Category Archives: Entertainment

Music/Concerts

‘Let’s Start Here’ review

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By: Ricky Perez Cardoza

One of the most talked about albums of this year ‘Let’s Start Here’ by rapper Lil Yachty is considered by a lot of people as either album of the year or at least a contender for it. Lil Yachty, before this album, hadn’t seen success like this before and was never really taken seriously for his music and was entirely focused on rap/trap music. That’s why people were shocked to listen to this experimental, melodic alternate rap album that sounded nothing like Lil Yachty at all.

The first track “The BLACK Seminole” had everyone hooked to hear the rest of this album and might even be one of the best intros to an album we’ve heard this year. The track is the longest on the album at almost 7 minutes. It starts the song off strong with a slow tempo with minimal instruments like synths, slow drums, and eventually a guitar riff/solo that makes the instrumental perfect. Added with the auto-tuned vocals by Lil Yachty, this makes the first part of the song sound amazing.

Added to this, Yachty takes a different approach to this song and does not rap like he’s used to but instead sings about equality and his hard work as an artist. Another thing we’ve never seen before is Yachty having deeper meanings behind his lyrics.

The second part of the song elevates the song into a theatrical experimental song where we have a great explosion in its instruments and vocal performance by singer Justine Skye. She makes this second part of the song sound majestic with its explosive drums, synths, and overall volume of.

“The Ride-“ is the next song that follows in the formula of the first song with slow tempo drums and has a vocal performance and verse by artist Teezo Touchdown that has great chemistry with Lil Yachty, who himself is vocally perfect on this song. Like the rest of the album, it’s an unpredictable good mess, like the pitch of the electric guitar in the background, and there are so many different sounds on this song even just random futuristic sounds that makes it the good mess that it is.

“Running Out of Time” is a turn on this album where we get a beachy, or summer anthem, for an instrumental sounding like a song produced by Calvin Harris. The song really sounds like a song from Calvin Harris’s album ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1’ but Yachty adds the sounds we keep hearing which are stuff like distorted instruments pitching up or just some futuristic sounds/synths

“pRETTy”. The next song opens up with a great line and this is also where we get Yacthy’s best singing on the album with his auto-tunes distorted and a great feature by artist Foushee that goes perfectly on this song. It’s all about partners and relationships as well as self-love. The song doesn’t have those futuristic sounds but instead has distorted drums as well as background vocals by both Foushee and Lil Yachty.

“:(failure:(“ is more as an interlude where Yachty reflects on his failures and also reflects on how it is to fail. He talks almost like he’s talking to a therapist or even in the position of a therapist giving advice on things that he’s experiencing now like being rich and famous, but also how you should deal with freedom. He gives his own perspective on what failure means to him.

“THE zone~” goes back to those slow-tempo songs. The song elevates this formula higher by keeping it slow the whole time and adding in some great instruments like electric guitar and has Lil Yachty go in more emotionally and vocally perfect once again. This song has way deeper lyrics than the rest of the songs and it makes more sense given the emotion Lil Yachty has behind his singing. One of the most underrated songs on the album that really makes you feel something with the song kinda like the artist Tame Impala.

“WE SAW THE SUN!” is part two of “THE zone~” with the same beat and even having the best transition in the album. It builds off nicely from the previous song, and being also one of the longer tracks at 5:31 of runtime, it fully immerses you into the vibe of this album. Even when mostly just the instrumental with background humming by Lil Yachty, it’s a song that makes you feel great and there is nothing more a song can accomplish than that.

“drive ME crazy!” is the most popular song on the album and it is deserved by the amazing and upbeat feeling this song has from its great instrumental that incorporates a bassist and violinist that elevates the instrumental and makes a difference to the sound altogether. The artist: Diana Gordon takes this song up a level with her phenomenal vocal performance on the song. She brings this great vibe that Lil Yachty mimics in the song, completely having a great first half. The second half is a little Yachty where he goes and raps on the previous instrumental with most of the instruments gone.

“IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” is the most abstract song on the album beginning with elevator music and transitioning into distorted screams by Lil Yachty, with the instrumental slowly turning into chaos as it gets heavily distorted. 1 minute after this, the real song starts, and is a great explosion of many instruments. This is one of the best songs on the album by far. It has everything great about every song previously and has great transitions within the song that just add to the amazing experimental instrumental. Yachty talks about mental health on this and does it well by singing with straight emotion in the second half of the song. The instrumental stands out because of its use of electric guitar, which instead of being a background instrument, is the loudest in the whole song making it sound super explosive and colorful.

“sAy sOMETHINg” pulls back on the explosiveness of the previous song and it’s all about a relationship of Yachthy’s which makes the song more vibey than immersing. It’s overall a great song but it just doesn’t stand out enough, other than the topic of the song, except at the end of the song where Yachty makes a great transition into more of an R&B song which flows perfectly and is something Lil Yachty should do more of.

“Paint THE sky” starts off super slow with trippy sounds and Yachty with vocals so autotuned and riverbed that they sound super futuristic and echoey. The song then transitions into the main instrument that incorporates the drums we’ve heard previously on many of the songs from the album, and this song takes the same sound we heard at the end of “sAy sOMETHINg” and makes it more fleshed out with Lil Yachty still singing about the same topic of a relationship that didn’t work out.

