The Stargazer

Everyone remembers playing the classic childhood game hide and seek. I would scour the house looking for the perfect hiding spot and plop myself in whatever cabinet or underneath whatever bed. Then, I would sit silently (as silently as any child can) and hope that no one would ever find me. Inevitably, my amazing hiding spot was always discovered, and with that came a sense of relief that I didn’t have to cram myself into the tiny space in which I’d found myself. This couldn’t be further from the truth for Grace, the lead character of Ready or Not.

As the credits roll and Pearl attempts to keep up the guise of happiness as she smiles into the camera for minutes on end, all I could think was Mia Goth is a star. The prequel to X Pearl was one of the most highly anticipated horror films of 2022, and boy, did it deliver. The film does what great all prequels should do, make the original better. By focusing on the character of Pearl, the old lady from X, the movie allows itself to delve into all of the life choices that lead her to where she ends up and helps the audience understand truly how crazy she is. From the opening frame to the end credits, the film is a master class on how to create a character study.

In the age of swiping left and right and awkward first dates, sometimes a need for something new arises. If you are tired of aimlessly swiping, ignoring red flags, or getting caught up in sexually awkward conversations, I invite you on a date: you, me, some other strangers, a screen barrier, and a set of questions. A night of blind dates, try to name a better way to spend your Monday night. Of course, you could stay home and continue swiping on the frat bro who keeps calling your body parts snacks or the girl who, in her bio, labels herself unvaccinated. Or, in a desperate attempt to escape the online dating world, you could come out and meet some really cool people at the ASLC.

Puss in Boots has significantly grown from his small beginnings as a side character introduced during Shrek 2. Now with his own trilogy, we have seen many different iterations of him, but the best by far is in his newest film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. With an Oscar nomination under its belt, it is hard to disagree with the charisma and star power the film possesses. However, what makes the movie truly impactful is not the vocal performances by the star-studded cast, although that doesn’t hurt, but is instead what is at the core of the film, found family. 

The White Lotus Resort returns to television, perched above the Sicilian water in the lush, mountainous commune of Taormina. The hotel brims with opulence and Italian art, boasting a panoramic view of Mount Etna. As vacationers trickle in by boat, dirty secrets and gendered angst proliferate through The White Lotus Resort. Each inhabited room becomes a breeding ground for grand debauchery and scheming. Once the Ionian Sea can no longer carry the mysterious, dead body, the show begins.

Dance along to Rasputin and more during our Just Dance dance night! Think you have what it takes to be the ultimate dancing star? Put yourself to the test in a night of fun and rhythm!

Phantom Thread follows Reynolds Woodcock, a scrupulous, renowned dressmaker in 1950s post-war London, as he falls for his benevolent, yet resolute muse, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who becomes the only thing in his life that he cannot maintain control over.Paul Thomas Anderson can craft short memorable scenes in his filmography that encapsulate the quintessence of the entire emotion and tone of his films. Scenes that come to mind are the processing scene from his 2012 epic of the soul, The Master, or from 2021’s adolescent love story, Licorice Pizza, where the two lovers run towards each other as night falls, intercut with earlier moments of their running escapades. These scenes are usually pocket-sized pieces of the film, yet without them, those films would never be the same. The same principle applies to Phantom Thread.

Tár has had the internet in a frenzy since its release a little over three months ago. The
minutiae of the film leave much to be dissected, which has led to a deep division in viewers'
opinions. Nevertheless, I found it to be an entertaining tale of ultimate defeat that is shot and
acted in a way that makes it feel almost like a documentary. Despite the excellence of
cinematographic techniques, the film is not without its detriments; Ultimately, it is a triumph for
the lead actress Cate Blanchett, but it makes certain questionable choices that detract from
potential perfection.

With the Thanksgiving season over and the holiday season arriving, nothing beats cozying up to a cheesy Christmas movie with a cup of hot chocolate and a cozy blanket. Now there are plenty of movies to choose from, with more and more being released every year. This year, instead of watching the same Christmas movies for the millionth time, I branched out and decided to watch something new. The queen of cheesy 2000s teen movies, Lindsay Lohan, has dipped her toes back into the spotlight with a leading role in Falling for Christmas. Alongside Chord Overstreet, known for his role as Sam Evans in Glee, the duo embarks on a journey with a laundry list of Christmas movie tropes. From the rich girl meeting a small-town boy to the way too-generous townspeople offering their services. From the Christmas miracle granted by a Santa Claus figure to the weird memory loss that somehow didn’t send her into a coma, these tropes have been beaten to death over and over again. Yet somehow, I still fall for it every single time. Despite the hatred many have for these tired tropes, I think that they make the Christmas movie-watching experience.

Ah, December. The one month a year where there’s nothing better than putting on your fuzziest socks and grabbing a steaming cup of hot chocolate to settle in on the couch for a classic Christmas movie. As you are guzzling down that sweet hot chocolate, the warm fuzzies seep all throughout your body as you sink into the couch, and your friend clicks the remote to start the movie. You think, ‘surely a classic Christmas film will revolve around a child learning “the true meaning of Christmas” or a scrooge meeting ghosts of various eras in time.’ But you’re wrong. This classic Christmas movie suddenly thrusts you into a plot that revolves around Bruce Willis fighting off terrorists who’ve hijacked a Los Angeles skyscraper. What classic Christmas movie is this? Well, it’s Die Hard, of course! Happy Holidays. Oh, you don’t think Die Hard is a Christmas movie? Well, what do you think makes something a Christmas movie?