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The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

The independent student news site of San Marcos, California

The Cougar Chronicle

All content by Pierce Brenner

Kong roars into theaters, but his movie falls flat

Pierce Brenner, Assistant Entertainment Editor March 29, 2017

In 1973, a motley crew of scientists, soldiers and a photographer go on a mission to discover the secrets of the mysterious Skull Island. However, as soon as they get there, they’re attacked by the king...

Kong roars into theaters, but his movie falls flat

Pierce Brenner, Assistant Entertainment Editor March 29, 2017

In 1973, a motley crew of scientists, soldiers and a photographer go on a mission to discover the secrets of the mysterious Skull Island. However, as soon as they get there, they’re attacked by the king...

The Lego Batman Movie movie review

The Lego Batman Movie movie review

Pierce Brenner, Assistant Entertainment Editor February 24, 2017

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Will Arnett) is living large in Gotham City as the world's greatest detective. He's smart, handsome, insanely wealthy, and has the biggest ego on the planet.   But when...

John Wick: Chapter 2 movie review

John Wick: Chapter 2 movie review

Pierce Brenner, Assistant Entertainment Editor February 24, 2017

After avenging his beloved dog, ex-hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is pulled back out of retirement to fulfill an oath he made to an old colleague years before. However, what starts out as a simple hit...

Arrival successfully breaks out of traditional sci-fi mold

Arrival successfully breaks out of traditional sci-fi mold

Pierce Brenner, A&E Assistant Editor November 28, 2016

The science fiction film Arrival tells a deceptively simple story of 12 extra-terrestrial spaceships landing on Earth and explores the plotline of linguist Louise Banks, being sent by the U.S. military...

Doctor Strange

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant November 11, 2016

Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a world famous neurosurgeon living a charmed life until a car accident costs him the use of his hands. Desperate to return to his work, he travels to Nepal to...

Inferno ain’t gonna set the world on fire

Inferno ain’t gonna set the world on fire

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant November 11, 2016

The third film based on Dan Brown’s novels, Inferno begins with Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) waking up in a Florence hospital, amnesiac and plagued by apocalyptic visions. When he’s...

Celebrate something new this November

Celebrate something new this November

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant November 11, 2016

As November begins, you’re probably getting over your candy hangover, waiting to gorge yourself on turkey and hit the stores. You may not know that November is host to a multitude of lesser-known but...

Sheng brings Fearless: Portraits of LGBT Student Athletes to CSUSM

Pierce Brenner, Assistant Entertainment Editor October 28, 2016

Fearless was hosted Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30 P.M. in Arts Building 111. In many ways, student athletes live charmed lives. They’re the toast of the university, have access to a plethora of scholarships...

Pierce’s Movie Review: The Girl on the Train

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant October 24, 2016

Based on a best-selling book by Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train follows Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), an alcoholic divorcée who stalks her ex-husband and his neighbors. In the end, it’s a mess. When...

Pierce’s Movie Review: Blair Witch Project

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant October 24, 2016

Set twenty years after the original Blair Witch Project, James Donahue and some of his friends travel to Burkittsville, Maryland to uncover the mystery of his sister Heather’s disappearance. Love...

Juste: Red Nose Clown brings delight to campus

Juste: Red Nose Clown brings delight to campus

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant October 24, 2016

“Over the last several weeks our goal has been to discover those qualities which make each individual uniquely funny. Often these are uncomfortable areas for the actors, perhaps even sources of shame…Rather...

The disappointing state of Summer 2016 movies

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant September 28, 2016

Ask a film buff what they thought of this summer and they might call it “disappointing,” “underwhelming,” “horse manure” and the like.   The consensus on summer 2016’s movies...

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Pierce’s Movie Review: Ip Man

Pierce Brenner, Entertainment Assistant September 28, 2016

Loosely based on the life of Wing Chun’s most famous Grandmaster, Ip Man tells the story of the eponymous master before he spread his teachings throughout the world by training such luminaries as Bruce...

