ENTERTAINMENT & INTERVIEW

Sing 2 Mostly Hits the Mark

By Miah Jackson

Sing 2 is a movie directed by Garth Jennings. In the studio of Universal Pictures. This movie is a remake of the first sing movie. This movie was just as good and fit in to follow the original.Also, this movie comes from the creators of Minions, the secret life of pets and Despicable Me.

This movie is about what happened in the first movie when Buster moon and his group was putting on a show in Redshore city while working to impress the entertainment judges and discover a rock star to perform with his group.

This movie is about what happened in the first movie when Buster moon and his group was putting on a show in Redshore city while working to impress the entertainment judges and discover a rock star to perform with his group.

Another performance was when Johnny found his confidence and smashes his dance routine.

The cinematographers for sing 2 were Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy.

One funny part in the movie is when Mr. Moon said " Your routine is horrible, your footwork stinks like feet". In Japanese.

The ideal audience is any child or adult this movie is for all ages because it doesn't have any bad words or violence. 6 and above. Some other movie I would recommend is the first sing 2. The new minion rise of GRU

I rate this movie a ⅘

Before I Wake Did Not Keep Me Awake

By Davina Separzadeh

The movie Before I Wake, directed by Mike Flanagan, stars Kate Bosworth, Oleksandr Reshetilor, Thomas Jane, and Jacob Tremblay. The movie produced by Netflix is a horror movie about a boy whose dreams and nightmares come true.

The plot is based on a boy whose dreams and nightmares come true. There were many frightening scenes, including a scene when there was a monster under the bed. That stood out the most because it was the most alarming.

Daniel Robert Elfman was the composer of the sound in the movie. The music matched the film well and was frightening. Although the music was similar to other horror movies, it was still perfect.

This movie seems good for people who like horror movies. I enjoyed this movie a lot, and it's a gender-neutral movie. I rate this movie 3.3 stars out of 5.

Grown Ups Is Always Good for a Laugh

By Jonathan Gorodezki

Grown Ups 2, directed by Dennis Dugan, is one of the funniest movies starring Adam Sandler. This movie exceeded my expectations since I enjoyed the first movie of Grown Ups.

The film was perfectly written and was the definition of comedy. The dialogue is ridiculous.

There was a hilarious performance when Hicks ( another actor from Grown ups) said to his basketball rival/ ice cream maker to hit the button so the chocolate would come out but little did he know, it looked a lot more like something else.

Adam Sandler never broke character throughout the movie, no matter what. His character would make a joke out of everything. There is a performance that stands out when Chris Rock fights his black rival, to prove who is the "darkest" guy in the town.

Gregson-Williams was responsible for the sound. The soundtrack enhances the film. There are many moments when music is used in the movie. The music tends to be loud sometimes, but somehow still enhances the greatness of this film. The soundtrack is original. The soundtrack is not similar to any other movie. The soundtrack is very memorable.

The audience for this movie is people who like comedy. The gender for this movie would be every gender, and the ages would be 13+. This movie is similar to Accepted; as a rate, this movie is 5/5.

The Flash, directed by Nutter, was made by Warner Bros in 2014. The Flash is a show starred by Grant Gustin, also known as Barry Allen (The Flash). This series is in the same world as other DC characters like The Arrow, Supergirl, and Superman. I enjoyed other shows and versions of the story of The Flash. The origin of the Flash came from comic books, then made as a tv show. I have yet to see other films by this director. I had high expectations for the new seasons of the Flash. The performance exceeds to meet my expectations because I can't stop rewatching it.

The show is about a boy whose mom died when he was 11 years old of something impossible, and the murderer got accused by his dad. Luckily after this unfortunate thing happened, he was raised by a good family named Joe (the dad), Iris (The daughter), and Francine West, who is suffering from a disease (The wife). Anyways the film was set in Vancouver, British Columbia. And the concept film starred Jason Peter (The Flash). The plot is created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert. The dialogue is easy to tell that it's fictional. They still need a message or a consistent theme.

Barry Allen (The Flash) did excellent acting and killed all his scenes. Iris West was the wife of Barry Allen and was genuine and had no permanent powers in the whole Flash. Eoboard Thawne (The reverse Flash) completed complicated scenes, making him stand out. Also, Joe West did an excellent job on his acting with barely any mistakes.

He tells the cast what to do and makes their lines. Yes, at the end of season three, there was sad music and the camera with perfect angles after Iris died. They use special effects when the speedsters run, showing lighting as they run. Mostly everything in the show is fake and unnatural because it's a superhero show. The film is edited outstandingly. Yes, the scenes suit the movie perfectly.

