College of DuPage's Student Newspaper

The Courier

College of DuPage's Student Newspaper

The Courier

Noah McBrien

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer

Content by Noah McBrien
The Nun II is a Run-of-the-Mill Horror Feature

“The Nun II” is a Run-of-the-Mill Horror Feature

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer October 2, 2023

“The Nun II” is a graphic example of the typical, predictable horror feature, via the director of “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.” We always expect less from a sequel, no matter the genre....

“You Hurt My Feelings” is a Brilliant True-to-Life Comedy

“You Hurt My Feelings” is a Brilliant True-to-Life Comedy

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer September 18, 2023

If it weren’t for comedies like “You Hurt My Feelings,” I’d lose faith in the genre’s ability to produce candid and touching films. Beth, a writer who recently finished her final draft for...

A Meditation on Guilt and Power in “Oppenheimer”

A Meditation on Guilt and Power in “Oppenheimer”

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer September 4, 2023

A grad student in physics has difficulty in the lab, and his teacher mocks him for it. But he's exceptionally talented in the theoretical side of his major. The student is Robert Oppenheimer. What stood...

The Icon is More Human than Plastic in “Barbie”

The Icon is More Human than Plastic in “Barbie”

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer September 4, 2023

Barbie (Margot Robbie) is having real-world problems. Thoughts of death, and then a heap of bodily symptoms, including flat feet, bad breath, and worst of all, cellulite. To remedy this, she seeks the...

Slow Burner, Psychological Thriller “Run Rabbit Run” is a Portrait of a Grief-Stricken Mother

Slow Burner, Psychological Thriller “Run Rabbit Run” is a Portrait of a Grief-Stricken Mother

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer July 17, 2023

“Run Rabbit Run” is a slow-burning thriller that came to Netflix this summer.  It begins with a shot of Sarah, the mother, who doesn’t know what to do with her daughter, Mia. Ever since Mia’s...

Life is Like a Dream in “Village”

Life is Like a Dream in “Village”

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer July 17, 2023

A progression of villagers, dressed in the same red robes, slowly walk over a bridge and into an awning. They all don identical masks, and all carry a lit torch. They arrive to sit at a noh play, an example...

“Turning Red:” A Beautiful Exploration of Adolescence

“Turning Red:” A Beautiful Exploration of Adolescence

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer June 19, 2023

"Turning Red" is a movie about a daughter freeing herself from the restraints of her family, especially her mother. It reminds me of another movie about an immigrant family whose second-generation daughter...

“Greenberg:” How Staying in the Past Hurts the Present

“Greenberg:” How Staying in the Past Hurts the Present

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer May 15, 2023

Florence, a middling woman in her twenties, housekeeps for the Greenbergs, a well-off family living in California. When they're away in Vietnam for the opening of one of the father, Phillip’s hotels,...

“Hunger” Shows the Flipside of Gordon Ramsay-like Fame

“Hunger” Shows the Flipside of Gordon Ramsay-like Fame

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer May 8, 2023

Fame and fortune are looked upon with awe. "Hunger,” a 2023 Taiwanese film directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, sees the attention and calls it what it is: an obsession with being special. For this, as...

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” Remains a Great and Conflicted Romance

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” Remains a Great and Conflicted Romance

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer May 1, 2023

Love is complex. This truth is something we must learn over the course of our lives. But, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" dedicates itself to revealing that truth to us, and through its superb...

“Little Miss Sunshine” Embraces the Disappointment in Life

“Little Miss Sunshine” Embraces the Disappointment in Life

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer April 24, 2023

"Little Miss Sunshine," an idiosyncratic movie released in 2006, starred some now-recognizable names, namely Steve Carrell of "The Office," Toni Collette of "Hereditary" and Paul Dano of "The Batman."...

“Tar” Creates a Controversy-Centered World of Its Own

“Tar” Creates a Controversy-Centered World of Its Own

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer April 17, 2023

The film starts with an introduction of the main character, Lydia Tar (Cate Blanchett.) She’s a composer and maestro whose reputation is too long to list here, accomplishments including graduating from...

“His Only Son” Does Little to Push Beyond B-Movie Status

“His Only Son” Does Little to Push Beyond B-Movie Status

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer April 17, 2023

The story of Abraham from the book of Genesis has been told for thousands of years. I hadn’t really taken in the story before, so I entered “His Only Son” this past Easter not knowing what would...

Photo of Cody Johnson, leader singer of Until I Wake

In The Pit: Until I Wake; Dark Divine; Catch Your Breath; Sakoya

Antonio Llanos and Noah McBrien March 20, 2023

Metalcore is commonly misconstrued. We tend to associate metal with large scary men with guitars with two necks, leather jackets, long hair and a fanbase as brutal as the music. While this may be the truth...

