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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

A character from the video game "Elden Ring" looks out over a chasm. "Elden Ring" is one of the many games receiving DLC this year. (Business Wire)

Video games to look out for this year

By Jonathan Shelby, Assistant Lifestyle Editor | January 29, 2024

There is nothing more exciting for a gamer than finding out a game they’re hyped for is releasing soon or one they’re absolutely infatuated with is getting DLC in the near future.  Feeling your heart skip a beat as you read the news blowing up...

The Oscars trophy stands in front of red curtains. This year's Oscar Nominations were announced Tuesday. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

2024 Oscar nominations disappoint

By Lindsay Curtis, Copy Editor | January 24, 2024

The long-awaited nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were finally revealed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday. Like any other award show, this year’s nominations are filled with snubs and surprises, so here’s a list...

Ryan Gosling (from left), Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig look at a screen on the set of "Barbie." Gosling has been receiving far more praise for his performance as Ken in the film, where Robbie and Gerwig are receiving less praise. (Jaap Buitendijk | Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

The Oscars didn’t do ‘Ken-ough’

By Nick Glover, Lifestyle Editor | January 24, 2024

It’s Ken’s world, and we’re just living in it. Well, at least that’s what the award shows want us to think. Oscar nominations came out Tuesday, and, like always, they caused some stir in the film world.  Whether it be the Flamin’ Hot...

Two books by Sajni Patel, “The Knockout” and “My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding,” sit upright on a desk. Patel’s newest book, “A Drop of Venom,” released last week. (Nick Glover | Northern Star)

‘A Drop Of Venom’ highlights female empowerment

By Caleb Johnson, Lifestyle Writer | January 23, 2024

An enchanting tale of tragedy, triumph and love entices readers as we enter a world of heroes, villains and magic.   Sajni Patel delivers a beautifully diverse and colorful story, dripping with female empowerment, in her latest novel "A Drop of Venom."  On...

A photo illustration combines two album covers, The Smile's "Wall of Eyes" and Goth Babe's "Lola." These two records release Friday in both physical and digital media. (Mom + Pop Records/XL Recordings via AP)

The Smile to return with second album

By Nick Glover, Lifestyle Editor | January 22, 2024

Former Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke along with Jonny Greenwood, former Radiohead guitarist, and Tom Skinner, former Sons of Kemet drummer, combine into the indie hit The Smile.  After debuting in 2022, the trio has released another album, and with...

Avantika (from left), Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp and Bebe Wood pose with a camera on the set of "Mean Girls." The 2024 release is an adaptation of a musical which itself is adapting an earlier film. (Jojo Whilden/Paramount via AP)

A guide to sitting through ‘Mean Girls’

By Nick Glover, Lifestyle Editor | January 21, 2024

“Mean Girls” was a terrible movie ... and I loved it. Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not one of those movies where I like it in spite of all of the abhorrent things wrong with it.  No, I liked it because of everything wrong with it. To...

A stack of four romance and fantasy books sit on a table with lights in the background. Many books are coming out next year, including books similar to the books stacked here. (Anna Scanlan | Northern Star)

Books to look out for this year

By Sarah Rose, Managing Editor | January 18, 2024

For bookworms, a new semester and new year means getting to read anticipated novels releasing in 2024. Of course, with back-to-school season 2.0 in full swing, readers will have less time to read as academic work quickly builds up again. Whether readers...

Erika Alexander (left) and Jeffery Wright walk through some plants in a scene from "American Fiction." Wright was the lead actor in the December release. (Claire Folger/MGM-Orion via AP)

‘American Fiction’ lets down its best performances

By Nick Glover, Lifestyle Editor | January 18, 2024

The film “American Fiction” is not what it seems.  The trailers make it out to be a simplistic comedy about a Black man who writes an overly-stereotyped book about Black life to thumb his nose at the publishing industry. The film itself looked...

DeKalb’s AMC movie theater sits with an empty parking lot Wednesday. Many of the movies that came out during break are still showing in theaters.  (Sean Reed | Northern Star)

Movies 2023 had left to offer

By Lindsay Curtis, Copy Editor | January 17, 2024

With films like “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” coming out in 2023, it was a strong year for movie releases. Since 2024 is just beginning, here’s a list of some of the most anticipated movies released over winter break. “Wonka” Timothée...

Holt McCallany (from left), Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Stanley Simons and Harris Dickinson stand in a circle. The group of actors make up the main cast of "The Iron Claw." (Brian Roedel | A24)

‘The Iron Claw’: not wrestling film

By Nick Glover, Lifestyle Editor | January 17, 2024

When it comes to film, I tend not to like the most masculine ones out there. I thought “The Godfather” was an objectively great movie, but I don’t really care for it. Westerns are my least favorite genre; I would much rather watch a good noir-romance.  So,...

Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) stands on top of a rock and looks out across a forest. Scobell and the rest of the cast for the Disney+ original "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" have been portraying their characters to the age and maturity levels depicted in the Percy Jackson book series. (Disney | David Bukach)

Nostalgia carries Percy Jackson show

By Caleb Johnson, Lifestyle Writer | January 16, 2024

Myth and magic collide as Disney delivers an enchanting mix of Greek mythology and modern pop culture in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” based on the best-selling series of the same name by Rick Riordan.   The series follows the adventures...

A version of the Taylor Swift's album "Midnights" has the photo of Swift replaced with President Joseph Biden. Biden's presidency seems to match the "Midnights" era. (Nick Glover | Northern Star)

US presidents as Taylor Swift eras

By Angelina Padilla-Tompkins, Former Editor in Chief | January 16, 2024

U.S. presidents and Taylor Swift: not a comparison you see every day, but surprisingly many presidents do line up with at least one of her many eras. Each era of U.S. presidents can be connected to one of Swift’s 10 eras, some a bit more obvious than...