On April 18th, The Gleaner hosted another campus movie night, this semester featuring the cult classic, Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF). Despite freezing wind and the upcoming dread of finals week, plenty of students were able to make it out to the quad for a night of free food and a good FNAF scare. Upon seeing the costumes and decorations covering the quad, passers-by may have wondered what the draw is to a film like Five Nights at Freddy’s?

Originating as a horror video game in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s is centered around a chain of pizza restaurants called Freddy Fazzbear’s Pizza and the company’s mascot, an animatronic of Freddy himself. Players control the pizzeria’s night guard as they have to fight against Freddy and other animatronics who come to life at night. As players make their way through the game, they begin to learn about the history of the restaurant and its animatronics, who they defend themselves against.

The games rose in popularity as they garnered views on YouTube. Youtuber, Makiplier, who is one
of the most popular Five Nights at Freddy’s gamers, posted his first video playing the game on August 12, 2014. Claiming in the title of his video “scariest game in years”. His gameplay series has now gained over one billion views on YouTube. Traction gained from videos like his is what has allowed the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise to expand with seemingly infinite sequels that are still being released today, and consequently led to the 2023 movie adaptation, and the upcoming 2025 sequel.

In over the ten years since the game’s first debut, its fanbase has begun to dwindle. But, current college age students are the people who grew up playing and watching the game during its heyday. Alex Brasberger, a math major at Rutgers Camden, talks about his previous love of the games saying, “I saw the movie, but I don’t really play the games anymore”. Which seems to be the general consensus from people who grew up with the game. He explains how he was introduced to Five Nights at Freddy’s
through friends as well as YouTubers like Markiplier and IHasCupquake, and that while he liked horror games, it wasn’t really the game itself, but the YouTube videos, culture, and the game’s lore that drew him to the franchise. Another student, Don Frenzle, explains the lore of the game, stating, “It wasn’t much the game itself, it was more the stories and what-not behind it that captivated me.” Then, beginning to discuss the movie, Frenzle and Brasberger shared similar opinions: “It had some of the aspects of the lore that YouTubers used to touch on, but it wasn’t amazing at including it,” Brasberger expressed. Frenzle also added that the film felt “too kid-ified,” making it stray from the game’s original intended audience. But, both stated how they enjoyed the movie, Frenzle calling it “fun” and “decently-made.”

While the movie didn’t necessarily live up to the standards that many fans hoped it would, it still did well in the box office, grossing almost 300 million dollars. If you’re a Five Nights at Freddy’s superfan or just simply a gameplay watcher who enjoyed the game’s lore and stories, hopefully you were able to make it to The Gleaner’s Five Nights at Freddy’s movie night last month. If not, stay tuned for next semester’s movie night so you don’t miss out on another fun night on the Rutgers Camden quad!

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

Hannyah Alford 

The Oscars’ Snubs And Why It’s Not Surprising That Oppenheimer Won Best Picture 

The 2024 Oscar’s took place this past month and although some nominations and awards were arguably well deserved, there is always something the academy just can’t seem to get right. It’s no surprise that the biggest films of the last year were Oppenheimer and Barbie, both making their box office debut at the same time. Greta Garwig received eight nominations for Barbie, while Oppenheimer landed thirteen. Barbie received worldwide acclaim from critics and made over 1.4 billion dollars in the box office. From the soundtrack, costume design, and diverse casting, it’s no surprise that the film received recognition in several categories. America Ferrera and Rylan Gosling were nominated for best supporting roles. However, fans of the Barbie film couldn’t help but notice that Margot Robbie received zero nominations for her leading role as Barbie. 

It’s no surprise that Ryan Gosling was given the Oscar nomination for Ken, considering his performance of “I’m Just Ken”, featured in the film’s soundtrack and awarded “Best Song” at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards. Gosling gathered much sympathy for his role of Ken with the popular hashtag and retail merchandise of “I am Kennough”. There is no denying that Ryan Gosling put on quite the performance in his role as Ken; however, it’s still questionable that Margot Robbie was not also critically acclaimed for her role as Barbie. Margot’s depiction of Barbie was extraordinary in the sense that she brought a sense of humanity and emotional depth not conventionally associated with the doll. 

It should also be noted that alongside Greta Gerwig, Margot helped in the production of Barbie. Alongside Robbie, Gerwig was not recognized in the “Best Director” category. Barbie is the highest grossing film ever to be directed by a woman in box office history, for her to not receive recognition for this particular feat is unusual. Barbie also lost Best Picture to Oppenheimer, which comes at no surprise given that the entire film was male-dominated. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan was nominated and awarded for his director role in Oppenheimer, making it his eighth Oscar nomination and his second win overall. It’s important to mention that the Best Director award always goes to a male director. Only one woman has won in this category in the 96 years that the Oscars has been held. That woman was Kathryn Bigelow for her direction of the film “Hurt Locker” in 2009. Furthermore, the films with the most Oscar nominations in history were all male directed. This includes Titanic, All About Eve, and La La Land all being nominated for fourteen categories. 

