Jack Wagner, Editor

If you take a look at this year’s best picture nominees, you may notice a startling pattern: five out of the 10 have run times of two and a half hours or longer, and only two, “Bugonia” and “Train Dreams” go for less than two hours. It isn’t just you– movies are getting longer, especially big budget big name productions. But why?

Long, epic movies are not new to Hollywood. In 1962, best picture winner “Lawrence of Arabia” had a run time of three hours and 42 minutes–so long the official theatrical cut included a 15 minute intermission. Several other nominees that year hovered around the three hour mark, and movies like “The Right Stuff” in 1983 and “The Green Mile” in 1999 sat at over three hours as well. But this sort of grand epic length is no longer constrained to Oscar nominees or artsy films;  Movies across the board are getting longer.

Researcher Stephen Follows looked at the data from over 30,000 movies from the 1980s to present day, and found that in the 1980s, only 14 percent of wide releases ran more than two hours. In the 2020s, that number spiked to 32 percent. The biggest culprit is big budget action films like the “Mission Impossible” series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with the average run time of action movies going up by almost half an hour since the 1980s. Of the 15 films put out by the MCU since “Avengers: Endgame,” only four were under two hours, and three of those four were over one hour and 55 minutes. But it isn’t just action movies; Movies in general are slightly longer than in the past.

People point to a variety of causes for this, but one of the most common is the advent of streaming. At home movie viewers don’t have to worry about having to go to the bathroom during the film or running out of movie snacks–they can just pause it and resume when they feel ready. Movie theater ticket sales have been declining since 2002, with total sales dropping from 1.58 billion tickets to just 823 million in 2024.

“Casual moviegoing, where you wait until the weekend to pick what to see, has pretty much been supplanted by streaming,” said film producer Michael Shamberg.

This might be why theaters are trying to attract audiences with spectacle and why many theaters now offer reclining, padded seats and broader food options. Since movies are far more available at home, people going to theaters are looking for a grander experience.

Another thing some in the industry are blaming is the rise of auteur directors. People no longer see movies just for their favorite actors; big name directors like Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino can fill seats on their own. With so much star power and streaming services entering the game as potential buyers for films, there is more pressure on studios to allow directors more control over their vision and the final product. This doesn’t mean these films will be bad, but it does mean fewer producers are stepping in to prevent excessive run times. Director Denis Villeneuve, for example, had an extreme amount of creative control over both “Dune: Part One” and “Dune, Part Two,” which have two hours and 35 minutes and 2 hours and 43 minutes runtime respectively. In fact, Villeneuve hasn’t made a film under two and a half hours since “Arrival” in 2016.

Whatever the true reasons for the lengthening may be, the fact remains that movies are getting longer. And with that comes a question: How many big spectacle blockbuster movies can people handle?

Jack Wagner, Editor

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced 17 nominees for the prestigious honor of being inducted on Feb. 25, including both old and new names. 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established in 1983 by Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, to preserve and recognize important moments and artists that shaped music and the genre. The first class of inductees included musicians like Elvis Presley, James Brown, Fats Domino and Ray Charles as early influences who inspired many future generations of rock and roll.

In order to be eligible for nomination, an artist or band must have released their first commercial work at least 25 years prior to the year of their nomination. At the start of each year, the Nominating Committee, a group of roughly 40 people made up of industry professionals (journalists, academics, previous inductees), meet to decide which artists to nominate. The committee then sends out ballots to over 1,000 voters consisting of musicians, historians and music industry veterans. The top five to seven nominees become that year’s class and are officially inducted in a ceremony sometime in autumn.

This year, of the 17 nominees, 10 are appearing on the ballot for the first time. This includes bands spanning genres from hip hop to R&B. The first-time nominees are:

• Jeff Buckley
• Phil Collins
• Melissa Etheridge
• Lauryn Hill
• INXS
• New Edition
• P!nk
• Shakira
• Luther Vandross
• Wu-Tang Clan

The remaining seven nominees have all been nominated at least once, some as many as three times. The returning nominees include:

• Iron Maiden
• Billy Idol
• Oasis
• The Black Crowes
• Sade
• Joy Division + New Order
• Mariah Carey

While the official voting is all done by industry professionals, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame runs a fan vote on their website and social media to allow the public to put in their opinion on their five to seven top choices for induction. This year, at the time of this article, Phil Collins is in the lead, followed by New Edition, Luther Vandross, P!nk, Billy Idol, Sade and INXS. While fans may not have the final say, their opinions are taken into account by the voters and the committee when deciding who to nominate again next year.

