Canadian pop-rock band Marianas Trench is making their way to Philadelphia May 1 at the Theater of The Living Arts.

Marianas Trench is a band that focuses on the creation of their albums. Even though mainstream music has turned to single-releases and putting songs out as they are written, Marianas Trench sticks to the same style they have been using since 2001.

Their genre of music would best be described as pop-rock with a lot of influence from Queen and Beach Boy according to the band’s bassist, Mike Ayley.

The band releases a new album about every three years — an oddity in the world of music. Josh Ramsay, the band’s lead vocalist, also does the majority of their writing. They’re focused on perfecting each and every song and making sure every note and beat is exactly right. They contemplate and explore the song until it is perfect.

One of the reasons why it is so hard to pin down the band’s style is because they are more focused on going for a vibe, according to Ayley.

They are hardly focused on producing individual hits. They want their albums to be works of art. On their most recent album, “Phantoms,” they have a song that runs for one minute, and another that runs for almost seven. Their previous album, “Astoria,” was produced with a sequence of instrumental breaks parceled throughout the album to enhance the listening experience across all 17 tracks.

They do release singles, but they tend to be more pop-y than the rest of their albums. The other songs they produce are a lot less structured. Each song is layered with harmonies — the kind of song that you know will be good live.

The band has been putting out albums for about 15 years, but they are hardly aging out. Their fan base keeps on growing and their current tour is set to be the most attended one they have done in the United States. Big-city shows, like New York City and Seattle, sold out more than three months in advance.

“I’d like to keep going down the path we are on, which is putting out these albums that we are proud of, expanding our creative window,” Ayley said.

By continuously challenging themselves, focusing on the music and staying with what feels right rather than sticking to a specific sound, they are encouraged and motivated to keep producing new content.

This philosophy is what has kept fans around for so long. It is also what draws people into the band in the first place because first-time listeners can go through their albums and get such a wide range of content from the same set of voices.

Even though their newest album is a bit darker,  almost gothic, Marianas Trench has kept some of the same material they have been playing for years in the tracks. They overlay lyrics and melodies from their older songs in new tracks. It keeps their material centralized.

Long-time fans of Marianas Trench know that the three-year wait for an album, although long, is always worth it. The band somehow always creates a completely new vibe and experience for their listeners, but without straying from the sound that their fans know and love.

By keeping their old songs a part of their new albums in the same way that a patch would be sewn into a quilt, it is hard to be disappointed by their new content. The contrast is so fascinating in their albums, most recently, “Wish You Were Here” (pop-y) and “The Killing Kind” (unstructured) are two great examples of the variety that Marianas Trench is known for.

You won’t want to miss Marianas Trench’s show in Philadelphia May 1.

Study Hall — lead by a Drexel Professor — performs at Philly Improv Theater

Study Hall is an improv group that performs once a month at Philly Improv Theater. The group’s leader is one of Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health’s own professor Michael Yudell. The show, directed by Mike Marbach, exhibits a way to make history humorous. The cast is able to bounce ideas off each other and work coherently on the spot, which is impressive and funny to watch. The show might be especially comical for a history or health enthusiast.

The show originated in 2012 as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival and, after two years of performing at the festival, has continued to perform once a month for the past five years. Professor Yudell, whose research interests include the history of public health and health disparities, began the show April 19 by sharing academic insight on niche historic figures such as William Buckland, known as the man who ate everything, including the mummified heart of King Louis XIV. After Yudell’s short synopsis and stories of what Buckland was like as a historic figure, the improv group performed skits relating to the material.

The show also was performed on Good Friday and Passover. To celebrate this holiday the group also performed a short display of a Passover Seder which featured feelings towards matzah and family members discussing politics at the table. Additionally, as any public health enthusiast might imagine, jokes also included thoughts on anti-vaxers in today’s society. With a wide display of topics to perform on, the cast was able to keep things fresh and interesting throughout the hour long show.

The Triangle was also able to interview Dr. Yudell on his improv group.

TT: How did the group start?

Yudell: The show originated as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival in 2012. I was invited to tell stories with a group of improvisers from the Philadelphia Improv Theater group Asteroid. We performed our first show together at what was then the Chemical Heritage Society. After two Science Festival runs, we were invited to perform as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2014. After the show’s success in the Fringe Festival, we moved to a monthly show at the Philadelphia Improv Theater, where Study Hall has been performing together for five years.

