Review

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REVIEW: ‘GOAT’ is a whimsical wonder kid story

Addison Fulton | March 2

I was in middle-school the first time I heard the boys in my class arguing about who was the G.O.A.T — greatest of all time. Then, I was a kid who stubbornly, intentionally went out of my way to not care about sports, so overhearing the conversation I said, “Why are you guys fighting about farm animals?”  They laughed at me. They weren’t talking about that kind of goat. Years later on Feb. 13, Sony Animation and director Tyree Dillihay released “GOAT,” with basketball player Stephen Curry attached as a producer and voice actor. The story follows Will Harris, a young anthropomorphic goat who dreams of playing for his home team, the Vineland Thorns.

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News

REVIEW: ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ a required watch for non-moms, caretakers

Shin Thant Hlaing | February 23

“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” is an Oscar-nominated dramedy or tragic comedy, but I feel the urge to classify it as “realistic horror.” The realistic horror of the film thrives on suffocating the protagonist, not in a literal sense, but by brilliantly illuminating the ways responsibility can feel crushing. Through exploring themes of parenthood and escapism, the movie becomes a must-watch for those who seek to explore the struggles of child-rearing. Directed and written by Mary Bronstein, the film follows Linda, a therapist played by Rose Byrne, who is not isolated in the conventional sense, but rendered helpless by a minimal income, an absent husband and an ailing child. There are no meaningful sources of “help,” and Linda finds herself feeling past capacity.

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News

REVIEW: ‘Iron Lung’ is a bloody testimony to the power of hope

Addison Fulton | February 23

How far would you go for the chance to survive? How long? How deep? And would you do it in the tiniest, grossest submarine known to man? Mark Fischbach — better known by his online alias and YouTube handle “Markiplier” — asks these questions in his film “Iron Lung.” The film is based on a game by the same title that Fischbach played on his Youtube channel in 2023. “Iron Lung” takes place in a post-apocalyptic world after the “Quiet Rapture,” wherein all stars and planets suddenly disappear leaving only humans who inhabited space ships. The story follows Simon, a prisoner of an organization called the Consolidation of Iron, arrested after his involvement in destroying one of the remaining space ships. The COI discovers a strange moon made entirely of an ocean of blood, which they tell Simon to survey and search for resources in a rickety submarine in exchange for his freedom. 

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News

REVIEW: ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ a Black History Month must watch

Camillo Cretara | February 16

Of all the Black and African American directors there are, none stand out in history as much as Spike Lee. Lee’s 2018 film “BlacKkKlansmen,” starring John David Washington as Ron Stallworth and Adam Driver as Flip Zimmerman, is a movie based on the story of Colorado Springs’ first African-American detective and his infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan in 1979. Stallworth begins as a filing officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department, filing evidence and paper work until one day, he is moved straight into intelligence. With the movie being set in the 1970s, you can see the stark differences between how detectives gathered information and intelligence then and now. Newspapers were a great way to find things out and were considered more central to the general population.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Marty Supreme’ is an instant cult classic

Addison Fulton | January 19

For a film about table tennis, Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” includes remarkably little table tennis. It’s a dizzying, disorienting and fast-paced film about fictional table tennis star Marty Mauser, a Jewish man living in New York in the 1950s. Mauser is an irresponsible, womanizing jerk. At the beginning of the movie, he impregnates another man’s wife, and mocks a fellow player who survived a concentration camp — not the kind of guy you usually root for in a sports film. But “Marty Supreme” is no ordinary sports feature, and that’s the root of its artistry and charm.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘We feel that’ Vince Gilligan’s ‘Pluribus’ is a masterpiece

Addison Fulton | January 19

Creator of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” Vince Gilligan’s newest series “Pluribus” reinvents the alien bodysnatcher subgenre and brings Albuquerque to centerstage once again.  Largely filmed in New Mexico, “Pluribus” features an alien, virus-like entity that comes to Earth through a mysterious radio transmission, with almost everyone on Earth assimilated into a pacifistic hivemind, except for just 13 people worldwide, who are — for an unknown reason — immune. 

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News

REVIEW: The Long Walk (2025), an adaptation done right

Rodney Prunty | December 9

The plot of “The Long Walk” is simple: a group of boys volunteer to do a long walk. But on this walk, if they stop walking, they die.The last boy walking wins prize money and a wish. This movie is not a traditional horror movie with jumpscares and a big villain; instead it is a psychological horror thriller.  Despite the plot being simple, the movie itself is stellar — and a huge part of that is the cast. Most of this movie is characters walking and talking while trying to survive. This could be a very boring concept for a movie, but the cast of “The Long Walk” does a tremendous job connecting us with the characters and keeping the audience interested.

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News

REVIEW: ‘Dispatch’ revived a genre and changed my heart in a big way

Marley Herndon | December 2

Telltale Games was a once beloved studio that brought the “choose your own adventure” genre to the forefront of the gaming world with beloved titles like “The Walking Dead,” “The Wolf Among Us” and “Batman: The Telltale Series.”  In their ashes rose AdHoc Studio, a small group of former Telltale and Ubisoft developers whose initial assignment, “The Wolf Among Us 2,” fell through. So, they announced “Dispatch,” an episodic superhero workplace comedy starring Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad” fame, featuring player choice and a lovable cast of characters.

