West Side Story: 1961 vs. 2021

After seeing Spider-Man: No Way Home twice in theaters, and being an avid Marvel watcher since birth, I feel somewhat qualified to give my take on the biggest dominance of the cinemas in the entirety of 2021. Making its way into the 10th highest-grossing movie ever at the domestic box office in only its third week, the beautiful callbacks to its counterparts Spider-Man and The Amazing SpiderMan have been proven successful. The movie started off with an almost direct continuation of Tom Holland’s last movie Spider-Man: Far From Home where Mysterio had just outed SpiderMan’s identity as Peter Parker to the public. With heroes like Captain America and Black Widow, the public knew their identity as Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff but Peter was the only hero with a secret identity and in the MCU, heroes don’t hide behind pseudonyms. However, it’s an essential part of his character. Mysterio revealing this turns his world upside down; Peter now has to deal with the court of public opinion. He had dreams of living a normal life in Boston, but that can’t happen now due to today’s modern world obsession with celebrity culture which brings a modern take to the film not explored in past Spider-Man’s. After the group’s rejection from MIT due to the “controversy” surrounding Peter’s true identity, all Peter wants is to take back the information that he was ever Spider-Man so he goes to Doctor Strange to help wipe the minds of the public. Obviously, this doesn’t work and in trying to use the Runes of Kauf-Kaul, the spell was corrupted and Strange had to contain it using the ancient relic Machina de Kadavus. With this spell, a rift in the multiverse had unleashed several enemies of Spider-Man in alternate realities such as Doc Ock and Electro. That sounded complicated yet, we’re somehow just getting started. For starters: String theory. Multidimensional reality. And matter displacement. All real? Knew it! An alternate timeline has been comparatively explored in other marvel movies as laid out by the Ancient One in Doctor Strange and confirmed by He Who Remains in Loki, the MCU exists in a world “without end.” In short, the MCU’s multiverse is infinite. However, we have yet to truly explore that like they did in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not to mention, it’s unusual not to know significant

String theory. cast members unMultidimensional realtil after the movie is released and ity. And matter displace- of course, with ment. All real? Knew it! Marvel movies, trying to get the cast members to spoil something is one of interviewers’ and fans’ favorite pastimes. Which is definitely entertaining considering Tom Holland’s history of spoiling just about everything with endless amounts of complications on YouTube of him doing just that. This time around, however, the cast and crew must’ve seriously trained Tom because if I’m not mistaken, he didn’t spoil anything this time around. Okay, well actually, he spoiled kind of a lot but you Spider-Man: No Way Home released on December 16th, 2021, and it deserves to be recognized as more than your average superhero film.

know what? He tried. Unluckily though, the internet is the place for leaked information since people can FBI investigate anything these days. Photos and videos leaked all over social media, some real and some not. This Spider-Man in particular had such big hype and expectations that everybody was trying to gather any information possible. Everyone knew but nobody knew. Watching Peter Parker cubed (this is what I’m choosing to call the trio of Toby Maguire, Andrew Gartfield, and Tom Holland from now on) interact was hectic yet simultaneously cathartic. The writers definitely capitalized on their opportunity to make this as hilarious as possible. I mean, come on, “Cool Youth Pastor?” When Andrew’s Spider-Man cracked Tobey’s Spider-Man’s back like two casual friends before the movie’s final battle? Absolute gold. Not only did they use comedy to their ad-

Photo supplied by Laura Silenzio ‘23 vantage, they also explored Spider-Man’s past hardships commonly experienced between the 3 friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s. Moments of the film drew you back to the previous movies, with the perfect parallel of MJ’s fall seemingly mirroring Gwen’s in The Amazing SpiderMan 2, however Andrew’s Spider-Man gets the redemption he was longing for in an emotional display of grief that made watchers quite literally cry their eyes out. Bringing these three together along with the villainous opposition of Doc Ock, Electro, Sandman, Lizard, and Green Goblin brought such a thrilling energy to the theater with fans screaming for joy as soon as Andrew’s Spider-Man jumps through Ned’s portal. The movie itself brought back so much nostalgia from 2002 (I was nonexistent then but I can still appreciate it!) and it’s possibly the start of a new era of multidimensional reality that I can’t wait to watch!

