My Favorite Oscar Nominees
Amidst the vast award ceremonies held each year, the Academy Awards reigns above them all. It notoriously highlights brilliant actoral direction, original scores and each aspect of the directorial artistic vision. I was first introduced to the cinematic celebratory phenomenon when I was about twelve. Prior to the Oscars itself, my mother would put on the red-carpet exclusive interviews on the television. Together we would gawk at all the beautiful women in their triple dollar priced gowns, creating imaginary personal connections with each and every celebrity that attended. I remember vividly gasping in bewilderment at the men’s lack of style, of course with the exception of Christian Bale, Jared Leto and maybe Brad Pitt. I would always blush in perplexion at all the grown-up jokes that never actually matured into comicality as I grew to understand. It is safe to say I think of the Oscars rather fondly.
Ukrainian homes and Ukrainian lives are lost daily. There is ten-ton sorrow weighing on the world, and the world is doing its best to push back on Putin’s arrogance. On March 1st, in President Biden’s State of the Union speech, he announced the freezing of Russian bank accounts on a global scale, closing off U.S. airspace to Russian flights, and plans to seize the properties of Russian oligarchs, following the statement with a menacing, ominous riff over the applause: “[Putin] has no idea what's coming.”
To go back to the days of 101 Dalmatians on VCR: my beaten-up The Little Mermaid backpack happily sits on my back while I dance to the Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack and his light-up Lion King Sketchers glow as we play kickball during recess. I always catch my mind wandering back to those times, the times of seven dwarfs running around and Cinderella running back home when the clock strikes midnight. Disney never ceases to remind me of my childhood. The Walt Disney Company started in Los Angeles, California, on October 16th, 1923. Since that day, childhoods all over North America have been filled with Mickey’s heartfelt laugh and the image of Tinkerbell flying over Cinderella’s castle. We all understand the shared experience of Disney films being present in our youths. These films are reminders of the child we all have within.
Licorice Pizza opens with a bursting toilet and adolescent boys dashing in chaos as a result; no better way exists to encapsulate a film of 1970s pandemonium and splendor.
To fancy a filmmaker is to fancy his shoes, his eyes, his legs, the way he drools when he sleeps, and the drugs he does. Pedro Mercedes Almodóvar Caballero, known on the screen simply as “Almodóvar,” fancies himself. Each film he writes is glazed with his life’s sticky resin, polished and bruised in tandem. Such eccentric sincerity is a phenomenon built over time, and understanding Almodóvar’s journey helps us understand what informs his filmmaking.
Twisted moonlight floods an abandoned alleyway with a sickly green-blue tint. Silhouetted humanoid figures crawl along the brick roads and piles of oversized trash, following a massive car. They watch as a pulsating white bag is discarded by its unseen driver. A nauseating chord progression, played in blaring synth, repeats and grows louder as the figures draw closer to the bag, revealing disturbingly realistic human faces, digitally stitched onto furry animated bodies. The entire scene begins to spin as the creatures circle their target. Hissing sounds fill the air. The dance becomes chaotic. The closest figure raises a feline claw. The music swells to a climax. With one swift motion, he tears the bag open.
Truth be told, when my editor informed me that I would be allowed to write this article, I did a little dance behind my black zoom screen. I am far from a figure skating aficionado (unless we’re counting the 3 weeks of figure skating classes I took with my brother when I was 7). That said, I am a huge figure skating fan and have been obsessed with following the performances and careers of some of the best figure skaters of our time. So, in honor of the Beijing 2022 Olympics, I present a list of my favorite figure skating performances from the past decade, in hopes of converting each and every one of you dear readers into the figure skating stan that I am.
It is not every day that you find a movie that encapsulates everything you would ever want in a rom-com. To be both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, witty and beautiful, full of romance and humor. This is exactly what you’ll find in 10 Things I Hate About You, the best movie to watch during Valentine’s weekend. Released in 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You stars Julia Stiles as Kat and Heath Ledger as Patrick as they create the ideal rom-com through a timeless story of love, friendship, and music. 10 Things I Hate About You is my go-to till the world ends. Imagine this: Valentine's Day, on that sweet Monday night, snuggled up with your significant other or snuggled up with warm blankets and hot chocolate. 10 Things I Hate About You’s opening scene is playing, and everything is good. For me, in a long-distance relationship, Valentine's Day will be comprised of looking forward to watching 10 Things I Hate About You via Disney+ Group watch. It is EVERYTHING one could ever want in a rom-com. Here are 10 Things I Love about 10 Things I Hate About You.
There are certain fictional characters that hold very significant personal meanings to their fans, regardless of what media they come from. This can be because we relate to, admire, idolize, or just simply adore these individuals. Spider-Man has always been one of those characters for me, as well as countless others. He’s been my favorite superhero for as long as I can remember. Growing up I had Spider-Man video games, movies, comics, toys, and any other memorabilia you can imagine. Over the years, I only fell more in love with the character of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker in all of his live-action, video game, and animated portrayals. While each live-action film franchise certainly has its own flaws, all three film portrayals of Peter Parker, from Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield, and most recently Tom Holland, all have enjoyable qualities. So when rumors began circulating that the first two could potentially make an appearance in Tom’s newest film Spider-Man: No Way Home, It made perfect sense as to why it became one of the most anticipated blockbusters of 2021.
Musical composition has reigned as one of the most defining qualities in films since sound made its debut, but its absence may be just as impactful. Everyone is familiar with films like Jaws, The Pink Panther, or the Star Wars franchise, unquestionably due to their original musical scores, as well as their plots. Céline Sciamma’s 2019 film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, not only coexists with these movies with a devoid musical framework (at least until the end), but arguably ranks amongst or even above them.
