both mainstream releases,...
Songs over storyline: music fuels Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver”
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
June 27, 2017
After watching Edgar Wright’s new film “Baby Driver,” I have no doubt Wright would be a ton of fun at karaoke night. Wright’s newest film prioritizes its soundtrack — packing a whopping 30 tracks — more than any other feature films to come out in the past few years, aside from James Gunn’...
Substance disappears in “Ghost in the Shell”
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
April 4, 2017
Visually pleasing but ultimately hollow, “Ghost in the Shell” has problems that go beyond the whitewashing. The Ghost in the Shell franchise began with the Japanese manga series in 1989, which then debuted as an anime adaptation in 1995. The new live-action revision piggybacks off the story element...
Carnegie Museums explore humanity’s impact on earth’s crust
By Prachi Patel and Taylor Pecarchik / For The Pitt News
March 22, 2017
Filed under Art, Culture, Movies, Top Stories
It’s become commonplace to talk about climate change, species endangerment and the impact of humanity on the earth. But that impact has become so large that some geologists are proposing we’ve changed the very rock beneath our feet. To explore this possibility, the Carnegie Museums are pre...
Instead of social commentary, Kimmel sticks to tired jokes
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
February 28, 2017
At the 2017 Academy Awards Sunday night, host Jimmy Kimmel used the Oscars stage to take digs at President Donald Trump — and occasionally to talk about this year’s nominees. During the show, Kimmel — in his first gig at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles — spent the majority of his time wr...
Who’s the father?: Television’s tumultuous history
By James Evan Bowen-Gaddy / Staff Writer
January 12, 2017
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
When it comes to the origin of the television, there are two competing storylines. One story begins with Russian-born Vladimir Zworykin, lying sick in bed in his family’s mansion, staring out the window. The other begins in Utah with Philo Farnsworth, working on his family’s ranch, plowing a fiel...
“Fences” latches onto August Wilson’s legacy
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
January 10, 2017
Denzel Washington added another film to his sparse directorial portfolio and brought Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson to the silver screen for the first time in “Fences” — and the result is exemplary. “Fences” is the first film version of one of Wilson’s works, adapted from the play o...
Papa Yinz: ‘Pittsburgh Dad’ creator Chris Preksta talks indie filmmaking, his locale-inspired web series
By Emma Maurice / For The Pitt News
November 29, 2016
Born and raised in the city, 36-year-old filmmaker and “Pittsburgh Dad” creator Chris Preksta definitely considers himself a Pittsburgher but maybe not a full on yinzer — though he’s happy to hang out with them. “I’d rather spend my days around yinzers than those Hollywood-types uppity peop...
Review: Short films show glimpses of growing up, forming relationships
By Stephen Caruso / Senior Staff Writer
November 22, 2016
For those who suffer from a short attention span but enjoy a well-told story, the sextuple feature of short films that debuted at the 35th annual Three Rivers Film Festival was an entertaining range of tales, covering everything from alien encounters to costume shops. The films’ directors tried for themes such...
Review: ‘Visaranai’ teases CMU International Film Festival, confronts suffering
By Nick Eustis / Staff Writer
November 22, 2016
Hours before a scuffle between police and students at Pitt last Thursday, Carnegie Mellon University’s International Film Festival showed a film dealing with similar tensions — but in a place halfway across the world. The theme of this year’s festival is “Faces of Conflict,” a theme embodied on...
Review: ‘Tower’ an imaginative, respectful retelling of tragedy
By Brady Langmann / Culture Editor
November 22, 2016
Rarely do moviegoers expect to feel uneasy before the lights dim and the opening titles pop up on-screen. But it’s hard not to feel a little anxious before “Tower,” Harris Theater’s last screening at the Three Rivers Film Festival on Sunday. It’s likely stuck in American moviegoers’ memory at this poi...
Review: ‘Kamper’ a quirky, challenging intro to Polish cinema
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
November 22, 2016
In the climax of the Polish romantic drama “Kamper,” the titular protagonist manically tries to escape from his problems as he dances alone in a small, nightclub-like room during a night of unruly drinking. Even with a somewhat selfish lead, the documentary drama filmmaker Lukasz Grzegorzek creates colorful...
Review: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ missing Rowling’s signature magic
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
November 17, 2016
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" Directed by David Yates Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell Back in 2003, BBC News reported that J.K. Rowling was richer than the queen of England — and Harry Potter fans, it seemed, were willing to put the mone...
Kurlander dreams big for Pittsburgh film industry
By Mackenzie Rodrigues / Staff Writer
November 3, 2016
Carl Kurlander hated growing up in Pittsburgh. “I was a shy, unathletic kid in a sports town whose mother had been divorced and [run] away from home to become an actress when I was 15 or 16,” said Kurlander. The Squirrel Hill native went on to cultivate a successful career in Hollywood — ...
