Commentary, Movie Reviews, Raffles Reviews

Joker: The Rise of A New Kind of Comic Book Film?

By Ng Ziqin (20S03H)

The growing love affair between the modern viewer and the comic book film is no secret. And with superhero films like Iron Man (2008), Wonder Woman (2017), Black Panther (2018), not to mention all four Avengers movies consistently topping the box office, this trend looks set to stay. At the same time, the moral palates of modern audiences are becoming increasingly nuanced. It is no longer sufficient to throw the protagonist a cape, give him a toothpaste-commercial smile, and tell the audience, ‘Look, there’s your hero. Root for him.’ No, as the box office successes of ‘antihero’ protagonists Deadpool (2016) and Venom (2018) have proven, contemporary cinemagoers believe themselves to be more sophisticated than that. The contemporary cinemagoer craves complexity, shunning the traditional hero protagonist in favour of the more morally ambiguous, more ‘relatable’ antihero. 

Joker may only be the latest in what has been a long line of highly profitable comic book films, yet it is also the first of its kind. It is the logical conclusion of the modern cinemagoer’s twin obsessions with the comic book film genre and relatable protagonists: a comic book film featuring a villain protagonist, one who receives no redemption by the end of the film.

After the disappointment that was Suicide Squad (2016), which featured the Joker for a mere fraction of its 2h 17min runtime despite teasing otherwise in the trailer, Joker feels almost like it could be an apology letter to the fans. But is it a good one?  Continue reading “Joker: The Rise of A New Kind of Comic Book Film?” →

Commentary, RI Events, School Life

Mental Health Awareness Week: Im’perfect

By Benjamin Liew (20A03A) and Tay Jing Xuan (20S03C)

Often we are told, as students, to achieve only the best and to be perfect. What does it mean to be perfect, though? Is it straight ‘A’s? Is it playing a 7-minute musical piece flawlessly from beginning to end? Or is it, as what many people think, infallibility and invincibility?

Continue reading “Mental Health Awareness Week: Im’perfect” →
Club Competitions, Clubs, Commentary

Putting the ‘Care’ in Healthcare: Raffles Business Symposium 2019

By Ruchira Ramaswamy (20S03A) and Rachael Koh (20S07C)
Photos by Koh Jia Hao (20S06M)

“Healthcare is the toughest of all the sectors, should you decide to venture into entrepreneurship.” 

Professor Lawrence Ho, an accomplished endoscopist cum co-founder of medical robotics company EndoMaster©, put forth his frank opinion as such in his keynote speech, standing at the podium in the Performing Arts Centre. Sharing briefly about his journey as an entrepreneur and the obstacles faced in this industry, he concluded his address by rallying youth to find their passions and innovate. Attendees of the Raffles Business Symposium 2019 applauded him, sitting in anticipation of what was to follow. The theme this year was Healthcare —which has always been applicable to our society, and is more so now than ever, in light of ballooning issues such as ageing populations, and antibiotic resistance. But finding solutions to these problems, and many more, is no piece of cake. Continue reading “Putting the ‘Care’ in Healthcare: Raffles Business Symposium 2019” →

Commentary, RI Events, School Life

TEDxYouth@RafflesInstitution

By Val Yeo (20S03O), Gabrielle Ng (20A01E), and Jermaine Wong (20S03R)

When students filed into the PAC slightly before 1 pm on Saturday, 3rd of August, the anticipation was thick in the air, eagerly filling the front seats to be as close to the stage as possible. After all, only 100 students were given this rare opportunity to see so many well-known public figures in one place, in close proximity. And when 1 pm rolled around and the emcee came out on stage to introduce the first speaker, the audience cheered with enthusiasm, keenly waiting what the day had to offer.  Continue reading “TEDxYouth@RafflesInstitution” →