Media Reviews

Pluto x Baby Pluto

By Lil Uzi Vert and Future

BY LEWIS PERRY

MUSIC

On a two weeks notice, Lil Uzi Vert and Future dropped “Pluto x Baby Pluto,” a collab album, on Nov. 13, 2020. This project provides an upbeat and futuristic 16-song tracklist that includes a solo song from each artist in the mix. While there are no featured artists on the album, Uzi and Future manage to make a jampacked album that has several hits.

“Marni on Me,” the second track of the album, brings an upfront bass, as well as a hi-hat cymbal, making for an electronic and catchy beat. Uzi and Future go bar-for-bar in many instances, making the verses a lot more interesting. The chorus is very repetitive, but coming from a rapper like Future who is somewhat notorious for simple choruses, it flows well with the rest of the track.

Uzi and Future bring their A-game on the fourth track, “Real Baby Pluto.” Uzi brings some of his signature designer flair to this track with the line, “I’m rocking Louis V right with some Goyard.” Uzi takes a step back from his usual moderate rapping and singing flow and goes with a unique, faster flow, which keeps this track at a steady pace.

The second-to-last track, “Bankroll,” engages the listener with more a vocal and melodic input. The heavy use of autotune on this track allows the artists to complement each other’s verses throughout the song. This track’s lower energy provides space for the listener to relax as the album closes out. The album does slow down at some parts, lacking variety between certain songs. Tracks like “Plastic” and “Moment of Clarity” seem like filler songs with the intention to only make the album longer. These tracks don’t fit the tone that much of the album brings, and there isn’t anything remarkable about them either.

In an attempt to improve the lineup of tracks on the album with no features, Uzi and Future each had solo tracks, “Rockstar Chainz” and “Lullaby,” respectively. These tracks seemed somewhat insufficient and had high hopes that were not lived up to. In “Lullaby,” Uzi sounds off-beat for nearly the entire track, providing for what many said was a rough listen. Future’s “Rockstar Chainz” is not necessarily a bad track; it just felt average. The track really brought nothing new to the album and felt out of place.

As these two artists are some of the most popular in the rap game, there were a lot of feelings given from fans. Some posts called the album mediocre with one tweet saying, “I’ve gotta keep listening to this ‘Pluto x Baby Pluto album’ it’s gotta grow on me I guess…I hope.” The people who enjoyed this album thoroughly tended to be die-hard Future fans. Another review on Twitter claimed the “entire Pluto x Baby Pluto album is fire.” Overall, there were mixed reviews of this album from each of the artist’s fanbases

This album has hits here and there, but lacks depth and slows down in many instances. It could have used some features to spice up different songs and to give variation. However, there are several good songs that could definitely see the top charts. This won’t be one of the best albums in Future nor Uzi’s discographies, but it is a solid addition nonetheless. This album shows that this duo has the potential to make great music, however, “Pluto x Baby Pluto” does not demonstrate their best work.

The Queen’s Gambit

Directed by Scott Frank

BY JONAH KLIEN

SHOW

Released on Oct. 23, 2020, “The Queen’s Gambit” is a Netflix original miniseries, created by Scott Frank and Alan Scott, and written and directed by the former.

“The Queen’s Gambit” is an adapted story based on the book written by Walter Tevis in 1984. The story revolves around an 8-year-old girl named Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Beth is orphaned into a girl’s home after her mother dies in a fatal car crash. One day when Beth goes to the basement, she notices the janitor, Mr. Shaibel, playing chess and asks him to teach her. After only a couple days of learning, Beth is progressing incredibly fast, and Shaibel notices. This was the beginning of her chess career.

Beth isn’t adopted until her teenage years when a troubled marriage takes her in. Things get complicated, and Beth is worried she will be placed back into the orphanage, but her new parents lie so they can keep her. This is when Beth enters her first chess tournament and wins against dozens of older men. This is when her professional career began.

Throughout this mini-series, Beth struggles with addiction, drug abuse, depression, stress, love, death, sexism and many more challenges that come her way. A big part of this movie is feminism because Beth was one of the only female chess players at the time. Many times, she was told “girls don’t play chess,” or “she’ll be an easy win” by older men; she beat them all. There are also her high school friends and tormentors, who, although they were very intelligent, were married and turned into housewives right out of high school.

