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The student news site of the University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowan

The student news site of the University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowan

Friesens top 10 films of 2018

Friesen’s top 10 films of 2018

HUNTER FRIESEN Jan 24, 2019

With political and social upheaval, natural disasters and the overall feeling of optimism fading away, 2018 was a rocky year that never really seemed to end. Fortunately for moviegoers, the year did offer...

The newest film by the Coen brothers, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, is available on Netflix. The six-part Western film received a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Coen film inconsistently explores Wild West

HUNTER FRIESEN Dec 6, 2018

Joel and Ethan Coen are two directors who can always be depended on to make a wildly original film. Their work contains an offbeat nature mixed with highbrow comedy that either ends up making a splash...

Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Sylvester Stallone star in Creed II, directed by Steven Caple Jr.

Caple Jr.s ‘Creed II’ packs a punch

HUNTER FRIESEN Dec 3, 2018

The first “Creed” film was an entertaining surprise that was able to be both of fan service to the “Rocky” franchise and a great standalone story filled with rich characters and relationships....

Fede Alvarezs The Girl in the Spiders Web, a sequel to the 2011 crime thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was released on Nov. 9. The film received a 41 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Spiders’s Web’ is as lifeless as its setting

HUNTER FRIESEN Nov 15, 2018

After watching “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” all I could think about was how badly this film tried to be a James Bond movie. There’s the dark protagonist who uses questionable methods to serve...

Directed by Bryan Singer and starring Rami Male,, Bohemian Rhapsody follows the journey of the band Queen and its lead singer, Freddie Mercury.

Queen biopic is an entertaining mess

HUNTER FRIESEN Nov 12, 2018

Making a biopic about Freddie Mercury and Queen is a truly difficult task for anyone to accomplish. Condensing the life of this legendary lead singer into a feature-length film is next to impossible. Bryan...

Robert Redford stars in The Old Man & the Gun, written and directed David Lowery. The crime comedy is based on the real-life story of criminal and escape artist Forrest Tucker.

Redford shines in ‘The Old Man & the Gun’

HUNTER FRIESEN Nov 1, 2018

Robert Redford has built a successful decade-spanning career as a charming actor who can play any type of character with a heart of gold. It seems fitting that in his final performance in the new film...

Drew Goddard directs and writes Bad Times at the El Royale. The thriller film was released on Oct. 12 and received a 71 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Bad Times’ proves to be a good time

HUNTER FRIESEN Oct 22, 2018

A priest, a singer, a vacuum salesman and a drifter walk into a hotel. They all have a story and need a room for a specific reason, but only one of them is telling the truth. Each one is untrusting of...

Ryan Gosling stars in the new film First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle, following NASAs mission to land a man on the moon.

Chazelle’s ‘First Man’ valiantly blasts off

HUNTER FRIESEN Oct 18, 2018

What do Americans really know about Neil Armstrong? Everyone knows that he was the first man to step foot on the moon, but what else? Most of us would be left blank, realizing we know so little about one...

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star in A Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig. The film was released on Sept. 14 and had a budget of 20 million dollars. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 84% rating.

‘A Simple Favor’ is simply average

HUNTER FRIESEN Oct 1, 2018

Stephanie Smothers is a young woman who absolutely loves her job as a single mother of her young son. Her life consists of caring for him, volunteering at school and running a popular parenting vlog. At...

Directed by Shane Black and starring Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn and Sterling K. Brown, the sci-fi action film The Predator was released on Sept. 14. The film received a 34 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘The Predator’ falls prey to laziness

HUNTER FRIESEN Sep 20, 2018

The original “Predator” from 1987 was a film full of mindless action done in a smart way. Every other sequel, spin-off and reboot following has just been mindless action done really dumb. “The Predator,”...

Directed by Corin Hardy, The Nun was released on Sept 6 and received a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The supernatural horror film follows the investigation of a young nuns death in 1952 Romania.

‘The Nun’ is an unholy abomination

HUNTER FRIESEN Sep 13, 2018

Over the last five years, the “Conjuring” universe has taken the horror genre by storm. This has been made possible by great directing and inventive scares that defy expectations. “The Nun,”...

Directed by Jon Chu and starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians premiered in the United States on August 15, 2018. The film received a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ lacks originality

HUNTER FRIESEN Sep 6, 2018

Rachel Chu and Nick Young have been together for over a year now and couldn’t be happier. Both of them are professors at NYU, which is how they first met. One day, Nick asks Rachel to come with him...

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