In my humble opinion, there is no greater Christmas movie than “Elf.” It has it all: humor, heart and a healthy amount of Christmas-caroling. 

Stop-motion animation has never been better. A short, sweet descent into imagination that bursts and blossoms at the seams with fantasy and horror married in perfect harmony. Arguably some of the finest character design and easily one of the most unforgettable musical compositions ever put t…

“Home Alone,” one of the most famous Christmos movies of all time, features young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) defending his home from robbers after being forgotten at home when his family goes to Paris. Yet “Home Alone 2”, which returns to Kevin’s old antics of turning a home into a …

While many people always turn to the classic Christmas films during the holiday season, I am finding a rise in alternative Christmas films. These are pictures that bend the norm expected from the season, and many others debate whether or not they are really Christmas movies. Examples of thes…

“The Polar Express'' has been a classic and timeless holiday story for over 30 years. Having first been published as a children’s book in 1985, the story only gained more traction after the animated movie version was released back in 2004. There were lots of mixed reactions when the movie fi…

When it comes to the Christmas holiday, there are many traditions that can be experienced. From creating fun, tasty treats to wearing christmas pajamas and watching Christmas classics, these traditions are a way for many of us to get into the Christmas spirit. Annie Liemohn, Demetrous Nobles…

Brett Eldredge is no stranger to Christmas music. Eldredge is an extremely popular country artist in the Chicagoland area, who hails from Paris, Ill. Eldredge played at the Cubs’ 2016 World Series parade as well as Chicago festivals such as Windy City Smokeout. His 2016 album, “Glow”, is a s…

At its cynical core, “Gremlins” is the perfect smirking “Looney Tunes” subversion of 1980’s suburban America. It’s internal logic is so elastic; the "rules" barely make sense to begin with, and so the cartoon anarchy seems inevitable from the start. It honestly doesn't feel like Christmas un…

It takes considerable comic gifts to make a loathsome, pathetic character so mesmerizing that you can withstand, even garner some sick enjoyment, from watching him dig himself into a hole for 90-plus minutes. Jim Cummings, the star, editor, producer, co-writer and co-director of "The Beta Te…

It’s been over a decade since James Arthur won the X-Factor, and since then Arthur has made his mark in the music industry with songs such as “Impossible” and “Say You Won’t Let Go.” Now the question remains; how does Arthur continue to make great music without sounding repetitive?

Bullet For My Valentine has become one of the biggest bands known in metal. 

Written by Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”), “Spencer” opens with a word to its audience: “A fable from a true tragedy,” setting the tone that what we are about to see is more fiction than fact. 

Karsten Beeker is a graduate student at Valparaiso University. Having already completed a graduate degree in media innovation outside the United States, he is now at Valpo working towards a master’s degree in Digital Media.

Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” is directed by award winning Chloé Zhao, starring Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris and many more. The Eternals themselves are what many are terming “the new Avengers,” but their powers are fueled by cosmic energy, coming from a greater being meant to p…

When I started watching “Lords of Scam”, I really didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. Based on the Netflix description, it’s a French documentary about the scammers ensnared in the European Union (EU) carbon scam.

“I Don’t Live Here Anymore” is the latest album from the band The War On Drugs. This light indie rock band features a lot of great, simple tracks with unique, psychedelic sounds in a variety of tempos and instrumentations.

This review contains spoilers for “Army of Thieves” and its predecessor, “Army of the Dead.”

I applaud any filmmaker who challenges themselves and breaks narrative conventions, even if it isn’t a home run. Edgar Wright (“Baby Driver”) is one of the great, prolific filmmakers working today with a distinct style unlike any other. Whether they’re fighting the undead, laying waste to qu…

Ed Sheeran’s new album “=” manages to combine all the best aspects of his signature sound. This release contains Ed Sheeran’s classic, simple and heart tugging guitar/piano ballads, soft rock songs and synth-heavy dance music. All that sound is wrapped into a little package, which altogether…

Megan Thee Stallion released “Something for The Hotties” on Oct. 29; the album comes in about 21 tracks long. In her previous albums, she was able to produce songs that got women feeling like they owned the world. With her new album, the title says it all; she dedicated this album to her bel…

“The Office Experience” has come to Chicago, and it topped “The Friends Experience” exponentially. This experience gives the history of “The Office” and provides rooms for excitement and interaction. The Office super fans and casual fans are able to enjoy what Superfly X, a production compan…

I’ve noticed a trend in the music industry. When a band hits a certain level of fame and fortune, they simply stop making the music people want to hear and start making the music they want to make. This can lead to either incredibly eclectic and strange compositions that leave the audience w…

Fairly early on, while watching the new “Halloween” film, I simply gave up trying to wrap my mind around what director David Gordon Green [“Halloween” (2018)] and company were attempting with this trainwreck. Underneath the barrage of absurdly gory kills and tasteless, borderline insulting m…

Senior Nick Davis is a digital media major associated with being the Treasurer of the Black Student Organization (BSO), a member of the Alpha Phi Omega and is on the University Council. Davis’ journey has been full of turns and twists, but with his business “A Dream to Obtain”, he is able to…

Lana Del Rey’s new album “Blue Banisters” provides us with a collection of slow and melancholic songs. For those of you unfamiliar with her, Lana Del Rey is an American singer-songwriter from New York. She began her music career in 2005. Her first breakthrough came in 2011 with the release o…

This review contains spoilers for Night Teeth.

