Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: A Review 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: A Review 

By: Mallory Johnson

The newest Doctor Strange movie came out over the summer, and I loved it! I watched the trailer many times and thought I had an idea what the movie followed, but after seeing the actual film I realized I was very wrong! The movie follows new young hero America Chavez, who enlists the help of sorcerer Doctor Strange with the multiverse and one “villain” they do not see coming. Before I go any further, MAJOR SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: threats of kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, murder, loss, death, grief, violence, jump scares, blood and gore, a zombie, stalking, drugging, brief torture, a seizure, ghosts, possession, off-screen vomit, suicide, and car crashes. The movie stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, Avengers Endgame), Elizabeth Olsen (Wandavision, Avengers Endgame), Benedict Wong (Spiderman No Way Home, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Vow), and Xochitl Gomez (The Babysitters Club, Gentefied). There are also several fun cameos!

The movie can be considered horror with jump scares and other horror tropes; this is interesting to me because Marvel is typically family friendly. There was one point when I first saw it on opening night that I jumped at a jump scare and the woman sitting in the theatre beside me laughed at me! The film also has an emotional aspect that you would only fully understand if you had either seen the Marvel Disney+ show Wandavision or have a basic summary/understanding of the events of the show. The many plot twists in the movie shocked me; I did not see any of them coming! I was wondering if they were going to make Wanda Maximoff (also known as the Scarlet Witch) a villain or a hero, and I totally understand why they made her a villain. It was very interesting to see a character that I loved as a hero and Avenger turn into a grief-stricken villain who just wants to live a life with her two children. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when they first introduced Wanda, and the Wandavision theme song played in the background! Wanda had some great one-liners in the movie, like the wicked “What mouth?” Another one I love is “You break the rules and become a hero. I do it and I become the enemy. That doesn’t seem fair.” The title Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is excellent for this movie and does a good job of summarizing the movie in one title. 

I loved how Marvel introduced new hero America Chavez into the Marvel Cinematic Universe! If you pay close attention, you can see that she is wearing a Pride flag pin which I love. Marvel does not have the best track record with LGBTQ2S+ representation, so although it was small, it was still very nice to see. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and where Marvel took the story of the Multiverse! Before watching this movie, I highly recommend watching Wandavision. I loosely recommend watching the Marvel show What If, and Spiderman: No Way Home! I give the second Doctor Strange movie a very strong 10/10 and highly recommend watching it if you love Marvel movies as much as I do!

I’m No Longer Worried, Darling: A Review of Don’t Worry Darling

I’m No Longer Worried, Darling: A Review of Don’t Worry Darling

By: Mallory Johnson 

(Picture credit: iMDB)

Actor-Director Olivia Wilde’s latest controversial film Don’t Worry Darling hit theatres on September 23rd, and I was lucky enough to see it with friends on release day. I really enjoyed it - I had low expectations going in because of what the critics were saying, but my expectations were exceeded! The movie follows a 1950s housewife who lives with her husband in a utopian neighbourhood called The Victory Project, who notices some weird happenings and worries about what is going on while her husband is at work. The film stars Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women), Harry Styles in his largest film role yet (Dunkirk, Eternals), Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy, Cowboys Vs Aliens), Chris Pine (the Star Trek franchise, Wonder Woman), Gemma Chan (Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians), Kiki Layne (Native Son, The Old Guard), and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth, Sausage Party). Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: blood, abduction, electro-shock therapy, toxic masculinity, gaslighting, a cult, graphic suicide, domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, alcohol, restraints, drowning, mention of child death, death, murder, claustrophobia, a plane crash, flashing lights/images, sexual content, and a car crash. 

Florence Pugh plays the lead housewife, Alice, and Harry Styles plays her husband, Jack. Florence is a phenomenal actress, and absolutely steals every scene she is in. You can tell she really put the work in to ace this role. Harry is a good actor too, but he has his moments that are less than perfect. It is important to remember that Harry is a musician first and not an actor first like Florence. This is Harry’s first big film role; he was previously in a post-credit scene in the Marvel movie Eternals and his very first movie was the war epic Dunkirk where he played a small part. I was nervous for Harry’s acting going into the movie because the critiques and reviews I had seen made it sound like Harry did a terrible job, but I disagree! I was also worried about his accent, which in clips released early sounded very British (but he is British in the movie, so I had nothing to worry about). 

