FILM Mauro Mazzariello (CAS '26) applauds the return of spoof comedy in 'The Naked Gun.' B2
MUSIC Ethel Cain hauntingly revisits the past in her album, says Patrick Clapsaddle (SFS '26). B4
FILM While chilling, Caroline Woodward (CAS '27) says horror film 'Weapons' is hollow. B6
SEPTEMBER 5, 2025
DC Studio's new era takes flight with James Gunn's latest, 'Superman.' B3
Grace Ko
Senior Guide Editor
IMDB
“The Naked Gun” brings reinvigorated spoof comedy in an animated fashion, says Mauro Mazzariello (CAS ’26).
Mauro Mazzariello Hoya Staff Writer
Ask your grandmother, or anyone old enough to remember Watergate, about fashion, and they will undoubtedly tell you that it’s cyclical. If you’re looking for any evidence, just spot me (or really anyone my age) wearing shirts that haven’t seen the light of day since my father wore them back in the ’80s. Pop culture as a whole will always come back like a well-aimed boomerang as genres and styles fall in and out of favor.
Akiva Schaffer’s “The Naked Gun” slaps you in the face with this pop-culture boomerang, for which you will find yourself thankful. It revives the spoof movie with full force, ready to make dark and incredibly bizarre jokes so outlandish they leave you wondering how the hell someone even came up with them.
“The Naked Gun” stars Liam Neeson as Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., an oblivious and violence-prone cop who drinks enough coffee to keep Folgers in business. After a series of bungles (trust me, they are actions of pure idiocy) and strange coincidences related to a bank robbery, Drebin sets out to solve the homicide
of software engineer Simon Davenport (Jason MacDonald) with the help of his partner Captain Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser).
He then finds himself face-to-face with generic evil billionaire Richard Crane (Danny Huston). Along the way, Drebin falls in love with Simon’s sister Beth (Pamela Anderson), who attempts to find her brother’s killer, with and without police help. Drebin and Beth race to stop Crane from releasing a “Kingsman”-esque P.L.O.T. Device (yes, reader, it is actually called a P.L.O.T. device) that would ravage Los Angeles.
While the plot may not sound like it’s worthy of the five-star rating it earned, the real magic of the movie lies in its humor. From the opening credits until the lights come up, the movie fires off high-quality jokes at a pace that makes Formula 1 look slow.
This could easily grow tiresome, like a friend who won’t stop making terrible jokes despite repeated threats, but the movie manages to avoid this comedy fatigue. Every gag and joke feels well-timed and appropriate (well, appropriate in timing, not appropriate in content). Even the movie’s O.J. Simpson joke lands without feeling forced or phony.
Some gags are brought back again and again, but each callback brings something new to the table. The humor never feels recycled, possessing a punchiness that will have you leaving the theater thankful that you chose this instead of “Together” (I want a refund, Dave Franco).
But wait, isn’t Liam Neeson that guy who threatens cold-blooded European terrorists with his particular set of acting skills? What’s he doing in a comedy? Well, the casting director deserves a raise, because Neeson delivers a spot-on performance that would have made Leslie Nielsen, the star of the original trilogy, proud. Neeson’s toughguy persona highlights the ineptitude of his character, making his idiotic actions even funnier as he does it all with a straight face.
Pamela Anderson also shines as Beth, whether she is scatting at a jazz club hilariously off-key or fighting a literal snowman brought to life (I can only hope someone would fight a snowman for me the way she does for Drebin).
Another notable performance comes from Hauser, who answers the age-old question ‘How many kids could you take in a fight?’ Despite playing a basic evil rich guy character,
Danny Huston does such a brilliant job of being the smug bad guy that you want to reach through the screen to punch him (I swear his face was meant for villainous roles).
“The Naked Gun” is as refreshing as that first sip of ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day. In a time where it feels like every new movie is just an unnecessary remake or a reboot of some beloved classic (I’m looking at you, “Roadhouse”), “The Naked Gun” manages to capture exactly what made the original trilogy so funny.
