review

Review: 'Summer in the City' is full of banter and big dreams

By Mariam Fakhreddine · Wednesday, April 30, 2025

The novel, "Summer in the City," was full of fun and adventure, filled with love in New York, where Elle discovers her voice as a person and a writer.

Review: queer indie artists Julien Baker, TORRES bring their lyricism to country on ‘Send a Prayer My Way’

By Frank Remski · Thursday, April 24, 2025

“Send a Prayer My Way” is a collaborative country album between queer indie singers Julien Baker and TORRES. The album’s lyricism was excellent and Baker and TORRES’s vocals worked well together. Though it needed some more sonic diversity.

EMU Theatre’s ‘The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus’ finds childhood whimsy in the rural desert

By Frank Remski · Tuesday, April 15, 2025

“The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus” is the latest show from EMU’s Theatre For the Young Tour. Directed by MFA candidate Olivia Allen, the play follows a girl named Sheila and her friends in rural New Mexico. They get roped into conflict with animals and solve it with their ingenuity. The show is lively and funny, with strong messages around environmentalism and conflict resolution.

Review: ‘The White Lotus’ once again combines luxury, misery with its third season

By Frank Remski · Monday, April 14, 2025

The third season of “The White Lotus” brought its melodrama to Thailand. It was the most thematically rich season so far with beautiful scenery and great acting. Although the pacing of the series was rocky and it wasn’t as entertaining as season two.

Review: 'Death of a Unicorn' is a deeply unserious film about deadly unicorns

By Frank Remski · Wednesday, April 9, 2025

“Death of the Unicorn” is a horror comedy starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd. It follows the fallout of a man hitting a unicorn with his car. It's incredibly funny, especially around a greedy, eccentric rich family who attempts to exploit the dead unicorn. Though a fun romp, its plot is predictable, and Ortega’s talent is underutilized.

Review: 'Sunrise on the Reaping' is the most brutal a 'Hunger Games' novel has ever been

By Frank Remski · Tuesday, April 8, 2025

A prequel to “The Hunger Games,“ “Sunrise on the Reaping” follows a teenage Haymitch Abernathy during the second Quarter Quell. The book is a brutal, tragic origin story for Haymitch. Most of the book treads similar ground to the first two “Hunger Games” novels, but it has a shocking end sequence.

Review: 'Adolescence' series explores social media impact

By Mariam Fakhreddine · Sunday, March 30, 2025

"Adolescence" is full of compelling performances that captured the depth how social media is toxic. Jamie Miller was seen as a weak link by students which led him to commit a murder of his classmate Katie.

Review: 'The Leopard' is full of war, love, and politics

By Mariam Fakhreddine · Saturday, March 29, 2025

In "The Leopard," Don Fabrizio is this loving father and Prince of Sicily who faces heartbreaking obstacles. He cares for his family and will do anything for them.

Review: 'Severance' season 2 brings an already mind-bending show to masterful new heights

By Frank Remski · Friday, March 28, 2025

“Severance” was a sci-fi thriller series on Apple TV+ where people split their memories from their other memories, making them two people. The second season had new highs for the series, with incredible acting, twists, and cinematography.

Review: 'Opus' is a flawed but promising horror about a cult of fame

By Frank Remski · Thursday, March 27, 2025

“Opus” is a horror film about a pop star’s cult. It is a gripping film with outstanding visuals and music. However, the weak script kept the film from reaching its full potential.

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Review: Japanese Breakfast’s new album ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’ has a dreamy sonic atmosphere

By Frank Remski · Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Japanese Breakfast’s fourth album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)“ was true to its title with a dreamy, atmospheric sound. Although the overall album was a little too short, needing longer songs and more lyricism. Nonetheless, it was a solid release from the band.

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Review: 'Inaccurate Conceptions,' an EMU student directed play, is humorous

By Mariam Fakhreddine · Tuesday, March 25, 2025

The student actors did a great job portraying their characters in "Inaccurate Misconceptions." They kept the audience interested and engaged throughout the show.

Review: 'The Electric State' lacks the energy needed to pull off its concept

By Frank Remski · Monday, March 17, 2025

“The Electric State” was a Netflix action film about a robotic war. Although it had potential with some creative visuals, it ended up lackluster with an unsurprising plot.

Review: 'The Monkey' is too gory

By Mariam Fakhreddine · Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Theo James was impressive in "The Monkey," considering he played twins with opposite personalities.

Review: Lady Gaga unleashes maddeningly good pop music with 'Mayhem'

By Frank Remski · Monday, March 10, 2025

“Mayhem” is Lady Gaga’s first pop album since 2020. A synthpop album that explored both old and new sounds, it was filled with catchy, perfect pop music ready to become staple Gaga songs. The album was preceded by three singles including “Abracadabra” and the Bruno Mars collaboration “Die With a Smile.”

Review: ‘Zero Day’ is insufferably shallow and self-important

By Frank Remski · Thursday, March 6, 2025

“Zero Day” is a political thriller, limited series from Netflix. It followed a former U.S. president navigating a nation-wide cyber attack. Though the series presented itself as a thoughtful take on U.S. politics, it had nothing insightful to say and was far too vague. On top of its shallowness, it was bland.