The OWU English Department Blog
This post contains spoilers, some images of gun violence, and discussion of political violence. I do not condone violence of any kind.
How many times have you heard someone say: “You talkin’ to me?!” or “The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club.” Too many times may be your answer, but that’s because these films are so widely cherished.…
I originally downloaded Avalanche Software’s “Hogwarts Legacy” during its release in February 2023. During this time, there was some controversy surrounding the author of the Harry Potter Franchise, J.K. Rowling due to her transphobic remarks. One of these remarks was tweeted in response to a woman being fired from her job for being transphobic in the workplace, “Dress however you please, but force women out of their jobs for saying sex is real?…
When I first sought to play the game Death Stranding, I did so from a place of curiosity. It had been three years since the release of the game by legendary video game creator Hideo Kojima, which had received mixed reviews and sparked heated online discourse. In the past, Kojima was celebrated for his continued championing of the Metal Gear series since its inception in 1987 with the original Metal Gear to its contemporary titles like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.…
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.…
