More Than One Bat During The Batman? by Rasik Cruden

The new Batman movie was great, but what if I told you an actual bat made an appearance? Well, that was a reality for people going to The Batman screening in Austin, Texas. During a screening of the new film, fittingly called The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. A real bat was spotted flying around the theater. Management of the theater paused the film and tried to contact the local animal control authorities, while also trying to get the critter out, at which they were unsuccessful. Luckily, no one was bitten or harmed, but no one knows how or why the bat got into the theater. Companies are saying that the bat was likely let out as a prank, but people are not 100% sure. The theater offered people their money back if they wanted to leave, but most stayed. 

The company wasn’t very impacted, but management at the theater have stated that they would start checking bags for future screenings of the movie. The theater’s general manager, Heidi Deno, has stated that they will be “adding additional security and checking all bags upon guests entry.” This didn’t really affect the theater, they just said they were going to take more precautions.

Personally, I think that if it was a prank, then that was stupid. If it was just a coincidence and a bat just randomly flew into a Batman movie, then I don’t think it’s too big of a deal. Only 1% of bats in the wild have rabies, so if anyone was bitten, I think they would have been fine. I think that the audience staying in the theater was a smart decision, because I would’ve done the same thing. Also because I love Batman and that new Batman movie.

Movie Review "Turning Red" A Deep Dive into Controversy by Jade Wright

(Minor Spoilers) 

On March 12th 2022 Pixar and Disney released a new movie known as Turning Red. 

The movie is available on Disney Plus and is rated PG coming-of-age movie. It has mild language and more mature content including puberty. 

It is also one of the first Pixar movies where the leadership roles are filled by women.

Directed by Domee Shi, The Movie is set in Toronto, Canada in 2002. The protagonist is about a Chinese Canadian girl named Mei. She is thirteen years old and in middle school who has everything “together.” She had straight A's, great friends, and has a great relationship with her parents. But everything changes when Mei finds out she can turn into a giant red panda. The Red Panda at first glance Mei is horrified, after all this will completely change her life. She is covered in fur, smells awful, and doesn’t know how to “control” this new body. As the movie progresses Mei finds out that this power is triggered by Mei’s emotions and as long as Mei can stay completely and utterly calm, balanced, and peaceful she stays human. Well, the only problem is that Mei is a teenager, and triggering strong emotions is very common. 

Turning Red is looked by parents as not “kid” friendly. This is a fair statement. Turning Red is geared to kids around 12 and adults. Because there are things in this movie that children under 10 would not understand. However, it’s a good movie to begin talking about puberty to children that will begin puberty soon. 

Some of the more negative reviews are people raging why the movie is not for children, why did Disney and Pixar make it an adorable story about turning into a red panda and just that? Why would you add elements of puberty? 

There aren’t many relatable movies about puberty, watching this movie is great to prepare kids who will be going to puberty, so parents can talk to children who will begin puberty why they have strange feelings for others. 

One of the largest negative things people are pointing out is that the movie talked about femine products and such. How it was inappropriate, it depends on how you look at it to see this as a sign as being either inappropriate or hilaourius, or a starting point for preparation.
As much as there are good movies rated PG that kids are able to watch, but so many good movies are rated PG and kids watch them. Turing Red took more of a realistic touch to itself, has that real awkwardness and relatable moments. 

A lot of people look at Turning Red as a special place for the director and the production designer. Because the movie is about a Asian-North American in Canada. This is the actual background of the director. According to Domee Shi in the documentary Embrace The Panda, found in Disney+ , it looks at immigrant children going to North America and their struggles. How some Asian families cared about filling the family’s honor and legacy. The stress they put on the children. More understanding of different cultures and family. 

The movie according to the director is about changing. 

It’s a coming of age movie, where you change and you have to embrace this change. 

It talks to teenagers and parents. 

A teenager could see it as you’re going to change. You won’t have everything under control, life will not always be peaceful and balanced. You’re going to change, you need to learn about embracing change. 

It also talks about honoring your parents. Mei loves her parents, and it’s good to spend time with your family. But if you get caught up and only worry about others you forget about yourself. Don’t lose sight of who you are. You will need to find that balance of having fun with family and yourself.

In conclusion, the movie is great for  people around 12 years old looking for a humorous and relatable movie. It talks about puberty so there are some things in the movie that might be awkward,  and there are multiple references to feminine products. 

It’s a great movie for Pixar and Animation fans from all around. 

The Batman Movie Review by Rasik Cruden

The Batman Movie SPOILER Review

*Editor’s Note: This review of The Batman movie contains SPOILERS.  If you haven’t seen the movie yet or plan to see it, there will be PLOT SPOILING INFORMATION in this review!

In one of my early articles back in October of 2021, I wrote about how The Batman was one of my most anticipated movies of all time, and over Spring Break I was able to see it a couple of times and, believe me, was I right about the movie! I loved basically everything about this movie. The characters were amazing, the plot was great, and I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. 