Florence’s performance makes you feel like you are in the Victory Project with her: you feel all her fear and confusion. There was so much to unpack about the movie after I saw it (full of spoilers that I won’t discuss here). The timeliness of when the movie came out makes the major plot twist hit harder. I had seen one TikTok of a woman theorizing what ended up being the big plot twist and it is wild to see that someone guessed it just from the trailers and set pictures alone! I personally did not find the twist predictable at all (although I had seen a spoiler about it the day before it came out). The movie is a psychological thriller that messes with your head for a while after you finish watching. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Don’t Worry Darling; I loved the direction, the cinematography, and the acting. The soundtrack and the costuming helped cement the 50s setting in a great (and eerie) way. I highly recommend watching it, especially in a theatre with friends and/or family. I may be biased because I am a huge Harry Styles and Florence Pugh fan, but I truly do not think there is anything to worry about regarding the movie. I give it a strong 10/10 and am excited to watch it again and again! 

I’m Still Worried, Darling: An Update on the Don’t Worry Darling Behind the Scenes Drama 

I’m Still Worried, Darling: An Update on the Don’t Worry Darling Behind the Scenes Drama 

By: Mallory Johnson 

(Picture credit: iMDB)

Olivia Wilde’s second directorial movie, Don’t Worry Darling, hit theatres on September 23rd, and with it came more drama and rumors. I previously wrote an article about the extensive drama that happened before the movie came out, and I felt like it needed an update. Before I go any further, since I have seen the film and this has all happened after it came out, there is a risk of spoilers in this article, so here is a major SPOILER ALERT. 

Kiki Layne, who plays Margaret, was previously completely out of all the drama, until September 25th, when she posted a shocking Instagram caption. She posted a sweet photo and video of her and co-star-turned-boyfriend Ari’el Stachel on set, and in the caption revealed that “they cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life.” This shocked fans because Kiki’s character Margaret is a major part in the movie. Fans quickly turned to anger and questioned Olivia’ character, Bunny’s, importance in the story and theorized that her scenes replaced Margaret’s scenes. While fans were discussing this shocking Instagram post on social media, they started questioning why Kiki was not at the film premieres in Venice and New York City. Surely if she played a major part in the film, she’d be there, right? 

On the day of the movie’s release, an article from Vulture came out alleging that Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde reportedly had a “screaming match” on set. However, an article came out days later that said that 40 crew members on the film signed a petition of sorts denying that the screaming match happened. 

Finally, this last part has a SPOILER ALERT. A while before the movie came out, Olivia Wilde claimed in an interview that it was about “female pleasure” and made the film sound like a feminist hit. However, all the sex scenes in the movie are non-consensual; it is shocking to think that Olivia Wilde forgot to think of that aspect. 

I highly recommend watching Don’t Worry Darling (especially in theatres!) All the drama surrounding this movie has only promoted it more, because there is no press like bad press. 

Barbarian: It’s Not What It Looks Like 

Barbarian: It’s Not What It Looks Like 

By: Mallory Johnson

I recently saw the horror movie Barbarian in theatres, and I really enjoyed it! The movie stars Georgina Campbell (Black Mirror, Suspicion), Bill Skarsgard (the IT movies, Deadpool 2), Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers, Accepted), and more. It basically follows a woman who travels to Detroit for a job interview. She arrives at her shady Airbnb and discovers an issue: it has been double booked and a man that she does not know is already staying there. She is understandably apprehensive…then discovers there are spookier things going on than double booked accommodations. Before I go any further, I want to give a SPOILER ALERT. I will try my hardest to keep this spoiler free, but I have a lot of spoiler-filled thoughts. Also, trigger warnings for: sexual violence, incest, murder, blood and gore, abduction, stalking, child abuse, gaslighting, suicide, jump scares, flashing lights, one use of a homophobic slur, pedophilia, nudity, toxic masculinity, violence against women, and a car crash. 

I went into the movie having seen the trailer a few times, so I thought I knew the plot of the movie. But WOW was I wrong! The trailer is left vague on purpose which I love and added to the movie watching experience. It was not just a small plot twist or reveal at the end that I did not expect; it was the entire subject matter of the whole film! With brutal blood and gore and perfectly placed red herrings, there is absolutely no way you will see it coming. It also has some social commentary that I did not expect, and I am glad that I spotted it. It excellently shows male privilege versus female fear. There is one character that is forced to confront his own actions and this aspect is well done. There was not one point in the movie that I had any idea where it was going! So many movie trailers today reveal way too much of the plot of the film, resulting in a lot less shock factor when you are watching it. It was not necessarily a fun movie to watch, but it was fun knowing next to nothing about the actual plot. Because of this, I cannot talk much about the actual events in the film as it will reveal too much. The movie is filled with an eerie setting, mystery, creepy people, and social commentary that will stick with you long after you finish watching it. The song in the credits adds to the deeply unsettling true subject matter of the movie, adding a final punch to the gut. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend watching it. I also recommend checking trigger warnings before seeing it as it has difficult subject matter as the main themes. I give the movie a strong 10/10 and am excited to watch more movies like it in the future! 

Writing Can be More

Writing Can be More

By Ronnie Neiman

Writing is not always just a hobby. It is a way for people to share information, to share facts, and have opinions expressed. It is a way for some to have their voices heard. 