West Side Story returns after 60 years

By ARIANNA MORALES ‘22 Co-Editor-in-Chief

Aclassic story retold. Romeo and Juliet in the streets of New York, reimagined again. Six decades ago, Natalie Wood’s “Maria” and Richard Beymer’s “Tony” fateful love first graced the screen. The audience fell in love with the story as fast as the renditions of Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other. Now Spielberg aims to retell West Side Story on the big screen with a new cast but the same story, along with some other changes. How do the two films differ? Or are their respective eras the only thing that sets them apart? This review aims to answer this question spoiler free. The original movie adaption of the musical West Side Story was an instant hit. It was deemed revolutionary for its time because of its stunning realism: the very streets of New York featured in the first few minutes of the film as a long panoramic shot of various iconic locations. “‘The realness of a travel log,’[and] ‘a starkly realistic crime film’ [aren‘t] phrases a critic would have associated with movie musicals at that point in American cinema,” according to Be Kind Rewind. This was a stark contrast to the fantastical sets typical of movie musicals during the time. “These films were meant to enchant and to glamorize.” West Side Story captured raw emotions while seamlessly portraying the essence of New York throughout the film. Most (if not all) songs felt captivating and sent chills to the audience as the emotions of every character radiated: from love to hate and everything in between; if it wasn’t the singing, it was the skillful dancing that painted the tense racial divide against the budding romance of Maria and Tony. However, it did have its own flaws, one of them being, ironically, the lack of authenticity when it came to framing the immigrant experience. More specifically, the Puerto Rican immigrant experience in New York in the late 50s. Natalie Wood was Russian American and George Charikis (Bernardo) was Greek American. Furthermore, much of the singing was dubbed and the “Hispanics” were told to wear dark makeup despite the fact that Puetro Ricans can be any color, as argued by the iconic “Anita,” actress Rita Moreno, one of the few actual Puerto Rican actors cast in the original film. Ghost singing and casting regardless of ethnic relation to the role were common practices in the film industry at the time. That’s where Spielberg comes in. The new version of West Side Story emphasizes the Latino immigrant experience through smooth integration of Spanish dialect woven regularly into dialogue and the Hispanics casted both in prominent and minor roles. In addition, multiple characters, especially Tony and Riff contain more dimension compared to their counterparts. The placement and lyrics of some songs have also changed. Particularly, “Cool” has a refreshed meaning as it foreshadows conflict and similarly

A classic showcases the temptation story retold. for violence while “I Feel Pretty” has new bittersweet undertones. Although 2021’s version was officially a box office bomb, most likely due to the The remake of “West Side Story” is the classic story, but retold sixty years later on the big screen with a brand-new cast.

Photo by 20th Century Studios and Leonard Bernstein Office number of anticpated films like SpiderMan: No Way Home and others taking precedence, it nonetheless enhanced 1961’s authenticity to the lives of rival gangs in the streets of New York. Both films tell the tale of the persistence of passion: vengeful hate and the sweetest love constantly at ends with each other. It describes humanity’s selfish insistence to tradition and reluctance to change. As the credits roll and the music flows through reprisals of chilling songs like “Maria” and “Tonight,” it makes one wonder: can love break through a whirlwind of hate if it were strong enough? Both movies give ambiguous messages that ultimately leave the viewer with the final decision. A choice to love or hate others and be willing to accept its consequences.

