Video Game: Dispatch

I have a lot to say about Dispatch but for conciseness’s sake and honest niceties, I’ll be frank. I didn’t think much about this game from the getgo when my manager at work started barking funny little references I didn’t understand, but when I went home, I caved and found something pretty nice. While there are a lot of narrative options I heavily disagree with, that’s the point of the game. Adopting the developers from Telltale Games, AdHoc Studios put together similar “choose your own adventure” elements in this superhero story from titles like The Wolf Among Us and Batman: the Telltale Series. What was put together, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful games to release in the last few years. The art direction is gorgeous and has this great comic book feel that most Telltale titles share, but Dispatch is so bright and colorful and lively like vintage superheroes. There are so many layers to the game and its characters that replaying even with roughly 12 hours worth of content feels new and fresh down to the third or fourth route.

Going online and seeing feedback on this game doesn’t do it justice, because the only way people know how to talk about Dispatch is by saying it isn’t dark enough to be profound like the inverted superhero tropes of Invincible or The Boys. But not everything needs to be dark and scary to have an impact on people. The speculative fiction aspect of Dispatch is meant more to reflect the everyman playing the game rather than be a massive political commentary. The characters act like your average coworkers, and the protagonist, Robert Robertson III (yes, that is seriously what they called him), is just some guy in his early thirties going through a transitional period in his life as he is essentially disabled out of being a superhero. There’s a lot of themes of grief, moving on, and finding peace through either contentment, or malice and revenge. Overall, a beautiful experience, would recommend playing it not only once, but a few times just to surprise yourself by making the “wrong” choices.

-Lee Nienhaus

TV Series: Peacemaker, Season 2

Peacemaker season two released at the tail end of the year, and was a sensation that built off the first season in amazing ways. They developed characters, expanded the DC Universe, and allowed for characters to take on heavy issues while still keeping that comedic element to the show. They pick up after the events of season one, with many members of the 11th Street Kids looking for new work, and trying to discover themselves in their professional and personal lives. The show faces various issues head-on, including themes of belonging, guilt, privilege, forgiveness, and grief. This show is set apart from other superhero media with how it handles its characters. They show honest growth throughout the series, with the start of this season focusing on Harcourt’s growth following the death of her ex, Chris’ dedication to become a ‘real’ hero, and Adebayo’s dedication to be taken seriously in her new job. Overall, the season is done well, with key comedic action and emotions always the centering point of the show. The one critique for the show held by many, is that the ending is seen as anti-climactic and boring. I personally disagree with this. I see the ending as a way to set up the future of the DC universe, and was a great way to wrap up the series.

-Will Clair

DJ Set: HOOCHIE MAMA MIX OF GHETTOTECH JUNGLE BALTIMORE CLUB JERSEY CLUB MIAMI BASS by girlypop princess

Ever had a bad day? I’ve got something to make sure you don’t have any more of those. 

In the year of our lord 2025, following the path set for me by many a screwtape, not to mention a growing fascination with DJ Kicks, Elevator Music, and NTS, DJ Sets occupied a considerable slice of my overall music listening. The internet is truly a wonder in running across such things, the vast expanses of SoundCloud proving my personal favorite- the depths from which this particular gem fell into my possession. An hour of lush, blissful ghettotech to keep your head high and your booty bouncing. I mean, really, what more could one ask? My favorite stretch goes around the 23-minute mark, featuring an absolutely electric jungle remix of Ciara’s Get Up that had me… well, getting up. A wise man once said, “The DJ got us fallin’ in love again,” and I live by that. In 2026, may a DJ help you fall in love again. Thank you, girlypop princess.

-Evan Raefield

Movie: Sinners

Released in April of 2025, Sinners took the film industry by storm, impressing both critics and audiences alike, rated with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. And its reputation precedes itself. The movie is a vampire tale, blending southern gothic horror, drama and musical elements. It explores themes of racial oppression, ancestry, colonization, culture assimilation and spirituality. The film follows main character, Sammie as he abandons his duties as the preacher’s son and runs off to join his cousins, the Smokestack Twins, who want to open a juke joint of their very own. The twins are war veterans and gangsters who return to Mississippi in the hopes of giving back to their community. 

“Stack”, also known as Elias, is the approachable and outgoing brother, often depicted in red. Elijah, whose nickname is “Smoke”, is the serious and cynical brother, dressed in shades of blue. Together, they purchase a venue, gather materials and recruit musicians, cooks and dancers. During the opening night however, Sammie’s musical talent, which is so powerful it can transcend time and connect ancestors, attracts the attention of bloodsucking vampires who seek to harness that power. Therefore, the main characters must come up with a plan to survive the night or die at the hands of the supernatural evil that needs nothing but an invite to ruin their lives. 

Coogler really nails this film as both a horror and a well-developed drama: the characters are realistic and complex, the premise is simple yet effective, the vampire folklore is handled with expertise, and the cinematography is gorgeous. A standout moment in the film is when Sammie’s performance invokes different generations of musicians/performers, and as they join the fun, the screen extends beyond the standard widescreen and envelops the entire picture. It marks the transition to the second half of the movie and raises the stakes and horror elements without us even noticing it. Additionally, Sinner’s casting was exceptional, with the actors all giving award-worthy performances. Overall, it’s a beautifully crafted vampiric horror movie that is absolutely worth the watch.