This mini-series has many ups and downs, which you feel like you’re experiencing along with Beth. The characters and settings convey so much emotion and you feel like you’re there with them. From the moment I started, I watched right up until I went to bed and watched until the end the next morning. There was never a time while watching when I wasn’t fully engaged and paying attention to every detail, emotion and event. “The Queen’s Gambit” was recommended to me by multiple friends, and although I was skeptical, I watched it — and I’m so glad I did. I didn’t know chess could be so entertaining, and I promise you’ll be entertained too.

MOVIE

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Written and Directed By Aaron Sorkin

BY HENRY CONNOR

Released on Oct. 16, 2020, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is a Netflix original courtroom drama written and directed by the legendary Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin has written for many well known films in the past and has taken a recent swing into the directing world as well. His directorial debut was with “Molly’s Game”, released in 2017, which had one nominee at the Academy Awards for best adapted screenplay. Since then, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” has been his only other film to direct.

The plot revolves around a true story of a trial, which consisted of seven defendants being charged by the Federal Government with concepts related to conspiracy. It started from many anti-Vietnam war protests being held at the 1968 Democratic National Convention led by the seven defendants at the trial. The film brings up the question on whether or not the law favors the truth and the people, rather than the money and the elite. We see examples of this many times in the film, so it is clear that this is the main message that Sorkin was trying to get across. When talking about Sorkin’s skill as a director, it is important to bring up how he keeps the audience engaged. He knew from the start that making a courtroom drama interesting throughout the film was going to be a hard task. His solution was to have a nice blend between what is going on in the courtroom and what went on during the protests. The scenes flipping from the trial to the protests, and even to Abbie Hoffman’s comedy shows, worked very well in keeping the audience engaged. The viewer stays focused and never feels bored because right when you start to lose interest, he brings the viewer back in by changing the scenery. Anyone who still needs a wake up call to the flaws in our system should watch this film. We are seeing day-by-day examples of racism in our country and the law favoring the wealthy. Hopefully, this film can help open the eyes of some people and can start ideas from those inspired by the story itself. Sorkin has shown the audience his potential as a director while still maintaining his reputation as a writer.

Baby

Directed by Andrea De Sica and Anna Negri

BY DELIA BINETTI

SHOW

The thrilling series “Baby” reached the top charts of Netflix’s best shows when the first season was released in 2018, and season two being later released in 2019. The series is based on a true story that took place in the streets of Rome, Italy. Chiara and Ludovica are the main characters of this dramatic story plot. They find themselves getting mixed into the young prostitution ring going on in Rome. Ludovica is in need to make money for her and her mother, and she uses this as a way to support them. Chiara, on the other hand, uses it as a way to escape her “perfect rich life.” Both girls conceal their true identities by going undercover. Friends and families of Chiara and Ludovica are unaware of the circumstances. The show brings us through the Italian high school experience day by day, but it is far from a “normal high school experience.” Heading into season two, word gets out about the girls; they are faced with choosing how to proceed in the mess they have been caught in. Every episode leaves you hanging on the edge of your couch just wanting to know what happens next, making it impossible to stop. Romance, lying, friendship and sexual identity play key roles in the characters of this show, which is where the average teenager can find themselves relating to the characters. The producers find a way to keep us involved in the life of almost every person in the show in order for you to not get warped into only the main characters’ lives. Although these girls find themselves with older men in order to secure jobs, they each have their own personal love affairs. With their hidden jobs, they struggle to keep their relationships honest. Ludovica finds herself falling in love with one of the pimps who reeled them into prostituting. The girls also deal with friendships that are slowly dwindling one after another. The main circle of friends (“comitiva” is the word most commonly used for a friend group in Italy) is Chiara, Ludovica, Damiano and Fabio. Deeper into the plot you wonder how the girls made it as far as they did with their fake identities. Taking sides on who’s telling the truth takes a toll on the girls when they are fighting a legal battle that has the whole community in distress. Some say the girls are at fault and lying, and others put the blame on the true criminals: the pimps. Prostitution is a prevalent issue that takes place in many areas all around the world including the U.S. This story only gives us a glimpse into what a life of a young prostitute could be. Many are waiting for season three after many questions in season two were left unanswered.

World$tar Money

by Joji

BY SEBASTIAN WYNGAARD

MUSIC

“World$tar Money” by Joji has been around forever, having been initially released in 2018. But every time I come back to it, the song seems entirely new. While the original song is great, Trash’s remix takes the qualities that were so special about the original and amplifies them, making the piece more interesting overall.

