by Kahwit Tela | Aug 1, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Since The Avengers first assembled on the silver screen in 2012, audiences have been clamoring for certain members of earth’s mightiest heroes to have their feature films. Fans have been especially eager for the Russian femme fatale, Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow, to have her turn in the spotlight. After spending more than 16 years in development and numerous delays, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Widow finally was released this summer in theaters as well as premier access streaming via Disney Plus. The film’s setting is a mixture between sequel and interquel as it takes place between Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Following the events in Civil War, Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) is a fugitive and unexpectedly reunites with her estranged younger sister-figure/fellow assassin, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The tense yet touching reunion is short-lived as a conspiracy involving the Black Widow program — a syndicate that trained female assassins including Romanov and Belova — arises. After spending countless years apart, Natasha and Yelena must put aside their differences to take down General Draykov and his army of Black Widows once and for all. The two sisters can’t do this task alone as they need to form a makeshift team with some of the toughest soldiers Russia has ever known: Their adoptive parents, super soldier Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and veteran Black Widow, Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s first venture into the espionage film genre, Black Widow does an excellent job of recognizing its influences, such as the 007 films, all the while maintaining a slick and...
by Camryn Given | Jun 9, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
To adapt to the pandemic, many industries have had to change their business models in a COVID-friendly manner. For theatres, this included offering home rentals for movies and, for some, hosting drive-ins. Nashville’s own Belcourt movie theatre used these innovative methods to stay afloat when health guidelines prevented movie screenings as usual. Now, as these restrictions are being lifted, the Belcourt has opened their doors to the public once again. Since their reopening, the Belcourt has seen many Nashvillians return to see movies in person. In March, the Belcourt started showing Academy Award recognized films. It didn’t seem to matter if they had already seen the films, people were ready to come back to the movies regardless. Stephanie Silverman, the executive director of the Belcourt, said “We started slow. Both theaters [were] at 20% capacity,” “Once the CDC came out with the new guidance, we now increased our capacity to 50%.” As of now, there is still a mask policy in place, but Silverman said that the staff is monitoring data to find what makes people feel the safest about returning to the theater. “It’s pretty clear that people feel most comfortable with a mask policy in place and some amount of distancing.” However, since some may have gotten used to streaming at home, what is going to bring them back to the actual theater? Silverman says, “The difference between the experience in a theatre and the experience in your house is just fundamentally different, from the sound to the image to the communal piece of it,” She adds while laughing, “Your popcorn is probably not as good as...
by Kahwit Tela | Jun 8, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
In recent years of cinema, the heroes of Earth are often depicted as a group of highly athletic, agile, brilliant and dangerously attractive superpeople. Whether it’s the Avengers or the Justice League, audiences have seen countless times a group of ragtag individuals who unite to save humanity from the fate of evil. However, in Michael Rianda’s directorial debut The Mitchells vs. The Machines, audiences are introduced to a new kind of hero: Your everyday dysfunctional family from Michigan who save the world from a global robot revolution during their family road trip. Initially intended for a 2020 theatrical release under the title “Connected”, the film instead went to streaming on Netflix alongside being played in select theaters due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. The film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and features the voice talents of Danny Mcbride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Doug the Pug (yes, THE Doug the Pug), and more. The main protagonist, Katie Mitchell (voiced by Jacobson), is a young aspiring filmmaker who just got accepted into the film school of her dreams in California and is eager to leave her home. However, in a last-ditch effort to salvage the relationship with his daughter before she leaves, nature-loving and technologically inept handyman, Rick Mitchell (voiced by Mcbride) puts together one last family road trip with Katie, as well as his sweet and supportive wife Linda (voiced by Rudolph), dinosaur-loving son Aaron (voiced by Rianda himself), and the lovable blob of dog that is Monchi (voiced by Doug the Pug). Everything is going great until the apocalypse is brought upon by a rogue smartphone,...
by LeBron Hill | Jan 31, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lumination Arts and Entertainment reporter LeBron Hill discussed the recent nominations of the 91st annual Oscars with filmmakers Steve Taylor, Sydney Tooley and Nashville film critic Cory Woodroof. Topics ranged from the quality of this year’s work to nomination snubs and expectations of the year. Watch the full video below: ...
by Sarah McGee | Jun 4, 2014 | Opinion
Disney always has a way of adding an interesting touch to movies as the years have gone by. Gone are the days where the princess is dependent on the prince and helpless. Recent releases like Tangled, Pixar’s Brave, and Frozen have all shown fans that heroes can come in the most surprising forms. Sleeping Beauty has a tale that almost everyone knows, but Disney flipped it upside down with Maleficent, a live-action reimagining of the classic Disney animated film. One of the most neglected parts of Sleeping Beauty was the reasons as to why Maleficent was as evil as she was. Why did she have it out so badly for the king and queen? What was her problem with Aurora? These questions were all answered swiftly in Maleficent. Viewers are introduced to the title character as a young child, where the audience is shown her growth emotionally and physically. Be prepared to relate to Maleficent on a whole different emotional scale. Angelina Jolie is spectacular as Maleficent. She portrays the infamous villain with humor, heartbreak and unconditional love. The heavy undertone of feminism throughout the film was incredibly refreshing. Also, Jolie’s makeup and outfits are absolutely flawless. Elle Fanning is gorgeous as Princess Aurora. Every outfit she wears is beautiful, but as in the original adaptation, she does not contribute much to the film as a character. Fun fact of trivia here: Princess Aurora has the least amount of lines in a film out of any Disney princess. Newcomer Brenton Thwaites is also a little underwhelming, though still breathtaking, as Prince Charming. It would have been nice to see Aurora and...
