ENTERTAINMENT

The Super Mario Movie

By Aaron Bohbot

Are you looking to watch a movie this week? Well, if you are, I can tell you that a great movie to enjoy would be "The Super Mario Movie." Today I will be telling you about the overall success and failures of the film.

The super mario movie was great; it had great animations and it had smooth voice acting; the colors and action were on point, and overall was a success; the movie is rated PG and is excellent for all ages, and a bonus, if you have played Mario games before or Nintendo games, you will probably enjoy this movie more than people that have no clue who Mario is. It is also a great family movie with some adult jokes for adults who want to avoid getting bored of staying next to their child for an hour and a half.

The movie starts with an exciting storyline and plenty of action. Mario and Luigi are portrayed as lovable characters who are always ready to save the day. They face various obstacles and challenges to rescue Princess Daisy and defeat King Koopa. However, the movie also has some drawbacks. One of the biggest complaints is that it needs to stay true to the video game series. The characters and storyline differ from what we are used to seeing in the game. Another issue is that the movie's special effects and production value could be better. The visuals could have been better since some scenes feel cheesy and realistic. Despite these drawbacks, the film can still be enjoyable for fans of the Mario video game series. It has some funny moments and exciting plot twists that can keep you entertained. However, you may be disappointed if you expect a faithful game adaptation. Overall, "Super Mario Bros." is a decent movie but is very overrated, and if you really want that action, then this movie is not for you.

Smile is the Worst Film I Have Ever Seen!

By Halo Jenkins

The 2022 horror film Smile, directed by Parker Finn, was dull, and I would never watch it again. Initially, I was excited to watch this film because I kept seeing trailers for the film that showed it would be scary, which is what I like. This movie is rated R because it is a horror film; hence, I was not allowed to watch it alone. Before watching it, I read reviews to see what others thought about it. Everyone was saying that the movie was horrifying and that it affected their mental health and not to watch it if they already have bad mental health. Of course, this made me more intrigued to watch the film but also more scared because these reviews made it seem like I would die if I watched it. However, I watched it, which ultimately failed to meet my expectations. The characters were bland, and the ending sucked. Unfortunately, when I left the theater, I was not smiling.

Smile is basically about a curse that happens when someone watches someone kill themselves—characters who observe a suicide start experiencing crazy things and think they are being haunted. Eventually, they kill themselves, and the only way not to die is to kill someone and have someone watch because then that person will experience the curse. It is a forever cycle.

Now this seems like an exciting storyline, and the characters must decide what to do once they have the curse. However, the thing is that this film had so much potential, but it needed to be written better. Ultimately, it was not scary.

If I am being 100% honest, no one acting in this film was worth talking about because, again, their characters had no development, so the actors could only do a little because they had nothing to act. After I left the theater, I could not tell you one thing about the main character's personal life, which is ridiculous because I should at least be able to say one thing. My parents also agreed that the movie was terrible and the characters were bland, so it was not just me.

Finally, one decent thing about the film was the special effects. At the end of this film, there was one scene with lots of fire and gore, which was the scariest and most realistic thing in the movie. The editing of this film was nothing special but good enough for it to be allowed into theaters. 

Not surprisingly, the soundtrack Cristobal Tapia de Veer composed for this film could have been better. It was dull and bare, and it made the movie worse when soundtracks were meant to enhance it, so clearly, it is not good that it made it worse. I do not even recall a single song or a single scene where a song was played in this film which is not good because I can remember songs that were in many different movies I watched years ago, so for a film that I did not even manage a year ago it is just unacceptable. While watching this film, I was hoping that the soundtrack would do something for the film, but it just did not, which made me disappointed.

Overall this whole film was underwhelming and a disappointment. I do not recommend this film; I suggest you avoid the movie. It was the most boring film I have ever watched and the worst horror film I have ever watched, and I have watched a lot. I would give this movie two stars; please do not watch it; if you do, I guarantee you will not be smiling after.

