Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
Welcome back to the Stag! I hope everyone’s first few weeks have been great so far despite the cur rent and looming pressures of upcoming cycle tests, trials and the eventual HSC. Heading into the middle of Term 3 brings the oppor tunity to involve yourself in the school spirit, with many choosing to partake in the 2022 Athletics Car nival. However, if you didn’t manage to attend this event, Reddam has many more shots at getting in Withvolved.the help of Ms Vince, the Stag team have de cided to implement a $25 Shuk gift voucher for whoever is able to submit our favourite ‘Letter to the Editor’ article within the next fortnight. We would love to receive a large variety of responses, whether it be opinion pieces, comedy or just an overall arti cle about something you have found interesting or would like to address. Just remember we have a lim it of around 300 words, so try not to go over. We look foward to receiving your letters! Another way to get into the school spirit is interact ing with the Reddam Facebook page. Reddam has its own site which would much appreciate some more student activity. Ms Huxham would be happy to receive some suitable articles or photos for the school to upload. With that being said, my favourite way to get into the school spirit for this fortnight is to read the Stag, so without further ado, Issue 14 everyone! Read on Reddam, Izzy Lowe. 11
It’s that time of year when students are beginning to feel the pressures of life beyond high school; one key concern being university admissions. If you’re interested in universities within Australia or overseas, especially in the US for example, ex tracurricular activities may be beneficial on your applications. Here is a list of some activities that might interest TedxYouth@ReddamHouse:you: Whether you are part of the planning committee or are a speaker, you can add to the school community alongside fel low enthusiastic peers! There are currently spots available to be a speaker. If interested, email a ~2 minute video introducing yourself, your talk idea (on the theme of dreams) and why you want to present this talk to ‘tedxyouth@reddamhouse. com.au’. The team looks forward to hearing from you! If you’d like to be a part of the planning com mittee, there are currently positions available for photographers, videographers, members of the Tech Crew (in charge of using the AV room in Ade laide Hall), and general volunteers (assist in set-up, decorating, clean-up, etc). Simply send an email to ‘tedxyouth@reddamhouse.com.au’ to express your interest in some fun volunteering! Stag: If you’re in middle school and are interested in being a part of the Stag, our Head Editor, Izzy Lowe, is preparing a men torship programme! Send an email to QuinnKeepfavouritethatreddamhouse.com.au’‘izzy.lowe@soyoucanmeetyourcolumnwriters.thriving,Luu
Last issue we discussed the Dada art movement, which was a reaction to WW1 and also the Spanish flu. I meant to compare it to how art trends have changed after COVID-19, but got sidetracked by my hatred of Marcel Duchamp. Ahem, my apolo gies to Monsieur Duchamp. Moving right along, the plague has changed art in more ways than fine art wearing masks, and masks wearing fine art. COVID-19 revolutionised the way we display and experience art, and widened the audience who could experience it. Lockdowns and pandemic protocols have also boosted the careers of up-and-coming artists, and inspired a growing passion for home decor among the isolating popu Alation.prominent
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The best and most effective method to get aid to those affected by the earthquake is to donate to NGOs, such as the World Food Programme, the Red Cross, and Islamic Relief. Victoria Afghanistan Earthquake 2022:
example of innovation in art is the 2021 Curious Alice exhibit by the Victoria and Al bert Museum in London. The virtual reality exhibit allowed the viewer to pop on a headset and wan der around like Alice from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. They travelled through a series of Wonderland-inspired obstacles such as finding the White Rabbit’s missing glove, solving the Cater pillar’s blue smoke-induced riddles, and of course losing to the Queen of Hearts at croquet. This inventive new kind of artwork reflects trends in the art world away from traditional paint-oncanvas and ‘Bob’s your uncle’ art, towards more mixed-media approaches, sometimes involving technology like in ‘Curious Alice’, a movement which is sure to increase on the heels of COVID-19. - Poppy Hartley and Adi Alroy 2 An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck Af ghanistan, killing over 1,000 people and injuring over 1,500 more. The earthquake was one of the most deadly since 2002. The earthquake happened roughly 44 kilometres southeast of Khost, near the Pakistani border. The majority of recorded killings occurred in the eastern province of Paktika, where 255 people were killed and over 200 were injured. In the province of Khost, 25 people were killed and 90 were hospitalised. A powerful earthquake struck Afghanistan at a time where the country has been trapped in a terrible economic crisis since the Taliban seized authority. The earthquake’s shocks were felt by about 119 mil lion people throughout a 310-mile radius, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. There were contin ued aftershocks of different magnitudes, including one on June 24th with a magnitude of 4.3 that killed and injured multiple people. Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, which kill an estimated 560 people each year. Over the last decade, more than 7000 peo ple have been killed in earthquakes there. The Unit ed Nations and humanitarian partners have been asked to assist the de facto disaster management authorities in identifying and reacting to immedi ate needs. Atiqullah Bahram, a resident of Paktika province, said, “I have visited some families that lost everyone except a child or an old man. There were six or seven families who lost all their members.”
