Emily Allgair, Editor

Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” is a jaw dropping, perverted, and overall beautiful film that satirizes the extravagance that is expected among wealth. This psychological thriller is just that – with twists and turns, and scenes that will make the whole theater gasp – “Saltburn” is not for the faint of heart but if you are willing to take that risk, it is so worth it.

Barry Keoghan (Oliver Quick) gives an amazing performance throughout. As the plot progresses and the audience begins to put the pieces together, Keoghan’s fearless choices become more enthralling and anodyne. It is hard to say who stole the spotlight, however, as the entire ensemble performance is phenomenal. Whether it be Rosamund Pike (Elsbeth Catton) and her witty one-liners, Carey Mulligan’s (Pamela) cameo or Archie Madekwe (Farleigh Start) and his portrayal of a prick that you learn to love, Emerald Fennell’s casting choices were sensational. And of course, Jacob Elordi (Felix Catton) is provocative in every sense.

In the words of Fennell herself, Elordi does something intentionally cruel in every scene to prove that he is “a mortal disguised as a God.” The idea of Felix, throughout the film, is so seductive, but as time goes on, you find that Oliver is much more interesting. Without revealing too much, “Saltburn” is ultimately a film about love, although sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the plot. 

One of the best parts of this movie is the response and reaction it gets from the audience. Fennell coined herself as a director who makes movies for the audience to decide how to respond on their own, and “Saltburn” is no different. In being so, this film is almost interactive in the sense that you, as the audience, do not know how you are supposed to respond to what you see. 

Sexual, sensual and ludicrous, the emotional scenes of this movie would suddenly take a turn, although it was by no means offputting, which brings me to my next point of why this movie should be added to your watchlist. The overall balance of Fennell’s film is beautiful. Whether it be the balance between the soundtrack and the natural sound during certain sequences or the balance between light and dark, especially in the bedroom scene with Oliver and Farleigh, everything was complimentary. 

One of the underlying elements of this film was the ability to recognize humanity. Most characters were far from likable, but you could sympathize with them – which ties back into the amazing ensemble performance. Full of wealthy snobs, it is easy to villainize the Cattons, but by the end of the film, everyone is seen as human. 

Again, “Saltburn” is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are up for a little challenge, it is, in my opinion, very worth the watch. If the film interests you, but you aren’t sure if you can squirm within a movie theater, keep an eye out between December 2023 and February 2024 on Amazon Prime for the film to be streamed. And for those of you who choose to watch the film, whether it be now in theaters or later in the comfort of your own home, just remember that we’re all about to lose our minds.

Steven Hoang, Staff

I consider myself a Marvel fan and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has grown my love for it. I have stayed up to date on all the shows and films like the second season of “Loki,” which I enjoyed from start to finish. To me, I find this fictional world filled with superheroes to be an escape from the cruel reality called life. With that being said, I would like to share my thoughts on the new film “The Marvels.”

This film serves as a sequel to the 2019 film “Captain Marvel” and features characters such as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani).

I can gladly say that this movie was a huge improvement from its predecessor. In “Captain Marvel,” I felt that Danvers’ character lacked a bit of depth and substance. This to me was resolved through this film as Danvers becomes a lot more personable.

Additionally, I enjoyed the interactions between Danvers, Rambeau, and Khan. It did not feel stiff and I think that the chemistry between Larson, Parris, and Vellani plays a huge part in that. I grew to enjoy the characters a lot more and their connections between each other.

There were also the fight scenes that I enjoyed overall. This element of the movie really helped to enhance the experience as I loved the choreography. It was great to see Danvers, Rambeau, and Khan learning how to coordinate as a team.

In terms of minor characters such as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Khan’s family members (Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapoor and Saagar Shaikh), they helped in adding some comedic moments in a way that did not feel forced, which I appreciated.

My only complaint would probably be the run time. The movie ran for about 105 minutes (1 hour and 45 minutes to be exact). I think that if the movie was a bit longer, there would be more time to flesh out the story even more as it did feel a bit rushed. One plot element in particular that I felt would benefit from the additional time would be Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). She is the movie’s antagonist and I felt that she was not given as much attention. Because of that, I was not as fully invested in her character. I think she had potential in being a compelling villain, but the short run time hindered her role in the story.

With that being said, the film to me was enjoyable. Besides from it being an improvement to its predecessor, I found that it was a lot better than some of the previously released MCU projects such as “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” I would give this movie a solid 8 out of 10.

Sean Bradley, Staff 

Trigger warning: mentions of war, weapons and violence

Christmas has always been a popular subject in animation. When most folks think of Christmas animation, they may think of popular holiday standards, such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.” However, one rarely seen, animated Christmas film that really should be seen by the public is an anti-war short, titled “Peace on Earth.”