“sHouLd i B?” is another amazing track that gives us that explosiveness from the track “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST VISION” but pulls back a little on the heavy electric guitar and pulls back a lot in the verses from Yachty where the instrumental becomes more quiet giving emphasis on what Lil Yachty is talking about, which is regular struggles for a lot of people and also talking about how to keep going forward in those moments. By the end of the song, the guitar picks back which makes a great transition into the next track.

“The Alchemist” starts off really upbeat with the very loud guitar and is a mix of Lil Yachty’s part where he’s talking to everyone who doubted him, and how people would kill for the position he’s in, and how he’ll never listen to the hate a lot of people give him. This message translates into the sound of the song where it sounds like it’s meant to bring out that emotion of confidence everyone has and is one of the most upbeat songs on the album. The artist Foushee, whom we’ve seen a lot of, helps on this track to serve as an interlude and outdo on the track. The parts where Foushee is singing the instrumental go a lot more silent and give even more of an effect for Lil Yachty’s parts of the song by having these quiet moments on the song before going back to the loudness and upbeat instrumental.

“REACH THE SUNSHINE” starts off with artist Nick Hakim singing on purely just an acoustic guitar which Lil Yachty does the same, but then completely transitions into an explosion of a lot of different synths which then go away again to just the acoustic guitar. Nick Hakim then has another verse with amazing ad-libs from Lil Yachty and things pick back up after this verse where we get yet again an explosion of instruments. This song serves its purpose as an outro where it doesn’t provide much lyricisms but brings back the fundamentals of the whole album which is explosiveness, synths, and overall emotion in the instrumentals.

The album starts and ends melodically with the ending of the song bringing back sounds from all the previous songs almost like a conclusion summarizing all the paragraphs in an essay. It’s done theatrical and is something Yachty was going for and that is making you feel something with the music, and it’s something he accomplishes well.

‘Let’s Start Here’ by Lil Yachty is a rich immersive and experimental album that is easily one of the best albums from 2023 and one of the more unexpected successes in music, which is talked about in the album by Lil Yachty. The album does what most albums should focus on and it brings out an emotion or feeling from listening. The album is a modern theatrical experience that most people should listen to, especially those who were already fans of Lil Yachty, and can see his change in sound to that of Tyler The Creator on his similar experimental album ‘IGOR’, which even inspired Lil Yachty for the making of this album.

Music/Concerts

‘1989’ album review

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By: Sophie Johnson and Addie Strack

Taylor Swift recently came out with a re-recording of her 5th album, ‘1989’. This was an exciting moment both for her fans and herself as it is one step closer to her being able to own and profit off her own music. This is an achievement that she has been working towards for many years, and since she wasn’t previously able to own her music, she decided to re-record her albums and call them (Taylor’s Version).

‘1989’ is one of our favorite overall albums and we were super excited when she announced the release of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ last summer. The newly recorded album was released on Friday, October 27th, 2023. Not only did Swift record every single one of the tracks from the original album, but she added five new songs that she had written during the era of this album but chose not to release at the time. These five tracks are called: (from the vault).

One of the vault tracks that we both love is called “Slut”. This song, despite the title having a derogatory meaning, has a beautiful melody and almost a nostalgic sound to it. When listening to the new vault tracks for the first time, this one stood out to us because of the smooth and angelic tone of it. Her voice is almost softer this song but it still holds so much emotion which adds to the effect of the song. This song was our favorite out of all the 5 new vault tracks on the album.

Another one of the vault tracks that we really enjoyed was a song called “Is It Over Now?”. This song has more of an upbeat rhythm than the first one, and we really liked the use of different background instruments to pull the lyrics and the song together. This was our second favorite song out of the vault tracks on ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’.

Overall, we think that the album improved from the original album released in 2014, but there were several tracks on the new album that we wished had stayed more similar to the original. One of these tracks is “I Know Places”. We both loved this song from the original album, and when we heard the new Taylor’s Version of it, we thought it used too much auto tune. However, the auto tune was mostly used in the beginning of the song, and the rest of the song gets better as it goes on.

A lot of the songs were even better that we imagined. “Clean” was arguably the best song on the album and we agree that this was the most improved from the original ‘1989’ album. The bass in this song was really defined and once again the instruments in the background added many different factors to the song.

Another song that we think is better now than the original is a song called “You Are In Love”. The high notes in the song “You Are In Love” were really amazing and a big improvement that we noticed from the original song. In the bridge of this song her voice sounds especially strong and we think that her vocal range and skills have generally improved in these past nine years since the original ‘1989’ was released.

After listening to the newly recorded ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ as well as her other re-recorded albums including ‘Speak Now’, ‘Red’, and ‘Fearless’, we think that the majority of the music sounds better than it did before. The background music fits better with her vocals and overall we think that her singing and vocal abilities improved as she got older, and she also got more talented.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘FNAF’ movie

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By: Stephanie Caballero Benitez

*Warning: This article contains spoilers

Today, I will be reviewing and summarizing one of the most awaited movies of this year, ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’. ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’, also known as ,FNAF’, was originally a game. This game came out during 2014 and gained a large amount of attention from a young audience. Ever since, the game has been rising in popularity. The popularity allowed for this game to continue to make 9 more games starting from 2014 all the way to 2021. The creators of this game also made some books in addition to the games; the books explain some of the lore behind the game.