Of course, the nomination list was not without snubs to fan-favorite and influential bands. The band Phish, who won the fan vote in 2025 but was not inducted, was not even nominated this year. Styx, a classic late 70s’ rock band with hits like “Come Sail Away” and “Babe” has garnered attention for being an influential act that has never been nominated for the honor. Alice in Chains was another snub, the Seattle-based band being the only remaining member of the big four grunge bands (the others being Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden) to not be inducted, never having even received a nomination.
Which nominees will get in and which will have to hope for better luck another year remains to be seen, but if you would like to share your opinion, you can vote here at vote.rockhall.com.

Jack Wagner, Editor

Despite being plagued with controversy from announcement to release and beyond, Emerald Fennel’s “Wuthering Heights” had a strong opening weekend, collecting $38 million in the domestic box office and a total of $83 million worldwide. But can the initial success quell the displeasure of those who were hoping for a faithful adaptation of a classic 19th-century Gothic romance novel? And does it deserve to?

The film faced backlash from the very beginning when Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were cast as the story’s central characters, Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. Robbie’s casting was controversial due to her age – the star is 35, whereas Catherine (in the novel) is a teen. Picking Elordi drew accusations of whitewashing, as Heathcliff is heavily implied to be a person of color in the novel, which plays a central role in crafting the character’s role as an outsider. 

“Wuthering Heights” casting director Kharmel Cochrane was unbothered by the criticism,  stating, “You really don’t need to be accurate. It’s just a book. That is not based on real life. It’s all art.”

 While many adaptations of the novel have featured white actors as Heathcliff, this is only one of a long list of inaccuracies that bother fans of Emily Brontë’s genre-defining work. Like most other adaptations, the movie completely ignores the second half of the book, which depicts the effects of Catherine and Heathcliff’s toxic romance on their descendants. More so than any other, however, Fennel’s version seems to gleefully run away from any illusion of an accurate portrayal of the novel.

Several key characters are completely absent from the film, including Catherine’s brother, Hindley, and Mr. Lockwood, the nosy neighbor who serves as one of the primary narrators of the novel. The greatest change, however, is most likely the relations between the characters. In the book, there is very little actual physical intimacy between the characters. The movie is very little but physical intimacy between characters.

One review, by Jordan Ruimy from “World of Reel,” wrote the movie was “stripped of emotional nuance and full of salacious detours that serve shock value.”

Another from “The Independent” says the movie transforms the “brutish dynamic of lust and loathing into basic, Fifty Shades kink.”

A third by Justin Chang of “The New Yorker” called Robbie and Elordi little more than paper  dolls dressed up in the world, with some passion but nothing at all beyond the surface.

Of course, the movie is not without its proponents. Many reviews enjoyed what one called “a marvellously asinine exercise in style and panache, both as sumptuous and breathtaking as it is completely terrible.” One early reviewer called it a “bodice-ripping crowd-pleaser,” and the film’s success does seem to speak for itself.

Caryn James from BBC called it an “extravagant swirl: sexy, dramatic, melodramatic, occasionally comic and often swoonily romantic” in her review, a stark contrast to more critical reviews.

Fennel is no stranger to controversy, with her previous films “Promising Young Woman” and “Saltburn” sparking some level of outrage due to their salacious nature. When asked about the controversy surrounding “Wuthering Heights,” she said that it was more based on the version she remembered reading when she was 14, full of things she wished had happened but didn’t. “It is “Wuthering Heights,” but it isn’t,” Fennel said.

The film currently sits at a 60% rotten tomatoes score, and critics remain split over the movie’s merit. But, looking at its box office performance and the director’s previous work, one has to ask: Is it really about the controversy?

