All of humanity across the world’s various cultures have different attitudes, traditions, and folklore surrounding what comes after death. Who draws the line between the living and the dead? 

Between the Living & the Dead was part storytelling, part crafting, and fully community building. The event was held from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Building 8’s Intercultural Center (ICC). There, attendees had the opportunity to learn about other cultures’ perceptions of death as well as sharing their own.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Highline College decided to ring in their 10th annual observation of the holiday by holding a multifaceted celebration.

Elder Roger Fernandes of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe began by telling traditional tales such as “The Fly”, a long passed down story about how even the smallest community members can make a difference.

The Q Center, Highline’s multifaceted resource center and social space for the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond, recently orchestrated an event that was part scavenger hunt, part open house.

While the purpose behind a scavenger hunt is usually to find items on a list, the Q Center scavenger hunt directed students to various buildings and departments on campus with specific questions for answering, such as “Is the Women’s Programs only a program for women?” and “Where is one gender neutral bathroom on campus?”

Technology and the way sports are played have changed a lot over the past few years and so has the college recruiting process. From recruiting camps to social media, aspiring college athletes have several ways to get the attention of recruiters.

Many high school athletes may already be performing at the college level and reaching college-level marks, yet still have no scholarship offers, haven’t visited campuses, or haven’t even talked to a college coach. This raises an important question: How do athletes get the attention of college coaches?

With the season approximately a third of the way over, the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks’ season isn’t shaping up the way fans were hoping, tallying a mediocre 3-3 record over the first six games.

The quest to become repeat champions (an achievement that has only be accomplished by two teams since the turn of the century) has been hampered by costly turnovers and a stagnate offense.

The brand new movie “Clayface” (directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini) hit the silver screen on Oct. 23, 2026 to mixed, but leaning positive, reviews.

It’s the latest addition to the James Gunn DC Cinematic Universe, however, it’s far from your average superhero movie. “Clayface” takes a body horror angle on the classic Batman villain and titular character, a rarity for superhero movies.

“Silent Hill Townfall” is the 13th major game in the “Silent Hill” series. It takes place in the fictional town St. Amelia set on a Scottish island. You mainly play as a new protagonist Simon Ordell who just woke up onshore and two other side characters, Nurse Zoe Ellies, and Richard Shaw.

The game excels with its atmosphere, the first person camera combined with the empty streets and the fog gives you a dreadful feeling as you walk down St. Amelia.

Fiction lives to show us possibilities of what could be, while horror presents us with numerous atrocities beyond us, monsters that we fear are a reflection of ourselves and our society.

Throughout history, much has changed in the genre, whether it be the books we read, the movies we watch, or the tales we seek. From the oral stories our ancestors told, to the first visualizations of these words, we have always sought the pleasure of being scared.

Tommy Wallach debuted with his 2015 novel “We All Looked Up”, and despite the soap opera written on the page, between the lines is a story about philosophy, the meaning of life, and that you never have to let the world define who you are. It’s a book that can simultaneously make you roll your eyes and make you bawl on the same page. 

The book centers around high school kids in Seattle who are very archetypal in their characters.

The stage production of the 1984 film, “Footloose”, made famous for its soundtrack and emerging star-quality cast, opened up this weekend at the Renton Civic Theater (RCT) to a nearly packed house and joyful crowd.

The  rock-and-roll classic about healing with community brought our own community together as local artists, from King County high schoolers to longtime musicians, performed for a charmed audience. 

“Euphoria” has gained notoriety over the years for its popularity and influence among Gen-Z viewers. However, much of this popularity isn’t due to the writing at all – it’s due to the distinct aesthetics. 

“Euphoria” has always been known for its unique visuals, style, and sound. With a first season so heavily acclaimed for its excellent cinematography, audiences are left wondering what has happened since then. How did a show so culturally iconic lose its momentum, and how did the well-known aesthetics the show was once known for just…disappear?

In the current days of the streaming era, many people don’t keep physical media like music and movies, since those are seconds away on their phone instead. Slightly older people have developed a superiority complex because some younger folk don’t know what a cassette tape is. 

Yet beneath the jokes and generational teasing lies a more serious conversation about what is lost when entertainment exists only as a digital file or a temporary subscription. Physical media is more than nostalgia. It represents ownership, preservation, and a more personal connection to art that streaming services often fail to replicate.

As anticipation builds for Ariana Grande’s upcoming studio album, “Petal”, Grande is set to release her new single, “Hate That I Made You Love Me”, on May 29, giving fans an early glimpse into what could become one of the singer’s most personal musical eras yet.

Although the song has not officially been released, excitement surrounding the new single has quickly spread across social media platforms following Grande’s announcement of the track and her upcoming album, “Petal,” which is set to release July 31.

The hit show “Euphoria” recently premiered its third and final season after years of anticipation, instantly sparking multitudes of online discussion among fans. Arguably one of the most divisive pieces of television in recent years, the series has gained some of the highest praise as well as some of the harshest criticisms…but why?

The generation-defining HBO series made its debut in 2019, instantly becoming a hit among teenagers. Starring Zendaya and a majority-female cast, the struggles of drug addiction, trauma, and relationships are portrayed through a colorful and glittery lens. Numerous themes of adolescence are explored through carefully curated cinematography, instantly capturing the attention of millions.

In the year 2001, the game studio Konami released “Silent Hill 2” which is not a sequel to “Silent Hill” but its own story. It was loved by the fans for its story, psychological horror, and atmosphere.

Over 20 years later, Konami announced that the beloved game “Silent Hill 2” was going to get a remake set to release for October 2024.

Watching the new Michael Jackson movie feels like stepping into a kaleidoscope. Every turn shows a different color of his life – some bright, some dark – all spinning around the same center: a boy who just wanted to create freely.

The film doesn’t pretend Michael’s world was simple. It shows the politics between the Jackson siblings, the pressure from Joseph, and the way fame wrapped around Michael like a spotlight he couldn’t escape, even when he wanted to.

In a society that worships visual effort, contemporary art has a tendency of provoking distinctly negative reactions among viewers. With time, effort, and results frequently overlapping in the artistic process, simplicity in a final product seems to be an easy target for criticism. Stylistic choices are perceived as an inability to reach standards of what “good art” should be, and age-old debates continue to be rehashed. 

Even the colorful world of artistic expression can’t help being viewed in black and white. Good art requires skill: detailed and time-consuming in the way that impresses people who linger over your shoulder. Good art draws people in. Good art makes sense. 

So what happens when it stops making sense?

Each year, Disney cashes in on the galactic success of the Star Wars franchise, and this year, they counted down to Star Wars Day (May the fourth) with the weekly release of “Maul: Shadow Lord,” which concluded on the fateful day. 

“Maul: Shadow Lord” rose to nearly every expectation set for it. Upon its initial release, the show shot up on the charts, dethroning “Star Wars: Rebels” (2014) as the highest-rated Star Wars show. The hand-painted environments gave the entire show a personal, human touch, which is especially important in a time of AI-riddled animation.

Around April 26, my Facebook feed filled with the same face, the same voice. Old concert clips resurfaced. Grainy recordings from decades ago played again. People were not just celebrating – they were holding on.

It was the birthday of a renowned Hazara singer, Dawood Sarkhosh. But that wasn’t the whole story.

For years, Sarkhosh’s birthday has not been like this. This time felt different. The flood of messages carried something heavier: gratitude, memory, and a quiet, unspoken fear.

Do you feel sad, depressed, unmotivated and feel like you can’t accomplish anything? Then you should watch the 2007 mecha anime “Gurren Lagann”.  

“Gurren Lagann” was made by the animation studio Gainax, the same animation studio that gave us “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, wanting to shift away from Evangelion’s depressing vibe and focus more on breaking limits, perseverance, and fighting against oppression.

Disney+ has reanimated three iconic songs to be signed by the characters, and just in time for the end of National Deaf History Month. The three songs Disney has chosen to reanimate are “The Next Right Thing” from “Frozen 2”, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from “Encanto”, and “Beyond” from “Moana 2”. 

The songs are specifically being animated in American Sign Language (ASL), so that people in the Deaf community or who are hard-of-hearing can also understand and enjoy the music, without having to read closed captions.

Noah Kahan is back with his highly anticipated fourth album, “The Great Divide,” which was released on April 24. Spanning 17 tracks, Kahan grapples with the aftermath of fame and how that has changed his relationship with those close to him and his home state of Vermont. 

The next day, Kahan released the deluxe version of the album called “The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs,” with four additional songs.

I didn’t come to “SHIRIN: A Novel” for literature. I came because someone once said its author should be silenced.

In late 2012, Taqi Bakhtyari’s second novel, “Gomnami” (Anonymity), sparked outrage in Afghanistan. A radical cleric called it blasphemy—for questioning religious authority, for suggesting that women, not God, are the true creators of life. That was enough to exile him. It was also enough to make me read him.

When stepping into the high-tech, bright-light world of galactic sci-fi media, it can feel overwhelming to know where to start. Ryan Gosling’s one-man show “Project Hail Mary”, might be the way to go.

