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.

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.

If “Rocky IV” represents the peak of Sylvester Stallone’s career, “Rocky V” (1990, directed by the first film’s director, John G. Avildsen) represents the point in which Stallone’s career (that being mainly in the ‘90s) started to go downhill.

It’s right after “Rocky IV” and Rocky Balboa (no points for guessing that he’s being played by Sylvester Stallone) is back in the good ol US of A after surviving his match with Ivan Drago (along with probably ending the Cold War and causing the Soviet Union to collapse.)

“More Than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers” (October 2022, Studio Mother) is an anime about two people who don’t like each other being forced to pose as a married couple.

This show follows Jirō Yakuin (voiced by Seiichiro Yamashita) and Akari Watanabe (Saori Ōnishi) being forced to pair together for a mandatory school project in which couples of the opposite gender are forced to simulate a married life. Jirō’s crush Shiori Sakurazaka (Saki Miyashita) is paired with Akari’s crush Minami Tenjin (Toshiki Masuda), causing Jirō and Akari to work together so that they can switch to the partners they actually want. Will the two succeed in fooling the system, or will they really fall in love with each other?

Courtroom movies are often crowd pleasers when it comes to media; whether it brings up complex moral questions, has compelling drama that comes up from the nature of the situation, an introspective character study, or is just a good mystery, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like at least one court film. 

But something rarer to see are comedies that take place in a courtroom. This is mainly because it’s a lot harder than it looks because the script has to be funny, but not so slapstick that it takes out the inherent stakes and seriousness of being on trial. “My Cousin Vinny” (1992, directed by Jonathan Lynn), while definitely leaning more towards the comedy side of the spectrum, still keeps the stakes high.

“Dr. Stone” (July 2019, TMS Entertainment) is an anime about a teenage scientist waking up after being stuck in stone for 3000 years and having to rebuild society with his companions.

The story follows teenage genius, Senku Ishigami (voiced by Yūsuke Kobayashi) and his best friend Taiju Oki (Makoto Furukawa) being petrified after a green wave of light encompasses the planet turning every human to stone. Eventually, Senku breaks out of his petrification to find the world has been reset back into the stone age without any sign of humans whatsoever besides the ominous statues.

“Burning” (2018) directed and written by Lee Chang-dong is an engrossing, bleak, and somber slow-burn psychological thriller based on the short story “Barn Burning,” written by Haruki Murakami. Its unyielding power comes from its earnest and near-perfect screenplay, and it was a promising contender for the Foreign Language Film Oscar race.

Childhood friends Shin Haemi (Jeon Jong-seo) and Lee Jongsu (Yoo Ahn-In) reunite randomly as adults. She and Jongsu develop a strange relationship and she embarks on a trip to Africa, where she returns with an eccentric man named Ben (Steven Yeun). 

“The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady” (January 2023, Diomedéa) is an anime about a princess who can’t use magic and her genius assistant who is helping advance magicology.

This show follows a magicless princess by the name of Anisphia Wynn Palettia (voiced by Sayaka Senbongi) working on her shortcomings by making magic tools for an assortment of purposes. It also focuses on the other female lead, Euphyllia Magenta (Manaka Iwami), who was found by Anis when her engagement was annulled by the prince. These two work together for their own interests, like the pursuit of magic and finding purpose after everything has been lost.

After Stallone proved to the world that he wasn’t just a flash in the pan, with “Rocky II” once again being a big hit with both general audiences and critics along with it being a financial success, Stallone’s career really began to take off.

However, his career wouldn’t skyrocket until 1982 when Stallone starred in the first Rambo movie, “First Blood” (directed by Ted Kotcheff), and “Rocky III” (which he once again wrote and directed).

“Top Boy” (created by Ron Bennett, 2022) is a thrilling crime drama that centers around drug gangs trying to navigate the dark underbelly of East London. While at first seeming like a straightforward story of violence, when one dives a little deeper, they begin to see that it delivers compelling social commentary on issues facing British youth, like gentrification, immigration, mental health issues, single-parent households, gun crime, and exploitation.

Originally titled “Top Boy: Summerhouse,” it aired in the UK in 2011 and became a cult success for many years before it was dropped by the network in 2014. It was picked up again in 2022 due to rapper Drake being a superfan. With his help, the show was picked up by Netflix and rebranded as simply “Top Boy.”

“Umamusume: Pretty Derby” (April 2018, P.A. Works) is a show about a horse girl training to be the best runner in all of Japan for her mother.

This show follows Special Week (voiced by Azumi Waki) going to a school specifically for horse girl racing. Horse girls are human/horse hybrids that excel at running and other cardiovascular activities in comparison to humans. There she befriends several horse girls, joins a team with a Mr. Miagi-type trainer, and creates a heated rivalry with one of her rising star classmates.

“Rocky” was a huge hit for writer/star Sylvester Stallone, however despite the film’s success, many audiences and critics started to believe that Stallone was a one-hit-wonder, due to underwhelming box office numbers in subsequent films he starred in.

To prove them wrong Stallone hit the mean streets of Philly once again, with “Rocky II” (1979) this time not only as the writer and star, but also as the director.

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ exceeded expectations at the time of its release, and years later, it continues to impress and captivate audiences who tune in.

The film introduces non-comic readers to Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a young teenager from Brooklyn, and offers a fresh take on the Spider-Man audiences know and love.

It’s another superhero movie with witty, charming, and enjoyable humor and it delivers as a Marvel blockbuster, but its beauty lies in more than just its plot. ‘Into The Spider-Verse’ is exemplary all-around.

The plot is fairly simple, kid gets bit by a spider, gets powers, becomes a superhero, and has to defeat a villain.

Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” is a comedy-drama series that debuted in January of 2023 (created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein) that’s main focal point is mental health awareness and help.

The show is about a grieving therapist named Jimmy Laird (played by Jason Segel) trying to overcome the loss of his wife. While at the same time trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) and helping his clients become better versions of themselves.

Sugar Apple Fairly Tale” (January 2023, J.C.Staff) is a story about a girl on a journey to become the best sugar artisan for her late mother.

The story starts off with the viewer being introduced to Ann Halford (voiced by Yuka Nukui) watching her mother create a sculpture out of sugar. Once Ann comes of age, she sets off to a city called Lewiston to become a Silver Sugar Master. On her journey she meets Shall Fen Shall (Masaaki Mizunaka) a warrior fairy, and Mithril Rid Pod (Rie Takahashi) another fairy who joins her. She must go through the toils as a woman working towards being a Silver Sugar Master while being ridiculed by other confectioners and making friends with others.

Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone” is an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling novels, with lethal flesh-eating monsters, superpowers, and childhood best friends turned lovers, and it is an admirable attempt at fantasy, but it falls short.

“Game of Thrones” – the 8-season epic that had the attention of the nation season by season – was one of TV’s major successes with fantasy, a genre that is rarely pried into. After the riveting 8-season whirlwind, the fantasy craze faded away into the background in between poorly written mystery thrillers and cheesy attempts at Gen Z-focused tv series.

