A Love Letter to My Favorite Movie: 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl'
(10/17/20 6:24pm)
Editor's Note: Spoilers ahead.
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While the Opera Houses Are Closed, Watch 'Moonstruck'
(10/20/20 9:33pm)
What do you get when you cast Cher opposite Nicolas Cage?
Enola Holmes: Yet Another Role Reversal that Fails to be Meaningfully Political
(10/16/20 1:25am)
Back in 2016, the female Ghostbusters remake debuted in theaters, prompting a debate as to whether these remakes were warranted or truly reclaimed pop culture for a female audience. Of course, many of the disgruntled fans were misogynistic and their criticisms were ultimately ignored. Four years later, Hollywood has transformed the female reboot into a genre of its own—with mixed results.
'What's New, Scooby Doo?' is as Groovy as it Gets
(10/20/20 10:04pm)
Scooby–Doo holds a strong spot in my heart as my lifelong favorite cartoon character. Hanna–Barbera’s iconic Great Dane has been around since 1969 when the animated series, Scooby Doo, Where Are You! started airing on Saturday morning television. Since the inception of the crime–solving Great Dane and his iconic human companions, there have been numerous adaptations of Scooby–Doo on a variety of mediums. While some adaptations are more interesting than others (including the most recent atrocious adaptation, SCOOB!), they all find a way to put their own unique twist on the classic crime–solvers of Mystery Incorporated.
What I Learned From Watching 'Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)' Three Times in Two Days
(10/12/20 12:22am)
Three times is... a lot of times to watch anything. I have some explaining to do.
Gaming: The Boundless Future of Storytelling
(10/12/20 6:18pm)
The Tribeca Film Festival recently announced that they’d be elevating their focus on video games at next year’s festival in New York City. Opening up submissions for the first "Tribeca Games Award," the festival is accepting games that “demonstrate artistic excellence in storytelling.” The decision for a world–renowned film festival to recognize video games for award considerations might strike some as odd. However, the creative potential for storytelling in the virtual plane is unmatched. In fact, this change is long overdue, and the importance of video game storytelling should not only be recognized, but emphasized across all levels of entertainment as we prepare to enter the next generation of gaming.
Don't Watch Disney's 'Mulan': There's a Better Option
(10/13/20 11:11pm)
Disney’s 2020 Mulan once again reveals the futility of trying to adapt the magic of animation to live–action.
Good Place Finale Hits its Mark with a Bittersweet Ending
(10/08/20 3:28pm)
Season four of The Good Place has finally been released on Netflix, and, unfortunately for my midterm grades, I spent the last weekend binge–watching it. After being disappointed multiple times before by finales (I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones), I was worried that The Good Place would meet the same fate, especially considering how season four started off. However, it ended up hitting the mark and finishing with a near perfect ending.
Revising the Legacy of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' 50 years later
(10/08/20 7:19pm)
MTM. These letters stand for the initials of television legend Mary Tyler Moore, her eponymous television show, and the production company that she founded with her then–husband Grant Tinker, MTM Enterprises. But most importantly, they stand for the legacy of how The Mary Tyler Moore Show set new precedents and standards for women.
Indian-American Representation in 'Never Have I Ever:' Why It Didn't Excite Me
(10/06/20 12:01am)
When I tuned into the new Netflix show Never Have I Ever, I was excited to finally watch a series with an Indian–American protagonist. I expected to see my complicated feelings about being Indian–American explored on screen.
"Based" on a True Story: Accuracy and Historical Fiction Films
(10/05/20 11:25pm)
"Based on a true story..."
An Open Letter to 'Saturday Night Live': Don't Joke About the Debate
(10/03/20 5:15pm)
Over the course of its nearly 45–year history, SNL’s role in American politics has been unique. From its humble beginnings as an underdog television program, SNL has maintained an influence over politics—specifically presidential politics—as it has parodied national figures and created sharp works of satire on the state of our nation. Some have been critical of the show for being too partisan, but I’ve enjoyed watching SNL’s long history of poking fun at both sides of the aisle. I couldn’t tell you whether I laughed more at the late Phil Hartman’s performance as Ronald Reagan, where he snapped back and forth between his doddering public image and a shrewd, calculating persona, or at the very same comedian, only six years later, stuffing civilians’ Big Macs in his mouth as Bill Clinton. I can nearly recite “Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton Address the Nation,” a deeply feminist cold open performed by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler that emphasized the effects of sexism on both political parties during the 2008 election.
