The Plank - Opinions
Review: Spotty first season of ‘The Witcher’ disappoints
On Dec. 20, 2019, Netflix released the first season of the long
awaited “The Witcher” series, starring Henry Cavill. Now with the
release of the second season, I figured it was time to look back
on the first season.
Review: ‘Inventing Anna’, entertaining show based on a true story
The Netflix limited series “Inventing Anna,” created by Shonda
Rhimes, was released on Feb. 11, 2022. The show stars Julia
Garner, Anna Chlumsky, Laverne Cox, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd,
and more.
Review: ‘The Batman’ is the movie we don’t deserve, but need right now
Superhero hit “The Batman,” was released on March 4, 2022. The
film was directed by Matt Reeves, who is known for sci-fi
endeavors such as “Cloverfield” and the “Planet of the Apes”
trilogy. The film features a star-studded cast including Robert
Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano, Jeffrey
Wright, Colin Farrell, and Andy Serkis.
Review: Book of Boba Fett: worst Star Wars show yet
Jon Favreau’s “The Book of Boba Fett” premiered on Disney Plus
starting Dec. 29, 2021. The show stars Temuera Morrison as Boba
Fett, Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand, Pedro Pascal as The
Mandalorian, and many more special cameos. The show takes place
just after the events of the second season of Jon Favreau’s other
show “The Mandalorian,” and it follows a wounded Boba Fett
on his journey to take over Mos Espa as its benevolent crime
boss.
Review: ‘The Planets’ by Gustav Holst: equally riveting and unnerving
“The Planets” is a seven-movement orchestral suite by Gustav
Holst, which was composed in 1916 and first performed in Sept.
1918. My favorite rendition is the recording by the Berlin
Philharmonic, Rundfunkchor Berlin, and Sir Simon Rattle, which
was released in 2006.
Opinion: Upcoming Grammys has potential to be historic
This year provided millions of people with new songs and special albums that deserve to be recognized. This coming Sunday, April 3, is the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, a night that celebrates the music industry and all the art that singers and musicians have created in the past year.
Opinion: ‘Maid’ is a heartwarming series with wonderful writing
On Oct. 1, 2021, Netflix released the 27th Annual Critics Choice
Nominee series “Maid.” This emotional series is based off of the
true story memoir, “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will
to Survive” by Stephanie Land in 2019. The show features Margaret
Qualley, Nick Robinson, Andie MacDowell, Raymond Ablack, Rylea
Nevaeh Whittet, Anika Noni Rose, and more.
Opinion: ‘Don’t Look Up’ serves up supreme satire
“Don’t Look Up” was released on Dec. 5, 2021 on Netflix and in
theaters. The film follows Leonardo Dicaprio as Dr. Randall
Mindy, a socially anxious, good hearted astronomy professor, and
Jennifer Lawrence as doctoral candidate Kate Dibiasky.
Opinion: “Scream” is a scary good time for die hard fans
“Scream” was released on Jan. 14, 2022 and was directed by Matt
Bettelini-Oplin and Tyler Gillet. The film stars Jenna Ortega,
Mellissa Barea, Dylan Minnete, Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott,
Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers, and David Arquette as Dewy
Riley.
Opinion: “JoJo Stone Ocean” takes franchise in a fresh new direction
The manga “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” has recently released its
sixth part “JoJo Stone Ocean” on Netflix. JoJo’s anime adaptation
is being handled by David Productions, an anime production
company which has been in charge of the adaptation since
2012.
Opinion: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is a heartfelt spectacle
Spoiler Warning!
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the long awaited sequel to
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and was
released in the United States on Dec. 17, 2021. The film was
directed by Jon Watts, and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya Maree
Stoermer Coleman, Jacob Batalon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Marisa
Tomei, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Thomas Church, Rhys Ifan,
Jamie Foxx, and J.K. Simmons.
Opinion: “The Queen’s Gambit” is an intelligent, detailed masterpiece
One of Netflix’s Original limited series, “The Queen’s Gambit,”
was first released on Netflix on Oct. 23, 2020. This captivating
show directed by Scott Frank and starring Anya Taylor-Joy has won
11 Grammys and is critically acclaimed among many.
Opinion: “Retro Bowl” provides 8-bit fun for all football fans
The mobile video game “Retro Bowl” is an 8-bit American football
game with graphics that emulate nostalgia of the 80’s phenomenon
“Tecmo Bowl” on mobile devices everywhere.“Retro Bowl” was
created by British video game developer, New Star Games, who have
published a multitude of sport-based games in the past.
Opinion: Blockbuster “Dune” reaches for the stars and misses
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” came out on Oct. 22, 2021, and made
$40.1 million in the box office. This would not classify the
movie as a hit by any means, but it’s still respectable. The book
“Dune” from 1965 served as the influence for the “Dune” film, as
well as “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” I chronicled much of Dune’s
rich filmography in another article. However, the focus of this
piece is on only one part of Dune’s filmography, the newest
quagmire in the Dune franchise, Dune 2021.
“Ghostbuster: Afterlife” perfectly blends old and new for a new generation
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was released by Sony Pictures on Nov.
19, 2021, and is produced by Columbia Pictures. The film is
directed by Jason Reitman, written by Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman,
and Dan Akyroyd, and stars Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, Finn
Wolfhard, and many more.
Opinion: Marvel’s “Eternals” suffers from massive mediocrity
“Eternals” was released in the United States on Nov. 5, 2021. The
film was directed by Chloe Zhao and released and produced by
Marvel Studios. The film stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma
Hayek, Angelina Jolie, and many more.
Opinion: “Yakuza” series Brilliantly handles complicated themes
The “Yakuza” series is one of the oldest and most beloved
creations in the gaming industry. Created by the industry titan,
SEGA, in 2005, the series created its own bizarre style that
continues to draw people in, and no game has been able to
successfully copy it yet. With the 16 year anniversary of the
series drawing closer, now feels like the right time to look back
on the Yakuza franchise as a whole and to explore why it’s so
beloved to such a wide range of people.
“UFC 4” is bland and uninspired with a deeply flawed online mode
One of my colleagues, Rowan Craig ’23, wrote an
opinion for The Plank calling the video game “UFC 4” a
fun installment in the “UFC” video game franchise. As a
distinguished video game reviewer, I was offended, because “UFC
4” is not fun at all; in fact, it’s a really boring game.
Opinion: “Rocket League Sideswipe” revives the name of its 2015 predecessor
The mainstream video game developing studio, Psyonix, just
released a new mobile spin off of their poster game, “Rocket
League.” “Rocket League Sideswipe” has been available on IOS and
Android for Psyonix’s North American audience since Dec. 2, 2021,
and players are loving it.
Opinion: “You” explores the overlap between captivating and disturbing
“You,” the intense thriller and drama series available on
Netflix, released its long-awaited third season on Oct. 15, 2021.
This captivating show that first released on Sept. 9, 2018, has
grown immensely in popularity and is a big hit among many
teenagers and adults.