The screening of “Long Shot” marked the return of a premiere of both Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron after “The Disaster Artist” and “Atomic Blonde,” respectively, both of which scored well two years ago as a comedy and action flick.

The screening opening with the cast and crew welcomed the audience of a sold out show on a Saturday night at the Paramount, a theater that seats 1,270 people. Both cast members thanked the festival for giving them a warm welcome and Theron even stated that SXSW was her most favorite festival and the cast and crew were excited to be premiering the film here.

Directed by Jonathan Levine, “Long Shot” is a romantic-comedy about Fred Flarsky, played by Seth Rogen, a journalist in between jobs who gets back in touch with the Secretary of State, Charlotte Fields, played by Charlize Theron, and their journey once she hires him as her writer. Being a Seth Rogen comedy, who has a line-up of films including “Neighbors” and “Sausage Party,” “Long Shot” had the potential of being filled with dirty jokes cranked all the way up. But, it was a pleasant surprise that it was not.

“Long Shot” was instead filled with comedy that was toned down, which resulted in hearty laughs from the audience, instead of one that would cringe at the content. The film drew in a thoughtful plot line that allowed Theron to play a powerful role in this comedy instead of a playing a damsel in distress for comedic relief.

The movie opens up with Rogen as Fred swearing into a White Supremacist group as his dedication through field research, and then goes on to get half a Swastika tattoo, before jumping out the window after he has been caught. After he goes back to report his completed article to his boss, he learns that the little newspaper is bought by the international mogul Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis) who is also Charlotte Fields’ enemy as well. Fred then immediately quits and heads over to his best bud, Lance (O’ Shea Jackson Jr.), who takes him to a party featuring Boyz II Men. Fred happens to catch Charlotte’s eye and reconnects before she asks him to write for her on her campaign tour.

The casting was the most refreshing decision made for the film. Charlize Theron is usually seen in either female-only films such as “Atomic Blonde” and “Tully” or strong action films such as “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Fate Of The Furious.” The film could also be labeled as a female centric powerful role not only because Theron played Senator of State, but also the character spoke her mind throughout the film and although the film highlighted the emotions that a woman would face under the pressure,emphasized when she would simply lay down occasionally and would hyperventilate asking for Fred to be near, that didn’t drag her down as she tried to achieve her ambitions. The fact that this was all through a light-hearted vein in a romantic-comedy, something that Theron fans were truly happy to see. Rogen played his adult comedic role flawlessly in scenes such as when both leads get incredibly high as expected and after portraying a goofy-romantic, more of these roles should open up for him.

O’Shea Jackson Jr. played the best hype man for Fred as Lance, which could be seen when Fred narrated a play-to-play to Lance over the phone dictating the entire conversation when Charlotte tells Fred her desire to meet with him. Other roles such as the Prime Minister James Steward played by Alexander Skarsgard is hilarious as Skarsgard plays the Prime Minister of Canada, simply as a pretty face which is the exact opposite of the narcissistic role of Perry Wright in HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” Finally, Bob Odenkirk as the president was comical, especially whenever the running joke was mentioned that he wanted to quit his presidency to become an actor to which the other characters responded, “it is a big accomplishment to go from TV to film and not a lot of actors have successfully done that.”

Overall, the film was such an exceptional comedy to watch and the actors added to the depth of it. To watch it on the Paramount screen simply places a comedy film at a higher status, sharing screen space with other film festival films. After the screening and a standing ovation, surprisingly, the Boyz II Men came out on stage and performed a medley of their songs which was a heartfelt and memorable ending to the screening.

Panic! At The Disco never seems to disappoint. The band lead by musical genius Brendon Urie set the stage on fire (literally) after their return to St. Louis after two years, and a lot has happened since then. The touring crew is completed by the new bassist Nicole Row and guitarist Mike Naran along with a new violist, cellist and violinist with the touring brass section, not only elevating the sound live but also emphasizing Urie’s range in creativity displaying the rock band’s fluidity. This tour of the newest album, Pray for the Wicked was at least slightly influenced by Urie’s three-month broadway gig as the lead in Kinky Boots and can be seen in the red boots flashing behind Urie singing “Roaring 20’s” onstage. Being the only official member of the band, Urie simply continues to prove his electrifying talent in writing music but also in performing, making every tour nothing less of a party— party where even a host can enjoy himself.

