SPOTLIGHT Game of Thrones Season Eight: Top Five Predictions Andrew Kornfeld
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EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Julian Hornos Kohl Olivia Johnson
DESIGNER
Jeremy Ben-Meir
SENIOR EDITOR Jacob Fisher
EDITORS
Aadit Javeri Will Kingham Riya Sinha
CONTRIBUTORS
Stephen Andryc Mia Cuk Michael Ding Jake Fisher Samira Iqbal Alec Kahn Nina Kolman Andrew Kornfeld Brandon Lin Kaleigh McCormick James McCreary Rohan Mehta Alex Miller Mit Ramesh Donovan Shin Arjun Subakeesan Charlie Suskin Michael Vassalo Max Vogliano Cayla Volandes Jordan Woods
Julian Hornos Kohl EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Trinity is home to many publications. If you’re looking for sports news, you can check out GameTime. Satirical articles and everything comedic belong to The Garlic (although, truth be told, we’ve arguably tucked away at least one satirical article in this magazine—we’ll let you figure out which). There’s Merge Visible for photography, Intarsia for fashion, Synapse for science, Diversion for language, Columbus and The Floating Bear for literature and student-written pieces, and The Trinity Times for all the latest Trinity news you could ask for. There seems to be one medium we haven’t yet mentioned: entertainment—and that’s where Spotlight comes in. We founded the magazine at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year, with the singular goal of letting Trinity students write about any and all entertainment that spoke to them in whatever medium they were most passionate about. After two years, that goal has, and will continue to remain, entirely the same. In our second issue, you’ll find topics ranging everywhere from an in-depth analysis of Dunkirk’s failure to live up to Oscar hype, to a dissection of rap artist Logic’s album Everybody and a definitive list of the Top Ten Best Rap Albums of 2017, to a comprehensive discussion of why YA Novelists need to ditch the classic “Dystopian Story” and rethink the way they see their own genre. Everything you need to know about the 2017-2018 year in entertainment, whether in Movies, TV, Music, Video Games, Theater, and Books, is all in here. In a school teeming with much labore and a (hopefully) generous supply of virtute (it’s Latin—check out Novus Libellus!), we here at Spotlight hope to inspire you by turning away from the academic, and instead shedding light on the artistic. With this magazine, we share just a sliver of the Trinity zeitgeist with the rest of the community, and send you off with your ultimate bingeing guide to all-things entertainment for the coming summer. Please enjoy our newest issue. With much love, The Spotlight Team.
GAMETIME GET HYPE
Films Ol Murder on the Orient Express p.12
Dunkirk p.06
Molly’s Game p.10
The Shape of Water p.08
Blade Runner 2049 p.12
ld & New The Last Jedi p.18
Justice League p.23
Thor: Ragnarok p.22
The Usual Suspects p.24
F FILM
DUNKIRK AND THE OSCARS
WHY DID THE FILM LOSE OUT BY MICHAEL VASSALO
W
Dunkirk first hit theaters in July of 2017, the film was met with near universal critical and popular acclaim. The World War II film not only thrived with audience members both in the United States and overseas, earning over half a billion dollars at the box office, but it also maintained its place at the forefront of awards conversations. The buzz was both expected and well deserved. With C has met some level of commercial and critical success. However, despite his loaded resume of films such as Inception, The Batman Triolgy, Memento, and The Prestige, Nolan has never actually won an Academy Award, despite garnering three nominations for his work as both a producer and screenwriter (five nominations in total after Dunkirk). In Dunkirk, keeneyed viewers saw Nolan’s opportunity to take his place among the most WHEN CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S
SPRING 2018
Michael Vassalo is a junior at the Trinity School in New York City
exclusive ring of Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes characters. At the film’s release, this anticipation and speculation boiled over. Fans and critics raved about the possibility of Dunkirk not just earning, but also winning its nominations in categories such as Best Picture and Best Director. The stage had been set. However, as months passed and the awards season arrived, Dunkirk’s Oscar buzz in the premiere categories faded to the point of near disappearance. While the film racked up eight nominations, only two of these were among the more “prestigious” categories of the Academy Awards. Along with a myriad of nominations for technical achievements such as editing, mixing, and cinematography, Nolan earned a Best Director nomination and the film was one of nine to be honored in the Best Picture Category. The number of nods that Dunkirk earned is not necessarily shocking, considering its immense popularity during the summer. What is most surprising is that although the film received the second most nominations of any movie from 2017, Dunkirk had little to no buzz in either of the two major categories (Best Director or Best Picture). Guillermo Del Toro was considered the clear Best Director frontrunner for The Shape of Water, and among the Best Picture Nominees, films such as The Post, Lady Bird, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, and even Get Out were considered more likely to win than Nolan’s World War II epic. The truth of the matter is that no matter how deserving or how popular the film was, and despite the fact that it received 8 nominaDUNKIRK
DUNKIRK WAS PERHAPS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FILM OF 2017
tions, Dunkirk never really had a chance to win any of the most meaningful Academy Awards. The Oscars, like most everything else in Hollywood, are not truly based on merit. While Dunkirk received the most widespread acclaim amongst both audiences and critics of any nominee, and while it topped many media outlets’ “Best Movies of 2017” list, it was hardly ever in contention to win many awards. Many of the extenuating circumstances that propelled the film to succeed in different ways actually dampened its Oscar hopes. Perhaps the most prevalent of these factors was the film’s early release date. Dunkirk entered theaters on July 21, 2017, in the middle of the summer movie season, which is one of the most popular times of the year for moviegoers. While the decision to release Dunkirk in the summer helped the film attain massive commercial success, it ultimately proved a setback for the movie’s awards hopes. Previous Best Picture Winners Moonlight, Spotlight, Birdman, and this year’s The Shape of Water were all released in the fall of their respective years, right in the midst of film festival season and at the height of awards buzz, rather than coming out during summer blockbuster season and at the height of
box office sales. Ultimately, the detriment of Dunkirk’s July release date serves as a testiment to the moviegoing public; as time passes, memory fades, and the buzz around a film disappears as audience enthusiasm drops significantly for a picture released over six months in the past. Dunkirk should not have necessarily attempted to conform to the standards of typical Oscar-bait films however, because at its heart, it is vastly different from the majority of nominated movies. With a budget exceeding 100 million dollars, if Dunkirk had won Best Picture, it would have been the most expensive film to do so since Gladiator in 2000. At that time, the Academy Awards were an entirely different landscape that lacked the social implications and the myriad supply of independent and low budget films that it has today. Ultimately, Dunkirk was perhaps the most successful film of 2017, considering the balance between its critical and commercial success. However, while critics adored it and audiences exalted it, perhaps most tragically, everyone forgot it. For a moment in the early weeks after the film’s release, it almost seemed as though Nolan would actually achieve the goal of bringing a summer blockbuster to the pinnacle of Hollywood acclaim, but as history has proven again and again, that type of success is not the kind generally honored at the Academy Awards.
FILM
THE SHAPE OF WATER
A COLD WAR FAIRYTALE BY SAMIRA IQBAL
The Shape of Water is essentially a “Cold War fairytale,” combining elements of fantasy movies, espionage films, and romances. The film’s director, Guillermo del Toro, admitted he had been wanting to make The Shape of Water ever since he saw The Creature of the Black Lagoon as a child and wondered why its titular monster couldn’t have his own happy ending. Del Toro’s The Shape of Water has the beautiful lighting, coloring and shooting that is characteristic of his previous work. However, beyond the film’s pretty aesthetic and wonderful soundtrack, the movie has a surprising amount of emotional depth in its exploration of what it means to be human and to love. Set in 1960s Baltimore—or rather, our nostalgic vision of it—, the movie features Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning-woman who works at the government-funded Occam Aerospace Research Center with her best friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer). Every night is the same: Elisa prepares lunch, masturbates while her eggs boil, drops off half of the food to her neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins), a struggling, middle-aged illustrator, and heads off to work. Set to a jaunty tune, Elisa’s routine, which would normally be considered monotone and unsatisfying, turns into a fulfilling experience for both her and the audience. The dream-like sequence also serves to immerse the viewer in a magical, distant world that still feels eerily familiar, thus setting the tone for the rest of the film. Elisa and Zelda meet a bizarre sea monster (played by Doug Jones in an elaborate costume and heavy makeup) after he is captured and brought in to the research facility where they work. While he writhes and struggles in his tank, the audience meets Colonel Richard Strickland, a spit-and-polish authoritarian, and the film’s primary antagonist, who leads the expedition GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S
JEREMY BEN-MEIR
to capture the beast. Sauntering around with a cattle prod, Strickland repeatedly butts heads with the lead scientist, Doctor Robert Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg), who rejects Strickland’s violence in favor of scientific pursuits towards what should be done with the creature. Meanwhile, Elisa, fascinated by the specimen, visits him during her lunch breaks. Over time, the two fall in love, but when the U.S government hears whispers about Soviet spies and a possible sabotage, it is decided that the sea creature will be cut open for scientific observation and then left to die. Elisa, of course, after hearing this, devises a plan to break the creature out, and thus, the race is on. Despite the whimsical nature of a monster falling in love and a near impossibility of a ragtag group of four successfully running an extraction operation from what is proclaimed to be the highest security research laboratory in the U.S, what grounds The Shape of Water is its exploration of what it means to be human, in both a personal and societal context. Our heroes are mute, gay, middle-aged, female and black- they are practically invisible in the film’s world and in ours, both historically and, as tragic as it is, currently (representation could still use some work). Marginalized peoples are often portrayed negatively in the media and are almost never presented as a representatives of humanity. Their experiences with racism/sexism/etc. are usually at the core of their “struggle.” In The Shape of Water, the experience of being an “other” is the norm, and the film doesn’t treat it as something shocking or sensational. None of the characters attempt to validate their lived experiences to men like Strickland or the audience- their character arcs aren’t inspiration porn, and they aren’t interested in fitting in. While the movie does indeed acknowledge that these characters’ lives are considered unusual by others, these moments often serve as a boon to get our heroes out of a tight spot. In fact, being considered invisible often saves Elisa and Zelda. They come in contact with the sea creature first because no one thinks to send them out of the room. Later, when being questioned by Strickland during his quest to find the creature, SPRING 2018
they don’t even have to cover for themselves- his underestimation of the women, because of their gender, race, and ability, does the work for them. Elisa and Zelda’s experiences of alienation are superimposed onto the monster- Elisa herself is first attracted to the creature because he is being held captive as an oddity and an over-sized lab rat. As they spend time together, she even teaches him a bit of sign language and the two begin to understand each other. This relationship itself, a monster romance, is highly subversive because it defines love as the ability to care for something so strictly “other” and unknown without wanting to change it. This story is the reverse of The Beauty and the Beast; Elisa is not a beautiful princess but a fully-realized woman with her own desires and imperfections. The monster does not change for her and she doesn’t want him to. However, this is not to say that Elisa’s friends understand her love for the creature despite risking their jobs, freedom and lives to keep the creature alive and the two of them together. Zelda even says, speaking about the heist, “We’re going to hell.” Giles is even more reluctant to help; when Elisa first attempts to reach out to him, he refuses. He doesn’t understand how she could a love a monster, much less risk her own life for him. When she tells him that the monster is lonely, he calls the monster a “thing”- a freak. According to Giles’ argument, by virtue of being different, the monster’s life is not worth anything. In response, Elisa signs “And what am I? I move my mouth like him and I make no sound like him. What does that make me? ” Despite this frankly heart-breaking parallel, Giles remains unconvinced and is more shocked by her referring to the monster as a “he.” She then signs, “The way he looks at me. He doesn’t know what I lack... or how I am incomplete. He just sees me for what I am- as I am.” The argument goes on. Giles even says, “There’s nothing we can do. What are we, Elisa? You and I? Nothing. What can we do? Nothing.” Elisa then replies, “If we do nothing, neither are we.” This line, in combination with Elisa’s aligning herself with the beast, speaks to Elisa’s own isolation in society and the effects it has on her understanding of herself. She is invisible, and when she is seen, her muteness is her most prominent feature. She feels like a monster, so when she looks at the sea creature, Elisa doesn’t see a monster, but rather, someone with a shared lived expeTHE SHAPE OF WATER
rience. She loves the fact that “Amphibian Man” is a monster because that means he is unaware of the way society works, and therefore, his love for Elisa is unattached to any idea of “conventional” love or beauty. Despite Elisa’s epic zingers, Giles remains unconvinced until he visits his crush who works at the local pie shop and gathers the courage to talk to him. Given the time period, there’s no way for Giles to be blunt about his interests, as queer people have always had to rely on subtext. As the two men talk, it seems like the interest is reciprocal, and the hopeful audience is at the edge of their seats. Just as Giles reaches out and puts his hand over the younger man’s hand, a young African American couple asks to sit at the counter. The Pie Guy rudely asks them to leave the premises before turning to Giles and telling him to do the same. This cruel act reminds Giles that by being an older gay man in the 60’s who is crushing on a younger man, he actually has more of a parallel with the monster than Elisa does. His rejected love reminds him of Elisa because they both are searching for companionship and are both being told that somehow their love and their desires are ugly and taboo. While sweet, and, in my opinion, revolutionary, The Shape of Water can come across as quite heavy-handed for some. Although all of the characters are fully fleshed out, the villain, Strickland, is not extremely sympathetic; we are invited to see his point of view but he remains a representation of a authoritarian yes-man who defines and upholds the status-quo. I find no issue with his portrayal because the movie isn’t about him or fitting in. The fight against the conventional merely serves as a way of pointing out that love is like the shape of water- it comes in any form and shines beautifully in all of them.