TT: What motivated you to start doing this?

Yudell: A combination of good luck and my desire to tell a good story. When I was asked to do the original Science Festival show years ago, I was invited on the premise that I could tell true stories from history to actors who would dramatize the history of public health and science. To my surprise, the material wasn’t met to be dramatized, but instead to be twisted, satirized and laughed at, which has made my monthly run with Study Hall one of best things I get to do every month.

TT: Do you have any information about the next show?

Yudell: Our next show is June 21 at 8 p.m.

“I think the best thing about Study Hall is that it is where history meets improv, and every month I, and the occasional guest, get to tell true stories from history, politics and my wacky life that the Study Hall cast transforms into hilarity on the spot. The comics I work with are all amazing, and I am always grateful for the opportunity to laugh along with them and the audience at our crazy world and at myself,”professor Yudell said.

Overall, Study Hall is a great show to go to, especially as a public health student or history enthusiast. It is a way to learn about less known figures and historical happenings while laughing at the end of the week.

“The Silence,” Netflix’s new original film released April 22, abides by many of the rules found within the horror genre but still keeps viewers on edge throughout. The film was anticipated as one of Netflix’s most notable April releases but has been subjected to much criticism after its release due to the unoriginal plot, odd pacing and forgettable cinematography.

The film follows the life of a deaf high-school student, Ally Andrews (Kiernan Shipka,) as she attempts to flee with her family from the recently released Vesps. The Vesps are pterodactyl-like creatures who evolved underground and attack anyone or anything that makes noise. With a cast that includes stars like Stanley Tucci, Miranda Otto, John Corbett and Kate Trotter, you would think that the film would be engaging and thrilling. However, you would sadly be mistaken. Despite skillful acting, the unoriginality of the film makes it difficult to take seriously.

The story of the film is eerily similar to that of the hit 2018 movie “A Quiet Place.” Both films include a family where having a deaf daughter helps them adapt to a post-apocalyptic world where staying silent is a matter of life or death. Despite the fact that “The Silence” was put into production before the release of “A Quiet Place” in 2018, it is impossible to not compare the two. I attempted to keep an open mind when watching “The Silence,” but it was difficult with the two films being so similar, especially when “A Quiet Place” is superior in both plot and writing.

One thing that “A Quiet Place” does not have is a religious cult that attempts to kidnap the protagonist. This subplot is introduced in “The Silence” with only 20 minutes left in the film. When watching at this point, I was expecting some type of resolution or continuation of the current conflict regarding the Vesps and the Andrews. Instead, I was introduced to another conflict involving a religious cult that cuts out the tongues of its members and attempts to kidnap Ally from her family. This conflict carries on throughout the rest of the film, into the climax which is also related to this cult. If the religious cult aspect were better interwoven into the plot of the movie, or even introduced earlier to allow for further development, their appearance might have been genuinely eerie and unsettling. But since it was not, their appearance feels like an afterthought in an already lacking plot.

This is only one example of how the pacing and plot of the film feel incomplete. The suddenness of the plot shifts, paired with a narrative that goes nowhere until the end, adds to a feeling that the film was not as well thought out as it should have been or that the production process was cut short or rushed.

Not all of the film is horrible. There are a few suspenseful scenes in “The Silence,” including one when Ally’s father (Stanley Tucci) attempts to test his theory of the Vesps’ blindness by exiting the safety of their car. However, most people do not watch movies for one or two great scenes and prefer to watch it for the full experience.

The aftermath of watching “The Silence” is dealing with a redundant plot and confusing conflict. However, the performances by the many stars are genuinely one of the best things in it.   

I am personally a fan of Shipka in “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” and was glad to see her in another large role. Tucci was also impressive as Hugh Andrews, and his performance as a caring father was incredibly compelling. The supporting characters do not get as much screen time, but their acting is fitting for the roles they play in the film.

All in all, I would not recommend “The Silence” for its great quality. However, I think it is one of those movies that you can casually watch with friends when you can’t decide on anything else. It is an entertaining movie when you are watching it, but it does not leave you wanting to discuss any deeper meaning or symbolism after.