During the five-minute countdown between Panic!’s stage time and the two openers, Betty Who and Two Feet, Urie rose from under the stage. Enterprise was filled with the feel-good anthem “Africa” by Toto, to which the audience of every age, it seemed like, sang to behind the flashlights on their phone lighting up the whole place. The concert began with the string trio starting off “F a Silver Lining” while Urie slowly rose up in his flashy black and gold blazer and once he hit the first word, blue and purple streamers dropped from the ceiling. After that it was it was just a full-blown party that took place on the black illuminati symbol with the famous “!”. Urie didn’t seem to talk to the audience a lot but let the music do that and simply delivered beyond expectations. The nearly two-hour show was filled with Urie’s normal stunts like his backflip after the drum solo in “Miss Jackson,” but also displayed his flawless attempts of fortnight dances, and a riff off between the unmatched guitarist and bassist to which Urie joined in, simply enjoying himself. But something the audience never gets tired of is his flawless voice and vocal range. Throughout the show, Urie embellished each song with phrases that levels up two or more octaves that isn’t featured in the already pumped-up rock album.

The show featured mini bursts of fire during the jazzy “Crazy=Genius” with snippets of the music video in the background. Urie was able to display his talent as a guitarist and a pianist in “This is Gospel” and “Dying in La” respectively (seriously what can this man not do?). About halfway through the 28 song concert, Urie walked through the crowd during “Death of a Bachelor” a segment in the show which his fans have dubbed as the “Death Walk,” where he signs memorabilia and thanks fans for coming out to see him. This was when he branched out to start singing some of softer songs including his rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Rait and “Dying in La” where Urie elegantly rose up while playing a sparkling white piano and gliding across the stadium.

The biggest highlight of the show, or surprise I should say, was when Urie said that he badly wanted to become friends with Hugh Jackman, and then proceeded to sing “The Greatest Show”—the song that was covered on The Greatest Show Reimagined by Panic!—which undoubtedly described the concert. This was followed by Panic!’s LGBTQ anthem “Girls/Girls/Boys,” for which Urie adorned himself with a rainbow striped album and asked the audience the cover their phone’s flashlights with various colored hearts making the stadium glow, signifying the power of unity. The experience was topped off by confetti that fell from the ceiling. This was followed by “King of the Clouds,” and the stadium filled with white smoke before Urie let the audience sing the chorus of “High Hopes.” A little before the end of the concert, Urie sang his famous rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and congratulated Rami Malek for a job well done. Urie ended with “Emperor’s New Clothes,” before which he narrated the story of when he posed in front of a mirror, holding cardboard in the shape of a guitar—a moment when he knew that performing is what he wanted to do and then genuinely thanked the audience. It should be us, though, who should be thanking him.

Gallery|15 Photos

On Wednesday, Nov. 28, Young the Giant returned to St. Louis for the fourth time since their “Home of the Strange” tour. After performing at the Pageant during the fall of 2016, they returned in the spring to Hollywood Ampitheater. They were also WashU’s WILD free concert in October. Young the Giant is always a treat to watch and their performance last week at The Stifel Theatre was no exception.

105.7 The Point’s series of HoHo shows began last week with Smashing Pumpkins, followed by Young the Giant in their countdown to Christmas. Since then,The Point has hosted Bastille, Nathaniel Rateliff and within the next few weeks, Meg Myers, The Revivalists and Dirty Heads.

As everyone started to trickle in at the beginning of Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. show, the curly-haired Grandson took up the stage starting with his song “6:00” from his only EP, “a modern tragedy vol. 1.” But his confidence wasn’t dampened by the fact that he was a newcomer because he had a bigger message to spread. Before each track, Grandson compared the relevance of the lyrics to the national scene, especially in this political climate. Once he started, the crowd went wild as he began to mesh together slow rap and ballads that energized into trap music and loud guitar riffs that almost create the passionate child of Twenty One Pilots, a responsible voice in mental-health for example, that needs to be heard.

By the time Grandson had finished, a larger crowd had filled the auditorium with the anticipation for the appearance of Young the Giant. For a slightly underwhelmingly-sized audience, Sameer Gadhia opened “Oblivion” with a bang—to which the audience roared and rightfully so.