Professor of horror: Film picks for Halloween season
By Noah Coco / Staff Writer
October 27, 2016
While most 4-year-old children watch Elmo singing tunes on “Sesame Street,” Diana Anselmo-Sequeira was watching horror movies. Her mom showed her “A Nightmare on Elm Street” at an early age, and afterward she was hooked. The ’90s brought her other formative favorites, “Interview with th...
After #OscarsSoWhite, TV steps up
By Kelechi Urama / Staff Writer
October 20, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
One of the most talked about scenes in FX’s “Atlanta” happens at the beginning of the first episode. The series’ protagonist, Earn Marks, played by creator Donald Glover, lies in bed with his on-again, off-again girlfriend and daughter’s mother Van (Zazie Beetz). Their playful banter about ...
A walk through the museum and a nice chianti: Soldiers and Sailors to celebrate “The Silence of the Lambs” anniversary
By James Evan Bowen-Gaddy / For The Pitt News
October 19, 2016
When “The Silence of the Lambs” was released in 1991, viewers gathered in theaters around the world and watched in horror as Hannibal Lecter escaped the captivity of his massive one-man cage. Pittsburgh moviegoers might have recognized this scene’s setting as the ballroom in the Soldiers and...
Review: “Ward” an impressive debut for Williams
By John Hamilton / For The Pitt News
October 17, 2016
Early on in the student-produced film “Ward,” the protagonist Andy, donning a red shirt juxtaposed against stark white walls, takes a handful of pills and immediately spits them out with regret. Following the incident, Andy — a first-year college student played by Point Park University senio...
“Haze” screens at Pitt, challenges Greek rituals
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
October 6, 2016
When Nick, a wide-eyed first-year, tries to become part of Psi Theta Epsilon in David Burkman’s film “Haze,” he and seven others are given the opportunity to pledge, but — as is tradition — the price of brotherhood is high. From within the Greek system in Burkman’s film, Nick (Kirk Curran) ...
Q&A: Don’t make fun of us, Hannibal
By Dan Sostek / Senior Staff Writer
September 29, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
As a college student, Hannibal Buress never expected to be found on prominent IMDB pages. Instead, he was on his way to having a listing in the Yellow Pages. If told he’d be a prominent actor and comedian then, Buress assumes he would’ve said, “What are you talking about? ... I’m a business m...
A peculiar tale: “Miss Peregrine’s” another Burton blunder
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
September 29, 2016
“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson Directed by: Tim Burton Grade: C+ “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” fits right in with Tim Burton’s filmography — a visually remarkable fantasy film undone by th...
Extra, Extra: Finding work on the fringes of film
By Amanda Reed / Contributing Editor
September 15, 2016
Filed under Campus, City, Culture, Movies, News, Television, Top Stories
When Lena Gallagher walks on set, she can’t just go where she pleases. She has to walk at a specific pace in a specific path multiple times in a row until the director says “cut.” But when David Fincher’s new series, “Mindhunter,” premieres on Netflix in 2017, you won’t see Gallagher’s...
Island of medicated minds: “Ward” aims to change stigma surrounding mental illness
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
September 7, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
While directing a script about a first-year college student struggling with symptoms of depression, Zack Williams was trying to manage his own mental illness. The senior communication major’s health fluctuated during the four months he spent filming a movie that takes place in the psychiatric unit...
Beyond stereotypes: Star Trek turns 50
By Alexa Bakalarski / Senior Staff Writer
September 7, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
With its first canonically gay character, the Star Trek franchise went this summer where no mainstream sci-fi blockbuster had gone before. But the progress came with some controversy. The decision to make Hikaru Sulu — played by John Cho in the reboot films — gay in “Star Trek Beyond” caused debate over whether or not a new character or an existing charac...
A Life of Imagination: Wilder Dies at 83
By Oliver Jia / For The Pitt News
September 1, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Theater
As Gene Wilder, in his eponymous role as Willy Wonka in 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” leads a group of awestruck youngsters and parents into his chocolate factory for the first time, he sings, “There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination.” Even in death, Wilder...
Red carpet already rolling for this year’s Oscar race
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
August 20, 2016
Filed under Movies
With the final act of the year about to begin, the cinematic world’s attention shifts from the swelter of another overcrowded — and, in 2016’s case, underwhelming — summer blockbuster spell to the festival circuit winners and Oscar bait looking to make their stamp on the awards race. At the...
The death of the summer movie
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
July 19, 2016
Filed under Movies
This summer may go down as one of the most disappointing in recent memory — and the start of a downward trend for Hollywood in many capacities. In the 21st century, we can’t always have the critical and commercial excitement of summer blockbusters like “The Dark Knight” or “The Avengers,”...