In this movie, we start with a scene of the main character, Micheal Schmidt, also known as Mike. Micheal Schmidt is an adult that has custody over his sister, with no other family to care for her he takes the responsibility to do so. Mike struggles to keep a job and suffers from the same nightmare every night. His nightmare every night is about the day that his younger brother Garret was taken. He allows these nightmares to happen and continue because he feels as if he pays more attention to every detail that he will somehow figure out who took his younger brother.

After consulting a work counselor, Mike gets offered a night job as security at a place that shut down. He isn’t told a lot of information about this place besides having to keep people out at night.

At first he refuses it as he has his younger sister to take care of during the night, but later on he accepts. He leaves his sister with one of his neighbors and takes the job.

This job is more unusual than the other jobs he has had; there are animatronics that give off a sinister vibe. During the night he falls asleep and has the same repeated nightmare but this time 5 different children appear; they stare at him and run away when he tries to approach them. During these nightmares he tries to stop the children, and each time he tries he gets hurt in the dream but also out of the dream. Soon he finds out the animatronics aren’t just animatronics, they also have the souls of children trapped in them making these animatronics aggressive.

We also find out later that Mike’s younger sister has been talking to the souls of those children. In  return for information on who was responsible for his younger brother’s disappearance, the souls ask him to give them Abby, his younger sister. He agrees but later on regrets it. The animatronics try to get Abby into a suit that would kill her and turn her into one of them.

Mike and Vanessa stop them. Vanessa is a town sheriff that meets Mike on his first night of the job. While all this happens, another person shows up, a person in an animatronic suit. This person turns out to be the job counselor, also known as William Aston, also known as Vanessa’s father. William controls the children with fear and makes them attack everyone who enters the place. William gets upset at the fact his own daughter is helping Mike, so he stabs her, leaving her in a coma.

Abby communicates with the animatronics on what the truth is behind their deaths through drawings. She draws them a picture of William killing them which makes them turn on him. When they turn on him the spring locks on his suit go off causing him to be in extreme pain. As the animatronics attack William, Abby, Vanessa, and Mike get out of the pizzeria.

The movie overall is a really good movie, although I feel disappointed in the horror theme. Their animatronics weren’t as off putting as they are in the video games and they didn’t have many scenes where I would call them scary. As a fan of many years, I also think that the lore they chose to follow is a bit confusing as William is supposed to have a son named Micheal but in the movie instead he has a daughter. Some theorize that the movie followed the books more instead of the games, which is a bit disappointing as most of their audience follows the game lore. Overall, this movie gets a 8/10.  You can see ‘FNAF’ in theaters and on Peacock.

Clubs and Activities, Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Murder on the Orient Express’: Why you should watch it and how to get involved

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By: Erin Moore

This coming weekend, Highland Park’s theater department will put on its first play of the school year, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’.

From November 16th to November 18th at 7PM—with an additional Saturday matinee at 2PM—the cast and crew will perform for around two hours, with an intermission occurring halfway through the show, where snacks, merchandise, and beverages will be sold.

Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, is a play written by Ken Ludwig, set in the 1930s. This play follows Hercule Poirot, a famous detective, as he takes a vacation for the first time in years. He boards the Orient Express, excited to finally have a break from his tiresome job. After one night on the train, however, a murder occurs, forcing Poirot to solve the case. Eight potential suspects remain on the train, all with a variety of stories and backgrounds. Could it be one of them? Could it possibly be someone else who snuck onto the train? Watch to find out.

Preparation for performances have been going very well, and as a member of the cast, I can confidently say that this is going to be a great show; potentially more so than our previous fall plays. All the actors are incredibly talented, the tech crew is efficient and hard-working, and the director is absolutely amazing at putting on productions here.

If you’re considering auditioning for future productions, you can find information all over the school and on the hptheatrearts Instagram page. When auditioning for ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, I found a QR code in the school and it brought me to a Google form to sign up for an audition slot after school, and provide information about availability.

In my audition, the director, Nancy Michael, had my group read for different characters in selected scenes from the play. Because the main characters come from different countries, we also were asked to try accents for the audition.

The rehearsal schedule was soon posted in the Theatre’s Schoology group, informing the cast when they would rehearse and who was needed each day. In rehearsals, cast members worked on memorization of the script, blocking, character development, and general scenes.

A week before performances, “tech week” began. This is when lighting, sound, costumes, sets, and every other aspect not added earlier in rehearsal, joins with what’s already been rehearsed.

Now that the fall play is almost over, auditions will soon be held for the winter one acts; eleven of which will be performed over the span of two weekends. If you would like to be involved in cast or crew, contact Nancy Michael.

So, if ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ sounds interesting to you, and you’d like to help support the school’s theater department, I highly recommend attending one of the four performances this coming weekend.

Tech/Games

‘Danganronpa’ review

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By: Persephone Pond

‘Danganronpa’ is a Japanese visual novel video game franchise that is available on consoles such as Playstation, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Linux. Total, there are five official games, a few anime series, manga adaptations, and more.