The music artist creates the sounds in the show very well. The soundtrack enhances the film well. There are many pivotal moments when music and sounds are used in the movie, especially when someone dies. The soundtrack is not original and is not similar to other films. The soundtrack is memorable to me and everybody that also has that opinion.

The ideal audience for this film is Tom Cavanagh, who plays many people in the tv show The Flash. Tom is 58 years old and likes the other DC movies and shows. I recommend the film my honest rating is 100/10. This show is definitely worth watching.

Steller Performances make The Irishman Shine

By Adam Lugassi

The Irishmen is 2019, a Netflix exclusive movie following Frank Sheeran's story (The Irishman). Like many of Martin Scorsese's films, it is a three-hour rollercoaster of the mob and its effect on the labor union. My expectations were met in this movie. Judging from Scorsese's other films, this one is another accomplishment in Martin Sorcee's catalog.

The Irishman is about the journey of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) joining the mob, his business with Jimmy Hoffa and the Labor Union, and the aftermath of his involvement in the mob. The movie spans the time from the 1950s to the 2000s in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida. The overall plot is based on a true story but is still unique. It's slow at times but is aided with suspense and tension. The Irishman stores its action for only important moments in the film that move the story forward. The report is well written, and the dialogue is serious but can be funny at times without it being too distracting.

All the performances in The Irishman are great, though the three that stand out the most to me are Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino. Robert De Niro did a great job playing the role of Frank Sheeran. The main thing that stood out to me was how he balanced out the cold heart of Frank Sheeran's character with his warm side. As he goes through the later stages of his life, you can feel some despair, not too much, to the point that it completely rewrites the character. Another pretty impressive thing is how he changes through aging in the movie. The CGI team had to make Robert look younger since he was seventy-six at the time of making the movie. This shows that he had to act more young for a good portion of the film, and eventually in a drastically older Frank Sheeren as he nears the end of his life. Al Pacino played a prominent and substantial role in The Irishman, playing the role of Jimmy Hoffa. What makes this role great for me is the fact that all of Hoffa's shenanigan's felt real. It felt like all of Hoffa's takes were his true expression.

Hoffa was also funny, not because he was told to make a joke but because his character is like that. Joe Pesci plays the role of Russel Bufalino and does a fantastic job. Unlike most of his films, he plays his role differently than usual. Pesci is calmer, slow-talking, and demands orders out of respect. This new role stands out as he shows different styles and elements in his acting. This performance is well deserved for what looks to be his final performance.

The cinematography in The Irishman is unique. Rodrigo Prieto, the lead cinematographer of The Irishman, explains that he wanted the camera to flow with Frank Sheeran's mind. The camera movements are methodical, almost replicating how Frank Sheeran operates. The camera wanted to show Frank's organized ways and how he approaches actions as part of the job.

The soundtrack is an overall moshpit of classic retro songs: "In the Still of the Night" by the Five Satins, "Tuxedo Junction" by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, "I Hear You Knockin" by Smiley Lewis, and many more. The soundtrack enhances the mood immensely. The soundtrack helps set the tone of a 1950's mafia. The music supervisor Randall Poster did an outstanding job in picking the music and setting the tone for The Irishman.

Scorsese fans will definitely like this film. The movie is also an excellent finale for Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Robert De Niro, as it is probably their last movie together. Ultimately I recommend this film to any Mob/Mafia movie lover, and it is undoubtedly a must-watch. Overall I would rate the move a 4.6 out of 5

Inventing Anna Is A Refreshing Biopic

By Wolf Nazari

Inventing Anna is a movie produced by Netflix and was mainly directed by David Frankel. It is a drama/documentary series about a woman named Anna Delvey who conned herself to fake riches.

Anna Delvey was an artist at heart who wanted to create an exclusive club for the New York elite. She went from bank to bank, claiming she had millions of euros in Europe but needed a small amount to start her exclusive club. She claimed to be the heir of her wealthy father when in fact she was from a poor family.

The series begins after she is caught, and multiple newspapers claim she is stupid. In reality, she was a genius, and a reporter from Manhattan Magazine saw this and tried to tell the world about her geniuses. The film was well-written with clever dialogue that was not predictable.

The acting in the series Inventing Anna was excellent. You could see the emotion on Rachel's face when she was conned and the emotions on Anna's face when she got arrested. The entire cast did an excellent job emulating the real-life story.

Although the series had a minor amount of music, it seemed perfectly chosen for the movie when it played. The soundtrack improved the series' feel and made it much better.

This movie has no ideal audience. It is so good anyone could sit down and fall in love with this movie. I highly recommend watching the series if you haven't seen it yet but be where watching it is addicting.