Space sci-fi is infamous for its convoluted, intricate scientific systems, its beautiful visuals, and its big, philosophical questions it tries to answer. However, that can be a lot to a new viewer of sci-fi. One of film’s most engaging components is how easy the concepts – ‘sciencey’ or simple – can be understood by the non-seasoned space film vet.

Olivia Rodrigo began phasing into a new era of music for her upcoming album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” with the lead single “drop dead”, which was released on April 16. Along with the song, Rodrigo released a music video, shot in the Palace of Versailles.

The instrumentation of the song immediately transports the listener to summer, with its breezy, yet upbeat intro, followed by Rodrigo’s soft, yet confident vocals. It’s hard not to picture oneself going for a long drive with the windows rolled down right at sunset on a carefree summer evening while this song is turned way up. The production style is almost reminiscent of songs written for the hit Netflix show, “Heartstopper”, with its synth forward, reverb heavy atmosphere.

Netflix is under fire again in both the public eye and in the courts as Italy rules the most recent price increase unlawful and the companies dismissal of promised releases, leaving many people upset and their wallets drained.

A Roman court recently ruled that price increases over the last seven years were unlawful after lawyers discovered that their contract did not align with the Italian Code of Law and ordered the company to reimburse their customers by refunding the money.

Rising star RAYE (born Rachel Keen) has released her much anticipated sophomore studio album “THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.” It comes three years after her debut “My 21st Century Blues” which was also a long time coming. 

She actually entered the music industry in 2014 after dropping out of the prestigious BRIT School in Croydon, London. It’s the same school artists like Olivia Dean and Adele went to, but for her, she felt “confined”.

Florence + The Machine has released her sixth studio album “Everybody Scream” – a deeply profound work about her ectopic pregnancy miscarriage resulting in a near-death experience. She delivers themes of grief, horror, womanhood, and power through raw writing about the human experience. She asserts her power through the one defining truth of her career in music – that Florence Welch is one of the greats. 

Welch told Zane Lowe in an Apple Music interview, “I was thinking about greatness and the cost of greatness and how with every album I’m like ‘I’m gonna be satisfied with this one, I’m gonna be completely satisfied and have no issues with it’, and how it almost like never happens.”

Jenette McCurdy’s debut novel “Half His Age” is an excellent character-study of angry, insecure, instinctual, 17-year old Waldo, who develops an infatuation with her 40-year-old creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy. McCurdy’s direct and humorous writing examines the patterns we learn in youth that one must outgrow to truly live.

“Half His Age” hits every beat of an entertaining story, with a strong, direct, and hilarious voice behind it all. McCurdy does not pull any punches when laying out the reality of being a 17-year-old girl.

Every decade is known for its horror movie trends and tropes. The 1980s had the rise of slasher movies, the 1990s had a more self-aware and meta response to the prior movies, and the 2000s had hyper-gory “torture porn” movies. The current biggest trend is called “elevated horror”. 

The term can not be attributed to a single person, but instead to the general audience and critical thoughts on the genre at the time. It arose in the mid-2010s to describe art-house style horror movies that prioritize thematic depth and psychological dread.

After much anticipation for his fourth studio album, Harry Styles released “Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally,” on Mar. 6. His lead single “Aperture” set the tone for this new era of embracing dance sounds while still holding on to his signature pop flare. 

Although this album received mixed reviews, with the overarching theme of these reviews being that this album was spectacularly “okay,” I found this album to be inspired and fun. While his vocals are more muted throughout this album in comparison to previous projects, there are still occasional moments of lyrical impact.

“Resident Evil Requiem”, the ninth title in the Resident Evil series, brings back a couple of familiar faces and introduces a couple of new ones. We play as both the famous Leon S. Kennedy and our new protagonist FBI tech and intelligence analyst Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of a previous protagonist, Alyssa Ashcroft from “Resident Evil Outbreak”.

The first half of Resident Evil 9 (RE9) takes you from Wrenwood Hotel to Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center where the game is more grounded, and feels similar to the Racoon Police Department from RE2/3 or the Bakers house from RE7. The map is more open world but still linear.

“Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle” just had its 11th anniversary with a whole host of new gimmicks, characters, events, and free rewards in celebration. Each year, Dokkan Battle celebrates its anniversary. Originally released in Japan on Jan. 30, 2015, it was released globally later that year on July 16. These anniversary releases attract players old and new each year.

Part one started off with the new characters: ‘Maximum-Power Battle Super Saiyan 4 Goku’ and ‘Earth-Shattering Climax Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta.’ Both legendary rare, Goku falls in the Super STR type while Vegeta is a Super TEQ type.

Pokémon’s 30th anniversary is happening in 2026, and its birthday is on Feb. 27.

Pokémon is the world’s largest grossing media franchise of all time, having made a lifetime revenue estimated between $115 billion to $150 billion. This far surpasses second place which even on the high end of estimates puts Hello Kitty at $80 billion.

Pokémon was able to achieve this in only 30 years. 

The release of “Wuthering Heights” (2026), starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, prompted outrage among the general public, being described as a disgusting and inaccurate portrayal of the 1847 novel by Emily Bronte. Despite director Emerald Fennell clarifying she intended to create a “loose interpretation”, it still sparks curiosity regarding the ethics of altering such a staple of English literature. 

While much of this adaptation has faced criticism, many debates stem from the undeniable misrepresentation of multiple characters – both in appearance and personality.

“Here There Are Blueberries” is a documentary-style play from the Tectonic Theater Project about a U.S. Holocaust Museum archivist’s experience receiving a Nazi-era photo album depicting life in Auschwitz from the perspective of the officials who ran it. 

This play forces audience members to confront their own humanity, making viewers wonder if they would commit the same actions as Nazi officers if given the right circumstances.

Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LX was a celebration of love, America, and unity despite political pushback from the MAGA party. Bad Bunny’s performance topped the charts, telling the all-American story, surprising viewers with appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and even holding a full-blown wedding.

The NFL having Bad Bunny as the headliner, however, created a divide between communities, with some right-leaning figures claiming he was not American, despite being from Puerto Rico, a long-time U.S. territory.

After ten years, “Dragon Ball Super” anime is coming back with a remaster. Toei Animation revealed that the “Dragon Ball Super” anime is getting a remaster with brand new animation and a more manga-accurate story starting with “Dragon Ball Super: Beerus”. This part of the remaster will cover the ‘Battle of Gods’ arc, releasing in fall 2026.

It has been eight years since “Dragon Ball Super” episode 131 aired, finishing the ‘Tournament of Power’ arc. Since then, the manga continued and two “Dragon Ball Super” movies have been released: “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” (2018) and “Dragon Ball Super: Super hero” (2022). The only problem was that the movies didn’t cover the chapters of the arc following the ‘Tournament of Power’.

In Brené Brown’s “Atlas of the Heart”, Brown emphasizes the importance of accurately identifying the nuances of one’s emotions, and knowing how to meet others where they’re at. “Atlas of the Heart” walks readers through 78 “emotions and experiences” that are key components of the human experience as a whole.  

This book feels like one of the most important pieces that I have read in a while. From start to finish, I found that my preconceived notions regarding many emotions were challenged in many ways, forcing me to reflect on how I have viewed my emotional experiences, and the experiences of others.

Every year, the Grammys are built up for months (the nominations for this year’s ceremony were revealed on Nov. 7) as artists run campaigns to hopefully be awarded with the golden gramophone. In the lead up to the night, people love to try and predict the winners and some even get so confident that they bet real money on it. 

For anyone who’s curious about the state of the predictions this year, here are the front runners for the big four categories.

Yet another Star Wars show was announced this past week, but this one stands out in its appeal to older Gen Z and Millennials. “Maul: Shadow Lord” will feature the original voice actor from the “Clone Wars” animated show and return to the hand-painted animation style that made the original trilogy so visually stunning. 

The animation team revisited old school animation techniques used in the original Star Wars trilogy. The creative team has handpainted glass panels for their backgrounds and environments. Instead of live-action acting in front of these panels, Maul and his story will be animated on top of these glass panels.

Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” is not just another pop album – it is a carefully crafted emotional diary that captures heartbreak, healing, and self-reflection with striking honesty. On her seventh studio release, Grande steps away from glossy chart-chasing and leans into vulnerability, delivering a project that feels intimate, mature, and deeply personal.

Grande’s seventh studio album, “Eternal Sunshine”, arrived in March 2024 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. She later released a deluxe version of the album, and will be going on a tour later this year in support of the project.

The Grammy Awards – the self proclaimed “biggest night in music” – has happened every year around early February since 1959. A prestigious and mysterious group of voters made up of industry insiders (singers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and more) decide who will take home the gramophone-shaped trophies. This year, the ceremony will take place on Feb. 1 at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. Should we still care enough to tune in?

The Grammys are far from the only major award show. The other three that are considered major U.S. award shows are the Emmys (television), the Oscars (film), and the Tonys (theater). The four of them together make up the EGOTs. The Grammys are actually the newest of the four with the Oscars coming up on their 100-year anniversary in 2029.

