Arts & Culture

ARTS & CULTURE Hairspray debuts a large and diverse theater cast

By Madeline Brooks & Sophie Streiff Editor-in-Chi f & Arts & Cultur Editor ... “We’re finally at the tipping point where people go to see shows and they see people who look like them on stage every single time, and it doesn’t matter who you are, you see somebody who looks like you,” said East’s theater teacher Hope Hynes Love, who is directing Hairspray, East’s spring musical. The theater department has a mission statement regarding their after school productions; it outlines creating a more inclusive performance environment. “It’s generally about every four years making sure that we cover a variety of styles, and also age-appropriate, and also where we’re going as a program,” said Hynes.

Hairspray, which was performed March 5-7 7, was the largest production that the school has put on, with a cast of 60 students and a plethora of students working backstage. It was one that Hynes wasn’t sure they could do until this year, because before this year, the theater department didn’t know if they could get enough students to audition to fill all of the diverse roles required by Hairspray. “It’s taken us 15 years to have a casting pool that could support this kind of musical,” said Hynes. “As far as having that kind of casting pool in the after school availability, this is the first year we’ve been able to do that.” Because Hairspray has such a large cast size, a handful of roles have been filled by students who have never before participated in an East theater production. Among them is Esther Bach, a junior, who never expected to get cast as Tracy Turnblad, the lead of the musical. “This is my first school thing, which is crazy to me that I went in auditioning and I was like, ‘This is just for fun,’” said Bach. “But then I got a callback for Tracy.” Hynes is making extra effort to get new students involved in Hairspray, and that means making some compromises on scheduling. “There were situations where people were like, “this person is such a good fit for this role that we will just have to work our schedules around them,’’ said Aparna Nair, a stage manager. A lot of the new actors Hynes recruited are cheerleaders, with whom the theater department has worked out a unique rehearsal schedule where the cheerleaders who are in Hairspray have cheer every school day until six or six thirty, and then go to rehearsal until eight. “So I’m here all the time,” said Alicia Davis, a cheerleader who plays Motormouth Maybelle. Besides bringing in new theater participants, many of the actors in Hairspray have been in theater productions both at East and at other acting companies. Junior Imani Chabikuli, who plays Seaweed J. Stubbs, has been in East’s theater productions since his freshman year when he was in Antigone. “I walked onto the stage for five seconds or something like that, but it was crazy,” said Chabikuli. “It’s something that means a lot to me personally, because there’s nothing like it.” Richard Yuan, who plays Corny Collins, also started participating with East theater during his freshman year with a big role in The Sound of Music. “It was a really big jump at first because I actually had a fairly big role in that one, which really helped me learn really quickly,” said Yuan. “I really appreciate the experiences I got from that, because I went from pretty much nothing to being able to hold my own on stage.”

Hairspray has also led to actors, like senior Joe Davis, branching out from acting roles that they typically do. “I’m playing Edna, which is Tracy’s mom,” said Davis. “You just have to be able to put yourself out there and not really worry about how the people are going to react because in the end, it’s really fun to be as crazy as you can.” To help with the accuracy of the production, Erin Sullivan, who was a part of the Broadway national tour from 2008 to 2010, has been brought on as a consultant to help with choreography and hair and makeup design. Fiona Clancy, the props designer, has also been working to make sure the props match the original product as well as are safe for the actors to use. Sophie Streiff/The ECHO Ivy Evers performing as Velma Von Tussle, a major antagonist of this year’s spring musical, Hairspray. East art students working on variety of projects

Visual Art I

Using David Hockney’s “joiner” photography technique, Art I students are composing collages made up of fragments of pictures taken and rearranged. Art teacher Elaine Algarra allowed her students to only use primary colors and white on the whole project.

The Honors Visual Art III class is producing either a black and white triptych or a visual resume. The triptych panels, a set of three pictures, use white media on a black surface, and are cohesive but also present individually. A visual resume must represent the student on paper through a creative approach.

Visual Art III

Visual Art II

Visual Art II is producing charcoal portraits on a large scale, using additive and subtractive techniques to produce realism. Students are drawing with both compressed and vine charcoal so darker and lighter shades can be produced. They have also been working on drawing with erasers to subtract charcoal from the work.

AP Art and Design

AP Art and Design is producing its Sustained Investigations, which is an inquiry-based portfolio made up of 15 original pieces of artwork that will be submitted to the College Board.