-Clara Carrion

Video Game: No, I’m Not a Human

This year, I seem to have become the de facto video game journalist for the KRUI website. If you know me at all, you know I’m woefully unqualified for the position. I have no reputation as a gamer, having only started getting into gaming this year, and I’ve only played a measly few games that I got for free on Steam. In fact, my favorite game of the year, Trioskaz’s No, I’m Not A Human, is one I haven’t even played myself. I’ve only seen it played, over and over, by various streamers.

For those not familiar, No, I’m Not A Human centers around a dreary apocalypse: the sun is moving closer to the Earth, making daytime unbearably hot. Simultaneously, strange beings dressed in human skin (called Visitors) are emerging from the ground, trying to gain entry into people’s homes and murdering anyone they find alone. You just so happen to live alone. So, against your better judgement, you start accepting people in off the street who are searching for shelter from the sun. Except some of those people might not be people. So now you’re an investigator, trying to determine whether the people you let in at night are actually human or an alien Visitor in disguise. This is the main mechanic of the game, listening to your companions’ stories and checking them for signs that they might be Visitors. But the information you’re getting about what makes someone a Visitor is shaky at best. Visitors allegedly have red eyes, dirty fingernails, and perfectly straight teeth. But what if a human spent the night crying? What if a Visitor washed their hands? What if a human recently went to the dentist? There’s no foolproof way to tell if someone’s a Visitor, meaning you’re often forced to convict without enough evidence. Either that, or you let more innocents die.

The game’s art style and writing only heightens the tension of its premise. It’s tempting to decide who to let in based on looks alone, or maybe their general attitude. But, in this game, everyone who approaches your door, Visitor or human, looks uncanny. Not even humans look human, meaning your gut instincts on who to trust will often lead you astray. It’s hard to tell who’s honestly being nice and who’s faking it; every character has unique and well-written quirks, regardless of whether they’re human or Visitor.
When creating any piece of media, it’s hard to make your audience feel the specific emotion that you want them to feel. But I and every other person who has played or watched this game knows exactly the strain of paranoia that No, I’m Not A Human depicts so well. This is a game that will make you question everything. It will give you a piece of information, then immediately contradict it. It will introduce you to a sweet, lovable character, then force you to shoot them in the face before they kill again. In times of true unprecedented crisis, the only choices you can really make are shots in the dark. But who are the stray bullets going to hit?

Can you deal with the consequences?

-Bailey Vergara

World Cup Qualifier Match: Hungary v. Ireland, Nov. 16th

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is taking place across 16 cities in North America this upcoming summer, and boy am I excited. One of the final rounds of qualifiers for the UEFA (European) teams occurred this past November, where 12 nations have fully qualified, 26 have been eliminated, and 16 will continue to the vicious UEFA playoffs in March to compete for the 4 final available slots. Hungary hosted the final match for both Hungary and Ireland on November 16, 2025, neither team able to fully qualify, but both contending here for the playoffs. Hungary needed only a draw to move on, while Ireland needed a win.

At just 3 minutes, Hungary scored the first goal to set their immediate daunting lead. The match continued scrappy from that point on, high energy and desperation from both teams charging their playing. Neither country is favored to make it into The World Cup, with Ireland’s most recent appearance in 2002, and Hungary’s in 1986. This time around, both teams have strong players carrying national hopes on each side, Ireland’s hero with two goals against Portugal just three days prior, Troy Parrot, and Hungary’s captain the Liverpool star, Dominik Szoboszlai. The qualifiers are an incredible series of matches to see these fierce teams as they scrap it out, and play with a kind of energy and madness that really makes the game special. It’s not a clean or perfect match from either team, but that kind of toe-to-toe brawl into a last minute, game-deciding hattrick goal is the pure vision of drama that’s special to The World Cup.

Ireland will continue to the playoffs after the unbelievable last minute score from Troy Parrot crushed Hungarian dreams 2-3. They will face The Czech Republic on March 26, 2026. If they win, Ireland will need to beat Denmark or North Macedonia during the playoff final to finally advance to The World Cup

-Pauly

The post KRUI Staff Picks our Favorite Media of 2025 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Shortly after my Amazon Prime discovery, I started seeing ads for and hearing about Chalamet’s newest movie, Beautiful Boy, which opened a few weeks ago in the US. I quickly penciled it in my calendar as part of my weekend plans. Let me say, my obsession with Chalamet only grew after seeing the film.

The movie is based on the acclaimed memoirs of David and Nic Sheff, father and son respectively, who chronicle their personal experiences with addiction. Nic, who is now 8 years sober and works to spread awareness about addiction as a disease, became hooked on crystal meth as a teenager and began living on the streets, going in and out of rehab. Both Carell and Chalamet expressed an added pressure for them to portray real people, but Nic and David themselves, upon seeing the final cut, stated it in an interview was overwhelming to watch because it was so realistic and true to their reality.