Two decades after what might be considered the biggest bookadapted-to-movie franchise ever, the cast of Harry Potter has traveled back to where it all began to commemorate the fi lm’s 20th anniversary. The Hogwarts trio Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have now publicly reunited for the fi rst time since the release of the fi nal Potter fi lm. During the nearly two-hour special, franchise alums share their memories of what many of them considered their second home. With the behind-the-scenes footage from all eight fi lms, we get to hear about all of their feelings behind what we’ve seen captured on fi lm many years ago. From stardom at a young age to on-set crushes, young alumni of the fi lm practically lived as they did in the series for 10 years of their adolescence, which now has a great impact on their lives. As for the characters themselves, the actors felt as if they were their characters. Grint expressed that he saw himself as Ron in a deep way and after the fi lms, he couldn’t differentiate Ron from Rupert. In a sense , they were the same as their characters since they grew up in their mindsets and had the same experiences. For the fi rst two movies, the young cast admitted that they were incredibly “hyperactive and excitable” and felt thankful that their then-director, Columbus, had just let them be kids. By growing up in this environment where they could simply have fun and be themselves, they discovered that they had built a real family instead of focusing on the technical aspect of the fi lm. They found people they could have a real familial bond with like a second family, mirroring their on-screen relationships. As fi lming progressed, more and more of what many would call the “British royalty of the acting world” had joined the movies. With prominent stars such as Richard Harris, Helena Bonham Carter, and Gary Oldman, the young actors still couldn’t grasp the gravity of who they were dealing with. As they got older and the topics of the fi lms got heavier, they expressed how they began to be treated as respected actors. Emma pointed out that the late Alan Rickman, who portrayed Severus Snape, always took her thoughts and opinions very seriously, which touched her. As soon as the death of Cedric Diggory was fl ashed across our screens, viewers felt a darkness that would continue throughout the fi lm. Before they faced huge spiders in the forest, Fluffy the monstrous three-headed dog, amongst others, but the death, especially of a student at Hogwarts, was something that transitioned the franchise into a spiral of morbidity and sadness that would follow through the next fi lms. By the time they reached the Goblet of Fire, the young actors were also experiencing the beginning of their teenage years while simultaneously being uberfamous celebrities. As their characters dealt with crushes and dating, so did the cast in real life. What could have been many of the fans’ highlights of the reunion was Emma Watson and Tom Felton’s discussion of their bond during the fi lm. While Watson had previously revealed her crush on Felton while fi lming, she expressed her youthful admiration for Tom in that she always felt

Harry Potter has become one of the most popular movie franchises of the 21st century. Photo by Pixabay she could be vulnerable with him as Tom also admitted to having a soft spot for her. Their deep connection on set sparked into a mutual, but platonic love for each other, which still holds up to this day. I felt as if I could feel the love they had for each other through the screen which was quite touching and defi nitely what my 10 year old self would have excitedly screamed at. As we got to hear about the hilarious details of things like their “homework” from the director that Rupert didn’t do under the guise of “acting like Ron” and Daniel Radcliffe’s hysterical bote expressing his love for Helena Bonham Carter, we also heard many tribulations the cast faced in real life. Whether that was an identity crisis from playing a character for that long period of time or feeling like they couldn’t handle the spotlight Harry Potter was shoving them into, we couldn’t begin to comprehend how that really was for them at the time. However, what we know is that they had each other to lean on, and in many ways the cast will always be a family, even 20 years later.

The dark side of media infl uencers

By CASSIDY GOLIN ‘24 Features Editor

It’s a sunny day, palm trees sway, and a beautiful mansion stands alone in Moorpark, California; this is the setting for Netfl ix’s new reality series. Hype House gives a glance into the lives of your favorite “infl uencers” living in the renowned content house. Founded in 2019 by infl uencers Thomas Petrou, Kouvr Annon, Chase Hudson, Alex Warren, and Daisy Keech, the Hype House is a collaborative content house made up of teenage TikTok personalities. The house has changed since it fi rst opened. Aside from it’s new locations which split between the main location in Moorpark and Chase Hudson’s mansion in Encino, the overall mood of the house was noticeably shifted in the series. This is partly due to the departure of many members. “We were like a family… It was so much fun just creating content every day, and now times have changed,” said Thomas Petrou, the manager and self proclaimed “dad” of the house. The once cheer-fi lled presence of the Hype House seems duller, with many of the remaining members revealing they have lost passion for what they do. The house is falling behind on their brand deals — their means of living, and Thomas Petrou weighs the option of closing the house for good. Though they live in a mansion rent-free and have more sports cars than countable, creators living in the Hype House don’t seem to be having any fun. In fact, they seem miserable. But why? What happens when the vlogs stop fi lming and the TikTok videos stop rolling? Behind the backfl ips and Bang Energy videos is a dark side to infl uencing.