Writing is the platform that I have used to express myself since the age of 10. It is the platform I use to share things that are personal to me, that others may glean inspiration from. I also write about social issues that I have learned about and hope to teach others. I also write for fun, fanfiction is my own way of dealing with personal stress, so I write about my favourite tv shows and characters.

Writing is just as important to use as video media is.

Writing as a platform

  • Sharing an Opinion

    • Sometimes writing out what you believe is easier than speaking it out loud.

    • It is important to remember the difference between opinion and fact.

    • This can sometimes help create a dialogue with like-minded people, or to hear the other side of the written opinion.

    • Explaining why something is your opinion can help others see your point of view.

  • Sharing Facts

    • It is telling history, recent or distant.

    • Sharing facts and history is to share the truth, it must be accurate

    • Most of the time this requires stating sources, even secondary sources such as knowing someone who has knowledge.

    • Facts are not opinions.

  • Sharing Personal Stories

    • This is writing from perspective, your own.

    • You are your own source.

    • It can be an outlet, but once shared, people will express their own opinion on your experience.

    • It can invoke emotional responses from yourself, and from those who read the stories.

Writing is an excellent platform to help you find your voice and to help others find their voice as well. It is reflective of who you are in the way you write. That is something rather important. Deciding to write as a way to share your opinions, stories and the facts about the world is important. 

The House Across the Lake - A Book Review

The House Across the Lake - A Book Review

By: Mallory Johnson 

I read The House Across the Lake over the summer and I really enjoyed it. It is a thriller novel by Riley Sager and it follows a former theatre actress who was exiled to her family lake house after she got in some trouble. She spends her time fascinated by the couple who lives across the lake in a gorgeous home (which conveniently has a LOT of big windows). One afternoon she sees the woman she has been watching drowning and saves her. Then, she disappears… Trigger warnings for drowning, violence, alcoholism, murder, abuse, death, kidnapping, suicide, gaslighting, confinement, blood, drug use, cheating, vomit, mental illness, torture, cursing, toxic friendships and relationships, child death, and forced institutionalization. Before I go any further, MAJOR spoiler alert. 

I went into this story without reading any other of Riley Sager’s books, so I truly did not know what to expect. I read it at my family’s cabin on Pistol Lake, which was the PERFECT place to read it. I expected it to be a classic thriller like The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl and felt those influences. What I did not expect was the supernatural twist! When the twist was revealed, at first, I was surprised and a little disappointed to be honest. I did not find the twist to be believable - but as it got fleshed out, I liked it more. I learned that Riley takes typical horror/thriller tropes and adds a major twist to shake it up a bit. 

I loved the characters, and the reveals felt natural with exciting action and violence. The narrator is unreliable because she is an alcoholic, so it is hard to trust any of the characters, which works very well in a book like this one where anyone can be guilty. The supernatural aspect of the story reminded me of the Netflix show The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is one of my favourite shows. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book - it was a page turner! I give it a strong 10/10 and I feel like it should get adapted to either a movie or a television show. I am looking forward to reading more of Riley Sager’s work! 

I’m Worried, Darling:  A Deep Dive into the Drama Behind the Scenes of the Don’t Worry Darling Movie

I’m Worried, Darling: 

A Deep Dive into the Drama Behind the Scenes of the Don’t Worry Darling Movie

By: Mallory Johnson 

On September 23rd, 2022, the highly awaited (and controversial) movie Don’t Worry Darling hits theatres. The film is directed by Olivia Wilde, who also stars in the film and made her directorial debut with the comedy Booksmart. The cast includes famed musician Harry Styles (Dunkirk, Eternals), Florence Pugh (Little Women, Midsommar), Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman), and Gemma Chan (Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians). Most of the plot has been under wraps for a while, but the basic gist that is public knowledge is that it is a horror film that follows a “1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.” Florence Pugh plays the housewife lead named Alice, and Harry plays her husband named Jack. 

The drama began when Harry and Olivia were spotted holding hands at a wedding in January of last year. Olivia was married to Jason Sudeikis, but it was believed that she left Jason for Harry when they met on set for the movie. They were photographed together a lot, on and off set, holding hands in most of the pictures. At CinemaCon in April of this year, a member of Jason’s team served Olivia with custody papers (they have two kids) while she was onstage and humiliated her. Throughout promotion of the movie this summer, lead Florence Pugh was suspiciously quiet about the film on her Instagram account. She is normally loud about the movies she is in, promoting them so her followers know about them. This led fans to speculate that there was a possible feud between Florence and Olivia. To add to the feud rumors, Florence said in an interview that she does not want audiences and interviewers to only focus on the sex scenes in the movie. Olivia marketed the movie with a large focus on the sex scenes, and fans believed Florence’s comments were a direct jab at Olivia. 