To begin, I really like all of the character’s in this movie. Batman was really good and I really enjoyed Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman. In this movie there was a lot more Batman than Bruce Wayne. Bruce in this movie is in his second year as a vigilante, and we can see how moody he is and how he doesn’t act like a billionaire playboy, and how he is more sheltered and stays inside. A good detail I saw in the movie about how much he stays inside is when Bruce comes upstairs from the bat cave, and he has to wear sunglasses because of how long he stays in the dark. Basically, Bruce is more Batman than he is Bruce. We also see that his Batman is all about vengeance and doesn’t want to be looked at as a symbol for hope or goodness at the beginning of the movie - he wants to be seen as a dangerous threat to criminals in Gotham City. But at the end of the movie he is seen as a symbol of hope and he accepts that because he knows that’s what he has to be, so I really liked that character development. 

Catwoman/Selina Kyle was also a great character, and I loved her role in this movie. Casting Zoe Kravitz was a great choice. She is really talented and she was a really good Catwoman. She starts out just helping Batman because of her friend Annika, who also has a significant role in this movie. But after Catwoman finds Annika dead, she grows more fond of Batman and gets really good evidence to help him solve the case. They also actually have a very interesting and intriguing relationship in this movie. There was an announcement recently that Catwoman is getting a spinoff series, which is great because I would like to see more of her character. Overall, I really enjoyed Catwoman in this movie. 

Another character that I liked was Gotham Police Commissioner Gordon. He was a really cool side character, and I really enjoyed him and Batman’s chemistry. He was a great character and was very smart too. I loved seeing him work with Batman. He and Batman also had a couple of cool scenes. Another spinoff series that was announced was a GCPD (Gotham City Police Department)/Arkham Asylum series. That series will kind of focus on some of the inmates in Arkham.

Now some of the most important characters in the movie was the villains. The Riddler in this movie was so smart and a well constructed villain. We saw how smart he was because he had a plan for everything. Even when he got captured, he had a plan to make Gotham pay even though he was captured. He also got into Batman's head. You could see this in the scene where The Riddler was “exposing” the Waynes and the Arkhams, you could sense that Bruce was affected even though he didn’t show it. Seeing the parallels between him and Bruce was really cool to see and I really enjoyed Paul Dano’s version of the character. And even though he isn’t supposed to be funny, there is a humorous nod to The Riddler for being a trending social media influencer. In this scene, you can see him streaming to and interacting with his fans, and that part was actually pretty funny, but also important. Riddler also has a new friend in the asylum, and it’s none other than The Joker, although he hasn’t been turned into The Joker just yet. When I heard that laugh I was pretty surprised. The Joker is going to be played by Barry Koegan and I think that he will be a pretty good Joker. 

Another antagonist that was in the movie that I liked was The Penguin. Colin Farell was a great casting and I really liked his rendition of the character. I am really glad that he is getting a spinoff show like Catwoman. He was a really funny character and was a great addition to the movie. One of the last antagonists in the movie was Carmine Falcone. In this movie, Carmine was a really well constructed villain and seeing his influence on Gotham and on the Wayne legacy was very interesting. He also had an influence on other characters like Catwoman and Penguin, but I think he had more of an effect on Catwoman because we find out that he is her biological father. 

One of my favorite scenes is the opener. You hear a Bruce Wayne monologue and then he comes out of the shadows as Batman as a warning to the criminal group that has gathered, and then absolutely beats the stuffing out of that criminal group. More great scenes include the elevator fight, the Batmobile chase, any of the detective scenes, and Batman meeting The Riddler.. There are so many great scenes in the movie. 

Also I just want to say that this movie is beautiful. The cinematography is amazing and it is one of the most beautiful superhero movies or movies in general that I have seen in a while.

I have also seen criticisms of The Batman, and I just want to address them. People are saying that this movie is too dark and there is no comedy. It’s a Batman movie - you should expect it to be dark! Also there was a little comedy.  I mean, Penguin was pretty funny. There was also the thumb drive scene where there was literally a thumb on a USB drive, and I thought that was funny. I also saw people saying it was too long. I actually kind of agree with this somewhat, but I think they paced it well. I also think that some parts were necessary and that I liked the runtime because I got to see more Batman.

Overall, I think that this movie was amazing and I really enjoyed it. It was also a beautiful movie and every scene was shot so well. I would love to see more of the cast playing those characters again because. I think that they casted great actors for these characters. I think Robert Pattinson really shined in this movie and cemented himself as a great Batman, and I would love to see him in more movies. Go see this movie! I highly recommend it!  10/10 

Movies To Watch When Your Bored Out Of Your Mind by Willow Hudish

Paddington  

Year: 2014

Director: Paul King

Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Ben Winshaw, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 95 minutes

About: A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven. A young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British travels to London in search of a home.(IMDb)

ParaNorman

Year: 2012

Director: Chris Butler, Sam Fell

Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin

Genre: Animation, Fantasy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 96 minutes

About: ParaNorman is a 2012 American stop-motion animated dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, and written by Butler. In the film, Norman, a young boy who can communicate with ghosts, is given the task of ending a 300-year-old witch's curse on his Massachusetts town. (Wikipedia)

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Year: 2021

Director: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe (co-director)

Stars: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Olivia Colman

Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi

About: The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a 2021 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation. The film follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family that winds up having to save Earth from a global robot uprising while on a road trip. (Wikipedia)

Over The Moon

Year: 2020

Director: Glen Keane

Stars: Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong

Genre: Adventure, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 100 minutes

About: Fueled by memories of her mother, resourceful Fei Fei builds a rocket to the moon on a mission to prove the existence of a legendary moon goddess. (Netflix Official Site)

Jumanji

Year: 1995

Director: Joe Johnson

Stars: Robin Williams, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, Bonnie Hunt

