Jakob Eiseman, Editor

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: 10th Anniversary” — Theaters, Blu-ray

Initially released in August 2010, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” became a cult favorite almost instantly, losing almost $30 million at the box office domestically, but has been purchased on DVD and streamed thousands of times since. The original film was released on film and 1080p digital reels, but was still praised by fans for its flashy and colorful comic book-esque visuals. The film has been remastered and retouched and will be re-released in 4K both in theaters on Friday, April 30 and on Blu-ray at some point in the future. The film follows the titular Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera (“Superbad,” “Juno”), a Canadian 20-something who has to battle his new love interest’s superpowered ‘Seven Evil Exes’ in order to date her. The film is filled with pop culture references, superb visual and written comedy, memorable characters and a star-studded cast. The AMC theaters at the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem, PA and in Cherry Hill, New Jersey will be showing the anniversary version of the film in their Dolby Cinemas at 7 p.m. every night from April 30 to May 3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discourages movie theater visits unless viewers are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. 

“Handmaid’s Tale” season four — Hulu

The fourth season of the hit Hulu original series “The Handmaid’s Tale” debuts on the service on Thursday, April 29. “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which premiered in 2017, is returning after a two year hiatus, promising to deliver the same level of quality that the show has provided before despite complications in filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  “The Handmaid’s Tale” stars Elisabeth Moss (“The Invisible Man,” “Us”) as June Osborne, the titular handmaid who is leading a rebellion against an intensely corrupt religious society in the former United States of America. In this world, America has fallen to a disease that leaves most women infertile, so fertile women are oppressed and kept as slaves called handmaids for the sole purpose of having children. The first three seasons of “The Handmaid’s Tale” have followed Osborne on her journey from an oppressed, abused handmaid in a largely patriarchal society to a resistance leader who is fighting back against those who established the laws keeping her and her peers from living full lives. This season will pick up after the end of the last, which left Osborne injured, but alive, recently coming off a major success for the resistance fighters.

Editor’s Note: “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a very dark show with extreme violence, sexual abuse and other potentially triggering topics. Please watch at your own discretion.

Returnal — PlayStation 5 

Releasing Friday, April 30 exclusively for the PlayStation 5, Returnal is the first AAA release from Housemarque Oy, the Finnish game development studio behind games like Resogun and Nex Machina. The game is being overseen by Sony Interactive Entertainment and is published under the “PlayStation Studios” banner. Housemarque is known for their fast, high-action, arcade style gameplay that is the modern evolution of classic games like Galaga and Xevious (both featured in the Treetops Cafe game area). “Returnal’s gameplay is a relentless and fast paced shooter in the beginning,” said Housemarque’s Mikael Haveri in an interview with the PlayStation blog, but diverges because “narrative is a big part of the Returnal experience, though we’re telling that story in some subtle ways.” The game places the player in the shoes of Selene, voiced by Jane Perry (“Hitman”), an astronaut who, after landing on an alien planet, is trapped in a “Groundhog Day” style time loop that brings her back to the start of her journey every time she is killed by the endemic life of the planet. Selene, and therefore the player, will have to consistently return and learn more about the strange world in order to solve the loop and progress the story, all while dodging and attacking their way to victory.

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Header image: ABC

The 93rd Oscar Awards Ceremony is finally over and it was a strange one. For those who watch them annually like I do, you know how pleasant the highs were and how uncomfortable the lows got, but if you did not watch it, this is where I come in to recap all the big wins, the bizarre filler segments and Don freaking Cheadle that happened on Sunday, April 25 at the Academy Awards. 

Starting off is “Nomadland,” which won the coveted Best Picture award. I think this was a rough category to pick one single winner and it makes sense they went with “Nomadland.” I would say the only two movies that were in real competition for the award would have been “Nomadland” and “Minari.” The other movies nominated may have been good, but there was likely no chance “Promising Young Woman,” “The Father” or “Sound of Metal” were going to win due to the films being primarily driven by a solo performance. I really enjoyed “Nomadland,” and I am happy it won. “Nomadland” may have been another solo performance film, but I think that the freeform nature of the whole film made it feel like more than just a story about Fern, the protagonist.

Speaking of “Nomadland,” Frances McDormand tied Meryl Streep for three Oscar wins for her performance as Fern in the Best Picture winning film. I could have seen this award going to Viola Davis for her role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” but aside from that I do not think this was a hard category to pick. I am a big Carey Mulligan fan, especially when she starred alongside Ryan Gosling in the 2011 neo-noir drama “Drive,” but I did not think she would walk out with an award for this, unfortunately. Youn Yuh-jung scooped the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in “Minari.” I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing “Minari” or even any of the other performances nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, but I think this win made the most sense as well due to the amount of attention “Minari” was getting for its performances. There is no way the Academy would have the cajones to award anything associated with the name “Borat,” so unfortunately Maria Bakalova did not have much of a chance to win. Glenn Close received a nomination in complete opposite receptions for her performance in “Hillbilly Elegy,” an Oscar nomination and a Razzie nomination. Razzies are the Oscars for bad movies with frequent nominees being anyone associated with Adam Sandler and big muscular action stars like former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. Long story short, Glenn Close was not winning, and she especially was not winning after she twerked during a violently uncomfortable segment that took place earlier in the night. I will get to that later.