FILM
Molly’s Game What I thought of Molly’s Game without having seen the movie BY JAKE FISHER
the latest film written (and directed, for the first time!) by Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, is a true masterpiece, nothing less than what one would would expect from the mind of the modern-day Shakespeare. The film’s writing is uncanny, the acting is superb, and the direction is sublime. And I can confidently say all of these things despite having not seen a minute of the movie. Surely you are wondering, Jake, how could you not have seen Our Lord Aaron’s latest work? Are you not a co-president of the prestigious International Society of Aaron Sorkin Aficionados? Indeed, not having seen Molly’s Game is a great failing of mine, and one I am quite ashamed of. In my hubris, over the entire holiday break, I neglected my MOLLY’S GAME,
Jake Fisher exclusively writes mediocre satire pieces
assignment, assuming that I would be able to watch Molly’s Game some other time. But, in fact, as the weeks slipped by and my obligation slipped my mind, springtime came. Alas, Molly’s Game was no longer in theaters, and I had failed my duty both to Aaron and to Spotlight, for which I had promised to write a film review. My anguish was deep; I could feel the wrath of both Aaron and beloved Editor-in-Chief Julian Hornos-Kohl (one more tangibly than the other). I was caught in a knot of Gordian proportions – how could one write a review for a movie they hadn’t seen? But just as Alexander the Great swiftly and deftly sliced through the Phrygians’ infamous coil of rope, the solution to my problem became obvious and simple. Why do I need to watch Molly’s Game to know whether or not the movie is good? Of course it’s good! It’s written (and directed!) by Aaron Sorkin, who hasn’t produced a single bad thing in his life (except for the “Isaac and Ishmael” episode of The West Wing). Everything I would have needed to know about Molly’s Game I already knew – in my heart. So, here is what I think of the movie, or would have thought of the movie... if I had seen it. The witty banter in Molly’s Game is matched by no other film this year. Lines like “Well, tell that to her,” “And that’s just before
breakfast,” and “Does it look like I’m kidding?” remind us once again of Sorkin’s mastery of the English language. Indeed, Jessica Chastain darts these exchanges back and forth with co-star Idris Elba and others, giving a portrayal of Molly Bloom as ferocious as Sorkin’s dialogue is quick. Chastain, an actress so accomplished that her filmography has its own Wikipedia page, is truly at the height of her career in this flick, after a disappointing turn in 2012’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Though she may have starred in Zero Dark Thirty, her performance is anything but torturous. The question on everyone’s mind when waiting for the release of Molly’s Game was: “He sure can write, but can Aaron Sorkin also direct?” and the film answers that question with aa resounding “yes!” Every facet of Sorkin’s direction is impeccable, from the first aspect of directing to the final aspect of directing, running the full gamut of aspects of directing. Now, the only question is, “What is Aaron Sorkin going to do next?!” Ah yes, our lad Aaron certainly has come a long way from his days as the showrunner of a high-prestige NBC drama. So, my dear readers, I can not recommend seeing this movie enough! I give it 32.1 stars out of an unspecified number of stars.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE
HUMAN affected me in quite the way Blade Runner 2049 did. The film is a sequel to the cyberpunk dystopian classic Blade Runner, depicting a future in which technology can create artificial humans known as replicants and the differences between cultures have been made nearly insignificant. The protagonist, K, played expertly by Ryan Gosling, is a replicant whose job it is to apprehend older, rogue replicant models- a “blade runner.” One day, he discovers the bones of a replicant, and, after analysis, the bones are discovered to belong to a woman who has given birth, which should theoretically be impossible, considering replicants are sterile. This discovery sparks a hunt to find the child of this miracle birth as K deals with questions of his own identity related to the case. The movie manages to deftly tell a suspenseful, thrilling story while exploring a simple yet powerful question: what does it mean to be human? This question permeates throughout the entire text of the film, and is further explored by the characters, the dialogue, the imagery, and even the music. The question of the fundamental nature of humanity is framed through a discussion of the soul. The soul is seen as the distinction between replicant and human, shown prominently in an early exchange between K and his police chief, Lieutenant Joshi, in which Joshi tells K that he’s “been getting along fine without [a soul].” The central conceit that replicants have no souls is perhaps most prominently displayed in the “baseline test,” which all replicant police officers are required to go through after each mission. The test consists of a replicant sitting in a white room with a voice asking increasingly personal questions, followed by “cells” or “interlinked.” The replicant must first begin the test by saying, “A system of cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within one stem.” The purpose of the test is to NO OTHER MOVIE IN 2017
see if the replicant is displaying any anomalous or dissenting tendencies. By asking personal, human questions and having the replicant respond only either with “cells” or “interlinked,” the replicant is subconsciously conditioned into considering themselves as nothing more than “A system of cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within one stem.” In essence, this process removes any “soul” a replicant could ever have. Throughout the film however, this assertion, that a replicant is a human without a soul, is challenged. A particular scene of note is one in which K looks through DNA sequence records, and remarks how this is the “code” that makes humans. The movie shows this scene in order to question the belief that humanity is special, since both humans and replicants are made up of the same four letters of “code.” This scene also brings up what is in my mind the most interesting idea the movie presents: the case of Joi. Joi is an AI (artificial intelligence)- the holographic wife of K. To her, possessing a soul has more to do with having a physical body to express herself, and having the resulting freedom and agency to do what she chooses. As Joi remarks, she’s “half-human,” made up of “1’s and 0’s.” What all of these instances have in common is that they are all connected to a search for purpose and a soul, while they question what it means to have one. Does one have to be born through the natural, physical process in order to have a soul, or does one only need feelings and ideas? Is a physical body necessary, or can a hologram have a soul too? Are programmed feelings still genuine and acceptable, and do they constitute a soul? Despite the intrigues that the film has set up, I have just grazed the tip of the iceberg in regarding what the movie offers. As the story progresses, these and many more ideas are explored further, and the story itself is inherently conducive to the development of these ideas. This movie is long, slow, methodical, and somewhat dreary. It is certainly not a picture for everybody, and it covers very mature subject matter. However, Blade Runner 2049 is beautifully shot, scored, acted, and written, and it will keep you thinking long after you have walked out of the theater.
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with rightly-timed moments of humor, Murder on the Orient Express is a satisfying film, especially for fans of the original Agatha Christie novel. The movie opens with Hercule Poirot (played by Kenneth Branagh), a world-renowned detective, putting together the obscure evidence left at the burglary of a religious site in Jerusalem to find a thief and pacify the various groups that are blaming one another for the robbery. Poirot attributes his talent in crime solving to an almost obsessive attention to order and disorder in the world around him- a characteristic that he says is a curse rather than a blessing. After being informed of a new case in London, Poirot finds a spot on the Orient Express and looks forward to a respite from his mysteries. However, Poirot manages very little time on the trail before he is approached by Edward Ratchett (played by Johnny Depp), a wealthy man who fears for his life. Ratchet offers Poirot a large sum of money in exchange for protection, but Poirot declines the offer. The train breaks down after an avalanche during the following night, and the passengers wake up to find Ratchett stabbed to death in his cabin. Knowing the killer is one of the passengers, Poirot starts his inquiry, and the film’s excitement takes off from there. Faithful to the source material, the movie continues with an enthralling investigation, filled with many clever plot twists. Kenneth Branagh, known mostly for his Shakespearean acting, does an excellent job in his role as the famous detective. His performance paints Poirot as a conflicted character, showing his assumed blessing for attention to detail as a curse and the impossible choice he must make at the end of the movie to attain justice. While few audience members can relate to the genius of Poirot, it is easy to empathize with his struggle, given the movie’s circumstances, to find the most fair reA GRIPPING MURDER MYSTERY
action to the crime. Despite being defined foremost as a brilliant detective, Poirot also manages to maintain a sense of humor that makes the movie all the more enjoyable. Overall, Kenneth Branagh gives a performance that is both intriguing and enjoyable. With a few minor deviances, the movie adaptation follows the source novel very closely while distinguishing itself as a refreshing interpretation. The movie only differs from the novel in that one character is renamed, another two characters (a doctor and a colonel) are combined into one (a soldier who later became a doctor), an element of Ratchett’s backstory takes place in a different location, and two characters who in the book were father and daughter morph to brother and sister. For those who enjoyed reading the book, these changes are minor and do not at all detract from the enjoyment of the movie. In fact, the movie’s closely following the source material is not at all boring or repetitive, but instead serves to bring Christie’s work to life in a new medium. Altogether, the similarities between the book and movie are used well to tell the same story in a new light. On the whole, Murder on the Orient Express is very well done and will please any audience members who enjoy a mystery. The actors give great performances, the sets are exciting and contribute to the story, and the plot is captivating without the screenwriters’ weighing it down with gratuitous drama. Overall, Murder on the Orient Express is a very well-written movie that all, regardless of whether or not they frequent the mystery genre or have read the source novel, will enjoy.
