review

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REVIEW: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ remake is beautiful but lacks firepower

Addison Fulton | July 2

On June 13, 2025, Dreamworks Animation released a “live-action” remake of the first “How to Train Your Dragon” film, directed by Dean DeBlois. The live action version is nearly a shot-for-shot remake of the original animated film, which follows the story of Hiccup, the young outcast son of a viking chief who becomes friends with Toothless, a wounded Nightfury dragon, despite vikings society’s hatred, fear and desire to kill dragons. The live-action film changes no major story beats; it casted live actors and redid the dragons to look as realistic as they can.

Culture

REVIEW: PinkPantheress’ ‘Fancy That’ has fans turning heads

Dannely Verduzco | June 30

On May 9, 2025, PinkPantheress released her new album “Fancy That.” The British singer has amassed huge success since the beginning of her career, with approximately 2.7 billion streams on Spotify. You may recognize her from the song “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” with Ice Spice, or “Pain,” a song that first gained popularity on TikTok. The unique process of production is one of the defining features behind her success.

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REVIEW: ‘Conclave’ is a blessed viewing experience

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | June 18

Released in Oct. 2024 and propelled back into relevance by the passing of Pope Francis, “Conclave” includes a star-studded cast who elevate the already fantastic story. The film follows Cardinal Lawrence — played by Ralph Fiennes — who must oversee the election of the next pope in his role as Dean of the College of Cardinals.

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REVIEW: “Sinners” leaves its teeth marks on audiences

Addison Fulton | June 2

On April 18, Ryan Coogler, director of the “Black Panther” franchise released “Sinners”, a vampire musical-horror film set in 1930s Mississippi. The film follows the “Smokestack Twins,” Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore — both played by Michael B. Jordan — and their younger cousin Sammie — played by Miles Caton — a supremely gifted blues musician as they prepare for the opening night of “Club Juke,” a club for the black townspeople of Clarksdale, Mississippi. The entire film happens over the course of one day and one night. Smoke and Stack are back in Mississippi from Chicago, where they’d conned the Irish and Italian gangs, likely leading to the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. They recruit Sammie to play music, but Sammie is more than talented. He is a griot — meaning he has a mystical gift allowing him to pierce through death and time to summon the spirits of his people, past and future.

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REVIEW: ‘This Cathedral of Learning’ — documentary ‘Zimmerman@75: The Campus Heart’ celebrates UNM library

Addison Fulton | May 19

In 2013, Aracely ‘Arcie’ Chapa filmed a documentary about the history of the University of New Mexico’s primary library. Twelve years later, I wanted to revisit this somewhat unknown but deeply heartfelt, fascinating 30-minute documentary. The original UNM library existed on the first floor of Hodgins Hall, but the need for books and space quickly outgrew the area. In 1926, a smaller library building was built, but the University quickly outgrew that as well. Zimmerman, which would be UNM’s first proper library, had its groundbreaking in 1938, and it remains as UNM’s largest and center-most library.

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REVIEW: I have a good feeling about Star Wars’

Elliott Wood and Nate Bernard | May 19

When we first sat down to watch Andor, we were skeptical. The Star Wars universe has been watered down as of late by Disney’s assembly line of turn-your-brain-off content and we were unsure if Star Wars would ever recover. When Disney announced that they would be creating a show centering around one Cassian Andor, we said, “Who?” But, after watching the complete show, we are delighted to say that “Andor” is a must-see and one of Star Wars’ best.

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A review of a review of ‘The Shining’ from the ‘80s

Addison Fulton | April 28

In July 1980, Daily Lobo reporter Lester Slick published his review of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” He did not like the movie very much, calling it “spotty” and “so-so.” Now it’s my turn to write for the Lobo. I love “The Shining,” so here’s my critique of his critique. “The Shining” is a psychological horror film about novelist and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance, who takes a temporary job caring for the Overlook Hotel during its offseason. The hotel is haunted and plagued with a supernatural “shine,” though as Jack descends into madness, no ghost could be more terrifying than him.

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REVIEW: Japanese Breakfast make a triumphant return on ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)’

Elijah Ritch | April 25

On March 21, indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast released its fourth album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).” The record comes four years after the band’s previous album, “Jubilee,” and lead singer Michelle Zauner’s memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” The lyrics of Japanese Breakfast’s early work, as well as the content of Zauner’s memoir, centered around her grief following the death of her mother. On “For Melancholy Brunettes,” the band’s explorations of sadness are not as grief-centric. Instead, Japanese Breakfast is more concerned with the concept of sadness itself.

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REVIEW: I love Minecraft and I hated ‘A Minecraft Movie’

Addison Fulton | April 14

On April 4, Warner Bros. Studio released “A Minecraft Movie” starring Jack Black. It’s a disaster. Minecraft — the source material for the film — is an open world sandbox game first released in 2011. It became iconic for its unique look: In the world of Minecraft, everything is cubes or blocks. The game has vast functionality, allowing players to build structures, fight monsters, fish and explore caves to mine for ore.

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REVIEW: Please try to enjoy each season equally — ‘Severance’ Season Two does not disappoint

Addison Fulton | April 7

On March 20, Apple TV released the finale episode of Season Two of “Severance,” the hit TV thriller created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller. If you wish to keep the final episode mysterious and important, know this: it was excellent. If you wish to know more… Spoilers ahead. “Severance” mostly follows the lives of four employees who work for a company known as Lumon Industries. Their work is so secret that they must all undergo the titular Severance procedure, which splits their consciousness into two parts — an “Innie” who exists only at work, and an “Outie” who lives the rest of their life.

