Fall TV Show and Movie Reviews
By Amanda Cariola
TV Show - Gilmore Girls
IMDB RATING: 8.2/10 ☆
AMANDA’S STARS: ★★★★★
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) became one of the most popular TV Shows for people aged 13+. The show follows the main characters, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel) facing everyday challenges and obstacles in the small town of Stars Hollow. Lorelai is a single mother, and although she may have felt alone, her community helped her in ways she could never have imagined. From coffee at Luke’s Diner to her best friend Sookie, the chef at the inn she works at; the people in her life made the difficult task of parenting just a little bit easier. Rory is a straight A high school student who famously said, “Who cares if I’m pretty if I fail my finals.” With one end goal in mind, attending Harvard University, Rory works very diligently, trying to be not only the perfect student but the perfect daughter as well. Overall, the show has a cozy, familial feeling that I feel is best watched in the Autumn months. And if any Gilmore Girls watchers are out there, believe me when I say I agree with Richard, “I am an autumn” too!
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via Substack
TV Show - Boy Meets World
IMDB RATING: 8.1/10 ☆
AMANDA’S STARS: ★★★★
Created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly, Boy Meets World (1993-2000) is one of the most popular sitcoms of the decade. The show follows Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), an 11 year old boy in middle school facing the trials and tribulations of growing up. The main character has a best friend named Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), who is with him through it all. From first crushes to family obligations the show is an excellent representation of the true meaning of friendship and the importance of having the right people by your side. Overall, this coming-of-age show represents everyday struggles while providing a very comforting feeling to the audience.
Movie - Halloweentown
IMDB RATING: 6.6/10 ☆
AMANDA’S STARS: ★★★
Directed by Duwayne Dunham, Halloweentown (1998) is a classic Halloween movie that I believe every person needs to watch at least once in their lifetime. The movie follows a young girl and her two siblings discovering that her family comes from a line of witches. The revelation comes as a shock when she discovers her grandmother has been living in a place called Halloweentown. Desiring to learn more about her family heritage, Marnie defies her mother's wishes and travels to Halloweentown, where she discovers a town of ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. Throughout the movie, Marnie learns of the jack-o-lantern that has burned bright in the center of Halloweentown but is now slowly dimming, meaning the destruction of the city. Wanting to save her grandmother's town and the place her family came from, Marnie faces many obstacles and challenges. Though this movie is not one of the greatest of all time, I believe it has a great story and a strong representation of the importance of family. So, in this spooky season, give Halloweentown a watch and see if you think it's a Halloween classic, too!
via People
Tips for Studying Effectively
By Sofia Grimaldi
In the age of shortened attention spans and constant distractions that seem inescapable, it can be challenging to effectively prepare for upcoming evaluations. Despite our best efforts, it is easy to find ourselves losing track of time for many different reasons. Below are some tips and tricks for effective studying specifically designed for procrastination.
Find a Method that Works for You
Some people can absorb information by reading it repeatedly, but this isn’t a universal experience. To study effectively, you first must find out how you best absorb information. Try experimenting with different methods, like drawing out charts, listening to the content, using flashcards, or even phrases to remember a ruleset. Find something that you find most efficient for you. Don’t forget that everyone has their own way of learning.
Pace Yourself
People commonly associate spending many hours studying with “good” studying, but this isn’t the best way for everyone. Instead of reviewing for four or five hours at a time the night before the test, consider half an hour to an hour a day while the information is still fresh in your mind. Try treating studying more like homework, reviewing a lesson a day, rather than trying to cram all of it at once. That way, you have less to worry about the night before a test and have the opportunity to consult with a teacher in an appropriate time frame.