..... .....With more than 60 people acting in the upcoming musical Hairspray and dozens more involved in the production, East has a thriving thespian culture. There are so many opportunities that students don’t often consider looking for a new space to hone their acting craft outside of school. However, many local agencies give students a way to practice theater. One such agency is One Song Productions. Founded in 2002 by Chapel Hill High School students, One Song is entirely student run, with students doing all the acting and directing for their productions. Over the course of a year, One Song produces three shows and offers students another opportunity to be involved in theater. One of the most enjoyable parts of One Song for many participants is the ability to work outside of a school framework. According to Alan Hunt, a senior at Chapel Hill High and one of the One Song board members, one of the main things that One Song teaches is managing without adult supervision. “I think that through doing One Song I’ve really learned how to work with other people my age, collaborating and doing something constructive,” Hunt said. “Just going through a show without one clear power figure like an adult director, you really learn how to work with each other, and balance friendship and professionalism.” One Song also provides a vehicle for getting to know people from different schools. Students from all over Chapel Hill, and even from Durham and Raleigh, collaborate to produce a show, building friendships and uniting around common interests. “We’re staying up every night working on this thing we all care about and love,” said Chapel Hill High School junior Matilda Chen, another board member. “There’s a big communal aspect to it.” One of One Song’s most notable programs is Feb 48, an annual one-act play festival where participants are given 48 hours over the course of a weekend to write and produce several skits. On Friday night, students are given an opening line and a closing line and have to build a script around it, with the deadline being Saturday morning. From then on, teams of actors and directors put it together, memorizing their lines and finding props. The whole thing culminates in a performance Sunday evening. For Gayle Krest, a junior at East, Feb 48 offers another opportunity to be on the stage. “I like theater, but I don’t have time to do it with my school, and I don’t have time to take it as a class. [Since] this is only one weekend, it doesn’t interfere with any jobs or sports.” Lately, most of One Song’s shows have been at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. Their most recent shows were Rumors and Dead Man’s Cell Phone, which ran Feb. 28-March 1. It’s Not You, It’s Me, is their upcoming show which will run May 29-May 31. To learn more about One Song, and how to get involved, visit 1songproductions.org and follow them on

Instagram @onesongproductions. By Jenny Blass St ff Writ r From music to movies: The ECHO reviews top award shows Jenny Bla /The ECHO A performance from this year’s annual one-act play, Feb 48, where students perform the student-written script.

By Shelby Swanson & Shay Wisdom Sports Editor & St ff Writ r

The Grammys

The Grammys did not disappoint with their deliverance of excellent performances and exciting narratives, but they failed overall in the quality of their selection for the awards. The Grammys consistently nominates the most popular music of the year in the general categories, even if they lack quality. Despite their popularity, bad guy and similar trashy pop songs shouldn’t have received the hype they did.

The Main Takeaways:

Billie Eilish won all four general Grammys. She won Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for When We All Sleep, Where Do We Go?, and she won Best New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for “bad guy.” Billie Eilish’s album When We All Sleep, Where Do We Go? was fantastic and she 100 percent deserved to win Best New Artist of the Year. However, her Song of the Year win for “bad guy” should have gone to “Lover” or “Hard Place,” much more profound songs with beautiful, classic production. Tyler the Creator was nominated for Best Rap Album and took home the award for Igor. He definitely left an impression on people, even if just by the thumbnail, on his music videos alone. It seemed that he was the obvious choice for the award, considering that there weren’t any albums that stood out as much as his did. Lil Nas X won two Grammys: Best Pop Duo Performance and Best Music Video for “Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus).” Lil Nas X’s collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus on “Old Town Road” was genre-bending and groundbreaking, most certainly worthy of the Best Pop Duo Performance award. The music video for this was iconic, spawning many memes and lots of buzz online. Out of all the music videos of 2019, “Old Town Road’s” definitely stands out as the clear choice for Best Music Video. Lizzo took home three Grammys for Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best Urban Contemporary Album. Lizzo’s music further exemplifies the way that the Grammys have been promoting genre-bending music. More and more artists are starting to break the common tropes and conventions of music.

The Oscars

Besides Parasite sweeping four awards, there weren’t many surprises at the Oscars, but maybe that’s for the best. Overall, the movies (that weren’t sequels or remakes) in 2019 were great! The quality of cameras and cinematography has only increased since last year, giving us visual delights like Toy Story 4 or 1917. The popularity contest continues, but the movies that were awarded deserved to win it.