“Peace on Earth” was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and was released during the Christmas season of 1939. Directed by Hugh Harman (who is best known for his partnership with Rudolf Ising in establishing both Warner Bros. and MGM’s cartoon studios in the 1930s), the short takes place on Christmas Eve in a post-apocalyptic world only inhabited by animals after mankind went extinct due to war. In the short, a grandfather squirrel (voiced by an uncredited Mel Blanc) tells his two grandsons the story of how mankind waged endless wars. What unfolds during the story sequence is a montage of realistically animated battle scenes, featuring menacing soldiers, bombs, planes, tanks, burning cities and heavy artillery, that ultimately end in a chilling scene of the last two men shooting and killing one another from trenches. Afterwards, the surviving animals emerge from the ruins and discover a Bible. Inspired by the biblical teachings, the animals all decide to create a utopian society based on peace. From there, the short fast forwards back to the present Christmas setting and concludes.

ithin just eight minutes, “Peace on Earth” effectively delivers its anti-war message. This message  was especially significant for its time because the threat of war was real since World War II, which would ultimately become the deadliest war in history, was erupting in Europe. The short’s call for peace resonated with audiences of the time, so much that it was nominated for the 1939 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. 84 years later, the film is still relevant. One thing that makes this film timeless is that it effectively gets its message across without diving into the politics of its time. The film doesn’t depict any specific army or political group or figure, but rather depicts war as a failing of mankind. However, this doesn’t mean that the film is flawless. Hugh Harman himself admitted in a 1973 interview with animation historian Michael Barrier that, “We shouldn’t actually have made that as a one-reeler, we should have made it in about three to five reels . . . But cutting the storyboard and switching around. It has some flaws. I just got tired of it near the end.” Some viewers might also say the grandfather squirrel says the phrase “peace on earth” a little too much. But despite the film’s flaws, its message remains important.

So, this Christmas season, I highly recommend checking out Hugh Harman’s brilliant, anti-war masterpiece, “Peace on Earth,” and remembering its powerful message that hopefully one day comes true.

Watch “Peace on Earth” here:

https://archive.org/details/peaceonearth1939_202107

Sean Bradley, Staff

November is here, and that means it’s the Thanksgiving season. Unlike Halloween and Christmas, which have plenty of animated specials, Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that has relatively few animated specials. Perhaps the most notable animated Thanksgiving special is “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” However, today, I would like to introduce you to an animated short that I think should be a Thanksgiving staple, and that is “Jerky Turkey.”

“Jerky Turkey” was released in 1945 and was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). During the 1940s, MGM was one of the biggest film studios in Hollywood and produced some of the most popular cartoons of the day, notably “Tom and Jerry.” “Jerky Turkey” was directed by the legendary Fred “Tex” Avery, who was famous for developing the personalities of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny at Warner Bros. and creating Droopy at MGM. Avery was and remains an influential animation director; and his cartoons are considered by many to be the funniest ever made. In each cartoon, Avery tried to squeeze as many funny jokes and gags in as possible. In “Jerky Turkey” and all his other cartoons, Avery includes slapstick humor, topical humor, pop culture references and fourth wall jokes all in seven minutes. 

The cartoon’s premise is simple as it centers around a Pilgrim trying to hunt a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner only to get outwitted by the turkey. As mentioned earlier, Avery includes pop culture references and topical humor in this short. It should be noted that the turkey character’s looks and mannerisms in this short were patterned after comedian Jimmy Durante, who’s probably best remembered by modern audiences as the narrator of the Rankin-Bass Christmas special, “Frosty the Snowman.” Additionally, the Pilgrim’s voice and mannerisms were based on that of voice actor and radio comedian Bill Thompson, who was the voice of Droopy. Since this cartoon was released during World War II, there are also quite a few references to things, like rationing and draft cards. But despite the outdated pop culture and World War II references, the cartoon’s humor is still overall hilarious.

Additionally, not only is the humor funny, but the animation, backgrounds and music are also great. Having big budgets and talented artists certainly benefited the quality of the MGM cartoons. Much of the animation in this short was done by former Disney animators, Ed Love and Preston Blair, who brought the skills they learned from Disney with them to MGM. This resulted in nice, solid animation. Also, the lush, beautiful backgrounds were done by John Johnsen, who previously worked with Avery at Warner Bros. Lastly, the music, which was scored by Scott Bradley, is lively and energetic and includes classical and public domain music excerpts that cleverly accompany the action on screen.

So, this Thanksgiving season, I highly recommend checking out Jerky Turkey. Since the cartoon is in the public domain, it can be watched for free. Enjoy!

Maya Martin, Editor

Some of the Philadelphia Eagles players are coming together for their second year to release another hit Christmas album to raise money for local charities.

Last December, Eagles players including center Jason Kelce and offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson formed the musical group “The Philly Specials.” They released their seven-song album entitled “A Philly Special Christmas” which helped raise over $1.25 million for local charities in vinyl record sales. Most of the proceeds went to the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center in Philadelphia.

This year, the players are looking to beat last year’s sales with their new album entitled “A Philly Special Christmas Special.” Each Friday until Dec. 1, a song from the album will be released. The album is 11 songs and set to be fully released on music streaming services on Dec. 1, but presales for the vinyls have already begun on the Philly Special Christmas website.

It will include covers of hit holiday songs. Here is the track listing:

1. The Christmas Song

2. This Christmas

3. Dominick The Donkey

4. Santa’s Night

5. Christmas Time Is Here

6. All I Want for Christmas Is You

7. Pretty Paper

8. The Dreidel Song

9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

10. Fairytale of Philadelphia

11. Auld Lang Syne

Although most of the tracks on the album are classics and holiday hits, “Santa’s Night” is a Jason Kelce original that will be featured. Another last-minute addition was Mailata’s cover of  “All I Want for Christmas is You.” 

As a preview to the album, “All I Want for Christmas is You” is already pre-released and can be listened to on music streaming services. Mailtata is known for his athletic expertise as he is a former rugby player and a current football player, however, his musical ability does not go unnoticed.

“I’ve always been singing,” Mailata told 6ABC Philadelphia. “Music was my first love before sports. For me, this is no new territory. This is familiar territory for me. It’s just like breathing.”

The Bird’s players are not the only spotlights on the album, however. They also teamed up with special guests Patti Labelle, members from The War on Drugs, Dr. Dog and Sun Ra Arkestra. Last year the features of other artists and colleague football players of the Philly Specials were a highlight of the album.

Because Jason Kelce’s brother, Travis Kelce, is dating popstar Taylor Swift and she is an Eagles fan, some fans are wondering if Swift will bring the Philly Specials with her for a special appearance on tour. However, “There’s no word at this point as to whether she will bring the Philly Specials with her for the overseas leg of the Eras Tour,” Bleacher Report said.

As for now, Swifties and Eagles fans will have to wait to see if they collaborate in the future, but in the meantime, there is the “Philly Special Christmas Special” album release on Dec. 1 to look forward to. So, tune in each Friday to hear what new songs are released from the album!

Emily Allgair, Editor

Danny and Michael Philippou’s “Talk to Me” tells the story of a ceramic hand that connects people to the spiritual realm and is currently in the possession of a group of Australian teens. Connecting for no longer than 90 seconds, the teens think that they have control over the hand, until Mia (Sophie Wilde) gets her first taste of what the spiritual possession feels like. 

The cinematography of this film was phenomenal. From the camera jolting back with the head of whoever was in the chair to the preciseness of the lighting of each shot, especially when it is raining, every element of image is thought about and it shows. Even down to costume design, every decision surrounding detail is meticulous. Although Mia makes poor decisions, we want her to be okay because of her bright personality – this is reflected in the constant yellow pop of her wardrobe. 

Although phones are a big part of this movie, they are not overused, a refreshing breath from other 21st century stories of teens and their use of social media. The Snapchats and YouTube videos are rarely seen by the audience, and the use of their phones is minimal enough that it feels natural without being unrealistic. 

As for the horror aspects of “Talk to Me,” this movie is gross. Simple as that. You see and hear up close and personal asphyxiation, blood and gore and some extreme sexual moments that touch on fetishes. Although I would not consider this movie to be splatter horror, it definitely does not leave much injury to the imagination. 

The best part of this movie, in my opinion, was its representation of addiction without being extremely heavy-handed in doing so. From Riley’s friend offering him a cigarette early on within the film, to each teen feeling a rush from using the hand, even to not giving Riley the full amount, subtle signs of drug use are alluded to throughout the entire film. As Mia continues to use the hand to feel connected to her mother, she begins impacting the lives of those around her.

Overall, I would recommend this movie, but not just to anyone. If you are looking for jump scares and cheap thrills, this is not the movie for you. There is a lot to stomach in this film, but if you are up for it, it is definitely worth the watch.

Emily Allgair, Editor

On Sept. 28, ABC aired their newest spin-off of “The Bachelor,” “The Golden Bachelor.” This show has the same set up as any other Bachelor show, only this time, the main star is a man in his 70s. This begs the question: who is the Golden Bachelor?

This season, the Golden Bachelor is Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old from Hudson, Indiana. As a retired restaurateur, Turner currently lives in a house on a lake in Indiana where he likes to host barbecues, play pickleball, go four-wheeling, watch his favorite Chicago sports teams play and spend time with his friends and family.

In 1974, Turner married his highschool sweetheart, Toni. Over their 43-year marriage, they had two daughters – Angie and Jenny – and two granddaughters – Payton and Charlee. In 2017, however, Toni died of an illness, leaving Gerry as a widower.

His family is supportive and even excited for Gerry’s quest for love, as they look forward to watching him put himself out there again. In an interview with Good Morning America, Gerry stated that he would like to find someone who is “high energy” and might like to play pickleball or golf. 

At the beginning of the show airing, there were 22 women after Gerry’s heart. According to Turner, these women had actually developed friendships throughout the filming of the show and did not take part in the usual drama that is seen on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” but we will have to see for ourselves as the season goes on…

Although there is not as much drama among the contestants, it has been noted that Gerry will be seen to fall for more than one woman. This conflict will be seen towards the end of the season. Also seen will be “very specific events” that helped give Gerry clarity towards what his decision ultimately came to be.

Although he could not give away how the season ends, when interviewed by People magazine, Gerry did say that he was happy at the end of filming.

“The Golden Bachelor” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and the following Friday mornings on Hulu.