“Mirror Master” is arguably the 10-year-old indie rock band’s most mature album, one that excels lyrically. Their previous effort, “Home of the Strange,” allowed for the five-piece California band—including Jacob Tilley on guitar and synthesizers, Eric Cannata on guitar and keyboard, Payam Doostzadeh on bass guitar and synthesizer and Francois Comtois on drums—to navigate through their identity as non-natives in America to show the world who they really are. In this show, they embrace this new album, showing everyone what they feel.

“Mirror Master” has a tune for every emotion, even the ones you didn’t think you had. With unique melodies such as “Panoramic Girl,” a song that showcases Gadhia’s vocal range as he reminisces on the blurred memories of a romance echoed by a mystic chorus laid over constant upbeats, and “Brother’s Keeper,” which expresses a cry for help in times of loneliness. With this album that hits home on so many levels, a good chunk of music lovers don’t even know what they are missing. In this concert, Gadhia carried the vulnerability and maturity of the album on stage, as he shed the eccentric red-orange jumpsuit that he flashed throughout the “Home of the Strange” tour and replaced it with a monochromatic black tee and grayish khaki pants.

The band set up the stage under a foggy-colored backdrop creating a vibe that they thrived in. The set continued with “Something to Believe In,” a hit from the last album, went back to the classics such as “Apartment” and slowed it down with the track “Titus was Born,” making use of the “noise-stand” and the looping device. These knick-knacks along with Gadhia’s creativity are what make the band excel live. Although they use standard instruments, Gadhia’s “noise-stand” holds random sounds such as a horn and a tambourine that accentuates the melodies and make them quirky. Gadhia’s voice blends in perfectly with the articulate hard-hitting words and softer voice in places in “Amerika.” The smoothness of his lower register transition into the upper register, with occasional and purposeful voice breaks, brings the audience into his mind, making them feel what he is feeling. Gadhia’s ability to bring more strength and rigidity to his voice is showcased in the beat and electric guitar-driven “Mind Over Matter.” After playing their classic hit “Cough Syrup,” the band played some of their underdogs such as “Nothing’s Over” from “Home of the Strange” and “Call Me Back,” a single that was one of the four released prior to the release of “Mirror Master” (the others being “Simplify,” “Superposition” and “Heat of the Summer”). Gadhia accompanied these tunes with groovy moves, jumps and swinging.

After a blink-and-miss break, the band returned to play their unannounced encore that consisted of “Superposition,” the angsty “Tightrope,” Silvertongue” and the hard-hitting “My Body.” Immediately after, Gadhia announced the band’s exit and audience members started to leave while other confused audience members, convinced that they were going to get an encore, stayed to hear the gems from “Mirror Master” such as the titular song and “Panoramic Girl.” But unfortunately, Young the Giant left us wanting more after cutting their set about five songs short.

Young the Giant will be back in Missouri on Feb. 17 at The Blue Note in Columbia.

Gallery|6 Photos

“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the long-awaited sequel to Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph,” crashed into theatres on Nov. 21. Hype for the film built through teaser trailers, primarily featuring familiar interfaces like iPad apps, social media sites, and of course, Disney princesses.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” stars John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph, a gentle video game villain, and Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz, a spunky princess of a racing game. In their world, arcade game characters can explore each world freely—as long as their game is plugged into a power strip. In the film, the power strip is designed like a train station with exits to each game.  Beloved characters from video games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man make cameos, appealing to the older generation. When Vanellope’s arcade game breaks, Ralph and Vanellope venture into the Wi-Fi router to retrieve a new steering wheel for the game.

In the film, Ralph is willing to do nearly anything to help Vanellope stay in the arcade world. But when they go to different parts of the Internet, Ralph panics since they hadn’t been separated in six years. Compared to a cushy arcade, the Internet world is never-ending and—in Ralph’s perspective—dangerous. Although Vanellope reassures him that she will be fine, Ralph’s insecurity is a persistent theme throughout the film. He is not worried about threats to her safety, but threats to their friendship. As a previously estranged video game villain, he clings to Vanellope because she was the first person who appreciated him for more than his role in society. Beyond the plot, Ralph and Vanellope illustrate the expansive spectrum of healthy relationships.