The Main Takeaways:

Parasite became the first nonEnglish film to win Best Picture, and it also won Best Screenplay, Best International Film and director Bong Joon Ho won best director. This is a big win for international films and Asian representation in the film industry. But even outside of this, Parasite was an excellent film. It bended the genres of dark comedy, drama and thriller in an exciting way while tackling the issue of the wealth gap in South Korea. Despite this win for diversity in Hollywood, there was still a lack of representation of African American actors. Cynthia Erivo, the actress who played Harriet Tubman in Harriet, was the only African American nominated in any acting category. The awards for Best Actor and Actress went to Joaquin Phoenix and Renée Zellweger for their work in Joker and Judy. Phoenix and the movie Joker have cleaned out almost every awards show they have been to, and for good reason. Zellweger performed equally astoundingly in Judy. 1917 took home three awards for Best Cinematography, Visual Effects and Sound Mixing. This is not a surprise to anyone who’s seen this film or been following Oscar buzz. 1917 had the best film production seen in years. Everything from the filming to the audio arrangement captures the senses of the viewer and draws them into the world of World War I in an impressively realistic way.

School Kid Records

School Kid Records has a large assortment of both CDs and vinyl records to choose from, and are currently expanding their space. When I went to visit, the store was in the middle of setting up a separate room just for vinyl. They have a good selection of pop, straightforward rock and indie, as well as a selection of word, rap and electronic music. The staff is helpful while still just letting you browse. They have a very, very small number of turntables and speakers for sale, so the shop is not going to be the place to look if you want equipment. Located right near McDonald’s on Franklin St., it’s a good place to stop by and browse. School Kid Records is located at 405-C W Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 and is open from 11 to nine, Monday through Saturday, and from one to eight on Sunday. They can be contacted at (919) 960-9272 or skidschapelhill@gmail.com.

All Day Records

All Day Records had just vinyl records and is where to go if you want to find something out of the ordinary. Right on Main Street in Carrboro, they have a nice selection of everything from hardcore noise music to soft indie music. They have music to either set the perfect mood or drive people who are staying a little too long out of your house. They have some speakers and turntables in the back of the store, and in the front they have a box of free records for people passing by on the street to take if they want. All Day’s selection leans more towards the unusual and will always have something interesting. All Day Records is located at 112A E Main St,

Carrboro, NC 27510 and is open from 12 to six, Monday through Thursday, from 12 to eight Friday and Saturday and from two to six on Sunday. They can be contacted at (919) 537-8322 or info@ alldayrecords.com.

Generation Records

Generation Records is on Franklin Street almost directly across from School Kid Records. Generation is pretty small, but there’s plenty to look through. There are floor to ceiling shelves of CDs and several crates of records in the middle of the floor. There is a good mix of every genre in the CDs and in the records there is a lot of jazz, soul and pop. Like both of the other stores there are turntables and speakers for sale. In the store there is both fully functional ready to use equipment, and equipment that may have some kind of visual or internal damage that’s being sold to be tinkered or messed around with. Generation Records is located at 422 W Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 and is open from 12 to nine, Tuesday through Saturday and is closed on Monday and Sunday. They can be contacted at (919) 797-7044. ARTS & CULTURE echhsechoonline.com 11 By Aidan Paine-Heise St ff Writ r record stores ’round town ECHO location Aidan Paine-Hei e/The ECHO The front of All Day Records in downtown Carrboro has lots of fun and unusual vinyl records. Alongside the vinyl records, they have speakers available to amp up your listening experiences. Best around Chapel Hill: Vegan restaurants and cafes

By Caroline Chen St ff Writ r

Veganism is on the rise worldwide—and Chapel Hill isn’t an outlier to this trend. There is a plethora of vegetarian or vegan restaurants in our town, and still more restaurants beginning to offer vegan options among their traditional dishes. Vegan restaurants might get a bad rep as judgy, health-obsessed hippie-centers, but here in Chapel Hill, owners are the friendliest people you’ll meet and cuisines range from all over the world, with an option for everyone. As a nonvegan, here’s my opinion on a few:

