Tag Archives: Author: Mario Avalos

Panther Film Festival Returns for Year Two

We are thrilled to announce the return of the steadily growing Panther Film Festival!  Building on last year’s structure, this school year will feature a series of workshops and competitions to bring student filmmakers of all levels on board, culminating in the April festival screening.

Kick start the year with us next Thursday, September 13th at the first Panther Film Festival Meet & Greet of the semester!

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Solo A Solid Entry Into Star Wars Canon

The Star Wars universe is immense. Following Disney’s acquisition of the property some years ago, there was a hard reboot on the expanded universe which saw much of what was once considered canon being rebranded as “Legends”. Since then, there have been several Disney-sanctioned pieces of media which repaint the history and future of the main Skywalker storyline. Ron Howard’s Solo, which was plagued by reshoots and bad word-of-mouth, is the newest installment in the Disney-era of Star Wars, shedding some light on the backstory of a certain scruffy-looking nerfherder.

Ron Howard was brought on board to direct Solo after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were let go from the project.

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MCU Culmination Avengers: Infinity War Delivers On Promise

“I’m here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative.”

Ten years have passed since Nick Fury uttered those words to Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, the film that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What felt like nothing more than a tease of an unlikely promise eventually came to fruition four years later in what was, at that point, one of the most daring ensemble features: The Avengers. Since then, Marvel Studios never looked back, expanding the world that once featured a mere six heroes to a galaxy that features over 30. With Avengers: Infinity War being pegged as the final chapter in the MCU as fans currently know it, audiences knew that the first of this two-parter, one which sees the long-anticipated Thanos (Josh Brolin) finally make his way to earth, would come at a high cost.

(Light spoilers ahead)

Avengers: Infinity War is an ambitious crossover that sees dozens of Marvel heroes come together to fight Thanos.

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Poll Results For Which Avenger Is Most Likely To Perish!

Avengers: Infinity War is the culminating chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 10-year run, one which has seen our heroes go toe-to-toe with the likes of a sentient killer android, a literal goddess of death, and even an aged Michael Keaton. In Infinity War, the stakes are upped as the Avengers face their most daunting challenge yet: The Mad Titan Thanos, one of the strongest beings in the universe, and his Black Order. While the Avengers have managed to avoid significant losses to their core in their past battles, the odds are that not everyone will make it out of this fight alive. With the film set to hit theaters tomorrow night, we asked you which characters you thought were most likely to die. Here are the top three likely deaths, according to you.

Avengers: Infinity War is an ambitious crossover that sees dozens of Marvel heroes come together to fight Thanos.

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Panther Film Festival Ready For Action!

The time has come, Panthers! Next Tuesday, April 17th, we will be hosting the inaugural Panther Film Festival! This first of its kind festival is a combined effort by the Film Studies Program, The Film Initiative, and Sigma Tau Delta — one which has been in the works since last October when we held our first meet and greet event. Since then, we’ve held several workshops which have drawn in several FIU filmmakers and helped create connections among the filmmaking community. 

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A Lot To Like in Love, Simon

It’s no secret that one of Hollywood’s favorite things to do is adapt a critically acclaimed piece of young adult literature onto the big screen. Based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Love, Simon follows high school senior Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) as he wrestles with living out a typical teenage life and coming out to his family and friends. At first glance, Love, Simon appears to be next in line in an assembly line of young adult novel adaptations that are doomed for mediocrity, but it very quickly becomes apparent that there’s some depth to the titular lead. The film is often funny and heartfelt, with some truly touching moments that evoke some feel-good Hughes-ian vibes for more contemporary audiences.

Nick Robinson’s performance as Simon is genuine and raw.

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Miami Theaters Ring In Isle of Dogs with Wes Anderson Retrospectives

If you’ve made a trip to a local art house theater lately, you’ve likely stumbled upon a trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming and much anticipated film: Isle of Dogs. Anderson’s fans won’t have to wait much longer for the director’s second stop-motion feature as the film is set to be widely released on April 6th. But for those seeking to revisit the charming, witty,  and ever so symmetrical world of Wes, two of Miami’s premiere independent theaters have put together programs that are sure to quell those cravings.

Wes Anderson’s first venture into stop-motion animation came in his 2009 film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

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