Originally, Shia LeBeouf was supposed to star in Harry’s role, but he left the movie, citing that he was not given the rehearsal time he needed. Olivia originally claimed that she fired him from the movie because the set environment was uncomfortable due to Shia. Shia is a method actor, which involves actors to be in and always stay in character. His character, Jack, is abusive, and around this time, Shia was accused by his ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs of abuse. So, clearly anyone would be uncomfortable with this. But recently a video came out of Olivia begging Shia to stay on the movie and claiming that this could be a “good wakeup call for ‘Miss Flo.’” This basically caught Olivia in a lie and assured Shia’s claim that he was not fired from the movie and proved that Olivia has some issues with “Miss Flo.” 

After this explosive drama, the movie premiered on September 5th at the 79th Venice Film Festival. Florence said that she was limiting press because she was filming the second Dune movie at the time and could not make it. But…she showed up…late. She made her necessary appearances, posed for photographs with the cast (while separated from Harry and Olivia), and then left as soon as she could - cutting a standing ovation short. Harry Styles mishandled Venice Film Festival interviews, saying that “the movie really feels like a movie,” and basically saying that he had no idea what he was doing while filming the movie. The film got a low Metacritic score on Rotten Tomatoes (39% - very worrying). After the screening, Harry shocked fans when he kissed Nick Kroll! They were both laughing about it, and it was clear it was a friendly moment between the two. To top it all off, it was rumoured that Harry spit on Chris Pine’s lap as he was sitting in his seat at the screening. However, Chris’s representatives denied it happened and Harry joked about it at a concert in New York City. Florence also opted out of a Q+A at a New York premiere of the film. In a Venice Q+A (that Florence skipped), a fan tried to ask Olivia a question about the Shia drama, but the moderator shut them down claiming that Olivia had already answered that question (which she had not). The drama ends, for now, with Olivia denying the rumours that she cheated on Jason with Harry. Overall, all the drama surrounding Don’t Worry Darling is very good promo for it – there is no such thing as bad press. I am very excited to see the movie because I am a huge fan of Harry and Florence, review to come.

Peach PRC is Making Music Pinker

Peach PRC is Making Music Pinker

By: Mallory Johnson 

The video social media app TikTok has made regular people into stars, and one of these people is Australian singer/songwriter Peach PRC. Peach PRC is a stage name, but she keeps her real name off of social media. She shares videos and her thoughts across her three TikTok accounts (two of which are private, for sharing secrets, but I follow all three). Her music is hyper pop and a lot of fun to listen to! She came out as a lesbian this year, after originally being out as bisexual for years. She has an adorable small white dog named Marbles (nicknamed Mubs) who is a regular presence in her videos. Her most popular song is called “Josh,” in which she boldly calls out her toxic ex-boyfriend with his real first name. She details their toxic relationship and asks him to stop calling her. This is the first song of hers I knew, and I was pulled in by how bold and brave she was in the lyrics. In the song, she says, “And I think maybe you’re lost/I’m exhausted always cutting you off/Stop calling me, Josh.” All her songs (except the ballad “Heavy” and her two Christmas songs) are 100% appropriate for blaring at the beach on a hot summer day. Her next release, “Symptomatic,” details her mental health struggles with lyrics about her doctor, therapist, medication, and self-medicating. My favourite line of this song is, “He said don’t put all your eggs in one basket/Just because you saw the world through some Peach-colored glasses.” I love this line because the expression is normally “rose colored glasses,” but Peach puts her own spin on it by putting her name in the lyric. Her next and most recent release was another bold song called “God is a Freak.” In this one she details some of her religious trauma as a lesbian. Peach originally leaked the chorus of the song on TikTok because she thought it was too controversial and assumed her label would not let her release it, but it blew up on the app. Obviously her label let her release it (and I am glad they did, because I love this song!) This song has happy production, but some of the lyrics (especially the second verse) are quite sad. She sings, “Under the covers/Watching some cheerleaders/I’m his biggest concern/Don’t worry about it/Kids that’ve sinned get sick/Enjoy your red carpet.” This discusses homophobia and religious bigotry in a heartbreaking way. 

Peach has been very open about her mental health struggles with borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, addiction, and ADHD. She is also open about her relationship with her non-binary partner Sam, her past as a stripper, and behind the scenes of being a musician! I LOVE how her entire brand is pink - it is rare that she owns things that are not pink (even her dog's tail is dyed pink!) I am so excited for her to release more music, and I hope she eventually releases an album someday! 