Soul Cocina

Food: In this Latin fusion-inspired kitchen, everything on the menu is plant-based. We got oven-roasted plantains, and both of their arepas, thick corn tortillas with substantial fillings—chickpea artichoke and black bean zucchini. Everything was delicious! The plantains were warm, not-too-sweet and nicely crisped on the sides. Vibes: The owners here are a lovely couple who are very friendly. The location is a stall inside the Blue Dogwood Public Market off of Franklin, so there isn’t much seating, but everything moves pretty fast. It’s a fun place to grab a quick bite. Prices: Costs are fair considering its central location on Franklin Street— both arepas were around $8 each and the plantains were $4. Overall: Highly recommend! 4.5/5

Vegan Flava Cafe

Food: The style of this all-vegan cafe can be loosely described as Southern comfort food. We got the BBQ jackfruit taco special. It had a lot of greenery, including good amounts of avocado, which is always good. The jackfruit “meat” was decent with good BBQ spices, flavors, and a unique, slightly-stringy texture which is a pretty good imitation of chicken. The toppings were all fresh and the portion size was reasonable. Vibes: The staff was friendly and helpful. They made sure to accommodate my friend’s walnut allergy. It is also a small stall in the Blue Dogwood Market, but there is a good amount of seating. Prices: Again, given its location, prices are reasonable. We spent $11 for both tacos. Overall: Would try again! 4/5

Spotted Dog

Food: Their menu is full of vegan and vegetarian options. We ordered the Veggie Wings and the Spot’s Boneless Burger, which came with fries. The wings (made from tofu) were tangy and somewhat spicy, but not very flavorful. The veggie burger too lacked much flavor, although the fries were surprisingly good. Overall, the food was decent, but I wouldn’t recommend either of these particular dishes.

Vibes: The restaurant itself looks really cool, located on a V-shaped intersection (V for vegan!) and full of eccentric animal paintings. Unfortunately, our server was pretty unfriendly toward us and left us with a poor impression of the service. Prices: It totaled to $20 for the wings, burger and fries. Overall: Too much choice? We didn’t have a great experience this time, but their menu is so extensive that it might be worth another chance. 3/5

Sage Vegetarian Cafe

Food: So many options! Sage is a Persian-style restaurant but also has Italian dishes such as gnocchi. Almost everything is either vegan or gluten-free or can be adapted to fit those diets. We got the daily hummus (for us it was garlic), the osh lentil soup and an offmenu special called the Soy Chicken Cutlet (which is actually a curry with rice). They were all delicious and were really flavorful, with real spices rather than just a lot of salt and oil. Vibes: It’s a cozy cafe tucked into an unassuming strip mall (Timberlyne storefronts aren’t really the most aesthetic) and just walking in envelops you with a wonderful smell. The waitress was very friendly. Prices: As it is a formal restaurant, expect to spend around $20-$30. Entrees are around $15 each. Overall: They’ve been in business for decades and there’s a good reason why—try them out! 4.5/5 Carolina Chen/The ECHO The top photo is a meal ordered from Sage Vegetarian Cafe while the bottom photo is an arepa ordered from Soul Cocina.

12 ARTS & CULTURE March 2020 Oregon’s pride: Tonya Harding and the whale

Cat Tales: The cat’s meow By Kate Beisner Feature Editor “Welcome to Purradise.” Franklin Street has been home to various business ventures over the years, ranging from restaurants, retail shops and unique establishments like arcades and record shops. However, tucked away on the northside of Franklin Street lies a small café. The catch? It not only offers delicious menu options and perfect ambience, but it is also home to 12 scampering and adorable cats which can be adopted by interested visitors. The Cat Tales Cat Café, founded in mid-February of last year, opened as a foster home for cats and kittens allike, hoping to draw in adopters, serve as a safe space for cats and visitors, and decrease the burden on animal shelters. They are partnered with the Goathouse Refuge, a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter in Chatham County, that allows cats to stay in a cage-free environment before adoption.

Price of Attendance

The general price for attendance is created at one price point for entry and additional costs for food and drink. On weekdays they price at $10 per person, and on weekends, $12 per person. While these costs can add up if food or drink is desired, the money is used to help support the cats that are in need of a home. Guests are able to make reservations online or take their chances with walk-ins, though the limited spots may run out quickly.

Entertainment

This café is the perfect spot, as customers are able to enjoy delicious menu options and spend time with loved ones, all with an added “furry” bonus. The organization described it as a “low stress, free roaming environment” that allows the cats to be themselves and feel comfortable. The café offers both normal visit times along with special events, such as yoga with cats, zen in the cat den and time for younger visitors.