Transitioning onto what was the most controversial win of the night, Sir Anthony Hopkins became the oldest winner of the Best Actor award for his performance in “The Father,” a film about dealing with dementia and trying to remain a good father. I have not seen the full film, but I have seen some moments that are a bit hard to watch as his dementia quickly breaks Hopkins’s character down in a heartbreaking way. I gave my thoughts on who I think actually should have won, Riz Ahmed, in my review of “Sound of Metal.” Although the late Chadwick Boseman picked up the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” he was ultimately not awarded the posthumous Oscar. I could have seen this award going to either Boseman or Ahmed, but Hopkins is a quality actor and I do not think his win was the worst decision ever. To be frank, the biggest shock of the night was that Don Cheadle was not awarded Best Actor for simply gracing the Academy Awards with his presence.

 Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah” and I am really happy for him. I remember seeing Kaluuya at the 2018 Oscars for “Get Out” and I knew that his time would be very soon and now here we are. This category had no bad results. All the nominees are phenomenal and I would have been happy to see LaKeith Stanfield, another future talent I have my eyes on, the genius Paul Raci from “Sound of Metal,” Sacha Baron Cohen, the best actor from “Trial of the Chicago 7,” or “Hamilton” actor Leslie Odom Jr. for his time as Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami.” 

For a full list of Oscar nominees and winners, please check out our rundown, but let me break down some other notable awards in a lightning round. Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross beat Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to become two-time Oscar winners for their soundtrack for Pixar’s “Soul” which also won Best Animated Feature, yes, this statement is correct; Trent and Atticus were nominated twice in the same category for “Soul” and “Mank.” Chloe Zhao won Best Director for “Nomadland” and Danish Drama/Comedy “Another Round” won for International Feature Film. This film did not win, but I recommend the documentary “Collective” about a Romanian nightclub fire that severely injured many and killed several more. An investigation into the hospital treatments of the victims led to a countrywide scandal about hospital fraud in the dilution of its products. It is a fascinating documentary that somehow did not go global, and kept me glued throughout.

So much stuff happened at the Oscars that were not even related to the wins and losses of the nominees. Best Supporting Actress nominee Glenn Close took part in a segment to guess a song’s relation to the Oscars and was given Da Butt’s “You Were Getting Down” and so she stood up and did a twerk/stanky leg hybrid dance and I straight up did not enjoy it. I also did not appreciate the lack of Don Cheadle winning awards in all categories, I would say it is the biggest robbery of any performance in history and I will be boycotting next year. I thought it was adorable when Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress and introduced herself to presenter and fellow two-time People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive winner, Brad Pitt. In Hopkins’s thankful speech that he would put out the following day, he paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and thanked everyone for his new achievement. The In-Memoriam section was nice, but of course there were a few missed names including “Glee” actress Naya Rivera and “Arrested Development”/ “Archer” matriarch, Jessica Walter. One of the most notable aspects of the entire award show was that it did not take place in the Dolby Theater where it annually takes place but rather at the Union Station Los Angeles.

All-in-all the 2021 Academy Awards were kind of awkward during the filler segments, but the winners were some real history makers. A lot of good decisions and a decent amount of diversity in the nominations alone made this show pretty positive. The lack of a single host and the change of scenery helped keep the show going and I cannot wait to see what other incredible movies we will get for next year.

Jakob Eiseman, Editor

Header image: Searchlight Pictures

On April 25, some of Hollywood’s biggest names gathered at Union Station in Los Angeles for film’s biggest night: the Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences maintained many of their traditions such as allowing each winner time to give an acceptance speech and having previous award winners present certain awards. They also continued with their recent tradition of not having a host, instead opting for several celebrity guests to introduce a few awards such as Regina King, Don Cheadle and Halle Berry. Below you will find a list of all the Oscar winners from the 93rd Academy Awards as well as the nominees that were beat out:

Best Original Screenplay — “Promising Young Woman”

Nominees:

”Judas and the Black Messiah”

”Minari”

”Sound of Metal”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Best Adapted Screenplay — ”The Father”

Nominees:

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”

”Nomadland”

”One Night in Miami”

“The White Tiger”

Best International Feature Film — ”Another Round”

Nominees:

“Better Days”

“Collective”

“The Man Who Sold His Skin”

“Quo Vadis, Aida?”

