Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Prospect High School Entry Title: “Gladiator II” Review: Not just a movie — a holiday lesson Entry Credit: Peter Radosh Judge Comment: An engagingly written film analysis that does a fine job of connecting the work to the sociopolitical period during which it was released.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Prospect High School Entry Title: Movie Buff Picks and Predicts the 97th Academy Awards Entry Credit: Lucas DeLuca Judge Comment: An impassioned, effortlessly readable and highly entertaining look at the recent Oscar nominees. The sort of writing I would personally read purely for pleasure.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Washington Community High School Entry Title: Dancers, ‘disses,’ and double meaning in Super Bowl halftime show Entry Credit: Maggie Lawson Judge Comment: An intelligent and illuminating analysis of Kendrick Lamar's uncommonly artistic Super Bowl halftime show.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: West Chicago High School Entry Title: “Suzume”: A visual and emotional triumph in storytelling Entry Credit: Diego Villafuerte Judge Comment: This review effectively conveys both the strengths and weaknesses that the writer found in Makota Shinkai's film.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: West Chicago High School Entry Title: A five-star return to the world of button eyes Entry Credit: Sam Suarez Judge Comment: An enticing look at the stop-motion masterwork with an opening paragraph that serves as a great hook.
Competition Comment: This group of submissions were most impressive in how the personal and insightful voices of the writers came through in their analyses.
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