By: Ava Olson

This movie, starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (Batman), follows his journey of training with Ra’s Al Guhl and the League of Shadows then leaving to try and help Gotham. This movie shows his backstory including how he gets his suit and how and why he becomes Batman.

I really enjoyed how much we learned about Bruce Wayne and his struggles throughout this movie, like his childhood trauma. It was cool to see how he got his suit and batmobile and why he chose the bat as his symbol.

I liked how the movie really showed that Batman was still learning and getting the hang of being Batman. He still made mistakes along the way and took a lot of risks.

The main villain in this movie was Scarecrow, played by Cillian Murphy. He did a great job and I thought his weapon, the psychedelic drug that causes people to experience their deepest traumas, was very interesting and unique.

The plot was very engaging and had many different layers to it. It kept me intrigued throughout the whole film and I never felt bored. I found all the different characters very compelling and I thought the casting was pretty well done.

The visual effects look a little funny watching it today because of how much we’ve improved with them, but they were good for their time. I loved watching this and seeing all the differences between all the different Batman’s including the newest one starring Robert Pattinson.

Overall, I liked this movie and thought it did a great job of showing people Batman’s backstory. This movie is the first of the Christoper Nolan Batman movies so you don’t need to watch anything beforehand to understand it. I would recommend this to any action movie fan or people who want to know more about Batman. I would give this movie 3.5/5 stars. You can watch this movie on Netflix or HBO Max.

By: Samera Adam

‘Tall Girl 2’ is a Netflix movie. 

Jodi and Dunkleman’s relationship begins on a sweet note, with the two exchanging romantic moments. As a result of her speech at the Homecoming dance, Jodi has become one of the most popular students at school, high-fiving other students instead of being invisible. 

Her increased celebrity and wanting to appear in the spring musical, proved to be major stumbling obstacles in her relationship with Dunkleman. 

She is battling her own concerns and suffering from anxiety attacks. Jodi is exited and nervous after earning the lead role of Kim in the musical ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ 

Her insecurities are speaking to her through an inner voice. In ‘Bye Bye Birdie’, Tommy plays the lead alongside Jodi.

Jodi is a typical person dealing with adolescent issues. She carries a lot of weight on her shoulders between the person she’s dating, her pals, bullying, the musical, and her worried parents. She’s under a lot of stress and is very exhausted. 

By focusing on her self-assurance, Jodi was able to silence that negative voice. She prefers to be ruled by her thoughts rather than the other way around. Her parents go above and beyond to ensure their children’s success. 

Others are dealing with their own insecurities, while Jodi is fighting negative thoughts in her head.

Harper, Jodi’s older sister, is attempting to show that she can do more than compete in beauty pageants. Fareeda, Jodi’s best friend, hopes that her parents would support her dream of becoming a fashion designer. The relationship between Dunkleman, Fareeda, and Jodi is frequently questioned. 

Overall, I think that the movie was a little boring because it had too many unnecessary details. So I’d have to give it a rating of 3/5

By: Abdihakim Mohamoud

The famous entrepreneurial themed reality show ‘Shark Tank’ is notorious for enhancing some of the biggest businesses out there. But what exactly does being on the show do for entrepreneurs?

Landing a deal with one of the sharks can obviously lead to tremendous exposure for your company. However, even appearing on the show at all is extremely beneficial marketing-wise. TJ Hale, producer of the ‘Shark Tank Podcast’, reportedly said that even an appearance on the show results in $4-5 million in marketing exposure.

Another former ‘Shark Tank’ appearance, Derek Pacque, is a perfect example of not needing funding to succeed. He turned down a deal from billionaire Mark Cuban for 33% of his coat business, claiming his company wouldn’t grow after the deal. The “Shark Tank Effect” worked its magic, and Pacque ended up at Fashion Week for his first gig.

In recent studies, a mind-boggling 94% of ‘Shark Tank’ appearances were successful after their feature, solidifying that the most obvious reward from appearing is sales. PostureNow and The Bev Buckle did $50,000 and a whopping $300,000+ after they were featured on the show.

Appearing on ‘Shark Tank’, not just produced thousands in sales for entrepreneurs, but also attracted investors who watched the show. However, it is required that business owners must give up 5% of their company just to appear on the show—without guaranteeing traffic to their company.

Not every entrepreneur leaves the show better off than when they arrived. An example of a relatively bad deal is Jay Kriner, who took the shark’s deal, giving up half of his company for $50,000, seemingly undervaluing his equity, and basically giving his company away.

All in all, the majority of entrepreneurs believe that an appearance is very well worth it and beneficial. However, business owners must be aware of the risks that can come with it, and be mindful of the deals they are being offered, and whether it’s worth it or not.