The Menu

The space is separated into two areas divided by a glass wall, one lobby area where customers can purchase food and drink, and then a separate two-story area for the cats. They offer a traditional café menu with assorted drinks and food options that customers can enjoy in both the lobby and the lounge. Coffee, tea and sodas are offered, along with beer and wine for adult customers. There are also a few options for snacks, including cupcakes and assorted snack bars. Prices for food are fairly reasonable, with most options less than $5.

Overall Ambiance

Overall, the open windows and attractive decor create a comfortable environment for cats and guests alike. The Cat Tales Café is devoted to helping cats in need to find a home along with providing furry entertainment to community members. Sonic the Hedgehog review

By Shay Wisdom Staff Writer

The first sign that this movie wasn’t for me was when the theater’s attendees consisted only of 11 year olds and their parents. As a kid, I was a pretty big Sonic fan, so when I heard about a movie all about Sonic the Hedgehog, I was excited. It seemed like it would be just the type of thing that old fans of the franchise could enjoy. Then I watched the trailer. Sonic looked like some kind of nightmare creature. When I first saw his face, I yelped, transfixed by his teeth and his small, far apart eyes that were, quite frankly, terrifying. Many other people also complained about the design, and Paramount actually listened. They said that a complete redesign of Sonic the Hedgehog was in order, and they dropped a new trailer that completely blew the old one out of the water. This excited me, and I was pumped to watch it in theaters. However, when I watched it, I realized that the writers were aiming toward a younger crowd. Sonic the Hedgehog is just like many CGI animal movies before it- -it has the plotline of Alvin & the Chipmunks but with robots, super speed and Jim Carrey. The plot was predictable and cliche, as were the characters; I’ve already forgotten their names. You don’t expect fantastic writing from a kids’ movie, because the only thing you have to worry about while creating a kids’ movie is if the jokes are funny. Sonic succeeded in this regard—Jim Carrey had me busting a gut, and Sonic had a few one-liners that cracked me up. In essence, Sonic the Hedgehog was a good movie for kids, just not a movie for longstanding Sonic fans. I applaud Sonic’s director Jeff Fowler for the redesign, but a small part of me wants to see the original version with Sonic as a blue devil. Photo courtesy of IMDB Sonic the Hedgehog makes a comeback.

Screenshot courtesy of YouTu e Newscasters flooded to the scene as the explosion approached.

By Audrey Dezern Staff Writer

Two disgraced legends were born in Oregon Nov. 12, 1970. In a Portland hospital, future figure skater Tonya Harding was born at the same time a beached whale was removed from a beach with dynamite. Three days prior to this fateful day, an eight-ton sperm whale had washed onto shore near Florence, Oregon. Though its unimaginable stench and size attracted visitors, it had to be removed by the Oregon Department of Transportation which at the time had jurisdiction over beaches. Highway engineer George Thorton led the whale-removal project and concluded that the only way to remove the carcass was to blow it up with dynamite, since it was too big to be buried or burned. “I’m confident that it will work. The only thing is we’re not sure how much explosives it will take to disintegrate it,” Thorton said to TV-2, Portland, Oregon (KATU). On the day of the highly-anticipated explosion, spectators and reporters surrounded the sand dunes and stood about half a mile away. At first, they felt amazed when the 20 cases of dynamite exploded the whale into the air, but were horrified when pieces of blubber rained down upon them and covered them in goo. People scattered and were forced to evacuate the area, though the extent of the damage was only a flattened car roof. Still, everyone present was covered in bits of blubber. In 1970, the story of the exploding whale was not nationally recognized. It first gained attention in the 1990s when the original footage of KATU’s coverage went viral. People were captivated in part by the bizarreness of the story, but reporter Paul Linnman’s commentary is what really drew people in. For example: “The blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds,” Linnman said. After the video went viral, interest in the peculiar explosion peaked. People made tributes to it nation-wide, including songs and a website called TheExplodingWhale.com. Nov. 12 is unofficially recognized as Exploding Whale Day to die hard fans. The fact that Tonya Harding was born at the exact same place and the exact same day cause some to (jokingly) speculate that there is a correlation between the two events. Many people believe the birth of Harding could not have been possible without the explosion. Harding’s rise to fame came in 1991, when her famous triple axel jump landed her first place in nationals, and a spot in the Olympics. She was the first woman and American to complete this jump. But she fell short in the 1992 Winter Olympics, only placing fourth. For the next Olympics in 1994, the stakes were high. Harding had to beat rising figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the national competition to be able to compete. Days before the competition, Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly hired two men to assault Kerrigan. Harding won first in nationals, but later that year she was stripped of her title and banned from figure skating competition after pleading guilty to the cover up of Kerrigan’s assault. Kerrigan won silver in the Olympics, Harding lived on in infamy. It may seem like old news, but the two infamous characters are still marveled at today and are both important parts of Oregon’s history. Harding and the exploding whale were both criticized, but over time they have grown loving fanbases.