Of course, it is a nepo-baby film, piggy-backing off of the iconic “Naked Gun” trilogy featuring Nielsen and all-star running back O.J. Simpson (talk about aging poorly). The original movies were comedy-spoof gold, crammed with inappropriate and ludicrous gags. And, despite the reboot malaise that everyone and their mother is feeling, “The Naked Gun” finds its own groove while paying homage to what came before.
With a plethora of unexpected and colorful jokes that will have you glued to your seat and a hilarious cast of characters, “The Naked Gun” brings the spoof art form back to the spotlight.
Grace Ko Senior Guide Editor
If there has been one cornerstone of pop culture in the United States that has remained intact over the last century, it’s Superman. With his red undies and the iconic “S” on his chest, Superman has been the subject of countless comics, movies and television shows.
In the latest addition to this long list of interpretations, director James Gunn takes the helm of a new era with “Superman.” The result is an absolute joyride filled to the brim with an undeniable heart.
“Superman” works as a snapshot into the already-busy life of Clark Kent (David Corenswet), who, in universe, has been operating as Superman for the past three years. When we meet Kent, he’s just suffered his first defeat at the hands of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), beginning Luthor’s quest for his ultimate goal: the demise of Superman.
At first, “Superman” feels quite jarring. As its opening sequence renders Kent’s beginnings as Superman in just a single sentence,
the film immediately throws the audience head first into Kent’s life. The relationship between Kent and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) suffers most from this sudden shift. We meet the pair as a couple experiencing a rocky beginning to their relationship — their first scene together builds to a fight that leaves the pair jaded. Brosnahan and Corenswet’s charming chemistry does the legwork in convincing viewers the two are a couple, yet the script leaves too much of the pair’s dynamic to the audience’s imagination.
The film also takes an interesting focus on Superman, emphasizing his identity as an alien sent to live among humans. The central conflict hinges on a video message from his parents Luthor has recovered from Superman’s hidden base. Fully restored by Luthor’s team, the message Kent believed to be a directive to serve humanity turns out to be one pushing him to conquer Earth. This places Kent in tension with a society that has begun to see him as an outsider, especially due to his role in stopping a war between two foreign countries that has
people questioning whether an alien could — or should — impact foreign politics.
These two plot lines constitute the backbone of the film, emphasizing the beauty and power of a human connection when we put our differences aside to help one another. Gunn’s execution of this message is generally effective, however, there is not always such a smooth connection between these two plot lines. The shifts in focus make for a somewhat tumultuous third act that attempts to resolve two differing conflicts. At the movie’s best, it’s a cohesive story that focuses on the power of kindness, but at its worst, it feels overstuffed and unfocused. However, “Superman” is ultimately engaging, creating a unique universe through its surprisingly interesting visuals. In a romantic moment between Kent and Lane, blasts of warm color light up the room as the Justice Gang, a team of heroes, destroys a bioluminescent octo-squid monster. There’s also a soft hue that washes the film, coloring Metropolis in a cool filter that makes its world feel almost fantastical — as if taken straight out of a comic book.
IMDB
Grace Ko (CAS ‘27) hails the new “Superman” for soaring high and stealing hearts.
The film’s characters no doubt drive the uniqueness of its world. Gunn is no stranger to building a superhero ensemble, and his skills remain effective in constructing charming characters out of the heroes often left out of the spotlight. Alongside Superman is the Justice Gang, consisting of Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), whose time on screen is filled with charming, dry banter. Gathegi in particular is an absolute scene-stealer as Mister Terrific with his serious, all-work demeanor that overlays a strong determination.
For the little screentime they have, Kent’s coworkers at the Daily Planet are still dynamic characters as they scramble to publish their exposé of Luthor. Brosnahan’s Lane shines the most in this environment as a headstrong, smart reporter that goes to the literal ends of the Earth to find both Kent and the truth. Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) is also another standout, as he goes to his own supposed “limits” for the story, resulting in a recurring gag that ends in an unexpectedly sweet conclusion. As the titular character, Corenswet is a wonderful Superman to watch. There’s an innate sweetness to Corenswet reminiscent of a gentle giant, helping to craft a hero who cares deeply about the people he has promised to serve. Next to him, Hoult delivers a superb performance as Luthor — sharp and vicious, as well as just slightly off-kilter in his genius. Against Luthor’s foul nature, Hoult brings just enough vulnerability to the character to make him pitifully sympathetic. Gunn’s “Superman” is certainly a strong start to the newly branded D.C. Studios as it returns to the basics of what makes superheroes so compelling in the first place. While the sheer force of its action is sure to amaze, “Superman” truly saves the day by inspiring hope for what the best of humanity could be.