Video games movies have a bad reputation in film circles, at best some are fondly remembered as fun cheese like the “Street Fighter” or the original “Mortal Kombat” adaptation or are seen as bastardized copies not worth the film they were shot on, like “Alone In The Dark” or most of the live action “Resident Evil” movies.

But it seems the video game to film curse is starting to wear off, with more recent films like “Detective Pikachu” and the “Sonic” movies doing well financially and getting favorable reviews.

The sequel to James Cameron’s critically acclaimed “Avatar” is a brave, gaudy, visually striking, and simple story encapsulated by shades of blue, green, and white. “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022) comes 13 years after the first, amping up anticipation years before its release.

The story is well known by now – “Avatar,” released in 2009, was a box office behemoth. In January 2010, days after Avatar made $1 billion dollars, Cameron announced the sequel. He then announced that a third and fourth film were made alongside the second, turning the world of Pandora into a multimillion dollar film franchise.

If there are no delays, the third Avatar film could be released as early as December 2024.

With discussions of the unfair treatment of African Americans in the U.S. and the struggles and prejudices they face being more focused in the day-to-day, many filmmakers and storytellers have started to focus on it to keep the conversations going.

One such series is “Them” (2021, created by Little Marvin). “Them” is a horror anthology series that debuted on Amazon Prime Video in April 2021. The first season, titled “Them: Covenant,” follows a Black family that moves from North Carolina to an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles in the 1950s. The family experiences intense racism and terror from their white neighbors, as well as supernatural occurrences in their new home.

As the show’s graphic depictions of racial violence and trauma spark controversy, viewers are left questioning the balance between honest descriptions of history and careless exploitation. Will the Emory family survive their new home, or will they become victims of the horrors lurking?

Few films have left a cultural impact as large and as long-lasting as the “Rocky” franchise.

With “Creed III” out in theaters and available on streaming, the “Rocky” series is still going strong. Though there has been some controversy in the newest chapter in the spin-off films, that being that the previously mentioned character of Rocky Balboa is “Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film.”

Why this is such a big deal is made more apparent if one watches any of the original “Rocky” films.

“Witch Craft Works” (January 2014, J.C.Staff) is about a witch protecting a high schooler that’s known as a “princess.”

Honoko Takamiya (voice by Yusuke Kobayashi) was a normal high school student till one day the prettiest girl in class, Ayaka Kagari (Asami Seto), protected him from a witch from a magic tower. The two must overcome many obstacles, such as Honoko’s obsessive little sister, students hounding him for breathing the same air as Ayaka, and witches who have come to take Honoko away.

There are a few things that this show pulls off well, like the story. The basic premise is that Honoko is special in some way and must be protected by Ayaka, a workshop witch, from the witches of the magic tower is a decent idea.

The sound of regional Mexican music has endured for centuries and Mexican artists from both sides of the border are helping the genre evolve and enter mainstream pop culture.

In 2022, Gabito Ballesteros, Peso Pluma, and Natanael Cano teamed up for what would be a smashing success and their entries into the Billboard Hot 100 chart. AMG has garnered attention far and wide, and has demonstrated how far Mexican regional music is internationalizing.

The Billboard Hot 100 chart is currently the standard music chart in the United States.

Adventure movies are a common staple in cinema, often about a dashing (if slightly mad) pirate or an archeologist, adventure movies can be a lot of fun if done well. Thankfully “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023, directed by John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein) is not only fun but actually feels like a campaign a group could have.

For those who have a successful social life (or haven’t watched “Stranger Things”), Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop/storytelling game in which a group of players play as different characters and classes (whether they be pre-set or ones the players made themselves).

“Buddy Daddies” (January 2023, P.A. Works) is a very misleading name, despite what it sounds like, the show is actually very wholesome.

This show follows two assassins Kazuki Kurusu (voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga) and Rei Suwa (Koki Uchiyama) finding a young girl on one of their missions from their handler, Kyutaro Kugi (Toshiyuki Morikawa). The girl, named Miri Unasaka (Hina Kino), not remembering where she lives, is taken in by the two assassins turned fathers. They have to juggle their work lives and home life to ensure they aren’t discovered as assassins and keep Miri hidden from Kyutaro.

“Yugari-sou no Yunna-san” (July 2018, Xebec) is an anime about an exorcist boy moving into a haunted inn.

The show follows a “hands-on” exorcist by the name of Kogarashi Fuyuzora (voiced by Yuuki Ono) who is able to see the ghost of Yuragi inn named Yuuna Yunohana (Miyuri Shimabukuro). Being forced to stay in the same room as Yunna, they get closer to each other and are even pushed by some of the inn goers, except for a few.

Deliberately making a B-Movie is harder than it looks, it takes a lot of dedication, self awareness, self control, fun/memorable moments, and heart to do it correctly. If done incorrectly, it comes off as insincere, the audience will be annoyed and feel belittled, like they’re being talked down to.

But the most important thing a B-Movie must do is be 100% committed to being a B-Movie, if for even a second, it runs the risk of falling apart. “Cocaine Bear” (2023, directed by Elizabeth Banks) unfortunately breaks character more than a few times.

There are some movies that are simple concepts on the onset. Then there are films like “8 Mile” (2002, directed by Curtis Hanson), a film starring Eminem as the lead, with a story that takes a lot out of his life, and is about the struggles of an up-and-coming rapper, but at the same time isn’t an autobiography.

The film is about Rabbit (played by Eminem, and is totally NOT a stand-in for him – sense the sarcasm here) a young adult in Detroit who’s really good at rapping and rap battles, but has a hard time doing it in front of an audience. As if that’s not bad enough his life is pretty much in the toilet, he lives in a trailer park, his mom is a hot mess, he probably got his girlfriend pregnant, and his car is as reliable as congress is speedy.

“Tomo-chan is a Girl” (January 2023, Lay-duce) is an anime where all the female lead wants is for the male lead to recognize her as a woman.

The two main characters of this show are Tomo Aizawa (voiced by Rie Takahashi) and Junichirou Kubota (Kaito Ishikawa) who grew up together with Junichirou thinking that Tomo was a boy due to her rambunctious nature. Now in high school, all Tomo wants is for Junichirou to see her as a girl and go out with her.

Good unintelligent action is harder to put to film than one would think, it takes the exact right amount of charisma, heart, and destruction to make a film that’s over-the-top, but not so mind-numbing as to be insulting the audience’s intelligence.

What’s even harder is making a film that’s disguised as an outlandish action flick but is actually really intelligent, funny, and full of cutting social commentary or philosophical quandaries, because then you risk having the smart ideas going over your audience’s heads.

“Girls’ Last Tour” (October 2017, White Fox) is an apocalyptic anime like none other, having the viewers ask themselves questions that they would typically never think of and giving them a much more relaxed view on a world that has already crumbled to ruins; all-the-while still being light-hearted and making people feel an array of different emotions.

The viewers watch the two main characters, Chito (voiced by Inori Minase) and Yuuri (Yurika Kubo) explore the different layers of an ancient structure coming across battlefields of wars fought long ago and towering cityscapes that have long since seen humans.

