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Noah Haynes writesThe Original Song Category at the 2025 Oscars Sucks…Right?
by Noah Haynes
As a fan of both music and movies, I appreciate when the two mediums can join together to elevate a piece of art. “Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun? Beautiful. “Moon River” in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s? A classic. Jason Segel’s performance of “Man or Muppet” from the 2011 Muppets reboot? ...Also a highpoint for cinema.
Even last year we saw a boon of creativity with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. It was a year of pink, plastic, and super-fun songs that culminated in a well-deserved win for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For.”
Unfortunately though, the Best Original Song category tends to follow a series of highs and lows, and this year’s not looking too good. Despite that, let’s try to find some positives among the negatives and give each nominee a fair shake.
Noah Haynes writes“Empire Records” Depicts the Dream “Third Place” for a Music Fan
by Noah Haynes
One sad thing about modern movies is that we don’t get enough clubhouses anymore.
In any old kid’s movie, you’d be sure to see some elaborately constructed clubhouse, treehouse, or even a needlessly complex Rube-Goldberg machine accomplishing something simple like opening a gate (à la The Goonies). It’s a specific analog creativity that charms the viewer.
A similar sense of creativity—albeit covered with a layer of teenage ennui—can be felt in 1995’s Empire Records. The movie presents a struggling independent record store, along with the struggles of the ragtag group of teens it employs.
Noah Haynes writesBetter Man: When a Gimmick Elevates a Movie
by Noah Haynes
If you’ve seen any biopic, you can probably predict every emotional beat of Better Man.
It’s the newest music biopic to hit theaters (competing with the Bob Dylan film, A Complete Unknown) and depicts the life and career of British pop star Robbie Williams.
Rising to fame in the mid-'90s, Williams first saw success in the U.S. as part of the boy band Take That, whose song “Back For Good” hit #7 on Billboard’s Hot 100. He would go on to have a mildly successful solo career with charting songs “Angels” and “Millennium” but remained most popular (and extremely popular) in his home country of Britain.
It doesn’t actually matter too much whether you know Robbie Williams or not, though. I had never heard a note of music by the guy and found the story very approachable to a newcomer.
Plus, well, it wasn’t hard to track the plot when it fell into the familiar, tired story beats that we’ve seen a hundred times in other career biopics. (“Oh, he’s falling into a drug addiction and estranging his wife? Gotchaaa…”)
Nevertheless, despite my criticism of the plot, this is actually a pretty fun movie. Before going too much further, however, we have to address the elephant in the room—that is, the monkey.
In all the promotional material, and the movie itself, Williams is portrayed as an anthropomorphic, CGI chimp. He walks, he talks, but he is a monkey—though it’s played as normal in the movie.
Speaking on the strange decision, director Michael Gracey (of The Greatest Showman fame) told BBC "Quite often Rob will say, 'I'm just like a performing monkey' or 'I'm up the back like a performing monkey…It just sparked this idea of, we've got this chance to tell this story, not from the perspective of how we see Rob, but how he sees himself.”
So, sure it’s a gimmick. Surprisingly though, I found it to be one that paid off quite well. Not only would the movie be much less interesting if it was played straight, the fact that there’s this crazy chimp on screen grabs your attention and holds it. It’s actually kind of a genius move to subtly communicate the charisma Williams brings to his live appearances.
Plus, as director Michael Gracey dips into his musical tendencies and starts bending reality, it acts as a seamless transition to a place of heightened reality. It’s not hard to accept the presence of a one-take, three-minute-long musical dance number when you’ve already suspended disbelief with the main character.
And thank goodness, because the musical aspects of this movie really shine. Apart from the previously-mentioned scene, the montage of Williams dancing with his future wife, Nicole Appleton, beautifully incorporates the love song “She’s The One” as the two dance together on a boat.
By divorcing itself from the requirement to show Williams performing every song in a realistic way—the film opens itself to a whole host of creative choices. It made me want to see more biopics as musicals.
It’s fun, it’s stylized, it’s goofy—sure the story is overplayed, but don’t let that get you down. Whether you know Robbie Williams or not, his life story is worth seeing, even if just to get a few new songs stuck in your head.
KSanders writesKyle Sanders’ Best Films of 2024
by Kyle Sanders
This past summer wasn't the only thing that was BRAT in 2024--so was this year's slot of film releases!
From big budget blockbusters to indie darlings, from IP franchises to risky originals, 2024 gave us a spoil of riches both of decadence and debacle. The year proved it IS a good idea to resurrect Beetlejuice for more spirited hijinks, while recent installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed to have been built on shaky ground. And Pixar seems to be doing just fine--as long as they keep making sequels to already established content.
We saw some ambitious titles from legendary directors, as well as up-and-coming new talent, which gives me hope for the future of a film industry that seems to be crawling ever closer towards a wasteland of consumerist mediocrity.
But enough of being a Debbie Downer, here's my Top 10 Favorite Films of 2024!
Please note: There was no time to possibly consider the likes of Babygirl, The Brutalist, The Nickel Boys, Nosferatu or any other films that were released too late in the year for me to include--though I'm sure they're all incredible! I'm sure I'll see them within the new year, but until then, here's what made the cut!
KSanders writesHighlights From the 60th Annual Chicago International Film Festival
by Kyle Sanders
As the 60th Chicago International Film Festival settles to its conclusion, I find myself feeling a tad overwhelmed. I've just spent a week visiting family in my home state of Kentucky and returned with a nasty sinus infection.
Those circumstances certainly affected my festival-covering abilities, but that shouldn't suggest I wasn't able to watch some really great international films while away from the Windy City!