The first game in the series is ‘Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc’, released in 2010, and is the basis of all the world building and lore. This first game is followed by ‘Danganronpa: Goodbye Despair’, released in 2012, which is then followed by ‘Danganronpa: Killing Harmony’, released in 2017. ‘Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls’ was released in 2014 and takes place in between the first and second games, and finally there is ‘Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp’, a mini game series containing all the characters from throughout the series. In this article, I’ll be covering a small fraction of the basic lore and timeline, in addition to what makes these games so good.

In addition to all these games, there were many anime adaptations of this game, the most important ones being ‘Danganronpa: Despair Arc’, ‘Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School’, and ‘Danganronpa: Hope Arc’(chronological order). There are more anime adaptations of different aspects of the characters and lore, but these specific three cover a huge part of the lore that is only spoken of in the games, and add on to the end of the second game. If you like knowing the canon events more than interpreting your own ending like me, then you’ll love watching these three arcs after finishing the second game.

‘Danganronpa: Killing Harmony’ is separate from the lore of the first few games, and was added on to the franchise years after the previous games and anime were released. This game holds the same basic plot, but it’s more self-contained and not involved in the overall storyline of ‘Danganronpa’. I do think this game has an amazing atmosphere and some of the best and worst characters throughout the franchise and is worth playing, but it’s more of just an add on to the series instead of an important part.

The whole concept of ‘Danganronpa’ is that there is a class of students at/or from Hope’s Peak Academy, the most prestigious high school in Japan who are forced to fight to the death. In order to be scouted to attend Hope’s Peak, you must be the best in your field of talent, such as baseball or writing. Sixteen students are brainwashed and trapped together, the only way to escape being to get away with murdering a fellow classmate. Once a dead body is found, a trial will begin after a brief investigation time, and if the culprit is discovered, they get executed on the spot. If the culprit is not uncovered, the culprit alone escapes, and the rest of the class is sent to execution. The overall goal is to find out who’s behind these murder games, and how to escape together.

This complex mystery game creates elaborate murders to investigate, and really challenges the player during the trials to piece it all together. Along with the thrilling plot and gameplay, the extensive lore and world building of these games creates an amazing mystery, and every time a new piece is uncovered, more to the overall story is revealed.

One of my favorite parts of the franchise is how it takes many games and anime series to piece it all together. The first ‘Danganronpa’ game can be played as a self-contained game which is better for some people, but if you want to get deep into the lore, playing the second game is essential. In addition to the anime, the game ‘Ultra Despair Girls’ is a great game to play if you want to get into more details of world building and smaller parts of the lore. There’s so much media out there around ‘Danganronpa’, so getting into it really isn’t too hard.

In addition to the wonderful storytelling and lore, the characters in these games are easy to get attached to. Usually, my favorite parts of video games and shows are the characters and their relationships, and there is definitely no exception for this game.

Each character has been scouted to attend Hope’s Peak Academy for their own talent, and that aspect of these characters is very well developed. Of course there are many exceptions as there usually are with anime characters and their strange stereotypes, but overall the good balances out the bad. The protagonists are always underdeveloped at the start to give you that sense of control over your actions and development, yet they’re still their own character with their own story for the player to learn more about.

The hangout scenes and events for all the other students are also interesting, as there’s no character that can be analyzed at surface level. These optional hangouts are a great way to get immersed in the characters, and this creates a more sinister atmosphere as the characters you’re getting attached to could be killed or executed at any turn.

Everything from the elaborate mysteries to the beautiful artwork and backdrops of these games is absolutely wonderful, and I would recommend the ‘Danganronpa’ games to anyone interested in dark story driven games. I’d rate this series overall a 10/10.

Travel/Food

Seasonal recipes: Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes

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By: Austin Bailey-Zimmerman

Are you looking for a cozy fall treat while the weather is getting colder? This is the recipe for you! The cinnamon swirl cupcake pairs perfectly with the frosting on top. It is very easy to make, and with perfect results, leaving your mouth watering for more.

I chose this recipe because it looked so unbelievably delicious, and was very quick and easy to make at home! I got this recipe from TikTok @sarahkraffty. She has found the perfect recipe for fall. The moist cake with the cinnamon swirl is perfect with the creamy sweet frosting on top.

I had my friends and family try it and they thought it was delicious. They said that it was very moist, and thought it was the perfect amount of cinnamon swirl. Enjoy this sweet treat for fall!

Ingredients for batter:

  • 1 stick of butter (melted)
  • 3⁄4 cups of sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp of vanilla
  • 3⁄4 cup of milk
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 3⁄4 tsp of baking powder
  • A pinch of salt

Ingredients for cinnamon swirl:

  • 3 tbsp of melted butter
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1⁄3 cup of brown sugar

Ingredients for frosting:

  • 2 sticks of browned butter
  • 3 cups of powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp of vanilla
  • 2 tsp of cinnamon
  • 4 tsp of heavy whipping cream

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Brown 2 sticks of butter on the stove (cook over low heat and stir until it becomes brown), then freeze for later.
  3. Mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
  4. Mix butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar together in a small bowl.
  5. Line cupcake pans with liners.
  6. Add a small scoop of batter into each cupcake holder, then a small amount of the cinnamon combination, and then take a toothpick and swirl the two together. Repeat once more (or until filled 3⁄4 of the way).
  7. Bake for 22-24mins.
  8. Take your frozen/chilled butter and whip it until smooth. Then add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl.
  9. After cupcakes have cooled, pipe frosting onto tops.
  10. Enjoy!
Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

The importance of traveling

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By: Aliana Romo

The world is open to many opportunities and new beginnings; there’s a lot to see and explore. Most of the world hasn’t been discovered yet, for example the ocean and space. Although just being able to explore new things, like visiting new places, is also important for our health and overall well being.