With the Oscars coming up in about a month, now wouldn’t be a bad time to go over the film that the academy was all over nearly ten years ago, Whiplash (2014, directed by Damien Chazelle).

The movie is about a college student named Andrew (played by Miles Teller) wanting to become one of the jazz greats and to do so he joins the fictional Shaffer Conservatory’s prodigious studio band as a first step in his journey.

There are certain subject matters that are so dark and so grim that making jokes about them shouldn’t work or would be seen as in poor taste. Somehow, “The Death of Stalin” (2017, directed by Armando Iannucci) takes one of the darkest points in human history and makes a hilarious comedy out of it.

Disclaimer, this anime is NOT trans representation, and the main character constantly refers to himself as a he, so therefore for the sake of sanity, from here on out he shall be referred to as a he.

“Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister!” (January 2023, Studio Bind) is a strange story with the premise being the main character’s little sister drugging him for the sake of rehabilitation.

“Mushoku Tensei” (January 2021, Studio Bind) is a reincarnation story that actually takes time to develop the plot instead of giving some vague goal like kill the demon lord.

This story starts off with a 30 year old shut-in getting hit by a truck and being reborn into another world by the name of Rudeus Greyrat (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita as his prior self and Yumi Uchiyama as the child). He eventually grows as a character over the show, from being unable to leave his house to traveling around the world as an adventurer.

Last week I talked about a truly original movie that wasn’t based on anything prior. Well the good times couldn’t last forever, so today I’m looking at the 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven (directed by Steven Soderbergh).

The original Ocean’s Eleven (1960, directed by Lewis Milestone) was really an excuse for Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack to take a vacation down in Las Vegas.

Movies these days have become pretty stale. Whether it’s a remake, sequel, spin-offs or a cinematic universe, there’s not a lot of room for truly unique ideas for films. In this dark sea of mediocrity there’s usually a few films that act like lighthouses of good and unique ideas, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) is one of those films.

“ReLIFE” (July 2016, TMS Entertainment) is a story about a guy getting a second chance at life when everything isn’t alright.

This show follows Kaizaki Arata (voiced by Kensho Ono) being approached by a suspicious man name Ryo Yoake (Ryōhei Kimura) who offers him a deal of a lifetime: Become his test subject and be paid a living wage by his organization, called ReLIFE, or continue working dead end jobs. Kaizaki accepts his offer and goes on to restart high school, making great friends and memories he’ll never forget.

“Bocchi the Rock” (October 2022, CloverWorks) is an anime about a socially anxious girl trying her best to let her voice be heard.

This show follows Hitori Gotoh (voiced by Yoshino Aoyama) also known as Bocchi, a nickname given to her by Ryo Yamada (Saku Mizuno), learning the guitar in middle school to try and form a band for the culture festival. Unfortunately for Bocchi, 3 years fly by having her end up in high school and unable to communicate with her classmates.

“Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout” (January 2022, OLM Team Yoshioka) is a romantic comedy anime with a really long name.

The show’s plot follows Hinata Tachibana (voiced by Kent Itō as a male and by Mao Ichimichi as a female) being turned into a girl after making a wish while drunk and Jingūji Tsukasa (Satoshi Hino) just wishing to get his friend home safely after a hard night of drinking. While on the way home, both of them end up being transported to another world as heroes.

There’s nothing more cozy than a good whodunit. 2019’s “Knives Out” (written and directed by Ryan Johnson) did a good job simulating a Hercule Poirot-like murder mystery, while at the same time, adding clever twists to the formula.

With it being such a big hit, a sequel starring the kooky and overly southern detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) was obvious.

That sequel is “Glass Onion” (2022, still directed/written by Rian Johnson). And while it’s not quite as good as the first film, it’s still a funny and clever murder mystery that’s worth a watch on Netflix.

With the isolation of Covid starting to fade away and long cold nights settling in, many of us might be ready for an escape. What better way than with an escape room? No, not the businesses that offer physical rooms and puzzles to solve.

Those are cool and interesting but with a cost of around $50 per person, that might be out of reach on a college student’s budget. Instead, check out Escape Room card games. These little boxes of entertainment are about as expensive as a paperback book and can be played in the comfort of your own home with friends and family.

Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía is now widely known for her recent musical release, “Motomami”, released in March 2022 and for previous releases featuring Travis Scott and latin sensation J Balvin. However, the 30-year-old Spanish singer was first internationally recognized following the release of her second album under Sony music, “El Mal Querer”.

“Toradora” is known to be one of the quintessential romance animes and most audiences would agree.

“Toradora” (2008, J.C. Staff) follows a stoic faced student named Ryuuji Takasu (voiced by Junji Majima) pursuing a relationship with Minori Kushieda (Yui Horie) only to stumble around and end up in an unexpected relationship.

In the spirit of the holiday season, “Violent Night” (2022, directed by Tommy Wirkola) provides a fun film that the whole family will enjoy, as long as the whole family doesn’t include the youngins and the particularly squeamish.

It’s Christmas Eve and a very cynical Santa (played by David Harbour, most well known as Sheriff Hopper in “Stranger Things”) is delivering presents to the very rich and vain Lightstone family. During the festivities a group of mercenaries, led by a man named “Scrooge” (John Leguizamo), begin to rob the place and hold the family hostage.

“Ouran Highschool Host Club” (2006, Studio Bones) is a shojo (a series made specifically for girls) anime all about a group of boys and a girl swooning the hearts of the people in and out of the show.

The story follows a poor student named Haruhi Fujioka (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto) in a rich school called Ouran Academy.

Almost exactly 40 years later, the holiday classic “A Christmas Story” (1983, directed by Bob Clarke) has received a sequel, “A Christmas Story Christmas” (2022, directed by Clay Kaytis), and it’s actually pretty good.

It’s 1973 and a now adult Ralphie (still played by the original Peter Billingsly) and his family are going back to his childhood stomping ground to be there for his mom (now played by Julie Haggerty) after his old man has just passed away.

Two weeks ago the legendary Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman, unfortunately passed away of cancer. In honor of his memory I’ll be looking at my personal favorite movie in which he voiced the cape-crusader, “Batman/Superman: Public Enemies” (2009, directed by Sam Liu).

Lex Luthor (voiced by Clancy Brown), the arch nemesis of Superman (Tim Daly), has been elected president of the United States and has framed The Man of Steel for a crime he didn’t commit. With only Superman and Batman (voiced by the late Kevin Conroy) being the only ones to know what really happened, it’s up to The World’s Finest to clear his name.

“Do it Yourself!!” (2022, Pine Jam) is a slice-of-life anime set in the near future where a group of girls in a club are set on making personalized objects.

The show follows Yua Serufu (voiced by Konomi Inagaki), a clumsy teenager who crashes into a pole causing a chance meeting between her and Yasaku Rei (Ayane Sakura). After Yasaku leaves, Yua tracks her down to a shed behind the school to thank her, learning the shed is a club room for the DIY (Do It Yourself) club.