“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” has had an influence on little black and brown girls in all stages of life. Really any woman or man who has felt empowered or seen by a lyric, maybe even just a tune, can understand how a specific key takes you back to a place. To me, “Tell Him” was that song. 

My first introduction to Lauryn Hill was “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, and initially Hill sounded familiar. I still don’t know if I’ve heard a remix of the song or just heard the song before and was too young to remember.

Every year at the end of Thanksgiving, I say my goodbyes to my family members, and the moment the door closes behind the last guest, I connect my phone to a speaker and play Christmas music. Classic tunes surround my family as we begin cleaning up and getting ready for the next phase of the holiday season: Chrismukkah.

While it might not seem obvious, listening to Christmas music is actually a very Jewish pastime because most of the creative minds behind popular holiday hits are Jews.

If there’s one place where you are able to see the full impact of “Wicked: For Good,” it’s online. The movie didn’t just trend – it took over people’s feeds. Fan art, cast photos, aesthetic edits, and behind-the-scenes clips are flooding Reels, making the movie feel like a full cultural moment.

Ever since “Wicked: For Good” hit theaters on Nov. 21, 2025, it feels like the entire internet has been taken over by reactions, edits, and emotional breakdowns from fans. TikTok and Instagram have basically turned green with “Wicked” content. But beyond the hype, does the movie live up to its massive online energy?

I’ve always been a fan of giant robot action. From “Transformers” and “Mobile Suit Gundam”, to “Pacific Rim” and “Titanfall”, mecha combat has had its grip on my heart. Earlier this year, “Mecha Break” joined the ranks, and now “Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon” has as well.

The game starts off with a sullen and tense mission to acquire a pilot’s license for you, 621, an augmented human piloting a mecha known as an AC, or Armored Core. Coming from offworld, you and your boss, Handler Walter, sneak onto the planet of Rubicon and loot the license from an AC wreck.

The movie “Weapons” has taken the internet by storm with many saying that it’s a wonderful movie, and the reviews and ratings reflect that – the movie earning 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5 out of 10 star rating on IMDb. However, was it really that good?

Critic Bill Goodykoontz on Rotten Tomatoes says, “This is definitely a horror movie, increasingly by the minute. It’s also really funny – in places – and the finale combines horror and comedy in a way that doesn’t cheapen either one,” and left it a 4.5 out of 5 score. 

The last few years have been incredible for mecha and video game fans. First “Titanfall 2” made a huge comeback after years of near emptiness, then “Armored Core VI” released and revitalized the mecha combat genre once again. Then on July 2 of 2025, “Mecha Break” released and made its name known.

What is “Mecha Break” though? “Mecha Break” is an online multiplayer mecha combat game with a hero shooter twist. While “Armored Core VI” allows you to make your own unique mecha, “Mecha Break” takes more after its 2016 cousin, “Titanfall 2”, and has you choose from an assortment of machines with specific roles and abilities.

The Federal Way High School Drama Department has been busy preparing for their run of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The show opens on Nov. 14, and it will feature some Highline College Running Start students in its cast and crew. 

These Highline students include Alinea Kirshenbaum, who will play Anne Frank, Avi Taylor, who will play Otto Frank, and Gale Miller, who is the Stage Manager Senior Trainer.

Listening to “My Little Love” always felt like speaking to that missing piece of yourself, apologizing for not being able to have a clear mind. For not being able to see. Being present but not genuine. In the song, Adele is speaking to her son about her most beautiful reflection of herself, which is him at an important point in both their journeys. 

She expresses the guilt she feels for being able to have come so far knowing he’s hurt, knowing her choices might have broken him or have an effect on him in the future. The song is a confession, as well an apology.

Imagine heavy drums, legs bouncing, head nodding – this is what takes over when listening to Afrobeats. The category of music has been around since earlier than 2009 and is only growing in listeners in recent years.

Back then, Afrobeats music was spread throughout YouTube, Facebook, or you’d have to attend weddings and a dance hall to hear the new hits. But now it’s played on the radio!

“Chicago” tells the story of rivaling Vaudeville performers in Chicago, Velma Kelly (played by Claire Marshall) and Roxie Hart (played by Ellie Roddy), and their endeavors with men who have wronged them and the criminal justice system.

After seven years, Chicago finally hit a stage in Seattle (the 2020 tour stops were cancelled due to the global pandemic) at the 5th Avenue Theatre from Oct. 22 – Nov. 2. Simply put, this show was worth the wait.  

It’s been eight years since “Andromeda” was released and it’s time to give it a look back. “Mass Effect: Andromeda” is a sci-fi RPG developed by Bioware that was released in 2017. It is a spin off series that takes place 600 years after “Mass Effect 3” (though the characters started their journey after “Mass Effect 2”) in a different galaxy altogether.

Honestly, I rarely give media five stars or a 10/10 rating as I always see how it could improve in one way or another. “Good Boy”, however, has earned all five stars and all ten points.

Not only does it soar with its concept, it sticks an impeccable landing and even does an impressive pose at the end. I absolutely recommend “Good Boy” to anyone who loves horror movies.

With its soaring music and heartfelt storytelling, “Wicked” casts more than a spell – it sparks a conversation about identity, acceptance, friendship, and most of all, self-love. The Broadway-musical adaptation film invited audiences to look beyond its breathtaking visuals and magical setting to uncover a message about what it truly means to be human. 

“Wicked” was one of the most anticipated film adaptations of 2024 and had very high expectations from fans of the beloved Broadway musical. Its release sparked plenty of conversation. While some viewers praised its stunning visuals and powerful performances, others felt it didn’t fully capture the magic of the stage version. 

I love pop music. Every time an artist like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, or Billie Eilish announce an album, I immediately pre-save, pre-add, and pre-order. I am also an avid vinyl appreciator. I love the feeling of physically holding music and slowly lowering the needle of my record player and immersing myself in the catchiness of pop that has defined my girlhood. 

At least, that’s how it used to feel when artists would simply come out with one standard vinyl, and then maybe announce a deluxe version a few months later. Now, it seems every artist is releasing numerous versions of each album, sometimes with the only difference being that each vinyl is a different color and the album cover is a different image.

Music has been around almost as long as humanity has. Like fire, stone tools, art, and clothing, humanity created music early into its life cycle. From the beginning, percussive slams and melodic hums have entertained and evolved to what they are now. Back then, music was made to celebrate. How has it changed since?

Well for one, cavemen didn’t have stereos and surround sound. More importantly, now music has lyricism and writing attached. Whether it’s upbeat pop or grungy rock, most every song has lyrics that convey a message and speak to the listener.

“The Conjuring” is one of the movies where you mention it and at least one person in the room knows what you’re talking about. The story of Ed and Lorraine Warren is a famous one, made that way by the movies, and as of Sept. 5, 2025, their story comes to an end in “The Conjuring: Last Rites.”

Before going into the movie, a lot of people seem to have left a five star review, or higher. “The Conjuring and the Conjuring 2 remain some of the best horror films within the last 15 years for my taste. Some would even say the conjuring is one of the top horror films of all time,” said reviewer tresm87 on IMDb.

Everyone’s heard of “Helldivers” right? If you haven’t, here’s an explanation: “Helldivers” is a game series following super soldiers (the namesake of the game) that defend Super Earth from evil aliens and murderous machines.

At least, that’s what the game jokes about it being. In reality, the truth is more complicated than that.

James Gunn’s “Superman” movie landed in the box office, with mixed reviews across the political spectrum. At the end of the day, many are glad to have a new soundtrack for the summer and a return to the traditional values of what Superman is all about.

In the first two weeks of its release, “Superman” soared past its  $225 million production budget, earning $416 million worldwide. The film is overall rated 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.6/10 on IMDb.

In today’s world, more movies and shows are starting to tell real stories from different voices. Recently, some amazing projects created by Black directors and writers have stood out in a big way.

These works highlight Black creativity, strength, and storytelling, and prove that Black stories deserve just as much attention as any others. 

Two unrelated projects from separate comedians have highlighted a societal appreciation for ‘cringe’ humor. Nathan Fielder’s HBO Max show “The Rehearsal”, and Tim Robinson’s A24 dark comedy “Friendship” take place in this tragic space of social imbalance, giving us main characters who can do anything but fit in.

While Fielder and Robinson are vastly different comedic minds, both have imbued the world with true gems of awkward humor this summer. Each comedian has individually taken great care in giving us the cringe that we might actually need.

In today’s media landscape, where audiences are craving fresh stories and authentic voices, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” stands tall as a bold and unforgettable celebration of Black storytelling.

This film doesn’t just entertain – it uplifts, challenges, and redefines how we view Black history, creativity, and cultural legacy on screen.

“Transformers” has always been a special series. Unlike other ’80s action series centered on selling toys, “Transformers” has managed to successfully stay relevant in mainstream media in a consistent manner. While “He-Man”, “Thundercats”, and “GI JOE” have jumped in and then disappeared, “Transformers” simply never left.

Of course, Hasbro’s darling and mainstay money maker hasn’t been without struggle. After the original series finished, it looked like “Transformers” would be forgotten. Then “Beast Wars” came. Since then, “Transformers” has grown to a mainstay of pop culture. After all, there’s nothing cooler than giant robots.