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News

REVIEW: Peace out — ‘Peacemaker’ season two left me with mixed feelings

Addison Fulton | October 27

On Oct. 9, the final episode of the second season of James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” was released. It was a strong end to an excellent season, but it was not without its faults. Who knew John Cena could break my heart like that? Season two follows Cena as Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, as he discovers a parallel universe wherein his brother, who Smith accidentally killed as a child, and his father, who Smith killed in season two, are alive. While exploring the alternate universe, Smith kills the alternate version of himself. 

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News

REVIEW: ‘To yield is a power:’ Christina Pugh and the poetics of ‘Revelation’

Nicholas Skaldetvind | October 20

Apocalyptic writing has always wrestled with the same question that drives poetry: what can language reveal when the world seems on the verge of collapse? In her Tupelo Press collection from 2024, “The Right Hand,” Christina Pugh transforms that ancient tension into an inquiry, both of spirit and of body.  Her poems inherit the intensity of “The Book of Revelation” yet move through the material world: needles, basil leaves, marble, skin, with an alert and visionary calm. Apocalypse, in her poetry, becomes an opening, rather than an ending.

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News

REVIEW: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will stay invisible on my bookshelf

Addie Gerber | October 13

I would fully recommend “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” if you like reading historical fantasies. For me, the book had barely any dimensional characters, and a writing style that was too focused on looking pretty rather than being readable. Published in 2020 by V. E Schwab, the story mainly follows a girl named Adeline LaRue from France, born in the year 1691.On her wedding day, she made a deal to extend her life with the God of Shadows, Luc. The deal was made, but it wasn't until the morning that she learned there was a drawback;everyone she meets forgets who she was as soon as they walked away or closed a door. 

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News

REVIEW: Help “Him”

Addison Fulton | September 29

Where does fear live? Does it sit in the body, heavy and wet, reminding you that you are a living animal? Is it in the brain? That delicate computer in between all of our ears, that can as easily guide us as it can deceive us? From the devil or God or things lurking in the dark? I’ll tell you where it certainly does not live: in Justin Tipping’s new horror film, “Him.” Hopes were set high on Sept. 18 when “Him” was released with Jordan Peele — the man behind “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope” — attached as a producer through his company Monkeypaw Productions. Those expectations were not met.

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News

REVIEW: Villains are Evil Again in Zach Cregger’s ‘Weapons’

Eve Padilla-Salazar | September 15

On  Aug. 8, Director Zach Cregger released “Weapons” —  a thriller horror movie that brought a new flavor of scary to the table. The film follows a second grade class who all go missing at 2:17 AM — except one student and the teacher — leaving in the middle of the night with seemingly no motive. The film takes place over the course of the incident through various perspectives of each character. Non-linear story telling is prevalent throughout as the story is told through a series of chapters of a character's experience.

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News

REVIEW: Fry and dine at the State Fair

Maria Fernandez | September 15

State fairs are known for selling a wide variety of foods — many of them deep-fried — and this year’s selection was no different. I arrived at the New Mexico State Fair with an appetite — especially after the notorious $1 day traffic — and the food did not disappoint. The State Fair began again at EXPO New Mexico on Sept. 4, bringing back many beloved rides, experiences and best of all; fair foods. My first stop was the Villa Hispana on a hunt for tacos, where I came across The Taco Guy, a locally-owned business.

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News

REVIEW: ‘Jaws’ 50th anniversary brings terror and imersion

Eve Padilla-Salazar | September 8

On Aug. 29, “Jaws” was rereleased in theaters for the film's 50th anniversary in Regal Winrock 16’s new 4DX theater. As a fan of horror, the ocean and new ways to experience film, I thoroughly believe that this is a thrilling way to watch the movie. A 4DX theater contains features such as moving chairs, water features, wind simulated by large fans, as well as mist, fog and on the occasion, bolts of light and confetti. Audiences are given a pair of 3D glasses to enjoy the film as if they were in it. This seems like a lot for a film, but the features fully immerses the viewer and allows them to notice the finer details.

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News

Deftones’ ‘Private Music,’ a safe and reliable listen

Eve Padilla-Salazar | September 1

On Aug. 22, Deftones released their tenth album, titled “Private Music”. The album featured  delicately-ridged vocals by Chino Moreno that keeps the Deftones sound consistent. I am not the biggest Deftones fan, I only listen to the most popular songs such as “My Own Summer (Shove it),” “Cherry Waves” and “Entombed”. I do not think they are a terrible band, I find that they stick to their formula and have been the most prominent in their respective genres. I hope to see them switch things up in the near future. Though, after listening to “Private Music”, I find myself understanding their vision of intimacy; “Private Music” describes the journey of climbing to the top for a new phase.

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News

Is Sabrina Carpenter ‘Man’s Best Friend’ on her new album?

Addison Fulton | September 1

On Friday, Aug. 29, Sabrina Carpenter released her seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend.” The album sticks to the fun, playful pop sound and some-what simple lyrics and rhymes that Carpenter is known for. It’s raunchy, though, not shying away from innuendo or explicitness, and building both sonically and thematically on her previous album “Short n' Sweet,” exploring sex, relationships and men. It’s strange then, that such an inoffensive pop album and generically adorable pop-star have been the center of so much discourse.