“Avatar: the Way of Water” is an All-American Blockbuster

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is the eagerly anticipated sequel to “Avatar,” but it left some fans wanting more. Ross Kilpatrick ’24E criticizes the film’s use of propaganda and uninspired writing.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” Screams Out

“The Banshees of Inisherin” follows a man who cuts off his best friend for reasons seemingly unknown. Ross Kilpatrick ’24E reviews the darkly humorous and deeply reflective film.

Who Was the Inauguration Really For?

Ross Kilpatrick ’24E reflects on the presidential inauguration of the Michael A. Elliott and the complex division between faculty and students at elite academic institutions.

Retrospective on “The Sandman”

“The Sandman,” a comic series written by Neil Gaiman, recently received a Netflix adaptation. Ross Kilpatrick ’24E reviews the comic, which thrills with cosmic ideology but sometimes suffers from a slow plot.

For the Love of Film: Green Room’s “The Flick”

Ross Kilpatrick ’24E reviews Green Room’s “The Flick,” a play he describes as “a love letter to film.” Written by Annie Baker, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2014.

“The Batman” Brings Gotham Into a Gritty 2022

“The Batman” began showing in theaters this Friday, March 4. Ross Kilpatrick ʼ24E explores how the character’s latest iteration builds on Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy, adapting to the cynical and pessimistic political climate of 2022.

Wasted Words: How Wordle Disrespects Words

Word games such as the New York Times Spelling Bee and Wordle have skyrocketed in popularity. Ross Kilpatrick '24E breaks down his issues with the games, arguing that words are relegated to trivial tiles, stripped of their meaning.

"Florence" Stands Out As a Decent Digital Distraction

Mobile games don't have a good reputation. While most are shoddily designed and packed with microtransactions and addictive features, a few gems do manage to stand out. Staff writer Ross Kilpatrick 24E highlights one of these, 2018's "Florence," a movingly simple game.

Stolen Storylines and the Bad Art Friend: Are There Licenses on Language?

A recent dispute over one writer's use of her colleague's personal experiences in a story has made waves over the last few weeks. But staff writer Ross Kilpatrick '24E questions whether copyright and the language of theft make sense in a literary context.

"The Silence" is a Shiny, Empty Novel

While Don DeLillo's earlier work has established the author's reputation as a master of post-modern literature, staff writer Ross Kilpatrick '23 sees his newest book, "The Silence,'' as a dry step backwards.

Ricky Jay: Master of the Deck, Maker of Magic

For Ricky Jay, magic is not just party tricks, it is a universalizing world view. He fluidly slips from storytelling to history to quippy old French verse. Magic collects these interests into a singular, convergent point.

Mastering the Genre: Figuring Out Fiction with George Saunders

I’ve read a fair cross section of writing advice books, from John Gardner’s “The Art of Fiction,” to Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” and Stephen King’s “On Writing.” Inevitably, these kinds of books come around to a singlepoint, their climax, where they grapple with the beauty of fiction. They try to get their hands around it, grasp it and tame the beast they’ve dedicated their lives to. George Saunders’ “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” is in many respects no different. It, too, is trying to hunt dow

"Space Jam," Copyright and the Death of Culture

There’s a particular moment in the trailer for “Space Jam: A New Legacy” that encapsulates our current tone-deaf, strangely referential culture. It’s a single detail in the background: As LeBron James plays basketball with a cast of horribly smooth-looking CGI “Looney Tunes” characters, the droogs — a violent gang of murderous rapists from the film version of “A Clockwork Orange” — can be seen jeering from the sidelines. The droogs can appear in the movie because Warner Bros. Pictures, the stud

HBO Documentary “Q: Into the Storm” Counters Ignorance with Introspection

Relatively unknown before 2020, the conspiracy theory QAnon has now thrust itself into the cultural mainstream, largely due to the Capitol invasion on Jan. 6 and the rise of Covid denialism. Now, the broader culture is scrambling to understand a conspiracy theory that is increasingly relevant and influential — there are even elected federal representatives who spout Q-Anonsense. “Q: Into the Storm,” a documentary series currently being released episode by episode on HBO Max, is not a desperate

Personal and Moving, "In & Of Itself" Is a New Kind of Magic Show

Derek DelGaudio’s long-running off-Broadway show “In & Of Itself,” recently taped and released Jan. 21 on Hulu, is a magic show unlike any I’ve seen. It’s true theater: personal and moving. When most people think of magic, they think of the big, egotistical kind, typified by people like David Copperfield. These kinds of magicians use big showy tricks, which rely on simple duplicities, roping some audience volunteers in on the trick. David Copperfield makes 12 audience members ‘disappear,’ but r

Superliminal Put in Perspective

In the video game “Superliminal,” items become the size they appear to the player. An item that is dragged far into the air, and so looks large, will become large [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SX8XMwMw6Y]. The player uses this to manipulate the world around them, solving a series of puzzles, all while voice-overs shepherd the player through the game’s narrative — an experimental therapy being given to the player character for some hinted at mental illness. This therapy is, in the game’s wor

James Acaster Loses His Unique Comedic Styling in Latest TV Special, “Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999”

James Acaster begins his newest comic special, “Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999,” by mocking his audience. He complains about a well-intentioned fan and her mother coming to see him after a show, and swears off (literally) his old clean style, in an effort to scare off a fanbase increasingly filled with Christians. He declares he’s uncomfortable with them, and wants to attract a new, edgier audience. This is peak Acaster, in an uncomfortable and fraught relationship with his audience. From there,

Conservative Free Speech and the Lie of Campus Cancel Culture

As colleges across the country finally reckon with race and social justice, conservatives are feeling left out. They decry [https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/965815679/is-cancel-culture-the-future-of-the-gop] “campus cancel culture,” a culture that, they claim, dismisses their ideas and treats them with open and virulent hostility. To combat this culture, conservatives adopt the posture of free thinkers, but when they receive the slightest criticism, they call foul. The University of Chicago, his

The Cost of Corporate Crunch

A year in the gaming press isn’t complete without at least one horrifying tale of terrible labor practices. In 2020, it came from the formerly beloved developers at CD Projekt Red, a Polish video game studio, which recently unveiled Cyberpunk 2077. The main story around Cyberpunk 2077’s release was its spectacular failure. It released buggy and unfinished, and that was large enough to even catch the attention of some of the traditional media. A spin off of the popular Cyberpunk roleplaying game

Virtual Sundance and the Resilience of Film Festivals

Recently, I had the dubious privilege of attending the 2021 Virtual Sundance Film Festival. Privilege, because I didn’t have to pay, and dubious, because while the festival is internationally renowned, the new virtual experience was significantly changed from normal years. I’ve never attended the festival in full but, growing up around it, I’ve managed to catch a few premieres. While the virtual festival certainly offered some benefits, such as being able to watch from home, pause and even talk