At a time when authentic portrayals of young Black love are still few and far between, Netflix’s “Forever” offers a refreshing and heartfelt portrayal of first love.

Through its setting and reimagined context, “Forever” tells a story that’s not only about love, but about what it means to be young, Black, and striving – for freedom, for connection, and for a future that feels like it belongs to you.

Nothing matches the feeling of being in a crowded theatre, the lights going low, and everyone putting away their cellphones for a few hours. While theatre is a magical place, the price of tickets can oftentimes be not so magical, especially for students. 

The great news is that many resources are available for students to access theatre at reduced prices and sometimes for free! As a self-proclaimed theatre kid who loves a deal, here are my top suggestions for accessing affordable live theatre.

“Caddo Lake” stars Eliza Scanlen as Ellie, taking up a particular role of a perhaps mentally struggling character, and Dylan O’Brien as Paris, taking him out of his usual acting role as the sarcastic comic-relief, and putting him in the spotlight in this serious and mind twisting film. 

The writers of “Caddo Lake” somehow pack in time travel, mystery, sci-fi, and thriller, into a sub two hour movie, all while giving the watchers insight into the separate, yet entirely intertwined lives of Ellie and Paris.

“Bad Batch” finished its final season last year on this very day. After the previous season’s strong and impactful finale, a lot of hype and intrigue was riding on the conclusion to the series. Did it pay off? Let’s find out. 

***Be warned, this is not a spoiler free review.***

In the first episode, the “Bad Batch” starts on a somber note due to the tragic finale of season two. After the heartbreaking loss of Tech, one of the original members of the Bad Batch, and Omega’s capture, the surviving team members go home and lick their wounds.

On March 31, Seattle’s very own coffee shop, Starbucks, launched a brand-new mug collaboration with Disney. The limited mugs can only be purchased at the Disney parks or online. 

The Disney food blog says, “this mug is a great way to bring the joy and magic of Disneyland back home.” 

With two different options of the special mugs being sold, collectors can pick from options of either a Disneyland design or the Disneyworld design. The mugs feature different designs and themes than previous launches, including Car Land or Grizzly Peak.

“Parade” tells the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who moved to Atlanta to pursue a career at a pencil factory in 1913. There, he met Lucille Selig, whom he later married. As a Jewish man from Brooklyn, Leo is portrayed as a man who often felt out of place even with his Southern Jewish wife.

Leo, who held a management position at the pencil factory, was later charged with the rape and murder of thirteen-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan. 

Who here is playing “Marvel Rivals”? I imagine quite a few people have tried out the newest Marvel game. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, “Marvel Rivals” is a hero shooter created by Chinese game studio, NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel. 

The game was released on Dec. 6, 2024 and immediately became a smash hit. The premise of the game is simple. Team up with five other players to capture and either push or defend the objective, and make sure the enemy team can’t do the same. If you want success, creating the perfect team is integral, but how?

It’s been a year and some change since “Baldur’s Gate 3” released, and despite it being a single player RPG from a smaller game studio, it continues to get consistently major updates that add a breath of fresh air to the game.

This isn’t a rare occurrence of course, there are quite a few games that do this as well. However they aren’t as common as the games that add battlepasses and seasons. Take “Call of Duty” and “Halo: Infinite”, both of which have microtransactions and seasons throughout their games.

In the Quarter Quell of the 21st century, Suzanne Collins’ fifth installment of “The Hunger Games” saga, “Sunrise on the Reaping” arrived in bookstores early on March 18. Collins used her power to commentate on implicit submission and propaganda, while breaking hearts with a story we’ve held close since 2010. 

Reader’s should absolutely read “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” before picking this one up. And if you haven’t read the original trilogy, what are you doing here? The shadow of Lucy Gray Baird is still on District 12 and the Covey, and to understand the full timeline of events readers need to go back to the 10th games.

Conan O’Brien has made headlines in the past year with a legendary guest appearance on “Hot Ones”, a successful Oscars hosting, and his acceptance of the Mark Twain Prize for his career in comedy that has spanned over decades. Though O’Brien has carved his legacy in the irreverent and goofy, his speech at the Kennedy Center was as prescient as they come, marking his signature marriage of silliness and poignant resolve.

O’Brien’s acceptance speech at the Kennedy Center spoke of his larger comedic ethos, and still thoughtfully acknowledged the recent disruption by President Trump, who named himself chairman of the center and then ousted the very trustees that nominated O’Brien to begin with.

“Dragon Age” is one of the premier fantasy RPGs of all time. Its cultural influence isn’t as large as “Final Fantasy” or the “Elder Scrolls”, but it’s one of the greats. Starting with the humble “Dragon Age: Origins” that was released in 2009, “Dragon Age” has cemented itself as a cornerstone of fantasy media.

“Veilguard” is a new stab at the “Dragon Age” universe that attempts to change the player’s perspective. Instead of being this well established character with a lengthy backstory that you either take part in or barely remember due to its lack of relevance, you have one defining event that sets up your connection to the main story.

El musical de Emilia Pérez fue uno de los más criticados por la comunidad Mexicana por la mala representación del director y los actores. 

Muchas críticas rodearon la película por falta de diversidad e inclusión de actores hispanos, y muchos argumentaban sobre la forma en que los actores no interpretaron bien el vocabulario de las palabras en español especialmente los “mexicanos”.

The 97th Academy Awards aired last Sunday, featuring a cavalcade of one of cinema’s strongest selections in years, as well as the remarkably-seasoned Conan O’Brien hosting.

As with any Oscars event, this year came with scandalous rumors, a catty monologue, and no shortage of fan reactions over who did, or didn’t, deserve to take home the golden statue.

The 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ceremony was a two-hour event that gave 15 awards to actors and ensembles for their incredible performances, highlighting some of the biggest names in the industry as well as up-and-coming stars. 

The ceremony was broadcast live on Netflix Sunday, Feb. 23., with charming host Kirsten Bell lighting up the stage. Shogun won four awards for best ensemble performances, plus actress and actor in a drama. Six-decade Hollywood star Jane Fonda was given SAG’s Life Achievement Award, and so much more, all complemented with nostalgic montages and skits in between.

The world tuned in last week to Saturday Night Live’s (SNL) landmark 50th anniversary special and the entire entertainment industry seemed to be in attendance, performing, or both.

Much like any SNL episode in the past half-century, viewers from all over the world looked on as the most famous people alive stood shoulder to shoulder to celebrate arguably the most consequential syndicated program in history.

Winning five Grammys over a diss track about Drake and performing a star studding halftime performance at the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans in the same week? No other artist than Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar could pull it off.

The show starts with viewers seeing the stage set up as a Playstation controller. “Salutations!” exclaimed Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam. Fans of Lamar may recognize Uncle Sam as one of the main characters of his 2015 hit album, “To Pimp a Butterfly”.

The Grammys kicked off last week with multiple performances from renowned artists, many of which went home making history in the process. 

After so many years Beyoncé was finally able to win the most prestigious Album of the Year along with Best Country Album with her “Cowboy Carter”. Beyoncé came into the Grammys with the most nominations for her albums. She is the most nominated artist in Grammy history with 99 throughout her career.

As one of the most expensive holidays next to Christmas and New Years, Valentine’s Day grosses about $27.5 billion nationally per year. From $20 bouquets at the grocery store, to $30 chocolates, and of course all of the pressure to make the day romantic, or to find a partner, Valentine’s Day can be overwhelming.

If you aren’t feeling the love this year, or you and your partner simply aren’t into the classic “mushy” Valentine’s Day movies and want some different options, or if you’re single and want to be festive without having to watch the classics, compiled below is a list of movies from horror and thriller, to revenge and comedy, for you to binge.

“Spiritfarer” is one game that pops up every few years seemingly unnoticed due to its arguably niche concept.

However, the game’s core message and tragically beautiful story is so well done, that it’s disappointing how few people know of it. That is where this article comes in.

At its core, Gundam is a grounded anti-war drama meant to showcase the horrid truths behind warfare. Civilians die tragically, characters lose people they care about left and right, all because the leaders of Zeon are obsessed with destroying Earth so they can be the premier superpower.

Gundam is a famous series that began in 1979 that follows a young boy named Amuro Ray. Thrust into a war beyond his comprehension, 15 year old Amuro is forced to fight to survive after his home is attacked by a nation of space colonists known as Zeon. Yes, you saw that right. The main character is only 15, and he’s not even the youngest protagonist in Gundam history.

“Keep your eye on the donut, not the hole” has been oft repeated in order to call on us to look beyond tragedy and see the true beauty in things; it’s an optimistic sentiment that’s been evoked to pay tribute to legendary director David Lynch, who passed away last week just days before his 79th birthday. 

The internet has been aflame with fans of Lynch’s work giving deeply personal accounts of the impact he’s had on their lives.

Rebecca Yarros, a traditional contemporary romance writer who’s been in the industry a decade publishing books for the common hopeless romantic, took on a new genre with a groundbreaking romantasy series in early spring of 2023. That May, “The Emperyan” series was born. 