Highlights from the Crazy 2022 Oscars

Highlights from the Crazy 2022 Oscars

By: Mallory Johnson 

The Oscars were on Sunday, March 27th, and they were crazy! If you missed them, I have you covered with some highlights. Starting off the night with history, Ariana DeBose from West Side Story was the first openly queer woman of color to win an acting award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actor and gave a powerful speech about her queerness and her race. I am so happy she won, she definitely deserved it. Rachel Zegler, Maria from West Side Story, was originally not invited to the show but posted on social media about it and raised controversy. She was invited as a presenter and made a joke about while presenting, and I loved it! 

Throughout the night, the sci-fi movie Dune swept up most awards. CODA (child of deaf adults) also swept up some awards, taking home the Oscar for the coveted Best Picture! They made history with these wins, and had interpreters on stage for acceptance speeches, as the movie is about deaf adults and the actors who portray them are too. A lot of history was made! I was very pleased with these wins and some speeches made me emotional. 

Now, the most controversial part of the awards show and the elephant in the room: the incident with Chris Rock and Will Smith. Comedian Chris Rock was presenting an award for Best Documentary and made a problematic joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, saying that he wanted her to star in a second G.I. Jane movie (Jane is bald in the first film). At first, Will was seen laughing at the joke, but Jada rolled her eyes very hard. Will must have noticed this and jumped up to defend his wife. He then stood up and walked onstage and SLAPPED Chris hard on the face. He sat down and Chris was in shock. The next part was muted on TV, but some viewers posted unedited clips on social media. Will yelled at Chris, “keep my wife’s name out of your effing mouth!” twice. He was furious and Chris was clearly flustered. Chris said something along the lines of, “well isn’t this the best night of television!” as a lighthearted joke to make the audience laugh again. He moved on and tried to present his award, but he messed up some of his lines. At first, I thought this was a scripted joke designed to stir up drama, but Will’s face said it all. He would have been laughing and moved on if he knew about it before. There are now countless memes and discussions about who was in the right about the situation. In my opinion, both were in the wrong because Jada has alopecia and has been vocal about her struggles with her hair. She was obviously very hurt by the joke, but violence is never the answer. Not even half an hour after the altercation, Will won Best Actor for his role in King Richard. He made an emotional speech and defended his actions because he will always stand up for his loved ones. He also basically apologized to everyone except Chris! Chris denied pressing charges for the assault last night. 

Moving on, I am very disappointed that Andrew Garfield lost Best Actor and that his brilliant movie Tick Tick Boom lost Best Editing. Andrew put a lot of love, care, and grief into his role as Jonathan Larson. He even learned how to play piano and sing for this role! I am glad that Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for her role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye and used her speech to spread awareness about LGBTQ2S+ mental health issues and I LOVE how she thanked Andrew Garfield. Some of the jokes made by one of the hosts Amy Schumer were out of touch, especially when she joked that nominated actress Kirsten Dunst was just a seat filler. Kirsten’s husband Jesse Plemons looked awkward, disappointed, and hurt by it. Also, there was a long joke made by Regina Hall, that was basically sexual harassment and if the gender was swapped would not be acceptable at all. 

In conclusion, the 2022 Oscars were very chaotic, and I cannot wait to see what the Grammy awards bring next Sunday, April 3rd! 

West Side Story: A Review 

West Side Story: A Review 

By: Mallory Johnson 

In December of 2021, the new West Side Story movie musical adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical with lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim was released in theaters. I missed it when it was in theaters, but it was recently added onto Disney+ and I watched it. I had a BLAST watching it, and this was my first introduction to the musical! In a nutshell, the musical is The Outsiders meets Romeo and Juliet, with music. It also reminded me of the musicals Newsies (because it is set in the past in New York City), In the Heights, and Grease. The movie follows two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. When Maria and Tony meet at a school dance and feel sparks fly immediately, things heat up because they are each from different gangs. Classic star-crossed lovers! Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT! Also, trigger warnings for: forbidden love, death, murder, gang violence, racism, discussions of transphobia/homophobia, gang violence, discussion of alcoholism, comedic discussion of child neglect, mental illness, grief, mention of suicide, fatphobia, sexual violence (not graphic), sexual content, blood, and gore. The movie stars Rachel Zegler in her first movie role, Ariana Debose (Hamilton ensemble, The Prom), Ansel Elgort (The Fault in our Stars, Baby Driver), Mike Faist (Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, Panic), David Alvarez (Child’s Play, American Rust), Rita Moreno (One Day at A Time, the original West Side Story movie), and more. The movie was described by Rachel Zegler on social media as “By Steven, for Stephen” after Stephen Sondheim passed away on November 26th, 2021, approximately two weeks before the movie came out. Steven Spielberg beautifully and carefully directed this movie; and you can tell there was a lot of love and thought put into the film. 