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 minutes

About: Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain. (Wikipedia)

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Year: 2014

Director: Rob Minkoff

Stars: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Ariel Winter, Patrick Warburton

Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure, Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 92 minutes

About: Mr. Peabody is a gifted anthropomorphic dog who lives in a penthouse in New York City. He raises his adopted human son, 7-year-old Sherman, and tutors him by traveling throughout history using the WABAC, pronounced "way back", a time machine. They visit Marie Antoinette in Versailles during the French Revolution in 1789. Getting caught in the Reign of Terror, Peabody is nearly sent to the guillotine to be executed by Maximilien Robespierre, but escapes with Sherman through the Paris sewers.(Wikipedia)

The Willoughbys

Year: 2020

Director: Kris Pearn, co-directors Cory Evans and Rob Lodermeier

Stars: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Seán Cullen, Ricky Gervais

Genre: Action, Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 90 minutes

About: Four siblings with horribly selfish parents hatch a plan to get rid of them for good and form a perfectly imperfect family of their own. (Netflix Official Site)

Coraline

Year: 2009

Director: Henry Selick

Stars: Dakota Fanning; Teri Hatcher; Jennifer Saunders; Dawn French; Keith David; Ian McShane

Genre: Family/Fantasy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 100 minutes

About: Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, Coraline (Dakota Fanning) discovers a hidden door to a fantasy version of her life. (Coraline - LAIKA Studios)

Labyrinth

Year: 1986

Director: Jim Henson

Stars: David Bowie; Jennifer Connelly

Genre: Fantasy/Musical

Rating: PG

Runtime: 101 minutes

About: Labyrinth is a 1986 musical fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, with George Lucas as executive producer, based on conceptual designs by Brian Froud. (Wikipedia) 

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Year: 2008

Director: Mark Waters

Stars: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger

Genre: Family/Fantasy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 96 minutes

About: The Spiderwick Chronicles is a 2008 American fantasy film based on the book series of the same name by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. (Wikipedia)

Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett and Beyond by Rasik Cruden

Star Wars is a big franchise that is both loved and hated by fans. The latest Star Wars movies have had mixed reviews, and personally I have mixed feelings on them too. I have enjoyed The Mandalorian back in 2019, but other than that, Star Wars hasn't really felt that special to me. But now, with The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars has been very interesting and refreshing for me. A reason for this is of course because of the return of The Mandalorian. 

Seeing Mando again is nice and exciting. A cool thing about seeing Mando is seeing what he has been up to after the last time we saw him. Like his journey with the Darksaber and how he’s been without Grogu (Baby Yoda). We also got to see previous characters from the Mandalorian series like Peli Motto and Cobb Vanth. It was really refreshing to see them again, because I really like their characters. 

Another reason I think that Star Wars lately has been good is because of Boba Fett. Boba Fett is one of the coolest characters in Star Wars and even in fiction. Seeing How he got out of the Sarlacc Pit was something that a lot of fans including myself were waiting to see and his journey to become Daimyo of Mos Espa was really interesting to me and made me want more journeys like that.   

Also seeing Cad Bane back was really exciting. I loved his character in the Clone Wars and seeing him face off with Boba Fett was really cool. The way he tried manipulating Boba was cool and showed how much of a villain he really is. His death was kind of a downer, but other than that, seeing him again was really exciting and surprised me. 

The whole finale of The Book of Boba Fett was great and set up Mandalorian Season 3, which I am super excited about. The Mandalorian is one of my favorite, if not favorite, Star Wars characters, and seeing him in another season is very exciting. 

This isn’t really related to Boba Fett or The Mandalorian, but I am pretty excited for the Kenobi show. Obi-Wan is an amazing character, and is one of my favorite Star Wars characters of all time so I am pretty excited. It’s pretty cool how Star Wars is capitalizing on shows and I think they have a lot they can expand on or introduce. Overall, I am very excited to see what Star Wars has in store and I am all around excited for the future of Star Wars.   

Spider-Man: No Way Home Movie Review SPOILER EDITION By Rasik Cruden

EDITOR’S NOTE: SPOILER ALERT: This review of Spider-Man: No Way Home includes spoiler information.  If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want important surprises revealed to you, READ NO FURTHER.  If you’ve seen the movie and/or don’t care about the possible surprises being spoiled for you, read on!

The most hyped up Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, came out recently and I was lucky enough to see it already more than once. I am a huge Spider-Man fan and this movie was my most anticipated movie ever, and it delivered. It was an amazing movie and I am going to give it a breakdown. Spoilers Ahead: If you haven’t seen it already then don’t read this article. 

Let’s first talk about the characters. The villains in this movie were absolutely amazing. A big highlight was Green Goblin. In this movie, Green Goblin really tore apart Peter mentally and physically. He was kinda like the Joker to Peter Parker. I really loved him in this movie. Some other villains in this movie that I liked a lot were Doc Oc and Electro. Doc Oc really was a treat in this movie and the fight on the bridge with Spider-Man was really good. Electro in this movie was great too. He really stole every scene he was in. He was funny, compelling, and a great character in this movie. 