For more information, please visit:

• https://nwirc.com/shark-tank-effect-entrepreneurship/

Anna Sorokin is a Russian-born woman from Germany. Sorokin was born in Russia and moved to Germany when she was young. She later moved to Paris for an internship for the European art and culture magazine ‘Purple’, and relocated to New York in 2014.

Sorokin was sent to jail in 2019 for stealing over $200,000. Sorokin passed herself off as a German heiress by the name of Anna Delavey, with a net worth of 67 million dollars. She defrauded socialites, financial institutions, and hotels.

She was sentenced to jail on eight counts: three counts of grand larceny, and one count of attempted grand larceny. She was released in February 2021, on good behavior and six weeks later she was arrested again for overstaying her visa.

The Netflix series ‘Inventing Anna’ is a nine-part episode created by Shonda Rhimes. The episode starts with a disclaimer “This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are made up.” The show follows the journalist Jessica Pressler, who worked for ‘New York Magazine’, as she investigates Sorokin’s story. The series attempts to tell her story through her friends, or people who thought they were. 

The show shows how Sorokin was able to scam everyone. Her character is portrayed as a visionary who wants to become a businesswoman. The series shows her as a smart woman and genius, but also a master manipulator, a liar, and a hustler who took advantage of others’ kindness.

After the release of the show, she was either loved or hated by the world. Some see her as a hero who felt that the rich got what they deserved, and for others, they felt sorry for the people she scammed. Despite being proven guilty, she said her Anna Delavey Foundation was legit, and that she is not a dumb socialite but a businesswoman.

To watch the Netflix trailer for ‘Inventing Anna’, please visit:

• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=65xa8TG2G8o

By: Salman Said

After a lengthy production, casting, and director changes, the latest DCEU film ‘The Batman’ has finally arrived. To say that this film lived up to expectations is an understatement. Robert Pattinson, who recently returned to starring in mainstream films, is playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. Previously, Ben Affleck was supposed to direct and play Batman in a highly anticipated solo film back in 2016, but the project fell through after he dropped out due to personal issues and creative differences. 

Director Matt Reeves decided to pick up the project. Reeves had a vision of a more inept Batman, struggling to let go of the psychological trauma he carried after his parent’s murder. Fighting crime in an unforgiving city; rife with corruption, drugs, and poverty. Reeves decided to have this film be disconnected from the DCEU and its characters; branching out in an entirely new world with new actors and a more realistic, thriller take on recent superhero films. This turned out to be a brilliant and refreshing decision.

**Spoilers if you haven’t seen the film yet**

The film begins on Halloween night and takes place over the course of six days. This could be a reference to the biblical verse that God created the earth and heavens in six days. During act one, the public is shown to have an innate distaste for Batman and vigilantism in Gotham entirely. During his first scene, we see Batman save an innocent man from an attack, and as he tries to assist the man, the man begins to cry out, “Please don’t hurt me.”

 The public’s opinion completely shifts by the end of the final act. When Batman saves a woman, she latches onto his arm and refuses to let go, preventing the paramedics from carrying her to safety; as a result, Batman’s perspective shifts. During his final monologue, Batman addressed how he used to believe he needed to enact his vengeance on behalf of the city; on the crime that permeated it. But he now believes that he must be their hope, not their vengeance.

“On the seventh day, God finished his work and rested”. Even before the film ends, we see that Batman isn’t finished. He hasn’t reached his seventh day yet, and Gotham is facing new threats. In Arkham Asylum The Riddler is making more maniacal friends than himself, Gotham lacks a district attorney and a police commissioner, and The Penguin is looking to take over the Iceberg Lounge and the rest of Carmine Falcone’s assets. Batman enters a new phase in the next movie, with hope for that 7th day.

This Gotham is the most realistic and grimey version of Gotham we’ve ever seen. Batman’s introduction monologue; how criminals view Batman as a shadow constantly lurking upon the sins of man; and characters like Penguin and Jim Gordon all bring an authenticity that Batman movies lacked before. This all on top of the fact that we receive an amazing acting performance from Colin Farrell’s Penguin and Paul Dano’s Riddler.

The film made numerous references to potential villains in future films. Carmine Falcone assassinates a reporter named Edward Elliot during the second act. This could be the father of Thomas Elliot, a well-known Gothamite, surgeon, and Bruce Wayne’s long-time friend. In the comics, Elliot was the son of a wealthy, abusive father who frequently beat Elliot in front of his wife. Elliot had enough of his mother and father and cut the tire on their car, causing his father to be killed in a car accident. But after an intensive surgery, Thomas Wayne was able to save Elliot’s mother. 