ARTS & CULTURE echhsechoonline.com 13 .....The elephant’s been in the room for a while: our award shows are white. To the point where it’s just painful to watch them the whole way through. I’m not just mad about Lupita Nyong’o getting completely snubbed for Best Actress. Beyond the gross amount of unjustified nominations for awards (or lack thereof) and the disproportionate amount of press for white stars on the red carpet, the misrepresentation doesn’t just take the fun of awards season away—it sets some heavy implications for the diversity of the arts. Even in 2020, between the Oscars’ most coveted awards, Best Actress and Best Actor, only one person of color was nominated. Not a single person nominated for Best Supporting Actor or Actress wasn’t white. These award shows set a precedent for the best of the best in the world of the arts. They represent the pinnacle of film, theatre, music and TV. The problem is, when the white side of Hollywood becomes the face of these giant points of art, there becomes a standard for these mediums that excludes anyone who doesn’t fit in that box. What does that say about the most respected honors for film performances? Does it mean that to be successful in the arts, you still need to fit in some standard? Does it enforce the fact that artists of color still need to work harder to be equally recognized in the industry today? Only one Asian-American has ever won either of those two awards. Ever. The fact that representative movies like Crazy Rich Asians are seen as novel rather than normal just shows how Hollywood has stacked its standards. The way awards are given is the culminating applause for the industry’s whitewashing. Despite Parasite, a Korean foreign language film, winning Best Picture, this is the first time a non-English movie has ever gotten the award. And that was the extent of representation during the show this year—at least for the big awards. Awards shows like the Oscars have become symbols of white Hollywood and the ignorance to the constant diversity in talent which actually ends up on the silver screen. Hollywood awards shows have proven themselves to be a relic of a previously un-diverse film industry, and still continue to misrepresent the growing diversity. By Sophie Clapacs Multi di Editor

Opinion: Award shows are remarkably whitewashed Eva Buckner’s top-11 Star Wars movies, ranked While Star Wars as a saga is undeniably cemented in icondom, some of the movies are coarse, and rough, and irritating…. That said, here is my conclusive ranking of each of the main 11 movies. Spoilers abound, so read at your own risk. Also, disclaimer: the reviews of the original series are based on creator George Lucas’s latest updated special editions. 1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Empire Strikes Back is not just peak Star Wars, but peak cinema. The gold standard by which every other movie should be measured. It goes without saying that its plot twists are the most iconic of the saga. It strikes (get it?) the perfect balance between action and character development. Gorgeous alien landscapes, from those of Hoth to Dagobah to Cloud City, are paired with an excellent score and sound design. It deserves the first-place spot just for that one scene where Yoda, untrammeled by humanity, beats R2-D2 with a stick. 2. Revenge of the Sith (2005) It’s possible this movie is only so fantastic because Episodes I and II lower your standards so much, but fantastic it is. Revenge of the Sith breaks free from the clunky dialogue and irrelevant plots of the other two prequels, establishing itself as the emotional crux of the saga (the last 20 minutes of the movie in particular). Finally, the years of intergalactic politics and quiet conniving give way to a mass fall from grace that is as satisfying as it is tragic. The Republic goes up in figurative flames, and Anakin does so literally. It’s beautiful. 3. A New Hope (1977)