Staying Relevant During the series, Alex Warren struggles to produce new content. “Recently, in the last month or two, my numbers have been going down,” he says. “What am I doing wrong, and how can I get those people back?” Warren admitted to spending $50,000-$70,000 a month for his prank videos in hopes of going viral. Staying relevant is crucial to their careers. “Very literally, social media is a numbers game,” said Warren. “Your money depends on the numbers.” The pressure to continuously produce good content is a lot of pressure for young adults, which causes a loss of passion, especially when constantly met with hate and criticism. Hate and Criticism An infl uencer is no stranger to hate and criticism, even if they are a generally well-received creator. Hype House members’ ages range from late teens to early twenties — a very young age to be subjected to such amounts of hate. “It really takes a toll on your mental health,” said Kouvr Annon. When Alex Warren and Vinnie Hacker’s prank went wrong due to jealous fans, many were left unsettled. “A lot of fans were very jealous and upset with the girl [Nati] for kissing Vinnie. So they started sending her death threats and her whole world kind of came down from a video that I made,” Warren admitted.

Strained Relationships “The hardest part about making relationship content is separating the business from the relationship,” said Warren. He and fellow Hype House member Kouvr Annon have been dating since 2018. “The line between social media and our relationship defi nitely blurs,” said Kouvr. Social media’s effect on their relationship is displayed numerous times throughout the series. In the end, when the cameras stop fi lming, the lives of infl uencers living in the Hype House seem pretty depressing. It’s hard to believe that these creators are still teenagers and young adults while being subjected to so much criticism with so much pressure put on their relationships and careers. Hype House is just another example that what you see on the internet isn’t always true.

January 2022

My Favorite Albums from 2021

By JENNA PRESTON ‘22 Associate Editor-in-Chief

Solar Power, Lorde’s third album, returns us to our most fundamental level, paying homage to nature and the planet. While the power of ‘Solar Power’ comes from Mother Nature, its creator does not sugarcoat the fact that the world is deteriorating. This album is inspired by the Earth not only thematically, but also musically. It’s mainly reliant on organic sounds, with enchanting instrumentation. Although this record will not appeal to everyone, with each listen, the music rises in quiet stature. Only a few musicians can create musical masterpieces in their careers, but Lorde has done it three times in a row.

I already knew how much I loved Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak, but I had no idea how much I needed them together. One of the greatest things to come out of 2021 is Silk Sonic. They complement each other brilliantly, resulting in “An Evening with Silk Sonic,” an incredible record. They write songs infl uenced by 1970s funk, soul, R&B, and even a hint of disco. It’s a place to come down and dance to velvety rhythms, silky passionate sounds, and stylish rhythm. This new album encourages people to feel eager going out and having some normal fun again.

“To Hell With It” by PinkPantheress is a collection of upbeat, catchy songs that have been stuck in my head all year. Many people praise the songs on this album, and the bulk of them have received a lot of attention on TikTok this year. This debut embodies the essence of the time. She crosses genres by including popular samples from the 2000s. While the Y2K beats in many of her tracks are easy to get lost in, her voice is what sets her apart from other singers in this new “cyber” genre of music. This is an excellent start to her career, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from her.

Summer Walker’s “Still Over It” is a compelling and life-affi rming journey, with each song revealing a new aspect of a breakup. Her sadness and fears aren’t theoretical, and when she sings about this emotion, her songwriting is the most detailed. Summer Walker captures her soulfulness amid her rage in the greatest moments on this album. These songs are honest about her relationships, and the collaborations full of female empowerment. When Summer Walker sings for herself and the grief of so many other women who have been hurt, she displays that she is a brilliant storyteller.

