2021-22
Movie Review
The Nightmare Before Christmas in Review
By: Evan Eichorn '25⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have you been wondering if there is a creepy movie that fits with the holiday seasons? Well look no further! The movie club has watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, and we wanted to share our thoughts. Everyone thought it was quite good, and if we would have to rate it, it would be an 4/5, but there is a lot more that makes this move great than just a rating. I personally found the movie good but there were some parts that were slow or simply didn’t keep my interest. All in all it was a solid movie that you could enjoy watching with your friends and family especially with the holidays coming up.
Let’s take a more in depth look at why it’s good. The Nightmare before Christmas is a 1993 film directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton. The character and environmental design is gorgeous, making it feel like you are right there in Pumpkin Town. The plot of the movie was great. The story follows Jack Skellington and his search for self-identity tells a great story of being something that we, ourselves, can’t be. The movie had three main settings.The first one is in Pumpkin Town, the city of all things Halloween, this is where a majority of the movie takes place. The second one is in Christmas Town, the village of everything Christmas. This is a fairly minor place, but it leads into the story heavily. The third is in the human world. This is again, a minor part of the story, but it's essential for the climax.
The setting effects the plot greatly. Firstly, the models used for the plot are stunning. The handcrafted buildings and streets look astonishing, with Pumpkin Town perfectly encapsulating the spirit of fear, while Christmas Town encompasses the essence of winter and the Christmas season. The setting affects the plot because Jack Skellington, The Pumpkin King, is enthralled in all of the merry and joyful sights of Christmas town, a stark difference from the gloomy and murky Pumpkin Town. Once he sees the town's ruler Santa Claus, or as he mistakenly calls him “sandy claws”, he wants to become him, and bring horrors to the human world for Christmas.
Into the critiques. The movie's characters are fine. There are many side characters, and the ones that stood out are Sally, Oogie Boogie, Lock, Barrel, Shock, and Dr. Finkelstein. With Sally being the main side character, she is a sidekick or love interest to Jack. She keeps saying that taking over Christmas with Halloween will fail, and that Jack should just be himself and not try to be something he isn't. Oogie Boogie is another interesting character. He is the villain in the story, and definitely brings the creeps. He fits in really well to the story, and drives the plot and story extremely well. Lock, Barrel, and Shock are a gang of monsters tasked with catching Santa. Their characters are very similar, and lack any kind of growth in the film, but they are used to progress the plot. Even then, they are still noteworthy for their great character designs. Finally, Dr.Finkelstein. He is an overprotective father trying to keep his daughter, Sally, away from the real world. He adds layers to the story, making a subplot about his daughter growing up and going into the world.
The movie is older which leads to a few problems that can be easily overlooked. Because it is older, there were technical limitations for their time, but even being 28 years old, the incredible stop motion still holds up. Everything you see in the film was 18 months of work stitched together into a true masterpiece. However there was one thing that bugged me the entire time and that was the audio quality of a single character. When watching the movie I always noticed that Sally’s voice quality was always worse than the rest of the characters, even side characters.
Finally, The movie itself was nothing groundbreaking, and there were no moments of real tension or cliff hangers. The Nightmare Before Christmas was also extremely influential, being almost synonymous with the holiday of Halloween, and having a small cult following. Even 28 years later, the movie's influence on Halloween can still be seen today, with costumes, decorations, and loyal fans to the franchise. If you watch it and want even more, a sequel, Long Live The Pumpkin Queen, in the form of a novel, is coming out in 2022. Overall, it's a great movie and worth watching, and we highly recommend it.
The World According to Jay
Jay's November Journal
By: Jayline Cruz '22
On November 1st I started on an ambitious journey that would not only challenge me as a person but also challenge my spirit and my growth. I can say that after thirteen days of doing this, it hasn’t been easy, but I have learned so much about myself and feel as though I have grown so much in just this short amount of time.