Last week’s movie, was pretty dumb through and through, but there is a sub-section of movies that isn’t really made any more, at least not as cleverly or subtly, and that’s a type of movie I like to call a “smart-dumb action movie.”

The “smart-dumb action movies” are films (usually from the ‘80s and ‘90s) that seem like the usual brainless blockbuster but actually go over very provocative themes and/or raise interesting philosophical quandaries.

One of those movies is “Starship Troopers” (1997, directed by Paul Verhoeven). The film itself is based on a 1959 novel by the same name written by Robert A. Heinlein.

“Myriad Colors Phantom World” (2016, Kyoto Animation) is a fantasy anime focused on comedy, slightly discussing philosophy, and what the world could look like if seeing the supernatural was a daily occurance.

Within this world an event happened to cause the way humans perceive reality to become altered, allowing them to not only view paranormal entities known as phantoms along with some newborn humans gaining powers. The show follows Haruhiko Ichijo (voiced by Hiro Shimono) and his fairy-like companion named Ruru (Azusa Tadokoro) as they take down malicious phantoms, while getting into bizarre situations in order to do so.

For some movies, like “Repo Man,” one wouldn’t guess how crazy they are by just the title alone. Then, there are films where an audience member knows how crazy they are by simply giving a cursory glance, “Dude, where’s my car?” (Danny Leiner, 2000) is the latter.

The film is about Jesse (Ashton Kutcher) and Chester (Seann William Scott), two potheads who partied so hard the previous night that they’ve forgotten what they did. Unfortunately Jesse’s car is nowhere to be found in the morning. In order to find it they must retrace their steps from last night, meeting some of the weirdest people, and getting tangled into the strangest conspiracy along the way.

“DUNE” is the seminal science-fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and released in August 1965. Herbert’s opus won both the Hugo and Nebula Award for best novel, two of the most prestigious science fiction prizes. The novel has inspired countless books, films, and TV series like Star Trek, Futurama, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and more.

In 2021, the first half of the novel was adapted into film by French director, Denis Villeneuve. With the second half set to release in 2023. Villeneuve is the director behind the science-fiction films “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049.”

“DUNE” (both book and film) is set in a distant future where warring noble houses are commanded by an evil emperor. These noble houses navigate a feudalistic world with subjugated peoples.

“Parasyte -The Maxim-” (2014, produced by studio Madhouse) is a heavy hearted science fiction anime that follows an odd teenager trying to find his identity.

This anime’s plot is about a high school student named Shinichi Izumi (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki) nearly being infected by a creature known as a parasite in the middle of the night. However, he is able to isolate the parasite in his right hand and names it Migi (Aya Hirano). After learning of his new abilities, like manipulation and a radar for other parasites, he and Migi are being targeted by other parasites and must keep it a secret from his loved ones.

There are some films that are a dime a dozen, just a generic drama or action film. There are also films that while not the most original are still very well done, think Oscar bait films. Then there are films that are such a unique experience that one will never forget them. “Repo Man” (1984, written and directed by Alex Cox) is one of those films.

“Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!” (2019, produced by Bandai Namco Pictures) is a light hearted anime filled with chaos and loveable miscreants.

The show’s plot is about a boy named Iruma (voiced by Ayumu Murase) who gets sold by his parents to a demon lord named Sullivan (Takaya Kuroda) to be his grandson and go to school in the Demon World. While there, he meets a lot of wacky characters and gets into a load of shenanigans.

In “Don’t Worry Darling” (2022, directed by Olivia Wilde) everything is fake.

The film is set in the experimental idealized town of Victory in the 1950s. While the husbands work on a top secret project, the wives stay home and enjoy the bliss and debauchery of their seemingly perfect paradise.

Though the original “Hocus Pocus” didn’t exactly set the world on fire when it was first released, it did gain a big enough following that, 29 years later, “Hocus Pocus 2” (2022, directed by Anne Fletcher) was released for streaming on Disney+.

The story’s plot takes place 29 years after the first film. After two highschool girls, Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), who are into witchcraft, try to hatch a spell to get better grades at school. They accidentally resummon the Sanderson sister witches, all of which (no pun intended) were reprised by the original actors.

“Blood Blockade Battlefront” (2015, produced by studio Bones) is an anime series filled with fantasy, action, and raunchy humor.

The story’s plot is about a photojournalist, named Leonardo (voiced by Aaron Dismuke), in New York who gets mistaken for a dead man. As such he is recruited in a secretive organization called Libra, whose mission is to preserve balance between earth and a separate world called the Alter World.

There’s a lot in this show that’s of high quality, like the environment really making the audience feel like they’re in an urban city. For instance, in some scenes while the main characters discuss plot, there are people casually eating their sandwiches across the street.

The utilization of background music to emphasize the story beats really sets this show apart from anime in the genre. With it cutting abruptly to a scene in order to focus on another beat is well done and always keeps the audience wanting to watch.

It’s a rare thing for one to sit down to watch a movie expecting to hate it, but by the time the film ends a person can’t help but admit they enjoy it.

“Hocus Pocus” (1993, directed by Kenny Ortega), is one of those rare films.

The film is about three witch sisters from 1693 named Winifred (played by Bett Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy) accidentally being brought back to life 300 years later on one Halloween night by a kid named Max (Omri Katz). In order to stay alive the three sisters need to feast on the souls of young children, deciding to feed on Max’s younger sister, Dani (Thora Birch).

There are few horror movies that continue to be scary as years go on, “The Thing” (1982, directed by John Carpenter, who is famous for films like “Halloween” and “Escape from New York”) is one of those movies.

The movie itself is a loose adaptation of the film “The Thing from Another World” (1951, directed by Christian Nyby) which in itself was an adaptation of the 1938 novella, “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell. Out of the two films, Carpenter’s version follows the original short story closer.

The movie’s plot follows a research team in Antarctica, living in a station called Outpost 31. The small team consists of: helicopter pilot, Maccready (played by frequent Carpenter collaborator, Curt Russell); commander of the station, Garry (Donald Moffet); mechanics Childs (Keith David) and Palmer (David Clennon); biologists Blair (Wilford Brimley) and Fuchs (Joel Polis); physician Copper (Richard Dysart); radio operator Windows (Thomas G. Waites); geologist Norris (Charles Hallahan); meteorologist Bennings (Peter Maloney); dog handler Clark (Richard Masur); and station cook Nauls (T.K. Carter).

Their usual routines of boredom and drinking are interrupted when an alien creature, that has the ability to assimilate and take the forms of others, infiltrates their base. It’s up to these unlikely heroes to determine which among them is truly human and which are imitations before it’s too late.

Disney’s mix of live action and CGI remake of Pinocchio (2022, directed by Robert Zemeckis) of the 1940 original, is another in a long list of live action/CGI remakes that are vastly inferior to the originals they’re based on.

The story follows Pinocchio (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), a wooden puppet created by a lonely old wood carver named Geppetto (Tom Hanks).

