Few genres evoke sympathy for protagonists with insatiable bloodlust the way revenge movies do. Utterly unrealistic and dementedly satisfying, revenge films capture a simplistic desire for a world in which the weak successfully punish the powerful, preserving justice in the face of evil. “Blue Ruin” takes the opposite approach, in which plans of vengeance do […]
Author Archives: Asher Landau
Movie Review: ‘Oculus’
Supernatural horror movies have gone stale. Following the “Paranormal Activity” craze, imitators have flooded the market with cliché jump scares, overdone mirror scenes and Asian-inspired female ghosts. “Oculus,” directed by Mike Flanagan, shatters audience expectations by moving past these overdone conventions while still fully embracing their influence. The film is split into two concurrent halves, […]
Student wins Sloan award for screenplay exploring muscular dystrophy
Laura Alsum struggled through writing sections of what would become her award-winning screenplay not as a result of a creative block, but because of the painful memories that resurfaced. Born with a congenital muscle disease that weakens her ability to move, Alsum shares many of the struggles of her screenplay’s main character. “My screenplay was […]
Theater group to put on dark comedy musical ‘Assassins’
On Jun. 30, 1882, at the gallows where he was to be hanged for shooting President James Garfield, Charles Guiteau danced toward the noose, smiling and waving to the crowd. Guiteau, much to the bewilderment of the audience, began reciting a poem he composed called “I am Going to the Lordy,” turning his execution into a performance. This event […]
Movie Review: ‘Endless Love’
With the seasons come cynicism. As major holidays approach, it is inevitable to suspect that whatever movie studios prepare to shovel out will be a recycled story from last year. So it is with Valentine’s Day, this year headlined by “Endless Love,” a remake of a 1981 film of the same name. Gabriella Wilde stars […]
WACsmash’D presents live arts, performance showcase
As the lighting dims to near-darkness, Olivia Schafer’s disembodied torso appears to dance above the black Marley floor. Schafer and the other dancers, clothed in white turtlenecks and jet-black pants, seem to float through the intricate routine. Inspired by Orson Welles’ 1938 radio adaptation of “The War of the Worlds,” Schafer, a fourth-year world arts […]
Movie Review: ‘Tim’s Vermeer’
Renowned 17th-century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, famous in the art world for creating photograph-like interior spaces, may have traced his work. At least that’s what is purported by the film “Tim’s Vermeer,” a documentary narrated by Penn Jillette and directed by Teller, both of famed comedy-magic duo Penn and Teller. “Tim’s Vermeer” follows Tim Jenison, […]