ZeritisIssue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
- Larissa Rose and Kiera Millin
Steve Moneghetti. This is the name of a man who unathletic people like me despise. “Who is he?’’ you may ask. He is the man that cre ated the ‘run of death’, commonly known as the City2Surf. If you actually enjoy running or want a challenge, City2Surf is a fantastic way to get your heart rac ing. If that doesn’t sound like you though, that’s ok - City2Surf isn’t just for runners. If you still want to be part of the fun, you can always walk your way to victory with a couple of friends by your side. Started on the 5th of September 1971, this run was created to pro vide a peaceful day for runners and encourage others to get out the house. The race is Sunday the 14th (this upcoming Sunday), and has Bondi excited. Whether com peting competitively or just with your friends, this course is a great way to have fun, get fit and inspire Suresportsmanship.thisevent is well worth the effort, but if you hate early morn ings you might want to sit this one out. The race starts at 7:40am and continues for the rest of the day. It’s tiring but there are stop sta tions for water along the way to keep you going. The course stretches a total of 14km, starting from the intersec tion of Park Street and College Street, where participants make their way down William Street and then continue through the Kings Cross Tunnel, ending up at Bon di Beach. If you’re running, make sure you look out for the infamous “Heartbreak Hill” that marks the halfway point of the course. The City2Surf is more than just run ning. By taking part you can help raise money for foundations such as Beyond Blue, R U OK?, Black Dog, Cure Cancer or Rio’s Legacy. Since 2008, $48 million has been raised by participants for charities, and this year they hope to raise anoth er $4 million, of which $1.7 million has been raised so far. Not only do you raise money to support foundations, but it allows for the opportunity to be awarded a prize. The event gives out priz es to those that have placed, with 5th place being awarded $125, 4th place awarded $250, 3rd place awarded $500, 2nd place awarded $1000 and finally 1st place being awarded $2000. These prizes are there to motivate others to be a part of the community, as well as reward those who have excelled at running. Even if you don’t place in the top 5, all participants get a City2Surf finishers medal so ev eryone can walk away feeling like a winner. If you want to be a part of this event, you can still join the race as entries only close at 7:00am on the 14th of August.
3 City to Surf:
Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
It may be long, tiring and probably not how you want to spend your Sunday, but this race is a staple part of the Sydney experience and can actually be a lot of fun if you give it a chance.