Stranger Things Seasons 1-4 Overview

By Ana Fertig

Stranger Things is an American Science fiction, horror, and Drama television series on Netflix created by the Duffer brothers. It has four seasons, with a plan for a fifth season to come out in the future. This show stars Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven. Stranger Things is set in Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. This show includes supernatural elements, drama, and some horror which keeps it exciting. 

This show is about a group of friends encountering strange things in their town. Will is kidnapped in the first season, and Eleven, who has powers, helps Will’s friends look for him. The group of friends discovers an underworld where Will has been stuck, and they have to do their best to save Will. 

As the show continues, new characters are introduced. In Season Two, Will has been found and has visions about the town of Hawkins being in trouble. A creature from the underworld, where he was trapped in Season One, is controlling his mind. 

Season Three focuses on Eleven and her boyfriend’s relationship. Her dad is worried about it and becomes overprotective of her. This season also centers on a Mall that was built called Starourt. There is a secret Soviet laboratory underneath it that is an opening to the underworld. The town does not know about this secret laboratory. 

Season Four is full of action and starts off with Will and his family and Eleven moving to California for a fresh start. Eleven is bullied and has to deal with losing her powers. In the meantime, a creature from the underworld comes to Hawkins and kills some people there. Dr. Sam Owens takes Eleven to help her regain her powers while Will’s mom rescues Hopper in Russia. 

The fans are waiting for Season Five to come out, which will be in about a year or so. So much happens in this show that it keeps you on your toes, waiting to find out what happens next and understand why things have happened. I understand why this show is so popular, and if you can handle watching scary dramas, then this is a show for you!

John Wick Chapter 4

By Halo Jenkins

The new 2023 film John Wick: Chapter 4 was produced by Lionsgate and directed by Chad Stahelski. John Wick: Chapter 4 is the fourth and final movie of the John Wick franchise and is the best yet. I had high expectations for this film because all the other ones were favorable, and my brother was nonstop asking to watch it the second it came out. Fortunately, this film exceeded my expectations and is the best of the four films. 

With the price on his head ever increasing, legendary hitman John Wick takes his fight against the high Table Global as he seeks out the most influential players in the underworlds, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin. The film was filmed and set in many places, such as Paris,  Japan, New York City, and Germany. However, most of the film takes place in France and Japan. The plot of this film was shocking, but it was fascinating and action-packed. 

As always, Keanu Reeves's performance as John Wick was incredible, mainly because he did most of his stunts himself, which is crazy to believe because he is 58 years old and there are a lot of crazy scenes in the film, one specific location that stood out to me was the Arc de Triomphe sequence because he had to do the highly advanced driving. He did it himself. There was not someone else driving the car, it was him, which was impressive, and I am sure you would agree if you watched the film. 

Another performance that stood out to me was Donnie Yen as Caine; Caine is a blind and extremely-skilled assassin and martial artist. His performance stood out because he did his stunts and all the fight sequences. His fighting scenes are awe-inspiring, and he did an outstanding job acting in this film.

Tyler Bates and Joel. J. Richard composed the soundtrack for the film and all the other John Wick films. They did an excellent job with this film precisely because the songs they chose for this film were incredible, the songs themselves were already great, but when they combined them with the scenes, it was just exceptional. The soundtrack for John Wick 4 enhanced the film's songs perfectly with every scene, and I just loved it. One scene that stood out to me was when everyone was trying to kill John Wick towards the end of the film, and he was driving around the Arc Di Triomphe. That is all I can say without spoiling the film, but in that scene, multiple songs were played, enhancing the scene and making the film ten times more enjoyable to watch. Overall, the soundtrack for this film was incredible, and I loved it; it was original and 100% memorable.

In conclusion, I thought John Wick's Chapter 4 was a perfect film, and you should go and watch it if you have not already. If you enjoy this film, I highly recommend watching the other John Wicks films because I guarantee you will like them as well; I also recommend watching The Matrix because Keanu Reeves is also the main character in those films, and I think you will enjoy them if you like this film. Anyone who likes action and fighting moving will enjoy John Wick Chapter 4 or any John Wick movies. Overall I highly recommend this film. The acting was a terrific film; I would give it a five-star rating.