Now reader, you’re probably wondering what life-changing thing I did, and the simple truth is that I did a few things. First, I decided to wake up at 5 AM as opposed to my normal wake-up time of 5:30 AM. This was the easiest change for me. The extra 30 minutes gave me time to get ready in the morning without rushing. And on the days that I would fail to wake up at 5 am my whole day felt sideways. This simple activity of waking up 30 minutes earlier had the power to dictate my mood and outlook on my days. But I guess it also comes down to setting expectations and not meeting them. I personally hate failing expectations. It makes me unhappy that I didn’t give something my all. I ask those reading this, is there not enough time in the day for the things you want to do? My answer to this questions was "yes" and yours probably is too. Trust me, an extra 30 minutes can change your time management. I found myself studying at 5 in the morning and acing my test later that same day. The first few days it is hard to get up. Eventually, it becomes routine and a part of your life. I now love waking up at five, it makes me happy to have conquered something challenging. I recommended that each and every one of you push your boundaries so that you can grow as a person. For it is only through challenging ourselves that we can truly become our new selves.
I also read, meditated, and listened to a podcast every day. I like to think that I am better than everyone else because I did this (which is a very bad mentality) but this is Jay’s Journal, so the truth must be told. I didn’t read a fancy book like War and Peace but I read something that I enjoyed. I feel that we are often stifled in the realm of reading while in school since we are so focused on learning the classics that we forget that other genres and other writers (that aren’t dead old men) exist out there with great work of their own. This was a favorite challenge because it brought me back to when I would always read and I miss that part of me, the part that was always reading wherever and whenever she could. The first book I picked up to read this month was the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is an amazing book, so I’ve been told, but I couldn’t get past page 60. The book simply wasn’t my type of book, I instead was getting caught in the fact that this was a book with literary merit and that I would be better than everyone else (yet again very bad mindset) if I read it. I thankfully found another book that was more my style, a contemporary romance novel called Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. I read the book in a record-breaking 5 hours! I couldn’t put it down. I was entranced by the surrealist love story being told. I love romance novels because they give me hope that life can be a certain way even though I know life is anything but a romance novel. Reading Ugly Love led me to read Beach Read by Emily Henry, another contemporary romance novel. This book took me longer to read but that is okay. The story is great and I find myself wanting to just get to the end and see if my predictions are true. Fortunately, I had a little self-control this time. Reading has brought me back to who I was, which I appreciate as I have felt lost recently. But I can’t say it was all just reading. My morning meditations have also helped tremendously. The one meditation that helped the most was one centered around letting the past go and letting yourself be who you want to be. I really needed that mediation because I have been so stuck recently, battling with who I am and who I want to be in the future. That session taught me to let go and change now, no need to wait just to go for it. This session only emphasized the reason I listen to a podcast so that I can be informed about the world around me. I highly recommend that everyone learn about what is happening in our cities, our states, our country, and our world because that is the only way we can be informed citizens of the world and maybe can help make it a better place.
Like I said before, I went on an ambitious journey that included all I said before and the ultimate challenge: drinking a gallon of water a day. Going in I knew it was going to be the hardest one but I thought I could do it. I was wrong. First, my mom didn’t think I needed a gallon of water a day so I brought it down to half a gallon a day, a little more attainable. I was successful for a total of four days, maybe until I had a bad experience. One day, I drank half a gallon of water and went to bed like normal but that night I woke up in a lot of pain and nothing would take it away. I could feel the water inside just sitting in my stomach and had no idea what to do. Since that day I haven’t attempted to drink half a gallon, now I drink around 20 ounces of water a day as compared to the 64 I was before. It is okay that I failed because it taught me how to be reasonable with myself. Prior to this, I would barely drink any water and now I drink 20 ounces, that is a big step. I shouldn’t have expected myself to increase my water intake overnight. The biggest takeaway is to be reasonable when setting expectations for yourself. Don’t set a goal that is unattainable.
It’s important to challenge yourself to see who the future you can be. And whether it’s big or small it is enough to make a difference in your life for the better.