R O E TH RING ING G IN BO BR UM W L TO DI O L L A OL AT VES ME F Y OT ER NEW L E N DS A S S O I L AL TEA E IN C ’I S ERI INS LIF E V AT UT TO O M E M E, B RK E TH OURC ITIV S WO S EPET TIE’ R HRIS C
A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY TOO FAR AWAY
HOW THE LAST JEDI MISSES ITS MARK
I HAVE VERY MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE LAST JEDI, the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise, which I feel is fair to say, considering the tumult the movie has caused among critics and fans everywhere. For me, the The Last Jedi’s most glaring setback is its plot. While I enjoyed tense action scenes like the opening space battle and the charged throne room duel, and was interested in Rey’s overall training sequence, I couldn’t help but feel bored by the rather slow nature of the film. It might have been the fact that I opted for a midnight screening, but throughout the film I found myself trailing off, thinking about random things instead of focusing on what was happening on the screen in front of me. However, I’ll just chalk that up to the awkward pacing of the narrative rather than to the movie being boring and listless. In addition, I couldn’t help but feel as if some plot points were contrived in such a way to make the narrative seem forced and unnatural. For example, one plot hole that refuses to get out of my head is the fact that Admiral Holdo could have just told Poe her plan all along instead of keeping him in the dark. Now, some might argue that Holdo’s secrecy is justified. Poe is, after all, a slightly irresponsible loose cannon, unnaccustomed to following orders. But considering the fact that the only thing Poe loves more than himself is the Resistance, I find it hard to believe that he would have interfered with Holdo’s plans if he had been let in on her ideas from the beginning. This decision ends up resulting in serious consequences the rest of the movie. For one, it convinces Poe to send
Finn and newcomer Rose Tico on a hunt for a hacker on a planet that seems like an alien mashup of Atlantic City and the Kentucky Derby. This subplot, apart from being uninteresting and uneventful, sets up a chain of events that allow DJ, the hacker whom Finn and Rose eventually find, to betray the Resistance to the First Order, which leads to thousands of Resistance Lives being lost in the evacuation of their main ship. My only other major complaint with The Last Jedi is how the film treats its characters. In the beginning of the story, we see Finn fleeing from the Resistance ship (after somehow just waking up from having his entire back sliced open not hours before at the end of WWThe Force Awakens), completely ignoring the hero persona he has developed in the franchise’s previous film. Captain Phasma is disregarded yet again, having one mediocre fight scene before being swallowed by flames. Supreme Leader Snoke, who is somehow strong enough with the Force to be able to manipulate the minds of both Rey and Kylo from planets away, is so easily and so suddenly killed off that not only is his death nonsensical, it’s somewhat irritating. Leia is given extreme Force powers, allowing her to not only fly through the vacuum of space but to be able to sleep off the harmful effects of such space flight in just an hour or two. Apart from these points, I can’t fault the is a senior at the Trinity School in New York City and still has zero donations ALEX MILLER
film for much. Some fans are getting tied up with the fact that the traditional idea of the force is has been somewhat uprooted by TLJ, but I would counter to say that every movie has created some new aspect of the force (I cannot forgive Leia flying through space though, that seems like a stretch). Many fans, including myself, are upset by the way that The Last Jedi disregarded all the important questions we were left with at the end of TFA. Who is Snoke? Where is Rey from? Why does Kylo have the emotional stability of an angsty teenager? But while I am upset there wasn’t at least a solid attempt to answer these questions, I do realize that TFA director J.J. Abrams wrote in these mysteries without an answer to any of them and it’s slightly unfair to TLJ director Rian Johnson to try and pull a magical solution out of a hat. There are many good aspects in this film as well. Its cinematography was outstanding, the performances from Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver were phenomenal, the new, almost zen, interpretation of the force was interesting, there was a perfect amount of cheesy comedy scattered throughout, the action sequences were spectacular, and the plot, while slow, wasn’t terrible. Overall, The Last Jedi is a complicated movie. I would definitely rank it as my least favorite in the franchise (call me crazy -- I actually quite like the prequels), but I wouldn’t call it a bad movie. Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and don’t get too upset when your vision of what the movie should be doesn’t align with what the movie actually is.
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THE LAST JEDI’S MOST GLARING SETBACK IS ITS PLOT
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WHAT I THOUGHT OF THOR: RAGNAROK in the Thor trilogy that both improves upon the original Thor and rectifies some of the mistakes made by the second film in the franchise, Thor: The Dark World. The movie excellently explores the recurring conflict between Thor and his mischievous brother Loki while introducing new formidable antagonist Hela. Ragnarok mixes an imaginative, wide-spanning plot with pockets of smartly-written comedy, allowing an excellent actor such as Chris Hemsworth, who plays the titular God of Thunder, to add a new lighthearted, comical layer to his character. The opening scene of the film sees Thor seemingly trapped by a devilish, inflamed demon named Surtur, who promises to bring a so-called “Ragnarok,” or destruction, to Asgard. Despite Surtur’s threats, Thor is able to remove his fiery crown, thereby incapacitating his enemy, before returning to Asgard, supposedly ending that short-lived subplot. When Thor arrives at Asgard, he realizes something is awry in the kingdom. Finding out that Loki has been masquerading as his father, King “Odin,” in disguise, Thor goes on a quest to retrieve the real Odin with help from a hilarious cameo from the mystical Doctor Strange. Eventually, Thor and Loki together make their way to Norway, finding Odin, before the king reveals to them that he is dying. Odin grimly warns his sons that his death will release his first-born child, Hela, from imprisonment. Having been initially locked up due to her violent ambitions for conquest, Hela, now released, poses an incredible threat to Asgard. As soon as she escapes from her confines, she goes over to Asgard and easily defeats Thor’s brothers-in-arms, the Warriors Three. Although Hela takes complete control of the kingdom and states her ambitions to use the Bifrost (Asgard’s interplanetary bridge between worlds) to conquer other planets, Heimdall, the guardian and protector of the Bifrost, manages to hide the sword that Hela needs to open the bridge. To Thor’s detriment, the violent scuffle with Hela leaves him stranded on the junk planet Sakaar in a hilarious detour. The planet is ruled by one of the oldest beings in the universe, the Grandmaster, played artfully, and of course, cheesily, by Jeff Goldblum. Thor finds himself doomed to fight to the death as a warrior in the Grandmaster’s gladiator arena, having to face the “Champion” in the main event of the night. In a nice surprise, his THOR: RAGNAROK IS A SOLID FINAL INSTALLMENT
opponent turns out to be none other than his fellow Avenger, the Hulk. In a slow-burning but entertaining subplot, Thor is eventually able to convince Hulk, along with Valkyrie, a former Asgardian warrior whom Thor meets on Sakaar, to return with him to Asgard and put an end to Hela’s madness. The film’s third act includes yet another clever twist. Upon returning to Asgard, Thor, Hulk, and Valkyrie immediately have to face Hela and her undead warriors. Although Hulk and Valkyrie are able to deal with the mindless drones, Thor is blinded in one eye while fighting Hela. After seeing a vision of Odin, Thor realizes that he cannot save Asgard from Hela’s destruction. Thus, he and his comrades decide to bring back an even stronger foe, Surtur, to defeat Hela, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Ragnarok and destroying Asgard in the process. Thor and the other people of Asgard board a spaceship and evacuate the kingdom before it falls, initially seeking Earth as their destination. However, during a mid-credits scene, their ride is captured by a large, menacing-looking ship (most probably belonging to the mad titan, Thanos, who will make his next appearance in the highly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War in April). Keeping along with a recent surge in Marvel movie quality, Thor: Ragnarok provides another clever and hilarious movie that still manages to feel high-stakes all the same. The generous portion of comedy in Ragnarok ends up tying in nicely with the film’s themes of bravery and strength, and even provides the movie with a (relatively) happy ending. The film does especially well in surrounding Thor with supporting characters who add very unique and interesting personalities to the movie, from the no-nonsense, yet troubled Valkyrie, to the valiant, courageous Heimdall. Marvel has once again proven that it can make a more popular movie about one hero than DC can accomplish with five (sorry, Justice League). Rating: 8/10
POOR DC JUST CAN’T GET IT RIGHT comic book and movie fans alike were finally able to see DC’s Justice League, the long-awaited answer to Marvel’s The Avengers. Not only did Justice League have to live up to the expectations set by Marvel’s smash hit, but the film also had to make up for the fact that DC’s two previous outings (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad) were box office failures. Unfortunately, Justice League didn’t live up to the hype. Things were looking up for the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) after they released Wonder Woman, which proved to be a smash hit, early in the summer of 2017. However, due to a shake up in directing (Zack Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon late in the film’s production stage after Snyder had to leave following his daughter’s passing), and a seemingly rushed effort to catch up to Marvel rather than meticulously build their own world, DC sadly failed to impress with Justice League on both a critical and box office level. Although the film had some bright spots- Ezra Miller’s Flash, a surprisingly good Aquaman character, and Gal Gadot’s reprisal of her role as Wonder Woman, the movie seemed rushed overall, as many elements (namely, the story and a large amount of character development) were glossed over in order to fit the film’s mandated 2-hour maximum running time. The hectic feel of the film is somewhat understandable, as Justice League was plagued by copious reshoots, but what should have been a easy homerun for DC- a chance to bring magic to life and display five of the most popular comic-book superheroes duking it out on the big screen- ended up being a total mess. Justice League’s most glaring setbacks were the terrible treatment of Superman’s return-arc, and the unclear motives of the film’s main villain, Steppenwolf. Although Superman’s return to the DCEU was inevitable (and even teased at the end of Batman v Superman), there was no clear explanation for his initial hostility towards his fellow heroes. Sure, it was cool to see DC’s biggest names go toe-to-toe with each other, but Superman’s “5 minutes of anger” seemed like a convenient excuse for a hero-versus-hero fight scene. As for Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane in the movie, many scenes fans saw in the trailers didn’t actually make it to the final cut of the film, and the couple weirdly seemed to pick up right where they left off before Superman’s death, with no apparent repercussions or fallout whatsoever. As for Steppenwolf, he seemed like your typical superhero movie villain with the generic motivation to “conquer everything.” Although in the larger mythology, Steppenwolf is meant to be the nephew and THIS PAST NOVEMBER,
henchman of DC’s ultimate big bad, Darkseid, there was little to no allusion to this idea in the actual movie, especially after Darkseid’s rumored appearance in a post-credits scene was replaced with one featuring popular villains Deathstroke and Lex Luthor. As for the other heroes in the film, although Gal Gadot, who was phenomenal in her solo outing as Wonder Woman, tried very hard to bring some more dimension to her character in Justice League, the screenplay unfortunately reduced her to nothing more than another attractive woman hung up on her dead ex. Although Jason Momoa’s Aquaman certainly dispelled fears about the ability of the character to be taken seriously with his quippy one liners and incredible action scenes, much of his character development as it pertained to Atlantis was cut for time because of the studio’s mandate. Although Cyborg was critical to the eventual defeat of Steppenwolf and his parademons, not much was made of his character, as scenes of his past life before the life-altering surgery that fans saw in the trailer were taken out of the film. Cyborg’s tenuous relationship with his father was also cut down to too few scenes. The Flash was a bright spot in the movie, as Ezra Miller’s take on the beloved character was fresh and meaningful. His self-deprecating humor and amateur status as a superhero added another comedic element to the film. Unlike Cyborg, the Flash’s relationship with his father was quite developed, even to the point of surpassing many of the other heroes’ own personal story-arcs. Ben Affleck’s Batman performance appeared to be once-again mailed-in, which doesn’t bode well for the future of his character, as rumors of the actor’s departure from the DCEU swirl. He failed to live up to performance expectations in Batman v Superman and was one of the worst ever live-action portrayals of the beloved comic book hero. Luckily, the other Batman characters in the film had refreshingly positive, albeit too short-lived performances. Jeremy Irons’ Alfred was light-hearted and hilarious in his few scenes, and unfortunately, despite the media hype, J.K. Simmons’ promising Commissioner Gordon appeared very briefly and was one of the most minor characters in the film. All in all, Justice League had the obvious potential to cement the DCEU’s place next to Marvel’s movie universe, with its world famous characters and the success of Wonder Woman as a much-needed booster. However, due to studio mandates and directing confusion, the final product felt rushed, not to mention the messy and way-overused CGI (don’t even ask about Henry Cavill’s mustache). Hopefully, the DCEU can rebound with its next solo outing, Aquaman, coming out in December of 2018.