 One night while Geppetto is wishing upon a shooting star for a son. His wish is granted by the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo), who puts life into the wooden puppet.

The new film in the Predator franchisem, simply titled Prey (2022, directed by Dan Trachtenberg), is a breath of fresh air after the disappointment that was 2018’s The Predator.

The film’s story serves as a prequel to all the rest, taking place over 200 years before the first film, Predator (1987). 

This particular tale follows Naru (played by Amber Midthunder), a skilled hunter of the Comanche Nation in 1719. However Naru isn’t taken seriously because she’s a woman, with the tribe preferring her to be a gatherer.

Join Arcturus, Highline’s literary arts magazine, for its in-person launch party and celebration this Thursday, June 9.

The celebration will include Arcturus 2021, which received an award in design from the Associated Writing Programs. This award is given to one college or university in the United States, with a $1,000 cash reward.

Cube (1997, directed by Vincenzo Natali) is a surreal experience dripping in atmosphere and tension, while also delving into the human psyche.

The film is about a seemingly random group of people who’ve been kidnapped and thrown into a large cube structure full of different rooms. What makes the prospect even worse is that some of the rooms are rigged with deadly traps meant to kill a person when they enter.

Arcturus, Highline’s literary arts magazine, will be hosting a celebration on Thursday, June 9 to commemorate Arcturus’ recent achievement. The literary arts magazine entered the Associated Writing Programs contest last June and won the top national prize in design.

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a film with so many clever ideas and concepts, but is marred by sticking too close to the Disney formula.

From 1988-1990 there was a show on the Disney Afternoon called Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. The show was about Chip and Dale along with their friends Monterey Jack, the muscle who’s a cheese addict; Gadget, inventor and brains of the operation; and a fly named Zipper who spoke in buzzing sounds and squeaks.

This year a movie based on the show was released to Disney+. The movie is simply called Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022), directed by Akiva Schaffer.

Renton Civic Theatre will turn back to the clock to the age of flower power with its new production of Hair.

The groundbreaking 1968 musical created the genre of rock musicals and created quite a stir when it reached Broadway in 1969. It featured nudity, drug use, environmentalism and pacifism at a time when such things were new and uncertain.

The play was written by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, with music by Galt MacDermot.

Free Guy is a bit of a surprise, as I thought I was going to hate it, but it turned out to be quite an enjoyable film.

The film is about Guy (Ryan Reynolds), an NPC (non player character) in a Grand Theft Auto-style video game called Free City. After randomly falling in love with a player in the game named Millie (Jodie Comer), Guy deviates away from his normally standard life, and starts to gain sentience and consequently realize that something is strange about his world.

Some films become cult classic films by accident, and some films that clearly try to become a cult classic. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984, directed by W.D. Richter) is one of those films.

The film is wholly original and isn’t based on or a sequel to another film, despite the title naturally leading many to to think otherwise.

The film is about Buckaroo Banzai (played by Peter Weller, most well known as Robocop), brain surgeon, rock star, and adventurer.

Highline professor Susan Rich is releasing her new book, Gallery of Postcards and Maps: New and Selected Poems, at an event in West Seattle later this month.

“Gallery of Postcards and Maps: New and Selected Poems collects the essential and award-winning poems from my four previous books of poetry but also includes a generous selection of new work,” said Rich.

A reading and workshop with acclaimed author and poet Naomi Shihab Nye wraps up National Poetry Month at Highline today, May 12, at 10 a.m.

Nye is the author and editor of many award-winning poems and books. A few of Nye’s most recent books include Cast Away: Poems for Our Time (2020), The Tiny Journalist (2019), and Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners (2018).

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness feels like a much crazier and darker film that’s trying to break free from the constraints of the Marvel formula.

This movie is a sequel to the first Doctor Strange movie, simply titled Doctor Strange (2016). This new film promises to put Dr. Steven Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) through an even crazier adventure than last time.

Stanley Kubrick was one of those rare directors that, depending on who you ask, never had a bad film in his entire directing career.

For those who don’t know, Stanley Kubrick was an American director who made a large number of film classics. He died in 1999.

He was also infamous for being very controlling over his film set. He had a vision of what he wanted the film to be. If you didn’t give him exactly what he wanted, then it was time to do another take until you got it right.

Join Highline’s National Poetry Month committee for the last event in celebration of National Poetry Month 2022. The reading and workshop will feature long awaited guest, Naomi Shihab Nye, author and editor of many award-winning poems and books.

A few of Nye’s most recent books include Cast Away: Poems for Our Time (2020), The Tiny Journalist (2019), and Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners (2018).

If you ride the Metro or light rail, be sure to look out for the Burien Actors Theatre’s ad, “less screen time, more play time” for a chance to win a free dinner.

The Burien Actors Theatre is hosting a contest to promote its upcoming show, The Play’s the Thing, which will be coming to South King County parks in the summer.

The Play’s the Thing was first adapted by P.G. Wodehouse of Ferenc Molnár’s 1924 Hungarian play.

Like the characters that star in them, the Muppet movies are timeless and fun to watch at all ages.

For those living under a rock, the Muppets were a group of puppet characters created by the late Jim Henson that starred in The Muppet Show (1976-1981), as well as Sesame Street.

The show’s plot revolved around the Muppets trying to interview a real life celebrity and do skits while everything is going wrong.

Highline’s National Poetry Month committee will host a poetry contest reception today, April 28, from 2-3:30 p.m. and the event is open to all.

At the reception, the winning poets of the student poetry contest will read their poems, staff and faculty will share their favorite poems, and poems from previous contests from 2020 to the present will be displayed.

As the Burien Actors Theatre waits patiently for a new performing arts space, the company continues on with its shows and performances.

Burien Actors Theatre lost its performing space two years ago and its shows and performances have been on Zoom ever since. The building, which had been home to the theater for more than 40 years, was demolished by the City of Burien because it was determined that the old school facility was no longer safe to occupy.

After the comedy troupe known as Monty Python proved how funny they were on TV with their show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, they’d truly make it to the big leagues by making a series of films.

Monty Python consisted of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. They mostly focused on absurdist and outrageous humor, where the audience couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The first film they made was Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) which was directed by two members of the troupe, Gilliam and Jones.

A game of trickery and misdirection, a story of who is the hunter and who is the hunted, with adultery and murder in the air. Accomplice, an award-winning play published in 1990 by Rupert Holmes, playwright, lyricist, and composer, will be performed at the Renton Civic Theatre starting April 15.

Holmes is the author of the 1985 Tony-Award winning musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel. Holmes is also known for his No. 1 Billboard hit, Escape (The Piña Colada Song), which was released in 1979.

Accomplice isn’t quite as fluffy as that song.

A Highline professor wants to see your art, and she wants to show it in her own gallery.

Britt Greenland is an award-winning impressionist landscape artist and opened her art gallery in downtown North Bend, Wash. last summer. Greenland is also an English language teacher in the ECLAP department of Highline.

The show, “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” is open to all artists 18 and older of all experiences that can drop off and pick up accepted works in person.