Traveling is important because it opens our minds to new things. It allows us to learn more about different cultures, languages, beliefs and overall to appreciate diversity. This occurs mostly when traveling out of the country, an example of this is when I went to Mexico. Before that I had never traveled out of the country. Going to Mexico helped me appreciate diversity and understand the social values of the world.

I knew that Mexico was very different from where I lived, although that trip helped me understand so much more. Along with that, without traveling to Mexico I wouldn’t be as comfortable speaking Spanish as I am now. I’ve been learning Spanish since I was young. Before the trip, I wasn’t as comfortable speaking it although after, I understand it much more and have a better understanding. This is a great example of how traveling can be beneficial for opening our minds to new things. It allows for us to open our minds and understand the different ways of living. Along with that, it also helps our minds to understand other people and learn more about each other. It can overall shape new understanding.

Traveling can get expensive at times, especially if you’re planning a trip out of the country or the state. But exploring and traveling doesn’t only mean to explore the world, it can even be what’s around you. There’s many ways to travel and get out of the house besides using an airplane. Nowadays it’s very expensive to book a flight. Whenever a trip is looking too expensive, me and my family love to plan smaller trips. Trips that allow you to get out of the house and take a break without leaving for long periods of time. An example of this is going to a national park or a hiking area. Although vacation wise, even booking a hotel for a couple nights is also a great way to take a vacation without the cost of travel fees.

Not only does traveling allow us to open our eyes to new things, but it also benefits us to open a world of creativity. Being around new things can strengthen mental health. Goabroad.com says that “It can help reduce stress and anxiety and also can offer a sense of adventure and excitement.”  After getting used to the same routine and being in our own space, it’s important to be somewhere new and disconnect from your everyday life.

This is one of the main reasons as to why vacations are popular to many people. After a day to day lifestyle, it can often get stressful and people need a break. Being able to look forward to a trip or a vacation is often a lot of help for people during long months. For example, to get through a long winter, it might be helpful to be able to look forward to a vacation at the beginning of the spring.

Overall, it’s important to know more about the world that we live in. Taking breaks and going on adventures is key to balancing a busy lifestyle.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘MORBIUS’ review

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By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan

Rating: 3/5

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ‘MORBIUS’ AHEAD

‘Morbius’, directed by Daniel Espinosa, is the latest addition to the ever-expanding Sony Cinematic Universe, which began with ‘Venom’ in 2018. The story is centered around a lesser-known character named Micheal Morbius from the Spider-Man comic books. While it may not be the most groundbreaking or memorable entry into the superhero genre, the film manages to be an entertaining and visually interesting experience for fans of the Marvel franchise.

Jared Leto stars as Dr. Michael Morbius, a brilliant but tormented scientist who suffers from a rare blood disorder. Driven by a desire to find a cure for his disease, he captures dozens of vampire bats, hoping to splice their DNA with his. However, his cure backfires and transforms him into a living vampire. Leto’s performance is convincing if a bit wooden, and his portrayal of Morbius is a bright spot in such a subpar film.

One interesting character dynamic in this movie is the one shared between Morbius himself and the movie’s antagonist, Milo. Morbius and Milo are lifelong friends who met in the same hospital as kids, both suffering from the same blood disease. The two also shared a surrogate father named Emil Nicholas, but Milo feels that Morbius was always the favorite of the two. Morbius grows up to be an intelligent doctor nominated for a Nobel prize, while Milo establishes himself as the rich benefactor to Morbius’ research of vampire bats.

The two take drastically different paths, however, when they both gain vampiric powers from their cure. Milo leans into his new abilities, feeling powerful for the first time in his life, while Morbius is wary and tries to convince Milo to take an antibody. Eventually, Morbius is forced to eliminate his surrogate brother, as he becomes too corrupted and begins to lash out at the human race.

The film’s visual effects are undoubtedly one of its strongest aspects. The transformation sequences, flight scenes, and battles look realistic and add a layer of thrill to the film. The dark, gothic aesthetic of the film is convincing and captures the tone of Morbius’ character and situation very well.

While Leto’s performance is the standout, the supporting cast, including Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft and Matt Smith as Lucien Crown/Milo, offer support, although some performances are much better than others. Unfortunately, the character development outside of Morbius himself is lacking, leaving the supporting characters feeling ignored by the plot and one-dimensional.

The plot of ‘Morbius’ skims familiar ground, taking some elements from other superhero origin stories. This copy of other stories may disappoint some viewers seeking a more innovative and unique kind of story. Additionally, in some parts, the pacing can be irregular/bumpy at times, with the film struggling to find the right balance between character development and action in most scenes.

Unfortunately though, another one of ‘Morbius’s’ biggest weaknesses is its connection to the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though it attempts to tie into the Sony Spider Verse and the broader Marvel Universe, it feels forced and is somewhat lacking the spotless integration we’ve come to expect from the Marvel Universe.