Sean Musial, Managing Editor

Netflix is a billion dollar media conglomerate that originally started as a DVD rental service when it was founded in 1997. Now, it has revolutionized the ever growing world of streaming. The popularity the company has received over the past decade and a half is all chalked up to the many options on the platform, such as movies, TV shows, originals, specials and more. With Netflix recently buying the century dominating film company, Warner Bros. for $72 billion dollars, the entirety of Netflix is being shifted into even greater heights and the entertainment industry has been flipped on its head. 

The amount of media that Netflix has spit out to its trusty subscribers and audience is immense. It’s a huge reason for their success. Shows like “Stranger Things,” “Peaky Blinders,” and “Narcos” are some of the most successful originals of the platform that have garnished widespread acclaim. Movies such as “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story” and the most recent “Frankenstein” remake tells us that viewership isn’t just because of the TV shows they have. Other entertainment mediums such as docu-series, stand-up comedy specials, non-Netflix originals that come and go, sports events and even games in most recent years. Because of all these things, it reaches so many diverse interests of consumers.

The smart thing about it and the reason behind their financial glory is the subscription model. Without the subscription, anyone could watch what they have for free. Subscriptions create a supply and demand for the media they have; that’s a reason for the price range slowly progressing upwards as well. Originally, $7.99 was the starting off price for a Netflix subscription. In 2025, the standard subscription plan for Netflix skyrocketed to $17.99 per month. A premium subscription has even gone up to $24.99 a month. 

Because of the settlement with Warner Bros, the “supply and demand” will continue to skyrocket. The amount of new content that Netflix will be obtaining has the potential of making even more people who haven’t become fans of the platform join. Film series like “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of The Rings,” and the entirety of the DC Universe along with many other film series and solo movies will join Netflix. In the TV show department, they will be obtaining hits like “Game of Thrones,” “Friends,” “The Sopranos” and many other classics. For the most part, the running theme here is that a good portion of what was previously in HBO Max’s portfolio will now be passed over to Netflix. 

The dominant force that Netflix has over the years is undeniably impactful. Their legacy will already be guaranteed entry into the history books of “Hollywood” as a changing point for the industry during modern times. The future of the entertainment industry has found itself at an eerie crossroads though because of all streaming platforms. Also including Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu and many others that don’t include Netflix, these things in itself are impacting this new generation of viewers. 

This world of streaming has stunted the movie going experience in more ways than one. Going to the theaters is not as popular as it once was. There is no doubt that people still go, but the amount has definitely begun to shrink. Pricing, streaming and timing are all factors that can stop a person from going to the theaters. With streaming, people don’t have to go out from the comfort of their own homes and pay for a movie; they can simply wait a couple months for it to enter a streaming service. More times than not, that’s the defining factor, along with paying something on top of the subscription bills they are already paying because of their streaming service(s). 

The concerns that many directors have over the Netflix deal asks many questions. Christopher Nolan, a famous director and the President of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), is at the forefront of asking the questions that need to be asked. The DGA aims for an industry that ensures vibrancy, creativity and encourages a genuine competitive environment to express the talent of each director. Nolan has expressed the negative impact this deal could have on directors and their teams. Also, the merger has a strong possibility of shifting the Hollywood power dynamic and the content that they control. The DGA in this situation are making sure that the deal won’t affect the livelihoods of the creative professionals that make these films.  

With the future of the film industry being very unsteady due to Netflix buying up the little over a 100-year-old company, many think that what Hollywood has become in the 21st century will change forever. Streaming can change viewership in more ways than they already have been. The jobs of the creative minds behind these films can become jeopardized or start to be much more formulaic rather than individually free. It will be a strange time for the industry over the next couple of years, and Netflix will be one of the primary notches for which direction they decide to take it. 

Sarah Doherty, Editor

Have you ever been listening to music and felt like you were tired of the same songs? Everyone’s been there, but finding new music can often feel tedious and sometimes frustrating. To help with the struggles, I am going to introduce you to four small artists who will cure your music slump! 

Annabelle Dinda

Annabelle is a very talented artist with a wide catalog. You may know her from her viral song, “The Hand,” however she has a lot to offer throughout her discography. She falls in the alternative genre, focusing on deep, complicated lyricism that feels inspiring. For example, in her song “Nuclear Fission,” she says, “Am I meant to believe them when they say time is good; time is water rotting wood.” She is a cross between Lizzy McAlpine’s lyrics and Noah Kahan’s melodies. Her creativity and passion shines through everything she writes. 