directed by Bryan Singer, is an excellent thriller with an unpredictable ending sure to leave the viewer with many questions. The film has a fairly intricate plot with an excellent cast consisting of Kevin Spacey (Roger “Verbal” Kint), Kevin Pollak (Todd Hockney), Gabriel Byrne (Dean Keaton), Chazz Palminteri (Dave Kujan), Stephen Baldwin (Michael McManus), and Benicio del Toro (Fred Fenster). This movie’s strong suit is its combination of well-delivered lines and great editing. The film begins with a scene at a pier in California. On the previous night, a ship carrying 91 million dollars of dope dramatically blows up at the pier, leaving dozens dead and only two survivors, one of whom is Verbal. Three separate investigators then team up to solve the crime with Verbal’s help, who is in good enough condition to recount what happened. In a flashback, the audience learns of the events that landed Verbal and his fellow cronies on the ship. The five criminals (Verbal, Keaton, McManus, Hockney, and Fenster), arrested by the police on a questionable hijacking charge, decide to team up and get back at the police for putting them in prison. They eventually get caught up in their crimes and become involved with the highly mystical and legendary Keyser Soze, a Hungarian mob boss of unknown identity who has killed his family. Without giving anything away, Soze is the one responsible for landing Verbal and his comrades on the drug-filled ship. Throughout the movie, the story of Keyser Soze is told by his supposed lawyer, Mr. Kobayashi. Soze’s strange accent and shadowed face cause the viewer to question him just enough to shocked by the reveal of his true identity in the final minutes of the film (no spoilers!). From the beginning of the movie, I was already on the lookout for the unexpected because of the screenplay’s heavy foreshadowing. For example, during Verbal’s flashback, he says “It was all the cops’ fault … you don’t put guys like that in a room together.” Hints like these are dropped throughout the movie, keeping the audience members on the edge of their seats, and in my opinion, that technique is what really makes the film so suspenseful. Although viewers will expect one thing or think they know what comes next, 1995 MOVIE, THE USUAL SUSPECTS,
L A U S U S E T H C T SPE U S
L S the audience will always be caught off guard by the film’s next plot twist. Later on the story, Verbal recounts that “I believe in God and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze,” further keeping viewers on their toes. However, while the film’s highly intricate plot serves to heighten its suspense, it’s also one of the movie’s biggest weaknesses. Many complicated subplots planted throughout the film end up leading to nowhere, causing a sense of dissatisfaction at the end of the film. Funnily enough, regardless of your opinion on the convoluted plot, all of the actors in The Usual Suspects deliver their lines so convincingly that any viewer will buy into the murky
reality that Singer creates. Each character’s story-arc develops well over the film, and each criminal’s unique personality causes an entertaining tension among the members of the group. By the end of the film, each of the five characters have strong and clear-cut personalities, but are still seemingly mysterious. I personally would have liked to learn more about each of the five criminals, as I was left with a fair amount of questions about them by the time I had reached the end of the film. Another one of The Usual Suspects’ highlights is its excellent editing and music. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel does a great job putting the scenes together. I es-
pecially liked how the first and last scenes helped bookend the film by paralleling each other, almost providing a sense of closure for viewers but still leaving them with a fair bit to ponder. The music is also another great element of this film and really goes handin-hand with each and every scene, always adding another note of mystery and suspense without ever overpowering the actors. Overall, this film will definitely keep you on your toes. With a great screenplay, expert acting, and phenomenal editing, The Usual Suspects is a surefire classic that one has to watch many times before truly coming to appreciate the film.
Telev Game of Thrones p.28
The Crown p.34
vision Top Gear Grand Tour p.38
Big Mouth p.39
Game of Thrones Season Eight
Top Five Predictions
By Andrew Kornfeld
O of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, based off of the popular Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin, is set to hit the small screen in 2019. Since Game of Thrones is the second most talked-about show in the world (behind AMC’s The Walking Dead, though not for long, as ratings and viewership for the apocalyptic drama’s latest season have gone way down), fans have naturally begun to speculate during the offseason about what its conclusion has in store. How will The Great War end? When the dust settles, who will sit on the Iron Throne? Will there even be an Iron Throne? Let’s discuss. THE EIGHTH AND FINAL SEASON
PREDICTION ONE: DAENERYS WILL GET PREGNANT
At the end of season one, after Daenerys’ miscarriage and the death of her husband, Khal Drogo, healer and magic user Mirri Maz Duur tells her that she will never be able to have children again. However, in Season 7, Episode 6, titled: “Beyond the Wall,” there are three references hinting at potential future children between Daenerys and Jon Snow, Westeros’ newest incestuous couple. First, Tyrion and Daenerys have a heated discussion about plans for succession, which Daenerys shuts down angrily. Next, when Jon offers Jorah Mormont his sword, Longclaw, Jorah tells Jon to keep it because it could serve both him and his children later on down the road. Finally, when Jon is recovering after venturing beyond the northern wall on a dangerous quest, Daenerys tells him resolutely that her dragons are
IT HAS BEEN PROPOSED THAT CERSEI WILL NEVER GIVE BIRTH
the only children she can ever have. In the seventh season’s finale, Daenerys and Jon have another conversation on the topic of children, with Jon questioning whether Mirri Maz Duur was “a reliable source of information” for Daenerys. With so many references to Daenerys’ infertility, many fans believe the show is suggesting that Daenerys will become pregnant soon. This is an appealing theory for many reasons. First, the child of Daenerys and Jon would essentially be the hallmark child of “fire and ice,” a relationship that is alluded to in the title of George R. R. Martin’s book series. Another interesting point is that Daenerys’ pregnancy would serve as a nice parallel to Cersei’s pregnancy. However, given that the Army of the Dead, which has just destroyed the northern wall and is beginning to advance into the Seven Kingdoms, will require Daenerys and her dragons to fight, it is hard to imagine her being pregnant and out of commision for the show’s climax. PREDICTION TWO: JAIME WILL KILL CERSEI
In Thrones’ season five premiere, a flashback shows Cersei meeting a witch named Maggy the Frog, who tells her that her reign as Queen will be ended by a “younger, more beautiful” leader, and that all her children will die. In the books, the prophecy also includes this notable line: “when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.” “Valonqar” is Valyrian for “little brother,” though it has been speculated that “valonqar,” like many Valyrian words, has no gender and could mean “little brother or sister.” Although Tyrion is the more obvious choice for Cersei’s younger brother, her twin Jaime is actually a minute younger than her. After the season seven finale, in which Jaime leaves his sister/lover in King’s Landing, many fans rejoiced because Jaime had finally reached an end to one of his character arcs, effectively separating himself from Cersei and her toxic, ruthless persona. Fans also pointed out that Jaime is born holding his sister’s ankle with his hand—the same hand that is chopped off in season three, symbolizing the ever-weakened bond between the two siblings. Jaime has evolved over the years, from a despised character to a beloved fan-favorite, and killing Cersei would serve as a fitting end to his story and his relationship with Cersei. However, Jaime as the valonqar has become such a popular theory that by now it seems like too obvious a plot point. Also, Jaime only has one hand, so the “hands” of the Valonqar from the prophecy don’t exactly line up with Jaime’s profile. The valonqar line, as stated before, also wasn’t even included in the show, which could suggest that the showrunners have different plans for Cersei’s fate. PREDICTION THREE: CERSEI WILL DIE IN CHILDBIRTH
Three of the main characters, Tyrion, Jon, and Daenerys, never meet their mothers, who all die in childbirth. Ever since Tyrion’s birth, Cersei has hated him for killing her mother, and for that, she repeatedly calls him a monster. “Mother gone, for the sake of you. That’s the biggest joke of all,” she once tells him. Maggy the Frog’s prophecy states that Cersei will only have
three children. But viewers recently found out that Cersei was pregnant with a fourth. Although some think Cersei may be lying, it has been proposed that Cersei will never give birth. Her unborn child will be a male, and therefore, the potential “valonqar,” killing her in the process. Since Cersei has hated Tyrion her whole life for what he did, it would be an ironic twist for her to die in childbirth herself. It seems to fit “the valonqar” prophecy in an unexpected way, but once again, her unborn baby is incapable of strangling her with two hands. This theory, if true, could also unfortunately end up being a rather anticlimactic way for Cersei to go, depending on how the scene is written and directed. PREDICTION FOUR: CLEGANEBOWL
We came close to getting this in season one, and everyone thought it was going to happen in the last episode of season
seven, but alas, the Clegane brothers (Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, and Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane) have not yet had their “epic” duel. The fans want it, and they want it to happen badly. The theory that circumstances will force The Hound and The Mountain to fight to the death has been embraced as Cleganebowl. It remains unclear what will force the two to come to swords, but most fans are hoping they do.
PREDICTION FIVE: TYRION WILL BETRAY DAENERYS
In the last episode of season seven, Tyrion and Cersei have a tense exchange that we don’t get to see the end of after Tyrion realizes Cersei is pregnant. A few scenes later, Cersei lies to Jon and Daenerys, stating she will help them in the Great War against the army of the dead. Some fans think that Tyrion is in on Cersei’s plan because he feels responsible for the deaths of Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon, who die in seasons five and six, respectively. Earlier in the season, after Tyrion’s strategic failures, Daenerys accuses him of sabotaging her to help his family. Nevertheless, this prediction does not seem to have enough evidence to support it, and the theory would go against everything Tyrion’s character stands for. He has always been excluded from the Lannister family (his father’s last words were: “you’re no son of mine”), and it doesn’t make sense for him to suddenly betray his allies to the enemy. He might feel guilty about Myrcella and Tommen, but he knows the kind of person that Cersei is and he would never support her.
IS THE CROWN WORTH IT
BY CAYLA VOLANDES
AS YOU GRAB YOUR TABLET OR COMPUTER TO START YOUR LATEST BINGE-WATCHING SESSION,
JEREMY BEN-MEIR
advertisements from Netflix always pop up, promoting their newest movies or television shows. Not too long ago, I noticed adds for The Crown, a popular historical drama, showing up in anticipation of the release of its new season. There was a buzz among adults, chattering about whether they would continue watching the show, or whether they would just keep bingeing Stranger Things instead. Well, is The Crown worth a watch? The Crown follows Queen Elizabeth II’s path from her coronation as queen to her days ruling England. Why, after studying and taking tests on the French Revolution, would Trinity students look for more history instead of resorting to a comedy? After extraordinary reviews from my relatives, I decided to try it. As I clicked on the show’s icon, I was met with 13 episodes, each an hour long. When I was halfway through the first episode, which was a slow-burner at best, I doubted that I would continue with the show. However I kept going nonetheless, and I certainly did not regret it. The Crown gives a deep, emotional backstory to the seemingly reserved queen of England. Viewers learn about her tightknit relationship with her father, the rocky “friendship” between her husband, Prince Philip, and sister, Princess Margaret, and the overall story of Queen Elizabeth that you wouldn’t be able to find in a history textbook. Most people in our world today, especially Americans, obsess over all the gossip surrounding the monarchy: Who’s pregnant? What clothing line are Prince George’s pajamas from? What about the highly anticipated upcoming nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? But as the world outside remains fixated on daily life within Kensington Palace, members of the monarchy remain in a royal bubble, forbidden from expressing their political opinions. The Crown pops that royal bubble for its viewers and paints a rich picture of life in the kingdom with new and engrossing details. The show portrays all the characters and their nuanced relationships (many of which have numerous underlying political connotations, both good and bad) with emotion and depth, allowing the viewer a look into the imagined opinions of the adored Queen Elizabeth II and the mo-
tives behind her actions. Viewers become attached to Queen Elizabeth II, sympathizing and relating to her when the show gives glimpses into her emotional instability and her desire to find love in friendships and relationships. Relationships are indeed a crucial part of the show, and inevitably, history is connected to character development. However, rather than The Crown being constricted by a need to render its episodes historically accurate, the show’s writers are cleverly able to weave different plot points together in a way that makes learning about this history actually exciting. I found myself googling episode plots to check their historical accuracy and admiring how the show writers pleasurably incorporated them into the series; with The Crown, I don’t feel like I’m just cramming in dates for my next history assessment (even though I might be doing that on the side too…). At first, The Crown’s hour-long episodes made me hesitant to continue watching the show because I’d be finishing them late into the night, but their lack of cliffhangers actually works as an advantage, as you don’t feel pressure to watch the next episode right after you’ve just finished one. This makes The Crown a great show to watch for even twenty minutes at a time, so if need be, you can easily turn it off when you need to start your homework. The Crown is a provocative historical drama that offers fascinating insight into the inner workings of the monarchy. Although I enjoy finding connections between history and the show and watching the characters develop, the lack of drama in the stoic monarchy prevents me from completely falling in love with the series. Although season two’s focus on Princess Margaret’s turbulent love life has more drama than season one, which propels me to watch the show, I would still give The Crown four out of five stars.