The Blue Man Group are coming back after COVID-heavy times. They are back to performing live once again because of the thought that people needed performances after not being anywhere for so long. Their thoughts are correct; this amazing group of people are back to bring audience members a f…

When it comes to movies based on highly acclaimed-book series, you can go down the list of ones that were not done very well: “Percy Jackson,” “Divergent,” “The Dark Tower” and so much more. However there are a handful of book-to-movie adaptations that got it right, and “Dune” is indeed one …

Elton John's newest release “The Lockdown Sessions” sounds less like an album with guest artists, and more like a talent show with Elton John being the accompanist. This fun colab of music sounds like the perfect antidote to a long, depressing lockdown.

“The Last Duel,” the extremely violent, prolonged, meandering, problematic new film from director Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”) celebrated its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival where its feminist subtext preceeded it.

Famed country artist Toby Keith has just released his new album “Peso in My Pocket.” It’s a classic-sounding country album with all the charm, humor and southern twang you would expect from Keith.

Don Toliver recently put out a new album called “Life of a Don”. In my opinion, Toliver is a very boring artist. The Travis Scott protege has only gotten less and less interesting as time has gone on and he has proven to be a rapper that I just can’t get behind, despite his ever growing popu…

“The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin” was honestly hard for me to watch. Before I continue explaining how I felt about the documentary, I want to inform all of you to view it with discretion. While it was not gruesome to watch, instead it was saddening to hear people’s st…

In 1962, the world was introduced to Sir Sean Connery as Bond, James Bond, in “Dr. No”. The film that single-handedly launched the longest-running film franchise in history. Following Connery's legendary outing was George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and then in 2006,…

This article contains mild spoilers for “Squid Game.”

“15 Minutes of Shame” is a documentary about the recent rise in cyberbullying and “cancel culture” across the internet, particularly in social media. This film is a compilation of stories of people who have been bullied, canceled and harassed due to the online world, as well as a brief timel…

Sam Fender’s most recent album, “Seventeen Going Under,” has just recently dropped on Oct. 8. Although the album is styled as indie rock, it gives us a unique blend of retro and modern styles of music, giving the rock scene a new refreshing sound.

James Arthur is releasing his new album, “It’ll All Make Sense In The End”, on Nov. 5. He is an English singer and songwriter who started singing at the age of fifteen, and he rose to fame right after he won the ninth season of the X Factor in 2012. Arthur gained lots of popularity after the…

An abomination. That is the only word to describe this sad excuse for a film. It’s been a long time since I’ve been insulted so greatly by the horrid quality of a movie. This movie is a barrage of corniness and borderline offensive material disguised as an uplifting piece of sap. 

Zac Flasch is in his third year at Valparaiso University, majoring in music composition. He composes music for a variety of music groups on campus, including choirs, orchestras and chamber groups. Flasch is also involved in the Valparaiso University Chorale and leads the praise band in the l…

The series finale of the critically-acclaimed, game-changing HBO drama series, “The Sopranos”, aired its final episode fourteen years ago. For many fans, this was the end. However, devotees and casual fans alike are certain to be drawn in by the promise of diving deeper into the all-too allu…

This review contains spoilers.

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” brings hope for theater-goers and movie makers alike as life slowly goes back to normal. After opening Oct. 1, the “Venom” sequel has brought in more money than the original, having the biggest opening weekend during the pandemic. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, th…

“Titane,” the extremely violent, grotesque, pitiless yet devilishly humorous new film from Julia Ducournau (“Raw”) has taken home the prestigious Palme d’or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Despite generally favorable reviews from critics, audiences are on the fence as to whether or not the…

When I found "Love for Sale" by Lady Gaga on Spotify, I expected to be greeted by a stereotypical electronic pop album, which is what you would expect from an artist who has been a mainstay of the pop genre for a while. However, I was greeted with something entirely different. "Love For Sale…

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were among the most famous televangelists in America. Together, they built a multimillion-dollar empire and lived a life of luxury with multiple houses, expensive cars and more money than God until their conglomerate came crashing down …

To call the new X Ambassadors album interesting, unique and eclectic would be an understatement. For those unfamiliar with X Ambassadors, they are a New York rock band. They released their first album, "Renegades," in 2015, followed by "ORION" in 2019. The songs that rocketed them to fame in…

This article contains spoilers.

Natalie Schmidt is a senior biomedical engineering pre-med major. She has been in a lot of different music-related extracurriculars throughout her college career: she was in chorale freshman year, and music director of Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI), a professional music fraternity, her sophomore ye…

After what feels like forever, Netflix has finally gifted us with another season of Sex Education. Christmas has come early.