To offset the consequences of procrastination it may help if you collaborate with a friend and create more due dates, chunking the tasks to make your timeline more manageable. This limits your opportunity to waste time. These strategies may vary depending on the subject area. For example, a math lesson will have more straightforward problems to study, while an English lesson may require practice prompts discussed in class. It’s also worth paying attention to how much time it takes for you to complete different types of questions. If you can solve one style of problem in two minutes, but it takes fifteen minutes for another that’s just as complicated, then it’s a good idea to find out what makes one problem easier to solve than the other.
Be Mindful of your Environment
A common problem I encountered in my grade 9 and 10 years was the difference between practice and the test itself. Why did it seem so easy when I was working at home and then a hundred times more difficult to focus the moment I stepped into the classroom? When studying, it’s optimal to try to simulate the test, so you’re prepared for more than just content. It’s best not to study in complete silence or with too much background noise because these are two extremes that generally don’t occur during a test.
You can also do the opposite and try to take steps to make writing a test feel more like regular work. For example, you can use the same materials (pencils, pens, erasers) that you do at home, familiarizing yourself with multiple different aspects of the testing experience.
By tailoring your methods of study to your own preferences, setting appropriate time frames, and building familiarity with a test environment, you can spend less time worrying and more time working towards better results.
Citations: Simon Fraser University Click to learn more!
Stress Management Tips for Midterm Season
By Katerina Stathakis
With school being in session for about two months, the beginning of our school year has officially passed. While this means that we can finally get into the routine of school, it also means that the workload and the pressures that accompany high school will increase, and our stress levels will soar. Homework, heavy course loads, and overscheduling are only a few things that may contribute to high school stress.
Although moderate stress is thought to be beneficial to students and can act as a motivator for some, too much strain may harm a student's potential to learn and may contribute to physical and mental health issues. While stress is inevitable during one's high school years, there are some coping mechanisms that we can use to lessen the stress and stay calm when dealing with academic pressures.
Procrastination is a huge factor in student stress, especially if we struggle to get things started and tend to push off our tasks to the last minute. By being prepared, prioritizing our tasks by level of importance, and completing tasks before the deadline, we can relieve some of the stress caused by poor time management. Time management can be accomplished by breaking goals into smaller, more manageable parts and working in short intervals. Once started, your brain will remind you that the task is incomplete, and you will be more motivated to complete it. At the end of your day, try to concentrate on the positive. Focus on what you accomplished instead of what you didn't.
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A good sleep routine is crucial to minimizing stress and maintaining overall health. Poor sleep habits result in low concentration, poor memory, irritability, and a weak immune system and contribute to an overall negative effect on a student's performance in school. According to the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teens aged 13-18 need 8-10 hours of sleep per night. A healthy sleep routine in students will result in more productivity, being able to pay more attention to detail, and to concentrate better while studying.
Exercise can be a natural stress reliever that everyone can partake in. Exercise releases feel-good hormones known as endorphins, which help to alleviate the harmful effects of stress. This can improve our mood, increase our mindfulness, and overall mental well-being. Exercise can take many forms and doesn't have to be a gruelling endeavour. Any form of exercise, such as walking, running, biking, or yoga, will help to alleviate the stresses of the day. Twenty to sixty minutes a day, a few times a week, can counteract stress, improve concentration, and reduce fatigue.
via Adobe Stock Images
via Adobe Stock Images
via Adobe Stock Images
Talking to someone that you are comfortable with contributes to your overall well being. Having a conversation with a loved one, a good friend, a teacher, or a sibling will help to improve your mood and put things into perspective. Having a support system can provide the extra support needed to improve coping skills and ultimately reduce stress.
Don't forget to make time for yourself. Regardless of how many tasks you have and how few hours remain in your day, always find time for yourself. Take short breaks during your work and study routine, and do something that you enjoy and that brings you serenity. Find something that calms you and do it. If you know that there is a reward waiting for you at the end of a task, you may be more willing to get the task completed. Self-care is a crucial part of coping with stress. Figure out what works for you and stick to it. Journaling, breathing exercises, wellness apps, and meditation are all great examples of ways to decrease stress.