It was interesting to me how seamlessly the Spanish was woven into the dialogue in the movie. You can tell for the Sharks (the Puerto Rican gang) that it was easy for them, but they are also trying to speak Spanish less often and use English more. Ariana Debose and Rachel Zegler shine in their main and side character roles; the movie would certainly not be the same without them. Another side character that steals the show is Mike Faist as Riff, a member of the American gang the Jets. I became familiar with him when he was starring as Connor in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. This is Rachel Zegler’s first movie role, and I am SO glad that she was cast as Maria because she is amazing, and it is wonderful that she gets to show her skills in such an iconic role. She is set to star in a live action adaptation of Snow White (as Snow White) and DC movie Shazam Fury of the Gods! 

I loved the music and score in this movie, and I even recognized two songs (America and I Feel Pretty). I loved how a rumble was a major part of the plot because it reminded me of The Outsiders, which is my favorite book. I loved the attention to detail with the costuming, hair, and makeup. The choreography was a lot of fun to watch, especially at the start of the movie! The balcony scene reminded me of Romeo and Juliet where Juliet says, “Oh Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” I loved how romantic the songs “Balcony Scene (Tonight)” and “Maria” are. 

Overall, I LOVED this movie and highly recommend it if you love musicals! I love how the gangs are a chosen family for the members, and it is (comedically) discussed in the song “Gee, Officer Krupke” why they need them. I had a lot of fun watching this, I wish I could have seen it in a movie theater! I give it a strong 10/10!

THE IDES OF MARCH

THE IDES OF MARCH

By Maria Garcia Manzano, AEIC of The Quill

Photo Credits: Google Images

WHAT IS THE IDES OF MARCH?

If you have heard of the Ides of March, you probably know you are supposed to beware of them. But why? In ancient Rome, the Ides of March were equivalent to our March 15. In the Roman calendar, this date corresponded to several religious observances. The Romans considered the Ides of March as a deadline for settling debts. However, nowadays, if you have heard of the Ides of March, it is probably thanks to William Shakespeare. In Julius Caesar's play, a soothsayer attracts Caesar's attention and tells him: Beware the ides of March. When the soothsayer repeats his warning, Caesar dismisses him, and two acts later, Caesar is assassinated on the steps of the Senate. In the play and real life, Julius Caesar was indeed assassinated on the ides of March – March 15 – in the year 44 B.C.

HISTORY OF IDES OF MARCH

Movies often distort historical events to make them more entertaining to draw bigger audiences and better reviews. The same was true when English playwright William Shakespeare wrote his famous tragedy "Julius Caesar." According to author Barry Strauss, much of what we commonly believe to be true about the demise of the unlucky emperor on that fateful Ides of March is based more on Shakespeare's play than historical evidence. His book "The Death of Caesar" dismantles the half-truths about the ruler's tragic end on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. Here are three myths (taken from: https://nationaltoday.com/ides-of-march/) he calls out about the Ides of March killing of Emperor Julius Caesar:

Myth #1:

Julius Caesar was admonished to "Beware the Ides of March" by an unknown Soothsayer.

False: The omen was actually "Beware the next 30 days" and was prophesied on February 15, 44 B.C. by an Etruscan Soothsayer named Spurinna. 

Myth #2:

Brutus was Caesar's best friend and led the assassination plot.

False: There were, in fact, three conspirators: Brutus, Cassius, and Decimus. Decimus was known to be most trusted by Caesar and has been the leader of the murder conspiracy.

Myth #3:

Caesar nobly uttered, "Et Tu, Brute" (you too, Brutus) with his dying breath.

False: Caesar singling out Brutus as he lay dying was an invention of the Renaissance movement. The emperor was a trained soldier who fought for his life, tried to escape the ambush, and never uttered these words.

Bottom line: You do not need to beware of The Ides of March. While they did correspond to March 15 in ancient Rome, their superstitions are simply superstitions, and we remember them thanks to William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar."

Euphoria: A Review 

Euphoria: A Review 

By: Mallory Johnson

Euphoria is a television show on HBO Max that premiered in 2019. I recently watched both seasons and really enjoyed it. The show follows a group of teenagers (and their families) as they grapple with love, sex, addiction, and social media. I want to emphasize that while this show follows teenage characters, it is strictly 18+ because there is a lot of sexual content, nudity, and mature themes discussed. The show stars Zendaya (Spiderman: No Way Home, The Greatest Showman), Hunter Schafer, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth trilogy), Alexa Demie (Waves, Mid90s), Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus, Everything Sucks), Maude Apatow (Knocked Up, This is 40), Barbie Ferreira (Unpregnant, The Afterparty), and more. Before I go any further: SPOILER ALERT. Also, the show is heavy and intense at times. Major trigger warnings include addiction, nudity, violence, blood and gore, sexual violence, pedophilia, domestic violence, death, mental illness, and sexual content. These triggers are unavoidable while watching, so please watch with care. Minor trigger warnings for: cancer, homophobia, an overdose, suicide (there is one graphic scene shown and general discussion), hazing, stalking, gaslighting, self-harm, murder, gun violence, choking, cheating, vomit, a mental institution, flashing lights, abortion, ableism, transphobia, fatphobia, incest, a car crash, catfishing, threats, and drugging without consent. 