The release of the debut novel, “Fourth Wing”, was closely followed by its sequel, “Iron Flame”, which was released in November of the same year – only five months after its debut. It instantly captured the hearts of a generation with 1.1 million copies of the first two books sold within 13 months of release.

Most people have heard of Gundam at least once. It’s a powerhouse that rivals franchises like Star Wars and Halo in terms of popularity. After all, you can’t say it hasn’t had an effect when size accurate statues exist in not just Japan, but China as well. Gundam is a long running series with a legacy that seems intimidating, but it’s surprisingly easy to get into.

Created by screenwriter and novelist Yoshiyuki Tomino in 1979, the first Gundam series, “Mobile Suit Gundam”, is a tragic war drama set far in the future known as the Universal Century.

With a nearly untouched IP and a contested author behind the brand, HBO has their work cut out for them with their attempt at a new Harry Potter TV series.

The producers will have to balance the consumer demand for a blacklisting of all things J.K. Rowling and the author’s rights of creative control. 

While double features are examined in our  ‘Movie Duel!’ series, this selection took a turn once a far more strange phenomenon reared its festive head.

“Hometown Holiday” and “Christmas in the City” are both Hallmark Christmas movies available on Netflix, and their similarities become more and more stark until you realize something even stranger is happening.

Fans of Saturday Night Live (SNL) were delighted to see the temporary return of alum Andy Samberg during its landmark 50th season, which covered comedic takes on this year’s presidential election, where Samberg played Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. 

What was originally set as a short stint playing a political figure transformed into an even bigger surprise for fans as the Oct. 5 pre-election show featured a more-than-welcome new song from SNL trio Lonely Island, featuring Samberg with his musical partners and lifelong friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

What seemed like a simple anime about adventure, and the many ways to prepare food, turned out to be so much more.

For those of you who have never heard of Dungeon Meshi, or Delicious In Dungeon, it’s a manga and anime about a group of curious adventurers traveling through a dangerous dungeon, whilst battling monsters and hunger. At least, that’s the spoiler free version.

There has been a frenzy online over the dark romance/horror book series by H.D. Carlton called Cat and Mouse, and for good reason. The books are aged (suggested) 18+ and focus on the main character Adeline Reilly, who in the chapters through her perspective, is referred to as “The Manipulator.”

The books also focus on her stalker who remains unnamed throughout the majority of book one, other than the nickname “Z” and in the chapters that are through his perspective he is referenced to as “The Shadow.”

This year’s new horror film is said to be the scariest movie of the century, netting an 86% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though the withheld acclaim has not come without its dissenters.

“Longlegs” was directed by Osgood Perkins, son of Psycho actor Anthony Perkins – a fact alone that makes him something of horror movie royalty. Perkins takes the classic movie plot of an FBI agent pursuing a serial killer before he continues wreaking havoc, and expertly directs a fiercely skilled cast, wielding some of the most chilling and off-putting performances in recent memory.

Horror movies have an interesting habit of embodying contemporary societal fears, whether they are the vampire films of the ‘90s, alien invasion films of the ‘80s, or zombie flicks in the 2000s.

The 2020s is no exception either, as our current focal point of terror is far and away forced birth and a lack of reproductive freedoms. 

Having been around since 1975, Iron Maiden, possibly the most popular English Heavy Metal band in the world, has been on countless world tours since its inception and has enjoyed overwhelming popularity and success. 

Iron Maiden performed at the Tacoma Dome this past week, bringing in entire families, stretching across generations, and carrying on their commitment to bringing music and shows to the world. They continue on their “Future Past” tour across North America and Canada.

How much gore can a person handle in one sitting? Movie-goers were put to the test as “Terrifier 3” hit the theaters this fall.

People are preparing for the third movie in the Terrifier series. This movie included warning signs to the audience before walking in as well as vomit bags as some scenes got way too graphic and hard to watch. This may seem like an overreaction, but the resounding feedback for the film highlights just how shocked most audiences have been, even sparking censorship among some cultures.

Despite the fantastical nature of anime, there’s a noticeable lack of both POC (people of color), and/or people who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. Even with its popularity overseas, anime largely remains exclusive to anyone who doesn’t fit a certain mold. 

While anime has instances of darker-skinned characters, they’re fewer in number compared to their lighter counterparts and are almost always Japanese. While dark-skinned Japanese representation is great, it’s only one type of representation.

Bringing us into the spooky season this year was none other than Tim Burton, the King of family-spooky night, with the reprisal of Beetlejuice. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hits theaters in time to kick off the haunting season, 36 years after the original premiered.

Winona Ryder, Catherine O’hara, and Michael Keaton all reprise their roles as Lydia Deetz, Delia Deetz, and the exorcist himself, Beetlejuice.

When most people hear the word “Battle Royale,” they automatically think of the popular video game genre. But have you ever heard of the origin of the inspiration of that wildly popular video game genre? 

“Battle Royale” started as a science fiction thriller novel written by Koushun Takami. It was completed in 1996 but wasn’t published till 1999. The novel consists of a class of junior high students taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing.

Although Japan has been open to the world for centuries, closing itself off from the world for nearly 215 years (a period known as Sakoku), has its long-lasting consequences, particularly in Japan’s entertainment industry. Said consequences have seeped into almost every aspect of Japanese culture in one way or another.

Unfortunately, like other countries in their “medieval” periods, Japan turned women into a commodity of sorts, something to be bought and sold. It isn’t easy to undo the centuries of cultural and mental damage such practices brought to the nation. Despite this, there are people out there demanding change.

Dragon Age is a strange game franchise. It’s wonderful, but it can be labeled ‘inconsistent’ as so many things have changed about it over the years.

The first in the series, “Dragon Age Origins” (DAO), was an edgy dark fantasy from 2009, complete with overt violence and horrifying social injustices that are handled kind of recklessly.

The 2008 horror thriller “The Strangers” was for many years considered a cult classic, with eerie dialogue and morbidly fascinating character design keeping the film relevant throughout the years. As with anything, its continued popularity spurred several more movies.

“The Strangers”, loosely based on a few true stories of home invasions, follows a young couple as they are terrorized by a group of three masked strangers during a stay at an isolated cabin.

Starring Liv Tyler (“Lord of the Rings”, “Empire Records”) and Scott Speedman (“Underworld”) as a couple on the brink of a potential break-up, the movie is distinctive in that a fractured relationship must be put aside in order to survive together.

Centerstage Theatre closes its 2023-2024 season with “Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith”, a poignant family drama which follows the chaos that unfolds in an immigrant, Muslim-Egyptian family where the children of the family, all young adults in their own right, start to diverge and wrestle with the family values they’d been raised with.

The whole cast is stellar – bringing charisma, passion, and earnestness to their roles. The show itself is captivating and thought provoking, tackling powerful and heavy subject matter, mostly regarding religion, and the way those beliefs can become heavily intertwined with family dynamics, and an attempt to detangle the two and understand each other.

If you’ve played video games or at least have friends who do so, chances are you’ve heard about “Fallout”, the games series originally created by Interplay Productions/Entertainment, Black Isle Studios, and later by Bethesda. Set in a retro futuristic post-apocalyptic America after a devastating nuclear holocaust, “Fallout” is an RPG with a unique style known as dieselpunk.

Despite their games’ success, Interplay struggled financially for years, and eventually “Fallout” was sold to its current owners, Bethesda. Fast forward to today, and Bethesda has released multiple successful Fallout titles, which has led to the creation of Amazon’s Fallout series. ***Be warned, there are massive spoilers ahead.***

The game “Wuthering Waves” was released this month. According to the creators it’s a “story-rich open-world action RPG.” You start as the amnesiac character Rover, and you explore the world ahead of you.

The game had more than 30 million pre-registrations and the reveal stream has over 400k views. The game server opened around one and a half hours earlier than scheduled, leading many to be unprepared for the grand opening. Within the first ten minutes of the servers opening, over 100k accounts had been created already as signified by the user ID number.

“I Saw the TV Glow” is a captivating, heart wrenching film that perfectly encapsulates the lonely feeling of growing up queer in suburbia, and the confusion that comes when one doesn’t have the words to express it.

The film follows Owen, through middle school and high school all the way into adulthood, and his elusive friendship with a girl named Maddy.

They first meet when Owen is in seventh grade and Maddy is in ninth, and he strikes up a conversation with her about the book she’s reading: an episode guide to the fictional show, “The Pink Opaque”.

Have you ever wanted to play a game that lets you unleash torrents of magical destruction? Or do you simply wish to have conversations with dogs and skeletons alike? If that calls to you, consider playing “Baldur’s Gate 3”. “Baldur’s Gate 3” is a computer role-playing game (or CRPG for short), that allows you to adventure in the land known as the Forgotten Realms.

To those who may be unfamiliar with the genre, CRPGs are RPGs made originally for PCs and home computers. They’re designed a certain way with emphasis on intricate storylines and a simple yet effective gameplay style.