A New Hope deserves credit just for being the first of its kind. This movie was such a good precedent that the sequel trilogy is still trying to replicate it, both thematically and character-wise, with debatable success. It establishes relevant lore without worrying too much about the boring parts, and introduces an intriguing cast of characters (namely Luke, whose strength lies in the fact that from the start he’s charismatic, but a little stupid and impossible not to root for). 4. Rogue One (2016) This movie manages, through clever technical elements and artful cinematography, to capture the look and feel of the original trilogy. Rogue One stays grounded in that nostalgic vibe while braving an organic plot. Its focus on a ragtag bunch of misfits whose story would normally be left for Expanded Universe material is refreshing; lightsaber battles do actually get old. CGI Grand Moff Tarkin did look a little wacky, but I’ll pretend I didn’t notice. 5. Return of the Jedi (1983)

Return of the Jedi is a satisfying, if at times silly, conclusion to the original trilogy. It builds upon continuing themes concerning family and morality, and weaves in a new message: you should spend all your money on Ewok toys. From said Ewoks’ escapades against the Imperial Army to the plethora of weird aliens in Jabba’s palace, ROTJ is goofy, at times. It’s debatable whether that’s a bad thing or not. Above all, the contrast between Luke’s journey and the rest of the gang’s is funny—as he grapples with whether or not to kill his own father, they hang out with a teddy bear cult that worships C-3PO. What’s not to love? 6. The Rise of Skywalker (2019) This one falls near the middle of the scale not because it’s a middle-of-the-road movie, but because it’s at once amazing and terrible—it features some of the best twists and turns of the saga, and some of the laziest. The Rise of Skywalker is a completely unsatisfying amalgamation of far too many conflicting plot points that would have been good, were they better developed. I love the boldness of its chaos, however, and that it seems to be designed to give anyone who takes it too seriously a migraine. Was The Rise of Skywalker a good movie? It’d be hard to say yes. Was it fun to watch, though? Without a doubt. 7. The Force Awakens (2015) The biggest downfall of this movie, as with all of the sequels, is its fear of doing something new. It instead seems beholden to the pattern of the originals. How many times am I supposed to watch a scrappy nobody from a desert planet get shunted into joining a resistance in its exploits to defeat a masked, orb-building fascist? How many droids containing essential information have to be toted across the galaxy? How many kooky alien bar scenes must I endure? That said, what The Force Awakens lacks in plot originality, it nearly makes up for in character design and cinematography. It’s not a bad start to the new trilogy. Also, Harrison Ford’s still got it, even after all these years. 8. The Last Jedi (2017)

The Last Jedi has its cool moments and its weak. Rey’s story, propelled by strong performances from Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and Mark Hamill, is intriguing. The rest of the movie is not. Finn, along with Rose, is saddled with a bizarre sidequest that draws away from the action and ultimately proves meaningless. Poe’s writing ruins his character development. This movie sets up a downward trajectory for the remainder of the saga. 9. Solo (2018) It should be illegal to make a Han Solo movie with anyone other than Harrison Ford playing the title character. That said, Alden Ehrenreich actually did a pretty good job (and the same goes for Donald Glover). Solo wasn’t all bad; it picked up once the gang boarded the Falcon, and the Kessel Run was one of the most nervewracking action sequences of the saga. It was, however, pretty generic. The plot predictable, the characters (besides the obvious—Han, Lando, etc.) forgettable, this movie had its slow points. Sidenote: Celebrity cameos in big franchises are a risky move, and one that didn’t pay off this time. Woody Harrelson doesn’t belong in space! 10. Attack of the Clones (2002) It’s hard to even say this movie is better than The Phantom Menace. At least it’s bad in different ways. The juxtaposition of Obi-Wan’s galactic escapades and Anakin and Padme’s brunch dates is jarring and laughable. Additionally, while Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) is acting opposite a host of CGI aliens, it’s the Padme and Anakin scenes that feel lifeless. The awkward dialogue of Attack of the Clones drove a wedge between its leading couple, leaving him creepy and her listless. At the very least, this movie marked some of the best implementations of the Imperial March to signal Anakin’s descent to evil. 11. The Phantom Menace (1999) No Star Wars movie is worthless, but this one sure comes close. This movie is rife with things that could not have sounded like a good idea at any point: pretentious dialogue for child actors, offensively well-explained economic conflict, and Jar-Jar Binks: a wannabe original trilogy-Yoda, but taller and a war criminal. The scale of the conflict is so small it feels irrelevant. Shockingly, bureaucrat Nute Gunray is not a particularly exciting adversary in contrast to those of the originals. How dare this movie demand any of my attention. By Eva Buckner Opinion Editor