Moving forward and backward in time, the film makes a wise decision in seeking to tell the story as nonlinear, since addiction rarely follows a steady and reliable path to recovery. As David, played by Steve Carell, struggles to understand how his son spiraled out of control, he thinks back to Nic as a child who loved to surf, draw, and write but has since slipped away. The concept of “everything” is a testament to David’s devotion to his son- he tells Nic that all the words in the English language don’t measure up to how much he loves him – he loves him more than everything.

Carell is exceptional in his performance, articulating a mix of helplessness, desperation yet undying love for his son, despite the pain Nic had caused his whole family.

When he gets a call in the middle of the night that Nic is in a New York hospital, David gets on the next flight out of San Francisco. Chalamet also plays Nic very convincingly, teetering back and forth between broken, weepy apologies and explosive fits of anger and frustration. He demonstrates the stark contrast between a sober Nic that smiles and laughs and wants his family to be proud of him, and a Nic that shoots up in a bathroom stall and breaks into his own house.

There are precise moments when the audience is hopeful that Nic was able to turn it around. He enrolls in college, he checks into therapy, he moves back home and plays with his two younger siblings. But each time, he succumbs to the power of drugs, even going so far as to stealing money from his kid brother to buy them.

An especially haunting scene that sticks with me is when David finds Nic’s journal that is filled with disturbing drawings of creatures with needles, scribbles of swears and descriptions of how he now sees the world in “technicolor” with his use of drugs.

The use of drugs is never glamorized, rather it is painted as the monster it is; one that destroys seemingly normal families and sends its victims down a rabbit hole, one that is increasingly difficult to climb out of. It opens up a forum for discussion on addiction and how it can happen to anyone from any walk of life. I did think to myself that this story seems to exist in a sort of vacuum. Nic’s friends are never introduced, David is never at work, there a very few important characters that not part of Nic’s immediate family. This thought did not stop me from being captivated by what I was seeing.

I recommend seeing this movie not only for its performances by the leading characters, but since it puts a face to the nationwide epidemic of addiction. The credits of the movie reveal that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50 – an astounding and humbling fact. If you know someone who is showing Fentanyl Addiction Signs, it is never too late to get them help.

The post Beautiful Boy: Movie Review appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Flavors of Youth, originally known as 肆式青春, Sì shì qīngchūn, is a movie that explores three people in different Chinese cities: Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.

Each segment did a fantastic job of being original from the others while also keeping to the main themes of growth and nostalgia. When looking at an anime film such as this the three key elements are animation, story and sound.

Flavors of Youth is seen to have amazing backgrounds and animations of food. These are exactly what I would expect from a collaboration between CoMix Wave Films and Haoliners Animation League. CoMix might sound familiar as they were the production company for the award winning movie, Your Name.

This Japanese-Chinese co-production was based around the Chinese idiom 衣食住行, yī shí zhù xíng. This idiom means clothing, food, housing, and transport. It denotes the basic needs of life. The movie focuses three stories around this idea and how mundane things can have huge emotional importance for the characters.

The first story, directed by, Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing, explores that. It depicts a young man who seems to have lost a flavor of ramen

he had as a child with his grandmother. It explores his life through the dish and the different places he orders it. This story had the potential to rise and really set a high standard.

However, an unneeded, slightly creepy, unrequited love situation prevents that. Despite this, the grandmother and ramen aspect of the story was enjoyable and even got me thinking of past dishes like my Granddaddy’s applesauce. A flavor that when tried, can bring you back to your childhood.

The second story, directed by Yoshitaka Takeuchi, is plausibly the weakest vignette. It is focused on two sisters who have lost their parents. This story fails to mention or even show key details that would allow you connect with one of the sisters.

The connection to China and nostalgia get lost along the protagonist’s journey of being a model. Ultimately it comes off more of a saccharine sitcom kinda ending than one grounded in nostalgia. This was the only section handled by a Japanese director; which could attribute to the different atmosphere this one gave off considering the movie is based on growing up in China.

The third and final story is directed by Li Haoling, a director who is known for incorporating smooth yet rich animation to many of his works. It focuses on a young man who moves back to Shanghai after many years of being away. He finds an old tapes him and a young love sent to each other and through them they reconnect. However, this one had many stereotypical scenes that never really seemed fully original. It just wasn’t the masterpiece I expected from Haoling.

Flavors of Youth falls short in not only story but sometimes animation as well. The movie seemed very focused on backgrounds.

The cities and towns were simply amazing throughout the film.

A risk that comes with extensive detail in backgrounds is loss of focus
on the characters themselves. This became clear throughout the film, especially
if compared to CoMix’s animation work on Your Name.

One thing that does need to be considered is this was a co-production. An issue that can commonly unknowingly come up is difference in artistic views. While only slight, this can be seen in the three different stories, all of which were handled by different teams.

While this is more effective and time efficient it does come with its issues. This can be seen in inconsistencies in the overall artistic vision and slight difference of atmosphere in the three stories. Many times it was the soundtrack that helped set the atmosphere.

By no means was this a bad film, it just didn’t own up to either of the production staffs previous work. Another huge factor is the fact this was both translated and edited into an ‘international edition’. There are few changes in the story itself, the language doesn’t always translate best it could.

While there were many discrepancies in the film it did do an amazing job of quickly taking you through three lives in different Chinese cities. The animation flowed very smoothly and while the characters didn’t match up to the background it wasn’t anything that took away from the films enjoyment.