Best Supporting Actor — Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah”

Nominees:

Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Leslie Odom Jr., “One Night in Miami”

Paul Raci, “Sound of Metal”

Lakeith Stanfield, “Judas and the Black Messiah”

Best Supporting Actress — Yuh-Jung Youn, “Minari”

Nominees:

Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”

Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy”

Olivia Colman, “The Father”

Amanda Seyfried, “Mank”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling — ”Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

Nominees:

“Emma”

”Hillbilly Elegy”

”Mank”

“Pinocchio”

Best Costume Design — ”Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

Nominees:

“Emma”

”Mank”

“Mulan”

“Pinocchio”

Best Director — Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland”

Nominees:

Lee Isaac Chung, “Minari”

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman”

David Fincher, “Mank”

Thomas Vinterberg, “Another Round”

Best Sound Design  — ”Sound of Metal”

Nominees:

“Greyhound”

”Mank”

“News of the World”

“Soul”

Best Live-Action Short — “Two Distant Strangers”

Nominees:

“Feeling Through”

“The Letter Room”

“The Present”

“White Eye”

Best Animated Short  — ”If Anything Happens I Love You”

Nominees:

“Burrow”

“Genius Loci”

“Opera”

”Yes-People”

Best Animated Feature Film— “Soul”

Nominees:

“Onward”

“Over the Moon”

“Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”

“Wolfwalkers”

Best Documentary Short — ”Colette”

Nominees:

“A Concerto is a Conversation”

“Do Not Split”

“Hunger Ward”

”A Love Song for Latasha”

Best Documentary Feature — “My Octopus Teacher”

Nominees:

”Collective”

“Crip Camp”

“The Mole Agent”

“Time”

Best Visual Effects — “Tenet”

Nominees:

“Love and Monsters”

“The Midnight Sky”

“Mulan”

“The One and Only Ivan”

Best Production Design — ”Mank”

Nominees:

”The Father” 

”Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

“News of the World”

“Tenet”

Best Cinematography — ”Mank”

Nominees:

”Judas and the Black Messiah”

“News of the World”

”Nomadland”

”The Trial of the Chicago 7″

Best Film Editing — ”Sound of Metal”

Nominees:

“The Father”

”Nomadland”

”Promising Young Woman”

”The Trial of the Chicago 7″

Best Original Score — “Soul”

Nominees:

“Da 5 Bloods”

”Mank”

”Minari”

“News of the World”

Best Original Song — “Fight for You,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”

Nominees:

”Hear My Voice,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7”

”Husavik,” Eurovision Song Contest

”Io Si (Seen),” The Life Ahead

”Speak Now,” “One Night in Miami”

Best Picture — “Nomadland”

Nominees:

“The Father”

“Judas and the Black Messiah”

“Mank”

“Minari”

“Promising Young Woman”

“Sound of Metal”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Best Actor in a Leading Role — Anthony Hopkins, “The Father”

Nominees:

Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal”

Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

Gary Oldman, “Mank”

Steven Yeun, “Minari”

Best Actress in a Leading Role — Frances McDormand, “Nomadland”

Nominees:

Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

Andra Day, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”

Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman”

Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman

For a breakdown of the most memorable moments and memes from the 93rd Academy Awards, check out this opinion piece from one of our staff writers Nolen Kelly.

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Header Image: Netflix

If you have ever heard the lines “You can’t handle the truth,” “If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you would have invented Facebook” or “He gets on base,” then congratulations you are aware of the god of super silly speeches and nerd words: Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin has an impressive filmography ranging from TV to film to dramatic theater that are all varying testaments to how Sorkin may just be one of the greatest script writers of all time. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” which is also written by him will not go down in this legacy as a positive. “Trial of the Chicago 7” follows the trial of the seven men who were charged for leading protests and obstructions in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. 

Writer/Director Sorkin’s work is nothing short of absolute poetry. He has explicitly stated in interviews that he loves the way words sound and that he tries to imitate the musical back and forth sounds of conversation as if it was a play. The opening scene of “The Social Network” is a perfect example of Sorkin’s technical mastery as it comprises 10 minutes of Mark Zuckerberg making you, specifically you, mad at him for being a cocky nerd as he breaks up with his girlfriend, Erica Albright. “Trial of the Chicago 7” is not the Sorkin masterpiece that it could have been. I do not think it was a bad movie, but I do think there were some glaring errors with the overall structure and deliverance of the movie. 

I briefly want to talk about a lot of the things that made this movie effective, because there is quite a lot, despite my criticisms. The costumes and casting were impressive. I do not just mean they made a good choice picking Sacha Baron Cohen; I mean Baron Cohen actually looks like the real Abbie Hoffman for who he was based, and it just so happened that Baron Cohen gave a good performance in the process. The costumes and hairstyling are pretty good, and I also think the sets and set designs were an important part of the world building that helped to showcase the 60s well. 