The movie is an attempt at an interesting horror movie idea that falls flat when compared to its competition. Despite Netflix’s success with “Bird Box,” it has not yet perfected its algorithm when creating great horror films, and “The Silence” is the most recent example of this.

“After,” is about a teenage girl, Tessa Young, who is entering college and experiencing life on her own for the first time. The movie is based on the best selling book “After,” written by Anna Todd. Tessa thought she had her life figured out when stereotypical bad boy, Hardin Scott, makes her rethink who she really is and what she wants to be. I tend to gravitate toward cheesy teen romance movies, so “After,” was definitely on my watch list.

The main character, Tessa Young, is portrayed by Australian actress, Josephine Langford. Love interest, Hardin Scott, is played by British actor, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin who may be recognized from his role as young Tom Riddle in “Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince.” Other stars featured in the film are Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Beals, Pia Mia and Instagram influencer Inanna Sarkis.

When going to see a film of this nature you have to go in with the understanding that it will in no way alter your views on life but should still amount to be a good source of entertainment. It is important to know that there is such a thing as a good bad film, and this is what I had thought this movie would be. I had expectations that I would most likely cringe during it, but I was in for a rude awakening. The beginning of the movie set the tone for the depthless content I was about to consume.

The main issue I had with “After,” was the lack of a plot. Also, there were many scenes in the trailer that were not included in the actual film. The movie was choppy and lacked any sort of flow, making you believe you were missing a massive piece of information. It was impossible to gauge how much time was intended to be passing by, since within the first five minutes of the film it felt like the two leads had already fallen in love.

The whole point of the movie was that a sweet, innocent girl was falling for a dangerous, complicated boy, but Hardin Scott was relatively kind and simple throughout the majority of the film. There was nothing complex about either of the characters or barely any reason as to why they fell for each other at all. It seems like there was a lot more information that they did not have time to add. Maybe this story would have been better adapted into a Netflix series.

The movie consisted of an abundance of montages with mainstream pop music in the background which brought you out of the film so many times it was almost laughable. There were so many slow motion scenes that it would be fair to say that they consumed it entirely. Moreover, unnecessary scenes that added nothing to the plot had a very large presence.

I knew this movie would be juvenile, but I still expected it to have proper writing, character development and to hold my attention for its entirety. It is unfortunate to say that “After” failed to achieve any of these things. There was an extreme deficit in the writing, it was lazy and simply not good. Throughout all of the film, I felt as though I did not know anything about the characters.

We were offered glimpses into their pasts, but it made me question why they even bothered mentioning them because it had no impact on the storyline. The relationships between the characters did not feel genuine and every interaction between them appeared very forced. There is nothing that separates this film from other generic teen romance movies. No amount of good acting could cover up the terrible script.

“After” could be summed up as two pretty people on the big screen kissing from time to time. The whole premise of the movie is extremely similar to 1999 film, “Cruel Intentions,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe but falls short of its character development.

The ending of the “After” brought extreme frustration to the entire theatre. The crowd was filled with comments such as, “Are you kidding me,” “You’ve got to be joking,” “I am so confused,” and the occasional “What the f–k .”

There are two types of movies — one where you become so immersed in the film that you feel a part of it, and the other where you’re counting the minutes until it is over. This film, unfortunately, was the latter. The beauty of these types of films is that they are intended to be an easy, mindless watch but this film brought more aggravation than any form of entertainment.

After over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Infinity Saga has come to a close, and “Avengers: Endgame” was the perfect ending. Fans of the comics and movies alike will not only be thoroughly satisfied but pleasantly surprised by the story written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. A story which features a dynamic plot, countless memorable moments and interesting variations to the heroes we know and love, “Avengers: Endgame” explores the aftermath of Infinity War and asks how far would one go to avenge the loved ones they lost.

Though it’s not an action-packed movie from start to finish, “Avengers: Endgame” began more like a heart-wrenching drama that dives into the lives of the remaining heroes and explores the ways they learn to move on following the aftermath of “Avengers: Infinity War.” The film asked: who would want to keep trying to save their loved ones who were turned to ash, and who may just want to move on and try to heal from their loss? Questions like these cannot be solved with super intelligence, strength or magic; the answers reside in the moral ground where the hero stands and is based on the relationships they are personally willing to risk.

