MEDIA ARTS
LHS
SAN JOSE, CA
2023- 2024
WELCOME TO LINCOLN
Student Reviews
Wednesday, a new supernatural comedy series based on the character from the Addams Family series first created in the 60s, , follows Wednesday Addams, a 16-year-old girl who possesses psychic powers and is characterized by her cold, defiant, and emotionless nature. In fact, this defiant nature is seen when the show opens with her being expelled from her high school after she dumps live piranhas into the the school pool to get revenge on the boys’ water polo team for bullying her brother. As a result, her parents, the eclectic Morticia and Gomez Addams, enroll her in Nevermore Academy, a school known for being for outcasts and having a strange affiliation with the supernatural. While she still has difficulty in school and connecting with her classmates, at Nevermore, she discovers her psychic powers could be vital in helping to capture the mysterious, killer monster that has been prowling the town of Jericho, terrifying its citizens.
The series, while featuring other members of the Addams family like Morticia, Gomez, Pigsley and Lurch, focuses far more on our main character Wednesday, which was a good way to adapt and stray from the original Addams family show. With the series popularity and notoriety, having seen several other adaptations since the original 1964 show, an adaptation with a focus on Wednesday feels like a fresh new spin on a beloved series. Wednesday is quite a likable character to viewers too, even if sometimes it feels like the teen angst is laid on a little too thick. However, when that is the case, Wednesday’s dark, gloomy attitude is contrasted by her ever-cheery roommate Enid, a werewolf who hasn’t quite realized her werewolf powers yet. Enid finds Wednesday strange and off-putting at first, but the two gradually become friends. Enid is a great addition to the series and plays the biggest role in Wednesday’s character growth, which is one of the highlights of the series.
Additionally, Jenna Ortega does a phenomenal job of portraying Wednesday’s broody moods, deadpan face, and often utilizes her eyes and eyebrows to show whatever slight emotions Wednesday may be feeling (though she often doesn’t seem to feel very many). She plays the role perfectly and it’s refreshing to see a teenage drama like this one where the main character is not only a latina girl, but a goth latina girl.
Another highlight of the series for me was the character of Thing from the original Addams Family series, who plays quite an important role in the story. Thing is a sentient severed hand who, originally sent by Wednesday’s father Gomez to spy on her at Nevermore Academy, is discovered and soon instead becomes Wednesday’s friend and confidant. Thing, despite being only a hand, still feels like a loveable character due to the huge amount of emotion he’s able to express solely from hand movements. And Thing even helps to move the plot along, helping Wednesday break into the mortician's office and even asking Tyler, the love interest for Wednesday in the series, to the school dance via a typed note that Thing fakes to look like it was from Wednesday. Eclectic characters such as Thing, Enid, and of course, Wednesday herself, make the series enjoyable to watch.
However, speaking of the love interest and moving on the aspects of the characters and plot I did not enjoy, Tyler as a love interest felt flat, uninteresting, and boring overall. He had little personality, other than liking Wednesday, hating his dad, and being somewhat “angsty”. Part of this makes sense later in the series when, SPOILERS, it’s revealed that Tyler was the monster killing people in the woods, only getting close to Wednesday to use her for the greater plan of resurrecting the pilgrim Joseph Crackstone. But with so much time devoted to watching the two get closer, it was difficult to watch the eccentric and odd Wednesday being paired with the flat, cookie-cutter, teenage romance show interest. The other love interest, Xavier, felt flat as well, with seemingly no reason to be as interested in Wednesday as he was. Even after Wednesday accuses him of being the monster out in the woods, even going so far as to tell the sheriff and get him falsely arrested, he forgives her because that’s what the love interest is supposed to do, of course, now that Tyler is out of the picture. Both characters feel like basically the same person, which is boring to watch and left me feeling uninterested in the romance aspects of the show altogether. If the show gets renewed for a second season, I would love to see Wednesday paired up instead with someone who matches her dark, gloomy disposition and rivals her sarcasm and intelligence. Watching Wednesday appear genuinely interested in boys as boring and flat as the two love interests felt very out of character for the girl who hates “normies” and doesn’t bother with others.
The series also has a lot of things happening in general, with countless plot points and events that seem to add little or not connect at all. And the whole subplot with the pilgrims and Joseph Crackstone felt bizarre and out of place. The final villain, Joseph Crackstone, who was a violent pilgrim who killed many native people, apparently has a legacy of killing “outcasts”. For the main villain being a literal pilgrim, he actually had more presence than I thought to be honest; the special effects and makeup team did a great job of making his face scary. However, the final fight when Crackstone is resurrected felt extremely anticlimactic and short. After building up to the reveal for almost eight episodes, seeing Wednesday fight a man in full pilgrim garb who is considered the final villain, only for it to be over in less than fifteen minutes, was a disappointing end to the series.