This movie has some rough pacing issues, a couple characters are frustrating but not in the way they intend and I had virtually no empathy for any characters for any reason other than I guess I hope they do not go to jail. Keep in mind this is all based on entirely real events, so the ending is clear from the start. The majority of the movie takes place in the court during the actual trial. They would frequently cut back to the events of the story that they are retelling and this messes with the flow of everything. A scene could either be slow and conversation driven then frantic and violent the next. The court interrogations are very slow and long and are not very gripping. I had a hard time staying interested in the story during the court scenes because it was always the same thing over and over again; Judge hates hippies, hippies disrespect judges, Bobby Seale is not supposed to be here, someone does a thing that moves the story up slightly, end of the day. Every now and then they cut back to the catalyst, but it never really is interesting. The feeling is the same for the riot scenes. Although they managed to capture the stylistic zeitgeist of late 60’s riots and protests I do think that a lot of the emotional impact of the violence is dampened by the rest of the story.

The cast is absolutely stacked yet only one of them gave a notable performance. Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman was enjoyable and was my drive to keep watching because I just wanted to see him frustrate Judge Hoffman (no relation) to no end. He gives a speech about three quarters of the way through when he was on trial that was probably the best moment of the whole movie. I thought Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) as Jerry Rubin had a couple notable scenes but I did not love Yahya Abdul- Mateen II (“Watchmen,” “Aquaman”) as the Black Panther leader Bobby Seale. I do not know if this is a story that you have to understand the full historical context of or this movie told the whole story but it just felt like there was so much missing from the Bobby Seale story and it really hurt Seale’s character arc because, again, it was repetitive and felt directionless to the point that the movie probably would have progressed the same without him. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a very bland antagonist lawyer and Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman was more of an annoyance than a judicial obstacle to work around. I found myself getting frustrated with him but not in a way that I think was intended. Eddie Redmayne was built up to be the shining light in the resistance’s movement, but I really felt nothing watching his scenes. They all had solid motivations and were interesting characters, but I really did not actually care about what was going on with each individual character. A lot of the chemistry felt kind of nonexistent too with the only actors with any sense of togetherness being Baron Cohen and Strong. 

I feel like I personally missed a lot of the point of this movie, but I feel that this is a result of the way the film was made. It portrayed itself in an important way, and while it did have that feeling of “this is an important event,” I did not think of this as an actual retelling of a real event, but rather a dull fiction story. “Trial of the Chicago 7” was a bit of a disappointment for me. I went in expecting big things from Sorkin and it did not even have the things that make Sorkin great. To be clear, it is not a terrible movie or a bad movie, but it is messy, and it is disappointing. I am feeling like “Trial of the Chicago 7” is just “Okay” on a scale of “Bad” to “Perfection.”

Jeriann Tripodi, Staff

Header Image: Silk Sonic

Jeffree Star recovering after severe car crash

Youtuber and beauty influencer Jeffree Star was driving in Wyoming with his friend, Daniel Lucas, when the vehicle hit black ice. According to Star’s social media accounts, the car flipped over several times, but both men survived. In a post to fans, Star, 35, shared that he is in “excruciating pain” after breaking part of his back, but is expected to fully recover. Meanwhile, Lucas sustained internal injuries. 

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez split 

On April 15, former Yankee player Alex Rodriguez and pop singer Jennifer Lopez confirmed that they ended their engagement. In a joint statement, the pair shared that they will continue to be friends and wish the best for one another. A reason behind the split has not been made public, however, cheating rumors have been circulating in the months leading up to the breakup. Rodriguez and Lopez were together for four years and got engaged in 2019. They were set to marry last year, but postponed their wedding due to COVID-19. 

Helen McCrory dies (1968-2021)

On April 16, actress Helen McCrory passed away at the age of 52 after battling cancer. The London native was best known for portraying the character Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films. She was also known for her role in “Peaky Blinders” where she played Polly Gray. 

McDonald’s teams up with BTS for new meal

On April 19, fast food chain McDonald’s announced that they have teamed up with the Korean boyband, BTS, and will be launching “The BTS Meal” for a limited time starting May 26. The combo meal will consist of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget, medium fries and a medium Coca Cola. This meal will also include Cajun and Sweet Chili dipping sauces. 

“American Idol” airs first comeback episode 

On April 19, “American Idol” invited 10 fan-favorite contestants from last season (season 18) to sing on stage for the chance to join this season’s (season 19) Top 10. With one remaining spot, only one fan-favorite contestant from the past will be selected to join the nine current contestants for the chance to win the singing competition. One of the contenders from season 18 is Philadelphia’s own Louis Knight, who impressed the judges with his original song. “American Idol” airs every Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

“Godzilla v. Kong” becomes highest grossing film during the COVID-19 pandemic

The sci-fi/action film “Godzilla v. Kong” is continuing to top the box office, and has officially become the top-grossing Hollywood film during the COVID-19 pandemic globally. The fourth installment in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, which has made over $390 million at the global box office, has surpassed “Tenet,” which earned $365 million last year. 