Five songs to introduce yourself to Annabelle Dinda!

1. Sacred 
2. Restatement of Romance 
3. Eliana
4. Want Want Want 
5. Love Lines 

Audrey Hobert 

Audrey Hobert is a national treasure. She is known for her song, “Sue Me” and for her friendship with Gracie Abrams. Audrey’s take on pop music is incredibly refreshing and relatable. Audrey is a very new artist, with only her debut album “Who’s the Clown” available on streaming. Although she doesn’t have a large quantity of songs, the quality of the 12 songs she has released is incredible. 

Five songs to introduce yourself to Audrey Hobert!

1. Drive 
2. Bowling Alley
3. Phoebe
4. Sex and the City
5. Shooting Star  

Olivia Dean 

I was unsure if I wanted to put Olivia Dean on this list because she might be a bit too big to be considered a small artist, but her music is entirely beautiful and deserving of recognition. She falls under the pop genre, but her music isn’t hard hitting or made solely to be a hit. Her music comes from her heart and it’s laced with pure passion. She is known mostly for her song, “Man I Need.” She feels like a romantic Friday night with someone you can’t stop thinking about. 

Five songs to introduce yourself to Olivia Dean!

1. Nice To Each Other 
2. So Easy (To Fall In Love) 
3. A Couple Minutes 
4. Loud
5. Close Up

Nothing But Thieves 

Nothing But Thieves are an English rock band who deserve loads more credit. They transfer their sound between heavy metal such as “Ce n’est Rien” and soft, vulnerable sounds such as “Before We Drift Away.” They have a complex sound fitted for a variety of listeners. 

Five songs to introduce yourself to Nothing But Thieves! 

1. If I Get High 
2. Phobia 
3. Before We Drift Away
4. Live Like Animals 
5. Hell, Yeah

Sarah Doherty, Editor

Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated album, “The Life of a Showgirl” was released on Oct. 3. With most albums, reviews were mixed at first, with some fans wanting the songwriting found in her albums “Folklore” and “Evermore,” while others were expecting a Broadway-esque soundtrack. 

“The Life of a Showgirl” was neither of those things. This album was an uplifting, love-filled album that mainly included modern pop songs with ballads mixed throughout. Personally, Swift’s music is something I have been known to enjoy, however this album threw me for a loop.

The album begins with the lead single, “The Fate of Ophelia.” This song is a very enjoyable pop song with clever writing and interesting production. Personally, this is the highlight of the album. 

The second track is “Elizabeth Taylor.” Again, this is an excellent song, with a base drop in the chorus that adds volumes. 

The third track is “Opalite,” a fun, light-hearted song about finding your own happiness in life. This song is pure enjoyment. 

The fourth track is “Father Figure,” and this is where the album starts to dip for me. The concept is clever, but the execution is confusing. While there are enjoyable parts of the song, such as the bridge, “Confuse my kindness for weakness and find your card cancelled,” the song is generally a little bland. 

The fifth track is “Eldest Daughter,” and sweet merciful Jesus, this song sucks. If this song were satirical, it would be hilarious, but she genuinely used the words “trolling and memes” in a track five ballad. This song was just a miss, the only redeeming part of it is the bridge, but even then it’s not an enjoyable song.

The sixth track is “Ruin the Friendship,” which is a cute song about regret and always taking the risk even if it means ruining a friendship. This is a really good song, but it doesn’t stand out. 

The seventh track is “Actually Romantic,” and it’s actually really corny. No thirty year old woman should call another thirty year old a “boring Barbie.” 

The eighth track is “Wi$h Li$t,” another love song with some clever lyrics and a good beat, but again, it blends in and doesn’t stand out. 

The ninth track is “Wood.” I wanted to slam my head into wood when I heard the poet that wrote “The Lakes” use the word “dickmitized” in a song. 

The tenth track is “CANCELLED!,” and it is, again, corny. I think Swift, a thirty-year old cat lady who is engaged to a frat boy football player, needs to stop trying to be edgy. 