Stylistically, the remix doesn’t stray too far from other songs in the sad, lofi genre: a genre characterized by low fidelity or audio imperfections that imitate the sound of old recording and playing devices. Just like other songs in the genre, the grainy sound and prominent guitar create an undeniably nostalgic atmosphere.

While on the surface, the song evokes the same sadness and nostalgia as other lofi pieces, the little details take this song to another level. One of those details comes at the very beginning. The song starts with a clip of people talking, but since the remix is considerably sped up from the original, the words that are being said are completely incomprehensible. Because of this, the voices act as a distorted texture on which the rest of the song is built. While musically this isn’t the most revolutionary concept, it paints a picture of a distorted, muted world that perfectly fits the rest of the melancholy themes in the piece. Right as these voices end, Joji’s lyrics continue to elaborate on this sad existence where nothing ever works, and his relationships end with him saying, “Don’t hate me. Am I crazy?”

Over the last two years, “World$tar Money” has been with me through so much. It has been the soundtrack of both happy and tremendously sad times. Every time I listen to it, I’m forced to think and reflect on those two years. I’ve noticed those happy moments seem to get caught in this song, but depending on my mood, my perspective on those happy moments shifts. When I’m feeling down, the song exacerbates that and drowns me in a melancholic sea of all the happiness I can’t have, but when things are going well, this song is entirely different. The song’s energy becomes very positive, and I revel in all of the happiness trapped in those iconic bass or chord progressions.

While some of the song’s power over me comes from my own history with it, I think that “World$tar” is a song that everyone can appreciate. It’s a piece that paints an enlightening image of the balance that many people have between emotional suffering and joy.

SHOW

The Social Dilemma

Directed by Jeff Orlowski

BY ZARA GREENE-KALESKI

The average teenager spends seven hours and 22 minutes on a screen, which is not including time spent on education. That’s seven hours and 22 minutes of a kid’s day- spent with their eyes glued to a device. In Jeff Orlowski’s documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” he talks to former head members and employees of various social media platforms like Google, Gmail and Pinterest. He digs deep into what social media creators have been hiding.

“The Social Dilemma” intertwines both documentary style interviews and acting to portray the effects of technology. The actors depict the stereotypical life of a teen who’s living in a world of social media. Having this family perspective makes the film more engaging and relatable. The members of the family represent the two different opinions on social media highlighted throughout the film. The mother and older sister are against social media, and the younger brother is someone who struggles with nomophobia: the fear of being without a mobile phone or without access to a phone.

“When I was there, I always felt like fundamentally it was a force for good, but I don’t know if I feel that way anymore,” said Alex Roetter, a former senior vice president of engineering for Twitter. Roetter explains that although the intentions behind the creation of social media platforms were initially good, they’ve become corrupt.

“There’s a cacophony of grievances, scandals and ‘They stole our data,’ said Tristan Harris, the president and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology. “And there’s tech addiction, and there’s fake news and there’s polarization and there’s some elections that are getting hacked.” Harris also worked at Google. He makes the audience question,“Is there something that is beneath all these problems that’s causing all these things to happen at once?” Addiction. “Let’s figure out how to get as much of this person’s attention as we can,” said Tim Kendall, the former CEO of Pinterest and the current CEO of Moment. “How much time can we get you to spend? How much of your life can we get you to give us?” Addiction is the goal of social media, and it’s the root cause of why former members of the tech industry are concerned about today’s generations and the generations to come.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

Directed by Mike Flanagan

BY KEVIN DUTTON

SHOW

The nine episode series “The Haunting of Bly Manor’’ is an ominous and scary mystery story that is roughly based on the novel “The Turn of the Screw.” The first episode starts off at a wedding party, where an unknown woman asks a few guests, including the bride and groom, if they would like to hear a ghost story. The ghost story follows a character named Dani Clayton, played by Victoria Pedretti. Dani is a girl in her twenties who lives in London and is looking for a job as an au pair. After an odd and short interview, Dani accepts a job to work as an au pair in the U.S. for two siblings who are orphans. She explains to the interviewee later at a bar that she wants the job because she knows what it’s like to lose someone special, and she thinks she could make a big impact on the children. Something about Dani seems off, and her true intentions to go to America seem skeptical. When Dani looks in the reflection of a car window, she sees a man standing next to her, who is not actually there. She then covers up mirrors in her house with bedsheets and avoids looking into reflections.