‘Morbius’ is a somewhat mediocre addition to the Marvel Universe, with Jared Leto’s performance and the stunning visual effects being its most outstanding features. However, we feel the film falls short in terms of originality and its character development, and its connection to the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe may leave some fans wanting more. It’s worth a watch for the superhero enthusiasts, but it may not leave a lasting impression beyond the initial viewing.

(‘Morbius’ is streaming now on Amazon Video, Apple TV and Netflix)

Movies/TV/Theaters

10 classic fall/October movies to watch this season

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By: Natalia Gercheva

Fall is the time of year where more holidays and festivities happen, therefore many movies come out this time of year. Throughout the years, a collection of “classic” fall movies has grown. In this article, I will be listing what I think are the top 10 most noteworthy fall movies that everyone should watch at some point.

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ is a stop-motion film, and it’s definitely one of my personal favorite movies. It has a very autumnal vibe because of the colors of the ground, trees, and just the lightning overall, which makes it perfect to watch this time of year. It’s a heartwarming and entertaining movie that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

2. Coraline (2009)
‘Coraline’ is another stop-motion movie that many people find to be creepy and unsettling. The movie does a great job of continually building up suspense, and it has a great plot. I think many people have split opinions about ‘Coraline’, because some see it as a masterpiece, while others believe it is too scary to be marketed as a PG children’s movie.

3. Hocus Pocus (1993)
‘Hocus Pocus’ is another classic spooky and nostalgic movie. It became extremely popular, and many people will watch it annually as a tradition to celebrate the spooky season. There was even a sequel that was released in 2022 featuring mostly the same cast three decades later.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ was written by Tim Burton, and it is one of the most favored Halloween/Christmas movies of all time. The storytelling and attention to detail in the movie is what makes it feel so imaginative and well-done. The soundtrack was inspired by popular classic composers that made the movie even more enchanting.

5. Beetlejuice (1988)
‘Beetlejuice’ is another one of Tim Burton’s most famous films. It became so popular that it even turned into a Broadway musical, and it is on tour now. ‘Beetlejuice’ was well liked for it’s memorable songs, impressive performances, and because it was hilarious and over the top,

6. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
‘Edward Scissorhands’ is another Tim Burton film that features Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. The plot is amazing, and it has both a creepy but magical vibe. I watch it almost every year, and it never gets old because it is one of my favorite movies.

7. Corpse Bride (2005)
‘The Corpse Bride’ is the last Tim Burton movie on this list, but it is another one of my favorites. It spreads a great message to viewers about life and death. It does a great job of capturing Tim Burton’s creative visual style.

8. Ghostbusters (1984)
‘Ghostbusters’ is a great classic comedy movie that took the science fiction and fantasy part to another level. They utilized visual effects to create realistic ghost encounters that were advanced for its time, and a sequel came out in 1989. In 2016, another ‘Ghostbusters’ movie was released featuring an all-female main cast. It was aimed to challenge stereotypes, and offer a more diverse and inclusive version of the movie.

9. The Addams Family (1991)
‘The Addams Family’ has multiple variations that have been released throughout the years. The 1991 version is my favorite because I think it was cast well, and it captures what the Addams Family is all about. Since then, there has been a sequel, an animation adaptation, and more. The most recent adaptation was a TV series on Netflix called ‘Wednesday’ that was actually produced by Tim Burton (starring Jenna Ortega).

10. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Charlie Brown films are some of the most classic nostalgic movies you can watch. ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin’ is the perfect fall movie with a beautiful soundtrack. It is also only 25 minutes long, and available to watch on many streaming platforms, so everyone should dedicate some time to watch it.

You may have noticed that four out of the ten movies on this list are Tim Burton films. Myself and others admire his distinct style that captures an imaginative audience. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to watch these films at least once in their lifetime!

Music/Concerts

Album review: ‘Weedkiller’ by Ashnikko

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By: Beverly Stinson

‘Weedkiller’ is the third released album by the popular singer Ashnikko. Though it is her 3rd album it is also her debut album. Along with this album she also has the ‘Weedkiller’ tour, which is her second tour.

This album really represents her and her character, the songs really hit deep especially for those who have a lot of anger built up.

I am going give my honest review on (maybe) every song on the album.

NOTE: Before I begin I’d like to give a trigger warning for some explicit lyrics, before each song I will give the exact triggers having to do with the specific song.

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Song #1: World Eater

Warnings: violence, guns

World eater visualizer

World eater lyrics

“World Eater” is the first song on the album, and it is my fifth favorite song on it. I like to imagine that the song is an attack on the usage of AI, which I heavily encourage with all the talk about AI taking people’s art and even jobs. 

I truly believe that no type of AI can make music with this much feeling or lyricism. And she really shows this; she always gives her heart into the music she makes and that’s one of the things I love about her and this album. 

I really do love her lyrics, and I feel like it’s better to say that with artists that write their own, because nowadays a lot of people just buy lyrics instead of making their own. It’s something I can applaud her for.

I love this song mainly because of the music choice, with this song and others on the album she really makes it sound sorta dystopian or cyberpunk if that makes sense, I hope she continues with that sort of style on future songs. 7/10

Song #2: You Make Me Sick!