The eleventh track is “Honey,” and this is such a great song. I feel so happy when I listen to it, and I appreciate the smart lyricism. 

The final track is “The Life of a Showgirl” ft. Sabrina Carpenter, and it is very musical theater-esque. I love the storytelling in this song, and the fun beat adds to the song’s theatrics. 

Overall, this is not my favorite album of Taylor’s, but as an artist, I will always respect her creativity and commitment.

Jack Wagner, Editor

It’s Halloween season again which means it’s time to cozy up under some warm blankets and screen some scary cinema. But what movie is right for you? Here is a list of several spooky movies to pick from so you can get the just right level of horrifying haunts.

Addams Family Values

Featuring the ever delightfully Macabre family, this 1993 film is perfect if you want to get into the Halloween spirit but are not in the mood for frights and nightmares. Follow the Addams as they send Wednesday (Chrsitina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) to a camp woefully unprepared for the siblings, welcome new addition Pubert to the family and deal with the evil babysitter Debbie (Joan Cusack), who sinks her claws into Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). There’s ghosts, arson, guillotines and electric chairs, everything necessary for some fearsome (mostly) family-friendly fun. The movie is a sequel to the 1991 Addams Family, but each film stands well on its own, so there is no need to watch both. Or do… they’re both good fun.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Moving to a film with some real frights, but still none too severe, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a 2010 horror-comedy starring Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine. It follows friendly country pals Tucker (Tudyk) and Dale (Labine) as they finally fulfill their dream of buying an old lake house to restore. Unfortunately, a group of foolish (and very clumsy) college students, led by the hillbilly hating Chad (Jesse Moss), mistakes them for crazy backcountry murderers, leading to a whole host of horrifying hijinks. The main draw of this movie is the humor, and there is a lot of it. There is also a lot of blood and gore, earning the movie its R rating. If you’re looking for some Halloween laughs and have a stomach for blood but not for serious scares, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is an excellent pick.

A Quiet Place

The 2018 horror/science-fiction movie A Quiet Place is in a good position as a movie with scares that odds are you can still get a good night’s sleep after. The film is about the Abbot family as they try to survive in a world destroyed by an invasion of seemingly invincible aliens that hunt by sound. Evelyn Abbot (Emily Blunt) is pregnant, and the family must do their best to make sure the birth goes smoothly without attracting the monsters. The movie thrives off the tense atmosphere created by forcing the characters to be near silent at all times, no matter what is happening to or around them. It’s not a gory film, being rated only PG-13, but it still has plenty of good thrills and frights for your viewing pleasure. A Quiet Place also spawned a couple of other films in the same universe, A Quiet Place: Part II and A Quiet Place: Day One, so if you enjoy the movie make sure to check those out as well.

Halloween

One of the forefathers of the slasher movie genre, the 1978 horror movie Halloween is appropriately one of the very best movies to get you into the scary season spirit. The film follows the swath of bloody murder escaped mental asylum patient Michael Myers (Nick Castle) who cuts through the city of Haddonfield, Illinois, chased by Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasance), while teen Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) tries not to be his next victim. Halloween does a great job building suspense and tension, helped along by a simple but eerie score that is possibly one of the best of the genre. Like all slasher films, it has some very graphic violence and some not-as-graphic-but-still-pretty-graphic nudity, earning its R rating with room to spare. Halloween is an excellent film if you want some real scares for your viewing pleasure.

The Thing

1982 horror movie The Thing is my pick for the scariest and final movie on this list. Following a group of researchers in a remote Antarctic station during the winter as they are hunted and killed by a shapeshifting alien being that can take on the appearance of anything it kills, the movie creates a delightfully bleak and terrifying atmosphere that really puts you in the mood to hide beneath your blankets. The Thing has a lot of excellent but very gruesome practical special effects, and manages to combine gore and tension in a way that elevates both. I have to mention for honesty’s sake that The Thing is my favorite horror movie of all time, but I still would say it earns its spot as one of the best and scariest films to watch as All Hallows’ Eve draws near.

This list is meant to have a spooky film that all levels of horror enthusiasts can enjoy. Whether you are terror prone or a hardened horror fan, I hope this list helps you find something to watch during this Halloween season.