Number one on the Billboard charts: week of April 17, 2021

According to “The Hot 100” on the charts, the number one song in the U.S. is “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak). Moving up to the top spot for the first time, this is the fifth week that the R&B/soul song is on the charts. According to the “Billboard 200,” the number one album in the U.S. is “Justice” by Justin Bieber. Moving from the second spot to the top spot, this is the third week the pop album is on the charts. 

Greg Shannon, Staff

Header Image: Kodansha

If you were on social media in 2013 and 2014, then you probably remember constant murmurings of a Japanese television series called “Attack on Titan.” With the exception of maybe “Pokemon” or “Dragon Ball,” “Titan” is the only major series imported from Japan to break into the mainstream audience in America. The series had an interesting curve of popularity since its release in 2013.  In its almost eight-year run, it went from the most hyped, most talked about show on the internet, to the point where mainstream media sources were covering it, to seemingly disappearing out of nowhere after the first season. Many people almost forgot it existed, and the mainstream audience and media for the most part refused to even acknowledge seasons two and three. However, 2020 was when all of that would change. Around mid-November, the anticipation for the fourth and final season of this anime would shake the entertainment world to its core and would even break into the mainstream world again.

“Attack on Titan” is an animated series adapted from a serialized comic of the same name by author and artist Hajime Isayama. The story follows one Eren Jaeger, a headstrong boy with a dark family past, and his friends and fellow soldiers in a military built up to defend humanity from giant humanoid beasts that resemble comical and demented charicatures of people: the titular Titans. The story is set in motion when two Titans break down the walls surrounding a young Jaeger’s home town, leading to his mother’s death. From that point, the story follows Jaeger and his fellow soldiers through years of battle against the Titan menace, all the while the story dropping hints and clues that something much greater and more sinister was beyond the walls that protected humanity.

I’ll admit that when the show first aired in 2013 I eventually dropped it near the end of the first season. Even though there was a bunch of action and beautiful animation, my 13-year-old brain just couldn’t keep up, and sadly I just didn’t continue. That was an incredible mistake on my part. The hype that surrounded the return of the show for its final season is what drove me to rewatch and catch up on this masterpiece of storytelling. I binged the entirety of the first three seasons and honestly didn’t know how they could top them. 

Then it happened: the first part of season four was released. It’s hard to describe just how good part one has been. If season three is the preppy high school jock of the series, then the first part of season four looks like the older brother that went pro and is living in a mansion rubbing it in his younger brother’s face that he’s so much better.  The season takes the great dramatic action the series is known for, the brilliant character development that the second season gave us, and further built on the full-circle narrative arcs set up in the third season. These are all very much present in this latest season and are even amplified in it. 

The first thing that the fourth season of this show does is introduce a new cast of characters separate from those we were acquainted with in the first. In the first five episodes, the writers develop these characters to be on par with some fan favorites that came before them. We see the growth of Reiner Braun, a recurring character in the series who is trying to cope with all of the mistakes he made throughout the show, and see how grief can affect a person in complex ways. Some new characters are set up as foils for Jaeger and his comrades, allowing the audience to sympathize with the people they are meant to see as the enemy. While these aren’t all the characters and development we get, they’re definitely the most important. What makes it so amazing, though, is that a lot of it comes in the first five episodes. They give us a reason to care about these characters in such a short amount of time and continue it even after the main characters show back up and steal the spotlight. 

Next, something that this show continuously does flawlessly is having everything come full circle. “Attack on Titan” has managed to make everything seem important. Like its past seasons, they take the events that leave us with questions and manage to build on them and make them fit perfectly into the world and narrative. Without spoiling anything, an example of this is a three-episode long arc in season four that not only answers a question that was left open in 2017, but does so in a way that shows the new characters’ connections to the previous story beats. It shows you how much the creator Isayama cares about this story. Every time you come up with a question or theory, you know that eventually it will be answered in some way, and usually in an interesting or surprising way. 

Lastly, the thing that truly made this season special compared to the already amazing show is that the tone and feel of the series is completely different, yet still just as high-quality. In the first three seasons, there was always a clearly defined good and evil. We knew which group was on the right side of history and we knew who the enemy was. However, with how things started this season and all of the insane events that have transpired, it’s honestly hard to tell which side is good — it’s all grey. Isayama did something that I honestly don’t see many shows do. He took a once loved character and destroyed him, made him universally hated by every fan of the series, and made him a part of the enemy. Most fans were rooting for him to be defeated and killed by Jeager or one of his teammates. Then, in just a few episodes of season four, everything flipped. 

People started to care about our main antagonist. We saw their backstory and even questioned “Are they the bad guy in this story?” Then, completely out of left-field, the writer takes the protagonist, the character we’ve rooted for and followed since the beginning, and turned him into a monster, into the villain. There are no good guys or bad guys anymore. Anyone in this show can be a villain or hero depending on who you agree with. The writers of the series set it up this way because now, the biggest question of the story will not be “Who is going to win?” and instead will be “How far will they go to win?”