'Ratatouille' is Still the Best Film About Food
(09/23/20 9:02pm)
Among the ever–expanding Hollywood canon of films about food, the best one will forever be Pixar’s Ratatouille.
Profits Over Plot: Why Live–Action Adaptions of Animated Children's Shows Fail
(09/14/20 3:18pm)
The massively popular second life of animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is well–documented and well–deserved. A staple of our Nickelodeon childhoods, the critically acclaimed show was especially meaningful for children of Asian descent.
How Diverse Podcasts Make Film and Television Look Bland
(09/04/20 9:23pm)
The upcoming Netflix film The Devil All the Time released its trailer two weeks ago, causing a buzz thanks to its star-studded cast and suspenseful, gothic tones. Though it boasts the talents of industry heavy—hitters like Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Sebastian Stan, there is not a single person of color to be found amongst the cast list.
Video On Demand is No Replacement for Theatrical Releases
(09/04/20 11:36pm)
Picture this: you've got a large popcorn in one hand and a fountain drink in the other, walking down aisle B and awkwardly apologizing to strangers between you and your seat. You check whether you've turned off your phone three times before the trailers start. Finally, the lights down and the iconoclast Marvel Studios logo appears. For the next two hours, everyone is glued to what's on the screen. Now, shrink that screen by several degrees, replace the chair with a couch, and rather than being on silent, your phone is glued to your hand, your attention divided between the movie and your Twitter feed.
Music That Wouldn’t Have Been Without COVID–19
(08/31/20 9:16pm)
The music industry has felt the negative effects of the pandemic like many others. Countless artists had to cancel scheduled performances and production stalled while debuts and new releases were delayed. However, this hasn’t stopped the industry from trudging forward. In fact, artists have pushed the boundaries of their creativity and compassion in this unique moment. Through their music, they have shared their very own experienience. Some serve as reminders to be disciplined in keeping others and yourself safe. Some have dedicated their profits to charity and donations for crises related to COVID–19. Certainly, we wouldn’t have been able to survive this pandemic without our delivery service and medical professionals. But music has always helped us cope during stressful times, and this is no exception. Here is a playlist of some diamonds in the rough that wouldn’t have been created without the painful and collective experience of this pandemic.
'Indian Matchmaking' Has No Self–Awareness
(08/07/20 11:30pm)
The appeal of the dating show is the unspoken desire for a neatly–tied ending, shared between both the viewer and participant; it's the guarantee that these carefully selected personalities you watch throughout the season are capable of finding love (and maybe you can too). In a room of gorgeously eligible singles, each reduced to a handful of lines per episode, it is both indulgent and reassuring to entertain the notion that the character you identify with will come out holding the final rose. As we watch strangers profess their family histories and prioritized qualities in a life partner, we are granted breathing room to feel less self–conscious about our own. We normalize the notion that there is someone out there curated to match our idiosyncrasies perfectly.
Embrace Face Coverings, But Don’t Get Used To Them
(08/08/20 12:37am)
It is said that “the eyes are windows of the soul,” but then again, whoever said that never had to make a habit of wearing face masks in the modern day. Even with the experience of wearing a mask almost every day for five months, I find it impossible to tell what kind of face a person is making just by looking at their eyes. I second–guess what kind of expression people are making underneath their masks as I see their eyes crinkle either at the onset of a smile, the bright sun, or by something I may have said. The pandemic has created a new collective experience that would have felt ridiculous just last year.
The Kissing Booth 2 Is Two Hours Too Long
(08/03/20 8:49pm)
When The Kissing Booth first debuted on Netflix in May 2018, I was nearing the end of my senior year of high school and had a lot of free time. A hopeless romantic and a sucker for forbidden love stories, as well as an almost–graduate looking for ways to kill time, my 18–year–old self was intrigued by the movie’s seemingly juicy premise: a good girl falls for her best friend’s bad–boy older brother.
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