Overall, the film did a superb job of exploring showcasing Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai through three lives. This insight, while not as intimate as the production staff had planned for, did do its job it making the viewer nostalgic.

Overall : B-

—————-
Story : C
Animation : B-
Music : B

The post Flavors of Youth: a Tasteful Nostalgia appeared first on KRUI Radio.

My goal in this column is to put a spotlight on artists and help show them to people of my generation. That’s why I made the choice of Mel Brooks to be my first. Brooks is responsible for some of the biggest comedic movies in this century. He has created such classics as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Space Balls, and High Anxiety. 

Mel Brooks is a world famous director, writer, and actor. He has span generations and his humor is a timeless explanation of humor having no barriers. Mel Brooks is my biggest influence in comedy and writing so I thought it was only right to have him be my first Spotlight.

Mel Brooks started out being a comic writer for Sid Caesar when he was young, then had his huge break with The 2000-Year-Old Man in the mid 1960s. This Comedy act starred Mel Books as the 2000-year-old man and Carl Reiner as an interviewer.

Throughout this act Brooks and Reiner would improvise this ancient man’s experiences and adventures throughout his life, which covered everything from the Roman Empire to the birth of Jesus.

Brooks has such a ruthless absurd humor that it truly struck a chord with me as a child. I remember being in 6^th grade and watching Blazing Saddles and being in awe of just how wacky this movie was. I couldn’t believe how they actually let a person make it. If you haven’t seen Blazing Saddles, it’s a spoof on western movies of the 60s and 70s.

By the end of it the villain, Hedley Lamarr, is literally chased off the movie set of Blazing Saddles and into the Warner Bros lot where the film is being filmed. All the while, the good guys and bad guys fist fight through other movies and even through the company’s cafeteria.

This scene has stuck with me since a child and I still find it outrages and humorous. The movie ultimately ends with Hedley Lamarr being caught by the hero sheriff at a movie theater watching the movie Blazing Saddles. That’s right! They destroy the 4^th wall in this movie! As a child this melted my mind.

My second big encounter with Mel Brooks was The Producers, a movie where two producers find out they can make more money with a flop of a musical on Broadway than a hit. So they try to find the worst musical, director and actors to ensure this will be a flop.

Their musical is a massive success and they go into bankruptcy and end up going to prison. The funny thing is that their “Guaranteed flop” musical that turns out to be a huge hit is called “Spring Time for Hitler”.

Truly a ridiculous and offensive idea for a musical and that’s why they think it will fail yet because of how funny and ridiculous the music and acting in the play is, it’s a huge hit and everyone loves it.

Brooks has always had a way with muiscal numbers in his movies and many of which are about incredibly dark topics. These topics range from Hitler or the 15th century, The Spanish Inquisition.

In his movie ,The History of the World Part Two, Brooks has a giant 1950s style music dance number with himself singing about the Infamous Spanish Inquisition. Click Here for a video of it. This was yet another reason why I deeply love his movies and the use of dark humor found in them.

As you can tell his movie may offend a lot of people if they are told about them and haven’t seen them but the humor comes from a very sincere and warm place. Brooks, a proud Jewish man who fought in World War II has always seen humor as a way to make tough things you don’t talk about easier and funnier to talk about.

When asked why he makes fun of Hitler so much Brooks said, “By using the medium of comedy, we can try to rob Hitler of his posthumous power and myths.” Mel Brooks loves to make comedy out of all situations.

He’s famous for a career that pokes fun at all things no matter race, religion, or background in his movies but is always known to be kind and caring with others no matter who they were.

When it comes to making movies, Mel Brooks has taken huge chances and needed a lot of courage. Over my years of being a fan of him I have learned that Mel Brooks truly loves making his movies and making people laugh and I think that’s why I admire him so.

I think it’s important for people of our generation to know about this man because he can teach up how humor connects us all. He is a guy who caught the bug for laugher and showmanship at a young age. Once you catch that bug there’s no getting rid of it and that’s why at 91 years-old he is still fierce and courageous when it comes to his comedy.

For more information on what Mel Brooks is currently doing check his website out Here.

Starting Movies

• Young Frankenstein
• Blazing Saddles
• The Producers
• Spaceballs

The post Ozzy’s Spotlight: Mel Brooks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

For starters, many people despise Titanic simply because it was and remains a cinematic juggernaut.  Similarly to the 21st century New England Patriots, it’s common in society to hate the best.  With a redundant romantic storyline that some feel distract the attention away from Titanic’s historical truth, it’s easy to see why so many people are proud to share their movie taste is better than the average peasant who becomes emotionally attached to Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt Bukater’s love story.   I respect that opinion, but it’s a bleak, narrow-minded way of looking at the film.

James Cameron head-started this project by performing deep sea dives into the Atlantic and archiving footage of the relic itself.  His findings inspired the fictional, romantic tale of Jack and Rose, two names forever stitched into the hearts of moviegoers around the world.  As a result, the footage found its way onto the big screen as Titanic‘s first story arc revolving around deep sea divers looking for a missing blue diamond, the Heart of the Ocean, last scene on the sunken ship.  

This opening wasn’t needed, Cameron could’ve just started the movie set in 1912; but chose to base the story off his incredible, and ambitious advances in underwater cinematic technology and deep sea diving.  