‘Ghostbusters’ reboot is more than just in the spirit of the original
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
July 19, 2016
Filed under Movies
I ain’t afraid of no girls. Who knew you could bust ghosts and be a lady? Definitely not the small, misogynistic army of internet commenters who have blasted the new film for remaking the ’80s classic with an all-female lead cast. So far they have harassed the stars, sent death threats to director Paul Feig, made the movie’s trailer the most disliked in YouTube history...
‘The Lobster’ leaves plenty to chew on
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
June 7, 2016
Filed under Movies
“The Lobster,” for all of its bizarre pleasures, is a film that in some ways defies proper analysis. After developing a curious reputation for itself since its Jury Prize win at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, “The Lobster” arrives to puzzle domestic audiences after A24 acquired its distribution...
First 3 Rivers Screenwriting Conference held Downtown
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 24, 2016
Local and national screenwriting talent collided in Downtown Pittsburgh this past weekend. Spearheaded by director and founder Cathy Rescher, the three-day inaugural 3 Rivers Screenwriting Conference was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Friday, May 20, through Sunday, May 22. Resche...
‘A Bigger Splash’ rides wave of passion
By Nick Mullen / Staff Writer
May 17, 2016
Filed under Movies
After a year of cycling through international festivals, Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s English-language “A Bigger Splash” has made its way to American theaters. As a dialogue-laden, lengthy slow-burner, “A Bigger Splash” relies heavily on quietly mounted suspense and intense character study. ...
Marvel v DC: the battle for the multiplex
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 10, 2016
Eight years after “Iron Man” set the stage — and perfected Marvel’s new brand — Disney’s unprecedented superhero franchise is still running like clockwork. Disney released the 13th entry in its hugely popular canon, “Captain America: Civil War,” last Friday to universal praise and a ...
Culture staff interprets carbonated cameos
By Culture Staff
April 15, 2016
Filed under Beer Edition 2016, Culture, Food & Drink, Movies, Specials
If you are what you eat, movies are what they advertise. No matter how hard you groan or laugh, there’s no getting around product placement — but some movies do it better than others. In celebration of product placement and our annual beer appreciation edition, The Pitt News recalled some of our favor...
Linklater’s latest his funniest yet
By Ian Flanagan / Staff Writer
April 13, 2016
Not many films that demand serious thought have exclamation points in their titles, but “Everybody Wants Some!!” earns that right. Director Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to “Dazed and Confused” is like a perfected “Animal House.” Though “Everybody Wants Some” depicts the revelry o...
What not to miss on campus this week
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
April 12, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Movies, Theater
Donald Trump’s Wednesday visit may be grabbing all the local headlines, but his isn’t the only event worth noting this week. The second to last week of class doesn’t usually garner the same amount of excitement as the last, but it’s hard not to get excited, as this week offers, among other events, an Acad...
Unlikely allies: ‘Spider-Man’, ‘Deadpool’ redefine a genre
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
April 6, 2016
If "Deadpool" can see, it is because it stands on the shoulders of a web-head. It’s hard to think of anyone more deserving than Ryan Reynolds for delivering us this year’s massively successful “Deadpool.” The film has not only inspired a rapid industry rethinking of what superhero movies can be...
Baldwin lends voice to city
By Jack Trainor | Culture Editor
April 1, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
Alec Baldwin announced yesterday he is making a considerable donation to the University of Pittsburgh — his voice. The “30 Rock” actor said after he performs with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on April 16, he will then record new audible crossing signals at intersections throughout Oakland a...
Divided ‘Demolition’ can’t put self back together
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
March 31, 2016
Sometimes fixing something means taking it apart and putting it back together again. That’s the driving mantra behind “Demolition,” director Jean-Marc Vallée’s third film following acclaimed projects “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Wild.” Following the personal struggles Vallée’s la...
‘Batman v Superman’ a decrepit endurance contest
By Alec Davis / for The Pitt News
March 23, 2016
Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, but he’s having trouble outrunning Zack Snyder’s pacing issues. After 2013’s “Man of Steel” earned flack for its grim, self-serious take on Superman — who’s admittedly tougher to drag into the shadows than Batman — Snyder returns with its sequ...
’10 Cloverfield Lane’ a secretive success
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
March 14, 2016
Ever since January’s surprise trailer release, “Cloverfield” fans have been pining to know what, exactly, does “10 Cloverfield Lane” have to do with the original? The answer: basically nothing— but that’s not a criticism, just fact. After a car accident leaves her unconscious, Michelle (...
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” presents confounding take on war
By Jack Shelly / Staff Writer
March 2, 2016
As I walked out of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” I realized I still had absolutely no idea what the title meant. The film, a close adaptation of war correspondent Kim Barker’s 2011 comedic war correspondant memoir “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” starsTina Fey — ...