Lived, Laughed, and Loved,
Jay
Jay's December Journal
By: Jayline Cruz '22
I spent the entire month of December in the dark. And by "in the dark" I mean no social media. This seemed scary to me back in November, during days that I would spend five hours on social media. I knew back then that my screen time was bad but I did not have the motivation to change my ways. That is why when the idea of me going the entire month of December without social media was introduced I thought it would be a great way to combat my addiction.
My favorite thing about this month has been the time I have had to reflect. I used to be so busy with social media that I didn’t have time to think about how I felt about certain things. Although this is my favorite thing about this month it also wasn’t the best part either, because without the distraction of social media it allowed my mind to freely explore all of its insecurities. I am a big fan of the song “Let it Go!” from the movie Frozen and its quote “the past is in the past, let it go” . I believe that it’s better to move forward and not get stuck on old things of the past, but with time comes problems. I feel like it’s important to reflect, especially at the end of the year when New Year goals are being made. If it wasn’t for the time to reflect I probably wouldn’t know all the things I hope to improve upon in the future.
With all the free time I had this month I also had a lot of time to read. This is something I carried over from November and I’m so happy that I started this habit because it’s the best. This month I have read four books and am currently on my fifth book. If I still had social media I don’t think I would have been able to read all these books because I would have distracted myself on TikTok or something.
I kind of like not having social media. I no longer have this sort of pressure on my shoulders to try and prove that I have a nice life anymore. I didn’t know that I felt that pressure till now, and it is not like an overbearing pressure but like a subtle one, one that plants little voices like “wow our makeup looks good today let’s post a selfie” or “omg people have to know that I’m at the art museum.” When in reality life isn’t a competition on who has a better life or more fun.
I think that everyone should take a break from social media especially during the last month of the year so that they can reflect and change their ways in the coming year. Let the future be a mystery, the past a memory.
Lived, Laughed, Loved
Jay
Just Joe
Joe James '22
“What was your favorite thing about Freshman Year?”
Chicken nuggets. Yes I did meet all my friends, joined various clubs, and took part in many activities that were run by the school. However, no events that have occurred will ever compare to the luscious flavorsome delicacy of Archbishop Wood’s chicken nuggets. Even though I was cursed with third lunch, I would do anything for a chicken nugget meal. “What makes life worth living?”
Usually, fancy cheeses and those tiny chewy mints restaurants normally give you when you are finished with your meal.“How many meatballs does it take to fill up the mass of the earth?”
After thinking long and hard about this question, my answer is one meatball. If you have a meatball that is big enough, then it will instantaneously fill up the mass of the Earth. However, if you would like to know how many individual meatballs it takes to fill up the entire mass of the Earth, you are in luck. I did the math. The Earth weighs approximately 6.6 sextillion tons while an average meatball weighs about 3 ounces. If we convert the mass of the Earth to pounds we would get 6.6 x 1021 pounds. We would then have to convert that to grams, we would then get 1.056 x 1023 ounces. Now we divide that number by 3 ounces which turns out to be 3.52 x 1022. Now all we have to do is convert that to a real looking number. In conclusion, it would take about 3,520,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 meatballs to fill the mass of the Earth. As much as I would love a world full of meatballs, this would also mean the total decimation and extinction of all life on Earth.“Hey Joe! I’ve recently gotten a punch stain on my carpet and don’t know how to get it out?”
“My dog won’t stop barking, what should I do?”
Dogs are a joy to have on this planet and we truly do not deserve them. Here are three bits of advice about how to keep your dog quiet so it does not disturb you or your neighbors. Option A would be to reward the dog for its good manners and behavior. If that option does not work, then I suggest you move on to option B. Option B is the old spray bottle trick. If your dog is getting too loud just give him a little squirt in the face. This obviously doesn’t harm the dog, it just annoys them. And finally there is Option C which I would like to refer to as the Old Yeller. I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one much further but lets just hope it doesn’t come to that option.Чатарина с Катаринa
Catarina Guerrero '23
The Cheese Debate
Who was the person in charge who dropped the ball? Or rather the wheel. No one ever documented what type of cheese the cheese wheel was the zenith of Andrew Jackson’s administration. Why? A better question would be why am I talking about a cheese wheel that was from 1835?
