REVIEW: Moana tells inspiring feminist story


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It is easy to envy the little girls growing up under this new vein of animated Disney movies where archery is a vital skill, sisterhood replaces true love’s kiss and a teenage girl sails into the unknown to bring hope back to her kingdom. In Brave, Frozen and now Moana, there is no more talk […]

REVIEW: Natalie Portman stuns in biopic Jackie


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An elegant and contained examination of a woman under the spotlight, Jackie is a picture as refined as the former First Lady herself. Directed by Pablo Larrain, the film depicts the events of the week following John F. Kennedy’s assassination through the eyes of his widow, Jackie Kennedy. Filmed with an almost unnerving degree of […]

Loving is sweet, but ultimately hollow


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Based on the historical Supreme Court ruling Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage, Jeff Nichols’ new film Loving tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the case’s defendants and the couple whose love for each other became a landmark victory in the fight for civil rights. It is evident that Nichols, who both […]

REVIEW: ‘Arrival’ discusses a tale of human-alien interaction


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Films come and go often, and audiences move on quickly from one film to the next without much thought. Rarely does a film completely shock, unexpectedly impress and profoundly move audiences. This is the case for the 2016 science fiction film Arrival. Arrival tells the story of a linguistics professor, Louise (Amy Adams), whose expertise […]

Tennyson, Yeasayer, M83 perform at the Greek Theater


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On Friday, electronic band Tennyson, indie-rock band Yeasayer and indie-electronic music group M83 performed at the Greek Theater. Tennyson, a Canadian brother-sister duo, opened the show with Luke Pretty on keyboard and Tess Pretty on drums. Throughout their performance, the music group showcased their instrumental abilities accompanied by their recent foray into lyrical invention. Luke […]

Bird’s Nest Cafe is South LA’s hidden gem


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Right on Vermont Avenue, near the hustle and bustle of USC traffic, Bird’s Nest Cafe is the neighborhood’s newest underrated gem. One would expect the cafe to be flooded with USC students and visitors, but it is surprisingly empty during lunchtime. The layout of the cafe is clean, and quaint with modern, bird-related décor tying […]

Inferno lacks fire


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The Catholic church’s favorite symbologist is back — only this time he is about as confused as everyone else trying to figure out how Jesus could have had a kid with Mary Magdalene. In Inferno, the third movie adapted from Dan Brown’s popular book series, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in Florence, Italy, with […]