Movie Review: “Aladdin” (Reviewed by Jake Hardison)

It’s been hard to gauge the level of anticipation for Disney’s recent streak of live-action adaptations. While many reboot attempts such as the recent Dumbo have seen lackluster reception from both critics and audiences, so far none have resulted in a complete box office disaster. So as far as Disney is concerned, there is a legitimate audience for these movies. So whether the truth of the studio’s live-action adaptations up to and...

Movie Review: “John Wick: Parabellum” (Reviewed by Jake Hardison)

I have a confession to make. This is really hard for me, but I think it needs to be said. After all, it’s 2019. Things are different. And even though I know I’ll get a lot of hate for this, I think it’s time for me to just come out and say it. I like action movies. There, I said it. Hopefully my mom will still hug me and my dad can look me in the eye. But part of the reason I say this is because of Keanu Reeves and the John...

Concert Review: The 4U: The Music of Prince with Symphony

2019 | THE 4U: THE MUSIC OF PRINCE WITH SYMPHONY The 4U: The Music of Prince with Symphony | Friday – May 10, 2019 | San Diego, CA – More Images By: @TheNoelStudios The 4U: The Music of Prince with Symphony tour stopped at Jacobs Music Center’s Copley Symphony Hall in San Diegoon Friday, May 10, 2019. Each show featured a live band with world class musicians and vocalists who performed alongside the orchestra. View this post on...

Movie Review: “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” (Reviewed by Jake Hardison)

We live in such a bizarre time in cinematic history. While there may be some fatigue with the consistent slate of sequels, reboots, franchise favorites, and adaptations, it certainly isn’t reflected in the box office, which continues to break records every year. At the same time, some of the ideas for new films that make headlines as they enter development seem to get bigger and weirder every year. That being said, a...

Movie Review: Aftermath

If you are like me and looking for a romantic and suspenseful film with a moral, redemptive narrative, then this movie is definitely a must watch. Staring an ensemble cast of A-list actors – Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke, Alexander Skarsgard, and Flora Thiemann – The Aftermath takes place in the wake of World War II where an English woman, Rachael Morgan (Knightley), is reunited with her English husband, Lewis Morgan (Clarke), in a...

Movie Review: Captain Marvel (Reviewed by Jake Hardison)

If you’re like me, the release of Captain Marvel in theaters was the first thing you marked on your calendar after getting home from watching Avengers: Infinity War last spring. Even the biggest fans of Marvel Comics have had a list of questions circling their head ever since they saw that red and blue logo light up on Nick Fury’s pager as it hit the ground. But the question that I’ve been focusing on most recently is broader than the...

Movie Review: “Avengers: Endgame”

Avengers: Endgame Review By Jake Hardison It’s been eleven years since Tony Stark escaped a cave, told the world he was Iron Man, and proved he had a heart. It was arguably one of the biggest moments in pop culture history and easily the biggest moment superhero movie history up to that point. And little did we know that the movie event of that decade would start a story that would come to a conclusion in the movie event of this...

Movie Review: Shazam (Reviewed by Jake Hardison)

In the wake of the multi-billion dollar success of this James Wan’s Aquaman, 2019 may have had a slow start, but what will undoubtedly be a gargantuan year in film and nerd fandom alike has already got its feet moving. Following last year’s massive box office numbers and record smashes by way of super sequels, franchise phenomenons, and live action reboots of animation classics, this year is set to see all that and then some. From the...

Movie Review: Dumbo (Review by Jake Hardison)

We live in a time where it seems like every year, nostalgia becomes more and more of a commodity. Every year the box office smashes records, and it does so with sequels, prequels, adaptations, reboots, and remakes. And while I could get theatrically profound about the implications of this trend and what it means to the art form and to the industry and to society, doing so would ironically be pretty uninspired and derivative, not to...

Theater Review: Menopause the Musical (Reviewed by Eddie B.)

As a twenty-eight year old male, I am pretty sure that I am far from eligible from experiencing Menopause. I have heard a fair share of the interestingly dinner timed stories from relatives that somehow made me want to stop eating cocktail sauce and seafood. Luckily, I am fortunate enough to have witnessed Menopause the Musical at the Welk Resorts Theatre in Escondido which gave me a much more light-hearted glimpse into what women go...