Now let’s talk about the characters everyone was wondering about: Tobey Mcguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men. They were absolutely amazing in this movie. The chemistry between them in this movie was great. The comedy between Tobey, Andrew, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man were great and was definitely the best comedy in the film. They also got their redemption arcs in this movie. Andrew got to save his girlfriend M.J, when in his universe, he let her die. Tobey McGuire’s Spider-Man saved Green Goblin from getting killed. In his original universe Green Goblin was killed by his own glider while fighting Spider-Man. I also loved the callbacks and seeing villains interact with each other and interacting with the different Spider-Men. 

This movie was also really emotional. Aunt May gets killed by the Green Goblin and it’s a really sad moment. Peter has to live with the fact his aunt’s death was basically his fault. Aunt May gave the “With great power, there must also come great responsibility” speech, which was very cool. The movie also ends with Peter making Doctor Strange make everyone forget who Peter Parker is, which was really sad because M.J and Ned both forget who he is, but he has to accept that as he puts them both in danger on a regular basis. This restarts Peter with a clean slate. He moves into a new apartment and gets a new suit (which looks amazing), begins college, and starts a new life in which everyone has forgotten who he is. 

There is so much I could say about this movie, but overall this movie is perfect and beautiful. It made me feel so many different emotions and just felt so special to me. I really loved this movie, and it is definitely going to be remembered. As a huge Spider-Man fan, seeing the three Spider-Men together in the same movie was just so amazing. It didn’t feel real. Overall, this movie is perfect and a 10/10. I HIGHLY recommend it.

 https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/spider-man-no-way-home-kraven/ 

Why Spider-Man: No Way Home Is Going To Be Huge by Rasik Cruden

Spider-Man is one of my favorite superheroes of all time and is very relatable and just a cool character. His new movie is coming out and it is getting so much hype and here is why: people are speculating that all three Spider-Men are going to be in the movie. 

There is a lot of proof, too. There were some leaked pictures of both Tobey Mcguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men on some kind of scaffolding. And in the trailer (in what looks like the final battle), there was scaffolding that looked like the leaked photos. So there is some confirmation there. 

Some more evidence is in the Brazilian trailer. In the trailer there’s a shot of Lizard, Electro, and Sandman, and Lizard’s head goes back, looking like he got kicked, so people are speculating that Andrew Garfeild was kicking him in the face, which is very likely. 

Now let’s talk about the villains. Doc Ock, Lizard, Electro, Green Goblin, and Sandman all are set to make appearances. These are all past villains. This provides evidence that the past Spider-Men are most likely in the movie because they wouldn’t just put all those past villains in just to miss the opportunity to put in the past Spider Men. This movie also is speculated to have Matt Murdock, A.K.A Daredevil in it, which is pretty cool. Kevin Feige, The President of the MCU said that if Daredevil were to come to the MCU, Charlie Cox would play him. 

This movie is also supposed to be a lot darker than the other MCU adaptations of Spider-Man, which I am totally for. Spider-Man’s darker side is something we don’t usually see, and when that dark side comes out it gets crazy, so I am excited to see that. 

Overall, this movie looks very solid and I am so excited to see it. If you are free to watch it on December 17th, you definitely should. This movie will be huge! I am personally seeing it on opening day, which is this week! I am so excited to see it and I hope you are too.

December 2021 Movie Releases by Jude Rhymer

Spiderman: No Way Home

The new Spiderman movie coming out December 17th has a lot of hype around it and a lot to live up to. The rumors of having all three Spidermans in one movie sounds crazy, plus with all the villains. Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, and Sandman have all been confirmed. Mysterio, The Scorpion, and The Rhino are all up on the table. Dr. Strange has also been confirmed to be in the movie from looking at the trailer. From looking at the trailer it looks like it has so much potential to be one of (if not) the best movie of the year. 

Jurassic World Dominion

The sixth movie of the franchise looks to be one of the best. After Fallen Kingdom the dinosaurs spread around the world and their population is rising. We haven’t gotten a trailer yet but we did see a preview. Started with a nice opening with some fun dinosaur interactions. Then it pans over to see a Giganotosaurus. They are around 49 feet tall compared to the 43 foot T-Rex. They actually stand face to face and have a very short lived battle. The T-Rex face plants as a mosquito comes and sucks the blood of the T-Rex. If you are a Jurassic Park fan, that was a pretty fun tease. Then it goes to current day as a T-Rex (aka Rexy) causes havoc at a pull in movie theater. An ACU team tries to tranquilize it but eventually lose it as the preview ends. This movie looks like it could be good, hopefully both these movies live up to their hype, and make the fans of these big franchises excited for more to come.

Eight Wonderful Christmas movies to watch during the Holiday season, and two for those who don’t celebrate Christmas by Kate Duffey

White Christmas

Came out in 1954

2 hours

My Christmas comfort movie

The Polar Express

Came out in 2004

1 hour 40 minutes long

Wonderful family- favorite movie, starring one of my favorite actors: Tom Hanks

The Santa Clause

Came out 1994

1 hour 37 minutes

One of my Two favorite Santa Claus movies

The Christmas Chronicles

Came out in 2018

1 hour 42 minutes

My other favorite Santa Claus movie. I recommend The Christmas Chronicles 2 as well.