Patrick Clapsaddle Executive Editor
Hayden Anhedönia — Ethel Cain to the public — is no stranger to telling the story she wants to tell on her own terms. Anhedönia’s debut album, 2022’s “Preacher’s Daughter,” helped catapult the alternative Americana vocalist to critical acclaim and a cult following. With the release of “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You,” Cain shows off a shift in her musical keystone without losing sight of where she shines brightest.
@MOTHERCAIN/INSTAGRAM
Patrick Clapsaddle (SFS ’26) raves about the poignant lyricism and otherwordly vocals of Ethel Cain on her newest album.
sume Cain. Like the inflammatory stinging nettle plant, Cain views herself as a liability — “To love me is to suffer me.” The lyrics and composition on “Nettles” are perhaps the peak of artistic and narrative expression on all of “Willoughby Tucker.” The juxtaposition of angelic vocals and heartwrenching lyrics speaks to Anhedönia’s mastery.
“Dust Bowl” follows the instrumental “Willoughby’s Interlude” and similarly encapsulates Cain and Tucker’s star-crossed paths — “All of Alabama laid out in front of your eyes / But all you could see was me.” Emblematic of their love’s end, the song’s final minute features a distorted guitar riff-synth combination slowing into eerie silence.
By this point, the first half of the album shines; Anhedönia soars to new heights of songwriting and production. The lyrics engulf the listener in the emotional rollercoaster of Cain’s life and the interpersonal conflicts she faces — or tries to avoid. The momentum wanes, however, moving into the album’s second half; some lengthy instrumentals and overly layered vocals dull the lyrical portraits.
The only track written from Tucker’s perspective, “Tempest” demonstrates how Cain and Tucker’s relationship was doomed from the start. Cain never truly understood Tucker — his fear of the weather, being abandoned by his mother and so on — while Tucker taunts Cain’s shortcomings. Shaming her openness about the chaos of her family, Tucker implies Cain seeks sympathy, not relief: “Do you swing from your neck / With the hope someone cares?”
With “Willoughby Tucker,” a prequel to the events of “Preacher’s Daughter,” Anhedönia shifts direction. Willoughby Tucker, a character first introduced in the song “A House in Nebraska” from “Preacher’s Daughter,” was Cain’s first lover. This record focuses on Cain and Tucker’s relationship and its eventual collapse, integrating some musical influences from Anhedönia’s January 2025 experimental drone record, “Perverts.” Despite a handful of artistic choices that fall flat, Anhedönia ultimately feeds the fire of her flocking cult following.
The opening track “Janie” hints at how tumultuous Cain and Tucker’s relationship will eventually become. When Janie, Cain’s best friend, enters a relationship, Cain fears she has lost her best friend and insists they end their friendship outright to avoid further pain. Lines like “Easy to hate, easy to blame / Shoot me down / Come on,
“Preacher’s Daughter” introduced listeners to the world of Ethel Cain — a persona through which Anhedönia explores themes of religion, trauma and idealism — and allowed Anhedönia to channel herself through Cain’s fictionalized experiences. Notably, Cain suffered abuse from her father, a Southern Baptist preacher, before fleeing her small Nebraska hometown, falling in love and ultimately being cannibalized by her lover-turned-pimp-and-murderer.
hurt me” embody Cain’s self-destructive tendencies built up after years of abuse and neglect; her friendship with Janie foreshadows how these defenses will soon come back to bite.