At its time, the Titanic was out of this world; a marvelous human industrial achievement that according to many even the almighty couldn’t bring down.  That itself is the lens in which Cameron crafts his story around.  He invents almost this modern cinema of the attractions, one that utilizes the advances of CGI and New Hollywood technological advances to portray his epic.  

Focusing on familiar dialogue and the love triangle of Cameron’s tale is a common mistake, rather the world Cameron creates as a whole is vast and breathtaking.  How Cameron was able to recreate the 883 foot, 52 thousand ton vessel is an accomplishment in itself.  That’s only the ship’s exterior, as Cameron was able to explore the inner beauty of Titanic: from its Victorian dining halls and china ware, to an intense, miserable boiler room.  

  While the dialogue according to many is cheesy, I find it rather simplistic, which for a giant blockbuster makes sense.  Simple doesn’t equate to cheap either, rather it opens up a relationship that people from all ages and backgrounds can relate to.  The story of Jack and Rose is common: two lovers from vastly different backgrounds help each other find themselves and eventually fall in love.  

Because of its straightforward plot, teenagers and adults can both relate to the common emotional elements, like Rose being an outcast to family expectations and the fun, spontaneous relationship Jack and Rose embody.  

Arguably my favorite scene in the movie is when Cameron distinguishes the social classes of the early 1900’s by demonstrating a typical night for both the rich and the poor.  As an artistic statement on class, Cameron places the poor passengers on the bottom floors of the vessel and the rich on the top close to the deck. He illustrates the neatness and arrogance of the rich, with their sole fixation on money by putting a nomadic Jack Dawson into the mix to share his philosophical, charming views on life.

After the snooze fest, Jack invites Rose for a night with the drunken, yet appealing common folk that helps Rose discover there’s more to the world than expensive weddings and arranged, abusive marriages.  

Another area of Titanic many like to criticize is its prolonged ending.  While this argument has some substance, Cameron chose to extend the ending to showcase the heartbreaking, yet amazing spectacle through his impressive use of CGI, set design, and cinematography.   

Oh, and there’s the death of Jack.  Yes, he could have probably fit on the wooden board with Rose, but that defeats the purpose of the film.  The tragedy of the Titanic was all about loss, and for Cameron to implement this and have audiences feel this, Jack had to go.  

With all of its flaws, Cameron’s Titanic will continuously stand the test of time because of its breathtaking cinematography, ambitious approach, and simplistic, yet relatable romantic tale led by powerful performances by Dicaprio and Winslet.  Dare I not even mention James Horner’s impeccable soundtrack, one that perfectly captures the raw emotions of the characters and the grand, luxurious Titanic.  

This December, 27 marks Titanic’s 20th anniversary, as I was reminded via home video of my sister on her birthday in 1998 getting a Titanic movie poster. How time flies, while Titanic extraordinarily will forever stay put.  

The post Breaking the Fourth Wall: Titanic Still Holds Up 20 Years Later appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The story follows Jack Gurney, played by O’Toole, who inherits the estate of his father after a bizarre death, who was also a member of the British House of Lords. When he returns home, the Gurneys are shocked to find that he is adamant in the belief that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ, and wishes to return the world to love and charity. Unfitting of a member of the aristocracy, Jack’s family plot to take the estate from him in any way they can.

As water is wet and as the sun is hot, Peter O’Toole delivers an Oscar worthy performance (though he would lose that year to Marlon Brando for his role in The Godfather). For the first half of the film he plays a seventies infused Christlike man with grace and humorous absurdity. He was good at being dainty, flighty and scatterbrained with a dash of unsettling innocence.

After the pivot point of the movie, about halfway through when the family goes to their most extreme measure to cure Jack of his paranoid schizophrenia, O’Toole’s performance is no longer just unsettling, it becomes frightening. His actions and words in the last half of the film sit in the pit of my stomach like a rock, and it’s truly uncomfortable as much as it is unforgettable, especially in one scene that is used in so many O’Toole montages, and for good reason. All I’ll say is that it involves a scream.

The rest of the cast performs well and don’t detract from the film, in any way. Each character is particularly slimy in their own way, especially Jack’s family members played by William Mervyn, Coral Browne and James Villiers.

With a run time of two and a half hours, The Ruling Class is almost twice as long as the average comedy and it hits harder. It’s an indictment of pretty much every institution one could shake a stick at from religion to government to the aristocracy. The Ruling Class pulls no punches. It is mean spirited and relentless in the rejection of establishment.

The humor, which is sometimes important in a comedy, is more often than not a slow burn in The Ruling Class. There are a few moments that are genuinely funny, and they’re all in the first half with Jack’s hi-jinks as Jesus Christ. Much of the comedy also stems from the crafty dialogue scattered throughout.

The Ruling Class does not feature many gut busting laughs nor does it feature a great deal of musical numbers (in fact there are only a handful) for a musical comedy. As a genre movie it is a black sheep, a beast of its own, in a league of its own.

Another facet of this film which is truly standout, is its imagery. The costume and makeup artistry on O’Toole in the first half of the movie gives him a striking resemblance to most Caucasian depictions of Christ. The shock therapy scene also features tremendous direction and visuals energizing it full of suspense and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Lastly, the ultimate scene of the film has a blunt yet effective visual to represent a certain set of the British establishment, and it resonates.

