Arts and Entertainment

By Lawrence Lau

“The Stranger”, a book by Albert Camus, visualizes how one’s philosophy of life can drive them to intense desensitization and mental corrosion, showing carelessness to everything around them. Reading the book should be an eye opening experience in everyone’s life. 

The book’s themes explore insightful perspectives of identity, morality, and religion. Camus’ writing style is a narrative on the life of Meursault, the protagonist, but interestingly it feels more expository during the moments when we are told direct judgements and perspectives of Meursault himself. 

The book may not be relatable to the average person, it might not even be relatable to the majority, as Albert Camus has uniquely designed his character. Meursault is made out to be somebody who seems so distant from the average person and has no real affection nor real relation to anybody, going as far as to blatantly agreeing that he had not loved his wife ever, if at all. I find it intriguing how the book leans into the protagonists’ unrelatability and abstractness.

Albert Camus uses a unique approach to character development which I find that most readers can learn from. He bases Meursault as a character who appears as this unrelatable and unconventional person, who over the course of the story shows to be desensitized and emotionless to everything around him. He excuses himself as being sure of what the end lies so he needn’t care about the present all too much anyway. His development nearing the end of the story builds him up to finally start showing emotion and caring deeply when his philosophy is questioned. His development is interesting as nearing the end of his life he is still stubborn about how he was happy his life played out, even though he was showing clear rage at how he ended up in his situation. Most stories either have a bad ending or a happy ending, but “The Stranger” has a unique one in between.

By Ben Collins

Homer’s epic poem has been translated to the big screen before, but never before with the jaw-dropping scale, practical effects, and intense acting performances of Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film "The Odyssey." "The Odyssey" is a great retelling of Homer's age-old mythological epic, which makes for a captivating and exciting film with phenomenal acting, incredible practical effects, and iconic on-scene locations. 

Director Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film "The Odyssey" adapts the Greek mythological epic "Odyssey," written by Homer in the 7th century. The story follows Odysseus after he raids the city of Troy, battling Greek mythological gods, witchcraft, and fantastical monsters, while trying to get his army back to their home of Ithaca. Awaiting Odysseus’s return, Ithaca’s kingdom falls weak with no king, and Queen Penelope must choose one of 100 suitors to take the throne. Her son, Telemachus, hunts for clues about his father’s whereabouts as Odysseus slowly finds his way home.

 It stars a strong cast, including Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, and many others.  

Damon, Holland, and Hathaway all portray main characters in the story, and their acting performances are definitely what made the storyline so strong. Even though these are all well-known actors, they disappear into their characters and act like real people. Hathaway plays the mourning queen of a once-fruitful empire who does not know if the king is dead or alive and is forced to marry one of the disrespectful suitors. Holland acts his role perfectly as a prince without a throne and makes the audience hate the suitors living in the palace as if we were Telemachus himself. Damon plays a brilliant and fierce leader still with human flaws, and he and his army suffer numerous tragedies during their desperate attempt to make it home, making it feel like they really won’t make it back to Ithaca.

 The realistic circumstances used to shoot scenes of "The Odyssey" makes scenes feel extremely real and carry lots of emotion. In the scene where Odysseus’s army waits in the Trojan horse for days, the actors for the army were actually in a 35-foot wooden horse for hours on end, crammed tightly with little light inside. For stressful scenes on the open ocean, the actors of Odysseus’s army were in an actual 115-foot wooden boat, being tossed around by real waves.  Realistic circumstances made the acting performances feel much more real. Characters' actions feel desperate and logical, because the actors on set are actually in stressful situations and environments. Instead of being a mere spectator, audience members feel as if they are part of Odyesseus's army.    

Director Nolan wanted to make the film feel as real as possible, and decided against using lots of CGI or controlled soundstages. The entire crew of “The Odyssey” travelled to six different countries to shoot the movie, including Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, and Norway, lugging heavy IMAX cameras the whole way. Almost no CGI was used in the film despite the dramatic effects shown, only minor digital effects to polish scenes.

  “The Odyssey” was shot entirely with IMAX 70mm film cameras, the first narrative feature film of its kind. The IMAX quality makes for a surreal viewing experience with quality shots throughout the movie.  This was made possible because “The Odyssey” had one of the biggest budgets of any of Nolan’s films, $250 million dollars, following the massive success of “Oppenheimer” (2023), which grossed over $983 million dollars worldwide upon its release.