Thoughts on Queer Heartache and an Interview with Kit Yan

Thoughts on Queer Heartache and an Interview with Kit Yan

Pierce Brenner, Arts and Entertainment Writer September 13, 2016

Bringing the stories of racial minorities, LGBT individuals and other marginalized groups to the stage is a difficult task.   It requires care and sensitivity to prevent it from being offensive,...

Pierce’s Movie Review: Hell or High Water

Pierce’s Movie Review: Hell or High Water

Pierce Brenner, Arts & Entertainment Writer September 13, 2016

Set in west Texas, brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) go on a bank-robbing spree to obtain enough money to keep the family ranch. Meanwhile, two Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham)...

Link to original image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/whatcouldgowrong/4608963722

Five movies every graduate should watch

Pierce Brenner, Senior Staff Writer May 11, 2016

  If you’re a senior and realizing that your your college career is coming to an end, you may be wondering what’s next, whether you would wish to relive your college years and whether...

Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill star in “Batman v Superman.”

Why you should see ‘Batman v Superman’

Pierce Brenner, Staff Writer April 27, 2016

On March 26, the much anticipated “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” hit movie theatres across the nation and it was well worth its’ hype. About 30 minutes into “Batman v Superman,”...

Representation of Pacific Islanders in film

Pierce Brenner, Senior Staff Writer April 13, 2016

  Like many indigenous groups, Pacific Islanders are rarely portrayed in film and are very much an underserved niche group. There are also very few actors, directors, etc., of Pacific Islander...

Prominent female directors breaking gender stigma

Pierce Brenner, Senior Staff Writer March 30, 2016

  To say that women have it rough in the film industry is nothing new, but female directors specifically endure the most hardships. Only four women have ever been nominated for the Academy...

5 films that made January, February worthwhile

5 films that made January, February worthwhile

Pierce Brenner, Senior Staff Writer March 9, 2016

  Now that the 2016 Academy Awards ceremony has passed, it seems as if movie studios are wearing down. In the film world, January and February are universally known as “dump months,”...

Predictions for 2016 Academy Award winners

Predictions for 2016 Academy Award winners

Pierce Brenner, Senior Staff Writer February 24, 2016

  Here comes the Oscars, my second favorite time of year. For nearly 100 years, the Academy Awards have been the prime event honoring film in the United States. While the show itself might...

Pan shoots for stars but falls short

Pan shoots for stars but falls short

Pierce Brenner November 12, 2015

  Think of “Pan” as Neverland B.P. (before Peter). The story follows 12-year-old orphan Peter (Levi Miller), who is kidnapped by pirates and taken to the mystical land to work as a slave...

Ridley Scott returns with amazing space adventure in “The Martian”

Ridley Scott returns with amazing space adventure in “The Martian”

Pierce Brenner, Staff Writer October 15, 2015

  An astronaut and botanist is left for dead on Mars during a severe dust storm. Now he must use his wits to find a way to contact NASA and stay alive until the next manned mission to Mars...

Wes Anderson’s latest movie doesn’t capture the magic

Pierce Brenner, Staff Writer October 15, 2015

  It’s 1965, and 12 year-old Sam is at summer camp. While there, he meets an eccentric but magnetic girl named Suzy. They become friends, but over the next year their friendship grows more...

A visit to grandma and grandpa's like no other.

M. Night Shyamalan returns with another horror film

Pierce Brenner, Staff Writer September 30, 2015

  Becca and Tyler are staying at their grandparents’ house for the first time. Their mother is estranged from her parents, so Becca decides to film a documentary to show her that her parents...

Netflix Review: Beowulf

Netflix Review: Beowulf

Pierce Brenner, Senior Staff Writer September 29, 2015

In early medieval Denmark, a horrific monster called Grendel (Crispin Glover) is terrorizing the court of King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins). In desperation, Hrothgar hires famed adventurer Beowulf (Ray Winstone)...

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