In the last several years, the production powerhouse A24 has made itself a household name through its unique, unusual, and downright maddening approach to plots following the “typical story.” Though this company has produced several less-than-noteworthy creations, we’re here to show you that their highs outweigh their lows tenfold—so let's get started! 

The dawn of the American New Wave in the late 1960s brought new voices, classics, and storytelling techniques. Many of these have stood the test of time and have been utilized by generations of filmmakers since. Easily, the most popular of these methods is the “needle drop,” a practice that uses a pop song from any given era of music to help tell the story through diegetic or non-diegetic means. Needle drop saw its surge coinciding with the American New Wave as more filmmakers began utilizing it, making the practice streamlined into three categories. 

Clipping (stylized as clipping.) is an experimental hip-hop trio consisting of two producers, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, with main vocalist/rapper Daveed Diggs. You might know the latter due to his involvement in the famous musical Hamilton (2020), where he played Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. Nevertheless, that does not pertain to their music, where they try to experiment with strange hip-hop beats paired with Diggs’ normal rapping style.

Though the days of the steadfast argument over whether Call of Duty (2003-present) or Halo (2001-2021) was the best gaming series available on the Xbox are over, one of these two games stays at the forefront of our minds years removed: Halo. From the series’ majestic theme to its memorable weapons/maps variety, alongside several beloved campaigns featuring infamous characters like Master Chief and Cortana, the series has it all! It has been three years since this series’ last entry—Halo Infinite (2021)—was released, so Spartans, grab that energy sword and charge your shields as we take this opportunity to go down memory lane back to the prime of one of gaming's most legendary franchises.

If you were to ask, “Who are the most famous icons of cinema that came from the teachings of legendary ‘B’ movie producer Roger Corman?” You might get answers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, or James Cameron, but one you’ll hear less is that of Joe Dante. Dante is a filmmaker whose story echoes that of many of his peers, beginning with promise and a few hits under their belts, but ultimately getting spat out by the system. 

26-year-old Kayleigh Amstutz, better known by her stage name “Chappell Roan,” has become a prevalent face in the public eye over the past few months—even having the opportunity to perform during Coachella’s opening night this year. As with any artist who makes their way into the mainstream, some may wonder what it is about her, particularly, that warrants this attention. The most obvious answers are related to the singer’s aesthetic, the energy she brings to her music, and her presence both on and off the stage.  

The unique character of Hannibal Lecter has captivated audiences in his different novels, films, and television series since the early 1980s. The iconic cannibal’s first appearances can be traced back to two books by Thomas Harris. In this duology, Lecter is introduced to the world in Red Dragon (1981), where he must aid in capturing a murderer named “Tooth Fairy,” who appears for a second time in the novel The Silence of the Lambs (1988). Both books are excellently written, and it’s a shame most don't know Lecter originated within them. 

As some students may know, SUNY Geneseo’s annual GREAT Day takes place on Wednesday, Apr. 24. There will be a plethora of discussions, presentations, and showcases covering a range of topics and major interests. For English majors, something to keep in mind is the roundtable discussion—“Internships for English Majors: A Round Table”—which will take place in Bailey 102 from 4:30-5:45 p.m. During this discussion, five students—myself included—will share our experiences during and before obtaining internships with the department. 

During his book tour in San Francisco, author James Ellroy uniquely introduced himself to his readers, constructing a larger-than-life persona that has defined him as one of America’s finest contemporary crime novelists. When introducing himself to me, a reader diving into his crime novel, American Tabloid (1995), Ellroy uniquely showcases his literary vision of machine gun prose, mixing fiction and historical narrative, and an ever-deepening morass of self-perpetuating violence in his work.

Mike Flanagan is a prolific filmmaker in the horror world, having released his first notable film in 2011 and continuing to release a slew of horror movies—including Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), and Doctor Sleep (2019), amongst numerous others since. His films have become revered for their ability to seamlessly translate text to on-screen movie adaptations with Stephen King even commenting, "hypnotic, horrifying and terrific," in regards to the author’s rough cut viewing of Flanagan’s 2017 film adaptation of his book Gerald’s Game by the same name.

***Spoilers for The Matrix, Fight Club, and Office Space***

As a person born three years after the 1990s ended, that relatively small pocket in time looks to be a completely different planet, but three unforgettable films came out that year—The Matrix, Fight Club, and Office Space (1999)—all of which shared a similar theme: Escapism, specifically escaping from the confines of the mundane present, commonly represented through a bleak and sterile office setting. At the epicenter of these three films is a similar protagonist: a man who feels kept down by those in positions of authority over him, each sharing a feeling of oppression and having a narrative that deals with a distinct type of masculinity—all being shown as remedies to an issue at hand. 

Last summer marked the cultural phenomenon “Barbenheimer,” with the releases of Barbie (2023) and Oppenheimer (2023) occurring on the same day. Following in the footsteps of that legendary day in cinema, this past weekend presented the newest double-movie feature: “The Monkey Omen,” a name to describe the releases of the action film Monkey Man (2024) and the horror prequel The First Omen (2024). 

Recently, an overshadowed movie has made its way to streaming services, giving you another chance to witness its unhinged insanity for yourself. There’s only one way I can describe Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) outside of calling it a masterpiece that garnered a mere $14 million during its theatrical release: Horrible people make each other cry so that other horrible people will die. 

I have never played or been a fan of the hit 2015 indie game Undertale, created by Toby Fox, never following the lore nor known anything past the generic Sans-related lore that comes with the title. My ignorance has been highlighted lately through my social media feed, where I have continuously seen and ignored two side-by-side 2-D panels of a character looking into a mirror with a simple sentence placed below it; yet, my phone's continuous reprisal of the topic showed me it needed to be acknowledged. 

Several weeks ago, the 96 Academy Awards showcased another night of awards, most deserved, some not—I’m looking at you, Best Animated Short Film. For many, the so-called “biggest night in Hollywood” always has one or two glaring flaws, the most prominent of which is always the host. 

When watching Antonia Bird’s 1999 horror-comedy Western cannibal film Ravenous for the first time, I was initially tempted to think, ‘They don’t make ‘em like this anymore,’ but that would be doing the movie a disservice. Ravenous is truly a one of a kind, an unforgettable horror story of America eating itself alive at the edge of the frontier.