Instead of a fake boat in an LA soundstage, Odysseus’s ocean voyage was on a real 115-foot Greek warship replica, floating on the oceans surrounding Norway. In one scene, Odysseus and his army fight massive man-eating giants called Laestrygonians, who appeared to be ten feet tall in the movie. However, no CGI was involved with this scene. Nolan used seven-foot actors to be the Laestrygonians and camera angles to make them appear much bigger. Even the scene early in the movie where Odysseus’ army comes face-to-face with the gigantic cyclops Polyphemus, played by Bill Irwin, was shot practically using a mix of full body prosthetics, animatronics, and a 60-foot puppet on set in a real, naturally formed cave in Greece.

All shots were filmed in real locations, using different countries as the islands that Odysseus and his men wash up on. In another scene, they visit Hades in the underworld, a black sand beach with a dark and foggy atmosphere where the dead arise from the ground. This scene was shot on location in Iceland, its natural environment aligning with the characteristics of the underworld in Greek mythology.

Witchcraft and mythological powers are used at several points throughout The Odyssey as a storytelling device, all done with practical effects. For example, after Odysseus escapes Polyphemus’ cave, he shoots an arrow at his face out of spite for the men that Polyphemus killed. This ends up catching up to Odysseus later on the sea, as they realize that Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon (god of the seas). Instead of having a giant man-shaped CGI water god pop out of the ocean, Poseidon’s wrath is shown as intense hurricanes and storms on the open ocean, tearing Odysseus’s ship apart and getting them even more lost at sea. This was definitely a cool way to show Poseidon’s powers by not showing him as a humanoid god, but as an unstoppable force that can control the weather and tides to exact revenge.

“The Odyssey” is a LONG movie with a runtime of two hours and fifty-two minutes, but it never feels too slow, like scenes are unnecessary or don’t add to the story. It is deserving of its long length, which is only right to retell an ancient story this complex and massive. This film definitely includes slower and less action-packed scenes throughout, but the strong acting performances and high stakes of the movie keep the audience on the edge of their seats, anxious to see what will happen next.

A lot of these slower scenes in “The Odyssey” show the internal politics between Ithaca, Troy, and Sparta, and these scenes orchestrate the story while slowly revealing what happened to Odysseus, the fall of Troy via the Trojan Horse, and how Ithaca's empire will crumble if Odysseus doesn’t return.

If you like Greek mythology or action movies with a strong story, then “The Odyssey” will be a good watch for you. The film combines modern filmmaking technology with one of the oldest and most famous stories of all time, with a modern spin on translations of the original epic story. All Bay Area teens should check out “The Odyssey”, whether you’re into Greek mythology or not, anyone can appreciate this mythological tale retold in a modern lens.

By Emily Chow

At Jandii, finding a table took longer than getting the drinks. Even with two floors of seating, most tables were occupied by adults working on their laptops or in meetings. At the counter, however, there was almost no line, and the drinks were ready within minutes. The quick service and bright interior made Jandii a comfortable study spot, although getting a table may be difficult during rush hours.

Located at 1100 Taraval St., only a few blocks from Lincoln, Jandii soft-opened on June 16th after the corner storefront had sat vacant for years. According to SFGATE, owner Jiyeon Choi and her husband, Hoyul Steven Choi, bought the 4,700-square-foot building for $2.75 million in 2019. Their original plan was to open U:Dessert Story, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the project. They later mentioned that Noodle Story would occupy the building in 2022, but that restaurant never opened either. Jandii officially brought the long-empty space into use this summer. 

The interior is now one of the cafe’s most notable features. Green and beige colors, plants, tall windows and plenty of natural lighting make the two-story space feel warm and inviting rather than crowded. “Jandii” means a lush patch of grass in Korean, and the nature-inspired design reflects that name. The simple colors and spacious layout also contribute to the cafe’s calm atmosphere.

Jandii’s menu focuses mainly on coffee, matcha and freshly baked scones, with hojicha options available as well. This review mostly focuses on the two drinks and raspberry scone I tried.

The most impressive item I tried was the hojicha einspänner. Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that is roasted, giving it a deeper and toastier flavor than matcha. An einspänner is traditionally a Viennese coffee topped with a thick layer of cream, but Jandii uses the same cream-topped element for their matcha and hojicha drinks. 

At around $8.50, it is definitely on the pricier side, but its strong roasted tea flavor stood out enough that I would order it again. It was much more memorable than the matcha, earning it a 9 out of 10. 

Matcha is a finely ground Japanese green tea powder that is mixed directly into a drink rather than steeped like tea leaves. I ordered the matcha einspänner, but it did not live up to my expectations. Its texture felt slightly too thick, and it left a brassy, almost metallic aftertaste. Between the two drinks, the hojicha einspänner would be my clear recommendation.