When watching, I also found it hard to believe Tim Burton directed the series. As someone who is such a huge name in the film industry, I would have expected to see more aspects of Burton’s distinct style of characters, storytelling, and music featured in this series. Yet while the concept of the Addams family lends itself well to Burton’s style, we see little of his influence beyond Wednesday’s slightly exaggerated eyes and the cartoonish style of the Hyde monster, which, for the record, looks terrible in CGI and feels grossly out of place in the series. The huge eyes and small mouth of the creature are certainly a nod to Burton’s style of character, yet when the monster is revealed these traits make the monster look anything but scary. Honestly, I laughed upon seeing the monster for the first time on screen, because it is anything but scary. Burton is known for creating unnerving characters who look inhuman and we’ve seen him successfully do so in Edward Scissorhands and Alice in Wonderland, but the characters in Wednesday do not reflect his usual style at all. Additionally, the plot of a teenage supernatural crime drama does not lend itself well to Burton’s style, and the end result feels like it could’ve been directed by someone else. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing and there are elements of the story that feel exaggerated like Burton’s style, fans of his should not go into the series expecting to see anything similar to Burton’s previous films.
However, to end this review on a positive note, I felt the series as a whole was enjoyable to watch. The series is interesting and captivating for a majority of the show with some great acting, loveable characters, and a great soundtrack. The show features an original soundtrack from Danny Elfman who has worked with Tim Burton in many of his previous films, and his work perfectly captures the odd atmosphere the show wants to embody. The show also features a number of songs from other artists, including Space Song by Beach House, La Llorona by Chavela Vargas, and Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps, which makes for the perfect song for Wednesday’s freaky dance moves at the school dance. We even get violin covers of both Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones and Nothing Else Matters by Metallica, which were very fitting to the series. Again, Jenna Ortega’s acting as Wednesday was a stand-out for sure, but Emma Myers also does a great job playing the emotional Enid, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman perfectly capture the loveable bizarreness of Morticia Addams and Gomez Addams respectively. The show is worth a watch in my opinion and I would watch a second season of the show if it is renewed for one, but I hope that writers will be able to be more concise in their storytelling and allow the show to reflect more of Burton’s distinct style, if he chooses to direct for Wednesday again.
-Clarissa Hill
Welcome to Wrexham stars an old professional soccer team, rich in culture yet lacking the skills to once again regain popularity and recognition in the soccer world. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchase the team in hopes of improving enough to take them higher in the professional soccer world as their standing begins in the lowest of five professional soccer divisions. The intent is to rise from the bottom and restore the soccer-loving spirit in the town of Wrexham. The show is a documentary that follows the ups and downs of the young players' lives both on and off the field and displays the improvement of their skills and confidence to become a better known team across the world.
Episode sixteen features Wrexham playing a match at the iconic Wembley stadium. Emotions are high as the players feel the weight of the game. Most players only dream of setting foot on the Wembley stadium turf. Over 25,000 Wrexham fans make the five hour drive to Wembley stadium to support their players. The dedication and love from the fans is evident. A collage of scenes depicting dramatic moments throughout the game along with fans’ reactions give the episode a spellbinding effect. Not only do the owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney fly in to attend the game, but so do other stars such as Will Ferrell and David Bekham who come to show their support. This inclusion of well-known people in the documentary adds to the importance of the match. For soccer fans especially, this episode is captivating and the feelings from watching the episode are the same as if watching it in person. The close up shots of teammates huddling, fans cheering and suspenseful music with slow-motion shots dramatize the intense moments during the match. The emotion of the episode is apparent through the individual interviews with players, fans and coaches alike. The obvious love for the game of soccer and the desire to support Wrexham is unmatchable in this episode.
There is an obvious relationship between the players and the fans. Most bigger soccer teams have millions of fans everywhere, yet, because they are so big, oftentimes there is not much of a relationship between the fans and players. Because the Wrexham team is in the lowest division, they are not well-known. Their support does not come from millions of fans across the world. The support comes from the unwavering loyalty from their small hometown fans. The documentary does a great job at revealing this relationship. There are interviews with fans who traveled for the Wembley stadium game who show their support regardless of the outcome of the match. There are scenes between the players cracking jokes and hugging fans. Even the owners of the team seem to have a bond with the players although they live all the way across the world back in the US. The documentary depicts an intimate relationship between all these different people who bond over their love for soccer and their loyalty to Wrexham.
One thing worth noting is that I have not seen any of the previous episodes. I started out watching the sixteenth episode. Most shows and documentaries follow a sequence and it’s difficult to pick up anywhere. I think it was really well done the way the episode seems to connect to previous episodes yet it completely tracks its own story. The only complaint I have about this episode is wishing they included more verbal interviews with the actual players. The documentary has more of a “show not tell” approach which works extremely well in dramatizing the important moments, however I would’ve liked to hear the player’s thoughts both before and after the game. There are small clips here and there but overall I think the producers could’ve definitely added more to hear the thoughts and feelings of the players and not just filming their reactions from afar.
Overall I think the filming was excellent. There are scenes where the fans are cheering in slow motion and players are visibly going through physical reactions that the camera focuses on quite clearly. It adds to the emotion of the game of soccer and shows the importance of the team to the owners, players and fans. Welcome To Wrexham is a show I definitely feel as though I need to watch from the beginning. I easily became invested in the lives of players and the future of the team. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone wanting to try something a little different than all the documentaries out there focused on famous people and teams. This is a more humble approach to a smaller team just trying to get back on their feet. The Wrexham team is extremely charming and the focus on this close-knit community is a lovely depiction of the way soccer brings people together.