While most of the heroes in this film are shown at their peak, some are thrown to the side for comedic gags. I was expecting to see all of the heroes at their peak performance, ready to display the anger and vengeance they have for the loved ones they lost, but unfortunately this is not the case. Yes, this is a Marvel film, and they don’t like to take themselves too seriously, but I wished for this saga finale a more serious view when showcasing the greatest of good against  the worst of evil.

Comedy can do a lot of good for storytelling, but “Avengers: Endgame” didn’t seem to understand the importance of finding a balance between anguish and comedy. During the first hour of the film, stark (no pun intended) changes in the tone were more off-putting than uplifting. “Avengers: Infinity War” did a much better job at balancing the seriousness of the situation with the comedic relief necessary for the audience.

Do not go into this movie expecting to understand how it will play out. The “Avengers: Endgame” trailer did a fantastic job and subverted almost all of my expectations. Real consequences were presented and interesting plot devices worked to not only keep the story moving but answer some very tough questions about how the Avengers will to do whatever it takes to avenge the fallen. With a three-hour run time, I still found that some plot points were rushed or not fully fleshed out. This could be forgiven, however, due to such a large cast and number of stories being told. With that being said, it is important to note that rewatching the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be beneficial for fans given some great scenes that hark back on the heroes’ previous endeavors.

The audience fell silent for the last hour of the movie, jaws wide open, as they witnessed the best battle in superhero cinema history. Team-ups that fans know and love elevated themselves into a new realm of power while other heroes joined forces in some surprising and very exciting ways. Having goosebumps for the last hour is the only way I could describe my experience in the theater. The saddest moment of the final battle was understanding that it must come to an end.

I invited my Marvel-fan roommate Will Pearson to see “Avengers: Endgame” with me. “Comic books never end. Their nature allows them to carry on characters and stories forever. The fact that Endgame could give us a satisfying ending to such important and beloved characters after so long feels special to me,” he noted after seeing the film.

“Avengers: Endgame” has closed a chapter 11 years in the making, a chapter where fans had gotten to know, grow old with and love dozens of characters who taught them the importance of family, strength and perseverance. And although some heroes’ stories ended in “Avengers: Endgame,” many others began in  ways that kept fans from morning the loss of the present and instead looking with hope toward the future, looking towards the endgame.

Brie Larson holds no punches as the flying, fire-fisted phenomenon known as Captain Marvel. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, “Captain Marvel” tells the story of Vers, a powerful Kree with little memory of who she is and what her past is hiding. The story revolves around Vers traveling from place to place hoping to find clues as to who she is and what her flashbacks mean.

This plot is very similar to that of “Alita: Battle Angel,” which also follows an overpowered woman trying to find out the secrets of her own forgotten past. The movie drags in that sense; there was so much the audience either already knew or could piece together that it made the story less engaging. Luckily, supporting actors like Samuel L. Jackson keep the film moving through comedy, Marvel fan service and kitten cuddling. Lashana Lynch’s performance as Maria Rambeau also lifts the film through scenes that evoke unexpected raw emotion. I also cannot forget to mention Goose, the cat that stole the show in more ways than one.

The film takes audiences back to the ’90s through a focused soundtrack. I found myself dancing in my seat numerous times because the songs chosen were timepieces — featuring artists like TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and Nirvana. Relics such as internet cafes, paper maps and Dial-Up Internet not only work to add comedy to the mix but also allow audiences to reflect on how much our society has progressed in such a short time.

The fight sequences in this movie were well choreographed. Props need to be given to Larson for doing an excellent job holding up against her opponents in hand-to-hand combat; she has been training for this role and it shows. The chase scenes on Earth were also compelling and captured the audience’s attention. With that being said, I thought that many of the other battles, which relied heavily on CGI, did not deliver. With this Marvel movie releasing  so close to “Avengers: Endgame,” there is a craving for beautiful and well-constructed battles in space. I am not saying it must be colorful like “Guardians of the Galaxy,” it just needed to have more work done to it in terms of adding realism. “Captain Marvel’s” flying scenes look more like a video game cutscene rather than a blockbuster movie depiction of the most powerful hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her skin looks plastic, and all of the energy radiating from her body couldn’t hold my attention. And despite the nostalgia of the setting, the film’s scale is fairly small. In multiple instances, I found myself wanting to see more, but the locations are never explored enough. It felt like the characters would go to one location, have a chat, then move onto the next scene, making the settings seem unnecessary.