Elliot becomes the villain Hush, in order to exact revenge on the Waynes for saving his mother. He murders innocent people and steals their identities. He then grafts victims’ faces and fashions them to look exactly like Bruce Wayne’s. The word “Hush” appears in the film, written in red letters after we see the article about Edward Elliot’s death.

This was one of the more popular references fans were able to spot, but other ones were seen. During the final act, Batman injects a green serum into his leg; this could be the highly-addictive muscle stimulating drug, Venom. This hints to the villain Bane, who also uses the same drug in the comics; (Paralyzing Batman). Gotham also has an empty spot for District Attorney; this possibly could be filled by Harvey Dent. Finally the Arkham Asylum patient who spoke briefly with the Riddler; many believe it’s either Joker, Two-Face, or possibly Hush. All characters that have noticeable face deformities. 

We have a lot to look forward to in the near future, and this movie quite possibly brings DC back into the conversation for best superhero cinematography out right now. It’s been a while since DC was able to beat Marvel in the box office. We might see a change in that in the near future.

By: Eva Olson

In the new Marvel TV show, ‘Hawkeye’, a new character is introduced into the MCU, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. She and Hawkeye must team up to defeat a villain trying to kill Kate because she was forced to wear the Ronin suit from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to stop an attack.

I loved how sarcastic and witty Kate was with Clint and other characters. Kate and Clint had a really funny dynamic. Her backstory was very interesting and I liked how it was tied back to previous movies.

It was interesting how a character from the Marvel TV show, ‘Daredevil’, was incorporated into the show. I liked all the plot twists and unexpected turns in this show. It really kept you intrigued because you couldn’t binge watch it when it came out considering its episodes were only released once a week on Wednesdays.

To watch this show you do need to have watched some Marvel movies, especially ‘Black Widow’, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and ‘The Avengers’. A character from ‘Black Widow’ makes an appearance and this show finishes off the cliffhanger in the ‘Black Widow’ post credit scene. There are also many references to these movies.

I would also recommend watching this sometime around Christmas, because Christmas is integral to the storyline. They did a good job of making it festive but not completely revolving around Christmas.

This show did a great job of showing how Clint is doing after Natasha’s death. It gave Clint and his family more screen time which was fun to watch.

Overall, I really liked this show and would recommend it to Marvel fans. It was really entertaining and I loved all the new characters. I would give it a 9.5/10 rating. You can watch this show on Disney+

By: Salman Said

The official trailer of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ has arrived, and fans are excited. The trailer was the number one trending video on YouTube. The movie is directed by Sam Rami and is set to release on May 6th, 2022.

It takes place chronologically after ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’. *If you haven’t watched the new Spider-Man movie, spoiler alerts are in place*. The movie’s main-conflict revolves around the collapsing multiverse after Dr. Strange fails to make everyone forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man (in order to save the multiverse from collapsing he made everyone forget who Peter Parker was altogether).

In the trailer, we see that his actions had detrimental after-effects, and now many different characters are entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe like America Chavez. Her powers allow her to enter different multiverses and it looks like she’ll be playing a big role in the movie. We’ve already seen both previous Spider-Men and their respective villains, but now it looks like they aren’t the only ones arriving.

The movie trailer opens with Doctor Strange waking up from a nightmare; interestingly, the villain of the film was speculated to be Nightmare, but after COVID pushbacks and a change of directors, it appears that the initial storyline line and antagonist might’ve changed. Nightmare was Doctor Strange’s original enemy, and his powers include manipulating the dreams and nightmares of those he haunts (like Freddy Krueger). He also has complete control over the nightmare world he creates, as well as conscious control over the bodies of those he possesses. However, a shift of setting in the trailer reveals another plot line altogether without him.

During the trailer, we see Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), played by Elizabeth Olsen, who we haven’t seen since ‘WandaVision’, the hit Disney+ series. She’s become a scorned mother on a mission to find her children again, potentially in the multiverse itself after losing them. The last time we’d seen her she was mastering chaos magic and had fully embraced her sinister side. In the trailer we heard an unsettling and ominous comment made by her to Doctor Strange, “You break the rules, you become the hero. I do it, I become the enemy.” The statement appears to be a set-up for the heartbroken mother to do whatever it takes to find her children, even if it means destroying the multiverse itself.