Isayama has honestly created something extremely special with this series. The world, the plot and the characters have all seemed special and every episode has been used to push the story forward. This last season of “Attack On Titan” has been spectacular so far and it only makes me more excited to see what will happen in part two this January. If you haven’t watched this show I honestly encourage you to watch it. It’s been labeled as the “Game of Thrones” of animation and it honestly lives up to the hype. Plus with part two coming out in January, there’s still plenty of time to catch up.

Jakob Eiseman, Editor

Header Image: Academy of Motion Pictures

2021 Academy Awards — ABC

Broadcasting live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the 93rd annual Academy Awards will be hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on April 25 at 8 p.m. on ABC. At the time of writing this, the Academy Awards is still being planned as an in-person event for guests and talent that will take COVID-19 safety measures into consideration. While this is technically next week, it is before the next issue of the Collegian, so this is a reminder to tune in. The nominees for Best Picture are as follows: “The Father,” produced by David Parfitt, Jean-Louis, Livi and Philippe Carcassonne; “Judas and the Black Messiah” produced by Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler; “Mank,” produced by by Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski; “Minari,” produced by Christina Oh; “Nomadland,” produced by Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao; “Promising Young Woman,” produced by Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara; “Sound of Metal,” produced by Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche and “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” produced by Marc Platt and Stuart Besser. A full list of nominees can be found here, and the Collegian will release a winner recap piece on April 28. The Arts and Entertainment section of the Collegian has been running a series of articles over the last few issues titled “Academy Awards Season” in which staff writers review some of the films nominated for best picture. You can find those articles here. 

“Mortal Kombat” — HBO Max

After a one-week delay, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Mortal Kombat” will release in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously on April 23. The film, based on the 28-year-old arcade-fighting video game series, will adopt fan favorite characters from the franchise and put a modern spin on them. The film will star Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2,” “Wu Assassins,”) as a new character and protagonist Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg,” “The Vow,”) as Sonya Blade, a soldier-turned-fighter; Joe Taslim (“Fast and Furious 6,” “Star Trek Beyond,”) as the fan-favorite ninja Sub-Zero and Hiroyuki Sanada (“The Wolverine,” “Avengers Endgame,”) as the series’ mascot, Scorpion. Although there have been several “Mortal Kombat” movies in the past and the games’ story is extensive, this film will act as a reboot to the franchise, retelling the story from the beginning. This is the first film in the series to receive an R rating, likely because it features the games’ signature “fatalities” in which characters are killed or brutally injured by their opponent in combat.

MLB The Show ‘21 — PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series

The newest entry in the “Show” series comes out on April 20 on Playstation systems and, for the first time ever, Xbox systems. The Show is an annually serialized series of Major League Baseball simulation games that consistently review highly with critics. Since 1998, the “MLB” series, later known as “The Show,” has been locked to PlayStation platforms, with their most recent release, The Show ‘20, boasting record sales numbers, being released shortly after the MLB postponed their baseball season, leaving fans wanting baseball content. The new entry in the series, which features Fernando Tatís Jr., the shortstop player for the San Diego Padres, on the cover is not only the first entry in the franchise that will be featured on Xbox, but on next-generation hardware. This means that the new versions will cost $69.99 instead of the standard $59.99. Another notable point is that The Show ‘21 will launch on Xbox Gamepass, meaning subscribers there will get the game for no extra charge while Playstation owners will have no choice but to spend the $70.

Nolen Kelly, Staff

Header image: Hulu

When I finally got around to watching Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” I was pretty excited to add another notch into my “Frances McDormand is a better actress than Meryl Streep, there I said it” belt. It is a very real belt and I will die on this hill. “Fargo,” “Almost Famous,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” are three of my favorite movies of their respective decades and the one thing they all have in common is Frances McDormand. I initially was not too excited for this movie, but when I read McDormand was attached to it, it was enough to sway me. I went into “Nomadland” with some kind of expectation to be blown away, but I finished with something else — reality. After an entire town is shut down and forced to relocate due to the closing of a sheetrock company manufacturing gypsum, we follow Fern, a former worker who lives off the land.

I cannot stress how great Frances McDormand is. She always finds ways to reinvent her acting career and despite the bizarre connection of motherhood between her three aforementioned rolls from my introduction, McDormand has a wide range of talents that show just how timeless her performances are. In “Nomadland” I felt like I witnessed one of the rawest performances any actor has ever given. This was such a bare-bones and minimal performance I’m shocked it was even considered an actual performance. At no point did this feel like watching an “actor do acting,” but what felt more like a documentary on nomadism. Similar to “Sound of Metal,” this film is a masterclass of performance, and a very strong one at that. Rather than McDormand’s typical in-your-face yet subtly emotionally developing style of acting we see a very stripped back kind of performance that sets the mood for the rest of the movie. 