Warnings: profanity, violence, mentions of drug use and sexual acts.

YMMS music video (Contains flashing lights)

YMMS lyrics

This was the first song released as a single and I cannot express how much I love this song. This was this opening song at her concert at The Fillmore (that I went to), and I’m so happy it was because it’s such a good heart racer. It was the perfect song to start off her concert. 

I believe Ash has had very toxic relationships in the past so some of her songs have to do with letting out her emotions from it. I really admire her for being able to write and sing about her trauma.

I’m gonna say this a lot but, she creates songs that I feel are the embodiment of feminine rage and empowerment, she has so many songs that give this vibe, not just in this album but in other albums like ‘Demidevil’ and ‘Hi it’s Me’. 

Definitely a favorite. 10/10

Song #3: Worms 

single cover

Warnings: profanity, bones breaking?

Worms music video (Might have suggestive scenes?)

Worms lyrics 

“Worms” is my 4th favorite song on here and I didn’t have that great of a reaction to it at first but after hearing it live it really stuck to me, especially with the worms story that was told before the song was played, which is one of the many stories that she created for the concerts. This song was also the second song released as a single for the album promotion.

I do like this song but I think she could’ve done better with the lyrics for this one. I feel like they’re really basic compared to others. But other than that, I really relate to it, you know seeing how the world is actually burning and  wanting to change yourself. It’s something that a lot of people can relate to and I think that’s something important to have in a song. 

She’s really real for this one. She mentions the thought of sabotaging yourself and kind of loving it and that’s something a lot of people go through without even knowing it and it’s nice to see it being mentioned because no one talks about it even though a lot of people sabotage themselves; both on purpose and on accident.

Something I really love is that it was slightly inspired by the Nu-metal genre. Metal is my favorite genre of music so I love that she’s sorta dabbling in it.

Like I said though, she could’ve done better with the lyrics especially when you listen to the other songs on the album. 7/10

Song #4: Super Soaker

Warnings: sexual language

Super soaker visualiser

Super soaker lyrics

This one didn’t really get me for a bit, it took me longer to like it for some reason, but now even tho it’s not my top five it’s still a great song. And it’s actually one of her queer representation songs. 

I really don’t know what to say, I have a lot of opinions about this song but it’s hard to express them with the subject. I will say that the music is really good, a lot of her songs have enchanting music and I like stuff like that because it gives my brain weird but good feelings. 

I do love that she makes queer music and isn’t ashamed to; this song is something that people would listen to and be disgusted with simply because it’s queer. And I’m probably gonna mention this in two other songs because they are also queer/wlw songs. 8.5/10

Song #5: Don’t Look At It 

Warnings: sexual language 

Dont look at it visualizer

Dont look at it lyrics

This is again one of her queer/wlw songs. It’s really sexual, which I would actually like if she had more sentimental queer songs other than just one or a couple, but even so, it’s still a good song. 

I don’t really know what else to say about this because I can’t really give commentary on the lyrics. I will say the music is kind of my favorite in this song though.

But anyway, my overall rating is a 7.5/10

Song #6: Cheerleader

single cover

Warnings: violence, sexual content?, profanity

Cheerleader music video

Cheerleader lyrics

“Cheerleader” is the sixth song on the album. This song instantly became popular especially with the music video.

It’s definitely an addictive song with both the lyrics and the music; the whole thing gives real creepy vibes.

This song is like hypnotizing and I honestly think that’s the point. The music video for it is very cult-like and it’s actually inspired by the movie ‘Midsommar’ which is a movie about a cult.

Something I really like though is the fact that real cheerleaders were hired for the video; a lot of people wouldn’t even think to do that and just get random dancers for it.  

The music also gives me Blair Witch vibes but I don’t know why. I do honestly think there are no flaws with this song: I think it’s perfect. I really enjoy the excessive use of violence. 10/10

Song #7: Moonlight Magic

Warnings: suggestive language

Moonlight magic visualizer

Moonlight magic lyrics

Okay so, when I first listened to this album, this song was my FAVORITE. I listened to it dozens of times everyday for like 2-3 weeks. As of now it’s not my favorite but I still love it.

The music in this song really adds to the romance of it as it’s a love song but at the same time it has some dark tones to it. The lyrics are some of my favorite she’s ever written literally ever. I believe “Moonlight Magic” is another queer representation song even though it doesn’t really mention genders. 

One criticism I have about this song is that it’s really short. Most of the songs on this album are short but this one specifically I feel like should be longer. Still, overall this is such a good song.

I hope it gets more attention because it really deserves it. 9.5/10

Song #8: Miss Nectarine 

Warnings: some sexual language? Profanity, homophobia

Miss nectarine visualizer

Miss nectarine lyrics

Okay so, I’m a firm believer that this album, or just Ash in general doesn’t have any bad songs, but this song is the one song that didn’t speak to me as well as the other songs did.

So, this song is supposed to be a wlw song, about two girls learning about their identity and who they like. It mentions them not being safe in their homes because of homophobia and fear of rejection from their families, and this is a big deal for Ashnikko. When I saw her live, before she began the next song, she had this speech. In this speech she talked about how she grew up in a place where being LGBTQ+ wasn’t accepted or taught. So she wasn’t really able to figure out who she was until she was a teenager-adult. 

