By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
The third season of “Love, Death + Robots” offers more of the eye-dropping visual wonders of the previous seasons, with as many odd, compellingly quick-witted and grim stories as the episodes preceding it.
Continue readingFiled under Entertainment
The latest polarizing film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul was a unique highlight of the Milwaukee Film Festival
By Collin Chesak, Current Staff
I fell in love with film over the pandemic, and finally, after two and a half years of attempting to become a cinephile, I was able to visit my first film festival. The 2022 Milwaukee Film Festival was the first in two years to have in-person showings, and being a high schooler in Wisconsin, it was my first real opportunity to visit a festival.
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By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
“The Northman” is another great addition to what is best described as a collection of modern myths behind Robert Eggers’ filmography.
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By Amy Daniels, Current Staff
After a large amount of hype and advertising, the third installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise was released April 15, to surprisingly weak box-office numbers.
That’s a shame.
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By Collin Chesak, Current Staff
With “The Batman,” Matt Reeves delivers a brutal bat noir that is more emotionally potent than intellectually challenging. The movie seeks to be more of an elaborate epic than the intimate character drama of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Instead of giving him the arbitrary origin story, Reeves introduces Batman like a stoic western character, down a long hall out of the darkness.
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Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” lacks comedy and depth
By Collin Chesak, Current Staff
The Academy recently gave “Don’t Look Up” four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. However, if audiences are looking for an award-worthy film, they should look elsewhere.
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Former contestant Sydney Neuser talks about her time on TV and whether she still wants to be a professional chef
By Kayla Lemens, Editor in Chief
Five years ago today, West Bend’s Sydney “Syd” Neuser made her network television debut as a contestant on “MasterChef Junior.”
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Amber DeRuyter stars in the independent film ‘Lonesome’
By Hasti Ghasemi Vaghar, Current Staff
After decades performing on area stages, Amber DeRuyter has now been recognized for a performance on the silver screen.
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By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” overcame the worries of many, using past characters and ultimately leading to a fulfilling conclusion in Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy.
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By Amy Daniels, Current Staff
After the release date was changed multiple times within a year, Wes Anderson finally released this fascinating film for us.
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By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
Netflix’s “Cowboy Bebop” takes many liberties in the live-action adaptation of the original anime series of the same name.
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VIEWPOINT
By Collin Chesak, Current Staff
“Dune” director Denis Villeneuve dazzled the doubters by overshadowing a risky $165 million price tag with a box office run that now nears the $400 million mark.
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By Cassidy Scherzer, Current Staff
One area student has gained behind-the-scenes experience at the Bend, West Bend’s historic theater that survived the Great Depression and now a global pandemic.
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Former East student finds success as a freelance music journalist
By Nicole Walters, Current Staff
A music writer with local ties has finally reached the Edge.
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By Leah Schmidt, Current Staff
If the pandemic era has felt a little like being isolated in a swamp, Tess Breit believes area audiences are ready for a fairy tale experience.
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By Amy Daniels, Current Staff
“The Guilty” is another American remake of an international success that doesn’t quite live up to what made the original so remarkable.
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By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
With Marvel’s conclusion to the third phase in its superhero film franchise, it seems that there is limited room to move forward and keep its audience engaged.
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WBHS senior helps revive old baseball tune with local ties
By Megan Landvatter, Current Staff
As the baseball season starts up again, a lost piece of Brewers history has been found and restored.
Continue readingFiled under Community, Entertainment, School News and Features, Sports
Acclaimed drama is an Oscar frontrunner
By Amy Daniels, Current Staff
After “Nomadland” earned six Oscar nominations and rave reviews from critics, I decided to see for myself if the movie deserved the attention it was getting.
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Area teachers and former video store clerks ponder what Family Video’s closing means for the culture of film viewing
By Elise Marlett, Editor in Chief
It’s the end of an era.
As of February 28, all Family Video locations across the country are permanently closed, including the location in West Bend. With Family Video being the only remaining video rental store in West Bend prior to closure, local movie lovers must accept a transition from discs to streaming. For many, the transition prompts deep feelings of nostalgia as the culture of film viewing has changed so drastically in the past decades.
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By Elise Marlett, Editor in Chief
A local student’s hobby of six years landed him the opportunity to watch a blockbuster action movie being filmed. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment
Lead actor in musical was sick during performance week
By Elena Chamberlain, Current Staff
For his first lead role in a high school musical, West Bend West ninth grader Keegan Kainz sacrificed seven pounds. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment
By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
The orchestra program is putting on their largest performance in history. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
Among this year’s Oscar nominees is a gripping animated film from France that depicts the extreme aspects of the trials of life. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment
Prequel series honors the original film
By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
Netflix recently released “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” a series that expands the creative world of 1982’s “The Dark Crystal.” That begs the question, how does the new show compare to the original film? Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment
By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff
Sometimes the most interesting films to examine are the ones that are closest to reality. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment
Twenty short film collections are included in this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
Moviegoers may have a West Bend graduate to thank for the forthcoming Milwaukee Film Festival’s setlist of short films. Continue reading
Filed under Community, Entertainment
By Justin Scherzer, Current Staff
While the whole world lined up to see the ever-anticipated “Avengers: Endgame,” one West Bend student opted to save her money.
In the past decade, there have been 22 hit films released in the massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, but East High School senior Grace Peplinski has never seen a single one. Below, Peplinski explains how she lives life without superheroes. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment
By Justin Scherzer, Current Staff
Three future film directors may currently be walking the halls of the West Bend High Schools. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
By Grace Peplinski, Current Staff
While most kids will be spending their summer hanging out with friends, one West Bend trumpet player will be touring with a distinguished music group. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
The face of visiting orchestra director Walter Muelling can be found in a beloved WBHS mural
By Lily Mottet, Current Staff
West Bend High Schools orchestra students never imagined the man painted in their classroom was based on a previous student. Or that the student would return to West Bend 13 years later. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
Teju the Storyteller headlines Thursday’s event
By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
The leader of the West Bend High Schools multicultural club was in disbelief when she saw what had been done. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
Sci-fi show wastes its potential for political allegory
The CW’s “Roswell, New Mexico” is another attempt to keep the “The Vampire Diaries” magic going. Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about the series’ political message. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, Viewpoint
By Rachel Gergetz, Current Staff
The upcoming play “Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook” is a novelty for the West Bend High Schools. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
WBHS graduate designed the artwork for this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
For Melissa Johnson, working with the Milwaukee Film Festival meant designing a dollhouse. Continue reading
Filed under Community, Entertainment
The West Bend Current 