Studies have shown that women are consistently being underrepresented at the Oscars. Since 1929, only 17% of nominations have been for women at the Oscars, meanwhile 83% of Oscar nominations have been for men. Women of color are even less likely to be included, only making up 2% of all Oscar nominations and 6% of nominations for  underrepresented racial/ethnic groups overall. With this in mind, America Ferrera’s nomination as Gloria was very well deserved, given her incredible monologue during the film about the burdens of womanhood, and her assistance in freeing the Barbie’s from Ken’s patriarchal rule. 

Da’vine Joy Randolph was the only woman of color to be awarded at the Oscars for her role as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers. Randolph’s win is certainly one to be proud of, however, the Oscars’ has a history of only nominating and awarding black women in supporting roles to their white peers. Only 10 black female actresses to date have won an Oscar and only one of them was for a leading role, that being Halle Berry for her role in Monster’s Ball.Considering the Oscars is one of the most acclaimed award ceremonies in American history, it has quite a bit of work to do regarding its representation of women and women of color. Awarding Barbie for Best Picture at the Oscars would have been quite the moment for women, especially for women directors that are consistently being overshadowed by their male peers. I can only hope that women and women of color will continue to insert themselves in these spaces and remind the world that they are beyond deserving of recognition for their contributions to the film industry.

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

If the premise here, a blood-soaked Thanksgiving-themed slasher film directed by the guy who did those Hostel movies and Green Inferno, sounds like a joke, that’s because it started out as one.

The film now simply, and sort of confusingly, titled Thanksgiving, first came to life as a fake trailer in another movie, the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s double featured horror comedy Grindhouse showcases Rodriguez’s films like Planet Terror and Death Proof, released in 2007. Just over fifteen years later, this gag trailer is ready to come out of its cocoon and take center stage as Hollywood’s foremost Thanksgiving-themed horror movie.

Hey. If Valentine’s Day can have one, then sure. Why not? 

Eli Roth is known for a lack of restraint and a love of gore, and on the gore front, there are scenes in this movie that absolutely do not disappoint. The film’s opening salvo is a demented Black Friday riot gone awry that had me chuckling and cringing in equal measure—never before have shopping carts been used to such devastating extent on a human body!

After the riotous good time of the opening kills that the movie sort of becomes rather bland, like under-seasoned stuffing. An ordinary by-the-numbers slasher film ensues you’ve got a small town, a dutiful sheriff, a vengeful killer with a hidden identity, and plenty of douchey teenagers and frumpy waitresses to stand in his way as victims. The requisite turkey time twists DO get thrown in—our axe-murderer is themed after the first governor of Plymouth, y’see—but it doesn’t do enough to live up to its outrageous origin as a parody trailer, it’s funny premise, or even its rollicking opening. The gore stays punchy and gross most of the time, but a few key moments go too far and come off as particularly fake-looking. 

Outside of the opening, some of the kills do deliver, and some of the scenes of the Pilgrim-themed killer stalking his prey are a bit frightening when they’re allowed to properly simmer, but this movie didn’t make me laugh enough to qualify as a good horror parody or freak me out enough to stand out as a legitimate screamer. With nothing left to fall back on besides a unique premise, a great opening, and a few scant thrills, I was left a little hungry by the end of this would-be feast.

 Overall Rating score: 7/10

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

If you’re a fan of comics, manga, and anime, then you most likely know of the huge convention that takes place annually to honor them. Showcasing talented artists, writers, voice actors, and cosplayers; also being the spot to go for fan-made merchandise; listening to panelists of your favorite creators; and meeting people who share the same interests as you. This convention welcomes fans who enjoy all types of entertainment, from DC and Marvel fans, Chucky and Saw fans, and One Piece and Berserk fans to K-pop fans, fan writers and artists, and more! Comic-Con is honestly one of the best places to be, and it’s evident in how thousands of people sign up to go every year.

This year, on October 21st, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Rutgers will be holding their very own Comic Con. Organized by the Animation Alliance, Anime & Manga Association, and Art Students League, these students have worked as a team for months finding vendors and panelists to make this come together. These students surely had their work cut out for them dealing with the stress and frustration of struggling to contact people, but they managed to achieve their goals of vendors, food, and panelists. 

