by Zoey Beemiller

Introduction: James Francis Cameron was born in Canada on August 16th, 1954 and is known for some of the greatest movies of all time. These include Alien, Aliens, Titanic, The Terminator movies, the Avatar films, and many more. But James Cameron wasn’t always the way he is today. He is a prime example of someone who broke into an industry known for being closed off and becoming successful anyway.

Before the Fame: After high school, Cameron went to Fullerton Community College and made some questionable life choices while there. He eventually got a job as a truck driver and in the process he started to study film making in college and quit his job as a truck driver to pursue it. At first he had no luck, editing small budget movies and earning little money from it. But a few years later he got the opportunity to write a movie titled “Terminator.” In addition to being the writer, he was also the director, producer, and did some of the editing in the film. One of the people on set later recounted, “What makes him so talented is his range. He could do everyone's job here, and I think that's what makes him so easy to follow.” After writing the first and second Terminator movies, he skyrocketed into the industry, making millions.

Missed Deadlines and Broken Records: His next major project was to direct a movie about the Titanic. It had a budget of 200 million dollars, and James had to postpone the release of the project many times before settling on the date of December 19, 1997. Despite people being angry at him for the wait, the movie grossed over two billion dollars, breaking records people didn’t even think possible. Today, it still sits as the fourth highest grossing movie of all time. Which brings us to another point, James Cameron dominates the box office. He holds the first, third, and fourth spots on the all-time highest earning films of all-time!

Since Then: After all those successful projects, he started working on many more new projects including both Avatar movies. He spent 13 years trying to figure out how to make good looking CGI water! Making a total of five billion dollars from both of the movies, Cameron also won a lot of awards for his achievements including 45 nominations for Academy Awards resulting in 22 wins. He’s also won seven Golden Globes and six BAFTAs. Today, James Cameron continues to pioneer the film industry. Avatar 3 and 4 are both in production and soon to be released. But more than that, he deserves to stand as a symbol that no matter what, if you have enough passion and determination, you can make money doing anything you want to do. 

by Madolyn Pittman

Imagine, it’s a cold winter night in 1982, and you’re waiting for the movie at the drive-in to finally start. It’s far past your bedtime, and you’re excited to watch another wonderful Jim Henson movie like The Muppets, or Sesame Street! But when the tape starts rolling, a gigantic vulture is inhabiting the screen, screaming and laughing maniacally in a dark and mysterious setting! This is The Dark Crystal.

The Dark Crystal was a carefully planned and expensive movie made by the ITC Entertainment company, as well as The Jim Henson Company. It came to the United States December 17th of 1982 and was a huge success. It turned a profit of over $25 million, as it cost an estimated $15 million to make and made over $40 million in total. Although critics were bamboozled over how this profit was even possible for such an odd movie, I believe that there is a charm this movie brought, and I would like to touch upon it.

In The Dark Crystal we meet a young Gelfling named Jen. He is the last of his species, and is the only creature worthy of returning a missing shard to a crystal that creates life and prevents the end of the world. When the crystal is whole, it will unite the two ruling species, the Mystics and the Skeksis. When Jen sets out on his adventure, finding the shard is hardly the issue. He soon finds the shard, but the crystal itself is out of reach. The Skeksis send out their warriors to destroy Jen, but they are fended off by another Gelfling named Kira. She guides Jen on the rest of his mission, saving him countless times, and eventually falls in love with him. Is this the end of the world? Or is it only the beginning?

The Dark Crystal uses no modern effects, or even humans! It is practically an elaborate puppet show! But, even the harshest movie critics must admit the artistic beauty woven into every second of this film. The puppet designs are entirely hand crafted, and the sets use no CGI whatsoever. What makes this movie special goes beyond just plot. It showcases that passion and creativity, when pushed, know no limits. You can clearly see how much devotion and love was put into this movie, as not even one human was needed on screen! 