Pinocchio is not Worth Watching

By Edward Morrison

Disney is going crazy on these live-action remakes. It seems like every classic Disney movie has been remade. At least the other remakes were pretty solid. Quality is different between the first couple of remakes and the newer ones. The remakes pre-pandemic were good high-budget movies, the new ones that go straight to Disney plus are just rushed garbage.

I've seen the original Pinocchio, like everybody born after the year 1900, and it is a good 7/10, which is already seen by the public as a low rating, but my rating was accurate. I expected the new Pinocchio to be mediocre at best, a 4/10. When I finished watching this movie, abomination, I scored it as a 3/10, which is generous.

The movie is set in 1826 Italy. Pinocchio, like most Disney classics, is based on a fairy tale. The story's central concept is that Geppetto is a lonely craftsman. Here we come upon one of the few changes to the original movie. In the original, it is shown that Geppetto has never married or had a child. But in the remake, it shows that he is married. It also indicates Geppetto holding a photo of a child who is believed to have been Geppetto's son, who passed away. This also gives us an apparent reason for the creation of Pinocchio. This is one of the only improvements to the movie. Other than pictures, anyway.

The cast sucks; here's an example. Geppetto is played by Woody and Jiminy Cricket sounds like he's in a Western. Pinocchio's voice is somewhat accurate but is a bit obnoxious. All I can say is the cast better. The only people I've even heard of who are part of the cast are Tom Hanks and Joshua Gordon-Levitt. What sucks even more, is they were pretty unfit for the role.

The film does look excellent; Disney live-action movies are beautiful visually; Disney is not a special effects movie maker. The only thing Disney lacks over Universal is the special effect king. They have been making live-action movies for over a century. Disney is slightly younger, but they're also more known for animation. Also, you have to realize that Disney is better for its storytelling. The film was edited well, but at this point, everybody in the film industry isn't doing one of those weird cuts. Overall, the film's cinematography is about an 8/10, which is also the film's best part.

Alan Silvestri composed the soundtrack of this abomination of a movie, and his job was to save the film, and he did poorly. I liked the songs I could remember, which would only be two; I've got no strings, and I will always dance. There isn't a substantial Musical part of Pinocchio, but they didn't do a terrible job with what they had. Overall not much to say about the soundtrack.

Now, like all Disney movies (except for some of the princess movies), this movie is pretty gender-neutral. The problem I've encountered with all these kids' movies is that they're becoming more and more unwatchable

for parents. I understand that the original Pinocchio was for kids, but it should be for all ages. I think filmmakers should start making

films that kids can watch rather than films only for kids.

Student Interview

Where The Crawdads Sing

By Justin Kim

Where the Crawdads Sing is a murder mystery novel written by Delia Owens. This book was a #1 New York Times bestseller and was made into a movie. It takes place in the state of North Carolina in the 1950s and 60s.

The protagonist, Kya, is a girl that lives in an area of marsh surrounded by nature. Kya is abandoned and betrayed by many people she loved so she learns to live solitarily. Living alone, Kya starts to bond more with the plants and animals in the marsh.

Kya bonds with nature, but she loses her connection with people. She distrusts everyone she meets and most people that live in the towns think of Kya as a monster since she lives in the marsh.

She is later accused of the murder of a man that Kya had been meeting with. Kya goes to court and a retired lawyer surprisingly offers to be Kya's attorney.

For anyone who enjoys reading about nature or court or genres like mystery and romance, this book might be the right match. Reading may be confusing for some people as the book goes back and forth between the past and the present every few pages.

Where the Crawdads Sing has amazing characters, a great ending, a beautifully written setting, and even a short cookbook is included at the end. It's a noteworthy book so middle schoolers and anyone older should read it.

Rappers at their Best

By Gyft Prescott

This year for music has been a roller coaster, whether it was New Albums, Music Videos, or even features.

The first song I will examine is "The Heart Part 5" by Kendrick Lamar from his album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. This song is interesting because it showcases how Kendrick Lamar speaks about the pain of growing up in his hometown of Compton. It also shows Kendrick Speaking from the Perspective of people such as O.J. Simpson, Jussie Smollet, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hustle. Additionally, Kendrick Lamar's new album Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers received a lot of love but a lot of critical hate as well. It is not like his album DAMN which included an incredible amount of radio hits. This album shows the personal side of Kendrick and how he had a lot of trauma growing up.

Another album that debuted this year, Honestly, Nevermind by Drake, showcases an incredible amount of songs that show a party-like vibe, which most of the audiences disliked because of its repetitive sound. Although it's a radio-type album, It's different from what people expected just because it's Drake.