Home alone 1

Came out in 1990

1 hour 43 minutes

My favorite upbeat Christmas movie

Home alone 2

Came out in 1992

2 hours

My favorite ‘Home Alone’ movie

The Christmas Ring

Came out in 2020

1 hour 24 minutes

My favorite Hallmark movie

Elf

Came out in 2003

1 hour 37 minutes

The funniest Christmas movie I have ever seen

The First Snow in the Woods

Came out 2011

28 minutes

My favorite winter “movie”

Little Women

Came out in 2019

2 hours 15 minutes

Not really a Christmas or winter movie, but a really wonderful movie all around. Definitely recommend the book as well!

Winter Jokes by Scott Adkins

With Christmas around the corner, let's get into the holiday season with some laughs.

• Q. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a tiger?

  Frostbite.
  

• Q.  What do gingerbread men shepherds use to tend their sheep?

  Candy Canes.
  

• Q. Why should you tell a candy cane you like someone?

  They’ll hook you up with them.
  

• Q. What is a snowman's favorite party snack?

  Ice krispies treats.
  

• Q. How did Santa fix the hole in his clothes?

  He used pine needles and thread.
  

• Q. What did the teacher say when the Christmas tree aced the test?

  “He’s sharper than he looks!”
  

• Q. What did the sabertooth tiger say to its prey?

  “Ice to eat you!”
  

• Q. Why did the iceman go to the nurse?

  He looked slick.

• Q. What did Santa say when he forgot a present?

  “I’ll just ho-ho-hope I can find the present!”
  

• A gingerbread actor was about to go onstage. Another gingerbread man said “Break a leg!” The actor turned around and said  “How rude!”

• Q.  Why did the gingerbread person go see the doctor?

  He was feeling crumby.
  

• A snowman was standing in the snow when the sun came out. The snowman was so sad his heart melted!
  

• Q. What does the gingerbread man say when something goes wrong?

  “Oh snap!”
  

• Q. Why is Christmas the best time to make up jokes?

  You can make snow many of them!

• Q. Why should you never believe ice?

  You can see right through it.
  

• Q.  Why didn't Rudolph lead Santa’s sleigh?

  He’s not very bright. (As in mentally)
  

• Q.  What did the kid say when he looked outside and saw a blizzard?

  “Boy, the weather sure is in a flurry today! I wonder what made it so upset?”
  

• Q. What’s a gingerbread man's least favorite job?

  A construction worker. The houses keep getting eaten!

Halloween 2 by William Gartner

By now, you may have seen Halloween Kills…

However, my universe takes place 15 years after the original Halloween in 1993. After Michael Myers attacked Laurie Strode he is taken into custody but breaks out soon after and he goes on a Horrific massacre and will face Laurie once again. Will she survive or will the King of Halloween add one more to his body count?

Best Cartoons of All Time by Rasik Cruden

Hi! I’m Rasik, I am going to be listing my favorite cartoons of all time. Cartoons are very enjoyable and I watch them all the time. They are a little childish but still that’s what brings the fun out of it. Don’t forget this is my opinion. Enjoy!

1. We Bare Bears

This is a very biased choice on my part but I love this show. This show is a huge part of my childhood and it is my favorite cartoon of all time. This show also has one of my favorite characters in fiction, Ice Bear. This show has some great characters and is a very fun watch. There is a lot of comedy in this show which I like but I admit it can get a little childish but I still don’t mind it. There is also a movie of this show but I recommend that you watch the show first. If you haven’t watched this you definitely should I HIGHLY recommend.

2. Teen Titans

This show is pretty good. The characters in this show are very well put together and I don’t think they should’ve cancelled it. It also has some pretty funny jokes and it also shows you the importance of teamwork. The action in this show is really great. It also has great storytelling and character development. It also has a great dynamic between all the different characters and is overall a very great watch. 

3. Regular Show

I am very biased on this one too. The characters in this show are hilarious and very diverse. There is Mordecai (a blue jay), Rigby (a raccoon), Pops (a lollipop), Skips (a yeti), and a lot more. There is a lot of funny humor in this show. There are also some adult jokes in this which I think are pretty funny. I have actually been bingeing this show recently and I highly recommend it. It can get really weird at times but I think that is the point. I mean the main characters are a blue jay and a raccoon. I think it would be weird.

4. Rick and Morty 

Speaking of weird. This show is VERY, and I mean VERY weird. This show makes you feel so many different emotions. There is a lot of humor (usually crude), but there are also some tear jerking episodes and episodes where you don’t know what is real or not. This show is very weird but that is what makes it funny. The dynamic between Rick and Morty is very funny too. I recommend this show but don’t watch if you don’t like gore or very crude humor.

5. Avatar The Last Airbender

This show is also very special to me. I watched this as a kid and I loved it. The characters are very well put together and are very relatable in some ways. I remember watching this when I was young and loving the characters. The action in this show is really great. The scenery and cinematography in this show is amazing and I highly recommend it. I bet you, you will love it.

6. Batman: The Animated Series

This one is a classic. Batman is my favorite superhero and means a lot to me so this pick is obviously biased. This show has some great animation and the action scenes are great. This show also has some great storytelling, and the villains are very well put together and are altogether great. You should consider watching it. 

Image Source: Common Sense Media

Nintendo games we might be getting 2022 by Joseph Fong

First up. Breath of the Wild 2.  This sequel to a game that was already great is coming up.

All the information we currently have is sometime in 2022, but we don't have a complete release date. But my guess is if anything, 2023. Because we have Covid they have to deal with and creators may try to polish the game more so it is more interesting. Which isn't a bad thing because we don't want to end up with a bad game that is rushed. So if it gets held back at least we know they're making it the best it can be.