The $6.50 raspberry scone took around five minutes, slightly longer than the drinks. The additional wait time made sense because an employee warmed the scone with fresh raspberry jam in front of me. It arrived warm, and having it prepared after I ordered made it feel much fresher than a pastry taken directly from a display case. The warmth and raspberry jam made the scone satisfying and comforting, earning it an 8.5 out of 10.

Buying two drinks and one scone cost me around $23.50 before tax and tip. This makes Jandii a more realistic choice as an occasional treat rather than an everyday stop for most students. 

The atmosphere was the strongest part of the experience, earning a 9 out of 10. Most customers appeared to be finishing work or attending meetings rather than quickly finishing their drinks and leaving. This made Jandii feel like a cozy space to focus, but it also made finding an open table more difficult. Students should not assume that having two floors means there will always be available seating.

Jandii’s hours also limit how accessible it can be for Lincoln students. The cafe is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., leaving students only a short window to visit during lunch or after school. Students with a free period could take advantage of its location, but a weekend would be more ideal for a longer study session.

Jandii is best for someone looking for specialty high quality drinks, warm scones or a quiet place to finish work. It may not be the best choice for students looking for affordable drinks, full meals or guaranteed tables at busy hours. Still, its efficient service, standout hojicha and bright interior make it a place worth visiting at least once. Overall, Jandii earns an 9 out of 10.

By James Alfaro

When watching the infamous movie Obsession that took the internet by storm on May 15, 2026, people had a lot of different opinions on the movie. Many of the negative complaints felt that the plot relied too heavily on the narrative of the crazy girlfriend and that it was too predictable and repetitive. 

On the contrary, even more people had positive reviews. Many of these reviews were praising the amazing cast and their great performance for the movie.

Personally, I think that Obsession was a great movie. The suspense of waiting for what came next was such an interesting feeling that I don't usually get from movies. I feel like typical horror movies are extremely predictable about what comes next and what the character is feeling, but sometimes that isn't enough. The tension between the characters and their different personalities clashing with one another made such a cool dynamic, with them being friends and the tension between the main leads, Nikki and Bear. Their amazing performance and the time they put into the movie to perfect it and make the masterpiece we watched was admirable.

The movie showed us the relationship between these characters and the selfishness of Bear wanting Nikki to love him, and Nikki not having control over her own body. I think the movie was really good at showing these emotions from these characters. Watching this movie left me on the edge of my seat, eagerly waiting to see what came next. The direction the director took with making the movie different from traditional horror still astonishes me. The unpredictability of the movie raised my standards for horror movies. When I left the movie that day, I felt like I just saw an alien or some sort of new thing. Instead of jump scares or a regular villain like Michael Myers, I think making the main character the main villain gave us something new to enjoy because he wasn't the classic good guy. It was refreshing seeing the main character be the villain and not the same repetitive trope of the main character running away from the villain. 

I loved the fact that it was more disturbing than a typical horror film. It really gave us a sense of how the characters felt and their thought process through the screen while we were watching. I think that Obsession was a ten out of ten movie because of how different these movies were and the excellent way the actors played their roles. The only thing I would want to see would be where the characters ended up after the end of the movie. It would be really cool if the director made a spin-off of the movie and we got to see new characters and the return of some of the characters we already know. 

By Valentino Lopez

One rumor can change everything. Lincoln High School’s drama team is preparing to perform The Children’s Hour, a play about gossip, false accusations and the consequences of spreading lies.

Written by Lillian Hellman, the play follows two women who run a school for girls whose lives are turned upside down when a student spreads a false rumor about them. As the lie spreads, their reputations and relationships begin to fall apart.

For the drama team, bringing this story to life means portraying difficult emotions while exploring a message that still matters today. Rumors can spread quickly in schools, especially through social media, and can hurt people before the truth comes out.

Kennedy Byrne who plays Martha Dobie had shared their experience with the play. “ I would say that this one is definitely way more dramatic than last year's Blithe Spirit, because this one just has so much put into it that makes it so dramatic.”

The production also encourages students to think about how their words affect others. Taigh Quarles who plays Dr. Joseph Cardin explained his perspective on the play’s message. “ You never know what other people are going through, and you never know what the reality of a situation is, like kinda dont insert yourself or try to deal with problems that you don't fully understand.”

Although The Children’s Hour was written decades ago, its themes remain relevant. Through this production, Lincoln’s drama team hopes to remind the audience that words have consequences and that believing a rumor without knowing the truth can cause lasting harm.