Following the instrumental “Willoughby’s Theme,” Anhedönia treats listeners with the album’s first of two singles, “Fuck Me Eyes.” The track paints the picture of Holly Reddick, a classmate of Cain’s, whose life differs vastly from day to night: “She goes to church … straight from the clubs.” Cain incessantly compares herself to her classmate — a siren to the boys in their class — emphasizing her fear that Tucker will leave her for that “kind of angel.”
“Nettles,” the second single, represents a thematic microcosm of the record. The eight-minute track pulls listeners into Cain’s world, marred by the anxieties of losing Tucker. United by their trauma in “a race to grow up,” Cain and Tucker’s relationship intertwines their souls beyond time; thoughts of all the possible ways in which she loses Tucker con-
The album’s 15-minute closer, “Waco, Texas,” laments the lovers’ relationship from beginning to end. Their interdependence consumes them: “I keep the pictures hanging where the world can see ’em.” Ultimately, both come to realize that “Love is not enough in this world,” as their lives come crashing down.
“Willoughby Tucker” provides avid fans with the narrative background we have craved since “Preacher’s Daughter.” Tracks like “Nettles” and “Dust Bowl” are perfectly reminiscent of the stylization and profundity that first hooked listeners. While extended instrumentals sometimes lose listeners’ attention, they certainly hold up among “Televangelism” from “Preacher’s Daughter.”
Having shared the second installment of Cain’s story with all the same lyrical mastery and compositional prowess of the first, Anhedönia is sure to build on her cult following and continue constructing a world all her own but also unique to each listener — one’s own house in Nebraska.
Tanvi Gorripati Senior Guide Editor
“Honey Don’t” is one of those movies that feels like it has no idea what it actually wants to be, and, as a result, ends up being a frustrating, disjointed mess. The plot is all over the place, introducing too many plot threads that either fizzle out or just get abandoned entirely. At the center of the film, there are supposed to be two interconnected mysteries, though, in reality, it boils down to one: a murder Margaret Qualley’s titular character, a private detective, begins investigating after the victim calls Honey right before her death.
Right away, this is a setup with tons of potential, mystery and intrigue, grabbing the audience immediately with its emotional hook of why the victim called Honey of all people. For a while, I thought I was going to be in for a sharp, layered mystery movie. However, as the movie unfolds, it keeps stacking on half-baked ideas without really committing to any of them, eventually collapsing under its own weight.
The investigation points Honey in the direction of a strange sex-cult style church, which also seems to serve as a front for a drug trafficking operation. It felt like the story was gearing up for an exploration of how organized religion, especially the highly commercialized mega churches run by overly charismatic reverends, like Reverend Drew (Chris Evans), can easily become corrupted. Additionally, there’s the added spark of a budding romance between Honey and police officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), which, at first, looked like it could give the film some much needed emotional grounding. In theory, all the ingredients were there for an intelligent and compelling movie: a murder mystery, commentary on cult-like megachurches and a romance to cut through the chaos.
However, instead of actually following through on any of these plot points, the story just falls apart. The church and the murder end up not being connected at all, no matter how hard the film tries to convince us of the fact. Honey doesn’t even come off as a competent detective, as most
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of her discoveries happen by coincidence or accident, and by the time she finally stumbles onto the identity of the true murderer, it feels completely unearned. There is no detective work, no clever reveal and no satisfying payoff. The story just stops, like the filmmakers gave up halfway through writing it. There is simply nothing to make the ride feel worthwhile.
As the plot falters, the film leans heavily on provocation to keep viewers engaged. The sex scenes are far too long, shot in excessive detail and linger well past the point of having any narrative purpose. Instead of feeling edgy or modern, they come across as indulgent and unnecessary, as if the filmmakers didn’t trust the story to hold attention without a spectacle.
The performances don’t rescue it, either. Aubrey Plaza, usually a magnetic screen presence, feels flat, playing her role like an outline of a character rather than a living person. Her chemistry with Qualley is faint at best, undercutting the emotional element the romance was supposed to provide.
By Isabelle Cialone
Georgetown Weeks of Welcome (GWOW) is back with a slew of on-campus events this weekend. Join GWOW on Friday, Sept. 5, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to meet and spend time with goats on Copley Lawn, and on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Copley Lawn to play field games and picnic with friends. No registration or tickets are necessary.