John Grisham’s stories can be just as entertaining as movies as when they’re books.

As you may know, John Grisham is an American novelist who mostly writes about legal dramas. Here are three that might be worth a watch.

A Time to Kill (1996), directed by Joel Schumacher (known for directing The Lost Boys, Falling Down, and Batman & Robin) is a courtroom drama that deals with race issues in America.

When it came to making music in the age of COVID, Highline professor Dr. Ben Thomas had to figure out how to work from home.

Ben Thomas released a CD titled Eternal Aporia, which has elements of tango/jazz on Jan. 21.

When it came to producing the songs, Dr. Thomas did it all within his home studio.

“COVID made me sit down and do projects,” he said. Dr. Thomas, along with other musicians he’s worked with, produced this album together – remotely.

“This was a pandemic recording,” he said. “It was difficult when we weren’t all in the same room.”

The other musicians were from Washington, Idaho, and Texas. Dr. Thomas himself played multiple instruments in the songs.

As a way to celebrate the national poetry month, Highline’s National Poetry Month committee has invited Haitian-born poet, educator, speaker, publisher and social advocate, Enzo Silon Surin, to a virtual reading and workshop on Thursday, April 21.

Surin is also the author of the award-winning When My Body Was a Clinched Fist (2020) and two chapbooks, A Letter of Resignation: An American Libretto (2017) and Higher Ground, and has had his poems featured in a number of publications and exhibits.

The Suicide Squad films show how studio meddling can make or break a film.

The concept for Suicide Squad originates from the DC comics and is a different idea for a “superhero” team, in which the team is almost entirely composed of villains.

The idea is that super villains already in prison are sent to go on highly dangerous government black ops missions in return for months being taken off of their sentences. The idea is that in case a mission goes bad, the U.S has plausible deniability and can just blame everything on the villains.

The new Batman film, simply titled The Batman (2022) and directed by Matt Reeves, is a unique superhero film with a lot of strong elements.

The film is about Bruce Wayne (AKA Batman, played by Robert Pattinson) trying to track down a new serial killer in the city of Gotham named The Riddler (Paul Danno), who goes after corrupt politicians and people of power. With the help of one of the few honest cops in the Gotham police department, Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), and a cat burglar by the name of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman, Zoe Kravitz) Batman will unravel a conspiracy that threatens to unravel all of Gotham.

The Kingsman films, for the most part, are fun action adventure films filled with espionage, action, and sharply dressed individuals.

The first film Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), was directed by Matthew Vaughn (who directs all the other films), and is based off the comic book series, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar.

Robins Williams was a real treasure, as a human being and as a stand-up comedian.

But something he was great at was being versatile as an actor. He could slip into the comedic or serious role fairly easily. It also helps that he was always so likable whenever he was on screen.

The first film in this Robin Williams retrospective is Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) directed by Barry Levinson.

After a year of being closed, the Renton Civic Theatre is now scheduled to have live performances of Into the Woods, by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim.

Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist.

Sondheim was an American composer and lyricist and is among the most highly regarded in Broadway history.

Into the Woods follows the story of a baker and his wife who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are prime examples of each subsequent film becoming more and more ridiculous and subsequently dumber as they go on.

The films themselves are inspired by the Disneyland ride of the same name.

The first movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, was released in 2003 and was directed by Gore Verbinski.

The Toy Story films are one of those rare movie franchises in which every film is at least good. There are no bad films, it’s just that some are better than others.

Each film was created by the legendary CGI studio Pixar, the masters of making their audiences cry. The films feature an all-star voice cast, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, Jim Varney, John Ratzenberger, Joan Cusack, Estelle Harris and the late great Don Rickles and R. Lee Ermey.

The Burien Actors Theater, which lost its performing space two years ago, is in the early stages of creating a new performing arts center.

The new performing arts center will be built in South King County, but there is no physical site for the center yet.

The new space will include a 200- to 300-seat auditorium. It will also have an art gallery, small performance space, coffee shop and bar, as well as several other spaces that will be useful for all types of arts.

The Amazing Spider-Man films are probably one the hardest watches I’ve had to do for a review. What made them so hard to sit through was not because they are the worst films ever made, but because they are forgettably bad. They are the plain white bread of bad.

After the disappointing reception of , Sony thought their best option was to reboot the series.

The first film in this new proposed series is, The Amazing Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb and released in 2012.

Arcturus, Highline’s literary magazine, is looking to showcase the college’s unique voices.

The literary magazine is currently accepting student, staff, faculty, and alumni submissions for the 2022 edition.

Creative submissions of written pieces such as poetry, stories, and essays, as well as artwork submissions such as paintings, graphic/digital art, drawings, and photography will be accepted.

The film Groundhog Day is remembered not only as a good holiday movie, but a great movie in general.

The film was released 1993 and was directed by the late Harold Ramis (AKA Egon from Ghostbusters) and starred Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliot.

The film is about a Pittsburgh weather man named Phil Connors (Played by Bill Murray) being sent over to cover the Groundhog Day celebration in a small town named Punxsutawney. Going along with him are his producer Rita (Andie MacDowell) and his cameraman Larry (Chris Elliot).

Highline’s 10th annual student poetry contest is accepting poem entries from current students.

Cash prizes will be awarded to contest winners. First place will be awarded $200, second place will receive $150, and third place will get $100. Several honorable mentions will also be awarded $75.

Even though the later Die Hard films have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, that doesn’t mean they’re not without tidings of comfort and joy.

The first Die Hard film to buck the trend of setting a film around Christmas was the third film, Die Hard with a Vengeance(1995).

John McClane (still being played by Bruce Willis in this and all subsequent films) is back, and now he’s returned to his home city of New York. An off-screen separation between him and his estranged wife Holly causes him to go into a downward spiral of drinking and he is suspended from the police.

Some good parts of bad films just want to be in a better movie.

Even when a film is an overall failure, it can still have things in it that work on their own.

The first example is the birth of the SandMan in Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Spider-Man 3 as a film is a mess, with it being a clear example of too many things being packed into one film, instead of being spread out into multiple films. With three main villains, who range from OK to cartoonish, the film is all over the place.

This week we’re going over probably the best Christmas film of them all, Die Hard and its first sequel Die Hard 2.

The first film, Die Hard (1988), was directed by John McTiernan, and based on the Roderick Thorp novel Nothing Lasts Forever.

This was a sequel to his previous book, The Detective. It also got adapted into a film by the same name, The Detective, in 1968 and starred Frank Sintara, but that film has nothing to do with the film Die Hard.

A huge paper cutting art by Barbara Earl Thomas, an American visual artist based in Seattle. Thomas’s artwork is not only paper cutting. Her work has a wide range such as writing, glass, egg tempera, painting, and sculpture. The purpose of her artwork is to tell the story of her experience and observations of the world affected by politics. The Exhibition “Barbara Earl Thomas, the Geography of Innocence,” will run until Jan. 2, 2022 at Seattle Art Museum, 1300 1st Ave., Seattle. Tickets for students are $15.99. The museum is open on Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There are many classic films everyone thinks of, classics such as It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and Die Hard. Throughout the years however, new Christmas classics to watch with the whole family continue to show up under the tree.