I spoke with the president of the Art Student League, and she said, “We started the process in June 2023 and had some meetings together about ideas, organization, who to reach out to, and how… We did run into some obstacles, such as budgeting and finding the perfect location for it. The previous comic con was held in the Athletic Center with ~100 vendors and was a large event. We wanted to stay true to the previous comic con and have a large event, but the cost would put a strain on each of the club’s budgets. So we plan on having ~30 vendors, 6 panelists, food vendors, a cosplay contest, and fun workshops.”

This isn’t the first time that Comic Con has been made on campus by the students of Rutgers. Previously, there was a virtual Con in 2021, and even before, all the way back to the first in 2016. The club’s hope is that Comic-Con will become a tradition that continues in the future and that the next E-Boards of the clubs will continue these conventions, as most of the current ones will be graduating in 2024. And hopefully, the future e-board will be able to handle the trials that their predecessors had in organizing the event. 

The president of the Animation Alliance said that she honestly hopes this is a good change, as I feel as though it brings not just the Rutgers community together but everyone from the city, as this will be open to all and anyone can attend. I’m hoping that the next president of the Animation Alliance will continue it as a fall tradition. I feel like it may bring more attention to the club and maybe bring in people who would like to join, so our club can be bigger and keep going for future semesters.”

The Comic Con will be free and open to the public, and with artists like Mark McKenna and writers such as Amy Chu attending, along with Dreamer’s Playlist as one of the panelists, this is an event that cannot be missed.

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

It all began with a doll in a bathing suit. 

At least, that’s what Barbie tells us. 

In a fictional retelling of the history of playing with dolls, Stereotypical Barbie, played by Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn, The Suicide Squad) is beamed down, like an alien, from the sky. In the classic striped, strapless bathing suit, she instantly disrupts the girlhood tradition of playing with baby dolls. Thus, a new time is born—and out of it, Barbie Land, a fictional utopia where Barbies of all kinds live in peace and harmony. There’s President Barbie, played by Insecure creator Issa Rae, and Nobel-Prize-in-Physics-winner Barbie, played by Death on the Nile’s Emma Mackey. In this matriarchy, everything is ruled by the Barbies.  Angsty and always competing for the Barbies’ attention, the Kens, an array of beefed-up men, exist solely on the sidelines, cheering on the Barbies when the latter play volleyball. As the film’s tagline says, “She’s [Barbie] everything. He’s just Ken.” In Barbie Land, everything is perfect (and pink).

However, trouble looms. The typically joyful Barbie is struck by thoughts of death during a dance party. The next morning, she awakes with bad breath. Her heart-shaped toast is burned. Even her perfectly arched feet become—gasp!—flat. Recognising that this issue is greater than even the smartest Barbie, Robbie’s Barbie visits Weird Barbie (played by Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon). There, she’s charged to return to the Real World to find the source of her problem—the girl who’s playing with her. 

 Following a superb marketing campaign that will be studied for generations to come, Barbie has become the highest grossing film of 2023, raking in $1.36 billion—thereby making it the most successful female-directed film. Why has this toy-based film dominated box office screens since its release in late July? 

Firstly, Barbie is smart! Before watching it, I wasn’t quite sure what direction Greta Gerwig, the film’s captain, would go in. Would it be like the animated Barbie films, where the humans didn’t matter? Or like Transformers, where the Hasbro toys were non-existent? With its mix of fantasy and realism, Barbie successfully merges these two visions. Like a human, Barbie is conscious and can feel a limited range of emotions, from joy to panic. However, she and the other Barbies are aware of the Real World, where they are played with like dolls—though she turns on her shower, no water comes out; when she tips her milk carton over her cup, no milk comes out either; and walking on her tiptoes is part of her characterization. 

Secondly, Barbie is fun! Barbie lives in her quintessential Dreamhouse, and everything in her world is a riot of posy pinks, bright blues, and gregarious greens. She and the other Barbies have dance parties to hits by Dua Lipa at night, because “every night is girls’ night”. Their mornings are filled with a chorus of “Hey Barbie! Hey Barbie!” as she and her fellow Barbies run into each other, supporting one another in court and at award shows. And everything is over-dramatised: when the Barbies discover that Stereotypical Barbie is malfunctioning, they scream “Flat feet!” before miming a cacophony of retches. Beach Ken, played by The Notebook’s Ryan Gosling, is ridiculous: overdrawn in his pining for Barbie, he repeatedly insists on a “beach off” with Simu Liu’s (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) Ken; and, in embracing U.S. American patriarchy, he parades around in a huge mink coat and a tasselled leather waistcoat.  Then, following his journey of self-discovery, he wears a tie-dye hoodie that says, “I am Kenough” (pun intended). 