Wander along Wisconsin Avenue on Friday, Sept. 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. to catch the fourth annual Art All Night. Featuring more than 15 local art exhibits, live music, food and shopping, attendees will be able to sample different aspects of Georgetown neighborhood life. Check out their official website for more details and to RSVP for free.
The one saving grace is Chris Evans, who delivers a surprisingly sharp and entertaining performance as the cult leader. He’s funny, charismatic and just unhinged enough to be believable, walking the line between charm and menace so perfectly it almost makes you wish the film revolved entirely around him. Yet Evans alone cannot compensate for a story this muddled.
Perhaps most disappointing is how dated the film feels in its depiction of queer characters. Qualley’s lesbian character is repeatedly hounded by men, forced into defensive rejections and ultimately written into the same tired trope of lesbians in destructive and toxic relationships. Its queer representation feels years out of step, reducing queerness to a gimmick rather than exploring it honestly.
In the end, “Honey Don’t” is a film that looks like it has all the right pieces, but fumbles every one. It’s a shallow exercise in provocation, flashy in all the wrong ways and instantly forgettable.
The weekly Georgetown University Farmers Market (GUFM) returns on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Stop by Red Square between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to support local restaurants, try new vendors, stock up on produce and enjoy a semesterly Georgetown tradition. Check out GUFM’s Instagram for vendor updates and information.
Caroline Woodward
Hoya Staff Writer
At 2:17 a.m., all but one of 18 students from an elementary school class disappear, running off into the pitch black of night with their arms outstretched as if playing make-believe, never to be seen again.
This killer (literally) premise begins what many consider to be the best horror movie of the year. “Weapons” has garnered positive reviews from publications such as NPR, the New York Times and The Rolling Stone while earning a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is inventive, entirely engaging, surprisingly humorous and, of course, chock-full of nerve-racking scares. It is also a movie that is best seen with as little prior knowledge as possible, meaning I will not attempt to overly summarize within this review.
Still, I struggle to fully understand the seemingly all-encompassing hype this movie has received. While “Weapons” does succeed in its entertainment value, both the story itself and its lackluster,
half-baked attempts at a grander message leave much to be desired.
The film contains a multitude of positive elements. One of the most compelling is the way in which the filmmakers crafted “Weapons.” The film is broken up into several sections, each from the point of view of a different character, including the teacher of the class that disappeared, the father of a boy that disappeared, a police officer and more. These sections don’t necessarily appear chronologically, giving the audience a fuller picture of the few days the movie spans with each new perspective.
Through each character, the central mystery slowly pieces itself together in a way that is fulfilling. In this way, none of the sections feel unnecessary, an impressive feat considering audiences see over five characters’ perspectives. However, the pacing and time spent on each varies wildly, leaving many of the actual answers to the last half hour of the film.
The cast of “Weapons” shines as one of the strongest pieces of the film. Julia Garner continues her stellar run this
summer, following up her role in Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” with this truly impressive lead performance, playing a multifaceted and morally grey primary protagonist. Another standout includes Benedict Wong, whose facial expressions and makeup create some of the most genuine thrills and chills of this holistically terrifying movie.
Finally, Cary Christopher makes a strong impression as the only child who doesn’t disappear, which ends up being key to both the emotional core and plot of “Weapons.” Christopher acts with an amount of nuance and intrigue that is shocking for someone of his age, and he almost entirely carries the final act.
Despite these definitively good aspects, I walked away from “Weapons” feeling unsatisfied, if not downright confused. The film is frustratingly vague in its deeper messaging, themes and overall point.
This complaint does beg the question: Does every film necessarily need a point? Do movies need to universally act as a metaphor for some larger real world issue?
IMDB
Caroline Woodward (CAS ’27) finds “Weapons” thrillingly entertaining yet simultaneously frustrating.
No. I truly feel that art and entertainment can exist purely for the sake of being art and entertainment.
