By Johnathan Lim (23S03M) and Lara Tan (22A01B)
The Spanish word encanto, translated in English, means charm or enchantment. However, you probably don’t take H1 or H2 Spanish, so you most likely didn’t pick up the word from there.
Chances are you’ve heard about it from Disney’s latest release, Encanto.
Continue reading “Should we talk about Bruno? Breaking our silence about Encanto”
By Faith Ho (22A01A)
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Nowhere is this more apparent than a scene in Writing With Fire, where journalist Meera Devi video-interviews a rising youth political leader who demonstrates pulling out a sword. The blade’s edges catch the straggling lines of light in the dark space as it arcs in the small space. She only looks at him unflinchingly.
Writing With Fire is a critically acclaimed documentary that delves into Khabar Lahariya, a small independent journalism company in India run by women in Uttar Pradesh, India. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2022 Oscars, and is a 2021 Sundance Film Festival Winner. Among its other glowing reviews, it was also chosen as the New York Times’ Critics’ Pick.
All for good reason—it is an incisive and inspiring look into the power of journalism.
Continue reading “Setting Journalism Alight: A Review of “Writing With Fire””
By Lara Tan (22A01B)
Every so often, when life gets overwhelming and I need a break, I turn to the best remedy available: Studio Ghibli films.
For those of us who aren’t familiar with Studio Ghibli, they’re the masterminds behind lighthearted classics like Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service and My Neighbour Totoro. And for self-professed movie connoisseurs who prefer Studio Ghibli’s more cerebral works, films like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, and Grave of the Fireflies are sure to hit that intellectual sweet spot.
Continue reading “Hidden Gems: Studio Ghibli’s Coming-of-age Films “
By Max Chwa (21A01B)
Rating: ★★★☆☆
It’s hard not to feel proud when an aspect of one’s culture somehow permeates the Western consciousness. Sure, it’s more than a little colonial, but perhaps everyone raised on Western media doomed to feel this way. So when Over the Moon was released on Netflix, I couldn’t help myself— I simply had to watch it.
Continue reading “Over the Moon: Underdone”
By Charles Toh (21A01D)
Cover image by Clarice Tan (21A01C)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Spoilers for I’m Thinking of Ending Things follow.
Continue reading “I’m Thinking of Ending Things: The “Unreliable Narrator” Film to End All Others?”