The next game is Pokemon Arceus. Other than the name sounding cool, this game might be one coming in 2022 because in my opinion, we have already seen game play which means it might be more complete than we thought which is a good thing For you poke fans out there stay tuned for more news.

Last but not least, we have Kirby and The Forgotten Lands. This game that is for younger players who are getting into gaming is a fun platformer which is the 2nd 3d game in the Kirby series. We have not seen much of this game lately. Just like Pokemon Arceus we should just stay tuned.

So good luck and don't get overhyped.

Best Movies/Shows on Each Streaming Services by Rasik Cruden

Netflix: Best Movie: The Dark Knight

I might be a little biased. This movie is my favorite movie of all time. Batman is my favorite superhero of all time and this movie is a masterpiece. It has amazing villains and great cinematography. I just think that this is a perfect movie and is a 10/10. I really recommend this movie if you haven’t seen it already. It is perfect.

Best Show: Daredevil/Avatar: TLA

Daredevil is an excellent show. It has great characters and very well put together villains. The Punisher and Wilson Fisk are great villains and Daredevil and his friends are really great protagonists.  Speaking of good protagonists Avatar The Last Airbender has some great protagonists. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Zuko are great characters and the story of this show is great. 

Disney+: Best Movie: Avengers: Endgame  

 This movie was awesome. It had everyone and everything. There was great storytelling, action, and it is overall just great. The villain Thanos was great and seeing the Avengers back together and every other hero teaming up was amazing. This movie has a big movie feel and it is just amazing. This is a definite must watch for Superhero fans.

 Best Show: Ultimate Spider-Man

This show is great. It is a little childish but that is when I watched it, when I was a child. That is why it is on the list, it has a special place in my heart. It is funny and the characters in it really make the show good. It also shined a light on characters that nobody really knows about. I think it is a great show. I highly Recommend this show.

Peacock: Best Movie: Halloween Kills

I couldn't really think of any movies on Peacock but this. This movie was pretty good. I think that it was very reliant on the kills and gore but the story was still good. We had new main characters, and characters from the original which was cool. Overall, it’s a pretty great movie.

Best Show: The Office

This show is a classic. I think everybody knows about this show. This show is HILARIOUS. It has great characters and for me it really brightens my day up. This show has a great vibe to it and I think that it is a very good show to watch when you are bored. It will really brighten up your day. 

Hulu: Best Movie: Prisoners

This movie is amazing. It is about a parents greatest fear, their child going missing. It is a really touching movie and Hugh Jackman and Jake Gylennhall had an AMAZING performance. I highly recommend this. It will get you thinking and will really surprise you. I think this movie is great and very underrated. Go watch it.

Top 10 Kane Brown Songs by Piper Thoman

Top 10 Kane Brown Songs.

1. "What's Mine is Yours’’

2.  “Better Place’’

3. “”Thunder in the Rain””

4. “” I Love That I Hate You””

5. “”Wide Open””

6. “”Homesick””

7. “”Used to Love You Sober””

8. “”Heaven””

9. “”What ifs””

10.  “Lose It””

Kane Allen Brown (an American song artist), was born on October 21, 1993 in Chattanooga, TN. His music is Pop & Country mix.  He grew without a father and he had no idea he had any siblings. So he wrote a song called “For my Daughter” to tell her that she won’t have to go through that like he did. My favorite song is not on the list, but it is called “”Like A Rodeo.”” He just had a concert at the Bryce Jordan Center on November 6, 2021, at 7:00 PM.

Source: https://www.wideopencountry.com/kane-brown-songs-ranked/

Image Source: Kane Brown/Twitter

Pop Singer Spotlight: Alec Benjamin by Chei Kang

This series of articles will be about pop singers. Hopefully you get to know more about your favorite singers and learn new ones as well!

Overview

Alec Benjamin is a well-known singer (that is not as popular) that was born in Phoenix in the state of Arizona. He has two albums Narrated For You and These Two Windows, but he has plenty of singles such as the new release Older and the oldie-but-goodie Let Me Down Slowly.

His 2018 single Let Me Down Slowly has been his most successful song in his career, reaching over 880 million streams on Spotify and having been within the top 40 list in over 20 different countries.

Voice/Singing style

He has a soft, gentle voice and never really ‘screams’ in his songs. If you’re looking for soothing but pop-song-like songs, look no further! His songs are considered as pop or folk-pop, and uses guitar and piano in the background. They are not very upbeat, but definitely catchy.

Songs

Alec Benjamin seems to write about his life like many other singers. For example, in his 2018 song If We Have Each Other, he talks about his family, especially his sister. He also collaborates a lot with other singers such as Alessia Cara and Youtuber Dream. 

Here are some of his songs ordered by my likings.

1. Older. It speaks of him being afraid of becoming an adult and one major pro about his songs is that they are extremely easy to relate to.

2. The Way You Felt. Very catchy, nice rhythm.

3. Oh My God. Talks about him again being overwhelmed about life and how fast time is passing by.

4. Jesus In LA. Just listen to it.

5. Gotta Be A Reason. Again, nice smooth melody.

6. Must Have Been The Wind. A great song to sing along to.

7. Let Me Down Slowly. His most popular song ends up being my 7th favorite. He just has too many good songs!

Overall, he is a great singer/songwriter. His songs are easy to relate to as I mentioned before, and I find them easing. I hope you enjoy listening to Alec Benjamin as much as I do and thank you so much for reading this article! Tune in for more of the singer spotlights!