The Ruling Class deserves a spot in the pantheon of black comedy alongside Dr. Strangelove and Kind Hearts and Coronets (a film that I look forward to exploring later on). It is darkly humorous, sometimes shocking, often times uncomfortable, and altogether unforgettable.

The post The Trunk Movie Club: The Ruling Class appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A great movie soundtrack includes songs that compliment the mood of the scene, seamlessly cultivating an immersive world within the movie that the viewer becomes a part of. Here are some movie soundtracks that accomplish this, and are critical to the identity of the film.

Boyhood 

Richard Linklater’s 2014 classic “Boyhood” features the 12-year progression of a boy named Mason. As Mason and his family mature and develop throughout the 2000’s, the film’s soundtrack plays a hugely important part in creating a sense of nostalgia, along with being a huge bonding point between Mason and his father.

The film opens with the sunny and innocent strum of Coldplay’s “Yellow” as a young Mason gazes up into the clouds. Various popular indie staples are mixed in throughout the movie with immediately recognizable pop songs that indicate what was popular at the particular time period Mason is being portrayed. Mason and his father (Ethan Hawke) share a bond in the car as the father gives Mason a lesson on how phenomenal the production is on Wilco’s “Hate it Here”.

Most of the film takes place in Houston, Texas, where director Richard Linklater grew up as a kid. As a result, many songs from Arcade Fire’s 2010 album “The Suburbs”, a concept album about growing up in the suburbs of Houston, are utilized. Later in the film, when Mason is driving down the highway with his girlfriend Sheena, Arcade Fire’s “Suburban War” plays and helps the scene to convey the sprawling, late-evening haze of the Texas countryside. As Mason delivers one final monologue with a friend he met at college and looks into the camera for a split-second, the credits roll and Arcade Fire’s “Deep Blue” plays, putting an end to the 3-hour epic.

No mention of Boyhood’s soundtrack would be complete without mention of the song central to the film’s DNA: “Hero” by Family of the Year. Every trailer for the film featured the slow acoustic song that gradually builds into a rollicking anthem. The song plays in the most pivotal scene in the movie, when Mason finally leaves for college and drives himself alone across Texas to his new home.

Boyhood uses its soundtrack to support its narrative structure, and the songs featured are a huge part of the film.

500 Days of Summer

500 Days of Summer chooses songs to enhance the particular mood of each scene, whether it be funny or heartbreaking.

From the very start of the movie, it is clear that music choice is very important to the film. Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) bond over their love of the Smiths, as Tom gets in an elevator with Summer early in the film and she comments on her love of the Smiths’ song coming from Tom’s headphones, “There is a Light that Never Goes Out”.

The first time that Tom and Summer hang out outside of work, Tom sings passionate karaoke to The Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man”; later, after Tom and Summer break up, Tom sings a drunk and painfully funny rendition of The Clash’s “Train in Vain”. In one of the most recognizable scenes from the film, after Tom and Summer hook-up for the first time, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s character has a hilarious and charismatic stroll down the street full of dancing, set to Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams”.

As Tom and Summer’s relationship flourishes, upbeat indie songs like The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” are used to convey the newfound spark found between the two. As their relationship disintegrates, however, the soundtrack reflects this and pairs heart-wrenching scenes with emotional songs. While Tom reflects on all of the signs that him and Summer’s relationship was doomed, Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bookends” plays in the background as Tom realizes that he romanticized his relationship.

Perhaps the most emotionally impactful use of a song in any movie comes from the incredibly shot scene towards the end of the movie, otherwise known as the “Expectation vs. Reality” scene. Tom thinks he has rekindled a relationship with Summer, and has an expectation in his head of how the night will go, contrasted with the reality of the night which is much more upsetting. Regina Spektor’s soft piano ballad “Hero” serves as a backdrop for this heartbreaking scene as Tom discovers that Summer is engaged.

Garden State

Garden State is a movie that defines the cluelessness and youthful angst of being in your mid-20’s with no direction. In Zach Braff’s directorial debut, he uses the same tender combination of humor and sentimentality that made Scrubs such a success. Also like Scrubs, the film has a fantastic soundtrack, a soundtrack widely responsible for popularizing The Shins.

The soundtrack of the film is comprised of soft folk and slow indie anthems. The first song in the film is “Don’t Panic,” a short and poignant song by Coldplay that starts playing after the main character Andrew (Zach Braff) learns of his mother’s death. The slow and sweet romantic songs compliment the emotional weight of the film very well as Andrew and his relationship with Sam (Natalie Portman) progresses.

The Shins make their first appearance in the film as Andrew rides his vintage motorcycle down the street, with “Caring is Creepy,” the first song off of their debut album “Oh Inverted World” playing in the background.

When Andrew first meets Sam in the waiting room of his doctor’s office, she is listening to music through her vintage headphones and hands them to Andrew, claiming that this song will change his life. The song turns out to be “New Slang” by The Shins, a song that effectively became cemented as one of the best and most recognizable indie songs of the 2000’s.