The movie is nominated for an impressive six Academy Awards for acting, directing and best picture. Basing a movie’s success off the number of awards it was nominated for or won is a terrible way to measure quality, but the recognition is still very impressive. I think that if there is anything for this movie to walk away with, it is the award for Best Directing for Chloé Zhao. She has already received some much-deserved recognition for it, and I couldn’t agree more. If the idea of the movie is to convey how scattered yet grounded it can be to have nothing but the people you associate with and the minimal possessions you have, then the structure of the story should resemble something close to that. I think this movie does the opposite of what many movies do, which is typically to use their time to establish a world we do not know and create the rules for us to understand. “Nomadland” is more about stripping away and deconstructing a world we do know and showing us something we may not fully understand right away: our own world. There is some kind of poetry when watching a woman who lived a “normal” life decide that continuing with the nothing she had was her way of finding some kind of catharsis that a home life could not give her. 

I talked about this movie with my parents after we had watched it, and I think they both described the movie the best after their respective viewings. My father stated, “Nomadland has two running stories — the story of McDormand living her life as a nomad and living her life as an older unemployed woman.” While my mother described it as “extremely chill, a think-about-life type of movie.” They both could not be more spot-on. Fern is an older woman who bounces around from one odd job to another, and the whole time she just wants to work and keep moving. There is no ulterior motive, no driving force and no end goal. Fern is just trying to get around. People do not always need a motive or a story to move forward, they just do it. Fern’s story is an examination of why we do the things we do for others and ourselves when we do not have much to offer. 

“Nomadland” is not a hard movie to watch, but it is not easy due to the very little story and action that happens. It requires you to pay attention without making you think, and it makes you think without breaking your brain. It is a good movie to experience for yourself and a good movie to have your own thoughts on. I really enjoyed this, and I think it is worth the watch. On a scale from “Awful” to “Perfection,” I would say “Nomadland” is “Great,” and we will have to wait and see if the Academy of Motion Pictures agrees at the Oscars which premiere at 8 p.m. on April 25.

Greg Shannon, Staff

Header image: A24 Productions

“Ramy” is an A24 Productions series made by standup comedian Ramy Youssef. In 2020, Youssef won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as himself in “Ramy.” The series is made up of semi-autobiographical tales about the Egyptian American trying to better himself as a Muslim man while dealing with the tough societal norms that come with being a single millennial in today’s society. While this show is honestly sprinkled with great comedy, shots and moments, I don’t think that the ‘Golden Globe moment’ comes from season one. Some may ask, “how can the first season not have that kind of a moment when it won a Golden Globe, but season two was only nominated?” I completely understand that, but the moments I’m talking about are completely different. I mean the moments where you stop what you’re doing, where you’re completely glued to the actions and dialogue, where you forget that it’s just acting. That’s not to say that season one doesn’t have some moments like this — for example the 9/11 episode and the conversation between Youssef and his father Farouk about their relationship with his grandfather are amazing — but it just doesn’t compare to some of the stuff we get in season two.

If there’s one thing that “Ramy” did right, it makes you feel uncomfortable but in a good way. “Ramy” made me really want the best for the characters in the show while I was forced to just sit and watch the lows. Now, it’s not that with any other show I’m wishing the worst for the characters in it, however, there was something different with this show — just something special that made me root for them a bit more. Is there some bias from my perspective as a native of New Jersey, where the series takes place? Yes. Do I just want to see my Jersey kings and queens succeed in life after the tragic “Jersey Shore?” Also yes — who cares? There was something different about the characters that really drove me to this connection and that came in season two.

When you’re talking about the great moments of this show you have to look at one of the later episodes. In episode seven, which takes place in Atlantic City, Youssef and his friends end up at a strip club, which visibly upsets him. At this point, Youssef is doing a pretty good job with his journey to be a better Muslim, and after a situation with a stripper and his prayer beads he angrily goes to the bathroom. This leads us to the first scene that really grabbed me. In the bathroom, Youssef argues with the friend that cares for him the most, Ahmed. After he complains to him that he just doesn’t want to be there, he ends it with a phrase that crosses the line for Ahmed. Youssef breaks the conversation with “I expected better from you.” At this moment, Ahmed loses it and starts to honestly point out how horrible he thinks Youssef is and how he makes him feel like a bad person. Ahmed tells him how he feels like he is wasting prayers on his friend. He tells him how those prayers could be going to refugees that actually need them, but he feels more inclined to give them to Youssef because he knows that just being him is a struggle. Ahmed talks about how he has to struggle with that decision every day. This is probably the most real and authentic conversation in all of “Ramy.” Normally, they’re just putting up with his problems, but now someone is finally speaking out, showing how the choices Youssef makes hurts them whether it be physically or mentally.

