La La Land Review: A 1950’s musical: 21st Century Edition

Mark Young myoung@foghornnews.com   Director Damien Chazelle has become a force to be reckoned with ever since 2014s “Whiplash,” and with “La La Land,” Chazelle becomes one of the best directors around. The musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is fine-tuned and exact; however, it also panders to the people who made the movie. The Hollywood musical hasn’t been a constant force in film for many years now. While musicals can have success (i.e. “Hamilton”), the Hollywood musical genre didn’t extend beyond the ’50s, until “La La Land.” The film itself is an ode to old Hollywood, but also…

Get into the spirit, plug into terror

With Halloween quickly approaching, some readers may be inclined to get into the spirit with some spooky games and movies. There are many contemporary and classic examples of good horror to use to get into the mindset during the month. VIDEO GAMES ‘Resident Evil Remake’ During the month of October, gamers who are subscribed to the paid service PS+ are offered the “Resident Evil Remake” for free. “Resident Evil” was originally released on the first Playstation system and is often regarded as a must play for any horror gamer. The player takes control of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine…

Thriller satisfies, but leaves more to be desired

“The Help” director Tate Taylor adapts last year’s hit novel written by Paula Hawkins, which was deemed “the next ‘Gone Girl’” by critics, for “The Girl on the Train.” However, the film proves that the two movies have little in common. The film follows Rachel Watson, an alcoholic who has an obsession with a couple she sees when she passes on the train every day. When she wakes up from a blackout covered in blood and discovers that one of the people she obsessed over has gone missing, she fears she had something to do with it. The unreliable narrator…

‘Designated Survivor’ is the hottest new political thriller

Kiefer Sutherland makes his return to television in ABC’s political thriller “Designated Survivor.” After “24” and the “24: Live Another Day” mini-series, Sutherland has mostly focused his roles on the big screen. When the show was announced, people were curious to see how this would pan out. The show premiered Sept. 21 and has drawn a large audience. The Capitol building gets blown up in the first episode, killing everybody in Congress and the President of the United States. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Sutherland) is sworn in as president because he’s the designated survivor, a last…

‘FIFA 17’ improves upon its predecessor

Gameplay gets upgrade, but minor issues hold it back “FIFA 17” has made some huge improvements since last year’s version, including a new story mode and an improved passing system. However, the game is still weighed down by small but apparent flaws. This year’s version of FIFA is glossed over with a new game engine called Frostbite, which has been used to power games such as the military blockbuster “Battlefield.” To put it simply, it looks and acts better than ever before. There’s a certain amount of authenticity that can be found in the beautifully crafted stadiums along with the…