Netflix’s limited series “Baby Reindeer”, written by and starring Richard Gadd is a version of his own real-life experience with a crazed serial stalker. While stalking is the core element of the show, the deeper and more poignant theme is the human need to be known and the consequences of the perceptions of strangers.

Gadd portrays a fictionalized version of himself, Donny Dunn, opposite Jessica Gunning as his stalker ‘Martha’. The series is based on Gadd’s one-man stage play of the same name and with both presentations narrated by Gadd himself.

“Challengers” is director Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, which follows the turbulent relationships between its three main characters through the lens of their tennis careers. Unlike most love triangle romances, where one character is being chased by two others, this story gives each pairing equal attention, and showcases the ways the three get so deeply intertwined with each other over the years.

The movie itself is about tennis. Tennis is what connects Tashi Duncan, Art Donaldson, and Patrick Zweig. Art and Patrick had been best friends since boarding school, but once they meet Tashi at the start of their college tennis careers, a wrench is thrown in their friendship – they both like her, and she likes both of them, and they’re both sort of into each other, but none of them quite know how to make any of it work.

Based off of the Harry Potter franchise there have been many games that have been modeled after the books and movies, with all the original characters in place. But never before has there been quite a unique game made after this franchise that creates a whole new story like “Hogwarts Legacy”.

What’s more, not only does this game have its own story line and main quests, but depending on the house you choose this main story quest is a little bit different for each house.

Another feature that makes this gaming experience more unique is that the world map is huge and full of secrets – secret caves, tombs, and the one forbidden forest. With a hidden magical creature known as the classic unicorn. However, lots of other story mode games have huge maps. But what other game lets you travel by flying on a broomstick?

The action thriller “John Wick” premiered in 2014 and starred Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman who is pulled back into the seedy underworld of hitmen and organized crime after the murder of his puppy. “John Wick” both revolutionized and did irreversible damage to the action genre.

The film’s stylistic fight sequences and constant jump cuts drew recognition from audiences and critics alike, spawning three movies, a tv mini series and a growing list of copycat films.

Keanu Reeves, known best for his cult classic roles in “The Matrix” trilogy and the stoner comedy “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” plays the titular character of John Wick. Reeves has long been a semi-controversial actor in terms of his acting abilities, but the role of Wick has since endeared him to even the most critical of movie goers.

AI art introduced itself to the general public through novelty TikTok filters, but has since been used in major theatrical releases both promotionally and narratively. In a creative era already permeated by reboots and remakes, this dependence on AI art allows film executives to continue their mistreatment of creatives, in the form of writers and authors.

A24’s newest release “Civil War” was a top-five highest grossing film for the studio and continues its run in the theaters. A political thriller starring Kirsten Dunst, “Civil War” centers around the dubious ethics of war photography and journalism.

The 2023 drama biopic “Blackberry” is centered around the meteoric rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone, the Blackberry. Focusing especially on the character dynamics between co-founders Mike Lazardis and Doug Fregin with the involvement of corporate centric Jim Balsillie.

Glenn Howerton, revered for his role as the loveably psychotic Dennis Reynolds in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” portrays Jim Balsillie. Balsillie, whose drive for professional success leads him to interact with his colleagues in an abrasive, nearly pathetic manner, is a role that plays perfectly into Howerton’s strengths.

Based on the polarizing New Yorker short story of the same name, “Cat Person” is a 2023 thriller starring Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun, currently streaming on Hulu. Both the original short story, written by Harvard graduate Kristen Roupenian, and the feature film have generated a fair share of conflict online.

The short story, and the movie by association, have been the center of a slew of online conversations. Ranging from criticisms of the unspoken representation of privilege, the supposed demonization of a vulnerable man, and the nuances of a bad experience in the bedroom.

“Lighting and thunder require time; the light of the stars requires time; deeds, though done, still require time to be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than most distant stars—and yet they have done it themselves.”

This is a quote from the philosopher Friedrich Nietzshe that is included in the director’s notes for the show “Rope” which is currently playing at Renton Civic Theatre. The show is a thriller by Alfred Hitchcock and Patrick Hamilton, which follows two young men over the course of an evening as they attempt to get away with the “perfect murder”.

Music has always been a strong platform for people to express their emotions and their beliefs about a particular situation or simply about whatever’s on their mind. A lot of thought is put into how a song is made, and as a result, everyone has a different interpretation of its message.

For example, Creep by Radiohead, to some listeners, is about a young man who has low self-esteem and has fallen in love with someone whom he considers way out of his league. For others however, the song is about said young man struggling against his own self-loathing and depression as he feels outshined by a peer.

“First Date, The Musical” opened at Centerstage Theatre recently, and it’s a rollercoaster of a romantic comedy.

Somewhat reminiscent of the 1995 film “Before Sunrise,” the entire show takes place over the course of a single evening, following the two lead characters, Casey and Aaron, as their relationship evolves over the course of a single blind date.

Casey is played by Jessie Sellek, who has been in a variety of other productions at Centerstage, most recently, Fairy Sweetheart in “Sleeping Beauty”. 

The 2024 release, “Immaculate” centers around devout nun Cecilia, portrayed by Sydney Sweeney and her immaculate conception during her time at an Italian convent. Sweeney served as a main producer, script editor, and lead actress in one of the best performances of her career.

Sweeney’s career took off during her time on HBO’s mega-hit “Euphoria” as Cassie Howard, a role that allowed her to consistently show off her skills as a on-cue crier. She continued her partnership with HBO with a role on season one of the streaming exclusive “The White Lotus”.

After finding a mysterious red envelope and being compelled by a group of old women into marrying their dead grandson, police detective Wu Ming-Han has to solve a drug case while simultaneously coming to terms with the ghost husband to whom he is now wedded. Maybe the hardest thing to believe about this movie is that it gradually gets weirder from there.

Wu (played by Greg Han Hsu) starts off the film as an arrogant and homophobic cop, chiefly concerned with his own career’s trajectory, and as he is faced with the unbelievable task of marrying a dead man, lest he continue to receive bad luck.

The comedy trio of Please Don’t Destroy are responsible for most of the viral content coming out of Saturday Night Live’s current seasons. Composed of Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy all of whom met as students at New York University.

Gaining traction on social media platform TikTok, the group consistently went viral with their surrealist comedy sketches. Particularly during the COVID-19 quarantine period of 2020, the group frequently collaborated on each of their three individual accounts.

The latest iteration of “Mean Girls”, released in January of this year, is a movie adaptation of the 2018 musical, which is an adaptation of the 2004 movie, which is based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. It’s a simple story, but sometimes, the best ones are.

It follows Cady Heron, who moves from Africa and starts attending public high school for the first time in her life at age 16, throwing her headfirst into a world of cliques and romance and friendships and drama that she’s never dealt with before. Just like any teenager, she doesn’t deal with all of it well, and really, none of the young characters in the story are perfect to each other, either.

“X-Men ‘97” is more than another superhero property; it is a revitalization of the famous 1992 X-Men cartoon that – despite its low production value – enraptured 90’s kids back before the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) took over the comic landscape. “X-Men ‘97” is everything that a nostalgia property should be.

Though only four episodes have been released so far, the new iteration has created waves online, widely consisting of praise for the series’s animation, faithfulness to the comics, and impressively crafted dialogue.

Popularized in the late 1990s with the release of “The Blair Witch Project”, the found footage technique in horror movies has flourished in the 21st century. With social media and live-streaming media rapidly developing, found footage movies continue to stay relevant and evolve alongside the technology of the time.

While not the first use of the found footage technique, “The Blair Witch Project” is often heralded as the creator of the genre. Premiering in 1999 and claiming to be the discovered footage of three missing college students, “The Blair Witch Project” thrived on the use of a fledgling internet.

The seas and the stars have been sources of human curiosity for millenia, driving humans to develop technology and explore the world. Rocket engineering brought Sputnik 1 to space in the 1950s and sailing revolutionized exploration as far back as 4000 BC.

But the technological development of all technological developments was the combination of fire and tools 3.3 million years ago that gave us the gift of modern day cooking. I underestimated the universality of food and cooking last week but that’s okay because it will be the theme of this week’s One-Shot Manga Roulette!

The seaweed is in-fact not always greener in somebody else’s lake. The last thing you remember was going out for a quick swim, next thing you know you’re waking up in a watery grave. Returning from the trenches, the seas brighten with colors as you leave behind the abyss you wonder how long you’ve been gone for (or how it is you’re even alive).

After bursting through the water you find yourself in Gensokyo, a land of fantasy, illusion, and of that which is forgotten…

Over 30 years after his gruesome serial murders, controversial media portrayals of Jeffrey Dahmer continue to intrigue and disturb viewers.

This review will compare the factual fidelity and ethical problems found between two biopics, “My Friend Dahmer”and “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, versus the documentary series “Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes”.

Vivian Maier, unfortunately, remains relatively unknown to those outside the photography community, yet her impact on the art world is profound.

Vivian Maier’s journey through life was marked by a quiet resilience. As a nanny by trade, her true vocation lay in capturing the essence of humanity, one frame at a time – in recording the essence of everyday life through her lens.