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REVIEW: ‘Invincible’ Season Three finishes strong

Rodney Prunty | March 24

This review contains spoilers. The third season of “Invincible” finished up on March 13. Season Three as a whole is very strong and perfectly builds on the seeds that were planted in Season Two. The main conflict of the season comes between Mark Grayson, aka Invincible, and Cecil Stedman as their moral philosophies clash. This conflict can be seen throughout the entire season, making for great storytelling. A lot of characters get really good development. Mark’s story arc is compelling and helps viewers feel for him. Viewers also get some background on Cecil through a new understanding of why he operates things the way he does.

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REVIEW: Frank’s Famous Chicken & Waffles excels at Buffalo wings

John P. Hefti | March 10

Rather than what you’d expect to find at a Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop franchise, Frank’s opts to bread their wings, creating a crunchy texture. The next flavor I tried was Buffalo, and these wings made my entire visit. The sauce was rich and flavorful with the perfect amount of heat. I don’t think I’ve tasted a better Buffalo sauce in my life. After finishing my order of 12 wings, I was in the mood for additional heat. In between the original flavor and Buffalo on the menu was the Nashville Hot rub, so it seemed like a logical decision to order an additional three wings a la carte for $3.75. After a couple bites, I completely wrote off the flavor.

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REVIEW: Lady Gaga returns to her roots on new album ‘MAYHEM’

Elijah Ritch | March 10

On Friday, March 7, Lady Gaga released her seventh studio album “MAYHEM.” The record has been touted as a return to the eccentric, dark-pop sounds of her early work after a decade of experimentation with various other genres, including jazz and country. The album’s lead single “Disease” is a boisterous track with influences from industrial music and EDM. In both its content and mood, the song is reminiscent of Gaga’s 2009 project “The Fame Monster,” with lyrics about healing a wounded lover and a dark, passionate eroticism. Thanks to its frenetic production and Gaga’s unabashed confidence, “Disease” is easily her best lead single since “Born This Way.”

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REVIEW: ‘Hard Truths’ showcases the simultaneous terror and beauty of the modern world

Elijah Ritch | March 5

From Feb. 21-24, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema showed British director Mike Leigh’s new film “Hard Truths.” The film centers around Pansy, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a middle-aged woman living with unnamed chronic illnesses and grappling with severe agoraphobia. She frequently lashes out ...

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REVIEW: FKA twigs transcends genre conventions with ‘EUSEXUA’

Elijah Ritch | March 2

On Jan. 24, British musician FKA twigs released her third studio album “EUSEXUA.” FKA twigs, aka Tahliah Barnett, is a genre-bending, visionary artist whose work frequently combines electronic music, art pop, R&B and avant-garde styles. She is frequently likened to artists such as Kate Bush and Björk due to her sonic innovation and eccentric visual aesthetic. While there are certainly similarities between them, FKA twigs’ music is like a world of its own — one that is impossible to categorize or compare.

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REVIEW: ‘The hard core of beauty’ — Where ‘The Brutalist’ succeeds and fails

Addison Fulton | February 27

In December 2024, director Brady Corbet released “The Brutalist” to great critical praise. The film follows the fictional story of László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody. László is a talented Jewish Hungarian architect who was forced to flee during World War II. He and his wife are separated, with him making it to the United States while she remains trapped. In America, László struggles with language, antisemitism, xenophobia and culture shock. His talents are eventually recognized by Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce), a Pennsylvania industrialist who hires László to create a community center in honor of his late mother. The project, however, derails — shattering the fragile illusion of the American dream.

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REVIEW: Cons outweigh the pros in Life Is Strange: Double Exposure

Rodney Prunty | February 24

The narrative-based game Life Is Strange: Double Exposure came out on Oct. 29, 2024, and was the sixth installment of the Life Is Strange series. The game was highly anticipated, as it saw the return of the fan-favorite, time-traveling protagonist from the first game, Max Caulfield. This is the first time in the series that a protagonist from a previous game was thrown into the spotlight again. Despite the game looking promising at first, it failed to deliver on the hype and turned out to be a disappointing game.

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REVIEW: Oscar-nominated live-action short films fail to deliver

Elijah Ritch | February 24

On Feb. 19-20, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema showed the five short films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards. A diverse array of films are nominated in 2025. Out of the five nominees, only one film is primarily in English. The Croatian film “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” is a dramatized account of the Štrpci massacre — the abduction from a train and subsequent murder of 18 Bosniak Muslims and one Croat by members of the Serbian military at the height of the Bosnian War. The film focuses on Tomo Buzov, a retired Yugoslav military captain and the one Croat victim of the massacre, who spoke up in defense of the train’s Bosniak passengers.

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REVIEW: 2024 biopic ‘Shirley’ was overlooked

Addison Fulton | February 10

In March 2024, director John Ridley released “Shirley,” a biopic about Shirley Chisholm, the first Black congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for president. It was one of 2024’s quieter releases; it was exclusively in theaters for only a week before it was released on Netflix to lukewarm reviews. This was a bit of a shame. “Shirley” tells an important story that needs to be heard, now perhaps more than ever.

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REVIEW: New documentary ‘Dahomey’ shines a light on the impact of colonialism in Africa

Elijah Ritch | February 10

From Feb. 7-10, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema screened the new documentary “Dahomey.” Directed by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop, the film follows the journey of a group of artifacts as they are returned from a French museum to their place of origin — the Republic of Benin in West Africa, where the area comprising the former Kingdom of Dahomey is located. The Kingdom of Dahomey was under French colonial rule from 1894-1960, according to Black History Month 2025. It was during this period that the artifacts in question were looted from Dahomey and taken to France. Prior to their repatriation to Benin, the pieces were on display at the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris.