The lights dimmed as the Wang Center Theatre auditorium filled with faculty members, professors, alumni and undergraduate students on Thursday, Oct. 10 for Stony Brook’s first-ever TEDx conference.
Paul Greengrass is a very polarizing director. His previous two films, “Green Zone” and “United 93,” covered the beginning and middle of the United States War on Terror and in a way, “Captain Phillips” is a spiritual successor to both of those films.
“Gravity” is a fantastic film that marks new technological advances in film while giving a simple, yet compelling narrative surrounding two strong characters. It is entertainment at its finest, and a film that deserves to be seen in IMAX 3D, as it was intended. “Gravity” will scare some and amaze others. It left me counting every breath once I left the theater.
Every week new movies are released for the public to view. Most weeks there is one big release, but sometimes Hollywood will release multiple big-named movies competing for your attention. Sometimes it can be hard to decide what film is worth your time, so let us do that for you!
It is strange that “Insidious: Chapter 2” even exists, with director James Wan releasing a spiritual successor to the series earlier this year in “The Conjuring.” The first “Insidious” was a unique take on the haunted house genre that had a tightly knit story and believable characters. “Insidious 2” recaptures most of what makes for first film great, but at the cost of accessibility.
Stony Brook University holds a new Memorial and Volunteer Services Day to honor those who lost their lives and their loved ones to the Sept. 11th attacks on the World Trade Centers 12 years ago.
The Italian Film Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary in Charles B. Wang Center to spread cultural awareness, but this year featured little change from the previous years.
September is an exciting month for television. With summer coming to an end, it is goodbye beaches and hello remote control. It is the return of popular favorites, a few of which will be finishing this year, and a fresh start for new series premiering this fall.
For Hollywood, the summer months are the time to push the biggest movies into theaters. With kids out of school and families out on vacation, studios release their blockbusters hoping to draw in the more available crowd. While summer 2013 was no different in terms of quantity, this year movies quality dipped due to an overreliance on sequels and franchising, while original stories thrived.
“The Hangover” series has always been divisive; you either love or hate the insane style of humor the film is known for. While the first film was well received both critically and financially, the second film failed to bring anything new to the genre. “The Hangover Part 3” tries to fix the trilogy’s past criticisms, but changed too dramatically for its own good.
Many claim 2008’s “Iron Man” as the resurgence of Robert Downey Jr.’s career, but the truth is it was actually the 2005 film “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” The film, which was directed by Shane Black, follows a private eye’s investigation of a homicide. So it it is fitting that Black, who helped restart Downey’s career, takes up the director’s chair for what might be the end of the Iron Man saga.
Everyone looks forward to the summertime. Even if you are working a summer job or partaking in classes, there is something liberating about those few months in which the sun hangs high. It is times like this that many new pieces of entertainment are released for our pleasure, but sometimes there can be a bit too much to choose from. So, I have singled out some of the more standout options that will soon be available.