However, Barbie is also profound. Barbie Land is a dream for women’s empowerment. Everything is possible for women in Barbie Land, because “what can’t Barbie do?” The Barbies own their accomplishments, instead of shying away from them as women in the Real World are wont to do, and they own their emotions, too, something that women in the Real World are condemned for showing. As Lawyer Barbie (played by My Mad Fat Diary’s Sharon Rooney) says, “I have no difficulty holding both logic and feeling at the same time. And it does not diminish my powers.” Women hold each other up, instead of tearing them down. Finally, there’s a Barbie for everyone. 

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

By Maria Alcantara

The 94th Academy Awards have resulted in interesting discussions resulting in what films deserved awards and which do not.

Among Oscar Nominations for 2022 include juggernaut films such as Don’t Look Up, an original Netflix film with a star-studded cast including Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Timothee Chalamet to name a few, and other films like Dune, West Side Story, and King Richard.

Fans of films have noticed a particular movie left out of this year’s nominations, however. Spider-Man: No Way Home, the last installment of Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man franchise, has not been recognized in the category of the best picture, and fans have taken to the internet to protest the industry’s decision to block superhero movies from being nominated.

“It’s a good thing when people are in a theater and they stand up and cheer,” Marvel’s Kevin Fiege tells The Hollywood Reporter on the matter, “It’s a good thing when people are wiping tears because they’re thinking back on their last 20 years of moviegoing and what it has meant to them. That, to me, is a very good thing– the sort of thing the Academy was founded, back in the day, to recognize.”

Many have debated the merits by which this superhero film deserves to compete with other films that may portray a coming-of-age story better than Peter Parker’s does, or display themes such as love, loss, and friendship in innovative ways. 

Others feel a nomination should be secured by monetary means, pointing out that No Way Home’s box-office numbers blow other films out of the water, and by those numbers alone it deserves a nomination. The latest Spider-Man installment earned a whopping 1.8 billion dollars at the worldwide box office, destroying pandemic box-office numbers, making it the highest-grossing film of 2021, Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time, and the biggest film release in the last 3 years.

“The biggest snub today in my opinion, and I’m actually even angry about this, I’m kind of embarrassed to say, is the unforgivable omission of Spider-Man: No Way Home,” said Jimmy Kimmel. “You’re telling me Don’t Look Up was better than Spider-Man? It certainly was not.”

All of the outrages over the Oscar snub begs the question: should the Academy recognize films based on popularity?

Due to an increase in the rhetoric surrounding the questionable decisions of the Academy, they will now be recognizing films during ceremonies voted on by Twitter users, effectively employing the popular vote to a limited extent.

After the immense backlash the Academy received for failing to nominate The Dark Knight at the 81st Academy Awards, the program decided to open up five more slots for Best Picture nominations. Since then, superhero movies such as Black Panther (2018) and  Joker (2019) have received nominations, leaving fans of New York’s favorite web-slinging teenager confused as to why their favorite film was not included.

Happy

0

0 %

Sad

0
0 %

Excited

0
0 %

Sleepy

0

0 %

Angry

0
0 %

Surprise

0
0 %

By Zak Falcone

In today’s world of multiverses, reboots, and spinoffs we have lost the art of the sequel.  More often than not, movie sequels are just rehashed tellings of the same story to grab more money from fans. But if you dig deep, you might find some gold hidden underneath. True movie sequels take the idea of the first film and lift it to an even greater place. They make the first film better and make the story even bigger than imagined. This is a list of five films that have done just that. These are the best movie sequels ever made. 

1. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

There may not ever be a sequel that’s done more for a franchise than the 1980 sequel to the then biggest movie of all time, STAR WARS. EMPIRE is one of the biggest and most beautiful sci-fi films ever made, let alone one of the world’s best sequels. Far bigger than the first, this film expanded on the galaxy far, far away. Every sequel should look to this film as a guide. STRIKES BACK really does have it all: action, romance, adventure, and singularly the greatest twist of all time. 

2. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 

Terminator 2 is one of the best examples of elevating the original movie to new heights.  The Terminator was a simpler, direct sci-fi, romance movie that became massively popular. Terminator 2 took the franchise to where it is today. There were some changes, this time director James Cameron changed his lead, Sarah Connor from a waitress being hunted by a robot of the future to more of a mother figure and it worked wonders. Sarah Connor went on to become one of the most iconic woman action characters of all time. Terminator 2 is everything a sequel should be, bigger, louder, and more action. 

3. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

When THE DARK KNIGHT(TDK) was released it was so popular that most viewers had no idea it was a sequel to 2005’s BATMAN BEGINS. Following in the footsteps of Terminator 2, TDK took the Batman franchise to an even bigger space. A realistic, grounded take on the caped crusader, Christopher Nolan gives the best big-screen Batman film ever made. Of course, Heath Ledger’s Joker is probably what this film is best known for. But what shouldn’t be forgotten is Nolan’s ability to make this film bigger and better than the first.

4. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974) 

The Only Best Picture winner on our list, THE GODFATHER PART II is unlike any sequel here. This film is not only a sequel but a prequel as well. PART II tells the story after the events of THE GODFATHER and before it. This is a formula that went on to be copied several times in other films, though none were able to match this level of greatness. This film features some of the greatest performances of all time, from legends De Niro and Pacino. There aren’t too many drama sequels to choose from, but this film should always be the standard when making one.

5. ALIENS (1986)

James Cameron returns. Though he didn’t direct the original ALIEN, he took over leadership for its sequel, ALIENS. Yes, the sequel to ALIEN is called ALIENS, as there is now more than one alien. Like T2, ALIENS takes the franchise to a new place, an even bigger one. The action is much more explosive and the characters seem larger than life as they are given more depth. Cameron takes the iconic Ellen Ripley and makes her a movie star legend. Cameron taking over the Alien franchise, even for one film, is the best thing to ever happen to it.

Happy

0

0 %

Sad

0
0 %

Excited

0
0 %

Sleepy

0

0 %

Angry

0
0 %

Surprise

0
0 %

by Raimondo Partito

A big takeaway from Netflix’s Malcolm & Marie is this: when your significant other is making you mac and cheese at 1 o’clock in the morning, it might be best to just give them a break for the rest of the night. In other words, it might not be best to say “You’re not the first broken girl I’ve known, f****d, or dated” or something like “You know, Marie, you are genuinely unstable. I am actually concerned for your mental well-being.” Just eat the mac and cheese and go to bed. 

At the beginning of Malcolm & Marie, it is obvious the two characters live in different rhythms. Malcolm is enthusiastic about the premiere of his first feature film as a writer and director, while  Marie’s mien is very dull and reads as sullen. The audience can tell she is utterly over it. The so-called “it” being him and his sensitive, delicate ego. It is evident Marie doesn’t want to talk, preferring instead to fuss over boxed mac and cheese like it is high cuisine.

The movie really takes off when Marie finally addresses the elephant in the room. She’s upset he didn’t thank her in his speech that night. This concern of Marie goes even deeper: she truly believes her life was used for this film. She has a history with addiction and was diagnosed with depression. She has a very profound way of looking at this situation since she insists he’s the artist and she is the muse. Understandably, she is not okay with this imbalanced dynamic. I truly believe that the film’s director, Sam Levinson, is focusing not only on the realities of being a black filmmaker in Hollywood and the value of film critics in this world, but the limit between love and hate in a relationship.

I found the dialogue used in this film astonishing. When Marie opens up to Malcolm about how she feels used in a way because he wrote a movie solely based on her life, Malcolm simply replies, “You’re not the first broken girl I’ve known, f****d, or dated.” Essentially, he’s alluding to the fact that he didn’t just steal aspects from her life but from the lives of other women he’s now presenting like puppets to taunt Marie. 

Throughout the film, it is Malcolm and Marie trying to get through to one another. One scene in particular really sticks with me. When Malcolm sits down to eat the boxed mac and cheese Marie prepared, he throws his tie over his shoulder. He eats like a child without impulse control: fork scraping the bottom of the bowl relentlessly, clearly wondering what Marie is doing in another room. He eats with his mouth open, shouting, “You know, Marie, you are genuinely unstable. I am actually concerned for your mental well-being.” He quickly changes the topic and launches into a further conversation about himself and his film. 

Eventually, Marie is forced into coming out, saying, “Are you actually yelling and belittling me from across this house because you are too busy eating mac and cheese? Do you know how disturbing it is that you can compartmentalize to such a degree that you can abuse me while eating mac and cheese?” This particular scene here is utterly ridiculous and allowed this film to spiral in many ways. His emotional abuse and how she’s lived with it is so underdeveloped, it almost feels infuriating to bring it up in the first place, but that is what makes the film so special. How Malcolm and Marie can be fighting one minute, and loving the next. 

At one point, during one of Malcolm’s endless protestations about the state of modern filmmaking, he declares, “Cinema doesn’t need to have a fucking message. It needs to have a heart and electricity.” Which is exactly what this film has. 

Happy

0

0 %

Sad

0
0 %

Excited

0
0 %

Sleepy

0

0 %

Angry

0
0 %

Surprise

0
0 %