However, “Weapons” attempts to toe the line too closely, seemingly attempting to be both fun and well-crafted entertainment while also hinting at some sort of larger message about society today. The film lands, somewhat frustratingly, on neither side. Some scenes, including a dream sequence that features a giant floating gun, hint at a deeper thematic message, likely related to the all-too-relevant issue of school shootings. However, the film neither takes a stance nor fully fleshes out what it is attempting to indicate, leaving much to be desired. The ending of the central mystery itself feels both rushed and almost entirely random, disconnected from any attempt at coherent or consistent messaging.
I don’t like that I don’t like this movie. It received massive amounts of hype for good reason: It is objectively a fun, scary time with good acting and an inventive structure, something I hope to see used more in filmmaking. It also embodies a positive trend in the film industry of taking movies in the horror genre far more seriously than previous years (see the success of “The Substance,” any of Robert Eggers’ recent work or Jordan Peele’s entire filmography). However, at a fundamental level, I feel it missed the mark in a small but crucial way, one that couldn’t help but leave me asking: What was the point?
Isabelle Cialone
Guide Deputy Editor
What better backdrop for a contemporary spin on the classic Western film genre than a polarized New Mexico town in the midst of the chaos produced by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Ari Aster, known for his dread-inducing modern classics — most notably “Hereditary” and “Midsommar”— takes on this concept in his newest release, “Eddington.” Despite the fascinating context, Aster ultimately fails to deliver on execution, leaving us with a convoluted and somewhat meaningless disaster.
When Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) enforces a mask mandate on the residents of the desert town Eddington, he is met with resistance headed by Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix). Swayed by his growing personal and professional contempt for the mayor,
Sheriff Cross decides to challenge Garcia in his campaign for reelection.
While this political confrontation initially foregrounds the film’s plot, Aster’s attempt to touch on the broad slew of issues plaguing pandemic-era American society quickly convolutes it. The result is an incoherent mishmash of surface-level reproductions of every 2020 sociopolitical buzzword that fails to portray or even mention the real impact of the Trump administration on the pandemic and the country. When it does broach other real political issues, like the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and far-right conspiracy theory groups, “Eddington” fails to take a stance. Perhaps it was Aster’s intention to provide only a semi-fictionalized rendering of the situation early in the pandemic without pushing any particular agenda, but in poking fun at the entire political spectrum, the film simply comes across as out-of-touch.
In particular, the film’s handling of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement feels egregiously callous. After George Floyd’s brutal murder, Eddington, like much of the United States, sees an almost instantaneous widespread call to antiracist action. The protests sparked in the town of Eddington consist largely of white teenagers whose involvement is performative at best and largely influenced by social media. While this is not an entirely inaccurate representation of social media and its ability to influence people in the context of activist movements, it reads as Aster taking on a holier-than-thou attitude, ostentatiously flaunting this mess of a movie as the paragon of activist media.
For him to utilize BLM as a central point of the film’s plot while so blatantly avoiding any mention of Trump or Make America Great Again further reinforces its hollowness. The plot then devolves into suspenseful violence and incessant bloodshed, marking yet another
IMDB
Ari Aster’s “Eddington” drowns in its hefty ambition says Isabelle Cialone (CAS ’27).
abrupt switch in tone. At least this change in pacing was exciting enough to shock me out of confused boredom. However, in doing so, the film loses any remaining semblance of reality and ultimately succumbs to its true identity as an overexaggerated simulacrum of the serious issues that pervaded the United States in 2020.
Had “Eddington” solely focused on its COVID-19 and BLM narratives, it may have succeeded in appearing somewhat coherent, even if grossly apolitical for a film touching on such divisive issues. However, these central themes are muddled by the presence of various other issues, including gun control, deceptive social media influencers and big-tech development. In isolation, any one of these topics might have permitted a fascinating commentary, but this would have required that Aster refine the scope of this sprawling mess and take a stance, instead of merely toeing the line and avoiding anything truly thought-provoking.
