Film

September 23, 2014 - 10:42pm
Review: An emotional cinematic core helps the documentary 'American Vagabond' resonate as a tale of diverse humanity.

American Vagabond is a touching story about the power of love and perseverance. It's a relatively short film that packs a punch in 85 minutes and can be a tearjerker if you get easily emotional.

September 21, 2014 - 5:11pm
Review: Thomas Allen Harris probes into African-American culture with his film 'Through a Lens Darkly,' but occasionally gets in the way of his own story.

Through A Lens Darkly, a documentary film given to us by director Thomas Allen Harris, kicked off the 12th annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 18. In it, photographs, interviews and historical footage are expertly woven into a montage exposing a hole in the history books where black photographers should be.

November 19, 2013 - 10:07pm
Your pop culture team delves into video games this week! We talk consoles, games and old Nintendo 64 memories. We then go wherever the wind takes us. Trailers, Premieres and more.

This week we talk about video games (4:05). We talk about the two new consoles, some new games, and old memories about games and gaming systems during our childhood.

We then talk about whatever makes us happy. There are trailers (Noah), films (Captain Phillips), and little tidbits about everything else (26:55).

We finish off the week by giving our recommendations (40:00) and going over a very important observation from the gym in 'JWill's Gym Corner.'

November 5, 2013 - 3:41am
The boys talk about some of the new music that has been released recently or will be released shortly - including material from Miley and Eminem - speculate on what's to come with superheroes and their appearances in film and completely nerd out on the master's upcoming flick with Leo and Jonah Hill starring.

This week we talk about some new music (2:40) that has recently dropped including the likes of Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, as well as what's to come including new material from Eminem.

We then move into talking about what is going on with superheroes in film (25:25), with pieces including Thor, Captain America and the X-Men characters coming out soon.

We finish by getting all hyped up (35:45) over what's to come with The Wolf of Wall Street.

October 30, 2013 - 12:39am
The pop culture team drools over Alfonso Cuaron's latest, assesses what's going on with TV that is currently airing (or maybe not airing anymore), before talking about the newest nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This week we tell you why Gravity was amazing. We talk about the directing, the story, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, and the vastness of space.

We then move into talking about established television shows such as How I Met Your Mother and New Girl, shows that have debuted like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and shows that have already kicked the can including We Are Men and Ironside.

We finish by going over the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and who might get in this year.

October 14, 2013 - 1:20pm
The boys talk fall movies and what it means for the Oscar race, what in the heck was going on with Kanye West and Jimmy Kimmel, and who Esquire crowned as their Sexiest Woman Alive.

This week we go over some fall movies such as 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and The Wolf of Wall Street and expand on what they mean in the bigger picture Oscar race.

We then re-hash the saga between Kanye West and Jimmy Kimmel, who came out on top, what exactly is going on in Kanye's head, and more.

We finish by discussing Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive and other beautiful ladies out there.

October 1, 2013 - 2:38am
This week the boys discuss what they thought of "Prisoners," a look toward the future of dramas on TV, and what exactly was going on during the Emmys.

This week we talk about Prisoners (1:20), a new thriller from Academy-Award nominated director Denis Villeneuve, which stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

We then move into a discussion of new dramas on TV (19:45) including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Blacklist, and Ironside, among others.

We finish by wrapping up our discussion of the Emmys (33:25).

September 29, 2013 - 5:34pm
'Kai Po Che!' which screened on Saturday at the Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival, overuses montage and only skims the surface of its few merits.

What exactly should a montage do?

It can show a rise to power or a fall from grace, a humorous series of failures or a chain of successes. One thing it probably should not do, however, is perform most of the heavy lifting for a film’s central friendship or relationship.

The feeble middlebrow Bollywood drama Kai Po Che! didn’t get that memo.

September 29, 2013 - 5:26pm
'Intersexion,' which screened Saturday at the Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival, contains elements that make for a good, moving story, but the subject would be better served in a form other than a documentary.

The problem with many advocacy documentaries is that not enough filmmakers ask themselves, “Does this need to be a movie?” The result is a number of well-meaning but inconsequential films whose messages would be just as well served by a TV special or an article.

September 29, 2013 - 5:17pm
'The Act of Killing,' which screened on Saturday at the Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival, tells the story of a 1960s Indonesian death squad through some of Hollywood's most beloved genres.

The Act of Killing features one of the most striking openings of the year: a group of women dressed in pink emerge from the mouth of a fish-shaped building, while a man in black robes and another man in drag stand, arms raised, in front of a waterfall.

It’s a beguiling, haunting opening that would be memorably surreal in any film, let alone a documentary about genocide.