As the film ends, Andrew and Sam’s relationship is up in the air, as Andrew debates moving back to Los Angeles, leaving Sam behind. “Let Go” by the band Frou Frou plays and the ending is left on an ambiguous note. “Let Go” captures the uncertainty and spontaneity of being young and in love and is a perfect song to close the film on.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Whereas Garden State’s soundtrack succeeds in its ability to create the angsty nostalgia of the early 2000’s, The Perks of Being a Wallflower encapsulates the early 90’s era of cassette mixtapes, finding new songs through the radio, and bonding with friends over good music.

The film shows high school freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman) navigate his way through high school as a shy kid that eventually finds himself through finding others. Charlie and his friend group pride themselves on their music taste, and there are countless iconic scenes from the movie that are made even better by the song choice.

Before Charlie meets his new friends Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), he sits in his room listening to his sister’s boyfriends mixtape that she pawns off on him. The Smiths song “Asleep” plays as Charlie struggles at the beginning of the school year, but it is a pivotal moment for his character as he begins to form an identity. Charlie bonds with Sam over their love of the Smiths, exactly like Tom and Summer in 500 Days of Summer.

At the school dance, Charlie stands off to the side as Sam and Patrick begrudgingly dance to crap popular music, until “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners comes on and the three new friends share a moment of friendship together. The high energy song combined with the new and exciting friendship is perfect and heartwarming.

Of course, the Perks of Being a Wallflower is most widely known for its use of David Bowie’s “Heroes”. The three friends refer to it as the ‘tunnel song’ as they first hear it when driving through a tunnel at night and don’t know what the song is until the end of the movie. The three main characters hop in a truck as Charlie gives an emotional final monologue while “Heroes” blares in the background. The unkempt emotion and freedom in Bowie’s voice mirrors Charlie progressing as a character and finally breaking through his exterior shell.

Why song choice matters

For many, music in a film is nothing more than background noise. When movies utilize music correctly in a movie, however, it has the ability to enhance a scene to another level. The song says what the screen can’t, adding emotional depth and energy to the scene.

From the career-changing use of “New Slang” in Garden State, to the final emotional apex of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, featuring David Bowie’s “Heroes”, these four films are just some examples of movies that used the medium of song to give incredible weight to their scenes, immersing viewers entirely. This is why a great movie soundtrack is so important.

The post Music MATTers: Iconic Movies with Even More Iconic Soundtracks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The story follows the successful son of Henry Frankenstein, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein and his family as they move in to a town suspicious of his family name. Although he is eager for a fresh start, Wolf can’t help but be enthralled by his father’s papers and laboratory from his life changing experiment with the Monster.

Meanwhile a misanthropic old shepherd and grave robber named Ygor knows the secrets of the Monster, and plans to use Wolf to restore the Monster back to life and take revenge on the local town for hanging him.

The technical level of the film may not be mind blowing or game changing, but it retains the impressive makeup artistry of the previous films and the Monster looks as impressively inhuman and frightening as ever. The sets are grand and stylish from the massive castle to the creepy cramped caves around the laboratory.

The score is big and booming like most horror films of the day and serves as a superb exclamation point to each rise in tension.

Son of Frankenstein features an all-star front three of Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff, three legends of an elder age of horror and mystery cinema.

Rathbone is suave and charismatic as Wolf, although while the story continues and he starts to crack, his performance also cracks and gets awkward in an inorganic way.

Lugosi, on the other hand, rocks his role as Ygor from start to finish. Dracula himself joins the film as another sinister character of a spiteful old man with the power of a monster at his whim. He plays the role of the crackpot old coot perfectly with a touch of menace in the right places.

Last but certainly not least, Boris Karloff returns in his signature role as the Monster. All the way down to his frightening growls and uncanny movements, Karloff embodies the terrifying image of Frankenstein’s Monster once again.

Now in the context of the present day, it’s worth discussing that there are two ways to watch this movie. The first way is to watch it for the movie itself and have a silver age scare; the second way is to examine the movie to see what Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein lifted from and parodied.

There’s a number of scenes and elements in Son of Frankenstein ripped off in Brooks’ love letter to the classic series: the inspector with the wooden arm, the use of music to control the Monster, just to name a few.

So in a way Son of Frankenstein serves not only as a continuation of the Frankenstein series, film royalty, but as setting the stage for one of the most brilliantly executed parodies of film ever made.

While it’s not a trend setter like the original or as recognizable as Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein holds it own and with creations like Young Frankenstein, proves that it still has a satisfying amount to offer among the higher classics.

For more Basil Rathbone, check out The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Robin Hood.

For more Bela Lugosi, watch another horror classic Dracula. 

The post The Trunk Movie Club: Son of Frankenstein appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The story follows the United States as the world faces a global crisis: a rogue general has ordered an air strike on Russia while the president and all his men gather in a war room to try and stop the catastrophe from happening. The stakes are raised even higher when it’s revealed the Russians have a doomsday machine that will activate and destroy the world in the event of an attack. It’s a nail-biting race against time to plan for a potential Armageddon. It’s also a genius and dastardly funny film in almost every scene.

It’s also a genius and dastardly funny film in almost every scene.