Though midterm season is stressful for everyone, there are ways that you can relieve the stress created by workload and overscheduling. By finding balance in your life and prioritizing your personal needs, your stress levels will decrease. Be aware that, though some methods may work for some students, they may not work for you, as everyone thinks and functions differently. For maximum effectiveness, use methods that revolve around you and how you like to work or study.
Citations: Harvard Summer School, verywellmind, AACAP, APA, University of Colorado Boulder, Bowdoin Click to learn more!
Fall Song Reviews
By Milena Tallarico
the rest - boygenius
Released: October 13, 2023
Genre: Alternative/Indie
the rest is a four-track EP following the release of Boygenius' debut album, the record, released in March of this year. Compared to the record, the boys have scaled back to a sound reminiscent of their 2018 self-titled EP with more acoustics and solo-led tracks accompanied by harmonies. These tracks are not simply an extended cut of the LP but appear to exist independently from it both sonically and thematically as they occupy their own cohesive realm, capturing central motifs from each of the three artists' independent works.
Voyager, led by Phoebe Bridgers, calls back to Moon Song from her 2020 release, Punisher, in the lyric, "Walkin' alone in the city / Makes me feel like a man on the moon / Every small step I took was so easy / But I never imagined a dot quite as pale or as blue,” while referencing the Voyager 1 spacecraft and the photo it took in 1990 of the Earth, called Pale Blue Dot. Bridgers reminds us just how insignificant we may be about the celestial. This extraterrestrial imagery resurfaces in Julien Baker's leading track, Powers, where Baker details a poetic tale of destruction and reconstruction in the form of an origin story, "How did it start? Did I fall into a nuclear reactor? / Crawl out with acid skin or somethin' worse / A hostile alien ambassador?" Lucy Dacus' striking contribution to the EP is found on the track Afraid of Heights, where she utilizes her characteristic theme of existentialism accompanied by the presence of an unstable counterpart who tries to waver her sense of rationality, prompting lyrics like, "I wanna live a vibrant life / But I wanna die a boring death."
the rest brings its listener to a sonic and thematic outer space, leaving them suspended in gravity to contemplate mortality, love, and the self. With outstanding solo careers, boygenius' collaborative efforts are somehow greater than the sum of their parts, as if some cosmic forces conspired to bring them together.
Big Red - Katie Gregson-MacLeod
Released: October 13, 2023
Genre: Indie folk, Pop rock
Big Red details a three-month relationship from beginning to end, taking its name from the pub where Katie Gregson-Macleod met her former partner. Following the breakthrough success of her 2022 acoustic EP songs written for piano, Big Red features much more prominent production and instrumentation elements. Gregson-Macleod employs a bass, guitar, drums, keys, and synths over confessional and autobiographical lyrics.
The first track, September, is all about new beginnings and leaving an unfulfilling situation for something better, ironic considering the tracks that follow. The chorus foreshadows the revelation of the consequences of idealization, “Gotta stop admin' for "forever” / Gotta put an end to this". As the anxiety of the situation becomes more prevalent on the third track, Guestlist, the production grows to surround the vocals in a mindscape of simulated chaos. Gregson-Macleod remarks on the absurdity of dating as a performer in a self-referential quip, “And I'll watch from afar as it all plays out / Get you both on the guest list and just not mention / What all those songs are about”. The production strips down again to a piano backing on the following track, TV Show, as she recounts the break up call that ultimately ended the relationship. Even in this profoundly bleak moment, Gregson-Macleod’s biting lyrics have a cleverness to them, “Did you bite your tongue? / Did you really have to go? / 'Cause the call was shorter than the bus ride home”.
On Big Red, Gregson-Macleod persists in her aptitude for witty and diaristic lyrics, her introspective nature making every gut-wrenching lyric into a punchline. She has recaptured the charm of her previous EP with the presence of a new and atmospheric production style to anticipate on a debut album.