The film features shapeshifting Skrulls who have invaded earth and can camouflage themselves to look like anyone they see, copying the person down to their DNA. I am happy that Marvel has finally introduced the Skrulls. They add a new layer of mystery to the universe and encourage future surprises or twists. My only concern is that this plot device will become overused or predictable in future Marvel films. Luckily, this film does a great job balancing the Skrulls’ powers to keep audiences guessing. Ben Mendelsohn plays the lead Skrull, Talos, and does a fantastic job translating his emotions through the thick layers of green prosthetic makeup covering his face.

While I would not call “Captain Marvel” one of the best Marvel superhero movies because of its smaller scale and banal animation, its wonderful cast and interesting characters hold the audience’s attention for a majority of the movie. I was entertained and would recommend any fan of the MCU to give this movie a watch. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story continues and if Captain Marvel herself will shake things up for Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame.” I think she will.

Two years after the release of their Grammy-winning album “Sleep Well Beast,” The National released a new single, announced their new album, announced tour dates and aired a trailer for a short film arriving with their 10th studio album, titled “I Am Easy to Find.”

Though the massive announcement was a pleasant surprise for fans, the reveal wasn’t totally out of the blue. These new releases were announced on Twitter March 5 after multiple prior posts had hinted at a new record. March 4, the band tweeted a picture of lead singer Matt Berninger and guitarist Aaron Dessner editing what looked like a tracklist. And Feb. 28, they tweeted dates for special events in Paris, London, New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. Before the Tweets alluding to a new record, Feb. 24, producer Peter Katis confirmed the album was finished recording in a now deleted press release, according to New Musical Express.

The National’s 2001 self-titled debut was a bare-bones, acoustic sound compared to what the band has put out recently. Following their first album, 2003’s “Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers,” 2004’s “Cherry Tree” and 2005’s “Alligator” brought more intricate guitar riffs, layered choruses and string orchestration, solidifying the signature National sound. Combining their early acoustics with a heavier indie sound, “Boxer” is considered to be the first widely popular album from The National with one of their biggest hits “Fake Empire.”

Those early 2000s records laid a foundation for “High Violet” and “Trouble Will Find Me,” the most mainstream albums garnering the highest praise from critics and fans. Rolling Stone gave “Trouble Will Find Me” the eighth spot on their coveted top 50 albums of the year for 2013. The following year, the band and was recognized with their first Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. Though “Trouble Will Find Me” lost the award to Vampire Weekend’s “Modern Vampires of The City,” The National later won the category award in 2018 for “Sleep Well Beast”.  

If the new single “You Had Your Soul with You” is an indication of the upcoming album’s sound, we should expect a more playful, electronic spin of what the band did on  “Sleep Well Beast.”

According to the released tracklist, the album kicks off with the lead single, “You Had Your Soul with You” and features 15 more songs. The single features legendary session vocalist and bass player Gail Ann Dorsey, most well known for her long collaborative relationship with David Bowie. The album features mostly female artists including Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and Mina Tindle.

“Yes, there are a lot of women singing on this, but it wasn’t because, ‘Oh, let’s have more women’s voices,’ it was more, ‘Let’s have more of a fabric of people’s identities.’ It would have been better to have had other male singers, but my ego wouldn’t let that happen,” Berninger said in an interview after the announcement.

Featuring mostly female artists isn’t much of a surprise considering the accompanying short film. Directed by Mike Mills and starring Alicia Vikander, the 24-minute film aims to capture the life of a woman in 164 moments. The single cover and special evenings announcement art being mostly bright paintings, and the film trailer being in black and white promises a more stylized project from The National.

“I Am Easy to Find” arrives May 17, along with the short film of the same name. The National will perform in Philadelphia on their 47-date tour at The Mann Center June 11 with support from Courtney Barnett.

Another season of ABC’s “The Bachelor” has come and gone, and I have to say this has been one of the greatest seasons so far — and I am a hard sell when it comes to reality television.

