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The Dartmouth
June 11, 2026
The Dartmouth
Film Review
Arts

Review: ‘Captain Marvel’ is a blockbuster with an indie touch

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | March 26, 2019

At this point, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has garnered a reputation for tenacity when it comes to selecting unique directors whose prior work doesn’t always make them obvious candidates for mega-budget superhero extravaganzas. This strategy is noteworthy because it has paid off time and time again; the fact that Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler have recently managed to reinvigorate the franchise with “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Black Panther,” respectively, suggests that this strategy is extremely viable. 

Arts

Review: 'Alita: Battle Angel' is entertaining, but its script falls short

By James Cronin | March 1, 2019

“Alita: Battle Angel” is the latest in the line of big budget, young adult sci-fi films to not do well critically or commercially. Following in the footsteps of the “Divergent” and “Maze Runner” trilogies, I felt like “Alita” tried too hard to recreate the success of “The Hunger Games.” While it might have worked in 2012, I think that today’s audiences are bored of the generic “chosen one” teenaged protagonist who must fight to overthrow a dystopian government, all while having to deal with a ham-fisted romantic subplot that does nothing but drag the plot down. That being said, I did enjoy this movie. 

Arts

A Cinematic Review of 2018: Ten great films and five flops

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | February 26, 2019

The Oscars may have come and gone, but I’m still not quite ready to embrace the new cinematic year. So, as a final send-off, it seems fitting to reflect on the best and worst films that 2018 had to offer. A couple of caveats before I begin, though: 1) Rather than organizing these films into a meaningless ranking, I’ve arranged them alphabetically. However, I have bolded the titles of the best film and the worst film of 2018 (in my humble opinion). 2) There are plenty of films from 2018 that I would have loved to see but haven’t gotten a chance to, largely due to accessibility issues. If you don’t see one of your favorite films from last year on this list, assume that I wanted to see it, didn’t get the chance to and would have included it on this list if I had. That last part is total wishful thinking, but it will keep everyone marginally happy. As a disclaimer, I did see all the Best Picture nominees. 

Arts

Review: ‘The Green Book’ doesn’t leave a mark as an artistic work

By Willem Gerrish | February 19, 2019

After a two-decade career spent directing lighthearted comedy films with his brother Bobby, Peter Farrelly has struck out on his own to co-write and direct “Green Book,” a comedy-drama about the relationship between notable black pianist Dr. Don Shirley and his driver for a tour of the American South, Tony “Lip” Vallelonga.

Arts

This year's Oscar-nominated shorts have surprising depth

By Joyce Lee | February 15, 2019

Last Saturday, I went to watch the Hopkins Center’s screening of the collection of Oscar-nominated live-action short films without a clue of what I was getting into. I hadn’t looked up any of the films before my viewing, and in my innocence, I assumed that the brevity of the shorts meant they would toe the line between light-hearted and meaningful. They would not be too dark or bleak, I assured myself, before the lights went dim and the title card for the first short appeared on the screen.

Arts

Review: ‘Fyre’ explores the consequences of willful ignorance

By Willem Gerrish | February 5, 2019

It was one of the greatest marketing campaigns of all time: a pristine launch video showing supermodels swimming in bikinis on an island once owned by Pablo Escobar, a series of cryptic orange tiles posted online by celebrities and Instagram influencers, and the promise of an immersive music experience in the Bahamas called Fyre Festival. In reality, it was an utter disaster; gourmet meals became two slices of cheese on soggy bread, luxury villas became disaster-relief tents, and Fyre Festival became a colossal failure of the millennial age.

Arts

Review: ‘Polar’ is a disappointing yet entertaining mess of a movie

By James Cronin | January 31, 2019

"Polar,” regrettably, won’t be joining “Roma,” “Mudbound” or “Beasts of No Nation” in the lofty pantheon of decent Netflix movies because, depending on your definition of what makes a movie good, it’s either some of the worst trash to ever grace the “trending now” section of Netflix, or a glorious hot mess that’s incredibly entertaining by virtue of how bad it is.

Arts

Review: 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' surpasses all expectations

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | January 29, 2019

Let’s begin this review with the following two statements: 1.) Spider-Man was the first superhero to which I was introduced. 2.) “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is hands down the best Spider-Man film ever made. Full stop. No qualifications. I mention these two things in conjunction because even though they initially appear to be unrelated, they are, in fact, intrinsically linked. I never read comics as a child, and when I finally did find myself immersed in the world of superheroes, my favorite was always Batman thanks to Tim Burton’s bizarre, stylish 1989 film adaptation. Nevertheless, my first proper experience with anything superhero related was watching Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2” at the impressionable age of seven or eight. Thus, even to this day, I have a special fondness for everyone’s favorite web-slinger. 

Arts

Review: "Aquaman" is two-and-a-half hours of dumb, frothy fun

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | January 22, 2019

“Aquaman” is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe, following on the heels of four films that range from mediocre to atrocious (“Man of Steel,” “Batman v. Superman,” “Suicide Squad,” “Justice League”) and one of the best superhero films not just of the last decade but of all time (“Wonder Woman”).

Arts

Review: The third season of "True Detective" is back to its roots

By Willem Gerrish | January 22, 2019

Here’s a disclaimer: the first season of “True Detective” is my favorite season of television ever made. Starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, the first eight-episode iteration of HBO’s crime anthology series is a near-perfect evaluation of human character in the face of death, evil and chaos. 

Arts

In 'The Mule,' Clint Eastwood is an old dog sticking to old tricks

By Mia Nelson | January 17, 2019

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in the “The Mule,” a drama inspired by a New York Times Article written by Nick Schenk that detailed the Sinaloa Cartel’s use of a 90 year old drug mule. Eastwood plays Earl Stone, a down-on-his luck former daylily horticulturist who becomes a drug runner, or mule, for a cartel in Illinois.

Arts

Review: ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ cannot have it all

By Joyce Lee | January 8, 2019

Last June, Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby released her Netflix stand-up special “Nanette.” The show received critical acclaim and an entire literature of think-pieces, not because it was especially funny or because the jokes were radical (although they were), but because Gadsby used her special to question what it means to use self-deprecating comedy as a woman, a queer individual and as an “other” who exists in the margins.

Arts

‘Mary Queen of Scots’ wastes potential due to choppy writing

By Sebastian Wurzrainer | January 8, 2019

In his video “Ludonarrative Dissonance,” film essayist Dan Olson advocates the use of the term “Cinemanarrative Dissonance.” The term describes when an aspect of a film flounders because two or more creative departments did competent work that was nevertheless contradictory due to the lack of a strong, unified vision for the overall product.

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