critic’s corner columnist
Critic’s Corner: Lessons from ‘Tangled’: Do you have a dream?
MAGGIE PAWSEY CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST The other day, one of my close friends asked me out of the blue, “Do you have a dream?” Of course, my first instinct was to look dramatically into the distance and say, “I … had a dream … once.” Disney’s “Tangled” has heavily influenced my associations with the word […]
Critic’s Corner: This column is haunted
MAGGIE PAWSEY CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST “Let’s tell stories!” my brothers and I would cry before my mother put us to bed. As children, we loved when she would make up bedtime stories, usually with characters who had our names and that learned a lesson she wanted to drive home that night. Even today, when I […]
Critic’s Corner: True Masculinity: A Critic’s Response
MAGGIE PAWSEY CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST What does it mean to be a man? As songs from “Mulan” (or the PDP) run through your head, I want to discuss an article recently published by The Gauntlet, a start-up publication on campus aimed at creating conversation. Contributing writer Chuck Adams published an article, which can be found […]
Critic’s Corner: Of Monsters and Men: part two
MAGGIE PAWSEY CRITIC’S CORNER What superb work of literature includes a dangerous monster, a unique but outcasted girl and one of the most profound mantras of love the world has ever heard? I’m of course referring to “Lilo & Stitch,” Disney’s 2002 cinematic masterpiece that taught the world the meaning of “ohana.” Would you believe […]
Critic’s Corner: Of Monsters and Men
MAGGIE PAWSEY CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST It’s a dark and stormy night. Thunder booms and lightning flashes across the sky, when suddenly – “It’s alive!” the scientist cries. The monstrous creature rises from the table, lumbers around the room and wanders off to send a few villages up in flames. That’s all there is to the […]
Critic’s Corner: Superheroes and saints: our call to heroic virtue
MAGGIE PAWSEY CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST I don’t know about you, but superhero movies are my lifeblood. Every time Marvel comes out with a new film, I run to the theater to get my fix of action, adventure and that obnoxious confidence I feel after the credits roll, as if I can tackle my problems just […]
Critic’s Corner: Setting the mood: The importance of atmosphere
ALLEGRA THATCHER CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST Suzanne Collins chose internal monologue. Shakespeare chose dialogue. Tolkien chose narrative. Emily Bronte chose description of landscape. All writers have a specialty by which they choose to tell a story. Yet, none wcan escape the shadow which lingers behind each choice: atmosphere. Why do we react more emotionally when watching […]
Critic’s Corner: Christian fiction or fiction that is Christian?
ALLEGRA THATCHER CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST The power of a well-told story cannot be underestimated. Even the driest-eyed movie watchers can be coaxed to tears by a work such as “The Passion” or “Schindler’s List.” The beauty of such stories leads us to contemplate truth and goodness in new ways because we have come under the […]
Critic’s Corner: Reading “classic” books because they’re classic
ALLEGRA THATCHER CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST I’m currently part of my way through “Ulysses” by James Joyce. I was excited to read this work the way I’m usually excited to finally read a book I’ve been hearing about for years as a “must read,” because it’s a modern classic. However, to be honest, this book is […]
Critic’s Corner: The age-old book and movie debate
ALLEGRA THATCHER CRITIC’S CORNER COLUMNIST Books or movies is a question commonly asked in “would you rather” type games. You can probably guess which side I go to on principle. But does it have to be a choice? Too often, we get caught up in comparisons. In the book, that didn’t happen. In the movie, […]