Image source: Ticketmaster

My Favorite Halloween Movies by Rasik Cruden

With Halloween right around the corner,  I think it would be a good time to share my favorite Halloween movies and why I recommend them. (P.S: don’t watch these if you don’t like creepy murdering stuff).

1. Friday The 13th: Part VI: Jason Lives 

Friday The 13th is a well known franchise, and this movie is my favorite out of all of them. Jason gets resurrected from the dead by accident by the same man who killed him years ago, Tommy Jarvis. I love this movie because this movie is what makes Jason immortal. This movie also had Jason return to Camp Crystal Lake and was overall a pretty good and creepy Halloween movie.

2. Halloween (2018)

This movie was an excellent installment in the Halloween franchise. This movie takes place 40 years after the original movie, and it delivers. Michael Myers escapes his mental institution and goes on the hunt for Lori Strode’s family. This movie has a great story and great action, so I highly recommend this movie. It's great.      

3. Scream

This movie is a classic. Ghostface is an iconic horror movie character, and if you haven’t watched this movie during Halloween, you should. It’s about a girl named Sydney that gets repeatedly attacked by Ghostface, and it’s a really good movie with some good twists.

4. A Quiet Place

This movie has a great concept. There are aliens that have super hearing, and if you make any remotely loud sound, you die. The characters even have to use sign language. This movie is very suspenseful, and the sound design in this movie is amazing. This movie is great for a Halloween night.

5. Alien

Speaking of aliens, the next movie on my list is Alien. This movie is a classic too. It has a good amount of action and a lot of scares. This movie also, of course, has the Xenomorphs, which are iconic and very cool villains.

Why "The Batman" (2022) is One of My Most Anticipated Films Ever by Rasik Cruden

Batman is my favorite superhero ever and means a lot to me. So his new movie definitely excites me. The new Batman movie coming out in 2022 looks amazing, and here’s why it really excites me. 

A huge reason I am excited is because of the main man himself, Batman. In this movie Batman’s suit looks amazing. His suit is bulletproof, and his bat logo looks like it’s made from the gun that killed his parents, which is a nice touch. This Batman is younger and a bit more brutal and dark, which is very unique. He kind of reminds me of the Batman from Arkham Origins which is one of my favorite Batman games. This movie is actually based off of the comic The Long Halloween, which is a highly praised comic and is one of my favorite Batman comics. 

Now let's talk about the characters. In addition to Batman, this movie will include Riddler, Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and Catwoman. I think this is a really good line up of villains. Riddler is a highly slept on villain, and him being the main villain was a good move. I also think that not putting Joker in this movie was a good idea because The Joker should be treated as a big villain and should be saved for the sequel or even the third movie. The Penguin is a good villain and Colin Farrell was a great casting choice; and The Penguin is also a really slept-on villain and I think his inclusion will make the movie really good. Carmine Falcone is a really important character in The Long Halloween and his inclusion in this movie is a unique choice but I am excited. Now let’s talk about Catwoman. The casting for Catwoman was perfect. Them casting Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman was a really good decision, and she is a big character in the Batman franchise. 

Also, in the trailer there is a scene where Batman is chasing Penguin in the Batmobile, and there is a really cool shot of the Batmobile on fire, so I am excited to see the cinematography of this movie and overall everything about this movie. So overall, This movie has a lot of elements to make it exciting. It has a stacked cast, an intriguing story, and has a big movie feel to it. So this is why I am extremely excited to see this movie.

Image Source: DCMovies

RC Cars: Traxxas vs Arrma 2.0 by Halen Holes

Remote Control Car Analysis: Traxxas vs. Arrma

Electronics/ Batteries

To start off talking about RC cars, ESC stands for electronic speed controller. It controls the motor. There are many different motor and esc combos. The main two are brushed and brushless motors. Brushed motors have carbon brushes that the commutator contacts with magnets that spin the armature so there is a lot of friction because of the brushes.

Brushless motors use magnets and an eclectic field to spin the motor so not only is it more efficient but heats up less. Heat can cause you to lose torque and speed, especially on a brushed motor. Brushless motors have more rpm (rotations per minute), and more torque usually. 

Brushless also uses kilovolts (KV) instead of turns, but one can usually be converted to the other measurement (KV = RPM per volt).  A standard 1/10 scale basher uses a 3200kv or 3500kv with 7.4 (2s) to 11.1 (3s) volts so you get 38,850 rpm on 3s with a 3500kv motor or 25,900 rpm on a 2s Lithium Polymer (or lipos). Lipos that supply the most power and are the best batteries to use on an RC car. The other main battery is a NIMH Nickel metal hydride. They are 1.2 volts per cell compared to lipo being 3.7 volts per cell, but have a higher amount of cells.

Now that you know the general idea of batteries and motors we can talk about some cars.

The first thing you will notice is that most of the time Traxxas cars are faster. This is due to the higher kv motors, the high speed gearing, and also Traxxas cars tend to be lighter.