This season broke so many of the franchise’s unspoken rules. Just this past week, we heard conversation from the producers, had a contestant leave but come back to the show and a runaway bachelor. And, believe it or not, the show did not end with the infamous limo exits. There was not even a proposal.

Colton Underwood’s strong desire to remain true to himself proved to be the best approach a bachelor has ever taken. I thought the biggest pull this season was going to be his virginity, but it turned out to be his good heart.

One of the greatest criticisms of “The Bachelor” year after year is its lack of reality, despite the title of its genre. But for once, I can say this season was just about as real as they come. For once the host, Chris Harrison, did not make claims of “unfiltered” edits because he didn’t have to. The footage spoke for itself, and it was truly beautiful.

This season’s greatest flaw  is that the producers spent so much time developing the great character that is Underwood that they forgot to develop the relationships on screen. For the first time in my history of watching this franchise, I did not care who he chose at the end of it all.

Apparently, Underwood did not seem to care very much how it ended either. When Cassie Randolph, a 23-year-old speech pathologist from California, decided to send herself home because her dad convinced her she was not ready for an engagement, Underwood completely lost it as he proceeded to hop an eight-foot fence in anger. However, he kept his cool the next day when he begged her to stay. Not going to lie, I shed several tears.

He sent the other two women home, one of them before she even had her date. He really showed Randolph, along with America, how much he loved her.

Randolph and Underwood have now moved within five miles of each other, but they do not have plans to move in together yet. They are breaking the mold of “The Bachelor” history and are taking it slow. Who would have thought it was possible?

Considering how awful the past couple of bachelors have been like unemployed fame-obsessed playboy Nick Viall, and over Aged unaccomplished bowling ball licker Arie Luyendyk Jr., pro-football player virgin golden boy Colton Underwood really saved this franchise for me, and for many others I am sure.

It only figures that they would throw it all away with next season’s “The Bachelorette” pick, Hannah Brown. She has herself claimed  numerous times that she is super awkward, and that was apparent in the season preview.

I am not sure if next season will be one to watch. She gave out her first rose last night, and it was the most awkward thing I have ever watched. It took her about a minute-and-a-half to get the guy’s name out of her mouth, and she kept mumbling about how she was not doing it right. I hope this former pageant queen’s lack of confidence manifests itself as adorable this season, because as of now, I am not here for it.

However, when it premieres May 13, you can be sure that I will be tuning in. I have high hopes that this past season of “The Bachelor” has changed the franchise for forever.

James Cameron is back, this time as a producer and writer, with another visually stunning movie that attempts to push the boundaries of CGI. “Alita: Battle Angel” tells the story of a discarded amnesiac cyborg who is found, saved and re-built by a cyber-surgeon — played by the wonderful Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained,” “Inglourious Basterds”) — who must then try and figure out who Alita is while staying alive in the unforgiving Iron City. The film is directed by Robert Rodriguez.

The visual effects in this movie are phenomenal. While that can’t come as a surprise when Cameron is in the mix, Alita — played by Rosa Salazar — does a fantastic job translating all of her emotions through the special effects layered on top of her face. Any audience member could get lost in Alita’s emotionful eyes, lively hair and soft skin. The settings were also well constructed and put an emphasis on the overall scale of the Iron City, which seemed eerily similar to the Star Wars city of Jedha. Zalem, the sky city that floats above Iron City, is not explored but its looming presence was enough to make any audience member curious as to what the sky city is like, putting them in the shoes of the poor Iron City civilians living below. The design of the evil cyborgs in the film are stunningly intricate and stand out from each other.

The story itself seemed to only be partially told, and by that, I mean a sequel seems inevitable. While I was curious to see what happens in the current story, the flashbacks or potential sequels being teased throughout the movie appealed to me more than the plot at hand, and that distraction was a hindrance to the film. Flashbacks seem to come when the audience least expects them, but they only made me want to see the prequel to the movie more than the movie itself. It was pretty evident that sequels or prequels to the story would only suffice if there was an increase in budget, and if audience turnout is low that is unlikely, which is a shame.