THE CROWN IS A PROVOCATIVE HISTORICAL DRAMA THAT OFFERS FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE MONARCHY
and middle-aged British men cracking jokes, you’re in luck! Season 2 of The Grand Tour is available on Amazon Prime Video! A new episode is released every Friday at 12:00 am GMT. The Grand Tour is a program for everybody, not just car enthusiasts. It is indeed true that automobiles are at the center of the show, but the program’s real focus is how cars can move people--both physically and emotionally. It is a TV show about both the journey and the destination. On the way, you can watch three immature men play with expensive toys, which only contributes to the show’s entertainment value; the presenters have fun and take the viewers with them on their adventures. One of the show’s trademark aspects is its collection of spectacular camera shots, taken in stunning locations all around the world, and the new season certainly follows in this trend- the cinematography is really the icing on the proverbial cake that is The Grand Tour. Formerly having helmed the popular BBC program Top Gear, professional car-lovers Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond now have more freedom to dictate their own adventures, as the show is only on Amazon Video, as opposed to being broadcast on a cable network; this new freedom lends itself to many improvements in the show. In season 2, for example, The Grand Tour ditches two segments: “Celebrity Brain Crash” and “The American.” During the “Celebrity Brain Crash” segment in Season 1, celebrities were killed in bizarre and amusing ways. After episode 1, however, the segment became monotonous and predictable, so it was replaced with “Celebrity Face-Off.” In “Celebrity Face-Off,” two celebrities drive a Jaguar F-Type around a part-gravel, part-tarmac track to see who is faster- a much more exciting and entertaining event. It is clear that The Grand Tour is walking a fine line to avoid copyright infringement of The BBC, because the TV network owns the rights to “the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment from Top Gear. Nonetheless, celebrity Face-Off walks right on the line and serves as a refreshing new addition to The Grand Tour. The show’s second big change is that the producers nix “The American,” who was the show’s test driver in Season 1 (and called every car that was not an American-made V8 a “communist” car). The American was never develIF YOU LIKE AUTOMOTIVE ESCAPADES
TOP GEAR GRAND TOUR GRAND TOUR RACES INTO SEASON TWO
oped as a character, and driver Mike Skinner was unhappy in his role, so he and the show parted ways. He has since been replaced by Abbie Eaton, a British racing driver, for season 2. The show’s many episodes are both entertaining and well planned. Last season, every other week’s episode was good, while the rest were mediocre at best. But this year, all of the season’s episodes have been good, if not great. The season premiere, titled “Past, Present, and Future,” features each of the hosts in a modern car that embodies either the past, the present, or the future. In this episode, Jeremy drives a Lamborghini, James drives a Honda/ Acura NSX, and Richard drives a Rimac electric supercar. The episode, however, does not end well for Hammond, who suffers a severe crash and is badly injured. Despite the show’s occasionally scary moments, the trio of hosts have an incredible rapport that makes watching the program all the more compelling. Episode two, “The Falls Guys,” sees the trio racing both public transport and a plane against the new Ford GT, on a track from Central Park to Niagara Falls. In the third episode (the Christmas special), “Bah Humbug-atti,” Clarkson tests some extremely expensive toys, including the new Bugatti Chiron, May races the new Kia Stinger against skateboards, and Hammond creates a new racing segment. The fourth episode, titled “Unscripted,” gives fans a taste of what the show would be like if it were entirely unplanned (hint: hilarious antics ensue). In “Up, Down and Round the Farm,” Clarkson tries--and fails--to create a video of himself enthusiastically driving a car around a farm, May reviews the Volkswagen Up! GTI, and Hammond tests expensive vehicles in Dubai. Overall, I really enjoy watching The Grand Tour, and would recommend checking it out!
BIG MOUTH
MORE THAN JUST 30 MINUTES OF PROVOCATIVE PENIS JOKES of Netflix’s newest animated series, Big Mouth, are not without substantial merit. The show is both an outrageous and very delicate portrayal of the most awkward years of a person’s life, as the main characters experience the humiliating growing pains of puberty. When it comes to viewer appeal, it seems that reception to the show seems to fall under one of two extremes. For some viewers, Big Mouth is over-provocative, filled with redundancies, and overtly grotesque for no reason. To be fair, the critiques of the show are not completely unfounded. At points, episodes feel repetitive, with a running cycle of jokes about genitals, masturbation, and ejaculation. However, for the show’s many supporters, Big Mouth is a hilarious and frighteningly accurate mouthpiece for the unspoken horrors of puberty. The foundation of the show resides in the Hormone Monster, an external character who represents all of the uncomfortable and carnal urges of the male teenager. For Andrew Glouberman, one of the main characters, this Hormone Monster haunts and torments him throughout the show. This clever dynamic--that of a boy at war with his own body-seems to be the core thesis of the show, and makes for an even more fascinating idea: puberty is a horrifying monster that has been thrust on the unsuspecting and unwilling teenager. While Big Mouth’s topic of conversation could have easily remained within the realm of male puberty, the show equally succeeds in encapsulating the terrors of female puberty. The main female lead, Jessi Glaser, is followed by her own Hormone Monstress in her shocking journey into adulthood, filled THE OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE REVIEWS
with outrageous incidents of humiliation. Withstanding her first period on a field trip in white pants and breaking up publically with her best friend, Jessi seems to be on the receiving end of puberty’s (and life’s) worst punches. The Hormone Monstress says it best during a particularly awkward moment of Jessi’s Bat Mitzvah when she exclaims, “You are a woman now and this is what women do. We suck up all the bullshit life dumps up on us and keep smiling through it all in our boxy-ass dresses.” With its multitude of female writers, the show does an excellent job giving a voice to the grievances of teenage girls. Moreover, Big Mouth allows the viewer to observe the similarities and differences of puberty as experienced by each gender. The most prominent Big Mouth criticisms I’ve heard are that the show seems to be too absurd, that there are clear contradictions in the universe the writers create, and that the show tries too hard to be crude and vulgar. However, the absurdity of the show-complete with fourth-wall breaks and hilariously over-the-top tangents--accurately and intelligently encapsulates the experience of the maturing teenager. This show is so disgusting that one’s own experience with puberty starts to seem more normal, and, one might say, even boring, after seeing a couple episodes. Overall, the writers best depict the emotions of the developing teen, complete with dramatic hysteria and disillusionment with a changing world, and provide a relieving, outspoken, and stupidly hilarious take on this embarrassing period of life. I recommend giving it a watch before the second season comes out in 2018.
Mus Best Rap Album p.42
Everybody p.48
sic K-Pop p.50
Top Ten Hip-Hop Albums of 2017
2017 marked the beginning of a new era where hip hop became king. According to USA Today, “Eight of the ten most listened-to artists of the year came from the R&B/hip-hop genre.” Rap songs currently overwhelm the Billboard charts, and make up 25.1% of music consumption in the United States, according to Forbes List. Songs such as “Bad and Boujee,” “Mask Off,” and “The Race” (#FREETAYK) went viral on sociala media platforms and permeated popular culture through memes. According to The Nielsen, “Out of the 10 most consumed albums in the U.S. for the six-month period between January and June of this year, six were R&B/hip hop.”
as Sean shys away from trying to copy mainstream music styles. Yes, the album itself does contain a few Q“hit” songs, such as “Bounce Back,” “Moves,” and “Sacrifices.” However, the album is also balanced with slower, more pensive tracks such as “Jump Out the Window” and “Halfway Off the Balcony.” Sean notably experiments with new styles, and provides the listener with a more intimate album. Big Sean makes a personal connection with the listener, and it’s evident that this album marks a significant turn in his career. Therefore, I Decided starts the list off at #10.
As with rap officially becoming the most popular genre in 2017, let’s reflect on the year’s most polarizing works.
10
I decided Big Sean’s career has largely been marred by his reputation of being the “most average rapper” within Hip-Hop who has stumbled upon a few lucky hits. After becoming largely tied to the infamous Kendrick Lamar verse on “Control” for years, Sean finally came back with an album that emphasizes his desire to move past all of the negativity in his life, and to make a decision to pursue his goals. As Big Sean states himself, I Decided represents the idea of someone taking initiative in life and making decisions (even the tiniest ones go a long way) for their own benefit. This message is further conveyed in the album’s music,
9
Wins and Losses
Mit Ramesh and Arjun Subakeesan are juniors at the Trinity School
Meek Mill’s name has largely been tied to controversy. From his rivalry with Drake, to his current state of unjust incarceration, Meek has experienced fluctuations within his own lifestyle, which is at the heart of the message within Wins and Losses. However, Meek Mill’s album exhibits what he defines as success and
failure, such as making it out of North Philadelphia and losing his best friends to violence. He demonstrates the apathy he feels towards critics and memes that heckle him for the mistakes he’s made. Although Wins and Losses occasionally features the famous loud and upbeat Meek Mill on tracks such as “Glow Up,” “Connect the Dots,” and “F*ck That Check Up,” he also displays a good amount of musical versatility. This album still features the gritty and introspective Meek on tracks such as “Heavy Heart,” however, on tracks like “Issues” and “We Ball” (featuring Young Thug), Meek Mill utilizes auto-tune on softer tracks that are much different than his usual songs. This album’s biggest impact hands down is its message, as Meek Mill discusses issues ranging from incarceration to police brutality, while also inspiring his listeners to achieve their dreams in spite of any life obstacles. Wins and Losses highlights a different and maturing Meek that deals with tough subject matters while still reinventing his music.
8
4:44 Nobody would have thought that 48-yearold Jay Z would still be making music. However, The Marcy Houses native continues to defy the odds by releasing his thirteenth solo studio album. On 4:44, Hov addresses a variety of topics, from his recent controversies to the treatment of black people in America. On the album’s titular track, “4:44,” Jay Z apologizes for his infidelity, but on “The Story of O.J.,” he advises future generations how to break the poverty cycle in certain black communities, and on “Marcy Me,” he revisits his humble beginnings in Brooklyn to tell how he became successful. Hov reaffirms his lyrical prowess and supremacy on this album with songs like “Kill Jay Z,” “Family Feud,” and “Bam.” The tracks represent an older and wiser Jay Z who continues to develop his signature clever wordplay, along with new insightful commentary over soul-filled
instrumentals. Despite the album’s highpoints, 4:44 lacks energy and fails to form a connection between the artist and the listener, which is why the album is listed at our #8. But at the end of the day, 4:44 serves as a reminder that Jay Z is still a king in the rap empire, and one of the greatest rap artists of all time.
7
Playboy Carti After years of teasing singles like “Broke Boi,” Playboi Carti’s self-titled debut album finally cleared the fog covering his career. With one of the biggest songs of the year in “Magnolia,” Carti has found an avenue for success within the trap or “mumble rap” genre. Carti, along with with Pi’erre Bourne, has carved out a distinct style of music characterized by slurred lyrics with adlibs over airy instrumentals and moving 808 drums. Though many of his songs are similar in sound, which may be problematic for Playboi Carti’s future, he provides us with a great set of tracks that includes great features, like “wokeuplikethis*” (featuring Lil Uzi Vert), and “New Choppa” (featuring A$AP Rocky). Carti’s mesmerizing music and his signature ad-libs provide a new insight into the nuances of “mumble rap,” and hopefully, his project will serve as the launching point of a successful career.