-Kylie Castello
The Game of Thrones universe is back like never before after three long years of criticism and applause. The dramatic conclusion to the original series, ending with the death of Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Dragons was one of the biggest plot twists during its release and had many fans leaving with a sour taste in their mouths as the entire series had been leading up to her reign over the seven kingdoms. Instead of a sequel show to continue the world of Westeros, we are given this wonderful prequel show that takes place two hundred years before Daenerys is even born and follows the Targaryen dynasty, the same family who would lose their reign to the house Baratheon which is where Game of Thrones starts off. *Before reading ahead please note about spoilers for the entire series*
There are ten episodes in the new series, one released every Sunday which are all now able to be streamed through HBO. With each episode being about an hour and fifteen minutes there is a good amount of time for not only a reintroduction to the world of the dragon but also for the introduction of a whole new cast of characters. One of the more confusing parts of this show is the major time jump after episode four of a couple months and by episode six we are about ten years in the future. The writers do a wonderful job throughout the entire show to give hints on the characters' ages and relations to one other. Subtle hints at a pregnant Rhaenyra, different hair lengths, and most importantly all new casting to make up for the age differences really allow the story to flow even with such a vast amount of time being covered in one season. By the end in episode ten we get a set up for season two which is predicted to be shown on screens in 2024.
The season's main conflict really starts to take shape and become physical in episode nine when King Vicerys passes and his right hand man plans to take the throne and instate a king who is not who Vicerys has named as his heir. Otto Hightower and his daughter, also the late king's wife, shut down the entire castle while she devises her own plan of entowing her son Aegon as the predecessor to her husband. By taking princess Rhaenys hostage and bargaining for her support over Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne they eventually commit treason and crown Aegon king in front of everyone in the city. The final episode tackles all of the aftermath and we see the dust settle from this event, literally. The episode opens up with Rhaenys flying on dragonback to Rhaenyra and her home in Dragonstone being the one to break the news of her father. As devastating and the news is for her emotionally, Rhaenyra is immediately thrown into a very early labor where she eventually loses the baby. After all the traumatic experiences this family has gone through, there is still an interesting dynamic that I would like to shed some light on.
Rhaenys in the first episode is in line to inherit the throne and puts in a claim in front of the old court and a vote is placed on who will rule the seven kingdoms. She takes that experience and gets a shock from the world around her as she finally experiences and comes to terms that a woman would never sit on the throne in her lifetime at least. She gets publicly shunned for even attempting to claim her birthright and inflicts her personal feelings of despair onto young Rhaenyra. Their power struggle is something that I truly applaud the writers and directors for. There's three shots in particular in the battle room when Lord Corlys arrives that show the dynamics between the room and his thoughts. The first one has Rhaenyra standing at the head of the table while his wife stands behind her in the background which shows that the two women will stand together despite their differences and will help each other out when they are surrounded by men. The second shot is when Corlys looks over his shoulder to his granddaughters who stand with their respective betrothed, Rhaenyra’s sons in which all four of them look very poised and happy with their future spouses. The last shot is over two shoulders with Corlys in the center showing him alone and in the middle thinking about his choices. He then chooses to support her cause, hoping he doesn’t regret it. Another instance in the same episode in which we see a calm in the power struggle between these two strong women is when the funeral for the babe becomes and crowing for the new queen. She was on her deathbed, miscarried, then is engulfed in the ever-ending feelings of grief during the funeral, but then is given hope when the guard recovers her fathers crown and the others bow and swear loyalty to her claim as the heir. Rhaenys doesn’t bow when Rhaenyra is crowned the queen but I feel that it's very fitting. It shows a mutual respect for each other and the power that comes with such a responsibility of ruling the people. It shows tribute to earlier in the series when Rhaenys tells Rhaenyra that a woman will never end up on the iron throne.
This scene only takes place for a few seconds where they exchange glances from across the way but it shows a lot about growth in just 10 episodes. We go from a brutal game of riding dragons and fear of others stepping in your line of power to plotting war together, showing maturity and respect for what others around you have done. From that ten year time jump both Rhaenyra and Rhaenys learn that in order to hold any place of respect in this world they must stick together and through those acts we learn that they can’t do it without one another. Enemies to allies.
Through the dramatic cinematography and intense plot development HBO and the people who made this show possible are nothing except exceptional. The attention to detail through all the confusing family trees and alliances but there is much going on in every shot and moment the characters share with their audience but there is something so special about how each character gets the development they deserve. As you expand a world, screen time must be delegated thoughtfully as to give both the plot and the characters the time to grow. Never when watching this entire series and watching the Game of Thrones have I felt like there wasn’t enough development of one part of the plot to another. Since starting media arts, I have forever ruined how I watch movies and tv shows because I am always looking at shot types and character development in hopes of predicting the plot before other audience members. As an avid viewer of this series, I love the thought and dedication to a full immersive experience that only an HBO budget can get.
-Gracie Quanz