Feathered Friends Take Flight

Despite poorly developed characters and a lack of plot, Kyle Edward Ball’s indie horror flick “Skinamarink” creates one of the most unnerving experiences in film through its intense atmosphere and unique cinematography.

Produced primarily through crowdfunding with a meager budget of $15,000, “Skinamarink” follows two children named Kaylee and Kevin who wake up to find their parents have disappeared, along with all the doors and windows to their house. Despite the fact that the two children — played by newcomers Lucas Paul and Dali Rose Tetreault — are the only two characters in the film, they are almost never fully seen on screen, always obstructed or just out of frame. The plot is similarly confusing, as the ma- jority of the film revolves around the children wandering around their house looking for ways to cure their boredom. This means the film has no visible characters, no real plot, and was made on a budget equal to a single UTD semester. And yet, despite its many obstacles, “Skinamarink” may be the most terrifying film of the year, as the elements that appear to be the film’s weaknesses actually help entrench fear in the viewer’s imagination.

The lack of characterization and plot could be seen as major flaws of the film, but both of these choices actually serve to absorb the audience further into the film’s chaos. “Skinamarink’s” only characters are two confused and fearful children. Even though the characters have little else that defines them, the audience is immediately connected to them because each member of the audience can relate to being a scared child. The characters don’t need any greater purpose because the characters wdon’t really matter, as they are simply extensions of the audience’s own childish terror. Thus, there is not really a need for a plot. A child doesn’t need a reason to be

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Before Valentine's Day, learn the do’s and don’ts of the first stages of courtship from “Single’s Inferno,” the hit Korean reality dating show whose second season is gaining international popularity.

“Single’s Inferno” revolves around 12 singles who are thrust onto Inferno — a remote island — and told to mingle in an attempt to forge a romantic bond in nine days. This is remarkably similar to the atmosphere of a college campus at the start of the semester, which can be doomed with small talk. Some of the contestants are college students, so it’s fun to imagine spending a summer on a dating reality show instead of worrying about next semester’s courses. The show’s rules state that contestants can’t mention their age or occupation. Forcing them to rely on their natural charms. Contestants engage in both amusing ploys for attention and interactive guessing games. If a couple expresses mutual interest in each other or win enough games, pairs can escape Inferno and have a date night at Paradise, an extravagant resort. Though the contestants change each

The Oscar nominations brought both bountiful wins for movie lovers and despicable snubs of amazing performers like Mia Goth. Amongst big names, one lesser known film that deserves a handful of Oscars is “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which captures the complexity of human relationships in a single story and pulls the viewers into the chaos with a delightfully tender cast of characters.

This beautiful film stands out from many of the Best Picture nominees – it doesn’t scream blockbuster, making its acclaim much more powerful. The film follows Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Bredan Gleeson), two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when Colm ends their friendship without warning. This sudden breakup leads to Pádraic’s relentless attempts to mend their relationship in ways that hurt the people around them, such as his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and young outcast Dominic (Barry Keoghan), while Colm resorts to drastic measures to keep Pádraic out of his life.

behavior, Pádraic is one of the most lovable characters to hit the big screen this year, and it was hard to let him go at the end of the film.

The viewers are first drawn into the picturesque setting of the west coast of Ireland, with its rolling hills, vast greenery and quaint cottages. With few townspeople and roaming farm animals, the fictional island of Inisherin seems straight out of a storybook. But with a small population comes monotonous lifestyles and endless gossip. This sense of repetition and declining relationships changes the fairytale setting into a murky, hostile isle, allowing for the audience to see the world through Pádraic’s eyes as he loses his happygo-lucky demeanor.

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The acting can only be described as pure life. Farrell portrays all of Pádraic’s emotions vividly and can make the audience sob and burst out laughing simultaneously. Farrell perfectly syncs with the entire cast — including Jenny, the donkey — and in doing so, presents achingly deep relationships that sum up the complexity of the human race. The character interactions are loving and painful, showing how friendship isn’t always a smooth road. Pádraic’s character is simple and sweet and leaves the audience wondering why Colm would suddenly discard him and his friendship. Despite his annoyingly persistent

The screenplay is immensely warm and provides so much character through basic diction and silence. The dialogue isn’t difficult to process despite the Irish slang, and the straightforward language is perfect for the working class of Inisherin. The writers prove that less is more and allow the silence to tug at the audience’s heartstrings. Viewers are able to befriend Colm — a man of few words — through his body language alone, and his effect on the scenes’ atmosphere is intensely somber.

Pádraic saying the line, “you used to be nice” deserves an Oscar alone. It’s simple, it’s cruel and it's bittersweet, just like the entire film.

The film isn’t for everyone; it is for people who feel intensely. It’s for the people who refuse to shy away from displays of emotion. “The Banshees of Inisherin” encapsulates everything that is wonderfully and horribly human and bundles it into one spectacular film.