Euphoria does not shy away from the brutal truths about addiction, and it is emotional. The show represents Rue’s (Zendaya’s character) hard battle with her addiction and how hard it is for her to stay clean. It also shows how traumatizing her addiction is for her loved ones. Most of the show is hard to watch, so it is nice that the character Fezco, Rue’s drug dealer and best friend, is a comedic relief character. He is my favorite character for this reason, and one of my favorite scenes is when he calls Jules “Jewel” and refuses to correct himself. One of the villain characters, Nate Jacobs, is portrayed so well that you assume the actor, Jacob Elordi, is like that in real life but he is the exact opposite. Another one of my favorite characters is highlighted more in season two. She is the chaotic Cassie’s sister, named Lexi. She is a writer like me, and I love that about her. I loved the music, costumes, and makeup throughout the show, it adds to the cinematography and overall vibe of the show. Season one, episode five was one of my favorite episodes of the show because it is so chaotic. A critique that I have of the show is that some of the actions of the teenage characters would make more sense if they were a few years older. I liked how the show portrays trauma and intergenerational trauma. Euphoria truly shows off Zendaya’s acting chops and I am so glad she is getting the recognition she deserves! 

Overall, I love Euphoria and really enjoyed both seasons. I love how casual the LGBTQ+ representation on the show is. At least so far, there has not been any big coming out scenes and characters do not explicitly label themselves. They just exist and it is refreshing. If you do watch the show, make sure you do not forget to watch the two special episodes! I want to reiterate that while the show is about teenagers, it is an adult show and is 18+. I give it a 9.75/10 and cannot wait for season three, but I am disappointed that I must wait until 2024! 

Holiday Decoration Pet Peeve

Holiday Decoration Pet Peeve


By Ronnie Kayla Neiman

Decorating for a holiday can be quite a bit if fun no matter a person’s age. Even if untangling certain lights from their storage bin can be immensely frustrating. Each holiday comes with its own commercialization. Christmas has its origins in various religion ideologies but many now associate it with red and green decorations, gingerbread houses and stuffing yourself at family dinners. 

Valentines’ day is no different. The holiday named after a saint is a holiday meant to celebrate peoples loves. However, the commercialization of the holiday means candy, flowers, Valentines cards and everything is decorated in red. Some mild decoration and a bit of candy isn’t the worst. It doesn’t go overboard. 

Though going into a store to get some candy that most stores only sell during this time of the year and seeing to only an aisle full of Valentine’s Day decorations, candies and other related items right across from an aisle full of decorations, chocolates and toys for the upcoming Easter holiday was a bit of an annoyance. Valentines’ day was a few weeks ago when this trip to the store was made. It wasn’t even close to March, let alone close to easter.

It is fun to get the candy sometimes, but it is overwhelming to have decorations for two holidays weeks apart is overwhelming. Mostly it’s just annoying. One holiday at a time would be nice. It would allow people to focus on one holiday at a time. Having the themed commercialization and activities related to the holiday being the focus would go a long way to avoid the annoyance felt by people (including myself). One holiday at a time. 

Amy Schneider Made History on Jeopardy

Amy Schneider Made History on Jeopardy

By: Mallory Johnson 

Amy Schneider recently made history as a 40-game Jeopardy champion. She is a brilliant, smart, and confident queer transgender woman. I loved watching her games. She won $1,382,800 across all 40 of her games, which according to Time magazine, “put her in fourth place on the regular season winnings list, behind host Ken Jennings ($2,520,700), James Holzhauer ($2,462,216), and Matt Ammodio ($1,518,601).” About being a transgender woman on television, Amy said, “I think the main thing that I got out of this was being okay with myself, how I look, how I present to the world. I’ve been openly trans for a little under five years now, and there’s still definitely lingering worry and dysphoria and things like that.” She continued, “Just to get so much positive feedback, so much support and so much acceptance, it enabled me - by the end of it - to look at myself on TV and be like, ‘Oh, you know, she’s pretty, she’s fun, what a likeable person.’ And I’ve never been able to see myself that way before.” 


The fact that Amy watching her own Jeopardy appearances helped in her self-love and self-acceptance journey is powerful. I am positive that it will help other transgender people in their journeys. I am also sure that it could help people who are transphobic look inwards and change their beliefs. In one episode, Amy proudly talked about how her girlfriend, Genevieve, helps her study for pop culture clues and I loved how casually the host Ken Jennings and Amy talked about it - I love how normalized her gender and sexuality were on the show! Amy is a smart, confident woman, and she made history when she won the most consecutive Jeopardy games of any female contestant! In an interview, Amy emphasized that for her, the positive transgender visibility is priceless. Even though her long run competing on Jeopardy is over, her historic mark left on the game will not be forgotten. 

