ARTS & FEATURES
‘Honey Boy’ is anything but sweet By Brennan Atkins Arts & Features Editor By Noah Barnes Entertainment Correspondent “ oney Boy” is a 2019 drama film written by ollywood sensation Shia aBeouf, that follows the story of Otis, a child actor who has to deal with the struggles of growing up in the public eye all while being emotionally neglected by his father. Otis, played by Noah upe and ucas edges, is a character whose creation is greatly influenced by Shia aBeouf’s own childhood experiences and how he developed PTSD as a result of his acting career. The movie, directed by Alma ar’el, is structured in a way that provides the audience with the full story of Otis’ life. The film opens with an older version of the actor ( edges) in rehab, recollecting traumatic experiences from his past. Scenes including a younger Otis ( upe) living at a motel with his deadbeat father are cut between these moments in rehab. This is largely done to simulate what it may feel like to be triggered - as the older Otis thinks about his dad, scenes transition to emotionally scarring points in his life, as if the audience is experiencing PTSD alongside the protagonist. We are forced to relive all the uncomfortable interactions that made Otis the person he is today - a damaged man who struggles to find happiness due to his lack of a childhood. In one scene, Otis is in rehabilitation and finds himself doing water exercises alongside other patients. The pool reminds Otis of a time in which his father threw his talent agent into the pool while cursing his family. From a viewer’s perspective, ames’ character feels completely unique in the cinematic world. aBeouf masterfully plays his own neglectful father and it doesn’t feel like anything we’ve seen in a film before. There’s a level of tension added by this casting choice - aBeouf playing his own neglectful father seems to add a personal layer behind his performance. owever, there are points in the film that show ames to be a tolerable person. aBeouf realizes his father isn’t perfect, and he constantly makes mistakes while raising Otis, but ames is written in a way that will remind audiences of his human side. aBeouf makes sure to add in lighthearted moments between the two to show it isn’t all bad - ust most of the time. The dialogue featured in arguments between Otis and ames are pure night-
mare fuel - things no father should ever say to their kid, and a kid not being able to convey what he truly wants or needs. In one instance, ames asks Otis, with a crack in his voice, “ ow do you think it feels to have my son paying me ” in which Otis firmly replies, “You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t pay you.” ames is well aware he’s a horrible father, and he even manipulates Otis into thinking his abuse is actually helping him become “tougher” for ollywood. The way ames explodes with anger at Otis is similar to the way Otis blows up at his therapist - the director is playing with the idea that children learn how to handle aggression from their parents. The music in the film is interesting to say the least - the sound of pots and pans clattering echo over soft piano notes, almost giving the soundtrack a nostalgic, dreamlike mood. This is also reflected in the cinematography, which features colorful lens flares and transitions featuring soft colors washing over the whole screen. While the film doesn’t focus on them too much, there are some weak side characters in the form of a romantic interest living in the motel, and Otis’ roommate while in rehab. It felt as if it took away from the pacing a bit, but it’s mostly harmless. “ oney Boy” isn’t an apology from aBeouf - it’s not made to besmirch or forgive his father. Rather, it’s aBeouf releasing and reflecting his experiences, both good and bad, as well as coming to accept who he and his father are.
ADMIT ONE
Grade: AA gripping tale of neglect and trying to move on.
ADMIT ONE
CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS AND NOAH BARNES batkins@student.framingham.edu nbarnes@student.framingham.edu
MARCH 6, 2020 | 11
‘Cosmoknights’ is truly out of this world By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor ere on Robbie’s Comic Corner, I feel like I don’t give enough love to the concept of blurbs. Ah, blurbs - the things you read on the back of a book, ust to get a sense of what, exactly, you’re about to get yourself into. Usually, when it comes to the comics and graphic novels I feature in this column, I base my decision on the cover and the characters depicted on said cover. While this graphic novel in particular roped me in with that alone, the blurb played a big role - “For this ragtag band of space gays, liberation means beating the patriarchy at its own game.” I don’t think blurbs can get any better than that one right there, folks. annah Templer’s “Cosmoknights” is a graphic novel that not only nails the first date, but absolutely dominates with infectious charm. “Cosmoknights” follows the adventures of Pandora “Pan” everett, a mechanic who works in her father’s body shop. She is on a quest to find her best friend, Tara. Unfortunately, Tara is up for marriage because she is a princess, and is taken out of Pan’s life, but Pan does her darndest to stop that from happening, only to get arrested. Fast forward five years and the fun really begins to take off - literally. On top of Pan’s mission to find Tara, readers are given a front row seat to the reendale ames - a 40-man battle royale that decides the fate of the princess on display. These sequences, which play out similar to an “American ladiators”-like aunt across an arena, is where the artistry of Templer truly shines. The action is fast and fluid, and the hits - when characters do get hit - carry a lot of impact. These battles are mostly seen through the lens of two frequent Cosmoknights, Cassar “Bull” ail and “ arrier,” as they eliminate fellow Cosmoknights left and right. owever, a player by the name of “ aws” acts as a thorn in Bull’s side, whose attack in the early parts of the graphic novel puts Bull in critical condition. That’s where Pan and her family come in. The two, previously armored, male-identified individuals - according to the commentators of the reendale ames - stumble through the doors of Pan’s home, and are revealed to the reader as female-identified stars of the oust. osh, I’m always a sucker for cool, armored people being buff ladies underneath who also happen to be wives. That’s why Darling Charming from “ ver After igh” was always one of my favorite characters. All that gushing aside, Pan quickly befriends “Bull” and “ arrier” - referred to as Cass and Bee, outside of the ousts - and begins to discover more about them and the ames. Their mission is to “free” the princesses who are up for marriage in those ousting events. What makes “Cosmoknights” so special is not ust the stylistic violence compared to that of “Anarchy Reigns” or the political backstory of the games themselves, it’s the artistic flourish and gripping storytelling Templer puts into it. very page is beautifully drawn, with mesmerizing gradients and bright colors. Templer’s use of double-page spreads is brilliant - using them to convey the vastness of space and moments of intensity where everything is ust blowing up around the characters. Speaking of characters, everyone in “Cosmoknights,” even the bad guy, “ aws,” is likable. Cass is my favorite character, by far - she’s strong and she knows it, but underneath that hulking exterior is an emotional, caring individual. Templer does a wonderful ob at giving these characters personality. In spite of the hefty offering that “Cosmoknights” gives readers already, that’s only the first book and more of it is coming. I cannot wait to see where Templer brings this series next with Top Shelf Productions.
CONNECT WITH ROBERT JOHNSON JR. rjohnson10@student.framingham.edu
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