This is actually a very important subject because lots of lesbians or wlw try to force themselves to like men by pretending having relations with a girl is gaining experience for eventual relations with men, and a lot of people don’t actually grow out of this because they never get out of the environment that’s making them believe they have to be with a man.

This is one of her more realistic songs. This may have been a true story but I really don’t know. Even so, she has probably experienced things like this like the “praying the gay away” part, as I’d say most queer people have experienced that.

Like I said, this song didn’t really stick to me more than every other song, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. 6/10

Song #9: Chokehold Cherry Python

Warnings: violence

Chokehold cherry python visualiser

Chokehold cherry python lyrics

“Chokehold Cherry Python” is my 3rd favorite song on the album, another one of the sorta violent type, but less violent than the others. 

I love the music for this song. It goes from loud to soft and back to loud and I really like it when songs have that feature.

While this song is my third favorite I do think it has 3 flaws. 1 is that it’s a short song. I definitely think it should be longer than 2:19. 2, I wish there were more lyric variations. The last flaw I think this song has is that the lyrics are a little basic. I wish it was more complex or weird like some of the other songs.

But even though I believe it has those flaws, I still really love the song, and I honestly hope she makes similar ones in the future. 8/10

Song #10: Weedkiller

single cover

Warnings: profanity, violence

Weedkiller music video

Weedkiller lyrics

“Weedkiller” is the tenth song on the album. It was the 3rd and last song released as a single. It is one of the more aggressive songs on the album, starting off with the mention of lobotomies.

Ash talks a lot about violence in her songs and part of the reason was mentioned in her song “Panic Attacks in Paradise” which is a calm song but in one of the lyrics she talks about how she wrote some albums to let out aggression. Something I love is when people use music to let out their anger. I feel like aggressive songs have more heart to them. 

Something else I love is when she mentions her being a part of nature, not as a human but as plant life or different animals, ect. She really has a natural vibe with a lot of her songs including this one. 

I really feel like she’s able to write such strong lyrics, especially when it’s a loud or angry song. Then the music is also kinda machine-like (if that makes sense) and I really like it.

I seriously love this song so much, like I don’t think there’s any flaws in it (even though I think that about most of her songs, especially on this album). I think this is the perfect song to be the header of the album. 10/10

Song #11: Want it all

Warnings: Suggestive language?

Want it all visualizer

Want it all lyrics

“Want it All” is probably my least favorite on the album. I do really like it but it’s not one of the songs I’ll choose to listen to out of the others. 

I honestly don’t have much to say about this song. The lyrics don’t really feel to me like the others except for the chorus. I guess I will say that the lyrics are more thought out like I like them to be.

I do love the music. I honestly like listening to the instrumental more than the actual song. 

I don’t really know what would make me like this song more. I think I just have 50/50 feelings about it. I’ll probably grow to love it more though. 6/10

Song #12: Possession Of A Weapon

Warnings: sexual language

POAW music video

POAW lyrics

“Possession of a Weapon” was the 4th released single. 

This is another one of the songs I don’t like very much and I honestly don’t even know why. It genuinely is a good song and I don’t think it has any flaws.

I do prefer the music over the lyrics though.

One thing I absolutely love about this song is the meaning. It was created after abortion rights were taken away. The line “how dare I have private desires” is to signify women feeling like they can’t have private bodily anatomy. 

I love that she speaks on problems like this. It’s part of the reason she’s my favorite singer. I do definitely think I’ll like this song more in the future, just right now it’s not hitting too hard. 6.5/10

Song #13: Dying Star

Dying star visualizer 

Dying star lyrics

“Dying Star” is by far my favorite song not only on ‘Weedkiller’ but it’s my favorite song by Ash. 

This song is another queer song and it’s a song that Ash herself said means a lot to her, and I think that’s part of the reason it’s my favorite Also, because both the lyrics and music are amazing. 

This song can be seen in two different ways but the way most see it as well as Ashnikko is her or “Aster” fleeing from a planet that is said to be abusive and toxic and arriving on a new planet where it’s perfect and where she’s loved and cared for and Ash or “Aster” is said to be a dying star. 

The vocals in this song are some of Ash’s best. It really adds to the emotion and I feel like it makes you feel the hurt she went through when she was young. I really love that this is the longest song on the album at 4:16. It’s great being able to indulge in it for a longer time than the others.

I think this is gonna stay my favorite for a while, understandably so. 100/10

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So, my final overall review of ‘Weedkiller’ is a 10/10. It’s honestly my favorite album ever and I’m happy it is because I was so worried I wasn’t gonna like it.

I stopped listening to Ashnikko for a while but this reminded me of how much I love her and her music. 

She definitely has gotten more heartfelt about her songs and I love that because more feeling in songs makes them better. All of the songs have so much emotion in them.

Even though most of the songs were really short I still love pretty much all of them and I’m sure the ones I don’t like as much I’ll get to love them one day. 

I think I pretty much said the same things for every song but I kind of have the same opinions about all of them. 

I really hope people like this album as much as I do because I really do love it; more than I can explain with words.

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That’s all I have. It was a lot, but I love giving my opinion on my favorite things like this. 

Thank you for reading 

  • Beverly