Fast Color - a Dystopic, Small-time Superhero Story

“Fast Color” – a Dystopic, Small-time Superhero Story

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer March 20, 2023

"Ruth," a yet-to-be-named character warmly narrates. She’s reading a letter addressed to Ruth in the beginning of "Fast Color.” The audience is introduced to a world in chaos, where the water has dried...

A Parallel, Altered World in “White Noise”

A Parallel, Altered World in “White Noise”

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer March 13, 2023

“Car crashes are a celebration… an event of optimism,” Professor Murray (Don Cheadle) at the College-on-a-Hill says to his class. “Look past the violence. There is a wonderful brimming spirit of...

Deadpan Humor and A Hard Knocks Life in “A Man Called Ove”

Deadpan Humor and A Hard Knocks Life in “A Man Called Ove”

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer March 6, 2023

Ove, a geriatric man with a perturbed expression, is in a flower shop where he finds a little pink bouquet. After getting in line to buy it, he sees a woman come up and cut him in line when he blurts,...

“Your Place or Mine”: A Gimmicky Romcom

“Your Place or Mine”: A Gimmicky Romcom

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer February 27, 2023

In the opening scene, we see Debbie and Peter, played by Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher, respectively. The movie's captioning provides some humor to the scene, as well as the ridiculousness of pretending...

Acting, Editing, and Music Bring Life to Empire of Light

Acting, Editing, and Music Bring Life to “Empire of Light”

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer February 20, 2023

"Empire of Light" opens in a theater with an antique popcorn stand, a ticketing booth and film reels piled on top of each other. It's an early winter morning, and the Empire Cinema hasn't opened yet. That...

“To Leslie” Review

“To Leslie” Review

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer February 13, 2023

Leslie (Andrea Roseborough) is kicked out of her hotel. Considering who she could go to for help, she asks to live with her 19-year-old son James, played by Owen Teague.  Owing to the need she has...

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Review

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Review

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer February 6, 2023

The titular feline, once again played by Antonio Banderas in a silky Spanish accent for “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” saves the day as usual in the vein of a cat-sized Robin Hood, pouring the gold...

Graphic by Misbah Kaludi

My First Vegan Thanksgiving

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer November 21, 2022

Before this thanksgiving, I tried going vegan, and since then I haven't looked back. That’s not to say it’s been easy. I’ve had to scrape the cheese off of a slice of pizza. I had to decline an...

Graphic by Misbah Kaludi

How Should We Treat the Animals We Eat? – Animal Welfare Club Weighs In

Khadijah Rashid and Noah McBrien November 14, 2022

An open-to-all screening of the film “At the Fork,” a heart-felt documentary about the animal agriculture industry, was hosted by COD Students for Animal Welfare as their first event of the fall semester...

Graphic by Zainab Imam

COD Professor Addresses Immigration Misconceptions

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer November 7, 2022

Robert Moorehead, an associate professor of sociology at COD, dispelled long standing falsehoods about people who immigrate to the United States. As part of a presentation Moorehead gave last Wednesday,...

Photo by Danny Olivares

My Vote, My Voice, My Right: A March in Downtown Naperville

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer October 24, 2022

Gathered at Naperville's Fredenhagen Park, a group of organizers talked amongst themselves and got ready for a march. The march would begin in less than an hour and go through downtown Naperville. The...

A Perspective on Abortion in Illinois

A Perspective on Abortion in Illinois

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer October 10, 2022

A pregnant mother was traveling with her child from Indiana to Illinois. Her destination was a health center in Flossmoor. Once there, she realized she was too far long for what the health center offered. At...

Photo by Elizabeth Barbosa

COD Student Veteran Talked About Mental Health Journey

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer September 26, 2022

This month was Suicide Prevention Month. During this time, COD hosted Burpees, BBQ, and Mental Health, an event centered around promoting the mental health and physical well-being of all students, including...

Photo by Elizabeth Barbosa

COD Students Support Cancer Patients

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer September 19, 2022

This past week was Chaparral Week which hosted events for COD students. Among the events was a volunteering event hosted by Phil's Friends. At it, students gathered to make blankets for chronically ill...

Are Online Courses Worth Taking? Heres How Students Feel.

Are Online Courses Worth Taking? Here’s How Students Feel.

Noah McBrien, Staff Writer September 5, 2022

COD-bound high school students were shut in by the pandemic while in high school and are now recovering from years of taking online courses. Mia Cheaure is one of those students. Cheaure is a first-year...

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