The first narrative centers on President Merkin Muffley (played by Peter Sellers), his cabinet members, and generals, including the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Buck Turgidson (played by George C. Scott). Muffley, a milquetoast administrator, slowly loses his grip while the situation gets even dier and panics as time passes. Turgidson is a bombastic gung-ho general, never quite grasping how deadly the situation is.

About halfway into the movie, the cabinet brings out the title character, Dr. Strangelove (also played by Sellers), an ex-Nazi scientist to consult on preparing for the Doomsday Machine. The quirks of this character include, but are not limited to, an outrageous German accent, a rogue right hand that often sieg heils out of nowhere, alongside totally crackpot ideas for when humanity that just might have to burrow underground.

The second narrative is set on rogue Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (played by Sterling Hayden), made totally paranoid by the Cold War, and has not only ordered a strike on Russia, but has turned US troops against each other on their own army base. It’s up to put-upon Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (also played by Sellers) to get the air strike cancel codes from Ripper and halt the catastrophe, and he gets a front row seat to Ripper’s insane rants about “denying his bodily essence” to the Russians and other crazy nonsense.

The third narrative is set aboard a US bomber flying over Russia captained by Major “King” Kong (played by Slim Pickens). Pickens’ Kong is a straight-up cowboy, straight up to his last scene, a clip that most people have seen involving a yeehaw and a bomb.

The movie is shot and played straight as a heart attack, like an old war film down to the use of black and white instead of colorful photography. When rogue Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (played by Sterling Hayden) is monologuing to Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (played by Peter Sellers), the camera puts him in an imposing and dramatic angle. All while he’s talking about something completely absurd.

The performances are fantastic in this movie. Sellers juggles three different characters excellently and brings three different types of humor for each role, and while Sellers gets most of the acting attention from this movie, his costars are often just as entertaining. Scott steps out of his comfort zone and is practically bouncing off the walls for his character, and Hayden is a perfect dose of really dark humor as you can’t help but laugh at his insane but deadpan rants.

The writing is sharp at every corner regarding military culture, the uselessness of the political elite, and the mania of Cold War politics and the nuclear arms race. By the end, it feels as if the characters really deserve the ending they received in the negative perspective. And when the laughs wear off the sequence of events is jarring and uncomfortable.

Dr. Strangelove is an unforgettable film, but may require more than a single watch to catch every meaningful moment. Fortunately, it’s well worth more than one viewing. 

And now for some supplementary viewing

For more Stanley Kubrick, check out 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining

For more Peter Sellers, watch The Pink Panther

For more George C. Scott, check out Patton and The Hustler

The post The Trunk Movie Club: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The story follows an unnamed protagonist (listed as “Nada” in the credits) played by Roddy Piper, a famous WWF pro wrestler. Piper plays a drifter moving to Los Angeles from Colorado, looking for a new job. He joins a construction crew where he befriends another down on his luck man named Frank, played by Keith David. Frank takes Nada to stay at a homeless camp for some food and some rest. At the camp, Nada sees that something strange is going on with a neighboring church and a faint transmission on the camp’s television.

The transmission warns that humanity has been taken over and enslaved, lulled into complacency by hypnotic radio signals, and that rising up against their recently discovered masters is imperative. Nada investigates the church to find it’s a hideout for freedom fighters against this enemy, working on means of striking back.

After he discovers the true purpose of the church, the camp is raided by the police, and everyone is scattered, leaving behind only hidden boxes of sunglasses. Nada tries the sunglasses on, and through the lenses he sees an alien race in disguise among humans and the hidden messages they spread through advertisements and magazines and the like.

From then on, the film becomes a fun, exciting action-packed romp. The gunfights are entertaining, every punch and kick has weight to it, and all the action is kicked off by one of the best lines in movie history. 

Roddy Piper is so entertaining as Nada. At first he plays it quiet and soft like a gentle giant, but when the plot picks up he hits the ground running, turning into the epitome of the 80s-90s pulpy action hero. He has the grit and intensity punctuated by schlock-filled one liners and moments of human heart and charm.

His costar Keith David does an excellent job as a hardworking down on his luck every-man. His reactions to the absurdity of their situation are really grounded and relatable. He’s really the heart and soul of the movie. Some of his actions may be frustrating to the audience because the plot stalls, but it’s all part of an earned character development that pays off so well the audience is rooting for him again.

These moments are not only a testament to Piper’s and David’s talent, but to Carpenter’s writing and direction as well. Carpenter put a human heart in his macho juggernaut and this really helps the movie thrive. He puts Nada and Frank through the wildest of situations and really makes the audience care about their well being.

It’s a punk rock opera with a lot of heart. The story is blatantly anti-establishment, anti-bourgeois consumer culture and places the responsibility for these societal ills on the shoulders of humanity. Sure, the aliens are the masterminds behind the humans’ captivity but they do it with the help of willing participants.

Underneath the shining paint of a fun action movie, Carpenter does instill a moral story of solidarity, particularly in the lower levels of society to work for what really matters. To stand up together, even in defying authority, to survive and thrive. Maybe consumer culture isn’t the right direction for humankind to truly thrive.

Elements like strong character and a provocative story make for a really memorable action movie, putting it head and shoulders above the other action films of its time. They Live is a hallmark of 80s action, and is a full on classic. 

For more John Carpenter, check out The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and of course Halloween.

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