The next album from this year was The Forever Story by JID. This album is exciting because, in a way, it shows a type of storytelling that not many artists have in this generation of Music. In My opinion, it has to be Nominated for Album of The Year because it's just that good, and It shows the tendencies of Good Kid, m.A.A.d by Kendrick Lamar with the storytelling. Last but not least, We need to talk about the Feature Roller Coaster J. Cole has been on this past year. The song "Johnny P Caddy" by Benny the Butcher features Dreamville's J. Cole delivering a legendary verse that left everyone shaken. A line in the song includes: "Eureka, Einstein on the brink of the theory of relatively/Really No MC equal" which shows the genius Cole puts into his lyrics.

An Inspirational Musician

By Jonathan Gorodezki

Have you ever wondered how Drake is so famous? Have you ever wondered about his albums? Whether it is a yes or no, I will tell you all about Drake and why I am so inspired to write about him.

Drake is an inspiration to me. Also, he has taught me that when you work hard for something, you can achieve anything. Another point of why I write about him is that Drake worked so hard to get where he is today; he would work hours and hours until he got something perfected.

I love listening to his songs. ( I am listening to his songs now, that is how much I love his songs.) Another point why I like drake is because when you hear his songs, not only can you dance, but you can also mosh pit.

Some people might argue with what I said in Reason 2 because Drake curses a lot in his songs and also because some adults don't like to mosh pit.

People who disagree with me are wrong because Drake changed music forever. No matter how many times he curses, his music is still great. Another supporting detail is most of the things Drake says in his songs are real.

Overall, I love Drake because he is a good man. He has done many good things for his community; he puts family first and makes people's dreams. My last reason is that he has donated so much money to hospitals and charities.

YES, Close to the Edge, 50th Anniversary, Exceeds Standards

by Adam Lagassi

Close to the Edge by Yes is considered, by many, one of the best progressive rock albums ever. I attended the Yes 50th anniversary of Close to the Edge (1972) concert on October 25 in Riverside.

Before the first act, there was an In Memorium for drummer Alan White's passing on May 26, 2022. After the In Memorium ended, the show started. The band began with their song "On the Silent Wings of Freedom." The crew's sound astonished me with its crystal clear guitar, vibrant keyboard, deep drums, bass, and singer Jon Davison who replaced Jon Anderson in 2012.

The new songs they created with Jon Davidson fit the band overall and did not take its identity away. The songs felt powerful and showed that YES can still make great music. Heart of the Sunrise was a beautiful ending to the Concert's first half.

In the beginning, the lead guitar part was influential, as the building base and drums were near the middle of the long intro. Jon Davidson and the band's first verse contrasted the song considerably. Everyone complemented each other and showed outstanding musicianship. The ending showed force and power.

After halftime, we heard the jungle ambiance, the intro of Close to the Edge then played "The solid time of change." The band sounded surprisingly similar to the track, capturing all the little bits and details. Steve Howe's guitar shredded during "The Solid Time of Change" and added much more life to the part. The chaos was played beautifully into the contrast of the next part, "Total Mass Retain." The shift between "The Solid Time of Change" and "Total Mass Retain" was clean and organic, like the track. Billy Sherwood's constantly moving and sliding bass added to the part. Jon Davidsons Voices complemented the way very well, almost matching Jon Anderson without actually cloning him.

Then came the beautiful organ and soothing voice of "I Get Up, I Get Down." This final act was theatrical and recreated perfectly. Geoff Downes's organs transition to the distorted keyboard and drums part was beautiful. The last couple of minutes of the song was super dramatic and complete—a stunning recreation for the 50th anniversary of Close to the Edge. "And you and I" was also great; the reverb guitar part, in the beginning, was beautiful. Jon Davidson's voice was also lovely in the song. Steve Howe also used a weird string instrument laid flat and plaid by pitching the string. The sound resonated beautifully across the room and added another atmosphere to the song. Yes surprised the audience with "Roundabout" after leaving for less than a minute to probably get all their equipment ready. The Iconic intro excited the audience. Steve Howe's guitar line resonated beautifully. He used a separate guitar with different effects to fulfill the sound. The rest of the song was delightful and showed the talents of the 54-year-old band. The band finished with "Starship trooper," ending the Concert incredibly. The music started with the iconic guitar intro. Jon Davidson's voice was great here, like in most songs. The keyboard fits the retro space vibe of Starship Trooper. Steve finished the song with an energy-packed solo and ended the Concert with a bang.

The Close to the Edge, YES tour exceeded my expectations entirely. If you are a YES fan or just like Older music, you should keep your eye peeled for any YES concerts in your area. I would give the show an overall rating of 9.2/10.