So, go check out The Dark Crystal! It’s a little eerie, but so undeniably mesmerizing, you’ll soon be pulled into its alluring universe. 

by Madolyn Pittman

If you’re looking for strange movies laced beautifully with romance and developing characters, I suggest you take a look into both the works--and the mind--of the beloved animator, producer, illustrator, and director, Tim Burton. Hopefully, I can help you get started in this endeavor. 

Tim Burton is most known for his movies The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Batman (1989), Frankenweenie, and many more! Although he does a lot of live-action work, his stop-motion films are absolutely enchanting! Tim Burton had a very strange childhood and says that he was either in his room drawing or the local graveyard for most of it. It seems that these themes of isolation and loneliness have bled into his work, the most notable of which being Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie.

Entering adulthood, he received a scholarship to CalArts, but he dropped out after just a year to work for Disney. Unfortunately, he was not very successful working there, but Disney gave him many opportunities, which led to the creation of Frankenweenie. Although the story was rejected, Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) recognized Burton, and allowed him to direct the movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. This led to other live-action movies such as Beetlejuice and Batman. These movies may not have been received well at the time, but it’s certain that they made a permanent home in the hearts of many children, and have become pop culture touchstones today. 

In conclusion, Tim Burton may have had a childhood filled with isolation and a lack of belonging, but he channeled these emotions into the art he created. Now look at him, he has a wife and children, and an absolute army of a fanbase that will never leave him isolated again. It really goes to show how expressing one's emotions and sharing them with the world can make a large group of people feel less obscure.

by Madolyn Pittman

The movie My Girl is an absolutely beautiful film made in 1991. It is set in Madison, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1972. The main character is an 11 year old girl named Vada Sultenfuss, who lives in a funeral parlor with her father and grandmother. Throughout her life, Vada is surrounded with death. From the random dead people in her house, to her mother, who died giving birth to her. This leads to Vada being obsessed with death. When she is having an especially death-filled day, she never fails to turn to her friend Thomas J., a boy her age who she goes on adventures with. Throughout the movie, Thomas J. supports Vada through moments such as her father getting remarried, and her constantly worrying about something being wrong with her. But death still takes things, no matter how good they are.

This movie was absolutely beautiful. The cinematography was amazing, and I loved the way this movie shows how children can be unhealthily obsessed with things they are constantly exposed to. It also visually tells its viewers how explaining death instead of just ignoring grief can help greatly. Vada’s story was sad, but it didn’t end sad. The resolution to this movie was gut-wrenching, but bittersweet all at the same time. In conclusion, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good comedy, but also something serious. Just a warning before you watch this movie, you’ll need a big box of tissues.

Rating: A+

by Mia Schmeling

3. The Lion King

Released in 1994, Disney considered many titles for The Lion King including King of Beasts, King of the Jungle, or The King of Kalahari. Fortunately, they found a great title to match this great movie. It’s good from the very start. I just love the part at the beginning when Rafiki holds Simba up in the air. Like most Disney movies, it has several great songs throughout the film including “Be Prepared.” 

2. The Little Mermaid

This movie was made in 1989, and it is awesome! Ursula’s expressions are the best! The movie has a great soundtrack including the song “Under the Sea.” Interestingly, the song “Part of Your World” was almost cut from the film. Can you imagine?!?!

1. Beauty and the Beast

This movie was made in 1991. It is one of the best because the few songs that are in it are really good, including “Something There.” The action scenes are also really good. One interesting fact is that Belle was originally supposed to have brothers, but instead the movie kept the spotlight on Belle’s relationship with the Beast.

by Lukas Murphy

A long long time ago, the Star Wars series started and then surprised everyone by returning to the big screen again back in the early 2000s.  They have come a long way since LucasFilms started.  For the technology they had back then, the movies were great, taking part in an incredible science fiction universe.  Since there are so many films now, I am going to help you out and let you know the top five most enjoyable Star Wars films. So grab some popcorn and enjoy the show! 

5. The Empire Strikes Back

• Han Solo gets frozen in carbonite. 