Vanellope remarks that she doesn’t know who she is without her video game, which essentially provides her role in society. Ralph tries to comfort her by stating that she is his best friend, which she says “isn’t enough.” This deeply offends Ralph; however, Vanellope was merely saying that she has to be more than a game and more than a friend to someone else—instead, she is seeking a higher purpose. On the other hand, Ralph is content with his daily rotation between work and hanging out with her. He fills his life with one single person, which is not uncommon. He also becomes threatened by new friends in her life, which, again, is not uncommon, but festers into spite and anger. As Ralph takes a valid emotion and turns it into a hateful reaction, he provides a clear image of an unhealthy relationship. On the other hand, Vanellope explores a world beyond the arcade and Ralph, reassuring him that they are still friends and asserting her own independence. She provides security in their friendship while understanding that she needs to do something for herself.

Disney tackles the issues of codependence so candidly in “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which I haven’t seen before in a film targeted to kids. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” depicts the root of unhealthy relationships: insecurity. Because both Ralph and Vanellope didn’t have a secure sense of self, they fell into a codependent relationship that is ingrained in the turns of the story.  Overall, the media doesn’t do a great job of defining healthy relationships, but this film depicts the turbulence of codependence and even makes it a central plot point, which I certainly applaud. So, as always, Disney didn’t just make a “kid’s movie.” Adults and kids can enjoy the mix of meta jokes, meme references and clever humor that tethers the film and prevents the plot from becoming too campy and the messages from becoming too preachy. Above all, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is a comedy film with emotional highlights and a valuable message about friendships.

After much laid out background information in the first Fantastic Beasts, the director David Yates comes back with “Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald,” written by J.K. Rowling. The sequel includes much-needed substance delving into the lives of the Dumbledores, many of whom we soon learn about in this sequel. The first part of the five-part series barely keeps the audience hooked, especially those who seek fulfillment as a hardcore Harry Potter fan.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” introduced us to Newt Scamander and his love for animals along with his two friends he finds along the way, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski and Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein playing out the Harry, Ron and Hermione trio who have already gone through the coming-of-age part. But beyond setting up the time scheme that sets the narrative before the Harry Potter series, finding Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) a love interest and revealing that Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) is actually Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), the protagonist of the five part series, it seems as if there isn’t too much to take away from part one. There is, however, a multitude of details in the last 15 minutes that goes unnoticed until the sequel. Crimes of Grindelwald gives us some answers but equally leaves us with an abundance of questions.

The second part of Fantastic Beasts skips a couple of years and begins with Queenie and Jacob finding Newt where Tina has left him due to a miscommunication in the local paper that showed Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) bonding with Newt instead of her fiance — his brother. We also rediscover Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) who is now on a quest to search for his mother. On this journey, the audience learns that Tina and Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) are hunting down Credence with the in- tention to kill him, believing that he is the last of the Lestrange Family. The plot continues as Newt seeks to put an end to Grindelwald, but also ties in the secrets of the the Dumbledore family, especially Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and his relationship to Gellert and Credence.

To say that J.K. Rowling is a mastermind is an understatement. The details placed in the Wizarding World are endless, and experiencing the same universe at different times proves just that. Although the character development may not be quite convincing with all these details and a change in the cast, all the actors exceed in their roles with the limitation present. A casting choice that continues to stand out is Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald. With other films in his repertoire where he is unrecognizable (Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd and The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, to name a few), being cast in this five-part series can be very unsurprising — almost as a move that was too easy — but in fact essential. Depp effortlessly falls into this role as a dark wizard to be equally matched with the cruelness of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. A surprise casting, on the other hand, was Jude Law as young Albus Dumbledore who, other than his namesake role, did not have too much scope to show for his diverse talent.

But the true winners of the this film were all the leading ladies. As Harry Potter fans who were deprived a strong Hermione-like heroine in the first Fantastic Beasts, J.K. Rowling answers our requests with Leta Lestrange and with another dimension to Queenie Goldstein’s character, who manages to unravel her many layers in this sequel. Kravitz plays Leta with such subtlety continuing to surprise the audience with her decisions, truthfully revealing her pains and her loyalty.

“Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald” digs deep into the Wizarding World, pulling out narratives the audience hadn’t even thought to ask about. With a larger and talented cast and intelligently-weaved details, “Crimes of Grindelwald” brings in the Harry Potter fans who almost dropped out last time and more.

Hippo Campus disregards the sound that was created in their first album “Landmark” with which they marked their presence at Loufest two years ago. After one full album and four EPs, the five-piece band regraces their arrival at the beginning of their sophomore album “Bambi.” The first song on the album “Mistakes” opens with airy beats overlayed by the band’s warm-up concert sounds and builds up to multiple vocalists.

The musically- and lyrically-talented band from Minnesota would have normally been on everyone’s Summer Spotify playlist, with every song being a ray of sunshine, but with “Bambi,” Hippo Campus asks for a chance to accompany us on our autumn walks.

This album deters from the happier tone marked by definitive beats and goes to the mellow voice. Hippo Campus shows the personal side of the band compared to the last album, and their growth and reflection is emphasized with the repetition of the word “Mistakes” in the chorus. The next three tracks removes the drums and revamps the audio with added techno beats. Although, “Why Even Try” revists the days of “Suicide Saturday” and “baseball,” the sixth track of the album “Think It Over” muffles the drummer over the synth and the lead singer Jake Luppen almost takes his time with the harmony and uses rhythm as a suggestion.

“Doubt” vibrantly reveals itself with opening offset synth beats on which the vocalist follows suit and it almost seems like the lead vocalist is competing there. The familiarity and comfort of the piece finally arrives in the chorus which breezily floats in the higher octaves. “Bubbles” starts out with a syncopated rhythm with Luppen singing “You could call me irregular, I’m a basic fix for a better man, Seasons change I’m a maniac..,” which reaches out with a soft calling. Then the song is then split by a few seconds of heavy metal orchestrated by staccato drums, electric guitar and controlled screams that almost have a melody. These nuances realistically mimic the ups and downs of one’s life, and proves how deep the band is trying to get with this new album.

Hippo Campus has shown as their growth and their willingness to take risks and become vulnerable with their new music. Already being a phenomenal stage presence, “Bambi” will simply widen their audience into other experimentalist listeners.

“Bambi” is simply the extremist side of Hippo Campus—the tracks that make it up either are louder due to hard-hitting backup vocals or stand out due to solo vocals over the absence of any music. Even with the change of Hippo Campus’ normal vibe, their newest album still scores. The original set of fans will fall in love with the songs, “Why Even Try,” “Honestly” and “Golden,” while appreciating the experimental sound that reinvents them.

After Wednesday has done so much since they opened for Nick Jonas at SAB’s Vibe Concert, which was already a pinnacle in their set of experiences. After finding their sound while keeping it outside of their comfort zone, After Wednesday came out with three EPs released across the summer. The first, titled 19 was released on June 28, the second, 20 on July 12 and the third called 21 on July 26. The titles represent the ages of the three members of the alternative band, singer Pat Wilson, guitarist Bennet Smallwood and drummer Jack Kellett. Through the three EPs comprised of two songs each, After Wednesday not only delivers the classic pop punk and early 2000s sounds for fans of that genre, but also go further to please a wider audience.

Before their single “Tattoo”, the band previously went by the name Casper and put out an EP called Lost In Transmission. One of the tracks, “Mayday, Mayday” was labeled their most personal song, but their new EPs dive into their love of music and their roots. Before their concert at Vibe, The University News got to sit down with the band. Throughout the interview they had such exhilarant personalities which were easily transferred onto the stage. Their excitement and passion for music shown at Vibe shined through in their new EPs. The band caters to the pop punk fans with both tracks on 19, but crosses into parts of alternative rock too. The tracks that stand out are the two-minute instrumental “Tidalwaves…” from 20 and the full fledged ballad “Morphine” from 21. The band also delivers a surprising element in the song “The Ghosts of Bonnie & Clyde” by adding on another voice, Marina Pickney, making the track refreshing. Her beautiful voice makes the harmony overlay on Wilson’s something to watch out for.

After Wednesday has always had a captivating stage presence but their next show will surely be an emotional debut.  The band will be performing tracks from the new EPs at the Blueberry Hill Duck Room at 8:00 p.m. on July 29.