Dani is picked up by Owen (Rahul Kohli) the chef at Bly Manor where the kids live. When she arrives, she is immediately greeted by Flora (Amelie Smith) and Miles (Benjamin Ainswort), who are both glad to meet their new au pair. The kids give Dani a house tour and introduce her to Mrs. Grose (T’Nia Miller), the housekeeper. Dani also meets the gardener Jamie (Amelia Eve) during dinner. Everyone living at Bly is nice to Dani, except the gardener who ignores her. All of the characters seem normal and level headed most of the time. But all of them have something odd about them: Flora is very protective of her dolls; Miles often says disturbing things to Dani; the housekeeper refuses to eat and even fakes taking a drink; the chef talks about Bly as if it is a trap; and the gardener treats Dani as if she already knows her. Dolls move when no one is looking, and Flora warns Dani to never leave her room at night because of the Lady in the Lake.

After the first few episodes, there is still so much unknown. Who is the woman telling the story? Who is the man Dani sees in the mirror? What is wrong with the people at Bly? Who is the Lady of the Lake? Each episode adds a new question about the peculiar people and events at Bly Manor.

During Thanksgiving break, I was looking for a scary show to watch, and “The Haunting of Bly” manor definitely exceeded my expectations. Even though it is not your typical scary movie with gore and jump scares, the unknown mysteries, constant plot turns and surprises kept me engaged. If you enjoy mystery, or if you are looking for a short and exciting series to watch, this is the show for you.

Books that Changes Lives

The Secret

AUTHOR Rhonda Bryne REVIEW BY Sebastian Oliva

“Everything that’s coming into your life, you are attracting in your life. And it’s attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind,” wrote Rhonda Byrnes, author of “The Secret.”

“The Secret,” is a self-help book that describes a “secret” that has been practiced and passed down and understood by some of history’s most prominent figures: Ludwig Van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei, Thomas Edison and others.

The “secret” described in this book is “The Law of Attraction.” It posits that everything one experiences in their life is manipulated by the thoughts that run inside their head. Every individual has the power to attract positive and negative outcomes, but they also have the ability to put this law into action.

“Every thought of yours is a real thing — a force,” said Prentice Mulford, a literary humorist and one of Bryne’s sources.

Accordingly, the book professes that the manipulation of your mind and thoughts are “key to the success of an individual’s life and experiences.”

Byrne describes each individual step to using the “secret” in every aspect of your life. The “secrets” are presumed to help with life struggles: money, relationships, health.

“You contain a magnetic power within you that is more powerful than anything in this world, and this unfathomable magnetic power is emitted through thoughts,” Byrnes said.

“According to Byrne, every individual is the ‘biggest energy magnet’ in the universe, and the energy you radiate will be the energy that you receive. Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency. As you think, those thoughts are sent out into the Universe, and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency,” Byrnes wrote.

Byrne illustrates that everything is possible with the power of the “Law of Attraction,” and one can manifest anything they desire into reality if they implement principal thoughts in their mind. She also promises the book will grant you the opportunity of untapping the “hidden power within you” that will help you achieve success and high virtue.

During the lockdown, I began to think that my thoughts affect the outcomes in my life. I began to notice the bad tendencies I had created and was unconsciously applying into my day-to-day life. I blamed anything unpleasant on other matters up until I began applying a positive mindset and began to use the power of the “Law of Attraction.” As I’ve applied this “law” into my life, I have begun to acquire my desires: it has resulted in me changing my mental and physical wellbeing, and it turned my life around.

This book could be of great power to anyone, and it is perfect for anyone who wants to change their life and train of thought.

The book’s invocation of Buddha nicely summarizes its philosophy: “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.”

WHAT TO READ NEXT

For more books featuring similar themes and ideas, look at these titles. If you enjoyed “The Secret,” you might enjoy these books too!

THINK AND GROW RICH

NAPOLEAN HILL This is a personal development novel based on the 13 most common habits of wealthy and successful individuals.

MASTER KEY SYSTEM

CHARLES HAANAL This novel illustrates evidence that will enable the fundamental laws of nature and putting yourself in harmony with them.

AS A MAN THINKETH

JAMES ALLEN Another self-help alternate, this novel argues mastering the power of your thoughts and helps cultivate the stance of a successful individual.

THE NEW EARTH

ECKHART TOLLE

This book sets the importance of how your ego is the creator of personal dysfunction and how to reach self-fulfillment.

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

NORMAN VINCENT PEALE