6
Culture Whether it was by revitalizing the brand Versace, inventing the dab, or leaving Takeoff off of “Bad and Boujee”, the Migos have certainly molded the hip-hop landscape. The explosion of trap music from Atlanta and the new mainstream rap sound can be credited largely to Migos. Without the iconic group, trap music and the triplet flow with ad-libs that permeate rap would be non-existent. The Migos have been a key determinant in 2017 hip-hop culture, and that is exactly what Culture addresses: the dominance and influence of the group. The Atlanta trio uses catchy flows to describe their exuberant
OUT OF THE 10 MOST CONSUMED ALBUMS IN THE U.S. FOR THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE OF THIS YEAR, SIX WERE R&B/HIP HOP
wealth, glamorous lifestyles, and their roots from Gwinnett County trap houses. Their messages are exemplified in songs like “T-Shirt,” “Call Casting,” “Slippery,” and “Deadz.” The group’s verses float over luscious and rocking melodies, produced by legends like Metro Boomin, Murda Beatz, and Zaytoven. Although all of the album’s songs are decent, they aren’t totally unique, and the lyrics recycle the same subject matter over and over again, placing Culture at #6 on our list. Migos definitely ruled much of 2017 rap nonetheless, and songs like “Motorsport” and “Too Hotty” suggest that the trio isn’t planning to slow down in 2018. They even came out with Culture 2 on January 26th of 2018.
it is not the only region represented in this album. Drake shines light on the flourishing music scene in the United Kingdom by recruiting artists like Jorja Smith and Giggs, and adding Sampha’s “4422” and grime superstar Skepta’s “Skepta’s Interlude,” which are some of the most powerful songs in the whole playlist. On More Life, Drake does what he does best: making good music, which the playlist is packed with. More Life is another of example of Drake building his legacy of making quality songs, but it doesn’t feel as personal and heartfelt as Drake’s previous projects, which is why this album is ranked at #5.
not only in Tyler’s music, but in him as a person. Unlike his other albums, Tyler seems at peace with who he is and genuinely sounds happy, and it shows through his music. He also seems to show more care in his production and rapping. Out of his five projects, Flower Boy is the most serious I’ve ever heard Tyler sound. The Odd Future leader forms orchestral, captivating, and beautiful instrumentals that transport the listener, with songs like “See You Again,” “Who Dat Boy,” and “Boredom.” This album is without debate one of the best produced albums of 2017. Flower Boy is ranked #4 not because it is bad, but just because the next three albums are better.
4
3
5
More Life If there was one artist that dominated charts and sales in 2017, it was Drake. Being the second most-streamed artist in the world, the 6 God took 2017 by storm and flooded it with hits, most of which came from his features, as well as his album “playlist,” More Life. More Life is a compilation of songs that range from slapping bangers to soothing grooves, but all display the immense talent and ambidexterity of Drake as an artist. For example, songs like “Free Smoke,” “KMT,” and “Gyalchester,” present Drake rapping viciously over booming drums and stark melodies. “Passionfruit,” “Blem,” “Madiba Riddim,” and “Fake Love” feature the Toronto native harmonizing over melodic dancehall-inspired instrumentals- an homage to the Jamaican culture in his city. Although the Caribbean dialect is sprinkled all over More Life,
Flower Boy
Saturation
If someone played this album for me in 2011 and told me this was made by Tyler, the Creator, I’d call them crazy. Flower Boy displays a Tyler completely different than the teenager that would make vulgar jokes over poorly made beats. This album features a new, mature, and vulnerable artist that discloses his homosexuality, depression, and the pitfalls of fame. This album signifies a growth
Brockhampton, the 16-membered “Internet’s first boy band,” is a mix of unique young adults of different races, sexualities, and characters who all share a passion for music. Formed on a online forum about Kanye West, this band is certainly not your traditional rap group. However, their impressive feat of releasing three high-quality albums in one year as an independent group screams of talent. Yes, we know we
cheated, but it is nearly impossible for one to rank SATURATION, SATURATION II, and SATURATION III as separate from each other. Out of the combined 48 songs, we couldn’t find a single one that we didn’t like, because every song Brockhampton made felt more like a composition. The band’s versatility only deepens as you listen, from banging rap anthems like “Heat” and “Junky,” to groovy numbers like “Boogie” and “Gold,” and to sweet ballads like “Summer” and “Bleach.” Their instrumentals are carefully crafted masterpieces, while their honest and striking lyrics range from discussing the Houston ghetto, sexuality, and mental health, to drug abuse or anything else that’s on the group’s mind.
For these reasons, the three SATURATION albums reach the third spot for best album of the year. Brockhampton set the bar high in 2017 with their raw lyrics and breathtaking production, leaving fans to eagerly wait for the band’s future projects, including the announced album Team Effort.
gardless of how the listener interprets the music, Kendrick is able to deliver a strong message with many different meanings sprinkled throughout the album- a feat that is unparalleled in hip hop.
DAMN.
ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$
2
DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar reminds us of King Kendrick’s lyrical genius, infectious melodies, and punching instrumen-
tals. DAMN. only further emphasizes Kendrick’s special talent and provides a look into his current state of mind. The rapper’s ability to mix mainstream tracks such as the Mike Will Made It-produced “DNA” and “Humble,” and slower tracks like “Love” and “Yah,” reinforces Kendrick’s broad range of talent. Furthermore, Kendrick’s interpolating his array of music with a vague yet immensely strong theme serves as a strong reminder of how Kendrick Lamar has molded the rap industry. The album’s storyline is largely open to interpretation and has various meanings; For example, theorists suggest that the album is actually supposed to be played backwards. Ultimately, though, re-
1
Brooklyn-born MC Joey Bada$$ takes the crown for making the best rap album of 2017, which features outstanding production from the talented Statik Selektah, and fellow Pro Era member/ best-friend Kirk Knight (or as A$AP Ferg calls him, “Kirk Kneezy on the beat”). The 22-yearold combines his signature gritty rhymes with uncharacteristic soulful singing to unapologetically voice his opinions on racism, police brutality, and government corruption. Every song on this album is outstanding, memorable, and all contribute to a product greater than the sum of its parts. Songs such as “Temptation,” “Devastated,” and “Babylon” offer a new and experimental Joey that has grown from the raw but repetitive hardcore lyricist the world previously knew him to be. However, he stays true to his Bed-Stuy and 90s rap roots in songs like “Ring the Alarm” and “Rockabye Baby.” But what has always been consistent with Joey Bada$$ is that the Badmon is never afraid to speak his mind. ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ not only perfectly describes the political turmoil and divide that is shaping America right now, but calls for peace and unity as the solution to heal our country, making it the best rap album of 2017.
MY REVIEW OF
EVERYBODY BY BRANDON LIN
A
of 2017, Logic’s Everybody has persisted as one of the top-selling and top-streamed albums of the year. The album is arguably one of Logic’s best works, as it contains several of the hit songs that turned Logic from a semi-popular experimental rapper to a world-class, multi-platinum artist. Logic’s insane lyrical ability, combined with his smooth, agile flow and smart choice of both producers and beats, makes Everybody not only one of the most meaningful albums I have ever listened to, but also one of the catchiest and most versatile. The title of Logic’s album, Everybody, can be interpreted in numerous ways. While many rappers these days name their albums after very career-specific landmarks or life events, Logic’s most recent album name stands out from others. The word “everybody” can be understood to mean literally anything, and I think that is what Logic intendALTHOUGH RELEASED IN MAY
ed. The most common interpretation of the album’s title is that it serves to illustrate Logic’s goal of shedding light on the discrimination that people from all walks of life are faced with. This message is also seen in the lyrics of the song Everybody (not to be confused with the album title): “Everybody people, everybody bleed, everybody need something, Everybody love, everybody know, how it go.” Logic’s choice to leave the title as a single, interpretable word also acknowledges the fact that no human being thinks the same way, and that the album should be whatever one makes of it. Most people who have not listened to Logic’s other tracks likely only know the song 1-800-273-8255, an impactful tune conveying the hardships an individual goes through day-by-day, how those hardships can quickly lead to the individual contemplating suicide, and how one can always reach help by calling the national suicide hotline, hence the song name. Everybody includes a multitude of other songs discussing topics like racism and discrimination (as well as Logic’s own internal struggle of being biracial, and his being torn between whether he should honor his white or his black heritage). These struggles of his can be heard in tracks like Everybody and Black Spiderman. Black Spiderman shows Logic fully embodying both his white and black identity, as heard in his verses: “I ain’t here to pick and choose…I ain’t ashamed to be white, I ain’t ashamed to be
Black, I ain’t ashamed of my beautiful Mexican wife as a matter of fact...” Logic explains how one should not care how others see them, and that they should embrace who they are and how they choose to live their life. Although 1-800-273-8255, Everybody, and Black Spiderman are the leading singles of Logic’s album, much of Everybody’s meaning is tucked
LOGIC’S EVERYBODY IS TRULY A MASTERPIECE
away in its more obscure tracks. Waiting Room, placed towards the middle of the album, is a conversation between fictional character Atom and God. Atom is at the entrance to heaven, but God explains he can only reach the afterlife if he chooses to be reincarnated into another life, to which Atom agrees. When he is reborn, Atom realizes he has become not just another person, but that he now makes up every single person who has ever and will ever exist in the world. God says to Atom, “Once you have walked in the shoes of every race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and loving and hateful person, it is only then that you will understand how precious life truly is.” Even in dialogue, Logic is able
to express the important message that one does not know how precious life truly is until they have walked in others’ shoes. In another track, Anziety, Logic talks about his views on anxiety. The song is told from the perspective of anxiety itself, with Logic rapping about how anxiety can “get up in your mind… make you feel like dying… make you pray to god, to the good old Lord for a sign right now.” The introduction of the song viciously portrays how anxiety can affect people, while Logic goes on address a larger problem, rapping about how society tends focus on money and wealth rather than on the conversation surrounding mental health and well-being. Logic’s Everybody is truly a masterpiece. I truly admire the fact that in addition to being an amazingly talented rapper, Logic is not afraid to bring sensitive topics such as discrimination and mental health right to the forefront of the rap and hip-hop medium. Not only is his album a big step forward in terms of lyrical rap, but it also marks a big leap of progress in recognizing how many issues still exist in the world today. Logic once again harnesses the universal power of music to spread his message of peace, love, and positivity to all his listeners, and I have no doubt that he will continue to grow and lead the face of modern rap and hip-hop.
K-POP
AND ITS EVER GROWING INDUSTRY IN THE U.S.