Rock solid: host’s comments on diversity outshined awards at Oscars ceremony
By Britnee Meiser / Staff Writer
February 29, 2016
Sunday night’s 88th annual Academy Awards ceremony was a night of firsts. Industry professionals started the ceremony’s first boycott over the #OscarsSoWhite controversy — which host Chris Rock returned to again and again throughout the night. The academy also nominated a woman for adapting he...
No backup for “Triple 9”
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
February 25, 2016
What happens when you have to kill the only person who has your back? This might be the only intriguing question director John Hillcoat’s “Triple 9” asks as the latest cops-and-robbers flick, but with a slight twist that ends up pitting a police officer against his partner. When executed we...
Pitt to screen acclaimed documentary
By Lexi Kennell / for The Pitt News
February 22, 2016
Not all tragedies end in misery. “Here One Day,” a documentary that follows one family coping with a mother’s suicide, offers hope and a positive message negating the stigma surrounding mental illness. The award-winning documentary will make its Pittsburgh premiere in the William Pitt Union Wednesday, Fe...
‘Eddie’ sails to mediocrity
By Ian Flanagan / Staff Writer
February 22, 2016
Despite its quirky hero threatening to flop the film, “Eddie the Eagle” is the latest true-life Olympic sports drama to dare for an Icarian flight. Following the likes of last week’s Jesse Owens biopic “Race,” “Eddie the Eagle” carves out its individual setting and dramatic structure, b...
‘Zombies’ resurrects Austen classic
By Britnee Meiser / Staff Writer
February 10, 2016
If suitors were intimidated by Elizabeth Bennet before, imagine her with a sword. Balancing Victorian romance and the zombie apocalypse, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is a fast-paced, surprisingly funny genre clash. Based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 best-selling novel that pulls directly...
‘Caesar’ pales in comparison to past Coen bros’ films
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
February 3, 2016
Take a look in the mirror, Hollywood — you might not like what you see. That’s the sentiment behind the Coen brothers’ latest film, “Hail, Caesar!,” which follows Eddie Mannix — a slim, mustachioed and suited Josh Brolin — as a major Hollywood studio “fixer.” His job is to make sure...
Bee joins late night, Stewart club
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
February 2, 2016
Samantha Bee may become the first woman in late-night television this week, but she’s also extending the genre’s latest trend — emulating Jon Stewart. While the state of late-night talk shows is unsurprising, what is surprising is that almost half of all late night talk shows lead back to one man: Stewart. He left a void in comedy and journalism with his departure from “The Daily Show,” but his influence on televis...
Hollywood, time to act
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
January 28, 2016
Every year in Hollywood’s Dolby Theater, movie stars celebrate themselves together — but now they need to protest together. For the second year in a row, the Oscars caused controversy by not nominating a single actor of color in any of its four acting categories, causing Will Smith — an unnom...
“Anomalisa” an animated achievement
By Ian Flanagan / Staff Writer
January 25, 2016
While “Inside Out” advanced the potential of modern animated cinema last summer, “Anomalisa” matures the field into serious critical consideration. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Adaptation” screenwriter Charlie Kaufman derived his stop-motion “Anomalisa” from a pla...
Laskas discusses ‘Concussion’
By Elaina Zachos / Staff Writer
January 18, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Movies
Before a slew of NFL allegations, outcry over football and a blockbuster film, a journalist was chasing her curiosity to concussion research. Jeanne Marie Laskas’ GQ article-turned-book and now film adaptation “Concussion,” didn’t start as the controversial lightning rod it is today. The story, abo...
‘Hateful Eight’ leans on familiar tropes
By Ian Flanagan / Staff Writer
January 12, 2016
For as much as Quentin Tarantino delights in shocking, bloody spectacles, the director is a cliche of himself in “The Hateful Eight.” The filmmaker’s usual — shock violence, rambling dialogue and hilarity via overt self-awareness — populates his latest work’s whopping three-hour runtime. By non-Ta...
Exit Starman: David Bowie dies at 69
By Amanda Reed / Staff Writer
January 12, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Music
In 1977, David Bowie sang “I will be king, and you, you will be queen.” Little did he know how literal that would become. After a nearly 50-year career that transcended musical and societal labels, Bowie’s cosmic career as one of Pop music’s most important figures came to an end when he died Sun...
Golden Globes offers few surprises
By Britnee Meiser / Staff Writer
January 12, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
For as much predictability as TV and film awards bring every year, it always feels better when the obvious choice isn’t the same as last year’s. Sunday night’s 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards saw much of the usual winners but with a few highlights that, while expected, will prevent this year’s awar...