In the mid-20th century, she wandered the streets, observing and documenting moments that would otherwise go unnoticed, her footsteps echoing through the streets she traversed with her camera in hand.

“Lisa Frankenstein” is the joint product of writer Diablo Cody and director Zelda Williams. The title references both the classic Frankenstein story as well as Lisa Frank’s signature colorful art style.

The movie is centered around Kathryn Newton’s character of Lisa Swallows as she navigates high school in 1989 alongside her preppy step sister Taffy. When a creature emerges from the graveyard Lisa frequents, she takes on the task of hiding and ultimately working to piece his body back together.

On Friday the 13th of October 1972, a Uruguayan charter flight crashed in the Andes mountains, carrying the Old Christians rugby team and their companions. Seventy-one days later, two of the survivors walked out of the mountain range into a small farming village.

This incredible true story spawned a novel, “Alive” by Piers Paul Read which compiled each survivor’s account of their life on the mountain into a comprehensive story. From this novel came the movie of the same name and nearly thirty years later “Society of the Snow” took another turn telling the story of both the survivors and the dead.

Amidst a fighting game renaissance, an iron fist strikes: “Tekken 8”. Released mere months before the series’ 30th anniversary, “Tekken 8” further advances the story from 2014’s “Tekken 7”, while offering a ton more content in comparison. After 10 years from its previous entry though, how well does it hold up?

“Tekken 8” was first teased at EVO 2022 in August. It starts by recalling the first game’s ending, where main character Kazuya Mishima throws his father Heihachi off a cliff in an act of revenge. Kazuya smiles at the camera when it suddenly cuts to a new render with two words: “Get ready.”

Skyrocketing supergroup boygenius is made up of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. While the three members each have their own following and solo albums, magic happens when they unite. 

The first project they worked on together was their EP which contained eight songs, written specifically for a tour for another artist. It was on this tour that they all met and immediately hit it off. With Lucy and Julien meeting first, it was platonic love at first sight; then later with the introduction of Phoebe, who was already making a huge name for herself.

“Poor Things” (2023) from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is based upon the book of the same name and borrows the gothic morbidity and feminist undertones of Mary Shelley’s iconic Frankenstein story. 

“Poor Things” is a major Oscar contender with nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress for Emma Stone, and a Supporting Actor nomination for Mark Ruffalo. “Poor Things” holds eleven nominations, second only to “Oppenheimer” which has received thirteen nods and will be competing against “Poor Things” for Best Picture.

Welcome to this week’s One-Shot Roulette! Last week’s edition was on our love for our pets, (and although “Ieva” was featured, my favorite was “The Smell of Happiness,” it was certainly something every panel…). When it comes to writing, one genre in particular is universally difficult to create: hard fantasy. And it will be the theme for this week’s column!

The week is more straightforward compared to last week with an emotional stress level of: 3/10 – although it’s long, with a grand total of 199 pages, making it comparable to a single volume of manga.

The emotional stress level is more of an indicator of how emotionally exhausting I consider the stories to be. Stories are given a number (0, 1, 2) and are then totaled for the week.

The 2024 horror movie “Night Swim” (from Blumhouse Pictures) premiered with less than savory reviews in a month known for underwhelming releases in the horror genre. Directed by Bryce McGuire and featuring a relatively unknown cast, the movie revolves around a family haunted by their backyard pool.

The premise and title of the film were widely criticized leading up to the release and it appears that the full movie has done little to dispel these negative feelings from audiences. An uninspired name leaves the audience with no questions going into the movie and a similar lack of curiosity throughout the film.

The dark, the eerie, the strange. At the Seattle Art Museum, embracing supernatural, spiritual art is a common theme for their events, including the “Deities and Demons: Supernatural in Japanese Art” exhibit.

These qualities can be seen as having a heavy influence on the traditional beliefs of Japan, especially as being represented through their historical art. This event features a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, textiles, and prints representing the root of Japan’s historical yokai.

Through each piece, it’s evident that the artists deeply cultivate their appreciation for this popular folktale. One largely renowned belief includes the folktale yokai: a mysterious phenomena of Japanese folklore, explained only by the yokai (or entities) themselves.

Outrage sparks through Hollywood and film lovers alike as Ryan Gosling picks up an Oscar nomination for his role as Ken in “Barbie”, while powerhouse women including the female star and director are snubbed.

It’s that time of year, awards season is upon us and on Tuesday Jan. 23, the Oscar nominations were released. As hoped by many ardent fans, “Barbie” was nominated for Best Picture and two of the main cast members were also nominated. 

“Barbie” is widely considered a ground-breaking film that deftly navigates the difficulties and wonders of womanhood, feminism, and equality. Yet, neither Margot Robbie (Barbie) nor Greta Gerwig (director) were noticed by the Academy despite their stellar performances and cinematic directing.

Spotify has over 550 million active listeners, and artists like Taylor Swift and Drake hover around 100 million monthly for themselves, but what else is out there, waiting to be discovered?

Here are three songs by three artists with under 50,000 active listeners that you should check out!

A24’s newest theatrical release, “The Iron Claw” (written and directed by Sean Durkin) is based upon the true story of the ‘cursed’ Von Erich family. The five Von Erich brothers were some of the biggest names in wrestling during the ‘80s which eventually led to the tragic deaths of all but one of them.

While the sport of wrestling is a central aspect of the movie, it focuses more on familial bonds and the impact that parents have on their children.

From Louisa May Alcott’s first introduction of the March sisters in her novel, to its latest film adaptation in 2019, “Little Women” has proved itself to be a timeless classic.

Though on the surface this is a film that revolves around young women and their goings-on, this century-old story anchors itself in philosophical quandaries regarding love, comportment, and growing up a woman.

“Little Women” (2019) directed by Greta Gerwig revolves around four sisters growing up during the American Civil War.

From fairytale romance to a drag queen, from ‘80s and ‘00s pop music, Centerstage Theatre’s latest production, “Sleeping Beauty, A Holiday Panto” has it all, and is bound to be fun for the whole family.

Written by Vince Brady, the show is a musical, comedic retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairytale, following the characters Sleeping Beauty, Prince Peter, Nurse Nellie, Queen Fifi, and Fairy Sweetheart as they fight to break the curse cast on Sleeping Beauty by the Wicked Fairy Carabosse. There’s fun music numbers, corny jokes, lots of audience engagement, and of course, a dragon.

A worldwide phenomenon, ”The Nutcracker” ballet is a staple for the holiday season, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers each year.

Serving as an iconic symbol of Christmas, “The Nutcracker” represents a childlike wonder for the holiday season. A tradition for many, the ballet came together through the work of talented composers and choreographers alike, evolving into the story we are familiar with today.

Set on Christmas Eve, “The Nutcracker” follows the story of Clara (also commonly known as Marie or Masha) through a fervent dream taking place at the bottom of the Christmas tree.

If you’re in need of something saccharine sweet to watch this winter season, “Heartstopper” on Netflix is an ideal choice. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Osman, Heartstopper follows teen protagonist Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) as he navigates high school as the only out boy at his all boy’s school. While he is flanked by his two best friends, Tao (Willian Gao) and Isaac (Toby Donovan), school is overall rather unbearable.

Despite his cheery disposition, Charlie finds himself struggling with depression while he wades through a pseudo-relationship with a closeted boy, Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft), who bullies him in public. This cognitive dissonance pummels Charlie’s self-esteem leading him to believe he is somehow inherently unlovable.

In the realm of animated films, “A Whisker Away” proves to be a delightful and enchanting addition to the genre that weaves a spellbinding story that explores the complexities of adolescence, the allure of escapism, and the transformative power of love.

Released in 2020, “A Whisker Away” (directed by Junichi Satoh and Tomotaka Shibayama) is focused around the main character of Miyo, who lets love consume her whole being so much that she uses a mask to transform herself into a cat just to be close to her very human crush. Miyo is outgoing and her personality is easy to love. This movie has lots of love and life lessons throughout.

Based on the 2020 novel by Suzanne Collins, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” offers a unique version of the Hunger Games, as the film delves deeper into Panem’s rich history.

**Warning: the following content contains spoilers. **

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” follows the thrilling story of Lucy Gray Baird and Coriolanus Snow. Serving as a prequel to the original Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the movie is set 63 years before the first film, and covers the events of the 10th annual Hunger Games and Coriolanus Snow’s rise to power in Panem.

The movie “Priscilla” is a biopic which follows the titular character, Priscilla Presley, and her relationship with the world-famous rockstar Elvis Presley over the course of the 14 years they were involved.

Released on October 27 of this year, it is based on Priscilla Presley’s novel, “Elvis and Me”, with Presley serving as an executive director on the film.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” started out as a horror game by Scott Hawthorn, released in 2014, where the player, a night shift security guard at the fictional Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, is tasked with keeping an eye on the abandoned building, and surviving against the haunted animatronics.

Development on the film initially started in 2015, with Warner Bros. Pictures, but over the years it has gone through multiple directors, writers, and production studios, before finally landing on Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions working closely with Hawthorn producing, and Emma Tammi directing.

