Share: The Mario franchise has come a long way from a simple Donkey Kong arcade game. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” does a fantastic job of displaying every aspect of the Nintendo universe, from the comedy to the animation, to the soundtrack, there was no visible weak spot. Recently after quitting their steady plumbing job, Mario and Luigi,who are played by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, test their luck and attempt to start their own plumbing company. With hardly any success and limited external support, …
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Something for everyone in late maestro’s music
Share: Rarely do artists of any discipline have the privilege to explore their interests with as much international attention and critical acclaim as Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Ever since the world first met Sakamoto as a member of the electronic trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, he routinely reinvented himself without losing sight of what made him an exciting and multifaceted talent. Last month, after his third fight against cancer, Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away at 71. When the news broke out, multiple publications and news outlets had …
‘Resident Evil 4’ remastered into modern masterpiece … again
Share: After 18 years, two additional remakes, and a load of spin-offs, Capcom has finally released “Resident Evil 4” and with it, has once again revitalized the survival horror genre. Capcom started its remake trend in 2019 with their remaster of “Resident Evil 2,” which they continued with 2020’s “Resident Evil 3.” The game follows the exact same story as the original, making it easy for people to jump in whether they’ve played the original or not. Eight years after the events of “Resident Evil …
Lana Del Rey expresses her most authentic self in vulnerable new album
Share: Lana Del Rey née Elizabeth Grant’s ninth studio album titled “Did You Know that There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?”, released March 24, 2023, is proving to be her most vulnerable album in her over a decade-long career. Those unfamiliar with Del Rey may look at the abnormally long and somewhat cryptic album title and subsequent song and be deterred, while fans would expect no less from the singer-songwriter. The song “Did You Know that There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?” Which was the …
Ghostface revitalizes the slasher sub-genre in ‘Scream VI’
Share: Despite being far and away from the sleepy California town of Woodsboro, the Ghostface killer is back in action in “Scream VI”, and this time, he isn’t playing around. To put it simply, this movie kicks ass. It has something for everyone from the die-hard “Scream” fans to the people just trying to see a sweet horror flick. From the character work to the setting and the kills, everything is put together masterfully. This film picks up, timely, a year after the events of …
‘The Mandalorian’ returns, albeit a little confused
Share: After a wait of about two years and four Disney+ shows later, Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian” has returned, once again reuniting viewers with their favorite space western featuring Pedro Pascal. Episode one titled, “The Apostate”, opens with what seems like a flashback but turns out to be bait as the show immediately welcomes the return of Din Djarin and his adorable companion Grogu following their reunion in 2022s “The Book of Boba Fett”. The show swiftly reminds viewers of the main plot of this season. …
‘Cocaine Bear’ blows away expectations, snorts up success on screen
Share: A massive American black bear accidentally takes an overdosing wash in a cocaine shower, eating kilos upon kilos of the powdery white substance, and goes on the best coke-fueled rampage you’ve ever seen. And the best part is, this actually happened. Elizabeth Banks’ ridiculous comedy “Cocaine Bear” is a comically retro film that follows the 1985 story of a group of people in Georgia trying to kill, and most of the time escape, a 500-pound American female black bear who unintentionally ate a significant …
‘Paper Doll Lina’ explores the realities of domestic violence
Share: “Paper Doll Lina” by Robyn Lucas is a book about domestic violence and romance. Trigger warning: this book does get graphic. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is sensitive to domestic violence issues. This book is based on the author’s real-life story. This book is important because so many people deal with the intersection of love and domestic violence. This book educates you on red flags to spot that may be the beginning of domestic abuse. The abuse starts off small, …
‘You’ uncovers a murder mystery that lacks substance
Share: Following the success the Netflix series “You” has had since its first season debut in 2018, each season has made the show grow more popular. The recent release of its fourth season is entertaining, though falls flat in comparison to previous seasons. For those that are not familiar with this series, the story follows a literature fanatic named Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, who holds an unhealthy obsession with stalking women that could be potential lovers in his eyes. His obsession becomes lethal …
‘The Last of Us’ deviates from game and elevates into prestige TV
Share: With half of its episodes yet to be released, “The Last of Us” is one of the best shows TV has to offer. The new HBO series opened to universal praise solely from the first two episodes. The much-talked-about third episode, “Long, Long Time,” showed the series is adept at adapting the original story and creating new compelling plotlines in the best episode yet. Now at the halfway point, the show has already proven to be essential viewing. After Joel and Ellie nearly escaped …