‘M3gan,’ a girlboss horror story
January is often referred to as the production company dumping ground. Movies coming out this early in the year are released at a time when theater attendance is low, award show nominations are a year away, and big December releases are still playing in most theaters. “M3gan” thus came as a surprise. A big-budget Blumhouse […]
‘This Place Rules,’ a documentary everyone should see
Andrew Callaghan became a YouTube celebrity in early 2020. On his now-abandoned channel “All Gas No Brakes,” Callaghan, along with a small group of friends, posted interviews he gave at strange events across the country, from a furry convention to the raid of Area 51 to Burning Man. While the videos’ virality could easily be […]
‘Wednesday’ is an entertaining teen mystery that anyone could enjoy
The Addams Family brand does not get old. While it can be used and interpreted poorly, every reimagining has the ability to create something wonderful without putting much of a twist on the original concept. “Wednesday,” the new Netflix original TV show, directed by Tim Burton, follows Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) as she attends Nevermore […]
We are living through a horror renaissance, do not engage with ‘Smile’
Unless you are one of the dozens of people looking forward to watching the fifth “Halloween” movie to claim to be the franchise finale, this October’s Hollywood horror releases are rather underwhelming. Thus, undoubtedly many horror fans, desperate to engage in the Halloween spirit, will be drawn towards “Smile” (2022), one of the few horror […]
‘Vengeance’ is a great movie with a lot to say
“Vengeance,” written, directed by and starring B.J. Novak, is a murder mystery, told from the perspective of an East Coast journalist investigating a supposed opioid overdose in West Texas. The film attempts to deconstruct cultural stereotypes central to the American identity, through the story of a family plagued with grief turning to an outsider to […]
‘The Rehearsal’ is an experimental adventure told through cringe comedy
“The Rehearsal” is the second television project directed by and starring Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder. Since “Nathan For You,” Fielder’s first project and one of the funniest, most unique shows ever created, concluded in an epic fashion, anticipation has been high surrounding the project that would follow the cult phenomenon. Sticking to a similar […]
‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’: It could’ve been better, but still worth watching
Expectations were high when the trailer for “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” was released. A spy comedy following Nicolas Cage, playing Nicolas Cage, as he takes down the Nic Cage superfan leader of a drug cartel, was undoubtedly an intriguing sell. And while the funniest concepts of the trailer came through in the final […]
‘Hellbender’ (2021) is a must watch for horror fans
How does a low-budget horror film released through a little-known production company succeed in the mainstream markets? Well, it probably doesn’t. But “Hellbender” (2021) has all the qualities necessary to do just that. “Hellbender” is a folk horror coming of age story about a teen girl, Izzy (Zelda Adams), kept isolated in the woods […]
‘The Bubble’ is Judd Apatow’s worst movie yet
“The Bubble” (2022), is a two-hour meta-comedy, written and directed by Judd Apatow, about celebrities filming a dumb action movie during the pandemic. Had I known that information going in, I probably would not have watched it. I really wish I had known that information. There is simply nothing as cringey as a poorly […]
‘Our Flag Means Death’ is the best new show on television
We all know the story of Blackbeard: The violent, sociopathic, demon pirate who put fuses in his beard to terrify his victims and ended up with his decapitated head strung up the mast of his own ship. What you may not know is this dangerous homicidal man once co-captained a ship with Stede Bonnet, or […]
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2022) is awful and no one should be surprised
Every “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (TCM) movie is terrible. Spanning from the original to the 2022 Netflix release and taking a tiny reprieve for “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” (1986), which is arguably watchable, the series has always been awful. I state this to be clear that I came into “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2022) from a place […]
‘Cyrano’ (2021) is an old story told well
“Cyrano” (2021) is the newest musical iteration of the life of Cyrano de Bergerac. This simple story told so many times before, has been minorly reimagined, placed on top of a wonderful score and put in the hands of a fantastic cast to create a very watchable albeit imperfect movie. Whether you know it […]
A profile of Sadjoy
Michael Schneeweis, who releases music under the name Sadjoy, describes himself as a poor interviewee. In his dedication to answering questions honestly, he feels he contradicts himself or does not answer questions as fully as he intended to. So instead of a formal outlined interview, Schneeweis and I just talked for a little over two […]
‘Scream’ (2022) is a horror sequel actually worth watching
It is always good to start a movie review with a joke and get a quick chuckle out of the reader right off the bat. But unfortunately, “Scream” (2022) has robbed me of this opportunity. Every quip that could be written mocking the idea of this film, or what this film represents, has already been […]
‘Don’t Look Up’ is a political satire for the ages
People are no longer fazed by threats of the world ending. We cannot afford that luxury. If the whole world came to a halt every time society was on the brink of destruction or mass death seemed imminent, nothing would get done. “Don’t Look Up,” a political satire released on Netflix in December, understands how […]
A conversation with Jesse Sendejas of Days N’ Daze
Musician Jesse Sendejas is grateful for the life he has. That’s what stood out to me most during our short conversation outside the Middle East, a small venue in Cambridge, this October. Sendejas is a singer and guitarist for the band Days N’ Daze, a thrash grass band from Houston, Texas. Thrash grass, often colloquially […]
‘Lamb’ deserves no acclaim
“Lamb,” directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson, is an Icelandic film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year before seeing a limited U.S. release through A24. An addition to the slowly popularizing folk horror genre, “Lamb” is a minimalistic film shot in the middle of nowhere, featuring little dialogue, plot or entertainment. The film […]
‘Halloween Kills’ is a massive disappointment in a series that constantly disappoints
“Halloween Kills” is the third sequel, second threequel, 12th Michael Myers feature and 13th installment in the “Halloween” franchise. This franchise has always been a mess, and yet the undeniable impact of “Halloween” (1978), aided by its iconic killer and score, as well as two or three pretty good sequels has kept the series relevant […]
Hoot staff recommends: Midterm music edition
Sasha Skarboviychuk When it comes to studying, the best background noise is silence. But in cases when my roommates or anything else in my surroundings is making noise, I opt for classical music. My big thing with this is that the music I listen to while studying cannot have lyrics; if the song has lyrics […]
A conversation with HappyHappy: a DIY musician you should listen to
HappyHappy (she/they), also known as Eve, is an Indiana-based musician who has released eight full-length albums in the last six years and has 5600 monthly listeners on Spotify. She describes herself as “folk punk adjacent,” but notes that none of her recent albums really fall into the same genre. They vary based on what she […]