One True Loves: A Book Review 

One True Loves: A Book Review 

By: Mallory Johnson 

My last book of 2021 was One True Loves by my favourite author Taylor Jenkins Reid, an adult literary fiction book that came out in 2016. The story begins as a woman, Emma Blair, is on a date with her fiancé when her husband calls. On their first wedding anniversary, the husband, Jesse, goes on a spontaneous trip to Alaska without his wife. He was riding in a helicopter when it crashed: he was incorrectly presumed dead. Three and a half years later, Emma is engaged to a man, Sam, she knew from high school and has to make the decision she never thought she would have to make: stay with Sam, or live the life she planned with Jesse? I am personally not a big fan of love triangles, but the classic trope is done well in this book! Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: grief, death, depression, injury detail, a helicopter crash, animal death (for survival, non-graphic), abandonment, sexual content, cheating, an eating disorder, and medical content. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid brilliantly explores Emma’s grief. You see her in all the stages, from when she was on her roof with binoculars because she was convinced that Jesse was lost at sea to her moving on with Sam. You see her unable to eat or feel any joy because she was so consumed by her grief. The story also discusses familial expectations and how much pressure they can put on people. Emma’s family owns a bookstore, Blair Books, and her parents expect her to own it one day, but she did not want to, and she feels guilty. Jesse was an excellent swimmer and his parents expected him to stick with swimming for his whole life. I enjoyed that the book jumped between past and present - it explored Emma meeting both men and their relationships. A quote from the story that I love is, “I think that perhaps everyone has a moment that splits their life in two. When you look back on your own timeline, there’s a sharp spike somewhere along the way, some event that changed you, changed your life, more than the others.” Another quote I love is, “It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? That every single person on this planet could lose their one true love and live to love again? It means the one you love could love again if they lost you.” These two quotes summarize the complexities of the grief and love in the story in a brilliant way. 

Overall, I really loved this book and I loved the ending; I believe Emma made the best choice and loved how it was the small things that helped her choose. I give this book a strong 10/10 and cannot wait to read After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which is the only book of hers that I have not read yet! 

Forever, Interrupted - A Book Review 

Forever, Interrupted - A Book Review 

By: Mallory Johnson 

Forever, Interrupted is the first book written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and it came out in 2013. This was my first read of 2022 and I really enjoyed it. I would call the book adult literary fiction because it has romance in it but it is not the main focus. Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: death, loss, grief, depression, car accident, medical trauma, family estrangement, infertility, cursing, death of a parent, and sexual content. The story follows a young couple, Ben and Elsie, who get married after only knowing each other for six months. One night a week after they eloped, Elsie is craving cereal and Ben takes his bike to go pick some up at a nearby store. When Elsie hears sirens, she runs down to the street to see the cereal she was craving covering the street and finds out the worst news of her life: Ben was hit by a moving truck and died on impact. She is in disbelief and goes to the hospital (as Ben was an organ donor). At the hospital, she meets a woman who does not believe that Elsie was married to Ben: her dramatic mother in law, Susan. The story alternates between chapters of Ben and Elsie’s short lived romance and Elsie and Susan’s budding relationship and grieving process and is very heartbreaking. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite author. I have read all (except one) of her books. Her other books include the popular The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising, Maybe in Another Life, One True Loves, which I have read. The only one of hers that I have not read (but plan on reading soon) is called After I Do. In true Taylor Jenkins Reid fashion, Forever Interrupted is heartbreaking in the best way. There is one chapter that ends with Ben setting up his voicemail because a toxic ex-girlfriend kept calling him. The next chapter starts with Elsie listening to his voicemail message on repeat after she lost him. I really enjoyed how Elsie and Susan repaired their tough relationship and how they helped each other with their grief. I also really loved the character Mr. Callahan, a regular patron at the library that Elsie works at. Something I found interesting in the book is how the author would describe young adult books without outright saying the titles - it was almost like Taylor Jenkins Reid could not do it for copyright reasons. For example, Ben shows Mr. Callahan a book that was heartbreaking and had a blue cover - which I believe is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 

I loved the message in the book that grief affects you no matter how long you knew the person. Elsie only knew Ben for six months and you see her entire grieving process compared to Susan’s, who knew Ben his whole life. 

One of my favorite parts of the book is how Elsie honors Ben and his reading legacy - he loves young adult books. So, when she got the inheritance from him, she went to a nearby bookstore and bought out their entire young adult book section. She then donated it to her library and called it the “Ben Ross Young Adult Section.” It was a very emotional scene that I loved. 

Overall, I really loved this book and I give it a strong 10/10! I cannot wait to read After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I hope she releases more books soon!