The Voyager 15

A Game to Watch: MLB vs. Players Association

By KYLE GOLDSTEIN ‘22 Staff Reporter

Those planning on watching any baseball games this year might be forced to put that desire on hold. are barred from using all team facilities, and clubs can’t contact players during this offseason until a resolution occurs. On December 2, 2021, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the Players Association expired. The CBA is the arrangement between the two groups on rules, employment, and financial structure. After most of these terms conclude, the MLBPA and MLB negotiate and agree to a new deal. However, this year, the owners of the teams initiated a lockout of the players, something not seen since 1990. This is the fourth lockout in the history of the MLB and the ninth labor stoppage, the last of which was a player strike that led to the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. The owners aren’t forced to lock the players out and could’ve instead continued negotiating without a CBA in place. However, it is evident they were trying to prevent a repeat of the previous strike, which occurred following continued debate over the CBA that expired at the end of 1993. MLB views a lockout as a defensive measure; Rob Manfred, the MLB’s commissioner, claimed “an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season.” During the lockout, players receive signing bonuses or deferred payments but they will not be paid their base salaries if the lockout continues into the regular season. Transactions have stopped, players Furthermore, the Major League portion of the Winter Meetings, a convention for discussing business and trades including the Rule 5 draft, was already canceled indefinitely last month. Players believe that the previous CBA was not in their favor, despite last November producing over $2 billion worth of deals. Highlights of this spree include the Texas Rangers’ over $516.2 million in deals, with shortstop Corey Seager getting $325 million for ten years. Moreover, pitcher Max Scherzer signed a three year contract with the New York Mets for $130 million, which is the highest average annual value in baseball history at $43.3 million. Recent MLB proposals offer some compromise to player-addressed issues, including an increase to the minimum player salary and Collective Ballance Tax threshold, so teams will be incentivized to give free agents more money. They also are prepared to eliminate the free agent draft-pick compensation rule and institute a draft lottery. Other topics like universal designated hitters and an extension to the playoffs are goals sought after by MLB. However, these are all minor points of discussion that can be easily resolved, unlike some of the larger dividing factors. This year, the MLBPA is seeking major changes. The union wants to lower the service time rules restricting younger players to teams for the first six years of their careers down to five, as they do not want teams to grow complacent with power. Meanwhile, MLB argues that doing this makes it harder for teams to compete. The MLBPA also wants to see a significant reduction in revenue sharing, which would hurt the competitiveness of small-market clubs. Super-two eligibility, where the top twenty-two percent of players with two to three years of service are eligible for salary arbitration, is looking to be altered by the MLBPA, after being constantly included in every CBA for the last 32 years. The first discussion concerning core economics since the lockout was held on January 13. However, the players were less than pleased by the proposal made by the MLB, which missed key subjects the Union was hoping would be addressed; no follow up session was immediately scheduled to continue negotiations. With spring training nearing, there is an incentive for a resolution in the near future. In a recent statement, the MLBPA announced they were determined to reach an agreement “that is fair to all parties, and provides fans with the best version of the game.” However, nothing is guaranteed, and although unlikely, the baseball season could still have to be delayed or suspended, which is the last thing the fans want.

Despite messy playoff exit, Eagles headed in right direction

It’s hard to see the MLB and the Players’ Association finding an agreement any time soon. Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Max Verstappen wins first World Driver’s Championship

By ANDREW SHINKLE ‘22 Editor in Chief

Let’s not talk about what happened on January 16th in Tampa. No Eagles fan wants to relive that embarrassment of a football game; it’s safe to say that this matchup against Tom Brady in the playoffs didn’t go quite as well as the last one. While the Birds’ season didn’t end in the fashion that many had hoped, there’s still reason to be excited about where this team is headed in the future. For starters, nobody expected anything out of this 2021 Eagles team, except for maybe the Eagles themselves. They were widely projected to be a bottomthird team in the NFL, as they had just finished 4-11-1 the year before. 2021 was supposed to be a rebuilding year to evaluate QB Jalen Hurts and other promising players. The Eagles then proceeded to finish the season 9-8 and win seven of their last ten games in order to clinch the #7 seed in the NFC. A lot of people underestimated this team, and the Eagles proved them wrong. In his first season as head coach, Nick Sirianni bounced back from a 2-5 start to lead this team to the playoffs, and there’s something to be said about that. After receiving criticism about his under-utilization of the run game, Sirianni adapted, and helped develop the Eagles into one of the league’s top rushing teams. The Eagles look to be solid in the head coaching department for the foreseeable future. Jalen Hurts’ passing game was serviceable this season, but his stats don’t exactly jump off the page. 3,144 passing yards with sixteen touchdowns and nine interceptions is fine play, but he will need to improve in this regard next year and beyond.