But that’s not the only episode that we need to focus on. We also have episode eight of season two. In this episode, we focus more on the side character Farouk than we do Youssef, really. The main premise is that Youssef wants his parents to meet his girlfriend. That premise still plays a big part, but we see how it weighs on his father. Farouk’s day is already hard enough, as he’s throwing away his name just so he can try to get a better job and being asked to leave the coffee shop because someone doesn’t feel comfortable with him speaking Arabic on the phone. All of this boils up until the end of the episode where Farouk meets Zainab and her father Sheikh Ali Malik. After Farouk storms out of the house when he goes on a rant about how he takes care of everything, we are greeted with him outside on a park bench, Youssef joining him. In this scene, the dialogue is spoken in Arabic, with some parts purposely untranslated. At this moment, Farouk opens up to his son about how he doesn’t want to lose him, how he’s always worried and that it’s his job to be worried. He explains to Youssef that this is a father’s job and that eventually when he is a father as well, he won’t be able to live in the present anymore, he’ll have to live in the future.

The most moving moment in the series comes in the episode titled “You Are Naked in Front of Your Sheikh.” The ending of this episode is what really makes me believe it is Golden Globe worthy. At the end of the episode, Youssef’s teacher, Sheikh Ali Malik, is sitting in his room. In this instance, you can see the disappointment and anger in this man. Malik had let this man into his life and dealt with the hardships that followed with it. He dealt with the negative press that Youssef gave his mosque, to his religion and to him. He dealt with the donors that backed out because of Youssef’s actions. Most of all, he let Youssef into his personal life by allowing him to date his daughter. When Youssef breaks up with her, it was the last straw for Malik. Before this, every time he talked to Youssef, it wasn’t personal. Malik talked to him as a teacher talked to a student. Even when talking to Youssef about dating his daughter, you could still feel that there was some restraint for his student. However, at this moment Malik speaks to Youssef as a person, and one who betrayed his trust. After Youssef hurt the person closest to him, the teacher releases a sharp “F**k you Ramy. F**k you, you little f**k.” This is the Sheikh at his boiling point. He’s fed up with the lies, the excuses and all of his pain. This is how Malik has to talk to Youssef for the point to finally get across. Youssef hurts people, “he’s dangerous,” according to Malik. Because of this, Malik ends it by telling Youssef that he can’t help him. The Sheikh has been given humility through our main character.

This series is honestly something special. These moments show just why “Ramy” is worthy of its praise and of its Golden Globe and nominations. I would honestly recommend watching this show. While the series doesn’t touch on every Muslim experience in America, it does touch on Youssef’s, which is both unique and human. The story does not attempt to be controversial, overly-artistic or broadly relatable, it is a character piece on the artist that is Ramy Youssef.

Jakob Eiseman, Editor

Header image: Netflix

“The Nevers” — HBO

“The Nevers” is a new science-fiction series coming to HBO and HBO Max that takes place in Victorian London. The series is created by Joss Whedon, known in the TV industry for his work on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” The series follows the classic sci-fi premise of “a lot of people randomly acquire super powers out of nowhere” but is unique due to its historical setting. Those who acquire abilities are known as The Touched, and the story follows a group of The Touched who work together, as well as several church and government groups that work to suppress them. “The Nevers” stars Laura Donnelly (“Outlander,” “The Fall”) as Amalia True, a Touched woman who can see the future and would “die for the cause and kill for a drink,” according to HBO. The series will also feature Olivia Williams (“The Sixth Sense”) as Lavinia Bidlow, a pseudo-leader of The Touched that takes Touched in as orphans. 

“The Circle” season two — Netflix

Netflix’s popular quarantine binge reality series “The Circle” will be getting a second season on April 14. The series is a contest reality series in the vein of “Big Brother” where contestants are voted off as time goes on and compete for a cash prize. The difference between “The Circle” and other series is that none of the active contestants ever meet each other in person, and can only interact over social media. Some players play as themselves while others take on personas known as ‘catfish’ and try to socially manipulate other players. This season, the show will be hosted by comedian Michelle Buteau and features eight contestants ranging from 20-years-old to 58-years-old. Some notable aspects of this season are that it was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic and will touch on that some way and will feature a “surprise twist” halfway through according to Netflix.

Pac-Man 99

The classic arcade game Pac-Man is getting yet another modern facelift in the form of a 99 player competitive battle royale style game. Pac-Man 99 is the third in the “Nintendo Switch Online Series” which are free-to-play battle royale titles offered to Nintendo Switch Online members who subscribe to their monthly online service. The previous entries in the series, Tetris 99 and Super Mario Bros. 35, both gained high critical success and received continuous free updates as time went on. The iconic arcade style gameplay of Pac-Man is sped up in this competitive iteration, incentivizing the player to go after ghosts rather than score, sending obstacles to other players’ boards as they progress on their own. As time goes on, the movement speed of the player and the enemies will increase, meaning matches are quick and even if a player goes all the way to the winner’s circle, they still did so in under 10 minutes. The quick, competitive style of Pac-Man 99 is sure to keep players coming back time and time again.

Editor’s Note: This actually came out last week on April 7, but was announced after the last issue of the Collegian went live and was released the next day.