The reason the Arrma cars are usually heavier is because 6s to 8s vehicles use aluminum chassis and shock towers and the 3s and 4s Arrma cars are fairly similar weight to the 3s Traxxas cars but still heavier by a pound to a 1.5 pounds or more. On the 3s Arrma's this is likely due to the part being larger like the chassis, the differentials, larger motor and esc and the plastic parts are built thicker.

Traxxas overview technology/electronics

Some Traxxas vehicles use TSM (Traxxas Stability Management), which is pretty much traction control for an rc car. The ESC and motor don't have many features but they have modules you can add like a heat sensor,GPS speed tracker, rpm sensor etc. Another thing they have is the Traxxas link module you can add to the remote and connect to your phone where you can adjust dual rates, trims, TSM and a lot more. Traxxas also makes batteries and chargers that can recognize the battery once plugged in, which makes it really nice and easy for beginners.

Arrma overview technology/electronics

A few Arrma cars have AVC (Active Vehicle Control) But most Arrma cars have Spektrum esc's and receivers (except the 3s/, they still use the BLX 100 esc) the Spektrum ones have technology that can read info from the battery and some remotes from them will give you data from the esc you can also tune the esc's punch, drag brake, motor timing, and many other things unlike the Arrma esc's, The Traxxas has Training mode (50%throttle) Sport mode (full speed forward reverse and brakes) and Race mode (Full throttle Full brake no reverse)

From the technology standpoint they both have many things but the Arrma has more out of the box usually telemetry wise, but Traxxas has many modules you can get for them.

Durability wise they both have their place.

Many people say the 6 to 8s Arrmas have bad chassis. I want to point out most people who say this drive at a skate park but a bad enough crash could break any car. I can say for most people they won't be jumping at the skate park so both brands will be fine ,but Traxxas being plastic chassis more often will handle higher jumps because the chassis will flex and not bend. As long as you are not jumping your car on massive ramps onto asphalt you probably won't have many issues chassis wise with either brand. I can say the 8s Arrma durability isn't great because they weigh so much, but even the X maxx has some flaws of its own. The 3s range of Arrma cars vs the Traxxas are a very similar match for price and durability but they are both really great bashers for anyone in the hobby.

Another thing is the support. Traxxas has amazing support where you can call them and they will help you figure out what is wrong and what parts you need. You can also get parts for a Traxxas at just about any hobby store. Traxxas also has a second brand Latrax that has smaller cheaper cars that are better for someone who has never driven an RC before.

On the other hand Arrma also has good support, definitely not as good as Traxxas, but still is helpful. Their parts support isn't quite as good but it has been growing a ton recently and can only get better from here on. 

Design

My last topic is overall design. On the Traxxas 2wd range it has been getting incremental upgrades over time but is still the old original design from the mid 90s when they were first released. Traxxas started in 1986 and Arrma started in while Arrma came out in somewhere about 2010 to 2012.

I have multiples of both brands (as well as some others), and I will say now just get whatever you have the most fun with. Don't get what someone tells you to get. No matter what car you decide on, here are three things to keep in mind: 1. Is there good support?; 2. Can I get replacement parts?, and 3. Is it fun to drive? 

Once you think about all of these things you can make an educated decision on what you should get. I recommend asking someone who has one or to watch Youtube videos about the vehicle.

I also want to add that Arrma updates their cars much more often, usually once every year or two so they put better parts since the last version. More recently they have been updating the electronics too. Traxxas does incremental updates sometimes but much less often and less effect on the vehicles like new body design.

Just to recap, Traxxas has better support, more variety, and tends to have a higher top speed and be lighter weight. But Arrma updates their cars more often, is getting larger as a company and progressing and usually has better stock electronics.

If this has helped you get into the hobby, I hope you have fun and have learned about what brand/car might be the best for you.

Thank you for reading and I hope this has helped you in this wonderful hobby. : )

Top 10 Pop Songs by Chei Kang and Natalie Huggins

We sent a survey to people we knew about pop songs (about 50 ~ 60 people) and here are the results we got! For the tied ones, we asked a random person which one they liked better. This list might not be exactly accurate, but here it is:

10. “Peaches,”  by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon - 4 votes

It might not be the most school appropriate song, but “Peaches'' makes the cut.

9. “Deja Vu,” by Olivia Rodrigo - 4 votes

A song that talks about her breakup and her frustration, “Deja Vu” is 9th on the list.

8. “Bad Habits,”  by Ed Sheeran - 4 votes

This song by Ed Sheeran won’t let you down - like any other song by him.

7. “Kiss Me More,” by Doja Cat - 5 votes

It may be misjudged by the title but there is no doubt about how catchy it is.

6. “Love Again,” by Dua Lipa - 6 votes

Wow. Dua Lipa is very talented in making catchy songs.

5. “Leave Before You Love Me,”  by Jonas Brothers feat. Marshmello - 6 votes

A very chill, nice song.

4. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,”  by Whitney Houston - 7 votes

A great song that will make you want to dance!

3. “Good 4 U,”  by Olivia Rodrigo - 7 votes

This legendary song by Olivia Rodrigo is in the top 3 as expected.

2. “Levitating,”  by Dua Lipa feat. Da Baby - 9 votes

The second song by Dua Lipa on this list. The catchy tune makes it the second most 

popular song.

1. “Best Friend,”  by Saweetie feat. Doja Cat - 10 votes

We were surprised by this result, particularly because of the extremely inappropriate language, but “Best Friend,”  somehow makes the cut as the most popular song.