“Star Trek Into Darkness” requires digesting. One cannot simply watch the film and — after appreciating its layers — go on living like a normal Trekkie immediately. I loved this film for several reasons — one, the nods to the Original Series were tasteful and not overbearing. Two, the film provided action, action and more [...]

When Steven Kirby tries to impress the ladies, he opens with the following: “I’m the third funniest guy in the state of Oregon.” The response he typically gets? “Are the first two single?” But don’t feel bad for the political science and planning, public policy and management major. The 20-year-old took third place at Oregon’s [...]

Computer science major Alexander Stein’s favorite movie is “WALL-E.” Senior science major JoAnna Wendel’s favorite movie is “Aladdin.” Junior Julia Rogers prefers “Megamind.” The trend? Sometimes, college students enjoy movies a bit outside their demographic. The college student demographic is one used often in films to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Films from [...]

Summer is fast approaching and with it comes summer blockbusters — those movies you have to see the moment they come out. But you’re not the only one. In fact, depending on where you’ll be this summer, hundreds of other people will be attending the midnight openers with you. This makes it imperative you properly [...]

I am a dedicated film and TV buff, and I find that it’s easier to convince people of my less-than-healthy obsession with these media if I am able to keep them up to date on the latest developments on the big and little screens. There’s little more satisfying than saying “I knew that MONTHS ago” [...]

Sidney Rittenberg first went to China as an American soldier during World War II but stayed after the war’s end. He spent 35 years in China, 16 of which were spent imprisoned after false accusations of being an American spy, and he is the first American ever allowed to join the Chinese Communist Party. His [...]

Whatever you are studying, there is definitely an awesome documentary to bolster your knowledge. Digital Arts – “Helvetica” (2007) Everything you wanted to know about the most powerful typeface in printing history. Business – “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (2005) A snazzy guide of what not to do when you achieve success. Chemistry [...]

My go-to college flick is “Animal House.” It’s got everything I might want in a movie about my demographic: partying, pranking, on-campus tomfoolery, (vague) academics and young adult friendships. But while “Animal House” may be the classic Eugene-based college film, it’s not the only movie worth watching to study Hollywood’s slightly warped perception of the [...]

Would sharks be embarrassed if they knew we could totally see their dorsal fins above the water? Comedian Louis C.K. thinks so, and it really makes you wonder. Then again, a lot of Louis’ jokes in his newest HBO comedy special “Oh My God” make you wonder. Are, perhaps, people with nut allergies more expendable [...]

Today marks day two of the five-day Cinema Pacific Film Festival, now in its fourth year of delivering hand-picked films centered on Pacific Rim countries. This year, Mexico and Singapore are the primary focus with the festival screening 16 films, both short and feature length, in addition to lectures and discussions by filmmakers, artists and [...]

Eugene cable and satellite options are not only lacking but expensive, making busting out cash to the few monopolies in town a painful endeavor. But the Internet provides a multitude of alternatives to watch your favorite shows and movies — legally — without going through those two options. The first, and most obvious, is Netflix. Eight [...]

With the return of “Arrested Development” on May 26 on Netflix, the concept of the prematurely-cancelled show has come to the forefront of the minds of television fanatics everywhere. “Arrested Development,” a comedy surrounding the legally struggling and severely dysfunctional upper-middle-class Bluth family, was cancelled and pulled from Fox in 2006 due to poor ratings [...]

All films based on real events, people or processes are going to have inaccuracies (sometimes severe ones), but some are more loyal to reality than others. Here are some films that are both entertaining and educational to help with furthering your academic career. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970): a refreshingly accurate portrayal of the attack on [...]

Transitioning from spring break into school mode is hard enough without the allure of a television. Luckily for us, the “Game of Thrones” season premiere and “The Walking Dead” season finale are already out of the way. Still, that blank screen has a habit of calling when we’re at our busiest. “Your Netflix queue is all ready for [...]

Stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, whose comedy focuses on self-deprecation and dysfunctional mentalities, will be performing at the McDonald Theatre this Friday, April 5. Bamford considers herself to be a theatrical comic, and she deals with topics she believes will be relatable to students who are struggling with the complications of everyday life. “I found college to be frightening,” Bamford said. “I [...]

Spring term ends June 14 and graduation takes place June 17 — between now and then, a dizzying array of exciting movies are hitting theaters. It’ll be a struggle keeping up with papers and readings while scrambling to make midnight premieres, but with a term so jam-packed with must-sees, it shouldn’t be too difficult to squeeze [...]

Violence, sex, horror and fantasy are great facilitators in films to pinpoint a scene as momentous. Suddenly, someone gets their head chopped off. Hey, that guy just took flight. Look, a first kiss! But critical moments don’t need to be nearly so complex. Sometimes, all that’s needed is a simple “What the fuck?” Motion Picture [...]

Spring break isn’t about sitting in front of a screen — computer, television, theater or otherwise. But with plenty of television premieres and film releases happening in the next couple weeks, winding down from winter quarter and finals week with a movie or show might be the perfect stress reliever for just a couple hours. [...]

What do “The Goonies,” “Stand By Me” and “Animal House” have in common? Besides being awesome movies, they were also all shot in our favorite rainy state, Oregon. But you probably knew that — Eugene-based “Animal House” fills every fraternity at the UO with a special kind of pride, it’s hard to visit Astoria without [...]

Oh, by the way, Whose Line is coming back. More details later. — Colin Mochrie (@colinmochrie) March 1, 2013   Improv and comedy fans, rejoice: The cult classic television show — “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” — is returning after six years off the air. ABC was home to this hilarious improvisational comedy television show [...]