4. The Force Awakens 

• Rey (The new Jedi) comes into play. 

3. A New Hope 

• This turns everything around for the Sith. 

2. The Last Jedi 

• The Battle of Crait is awesome!

1. The Rise of Skywalker 

• These are the best fight scenes out of all of the movies! 

by Madolyn Pittman

If you’re looking for a movie with an amazing animation style and beautiful theme, I suggest you check out this absolute gem of a movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox. This movie showcases the life of the Fox family. It appears to be set in the 60s or 70s, in England. At the beginning of Fantastic Mr. Fox, things are calm. Although the Fox family lives in a hole, they seem to be living a quiet and peaceful life. That is, until Mr. Fox mentions living in a hole makes him feel poor. From then on, Mr. Fox goes on to buy a tree he cannot afford to live in, and continues a career he swore to stop, stealing animals from farmers to feed his family. He drags his friends and even his family into his ridiculous raid of the farms, and is eventually caught. After disappointing his wife and putting practically the entire forest in danger, everyone is forced to go deep underground where they risk starvation and dehydration. The farmer’s are still seeking revenge, and doing absolutely anything in their power to wipe out the Fox family and anyone associated with them. Can Mr. Fox and his friends use their animalistic instincts to escape this situation? Or, will they eventually be destroyed by the humans who swear to kill them? 

This movie is absolutely beautiful. The stop motion used in this film is absolutely awe inspiring as well, and that's not even mentioning the humor added along with it. While watching this movie, I couldn’t help but feel like a little kid again, playing outside in the crisp autumn weather, knowing that when I get inside, I’ll have a warm dinner waiting for me. Truly, this film brought out a childlike wonder of the outside world, tempting me to go on an adventure, maybe even play pretend for the first time in years. Wes Anderson (the director of Fantastic Mr. Fox) is known for his unique visuals in the animation movies he directs, and this movie did not fall short of that expectation I had personally set. The theme of Fantastic Mr. Fox is that greed and revenge are both incredibly ugly things. This theme applies to practically everyone’s life, and I think the way it was explained in this movie was perfect. 

Another thing worth noting is the subplot of the character Ash (Mr. Fox’s son). In this subplot, Ash is constantly competing with his cousin to be more athletic, due to the fact he wants to be more like his dad. Eventually, in the end, Ash is accepted for being exactly who he is, by both his parents and himself. The overall theme of this small subplot is incredibly beautiful, and while it can be applied to children, it can also be applied to anyone else. Due to all of these factors, I strongly suggest giving Fantastic Mr. Fox a watch. I also suggest analyzing it, considering there are multiple small details that will make the film impossibly more enjoyable. 

Grade: A+

by Avaerie Livengood

Adam Sandler was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, the youngest of four. He struggled academically and took up comedy at the age of 17 thanks to his brother urging him. While he was working in a comedy club in Los Angeles, he was “discovered”  by Dennis Miller who recommended him to Saturday Night Live. The show's producer, Lorne Micheals, said he had a big talent for comedy.  This led him to being cast and debuting in 1990. Just a year before that he was in a minor box office dumpster fire called Going Overboard. Critics have said, "This movie added up to a monumental void in acting, quality of characters, and every other subject in association.  Your time would be better spent vomiting or any other inane activity available to you.  I'm confident to say I believe Adam Sandler reached his career nadir with this production.”

I'm sure you can tell from this review just how bad this was, but soon after, he began to make many more movies that are very funny. Honestly, there are too many to list, but some of his biggest successes include: The Coneheads, Water Boy, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Big Daddy, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, Bedtime Stories, Hubie Halloween, Don’t Mess with Zohan, and The Cobbler. In total, Sandler has starred in at over 58 films at this point!

Adam Sandler once stated at a film conference: “My name is Adam Sandler. I'm not particularly talented, or good looking, but here I am--a multimillionaire.” He, himself, doesn’t know how he got here, but here he is famous and a household name now thanks to how hard he works and how much he makes us all laugh.