Now that I think about it, it's actually quite weird. Most teenagers don’t usually spend hours thinking about that specific cheese wheel. But I’m one of fourteen teenagers that does. In my A.P. U.S. History class that's all we seem to talk about. I mean that and like history, I guess. So what’s so interesting about a cheese wheel, that it has gotten a hold of a group of teenager’s attention. Which is quite remarkable given the average teenager has the attention span of a lima bean. No one will ever know what type of cheese it is! Maybe it’s because we students are trying to waste class time; maybe it's because it's actually interesting.
Covid killed many things, one of them being in class syllabus uprooting conversations about the most random thoughts the students and teachers want to talk about. Maybe the huge cheese debate is my classes’ way of resurrecting these pleasantly odd conversations that truly enrich the curriculum.
Or maybe it's just because it’s an interesting thing to debate about and is of immense importance. Maybe it's the key to all of us getting a 5 on our APUSH exam in the spring.
Yeah it’s definitely the second reason.
When You Meet Your Celebrity Idol
What would you do if you met your celebrity idol? There are two main ways this scenario usually plays out.
The first is the most common one: complete embarrassment. Given how often people talk about meeting their celebrity idols you’d think the majority of people wouldn’t completely embarrass themselves as much as they do. Most people’s brain turns to a complete mush and they just go blank. Not only do they stay there with a blank stare but when they snap out of it they lose all sense of everything and say or do something beyond stupid. The best example of this is one of Beyoncé’s fans. At a concert Beyoncé gives the fan the opportunity to sing with her and because she is in such awe of Beyoncé she howls. Such a missed opportunity! She could have gone home and said she had the coolest experience vocalizing with Beyoncé. But no, instead she goes home to tell the story of how she was the idiot who was not prepared for her ten seconds to shine. I mean in her defense most people wouldn't be much better in her situation. But still.
The second scenario is less embarrassing depending on how you see it. Some people decide to take preventative action against pure stupidity when meeting their celebrity idol and completely planning it. But when you plan conversation it makes you seem like a creepy stalker. Trust me I’ve had a conversation with someone who completely planned our conversation and I was creeped out. It was so disturbing. You're taking your opportunity to meet your idol to leave them thinking of you as a psycho.
Of the two options I guess looking like an idiot isn’t too bad. We will all look stupid at some point in our lives. Why not have it be in front of someone you idolize? At least you blend in with the other 99% of the population and that’s not too bad is it?
Overplayed Christmas Songs
This is kind of a bold complaint but…
Christmas songs are overplayed. I’m sorry but it’s true. But before you start arguing in your head about why I’m wrong let me explain myself then you can make your arguments.
There are certain songs that happen to get overplayed each year. It’s not that I have any particular ones in mind. But it’s like all radio stations held a meeting to decide which songs they’re all going to overplay. It sounds ridiculous I know but that’s how it feels. And it’s not like they have the excuse that it’s a “new hit” or that it’s a “loved classic”. No! Sometimes they just overplay really weird ones that aren’t established classics or anything. They leave you scratching your head and thinking “what were they on?!”
Now yes this is a lot of ranting. But…but…I have a solution that’s just as, if not more, ridiculous as the overplaying theory. Radio stations should have an intricate plan for which songs they’re going to play. Now yes there probably is an order already established for some radio stations but for others it’s absolute chaos!
No joke, I’ve heard the same song played two times in a row. That’s actually what inspired me to write this article. I liked the song but it reminded me of how disorganized holiday music is on radio stations. I think they should plan out each week. Even better, they should have their listeners help plan out each week.