The other characters in this movie were average or below average because they did nothing to enhance the world or story. The teenage love interest storyline has been done before numerous times and did little to add to the movie. I would say that it did more harm just because of the tacky, dated dialogue. The non-cyborg villains in the movie would be described as extremely average villains in a future dystopian society. They were soft spoken, ambiguous, unrelatable and stupid. The main villain in the story named Vector (Mahershala Ali) only works to move the plot along and provide unnecessary insight for the audience.

One aspect I can really appreciate about this movie is its willingness to throw punches, and by that I mean the risks it takes, for the most part, succeed. The action sequences in the movie are well choreographed and explorative instead of confining themselves to only a small area. This is aided by the excellent world building envisioned by Cameron. The violence in this movie is more graphic than the average PG-13 movie perhaps because the dismemberment of blue blooded cyborgs is considered less explicit than that of humans. But even with that rating, this movie pushed the envelope without indulging in the gore factor. The bravery in Cameron’s screenplay worked to keep me engaged in the fighting sequences due to its lack of predictability.

While I can’t call this movie a masterpiece, it kept me engaged in both the story and the main characters. Its world is beautiful, mystic, inquisitive and unforgiving while seeming somewhat realistic for its setting in the 26th century. Alita — as a computer generated character — is a feat to acknowledge on its own, but a lot of the credit must also go to Salazar for translating her life and realistic human mannerisms into the character. This film delivers great action sequences while still making time to dissect Alita and allow the audience to build a relationship with her. Its violence may be too much for small children, but families with teenage kids will have a great time with this beautiful addition to Cameron’s filmography.

Alternative band The Aces made a stop at The Foundry at The Fillmore as a part of their “Waiting For You” tour March 1. Hailing from Provo, Utah, the all-female band is comprised of lead vocalist Cristal Ramirez, drummer Alisa Ramirez, guitarist Katie Henderson and bassist McKenna Petty. In my usual fashion, I bought tickets on Stubhub a few hours before the show.

Straight from supporting 5 Seconds of Summer on their “Meet You There” tour, The Aces included songs from their 2017 EP “I Don’t Like Being Honest” and their 2018 debut album “When My Heart Felt Volcanic” in their setlist. To begin the show, they started with “Put It on the Line,” a song that starts out soft with not many instruments, but keeps building momentum as it continues on. It was a great beginning to what would become an extremely energizing show.

They continued with their catchy hits “Stay,” “Bad Love” and “Touch.” The Aces fill all their songs with bouncy guitar riffs and melodies, and these are no exception. They just make you want to get up, grab a friend and dance along. Let me tell you, that’s exactly what I did.

For a group that is not very well known, the crowd itself amazed me. The Foundry only holds 450 people, and the room was packed wall-to-wall with fans of all ages. From middle schoolers and their parents to men in their mid-twenties, these fans were electric. The energy radiating throughout the room was contagious, and it was evident that every fan in that room was a dedicated one.

In addition, the energy coming from the entire band, specifically Cristal Ramirez, was truly incredible. Working all aspects of the stage and interacting with fans, Ramirez was clearly a professional. Not to mention, her vocals were absolutely outstanding. Standing in the crowd, I was completely awe-struck.

They followed with songs “Lovin’ Is Bible,” “Holiday,” “Strong Enough,” “Baby Who,” “Just Like That” and two of my personal favorites, “Last One” and “Volcanic Love.” The Aces constantly kept up their energy, and every audience member could tell that they were genuinely having a good time on stage. It made for a very positive and enjoyable performance.

They finished their regular set with “Physical,” “Fake Nice” and “Waiting For You.” After walking off stage for a few minutes, they returned to the stage for their encore. Consisting of two songs, they began with “Hurricane,” a heartening ballad, which was a change from their usual upbeat style. They finished their show with “Stuck,” their first ever single, which was released in 2016.

After they finished, the girls stayed on stage for about five minutes and greeted their fans from the stage. They were reaching out and touching fans’ hands, all while repeatedly thanking them for coming. It was a heartwarming moment, and truly showed their appreciation for where they are today.

While these four best friends are only in their early twenties, their performance made it seem like they had been professional performers for years. Their talent is undeniable, and their energy on stage is enviable. For their next tour, I can tell you I won’t be buying a last minute ticket on Stubhub; I’ll be on Ticketmaster right when they drop.