Even though it is the witching season, as of late, I have been gravitating towards a show that is best described as the personification of silliness: Adventure Time, created by Pendleton Ward. Now, offhand, I know that may come as a surprise, but for a children’s show, this series offers a quality episodic story structure that cannot be found anywhere else! Maybe its 10-season run on Cartoon Network isn’t doing it any justice, making one believe that this can be nothing more than a stereotypical kids show, something reinforced every time the channel’s logo is on screen; I promise you, this stigma is unfounded. Nevertheless, though that may be accurate off of memory alone, this is a genuinely heartfelt show with enough stupid and silly elements to cheer anyone up on even the worst of days, acting as a good distraction for at least a little while. 

In 1973, The Exorcist became a cultural phenomenon, revived interest in the concept of the exorcism, and would become known as one of the scariest horror films ever made. The film is a borderline masterpiece and impacts nearly every viewer to this day; it is debatably the most influential horror film of all time.

It’s not until the leaves are brittle and the wind carries a small chill that we get an autumnal urge to partake in the coziest of activities. One thing that should take precedence over any hot apple pie, cider donut, or local festival is a good scary movie. I don’t necessarily imply traumatizing, soul-twisting films such as Hereditary or The Exorcist at the mention of scary movies: you can save those for silent, mundane nights that call for utter disturbance. October is the time to sit on the couch with friends to laugh, shout, and scream—it’s the season for a good ol’ slasher film!

On March 31, 2023, the indie powerhouse boygenius, composed of solo artists Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, broke the indie-rock world with their debut album, the record. Its hit “Not Strong Enough” quickly became a fan favorite and could be seen in very sad television show edits all over TikTok. With such a positive response from these artists' first debut album together, I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it was to put out a four-track extended play (EP) just seven months after the record’s release. With such a bare-bones tracklist, they are afforded nowhere to hide, but any apprehension is absent within boygenius.

As SUNY Geneseo’s resident Dante Alighieri enthusiast, Hozier’s newest album, Unreal Unearth, called out to me as the infinite tormented outcries of the damned souls entrapped within Dante’s nine layers of hell, beckoning to be ranted about. That being said, this is an album that perfectly encapsulates the essence of Aligheri’s writing while putting a modern spin on it, turning a  journey of self-actualization and spiritual rebirth after being exiled, to one of love: the extent one will travel for the sake of love, and the sin intrinsically tied to this journey. So, with this in mind, let me guide you, as Virgil did for Dante, through Hozier’s Inferno and its extensive overlap with this world-renowned piece of literature. 

Devyn is a political science major with an English minor (which she hopes to change to a double major soon!). She has previously had poems published in her local newspaper and hopes to someday pursue a career as an author. Her inspiration has always came from horror authors like Stephan King, as well as the stories her grandma use to tell her when she was young. 

Imagine the year is 1989, and Tim Burton’s adaptation of DC Comics’ Batman has just made massive money for Warner Bros. and even won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. Batman had a massive impact on the industry, changing comic book movies forever, but a smaller impact it had on the industry can be found in the trend of pulp comic-style movies being made in the years following Batman.

In a world post the longest writer’s strike in history (148 days to be exact), you might be feeling a little apprehensive about the many streaming services that took 148 days to agree with the wants and needs of the WGA (Writers Guild of America). While companies like HBO, Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu had to put many television shows and movies on hold while writers striked, there was one independent streaming service that could keep productions running: Dropout TV.

“Would you like to meet a ghost?” This question is asked of our protagonists in the 2001 techno-horror film Pulse several times, serving as the opening of the rabbit hole in director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s haunting digital ghost story. Pulse (or Kairo in its native Japanese) was released at the peak of J-horror mania of the late 90s and early 2000s, where Japanese horror films such as Ring (1998) and Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) gained widespread acclaim in the West. Yet, with this masterpiece, Kiyoshi Kurosawa announced himself as the most accomplished and innovative of the creative voices in the newfound peak of this filmmaking movement. 

If you are looking for a movie that will make you question everything you know about what it takes to be a successful filmmaker, look no further than Paul Dale’s and Austin Frosch’s second film, Killer Kites (2023)! 

Fifty years ago this month, Chilean President Salvador Allende was murdered by a cabal of conservative military officers with backing from American intelligence. One particularly ambitious officer, Captain General Augusto Pinochet, declared himself the nation’s new President and ruled until his removal from power in 1990. The Pinochet regime was dedicated to suppressing political dissent: Around 3,000 critics of Pinochet were executed during his time in power, and another 3,000 “disappeared” never being seen again. The regime established mass internment camps for Pinochet opponents, where over 80,000 Chileans were held and tortured; all the while, Pinochet exploited state resources to enrich himself and his family. Pinochet was arrested in 1998 for his myriad human rights violations, yet was released due to his poor health and died of natural causes in 2006, never having seen the inside of a jail cell.

Though it may be hard to remember for our readers in the age of cinematic universes and legacy sequels, there was a time decades ago when parody movies were typically commercially successful and critically commended. Nowadays, parody films live in squalor, with the genre ceasing to exist. So how did we get here? 

In the modern age of television, it feels easier and easier for shows to slip under the cultural radar, even truly great ones; last year, 599 scripted series aired on broadcast television, compared to 288 a decade earlier, with seemingly more and more of these shows aiming for the coveted title of “prestige drama.” 

This week in the Arts and Entertainment section, I present a case for why all games, regardless of age range, genre, or play style, can create intriguing lore, through the scope of The Sims franchise. 

On Aug. 31 2023, global pop sensation Taylor Swift announced the release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, a concert film. Similar to the Ticketmaster fiasco created by her United States ticket presale, Swifties crashed the AMC site in an attempt to purchase the limited tickets to see this film on the big screen—despite the company’s best efforts to upgrade the website to handle more than five times the largest ticketing traffic it previously experienced. Following a day of absurd ticket sales, AMC announced that The Eras Tour documentary broke its single-day sales, topping the previous benchmark set by Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

From the wonderfully twisted minds of Danny and Michael Philippou, first-time directors, twin brothers and creators of the popular YouTube channel RackaRacka, comes the viscerally disturbing blockbuster sensation Talk To Me. Together, these two exceptional creators were able to tell a story that has been overdone hundreds of times and flip it on its head, creating one of the most disturbing yet engaging movie-watching experiences I have ever had. Not only did this film scare me, but my reactions made those who walked past The Lamron headquarters as I watched stop in and ask if I was okay. 

Another summer has come and gone, and with it, so has the overall quality of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Though this statement may seem hyperbolic to a degree, it is the melancholy reality of what has happened to this former cinematic powerhouse. Come along with me as I tell you something I guarantee you’ve overheard someone ranting about while walking the halls (that person being me): The MCU is a shadow of its former self, and this latest installment illuminates the extent this former great has fallen.