A&E

Rotunda Review: “Little Women,” Big Performances

By Brandi Dawson | March 31

Longwood’s theatre production of “Little Women” was exceptional, with a perfect balance between the acting aspect and the musical aspect. All of the actors in this production did a fabulous job in telling the story. Not only did the acting ...

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A&E

"Nosferatu:" Succumb to the Darkness

By Ashwin Smith | February 26

Set in 1830s Germany, real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) travels to Transylvania for a fateful meeting with Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), a prospective client. During his absence, Hutter’s new bride, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), is left under the care of their friends, Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) ...

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A&E

Rotunda Review: We’re Off to See Wicked!

By Brandi Dawson | February 6

In 2003, “Wicked” struck the Broadway stage. After its Broadway debut, “Wicked” quickly became one of the most successful Broadway shows of all time, being seen by more than 65 million people across the globe, according to the official Broadway site.After being a hit on Broadway, fans were long ...

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A&E

“A Complete Unknown:” Another Side of Bob Dylan

By Elena Lavigne | January 29

The ever-profitable genre of musician biopics struck again with James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” a surprisingly-solid biopic about the early years of Bob Dylan. Between an eclectic mix of songs, excellent casting, and a stellar final sequence, this movie succeeded in creating a balanced portrayal ...

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A&E

Joker 2: Manic Pixie Manson Wife

By Elena Lavigne | January 24

Todd Phillips’ 2016 hit Joker was a beautiful but ultimately vapid meditation on the cruelty of the mental health system. It masqueraded as an origin story to the Batman supervillain but was quickly and publicly co-opted by men who admired the film’s murderous protagonist, Arthur Fleck, for his ...

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A&E

Deadpool and Wolverine: A Fun Return to Disney Standard

By Elena Lavigne | September 23

While Tim Miller’s 2016 superhero comedy Deadpool was far from the first R-rated superhero movie (the Blade trinity, Watchmen, and various adaptations of The Punisher were all released years before, to name just a few examples), it came at just the right time to actually hit it big. The Marvel Cinematic ...

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A&E

‘Cowboy Carter:’ Sprawling, Genre-Defying, Beautiful, and Chaotic

By Tyler Bagent | April 22

Country music, in my book, has been on a downward spiral since the late 2000’s.  In the wake of all of the 2010’s hitmakers of country leaving relevance, they were replaced with some of the worst artists to hit radio in decades. Morgan Wallen makes bad country-inspired hip-hop for Trump Supporters, ...

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A&E

The Holdovers Left Nothing Behind This Christmas

By Anthony Anderson | March 11

Alexander Payne, director and screenwriter of award-winning films such as “The Descendants,” “Nebraska” and “Sideways,” has just released the next winter classic in “The Holdovers.” With a budget of 16 million dollars, Payne and the film's cast blew away viewers at the Toronto International ...

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A&E

Rotunda Review: “GUTS” by Olivia Rodrigo

By June Bollinger | October 31

Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album “GUTS” is a confident step forward that remains in touch with her earlier work. “GUTS” is as tightly themed as “SOUR”, Rodrigo’s first released album, and keeps the spotlight on the artist’s signature sound while exploring a larger variety of instrumental ...

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A&E

Taylor Swift’s Pop Reign Continues With “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”

By Tyler Bagent | October 31

In 2014, the New York Times’ review of the original “1989” declared, “Ms. [Taylor] Swift is aiming somewhere even higher, a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars...even bother aspiring to.” That same year, the success of “1989” prompted iconic journalist Barbara Walters to declare ...

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A&E

The Cure: Shows of a Lost World

By Elena Lavigne | September 26

For a show played 44 years after their 1979 debut, the Maryland date of post-punk/pop group The Cure’s tour “Shows of a Lost World” was stunningly good. The Cure performed at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, an amphitheater in Columbia that served as a catch-all date for the entire DMV. And catch ...

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A&E

"Crimes of the Heart," Stole Hearts

By Travis Bridgham | February 27

Longwood’s theater production’s rendition of the comedic tragedy “Crimes of the Heart” was both a joy to watch and a significant improvement from their last performance “Much Ado about Nothing.” With spectacular performances from the six actors, wonderful staging from the production crew, ...

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A&E

2023: Year of Action!

By Benton Parker McFadden | February 27

2023 is proving to be a year of action! Multiple studios have announced a slate of action films to be released this year. Marvel and Warner Brothers Discovery, both titans of the superhero genre, have announced multiple films for the summer of 2023.  Marvel will begin the year with a strong start ...

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A&E

When Lightning Struck Itself: Marquee Moon in Retrospect

By Elena Lavigne | February 27

In 1975, the rock band Television convinced Hilly Kristal, owner of legendary NYC music club CBGBs, to allow rock artists to perform on their stage. After this Television, Patti Smith, Blondie, and Talking Heads became regular performers at the club. Then-unknown “street rock” outfit Ramones opened ...

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A&E

The DCEU is DCeased

By Benton Parker McFadden | February 5

The DC Extended Universe, or DCEU, is nearing its end. The fate of the cinematic universe of brooding antiheroes, bubbly crusaders, and somewhat heroic supervillains was confirmed in Dec. 2022 by Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD). There had been concerns over the state of the DCEU earlier in the past ...

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A&E

The Owl House

By Charity Bailey | February 5

“The Owl House” is an animated fantasy comedy show on The Disney Channel created by Dana Terrace. It premiered Jan. 10, 2020 and received positive to moderate reviews from audiences and critics as season one started airing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The show started gaining more attention and ...

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A&E

Movie Review: My Policeman

By Jenna Lathom and Jenna Lathom | November 22

The film My Policeman is a heartbreaking, while also heartwarming, story of a forbidden love that takes place in Great Britain in the 1950’s. Which was at a time when conservative ideals took even more of a precedence over the things that could be considered humane. Along with that, during the film ...

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