Of course, those stats aren’t entirely his fault. The Eagles’ receiving corps was underwhelming this year, with the exceptions of rookie WR DeVonta Smith and star TE Dallas Goedert. Other players such as WRs Jalen Reagor and Quez Watkins left more to be desired, and Reagor in particular has not lived up to the potential that made him the Eagles’ first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. While the Eagles’ running game reached new heights as a team, thanks to the contributions of Boston Scott, Jordan Howard, and Kenneth Gainwell, lead RB Miles Sanders had an underwhelming year. He only accumulated 754 rushing yards, and didn’t score The Eagles lost in the playoffs, a touchdown the enbut the future is bright. tire season. To put that into perspective, Hurts

Photo by Andrew Shinkle, Canva.com had thirty more rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns. With one of the NFL’s top offensive lines, the Eagles should be primed for an improvement on offense next year, as long as Hurts continues to develop and improvements are made to the wide receiver room. On the defensive front, Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat broke out as premier players on the defensive line. CB Darius Slay maintained his superstar play, and should be able to round out his career strong. LB Alex Singleton went under the radar and should be given more recognition. However, the Eagles’ defense was largely average, and it’s the number one area that the team should address in the 2022 NFL Draft. They have three first round picks in the draft, with two of them coming from shrewd trades with the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts. April 28th will be a franchise-altering date. The 2021 Eagles made a statement this season. They’re ahead of schedule in their rebuild, and they’re not to be taken lightly going forward.

By JOSEPH LOVERDI ‘22 Sports Editor

Lewis Hamilton had been dominant all night. From lap 1 to lap 57, the Mercedes driver had been leading his title rival, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Verstappen’s pit stop for new hard tires failed to get the Dutchman anywhere close to Hamilton, who looked on course to win his fifth straight world championship. Then Nicholas Latifi crashed on lap 53. The Williams driver had been fighting for 15th place with Haas’ Mick Schumacher when he spun out. A safety car came out, and for four laps Hamilton was in front. Many assumed the safety car would last until the end of the race, leaving Hamilton to claim his eighth World Drivers’ Championship. Race director Michael Masi then made one of the stupidest decisions in FIA history, allowing five lapped cars to pass the safety car while the others could not. This was done so Hamilton and Verstappen could fight it out for the championship on the final lap. Verstappen, on new soft tires, breezed past Hamilton through the hairpin; Hamilton tried to move back after the next chicane but failed. Verstappen was now champion of the world. Before addressing the controversy, let’s start by making something incredibly clear: Verstappen is a deserving world champion. At times this season he was utterly unstoppable, from his domination on the narrow streets of Monaco to his home victory in Zandvoort. While Hamilton had similar stretches, especially his back-

to-back-to-back wins to level the championship, Verstappen was more consistent. When he completed a race, the Dutchman finished off the podium only once .It was an absolutely outstanding season for the 24-year-old, who joins Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso as the only drivers to win the World Drivers’ Championship under age 25. Mercedes appealed the race result, claiming that Masi’s move to unlap those cars was unfair and directly handed Verstappen the championship. However, their initial appealed failed and they would drop it following talks with Hamilton. Hamilton, to his credit, took his loss in stride , with a classy post-race interview congratulating Verstappen. However, I don’t blame Toto Wolff and Mercedes for taking the loss as they did; what Masi did was Max Verstappen won his clearly just for the camfirst world championship in eras, reversing an FIA rule dramatic fashion. Photo: Wikimedia that had been used to keep the race order intact following Latifi’s crash. It’s the first time that’s ever been done in a Formula One race, and it just so happened to be in the title decider. It’s shameful, and brought a horrible end to a season that deserved to have a finish free of controversy. Verstappen and Hamilton gave us arguably the best season in Formula One history, where the title came down to the last race and races like Barcelona and Le Castellet became riveting affairs rather than boring slogs. We were given a shock winner in Hungary, a newly-competent second driver for Red Bull, and a chaosfilled Baku. There were six different winners, a McLaren 1-2 in Monza, and the emergence of the US as a F1 hotspot. The 2021 F1 season was one to remember, and its combination of a controversial ending and a new world champion will stay in the memory for years to come.