The Fox-Disney merger was a big topic back in 2019 and something all Marvel fans were excited about. Finally the MCU got its prized characters back including the X-Men, Fantastic 4, and the popular red anti-hero Deadpool. This adds to the excitement that fans already had when we saw Deadpool interacting with MCU’s Korg during a trailer for Ryan Reynolds’s new movie, ‘Free Guy’. It’s been almost 4 years since the merger and fans are wondering when we’ll get to see these characters team up with our favorite MCU characters.

The wait might not be as long as we think, because during the trailer we hear the voice of Patrick Stewart, also known as Professor X, the leader of the X-Men. This has many people wondering if the multiverse opening has allowed these characters to arrive in the MCU just like it had with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Macguire’s Spider-Men.

Though it’s all speculation, many fans are excited to see characters like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier, or another Iron Man played by Tom Cruise.

Nonetheless, many moviegoers are thrilled about this film. It has the potential to pull in enormous numbers at the box office, as we witnessed the latest film ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ hit the $1 billion mark in global sales, making it the first movie to do so since the pandemic began two years ago.

Marvel has had a significant influence on the film industry, and it’s clear that many fans are delighted to see their favorite actors and actresses perform their iconic characters on the big screen.

By: Samera Adams

‘Nappily Ever After’ is a Netflix movie. The movie consists of different sections. Each section identifies a part of the main character’s hair journey.

The movie starts with the main character, Violet, as a child playing by a pool. She is the only kid that’s not allowed in by her parents. Then one of the little boys in the pool asks her to jump in. Without hesitation she goes in for the dive, not knowing what would happen to her hair.

Her hair fizzed up. She was now getting teased by all of the other kids in the pool. Her mom then grabs her and shoves her in the car and never looks back.

Fast forward to the first section called “Straightened”. Violet is grown now. Her mother came over early in the morning because Violet found a ring box in her boyfriend’s pocket. They then proceed to do her hair to get ready for her “surprise” proposal.

On Violet’s way to work, right before her dinner, she gets sprayed with water by children playing. She then freaks out and runs to a nearby salon.

While getting her hair rinsed, instantly her hair falls out. They then figure out that the little girl who helps out gave her a relaxer instead of shampoo.

She was angry and they proceeded to put a weave in.

Dinner rolls around. Clint, her boyfriend, pulls out the box that they found earlier. She opens it. It is not a ring. It’s a dog chain. He got her a dog, not a ring.

They break out into an argument. Violet then realizes that he isn’t going to marry her because she doesn’t get out of her comfort zone. She’s “too perfect”.

Out of all the stress she shaves her hair.

She realizes that her straightened hair was society’s reflection on beauty.
The movie then goes on to Violet trying new things to her hair, appearance, attitude, etc.

This movie was meant to be a confidence booster. I didn’t reveal too much information about the movie, just in case, y’all would like to watch it.

It gets a 5-star rating because it shows that you are enough.

By: Samera Adam

‘Love Jacked’ is a Netflix movie that stars Amber West, as main character Maya, and Canadian actor Shamier Anderson.

*Spoiler alert*

The movie starts with Shamier, who plays Malcolm, stealing from his friend Tyrelle. He wants to give the money to the pregnant wife of a man who lost all his money in a game of pool to Tyrelle. This causes Tyrelle to then be on the hunt for Malcolm to get his money back.

The main character Maya, is an artist who takes a trip to Africa to get some inspiration for her art, against her father’s will. She still proceeds to go on her 3-week trip. On her trip, she gets engaged but returns single.

When Maya lands back in Los Angeles she takes a trip to a local diner where she meets Malcolm.

When Maya meets Malcolm she tells him all about her trip to South Africa and how she caught her fiancé cheating on her but couldn’t tell her dad because she would just prove that her father was right all along about her not being ready to be married after just a short time.

After Maya is done ranting, she leaves and Tyrelle pops up on Malcolm, so Malcolm jumps into Maya’s car to escape. They then come up with a plan of if Maya helps Malcolm escape Tyrelle, then he has to play the role of her fiancé, Mtumbie. After the honeymoon though, “Mtumbie” would die and Malcolm would just leave the city.

The family eventually meets “Mtumbie” and they all form bonds with him and end up loving him.

The wedding happens, so then it is time for the plan to come to an end.

Maya tells her family that he had an accident and she returns home where they host his funeral.

At his funeral, the real Mtumbie comes and proposes to Maya but everyone is confused. Then “Mtumbie” comes ‘‘back from the dead” and professes his love for Maya.

Maya then comes clean with everything and they take a family honeymoon trip to Africa.

This movie is for sure a 5/5 because it contains romance with Maya and Malcolm eventually falling in love. There is also comedy. After all, a Canadian man acts as a South African, while faking an accent throughout the whole thing.