WHEN YOU HEAR THE PHRASE “K-POP,”
what do you think of? Maybe you remember that one song “Gangnam Style,” which people were obsessed with a few years ago. Perhaps you think of a random singing group you recently heard about on TV. Or maybe you have no idea what K-Pop is at all. Whatever your situation might be, here’s some info to get you started on K-Pop and its recently growing influence on the western world. “K-Pop,” Korean Pop Music, first surfaced in the US on a larger scale in 2012 with Psy’s release of his song and music video, “Gangnam Style.” The video was released in July 2012 and became a worldwide sensation when it became the first YouTube video to generate 1 billion views. Whether it was the over-the-top video or the unorthodox dance (by western standards), the world became obsessed with the song. It was added to the Wii game, Just Dance 4, and it was featured in the 2012 fall season of Dancing with the Stars as the theme for one of the team dances. Though Psy had mentioned the possibility of an English album, he has followed “Gangnam Style” with a few other successful Korean songs, including “Gentleman” and “Dad-
T H E K - P O P I N D U ST RY I S TA I NT E D BY T H E B R U TA L P R E S S U R E F E LT BY M A NY O F IT S I D O L S
dy,” but none have been able to come close to the boom of his breakout single. Over the next few years, the K-Pop craze seemed to die down in the West. However, in October of 2016, K-Pop reentered the spotlight with a 7-member boy band, BTS (roughly translated from Korean to ‘Bulletproof Boy Scouts’), with their song “Blood Sweat & Tears.” The music video for the song was released on October 9, 2016, and was viewed over 6 million times on YouTube within the first 24 hours—the most for any K-Pop boy band. In the beginning of 2017, as a part of their repackaged album, You Never Walk Alone, BTS released their music video for “Spring Day” and broke their previous record of most views for a K-Pop boy band in 24 hours with over 9 million views. The next week, BTS released their music video for “Not Today,” which broke the record once again, receiving over 11 million views in 24 hours. In a December episode of “College Kids React to K-Pop,” the interviewer claimed
that “Fandoms are a massive part of K-Pop in a way unparalleled possibly with anything in music today.” In fact, as the BTS fandom, called ARMY, continued to grow, Billboard announced last April that BTS was nominated for the Top Social Artist award alongside Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and Shawn Mendes. They become the first Korean act to be nominated for a BBMA (Billboard Music Award). After over 300 million tweeted votes combined with the numerous online votes, BTS took home the 2017 BBMA for Top Social Artist. In September 2017, BTS released a new album, Love Yourself: Her. They released their music video for the title song, “DNA,” which once again broke the record for most views in 24 hours of any K-Pop band with over 20 million views, and the video reached 100 million views in a little over 24 days. Subsequently, BTS became the first Korean artists to simultaneously enter the “Billboard 200” and “Hot 100” charts.
BTS’s official twitter account, @ bts_twt, now has over 11 million followers and receives an average of over 650,000 likes per tweet. In November, they were presented with a trophy from Twitter for becoming the first Korean twitter account to reach 10 million followers. Also in November, with the success of “DNA,” BTS became the first K-Pop band ever to perform at the American Music Awards (the AMAs), making their debut on American television. The performance helped them land a spot in the 2018 Guiness Book of World Records for the most Twitter engagements. After attending the AMAs, BTS made their debut on American day-time television on The Ellen Show. That month, the group appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show with James Corden. Additionally, the septet performed on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve after ringing in the new year in Korea earlier that day. Due to their breakout success in America, BTS was able to meet and collaborate with many prominent American artists. With their 2017 world tour, the leader of the band, RM, released a song with Wale in March called “Change.” That same month, singer-songwriter, Charlie Puth tweeted, “I really like BTS’s music” and after the BBMAs, many more artists, including Halsey, Camila Cabello, and Ansel Elgort, posted photos with BTS. During the BBMAs, BTS
met The Chainsmokers, and in their album Love Yourself: Her, BTS released the song “Best of Me,” produced by Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers. In November, BTS released the remix of their song “MIC Drop” featuring the rapper Desiigner, and DJ and producer Steve Aoki, and in December, leader RM was featured on the remix of Fall Out Boy’s “Champion.” Though BTS is a strong example of K-Pop entering western culture, they are not the only one. Other Korean idols and groups have had sold-out world tours in the west, such as Monsta X and GOT7. Another notable recent example of K-Pop on western media is in the newest Justice League movie. In the film, BLACKPINK’s music video for “As If It’s Your Last” was displayed in a scene and the song played in the background the whole time. The reason for the recent recognition of K-pop in the US and the western world is the passion and ferocity of its fans. Prior to BTS’s performance on her show, Ellen recognized that “millions and millions of [fans] have demanded that we book” the band. Especially for BTS, the fans provide the bulk of the support. The group earned the Top Social Artist award, the most twitter engagements, and the US television appearances with the help of the fans. One of the main differences that attracts fans to K-Pop over western music is the intense dances and extravagant performances that accompany the songs. Most songs from a K-Pop band will be performed along with an intense and engaging choreography. BTS stands out from other K-Pop groups due to their synchronized and refined per-
formances, as well as their enormous soci media presence. BTS’s twitter account managed by the 7 members (their compan manages a separate account, @bts_bighi which allows them to express themselv personally to their fans. For example, t members post humorous birthday wish for each other, and for April Fools Day, th will each take over the account random and modify various parts, such as the b or the avatar. BTS also has a more person YouTube channel apart from their agency channel with all of their music videos. O this channel, BANGTANTV, the septet w post behind-the-scenes videos (yes, BT has BTS videos), or diary videos from i dividual members. In addition, the grou has amusing videos and series on a Kore broadcasting website “VLive,” where th hold live streams to interact more with the fans. BTS has the most followed accou on the platform and were the first to surpa 4 million followers. Now they have over million followers. The K-Pop industry is tainted by the br tal pressure felt by many of its idols. Man suffer from eating disorders and body im age issues. Much of this pressure is put o by the major agencies. However, BTS cam from a small agency that allowed its mem bers much more liberty in their careers, they were allowed to write and produ most of their songs. BTS addresses nume ous taboo issues in their songs, such as d pression or the viciousness of the Kore education system. BTS utilizes their catch songs, extravagant performances, an strong fan connections to keep the fans e gaged and always ready for more conten
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THIRD PARTY TITLES
W H I L E G R A P H IC S M AY B E C O M PROMISED, IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO ENJOY A THIRD PARTY GAME O N T H E N I NT E N D O SW ITC H
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in the Nintendo Switch’s popular, in-house titles, such as The Legend Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, people have paid less attention to third party titles. However, making up for the Wii U’s lack of third party support and subsequent decrease in popularity, Nintendo opened their console up to new ports, such as NBA 2K18, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Rocket League. While this is exciting news, you might not help but wonder if Nintendo can succeed with graphic intensive titles. One example of the Nintendo Switch’s shortcomings can be seen in the popular PC game, Rocket League. Although consoles like the Xbox and PS4 are able to faithfully maintain the graphics of the game of car-powered soccer, Nintendo fails to meet the mark. Rocket League, despite running at a solid 60 fps, does not even manage to surpass 720p graphics. Rocket League’s graphics are not even very detailed either. However, there are some advantages to Rocket League on the Switch, primarily in mobile play. Compromising graphics for portability, you are able to play Rocket League offline on the go. This mobile function goes for many titles that might otherwise lack these capabilities. Rocket League is also offering cross-platform play with PC, which is a huge opportunity considering that PS4 and Xbox lack this ability. While graphics may be compromised, it is still possible to enjoy a third party game on the Nintendo Switch. Non-native games to the Switch definitely make gamers consider the console, but there are even more drawbacks than just graphics. Ports for Nintendo’s games require a great deal of memory. To play NBA 2K18, you have to use the cartridge and have ample memory available on an SD card. It requires 6.8 GB download upon insertion, followed by an software update that requires another 16.8 GB. That excludes the 5GB required per save file! Another issue with NBA 2K18 is its framerate. While PS4 and Xbox run their sports games at 60 fps, the Switch only runs its games at 30 fps. Unfortunately, lowWHILE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST
er fps means that NBA 2K18’s gameplay and cutscenes on the Switch are less fluid than on other consoles. These performance issues along with server-related issues make the Switch seem like a weak choice for console gaming, but it’s important to remember that Nintendo has never before taken in so many third parties. Skyrim, which has already been playable on PC, Xbox, and PS4, has finally reached a Nintendo console. However, there are issues like inadequate brightness settings, which make the gameplay unclear at times. Another disadvantage is the lack of mods that exist on the PC, Xbox, and PS4 versions. Of course, Nintendo had to compromise Skyrim’s graphics due to the Switch’s limitations. The game cannot run at a high frame rate and graphics settings are
THE SWITCH MARKS NINTENDO’S EFFORT TO FINALLY BREAK AWAY FROM RELYING ON ITS ORIGINAL TITLES AND TO EMBRACE THIRD PARTY GAMES. not adjustable either. However, these problems don’t mean that Skyrim for the Switch is not worth playing. With an amiibo, you can cash in on loot once a day. What is even more interesting is that players can use Zelda amiibos to get Breath of the Wild loot. Minor cosmetic additions aside, the major advantage of Skyrim on the Switch is that it is the first release of its mobile edition, which means
you can play the game on the go. Aside from mobility, the Nintendo Switch’s Skyrim is not better than other versions, so if you’re the type to spend your weekends inside playing all day, you should probably still use your PC, Xbox, or PS4 over the Switch. Given all the drawbacks, the Switch may seem like a weaker choice than the PC or other console versions. It’s important to remember that Nintendo’s still adjusting to third party games and doesn’t code their games in the same way as other companies. This difference between the format of third party games and Nintendo games makes it harder for the Switch to port different games. The great thing is that the Switch is the first instance of mobility for many popular games, and still holds all their own popular in-house titles like Smash Brothers and Pokemon. Perhaps Nintendo will have greater success with third party titles in the future. Arena of Valor, a popular MOBA owned by corporate giant Tencent, spells for increased popularity in China and more online-based gameplay than Nintendo’s has ever done before. Other popular games, such as Minecraft, Terraria, and Diablo, demonstrate that Nintendo is working hard to expand its player base. The Switch marks Nintendo’s effort to finally break away from relying on its original titles and to embrace third party games.
YOUNG ADULT
FICTION big work of Young Adult fiction? Seriously, think. Maybe you thought of Divergent books, first published in 2011, or maybe The Maze Runner series, which debuted in 2009. How about a John Green book, maybe, or perhaps The Hate U Give, which was published February of 2017? When I think of YA, though, I think of The Hunger Games, the series that practically created this dystopian genre that has eclipsed the rest of the books published for Young Adults. But the thing is, The Hunger Games debuted in 2008. Ten years ago. And in that time, no other series has come along that has redefined the genre. That’s a problem. Currently, going into the Young Adult section at Barnes and Noble feels like entering a hodgepodge of literature that doesn’t really jive together. You have romance, sci-fi, coming of age, and fantasy all grouped together because it isn’t quite ‘sophisticated’ enough for adults, but the characters swear, so it can’t really be marketed to children. This hodge-podge of styles is perfectly fine, but it doesn’t feel like any of them are explicitly created for the young adult demographic, which The Hunger Games seemed to perfectly hit a decade ago. It feels like, for a brief moment ten years ago, the young adult genre hit its peak and has since been sliding backwards into the same tropes that created literary gold. Because of The Hunger Games, when you hear “Young Adult” now, you assume it involves sci-fi, or some dystopian element. The importance of the series cannot be overstated. Not only was it actually read (an impressive feat), but it spread beyond the demographic. It seemed like everyone was reading and debating the merits of the book. People called it the next Harry Potter, which was also originally intended for people much younger than those who actually read it. Both stories were good enough to set off a thousand copy-cats, only in the case of The Hunger Games, those copy-cats became best sellers as well—the aforementioned Maze Runner and Divergent being prime examples. But in the wake of that brief wave of popularity, the YA shelves at bookstores read as recycled leftovers, old ideas that keep trying to be made anew. They’re a graveyard of books that would have been CAN YOU THINK OF THE LAST
wild successes even five years ago, but now readers are tired of the same worn-out plots of a single spunky protagonist fighting against a totalitarian government. This year, the best YA novel stretched beyond these tropes. The Hate U Give has done a similarly spectacular feat, staying on the New York Times bestseller list for 43 weeks as of writing this review. Because of the immediacy people saw in the story—the necessity of telling the narrative at this particular moment in time—the novel leapt out of the narrow confines of the YA genre, making many question whether it should have been classified this way to begin with. I think it should have. The Hate U Give has been a shot in the arm to the publishing world in many ways, but particularly in the way that it signals to publishers that readers are sick of the same old narratives dressed up in new clothes. My other favorite YA book of the year isn’t even marketed as YA. V.E. Schwab is a fantastic author who has published youth-focused novels in the past, but her Darker Shade of Magic series is advertised as adult. It may not have passed censors, being filled with gruesome accounts of death, but I think the only way for the genre to advance is by taking risks. Remaining stuck in the ways of the past by publishing a million dystopian pieces that everyone has already seen doesn’t help foster a vested interest in literature because it conveys the idea that all novels are similar, which is simply false. Any genre that wants to survive in the literary industry, especially as people are exposed to more and more different forms of media at a younger age, must evolve. If the people are bored, you should give them something different that challenges their expectations. The Hate U Give, and the most recent John Green book, Turtles All the Way Down, which shirks the “rom-com with a twist” style of his earlier works (though I do love them) and aims for something a little more personal, both show that readers are craving a new type of narrative. Perhaps it’s time the publishing world actually listens to the desires of young adults. So I say, The Hunger Games, I love you, but maybe it’s time to retire. As we know, all dystopias eventually fall.
