The OWU English Department Blog
Did you know Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) has a rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes? Let’s dive into what makes this film highly liked by individuals. I believe it represents the Black community well, and I aim to evaluate why it is a good source of representation. The Spider-Verse series utilizes visual presentation, themes of identity, and emotional impact to enhance a story of Black representation.…
“The Sopranos” was released to the public via HBO on Jan. 8, 1999, and has been revered as one of the greatest television shows ever. In 2024, the show reached its anniversary of 25 years, sparking new fan interest. Airing from 1999 through 2007, the show follows Tony Soprano as he works his way up the ranks from capo (made man/captain) to boss of the New Jersey-based DiMeo crime family.…
Star Wars’ The Acolyte was an exciting prospect for Disney Plus’ collection of limited television series for the franchise. This 8-episode show took a chance by branching out in the Star Wars universe. Set about 100 years before the first chronological Star Wars Film, The Phantom Menace, the show would detail the secret rise of the Sith, the main antagonistic force of Star Wars.…
This piece contains spoilers for Bones and All and The Lighthouse.
Bones and All and The Lighthouse are two very unique horror films that travel back in time to bend reality, and to speak on common aspects of humanity that are always present in life. I am not the biggest lover of horror films, and I actually tend to avoid them, especially if they are excessively gory.…
A malformed, masked entity lurks in the shadows of a Parisian Opera house. His presence had only haunted the house until an aspiring opera singer, Christine Daaé, stepped onto the stage. However, then the so-called “Phantom” develops a desire to help Christine in her career and become the lead performer–but at what cost?…
Watching Gladiator II without first watching its predecessor for beat-by-beat comparison or borderline masturbatory indulgence in nostalgia is a bizarre exercise in interpretation. It is watching shadows on the wall of a cave, an astute audience perhaps faintly aware that these shapes cannot possibly exist in a vacuum, that their movements and patterns are too strange, too specific, and too divorced from their context to belong solely to the wall, but with nothing else to draw from they are forced to accept these as a complete reality.…
“Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” A line from the opening song that cements a popular theme that drives the narrative of “Wicked” throughout the film. The line itself is sung by Glinda (or rather Galinda), the Good Witch of the North, which is in reference to the Wicked Witch of the West, otherwise known as Elphaba.…
The life of the former Queen of England, Lady Jane Grey, was anything but a comedy. Her life was certainly not a story most would make the center of a historical, fantastical, romantic comedy. But a 2016 novel, My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows did just that – and eight years later the Amazon Prime television show My Lady Jane was born.…
(Note: This review is not spoiler-free)
In times of political unease, it is important to remember the value of books, the lessons and the values that they contain. Given the current political climate, one of the greatest examples of a book with such values and lessons is the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, first published in 2006. …
The holidays are coming up– this is the perfect opportunity to expand your book collection and treat yourself to some new reads. Whether you are looking for an emotionally gripping book, captivating poetry, or a purely self-indulgent read, this list has the perfect story for you.
The following recommendations are a collection of essays or feature elements of essay writing in their composition.…