Taylor Swift continues her quest to own her music (while reshaping the recording industry, in the process) by re-recording and releasing her fifth studio album “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”.

Re-released on Oct. 27, the much anticipated album has gained a massive following, resparking the attention Swift earned after the original release. “1989” was by far considered Taylor Swift’s greatest body of work at the time of its original release in 2014, so it’s no surprise that its re-release has garnered so much attention.

Last weekend, for the upcoming Halloween holiday, a group of students sat down together to choose a horror music movie suitable for the Halloween party that they planned to host on Oct. 28th. They chose classic horror videos from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Ghost”, among many other horror music videos.

Asked why they chose Michael Jackson’s music video, Franky Lin explained, “Michael Jackson is a well-known musician, who would say no to his music?”

Mega-superstar Taylor Swift’s popularity has soared in the last few years. In addition to her sold out stadium tour, Swift has just given everyone a chance to attend even if they couldn’t snag a ticket to the live show.

You would’ve loved the movie if you’re a fan or not. The energy was completely jazzed. The backup singers and dancers did an awesome job. The costumes were astounding looking. Almost everything Taylor was wearing I wanted; the costumes were that exceptional. Additionally, the stage was marvelous looking. It always changed for each Era.

The titular character of Barbie in “Barbie” (directed by Greta Gerwig, 2023), exemplifies strength and determination, encouraging women to break free from the expectation of the traditional princess mold they are often ushered into.

Barbie lives in Barbieland where every role, even the president, is filled by a different Barbie. As Barbie questions her morality, she faces challenges like cellulite, burnt breakfast, and tears. Barbie goes through an existential crisis and goes to the human world where she goes through many obstacles and ends up finding herself. In the real world Barbie sees every man and woman are the opposite from what she sees in Barbieland.

Centerstage Theater, located in Federal Way, started their 2023-2024 season this past weekend with a stage-play adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel “Emma.” 

Following the titular character, Emma, as well as a colorful cast of characters and their various romantic entanglements and interpersonal drama in the fictional village Highbury, it’s a fun show to check out this month, with shows on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Oct. 29.

If nothing else, the Saw franchise is known as the horror movies where people are put in increasingly complex, graphic death traps – and, more often than not, failing to mutilate themselves in time to escape with their lives, and maybe a few less limbs.

While less avid fans may write off the franchise as nothing more than gratuitous gore – which, at times, it certainly is – there’s also something of an overarching plot, and an undercurrent of twisted morals regarding free will and valuing one’s life throughout.

On Sept. 24, the country set its eyes on a promising new love; Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s possible relationship, following the NFL Chiefs game. Swift was seen at the event, sitting with the athlete’s mother, Donna Kelce, and even leaving with Travis afterwards.

At first glance, this interaction resembles any other celebrity get together, whereas two famous people are seen in public and the occasional tabloid will sound off some gossip, hoping to stir up some clicks or views.

Renowned poet Jane Hirshfield transported an ensnared audience at Seattle’s Rainier Arts Center on a meditative journey through nature and humanity during an intimate poetry reading Monday evening.

As the lights dimmed in the cozy theater, opening performances from local musician Sid Smith and student poet Linus Elkins warmed up the crowd for Hirshfield’s introspective verses. When she took the podium, Hirshfield immediately captivated the audience, bringing poems from 50 years of poetry, and her nine published books to life through lucid imagery and steady cadence.

“Trigun” (April 1998, Madhouse) is an anime that is recognized as a cult classic and has been referenced in many forms of media and has been in recent thought with the re-introduction of the IP due to the recent “Trigun Stampede” (January 2023, Orange)

This show follows a variety of characters, Vash the Stampede (voiced by Masaya Onosaka), a gunslinger advocating for love and peace. Meryl Stryfe (Hiromi Tsuru) and Milly Thompson (Satsuki Yukino) they work for an insurance company and are ordered to keep an eye on Vash, and finally Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Sho Hayami) a wandering priest that the group bumps into often.

“KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World” (April 2023, Drive) is a prequel spin-off of the critically acclaimed “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!” (January 2016, Studio Deen) series. This show follows one of the main characters from the main show and explores her and the Crimson Demon Clan’s history.

This show follows Megumin (voiced again by Takahashi Rie) being saved from a returning demon lord by a mysterious lady who shows off her explosion magic which in turn shapes Megumin’s goal to be an explosion magic master.

After the success of “Rocky Balboa” (the movie, not the character) the character of Rocky was put to rest with dignity. But Hollywood, being Hollywood and having run out of original ideas a long time ago, decided to bring back the Italian Stallion in the form of a supporting role in a new spin-off movie called “Creed” (2015, directed by Ryan Coogler) and eventually saga, (because it was successful, and Hollywood is still Hollywood).

The film also marks the second out of six times that director Ryan Googler and star Michael B. Jordan work together on a film with the duo previously working together on the film “Fruitvale Station”, and later making “Black Panther.”

Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” (created by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly) is a sports comedy-drama series that is based on an NBC skit from 2013.

The show follows the life of a very kind and optimistic American football coach named Ted Lasso (played by Jason Sudeikis), being hired as the head coach for a professional soccer team in London called AFC Richmond and the trials and tribulations he faces trying to adapt to a new team, sport, culture, and country.

“KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!” (January 2016, Studio Deen) is another isekai title, however it’s one that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

This anime follows the loner shut-in named Satou Kazuma (voiced by Fukushima Jun) dying in one of the most embarrassing ways, thinking he was saving a young girl from an oncoming truck, where he ends up meeting the goddess of reincarnation named Aqua (Amamiya Sora).

When “Rocky V” didn’t exactly set the world on fire, the series was put on an over 15 year hiatus. But Sylvester Stallone, who felt unsatisfied with the final product and did not want to leave the series on a low note (see my review last week if you want more details), decided to make one more Rocky movie before officially retiring the character’s boxing career.

That movie would be the confusingly titled “Rocky Balboa” (2006) with Stallone returning to the director’s chair after taking a break from it in “Rocky V,” alongside his usual job of writing, starring, and probably coffee runs.

The current rise of K-pop in the west is called the Hallyu wave: The idea that South Korean culture has grown in prominence to become a major motivator for modern-day culture. From Korean dramas on Netflix, like “Squid Game,” Korean cosmetics, and the epicenter of this widespread craze, Korean pop.

Korean pop is known for its addictive melodies, a distinctive blend of genres, choreography, amazing production values, and attractive South Korean performers who spend years training to be in the spotlight. 

When playing basketball a lot of emotions can come up, and the way you show them can affect the way you play and can impact your career. For Stephon Marbury, his emotions affected the way his profession went, both good and bad. 

The documentary “A Kid From Coney Island” is about the former NBA player Stephon Marbury’s path to greatness, through intimate interviews with Marbury himself, along with family, friends, and former teammates.

“Call of the Night” (July 2022, Liden Films) is another story about a middle school student’s boring life and how it got turned upside down by a chance encounter with a being thought to be fiction.

This anime follows two characters, Kō Yamori (voiced by Gen Sato) a 14 year old boy and Nazuna Nanakusa (Sora Amamiya) a female vampire. In this world vampires are real and their way of reproduction is making a human falling in love with them and feeding off of them.

Recently, scientists in Germany at the University of Bonn transformed an 80 year old’s blood cells into 20 year old neural stem cells, reversing around 60 years of aging. This occurred when the Bonn team reprogrammed red blood cell precursors (an immature stage of red blood cells, called erythroblasts) into neural stem cells, observing the cells over the course of 100 days.

A two-step method has already been found to reverse cellular aging, but it happens very quickly. According to the University of Bonn, “…it had previously only been observed when reprogramming took place in two steps … a blood cell is taken and converted into a pluripotent stem cell, which has virtually all ‘career paths’ in the body open to it.” The cell is then guided to develop into a neural stem cell, which can grow into brain cells.

Machine learning, or AI, used in the field of medical research has helped advance several frontiers. Predictive analytics for disease prevention, diagnostics and medical imaging, along with drug discovery are among the many promising areas of application for these new AI tools. 

Some people may take it as a comfort that this technology is being used for good, while others may find it disconcerting. A 57% majority of Americans say AI is bad for society. Without federal regulation on AI it continues to develop, and is being integrated into most other technologies, regardless of the public’s opinion toward it.

With midterms just around the corner, many college students have found themselves voting in their first Primary or General Elections. Most students don’t exercise their right to vote, though.

Highline students, this is your call to get out the vote. There is a ballot box on campus next to Building 1 in the bus loop. Ballots in ballot boxes are accepted until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. 

Happy voting season, Thunderbirds!

“A Poet” is a film about men who confuse sensitivity with identity, about artists who transform pain into a personality, the desperate need for recognition, and a brutally contemporary question: What happens when the world only rewards what can be sold?

There are films about successful artists, geniuses, talent, and inspiration, and then there’s “A Poet”, a film that dares to show something far more uncomfortable. The failed artist is not the typical misunderstood genius romanticized by cinema, no, here we see something worse. We see a man who perhaps does possess the genuine sensitivity to be a true poet, but who avoids facing the world.