The first film to go over is The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992), an adaptation of the Charles Dickens story of the same name. And is the directorial debut by Brian Henson, son of the late Jim Henson (creator of The Muppets).

Many films have left their mark in the pop culture landscape, but very few have done so well to have a TV show continue their stories.

The first example, is a blockbuster of a film called Stargate (1994), directed by Roland Emmerich, most well known for directing Independence Day (1996) and the infamous American adaptation of Godzilla, Godzilla (1998).

Plane, Trains, & Automobiles (1987) is well known for being “the only good Thanksgiving movie.” But that statement is selling the movie short. It’s not just, “the only good Thanksgiving movie” but also a good comedy with a lot of heart in it.

The film was written and directed by John Hughes also (known for writing the first two Home Alone movies, and writing and directing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science.)

VelociPastor (2018) is a clear cut example of a B-Movie.

The film follows a pastor named Doug Jones (Greg Cohan), who has the ability to turn into a dinosaur. He gained this ability after taking a trip to China, during which he stumbled upon a dying woman, who was being chased by ninjas. She gives him a mysterious artifact that he accidentally bleeds on while fleeing from the ninjas.

The three different movie adaptations of the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend are three different beasts with their own victories and failures.

All three films share the same general plot. Each film follows a doctor who is, to his knowledge, the last living human on earth because of a disease that either killed or turned everyone else into a vampire-like creature. The doctor has since made it his mission to hunt down the creatures during the day (since they hibernate at that time due to being sunlight sensitive) and find a cure for the disease.

The second trilogy “Of the Dead” films, while not as good as the original, still have some bright spots.

After releasing the final film in his original trilogy of zombie movies, Day of the Dead, George A. Romero took a break from zombie movies throughout the ‘90s. During the early 2000s however, a new zombie craze began to take place in cinema. It was during this craze the granddaddy of the modern day zombie threw his hat into the ring.

Star Wars: Visions has done the seemingly impossible, and takes Star Wars in a unique and new direction, with mixed results.

After the polarising reception of their sequel trilogy, Disney went to seven different Japanese animation studios and gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Fall colors are decorating Highline’s campus with the reopening of school this week. Rain is expected again on Thursday, with some sun breaks this weekend and temperatures reaching the low 60s.

True Grit is one of the most well-known western stories for a good reason.

There are two different films: the original made in 1969 (directed by Henry Hathaway) and the remake made in 2010 (directed by Ethan and Joel Coen).

Both films are based on a novel by the same name written by Charles Portis in 1968. The Coen brothers’ version is the most faithful to the book.

Lupin III: The First (2019) feels like a person combined James Bond and Indiana Jones and made it into a 3D animation.

The film is based on the now 50-year-running anime (japanese animation) series Lupin III, which started in 1971.

The series is broken up into parts, similar to Bond films. There’s no big overarching story, it’s just the characters in different eras.

The Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy are prime examples of great British wit, action, and passion for the craft of filmmaking.

The trilogy is an anthology, composed of films that don’t connect storywise, but instead were made and starred the same people. The Cornetto reference is to an Italian ice cream cone (much like a Drumstick) that makes a cameo in each of the films.

The people involved include director Edgar Wright, who also wrote all three films along with Simon Pegg. Pegg also starred in all three features, along with co-star Nick Frost. The final person to have the same job throughout all these films was producer Nira Park.

Highline’s literary journal Arcturus will be hosting a launch party for the 2021 edition.

The online Zoom party will be held on June 10 from 3-4 p.m. for anyone to join. Attendees will be given a free copy from the limited supply of Arcturus 2021.

“Attendees are encouraged to dress up in a costume, hat, or mask,” said Jenn Ngeth, an editor for Arcturus. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their own snacks to enjoy.

The original Spider-Man Trilogy did something no comic book movie has done since: They feel like comics that have jumped onto the big screen, for better or worse.

All three films were directed by Sam Raimi (most well known for making and directing the Evil Dead films, all of whom starred Bruce Campbell, who makes a cameo in all of these films) and starred Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson (Peter’s crush since elementary school), and James Franco as Harry Osborn (Peter’s uber-wealthy best friend since childhood).

The Federal Way Symphony returns to perform live months after their last concert.

Some 16 months since their last in-person concert, the Federal Way Symphony will return to perform live with their newly-appointed music director, Adam Stern.

“Reconnections: A Return to the Stage” will be held at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center on June 13 at 3 p.m.

Winners of Highline’s recent poetry contest say they have used writing to move themselves through sometimes challenging periods in their lives.

The poetry contest was part of Highline’s celebration of the National Poetry Month in April.

Patheresa Wells took first place with her winning poem, Decasia.

The Half Life of Marie Curie is a good play. However, it spends most of its time talking about interesting events instead of showing them.

The play was written by Lauren Gunderson. Burien Actors Theatre’s production is directed by Andrew Coopman. The play is about Marie Curie (Jane Martin Lynch) and Hertha Ayrton’s (Brynne Garman) friendship and personal struggles of being women of science in 1911; especially Curie, who has recently been caught up in a scandal.

The 4-hour and 30-minute behemoth known as Gettysburg is a historical epic that’ll never be made again. Despite that it’s still a bit too bloated for its own good.

Gettysburg (released 1993 and directed by Ron Maxwell) chronicles the three-day fighting outside of the town of Gettysburg, Penn. during the American Civil War in 1863.

The 12 Angry Men remake isn’t a bad picture. It’s just that as a film, it’s nothing special, and as a remake, it adds very little of value to the original.

The film was shown over network television in 1997 and was directed by William Friedkin. The film replaces Henry Fonda with Jack Lemmon as Juror 8, the only person in a 12-man jury who believes that an 18-year-old boy didn’t murder his father in cold blood.

Jason Macduff wants to make music.

Macduff is a Highline student who is a budding music producer who hopes to work with other artists to make a career in music. He played piano and drums at Decatur High School; now he is composing and trying to work with other artists.

The classic film 12 Angry Men, despite being almost 70 years old, still holds up remarkably well, and offers a message that remains relevant today.

The film, directed by Sidney Lumet and released in 1957, stars Henry Fonda as juror eight, in a 12-man jury that is supposed to determine whether a 17-year-old boy murdered his own father in cold blood. If the boy is found is guilty he will be executed, with no chance in a change of punishment.

Highline’s National Poetry Month Committee will be hosting a virtual poetry reading and workshop this Thursday, April 15.

Former Highline instructor and poet Susan Landgraf and poet Celeste Adame from the Muckleshoot tribe will be featured at the event.

Every film doesn’t have to be great art. Sometimes you just want to watch a film to have fun and the Indiana Jones films are just that – fun.

The first film of this four-film franchise is Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg (along with the rest of the films) and released in 1981.

Nintendo recently announced that they will be releasing remastered versions (dubbed “remakes”) of the Diamond and Pearl entries to its series of core Pokemon games, after 15 long years since their original 2006 release.

