The student news site of the University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowan

The student news site of the University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowan

The student news site of the University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowan

Directed by Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman premiered on Aug. 10, 2018. The movie features John David Washington as Detective Ron Stallworth and Adam Driver as Detective Flip Zimmerman.

Lee makes comeback with ‘BlacKkKlansman’

HUNTER FRIESEN Aug 27, 2018

Spike Lee has always been an outspoken director when it comes to civil rights. His no-holds-barred mentality put him on the map in 1989 with “Do the Right Thing,” and again in 1992  for his epic biopic...

Directed by John Curran and written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan, Chappaquiddick hit tehaters on April 1 and received 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Chappaquiddick’ adequately delivers

HUNTER FRIESEN Apr 26, 2018

The date is July 18, 1969. Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy is speeding down the moonlit road on Chappaquiddick Island. In the passenger seat is 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, who was a presidential...

Directed by Wes Anderson, Isle of Dogs was released on March 23 and has received a 91 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A dazzling dystopian dog film

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Apr 19, 2018

Combining his love for visually inventive animation, deadpan humor and, well, dogs, director Wes Anderson (“Rushmore,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) may have made his most...

John Krasinski, actor and director of A Quiet Place, has reached his artistic turning point, according to NI film critic Clinton Olsasky. The film has a 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

New horror flick silently shocks

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Apr 12, 2018

The deafening silence that courses throughout the new horror film “A Quiet Place” is at once terrifying and spellbinding — resulting in an unapologetically unique cinematic experience that is likely...

Steven Spielbergs film Ready Player One received a 74 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Ready Player One’ is fun thrill ride

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Apr 9, 2018

After having devoted much of the latter half of his career to historical dramas and prestige pictures, it seems that legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg (“Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Raiders of the Lost...

The Universal Pictures film Blockers stars Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena. The movie will be available for wide release on April 6.

Teen sex comedy transcends genre

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Apr 2, 2018

Prom is the magical night in which all teenage girls fall in love with the boy of their dreams and enter into the realm of womanhood through the transformative act of sex. Or, at least that’s what...

The film adaption of A Wrinkle in Time is directed by Ava DuVernay featuring an all star cast. It has a 41 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Reviewer wrecks ‘Wrinkle in Time’

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Mar 26, 2018

You know that feeling you get when your mega-smart astrophysicist father disappears for years at a time while studying the mysteries of the universe, only for you to be guided to his extra-dimensional...

This is the mug shot of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. He wrote the book, now movie, Tortured for Christ about his persecution under the Romanian communist regime.

Compelling story of joy through despair

LEZIGA BARIKOR, Campus Life Editor | [email protected] Mar 22, 2018

The year was 1944 when the Soviet Union occupied Romania and began to establish a communist regime. The young pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife Sabina were among many of the religious leaders in attendance...

NI film critic Clinton Olsasky predicts The Shape of Water as Academy Award recipient for Best Picture.

Best Picture nominees recap

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Mar 1, 2018

This Sunday, March 4, the world will be watching as the best films of 2017 will be honored (and likely snubbed) at the 90th Academy Awards. In preparation for Sunday’s big night, I’m providing a recap...

The film Mudbound was released Nov. 17, 2017 through Netflix. Mary J. Blige plays Florence Jackson, a role that earned her an Oscar nomination.

WWII film highlights trauma at home

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Feb 22, 2018

For many American soldiers, the end of World War II in May of 1945 was a cause for celebration that resulted in the return of thousands of G.I.s to their loved ones. However, the end of the war proved...

I, Tonya features Allison Janney as the mother of Tonya Harding, a role that won her a Golden Globe. The film has a 90 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Olympic biopic is ‘bitingly funny’

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Feb 15, 2018

On Jan. 6, 1994, the sports world was forever changed when U.S. Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was viciously attacked by a lone assailant just one month before the 1994 Olympic Games. The incident...

Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps star in Phantom Thread, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

‘Phantom Thread’ weaves tale of toxic love

CLINTON OLSASKY, Executive Editor | [email protected] Feb 1, 2018

The obsessive impulses that arise out of the often toxic intersection of artistry and affection are at the forefront in “Phantom Thread,” the new drama directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Thomas...

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