McCarthy novels sap adrenaline from films


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Ours is a violent generation, and Cormac McCarthy knows it. He knows it, and he knows how to exploit us for it. The final third of Joel and Ethan Coen’s adaptation of McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men was one of the most divisive acts of cinema committed this decade. After establishing a violent and […]

A sweet spot in Little Tokyo


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Chewy. That’s the best word to describe traditional Japanese mochi, a treat derived from glutinous rice. Though most Benihana-eating, less educated folk know the treat as a round rice ball filled with ice cream or as a trendy pétite topping for frozen yogurt, mochi’s origins stem from customary offerings to the gods and are a […]

Cluttered home pages call for November spring cleaning


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When it comes to social networking, I consider myself a generous person. I am willing to click like there is no tomorrow, joining Facebook groups I don’t care about and becoming fans of things I’ve never heard of just so its owners can get one more popularity point. These are the sacrifices I make for […]

Office turns quirks into irritating habits


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Our mothers might say our quirks are what make us who we are; they give us “character.” Unfortunately, some quirks aren’t so charming and can sometimes manifest themselves as bad habits, which are notoriously hard to break. Sometimes, they are so deeply ingrained in a person’s behavior that turning them off is a nearly impossible […]

Single-screen theaters cultivate best and worst of indie film


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What can you say about a movie in 200 words? At the Daily Trojan, the word count for film reviews stands at somewhere around 800. At other papers, that number runs higher or lower depending on the editor and, more frequently these days, the bean counters behind the arts section. Put all those words together, […]

Clichés inevitable in likening cities


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There are two destinations where dreamers go to pursue wealth and fame: If you’re reading this, you’ve probably chosen Los Angeles. The other city, LA’s older sibling, still serves as a destination for wide-eyed youths yearning to make it big: New York City, which, on this side of the country, can inspire either wonder and […]

Every time Miley quits Twitter, a kitten dies


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The hot scandal in Hollywood right now is, unsurprisingly, a feud involving a certain Disney star we love to hate. Yes, Miley Cyrus is at it again, but she’s taken it up a notch: Instead of warring with Selena Gomez, she’s out to defeat Twitter, once and for all. A few weeks ago, Cyrus made […]

Better late than never does not apply in the working world


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Since elementary school, our elders have tried to instill in us the value of punctuality. Although unpacking your backpack and starting your in-class assignment before the first bell rang was rarely rewarded, showing up late was all-too-frequently grounds for disciplinary measures: a proverbial slap on the wrist, a dreaded “tardy” marring your otherwise perfect attendance […]

Von Trier’s arrogance pays off in Antichrist


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As Saw VI festers in theaters, American horror and the torture-porn subgenre have become inextricably connected. And just about nobody sees this as a step in the right direction. The main flaw usually assigned to these particular horror films is the nihilistic quality of the violence. After all, without characters identifiable on a psychological level, […]