The remakes, titled Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, are expected to arrive in late 2021.

You want to talk about going downhill fast? Just look at the Alien film franchise.

The original Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is an absolute horror classic for a good reason.

The crew of the Star freighter Nostromo is woken up early from stasis by the ship’s computer.

Sometimes, people need a story.

The Highline library has been holding virtual “Highline Reads” read-aloud bi-weekly sessions for adult Highline community members via Zoom.

Highline faculty, staff, and other community guest readers will be reading aloud to the Zoom audience from their own selections. The series will cover as many topics as they possibly can so that there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

The year 2010 was quite the time for video games, with stellar releases like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Bioshock 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Mass Effect 2.

Amid all those excellent games, sadly one game flew under the radar.

This game Resonance of Fate (or End of Eternity as it’s known in Japan). This hidden gem turns 11 years old this month and sadly still wallows in obscurity, only really known by people who have played the game. And that’s just really sad because this game deserved better than to be that one game to show your obscure gaming knowledge.

In addition to their bi-weekly Highline Reads sessions for adults (https://library.highline.edu/highlinereads), the Highline library is also holding virtual Highline Storytime read-aloud sessions on the alternate weeks for children in the community to enjoy.

“A lot of people don’t realize this, but our collection includes a good number of Children’s picture books, and we wanted to share these stories,” said Samantha Sermeno, a Highline reference librarian.

The Pacific Northwest Ballet has found ways to dance around the challenges of COVID.

Starting this month, the ballet will offer virtual performances of new and re-imagined works.

The Pacific Northwest Ballet is a dance company located on Mercer Street in Seattle. The company provides all kinds of different showcases and has a very diverse cast.

Highline’s poetry contest winners say writing is much more than a hobby for them.

Winners of the annual contest were announced recently. The first-place winner was Patheresa Wells with Decasia, second place went to Arrionna Townsel for My Truth, and third place was Kiera Golden with Journal Pages. Seven honorable mentions also were awarded.

First-place winner Wells said the contest marked a return to poetry for her.

Pokémon Go is still dominating the augmented reality category of games after five years of being out.

Pokémon Go is a mobile game that is published by a company called Niantic. It is an American software development company based in San Francisco, in collaboration with Nintendo and Pokemon, makers of the card game that inspired this. The game is available on devices such as your iPhone, tablet or android.

The Predator films are all a fun time with good action, but with varying qualities.

The film that started this mega franchise, which later on came to include video games, comic books, novels, and had three crossovers with Batman of all people, was a little film simply titled Predator (1987), directed by John McTiernan (the same guy who directed Die Hard).

The Star Trek reboots did the impossible, they saved the franchise from the brink of cinematic extinction.

After Star Trek: Nemesis bombed at the box office and Paramount decided to cancel Star Trek: Enterprise (the only Star Trek show on the air at the time) it seemed like the Star Trek license was more dead than a Red Shirt on an away mission.

If your least favorite game is the waiting game, you can find ways to pass the time on your phone.

We’ve all played that game – waiting for appointments, for a ride to arrive, or just standing in a line at the store.

Burien Actors Theater (BAT) is finding new and innovative ways to perform on Zoom.

When the pandemic hit, the Burien-based company was forced to close down the theater for both the safety of the actors as well as the audience. But they were able to adapt and have been doing Zoom performances throughout the past 12 months.

The Minecraft update coming out in the Spring or Summer of 2021 will be big with Mojang Studios adding new items, animals, and biomes to spice up gameplay.

Minecraft is a sandbox game produced and developed by Mojang Studios that can be played solo or with friends.

After watching the Star Trek: The Next Generation films, I think asking my boss for a pay raise isn’t too far out of the question.

The Next Generation (show) takes place around 75 years after the original series, and stars Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Data (Brent Spiner), Worf (Michael Dorn), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) as the new Enterprise crew.

After watching all six original Star Trek films, only one conclusion can be made: The odd number movies are cursed.

The original Star Trek televsion show starred Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan), Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nicholes), and Hikaru Sulu (George Takai) as the crew of the Federation Starship Enterprise, and their adventures to explore new lives and new civilizations.

A joyous time rolls around as Mr. Apple comes to town.

Mr. Apple does not bring iPhones — no, he brings good luck and good food.

A week before Lunar New Year, my family has a tradition where we honor the Kitchen God, Mr. Apple, or more accurately known as Ông Táo. For this day, we set out fruits and foods and thank him for keeping our kitchen safe, and allowing us to eat well.

Puzzles are a good way to pass time, they allow you to have fun while still using your brain to think.

Hidden objects is a genre of puzzle games that has a main focus on puzzles where you find a list of items in a messy area. The games also have differing mini puzzles, like navigating a ball through a maze, that you’ll find throughout the game.

The Star Wars franchise is a series that has had some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999, directed by George Lucas) is the first film chronologically in the franchise, and it’s not very good.

The film itself follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson) and his padawan Obi-Wan Kanobi (played by Ewan McGregor) investigating why the trade federation is blocking the peaceful planet of Naboo.

If you’re looking for a first-person shooter with lots of action and that’s relatively cheap to play, take aim at Valorant.

Valorant is a free-to-play first-person shooter released by Riot Games, which also produced the popular game League of Legends. It officially came out on June 2, 2020. Riot hasn’t released any figures on how many people are playing now.

Players all over the world are hoping that a new character takes them to the next level in Genshin Impact.

“Genshin is a [free to play] ‘gacha’ game based from China. It’s an open-world RPG [role playing game] that involves different combinations of elemental powers and weapons,” said Manuel Flores, an experienced Genshin player. “The term ‘gacha’ is basically a loot box mechanic in games where you get items, characters, etc. through sheer luck.”

All three Magnificent Seven movies are a great time and bring something to the table.

The basic plot for all three versions is that a small, poor village is periodically being raided by a large group of bandits. They get fed up and decide to hire seven skilled warriors, all of whom decide to join in their cause for one reason or another.

Highline’s annual poetry contest is open for students to enter with cash prizes awarded to the top contestants.

The contest is being orgnainzed by the Poetry Month Committee, which consists of faculty, staff, and students from Highline.

Highline MaST is hosting a literature event called Sea Critter story time, online for toddlers 3 years and older

“Sea Critter Story Time is a partnership with the Woodmont Library as an extra special toddler (ages 3+) story time once a month,” said Katy Kachmarik said, outreach coordinator for the MaST center.

In years past, young mother Tareasa Waits passed out candy to eager trick-or-treaters without a second thought. This year, she’s taking extra precautions to keep her distance.

“I am going to wear gloves and a mask while handing out candy,” said Waits.

Though the Kent Spotlight Series has had to cancel or reschedule half a dozen performances due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the creative minds in charge have been hard at work to bring performances to the Kent area.

This year was supposed to be the Burien Actors Theater’s 40th season, but plans were interrupted by the arrival of COVID-19 and the resulting shutdown by the government in March.

The theater was in the middle of their performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the production had to be cut short.

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.