For example, Sheriff Cross’s wife, Louise Cross (Emma Stone), struggles with emotional instability as a result of some vaguely mentioned trauma. Under the constant pressure of her conspiracy theorist mother, Dawn (Deirdre O’Connell), and the palpable tension in her marriage, Louise finds herself increasingly influenced by an Internet pseudo-cult leader, Vernon Jefferson Peak (Austin Butler), whose success relies on exploiting people’s trauma. Unfortunately this plotline is given minimal screentime or development, leaving Stone and Butler — both powerhouse actors — criminally underused. Additionally, Joaquin Phoenix does a phenomenal job portraying Sheriff Cross’s ignorance-induced evil and Pedro Pascal perfectly embodies the deceptiveness and questionable morality of a politician. Yet, similarly, their potential is suffocated by the constraints of their characters’ underdevelopment and reduction to nothing more than lazy caricatures.
Where “Eddington” succeeds the most is in its representation of how dangerous and disorienting it is for social media to be someone’s sole source of information. Various TikTok and Instagram doomscrolling sequences are interspersed throughout the film, revealing how we are relentlessly fed blinding and conflicting absurdities online. Even Eddington’s leaders succumb to the treacherous influence of this algorithm-induced extremism. “Eddington” also accurately depicts the pervasive corruption of politics by big-tech developments. Regardless of the party dominating Eddington’s politics at any given moment in the film, the tech corporate group SolidGoldMagikarp’s evil is ever-looming. This is one of the few instances in which Aster’s apoliticism is actually beneficial to the film’s message, encouraging the audience to consider the technocratic omnipresence of our own world.
After all, as flawed as it might be, “Eddington” still echoes many of the issues that dominated American society in 2020, many of them still present or even amplified today. “Eddington” had all the elements it needed to become a modern masterpiece, but Aster betrayed the film’s potential with haphazard execution, leaving us with a pompous mess that collapses under its naive attempt for greatness.
1. 1991 breakup locale
2. Actress Blanchett
3. Kill and eat?
4. Marriage Story Oscar winner Laura
5. Biden daughter
6. Assaults, as in a base
7. Fences have many
8. After exp. in the scientific method
9. “Oh, it’s over for me”
10. Get someone, as into the conver-
By Jackson Roberts
1. San Diego school abbr.
5. Jason’s ship, mythologically
9. Representative Omar
14. At a discount
15. Swedish car company
16. Dough
17. They were meant to fly, according to Nicki
19. Controller’s spot
20. Southwest Quad building next to McCarthy and Kennedy
21. On the lawn locale with private bathrooms
22. Them, in Toulouse
23. For the MSB, Roth; for the SFS, Dublin group
24. Send out troops
28. Writing with a tilt
33. Saltwater basin
34. Dili country
35. What it’s called being in 20-, 21-, 45or 49-Across, with 37-Across
36. Eagle’s nest
37. See 35-Across
38. Run like a horse around the world?
40. The Hoya’s Editor-in-Chief Maren
41. Albert with zany hair
42. Little Women writer
43. Garden tool
44. Orlando state abbr.
45. Cluster central building
49. It shares a home with Hilltoss and the Healy Family Student Center
54. 29-Down, but flipping the positions of two letters
55. Apiary byproduct without flaws
56. Bean or toy truck
57. Locales to stay
58. Rule
59. Jason of “How I Met Your Mother” fame
60. “I have a secret!”
61. What gluttony is
sation
11. What wolves do at the moon
12. Ship side sheltered from wind
13. Not any’s fancy alternate
18. Father of Athenian democracy
21. Barrel partner
23. San Francisco ice cream brand
24. Shirk
25. Chipotle had an outbreak a few years ago
26. Former Argentinian president(s)
27. What was silent for Clarice Star-
ling?
28. Judge or Burr
29. Like (a) violet
30. Friend in Spanish
31. Yogurt adjective
32. 1500s Catholic council
34. Spooky
36. Caused anxiety to
39. Moral
40. Barry Allen, with “The”
42. Home to the Astros and the Angels
44. Low-lying shade plants
45. Strikes
46. Sunburn soother
47. What’s around the rosie?
48. Steaming clams over seaweed, in New England
49. Sisters, religiously
50. Chaplin wife or granddaughter
51. Ones, in Córdoba
52. Actress Polo of “The West Wing”
53. Psalm
55. Apple seed