Are You There, God? It is Me, Margaret is Worth Watching

By Daria Serheyeva 

Are You There, God? It is Me, Margaret. is a recently released movie based on a book by Judy Bloom about a girl, Margaret, who wants to become older and show signs of puberty like her peers. She feels like an outsider because her development is happening later than others. It was based on a book of the same name. The movie was directed by Kelly Fremon Craig and produced by Gracie Films. I have not seen any films by the director or the studio, so my expectations were not high, and the movie did not exceed them. It was funny and exciting, even though, at some moments, I felt second-hand embarrassment because of the characters' actions.

The movie is about an eleven-year-old girl Margaret Simon, who moves from New York to New Jersey. Because of that, she could not see her grandmother, whom she loves, as often, which upsets the girl, so she prays to god, asking him to prevent the move or at least make it easy for her. After moving, she meets new people and becomes a part of a friend group consisting of Margaret and three other girls, who learn about and try to get symptoms of puberty, like chest growth and periods. Margaret develops slightly later than others, which distresses her. She prays to God and also thinks about her religion since her mother is Christian and her father is Jewish. The plot is not anything unique but entertaining, and the interactions between characters are believable. The movie mainly revolves around themes of growing up and religion, which could help people who have difficulties with these topics.

The acting in the movie is quite realistic, and one of my favorite characters was Sylvia Simon, played by Kathy Bates. Sylvia is Margaret's grandmother and is one of the characters that are not annoyingly cliche. The actress did an excellent job at showing emotions throughout the movie, even if she played a side character. Margaret's grandmother acts not like a character but like a person, which is essential. Overall, the whole cast was fabulous and played their characters well. No one looked particularly fake, and it was easy to notice even subtle emotions in characters. The drama in the movie gets even better with the great acting, which is already perfect just because of that.

The cinematography is not the most memorable part of the movie, but it does help a lot with depicting the mood of a particular scene. When watching, I paid little attention to camera sequences or the transitions, but none were terrible. The film uses no special effects because the setting does not require them. The editing and transitions could have been smoother and more noticeable. They helped enhance Margaret's emotions at certain moments and improved Are You There, God? It is Me, Margaret.

The soundtrack of the movie was composed by Hans Zimmer. Similarly to cinematography, the soundtrack could be more memorable. It enhanced the film but did not bring much attention to itself. Like most movie soundtracks, it simply played in the background and helped fill the occasional silence and accentuate the movie's mood. 

In conclusion, Are You There God? It Is Me, Margaret is a great movie. It could be helpful for girls in 4-6th grade to learn a little more about puberty. Boys could also benefit from watching the film, but most would be uninterested. Adults might find the movie more entertaining rather than helpful, but they would still enjoy it. I recommend watching the movie if it sounds like something you enjoy, but there might be better fits for some. 

Love Triangles, Humor, and Fashion: Emily in Paris Has It All

By Ana Fertig

Emily in Paris is a romance and comedy-drama television series on Netflix starring Lily Collins as Emily, an American from Chicago who lands herself a prestigious job at a marketing office in Paris. As someone not accustomed to the language, there are many comedic moments as Emily tries to fit into the culture but fails. She tries to imitate French ways of life and even signs up for a class to learn the language. However, many embarrassing moments resulted in many laughs from the audience. 

I admired the show's fashion and loved to see the exotic and colorful outfits that Emily, along with the other characters, would wear in each scene. The clothing featured in this show is not the typical type of fashion that we see daily, and it was entertaining to see this new sense of style. 

Emily in Paris has fun and engaging characters to watch, because the characters' dynamic together creates engaging situations. The show features a high-end life in Paris, from designing top-of-the-line merchandise to working with A-list designers and celebrities, which makes the show much more enjoyable. 

Overall, this show is comedic, dramatic, and entertaining. Not only is the storyline so interesting to follow but the composition and production of the show are well-produced. I recommend this show to anyone who wants a glimpse of French culture, a good laugh, and some fun, light-hearted entertainment. 

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