MUSICAL JAMES MCCREARY
SEASON W H AT D I D B R O A DWAY BRING US IN 2017?
REVIEW
THE REVOLUTIONARY HIP-HOP MUICAL,
Hamilton, has won the hearts of people all across the world with its amazing music, diverse cast, and its showcase of a new take on American History. Hamilton won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, narrowly missing the all-time record. Many new fans have been brought to the Theatre by Hamilton, and the art of musical theater has again begun to rise in popularity amongst a new generation of teens and young adults. Many dedicated fans of Hamilton have also begun to discover some new shows, truly immersing themselves in all the genre has to offer. Here are some of the shows that are becoming more popular amongst fans of all ages: HEATHERS
Based on the 1988 cult classic black comedy film of the same name, Heathers: the Musical is a musical directed by Andy Fickman, best known in the Musical Theater sphere for his work directing Reefer Madness!: A Movie Musical and its stage adaptation, but who has also directed films such as Who’s Your Daddy and Race To Witch Mountain. The show’s music, lyrics, and book were all written by Laurence O’Keefe, known for writing the music and lyrics for Legally Blonde: The Musical alongside his wife, Nell Benjamin, as well as by Kevin Murphy, one of Fickman’s collaborators on Reefer Madness!. The show was first introduced through a reading, and later a concert at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. It briefly played for a month in Los Angeles in 2012, before fully transitioning to Off Broadway in March 2014 for half a year. In the show, Veronica Sawyer is a high school senior bothered by Westerburg High’s intense social system, where nerds, geeks and underclassmen are often bullied by the popular kids. After putting her talents as a forger to use, Veronica finds herself in over her head with the three most popular, powerful girls at school, who all share the name Heather. The Heathers consists of the bubbly yet weak-minded and submissive head cheerleader, Heather McNamara; the jealous, bulimic, yearbook head, Heather Duke; and the leader, the school’s “mythic b****,” Heather Chandler. Veronica also soon finds herself in a complex relationship with rebellious bad boy Jason “JD” Dean, though she questions some of his dark ideas. Through all of the chaos, she find herself unwillingly growing distant from her kind-hearted friend, Martha “Dumptruck” Dunnstock. As Veronica struggles to stay on top of her social situation, she is nearly pushed over
the edge, as chaos sweeps through Westerburg High. Though the show’s story and characters are incredibly exaggerated, it can all appear very real to anyone who has gone through high school. The show’s ensemble is filled with types of students whom everyone will meet in their life, as well as certain high school stereotypes. The show also tackles important issues teens face around the nation, and its message hits home for anyone who has suffered from depression or bullying, as well as drugs, abusive relationships, or homophobia. Heathers presents these issues through a wild ride that will constantly keep fans—young and old—on the edge of their seats. Though the show uses a lot of adult humor, its focus on the toxicity of social pressure stands out to audiences around the world. The cast’s energy and vocal talent have also contributed to the musical’s rising popularity. My personal rating for Heathers: the Musical is 8/10, but appropriate only for ages 13+. NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 is a sungthrough musical, meaning that, aside from a few stray lines, there is not much dialogue in between its musical numbers. The book, music, and lyrics for the show were all written by Dave Malloy. Malloy is known for creating musicals adapted from famous works of literature, and the Great Comet is no exception, based off of a small section of Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace. The show was directed by Rachel Chavkin, known for her creative and eccentric style. It should also be noted that Phillipa Soo, who played Eliza in Hamilton, originated with the role of Natasha, and was discovered by Lin Manuel Miranda while acting in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. In the show’s Broadway run, the main roles of Natasha and Pierre were played by Denée Benton and Josh Groban respectively, and the show ran on Broadway until Autumn of 2017. The show follows young Russian countess Natasha Rostova, who has recently been betrothed to Prince Andrey Bolkonsky. While her fiancée is away fighting in the war, Natasha is staying with her godmother Marya in Moscow, along with her faithful cousin Sonya. Andrey has instructed his best friend Pierre, who coincidentally also happens to be an old friend of Marya, to make sure Natasha is safe. What Pierre doesn’t notice is that his hedonistic, mischievous brother-in-law, Anatole, may have
plans that interfere with both Natasha’s safety and her happiness. One of the Comet’s greatest strengths is its ability to introduce a more traditional style—opera—to a more modern audience. This blend of old styles with more modern elements is wondrous both to myself and to many other young fans. Though the vocals are very traditional and filled with powerful arias and charming group numbers, the ensemble and music are far from old school. The ensemble of the show features performers dressed in bright, eye-catching costumes, playing upbeat music on instruments such as the accordion, fiddle, and guitar, who are constantly interacting with the audience through a stage that winds around the seats of the theatre. Certain numbers of the show also feature more modern and fast paced beats, which can appeal to newer audiences, similar to Hamilton’s use of hip hop music. This musical was actually called “the New Hamilton” at one point, and received a dozen Tony nominations due to its popularity, almost breaking the all-time record. I saw this show twice, and relished the experience both times. In my opinion, this show is one of the most approachable musicals for newer audiences. For its outstanding performance quality and style, my personal rating for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 is 9/10. DEAR EVAN HANSEN
The smash Broadway hit of the year, Dear Evan Hansen has been the center of attention for many reasons. Its music and lyrics were written by the fantastic Benj Pasek and Justin Paul—known together as Pasek and Paul—who were the masterminds behind the score of James and the Giant Peach, as well as the lyrics for the acclaimed movie La La Land and all of the music in The Greatest Showman. The team won a Golden Globe for their song City of Stars in La La Land. The show was originally led by acclaimed Broadway and film actor Ben Platt, and it received 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for Platt himself. The show features Evan Hansen, a high school student with a broken arm, who suffers with severe social anxiety and lives with his single mother Heidi, who has difficulty connecting with her son. They are paralleled by the Murphy family, which consists of wealthy parents Larry and Cynthia, and their two children, the school’s renegade bad boy Connor, and Evan’s crush, the cynical Zoe. Evan’s therapist decides to have him write a letter to
himself each day, reassuring himself that everything will turn out alright. One day, while Evan is in the computer lab printing out his letter, it is taken by Connor, who signs his cast to try to show that he and Evan both have friends. Evan is not able to stop Connor from taking his letter, and does not see him for several days. Eventually, Evan is told by the principal, Larry, and Cynthia that something terrible has happened to Connor, and that he was holding Evan’s letter when it happened. Evan tries console the Murphys, and quickly finds everyone around him becoming a part of his fabricated narrative. Evan’s entire world is turned upside down, and no one is prepared for what follows. When I first saw it, I was not at all prepared for the greatness of Dear Evan Hansen. This is one of the first forms of media that could truly capture the teenage world in the modern age. With many references to technology, social media, and pop culture, an amazing cast full of energy, and a great soundtrack, it’s no wonder Dear Evan Hansen has become one of the most popular shows to date. The show captures the true anxiety high schoolers can have when confronted with the pressure to say the right thing in class, with friends or family, or in public. As Evan’s journey progresses, so does the high pressure and the audience’s investment. Everyone around me was breathing heavily and on the edge of their seats, transfixed by the amazing choreography and positioning of the set. The show provides an intriguing experience, and I honestly can’t say that there is anything on Broadway quite like it. The show does have its sadder moments, and most people cannot sit through it without crying a few times. However, one can argue that this is similar to real life, expressing the never ending cycle of ups and downs, happy and sad moments. For its sheer yet tear-inducing realistic nature, my rating for Dear Evan Hansen is 8/10
The new generation of Musical Theater fans and consumers has truly shed a new light on the genre, and is making it more accessible for a younger audience. Crowds of millions now flock to the theater in an effort to see some of the greatest shows. These are just three examples of shows rising in popularity amongst young fans, and the art of Theater now grows every day thanks to new shows that can be intriguing for even the greatest skeptic. A new wave of Theater has truly rocked the world, and it is amazing to see the passion of theater resurfacing in a new generation.
MY REVIEW OF
ANASTASIA
Set in Russia and Paris in the early 1900s, the new musical Anastasia follows the journey of young Anya, a Russian woman who suffers from amnesia and enlists the help of con men Dimitri and Vladimir to take her to Paris, where she hopes to find her long lost family. Dimitri and Vladimir hope to teach Anya to pose as the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia in order to get a reward from her grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. However, the men soon realize they may have actually found the lost Anastasia. The show stars Christy Altomare, known for her portrayal of Sophia in Mamma Mia; Ramin Karimloo, a Phantom of the Opera veteran; Derek Klena, of Dogfight; and Tony nominee Mary Beth Peil. Despite having an all-star cast, the show did poorly at the Tony Awards in 2017, earning just two nominations, and winning none. Nonetheless, the show did well in the 2016-2017 award season overall, winning a total of 10 awards, including an Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance honor for Altomare. Perhaps the most notable element of the show is the complicated set design by Alexander Dodge, who was nominated in 2014 for his set design of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. The set is now one of many on Broadway to use a digital screen as the backdrop (in lieu of a traditional man-made set), in order to more easily change scenes. They also project “ghost” dancers into the balcony of the audience by using a combination of fog and light. The pristine white palace of the Romanov’s—ransacked by the Bolsheviks during the revolution—takes over many scenes, and the sets are almost as beautiful as the music and story itself. The story of Anastasia was first popularized in America through a 1997 movie of the same name, produced by 20th Century
Fox. The musical and movie, however, have major differences that the musical’s writers claim are intentional. The inclusion of some of these differences ensures that the reality of Russia’s past is not forgotten. Playwright Terrence McNally remarks, “The Russian Revolution is one of the greatest political upheavals of the 20th century, and to pretend it didn’t happen, or just happened a long time ago didn’t seem enough.” The musical’s writers incorporate this history into the show, tip-toeing the line between a Disney-esque princess musical and a historically driven one. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who wrote the music for the movie, also created 16 new songs for the musical, in addition to adding a number of new characters and a different script steeped in historic realism. The story is mostly appropriate for children, but the murder of the Romanov family is shown and Anastasia is present when it happens. They also show the effects of a communist state on the resources in newly-founded Leningrad. The writers also took some liberties with the historical narrative, replacing Rasputin with Gleb, as they decided to not mention the infamous Russian mystic so as to remove the “magical” element of the story. Unfortunately, the real story of Anastasia did not end as happily in real life as it did in the musical and movie. On July 17, 1918, after a year of relocating and trying to stay alive, the entire Romanov family was brought into the basement of a remote house and executed by firing squad. When their unmarked mass grave was found in 1991, two bodies were missing—Anastasia and her brother, Alexei. Rumors immediately began circulating that Anastasia may have lived. Several women came forward claiming to be the long lost duchess, but these so-called “Anastasias” were never confirmed. In 2007, two bodies were found near the first unmarked grave that were confirmed to be Anastasia and her brother, who were, in fact, killed along with their family in 1918. The Soviet Union denied the rumors that Anastasia lived from the beginning, but this sad ending to the true story does not detract from the new, fun, and heartwarming fictional musical about Anastasia’s life.