Last September, Dani Arnold scaled the spectacu lar Cima Grande wall — a 1,800-feet vertical rock face — in the Dolomite Mountains, Italy. He com pleted this with nothing but his bare hands and a bag of chalk. He completed this climb in a record breaking time of 46 minutes and 30 seconds, beat ing the previous record by almost 20 minutes. “It’s very much a head game. All the skills, like the climbing technique and all the endurance, these are basic for me,” Arnold reported to CNN Sport when being interviewed, as he reflected on his passion for free soloing (climbing without rope or support). Before embarking on the Cima Grande, Arnold climbed the exact same route (550m Comi ci Dimai route) three times and felt prepared both mentally and physically for the challenge he was about to embark on. However, in his record attempt, he climbed the route for the first time without a safety rope. Con sidering the Swiss alpinist overtook a team of Brit ish climbers 650-feet in the air, whilst securing a record, is outstanding. “I spend 200 days per year somewhere in the mountains, of course not always without ropes, but every day is a bit of preparation and training,” Arnold recounted. Dani Arnold had not only completed Cima Grande in record time, but he also holds the speed record for summiting four of Europe’s six major north-facing mountains. Written by Mia breaking climb:
1,800-footGottliebrecord
- Jacob Atchison and Florence Gatt
There’s been some exciting news from the world of real es tate this week, as the HouseaplansnouncedGroupEducationInspiredhaveantheirtocreatenewReddamcampus in North Sydney. They’ve acquired a six-storey office building and have already lodged a proposal to convert it into a school that would accommodate up to 1500 students from Kindergar ten to Year 12. The building was designed in 1971 by the celebrated architect Harry Seidler (who de signed many of Sydney’s iconic buildings including Australia Square, the Sydney Royal Theatre, and the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre). It’s certainly an exciting development for the growth of the Reddam empire. It’s hard to believe that it’s Week 4 already. The term is moving quickly, and the weeks have been filled with events highlighting the many talents of our stu dents. Over the course of two nights during Week 2, the HSC drama showcase was held. The Year 12 dra ma students performed individual and group per formances in front of a live audience, as part of their trial examinations. By all accounts they were two extremely successful evenings of entertainment, as well as a great opportunity for younger students and the school community to show their support. On Wednesday, 10th August was the High School Athletics Carnival. It was attended by all students from Years 7-9, as well as those who chose to attend in Years 10-12, and was another great success. For those who were successful in qualifying, the CDSSA Athletics Championships will be held on Thursday, August 25th. And finally, just another reminder to our regular readers, we will soon be announcing some exciting news relating to our very own Bondi campus, so make sure to keep reading over the coming weeks!
4 Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
AeschylusAeschylus:was the father of Greek tragedy. He’s remembered as one of the greats of Greco-Roman playwriting; his surviving works include names like “The Persians”, “The Suppliants” and his trilogy “The Oresteia”, and though unique naming was clearly not his strong suit, his writings show a thoroughly brilliant man living at the height of Greek theatre. More importantly, he was bald. So bald in fact, that it killed him. It’s the year 455 BCE. Aeschylus is travelling to Sic ily with his family. It’s easy to imagine him reclin ing on a nice chair with spiced wine in hand as he soaked up the setting light. As the countryside sur rounding him is bathed in the warm honey of a dy ing sun, I like to envision his tanned head soaking in the evening rays. You would be forgiven if, as a flying bypasser viewing this scene from above, you saw the bare head of this genius playwright and thought him little more than an excellent stone. This is exactly what happened that fateful evening. A passing eagle had picked up a tortoise for din ner that night, a delicious dinner no doubt, but an impractical one. Due to an evolutionary cruelty, the eagle had no opposable thumbs with which to open this meal; the standard eagle procedure was to drop the tortoise onto a hard surface to crack its shell. Unfortunately, the ‘hard surface’ in this case was an -mainstortoiseshellenoughcraniumset.lusbaldextraordinarilyskull.AeschydiedasthesunWhetherhiswashardtocrackthereunknown.JoGilliatt Jack the
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- Evie Zavos
EveryoneRipper:knows Jack the Ripper. It’s human nature to want to know what psychopaths are like, so we have some warning signs when we meet one. In 1888, five women were murdered in East London at the hands of this mysterious killer. The story is so well known, I’m not going to bother describing it here. Pause your reading, and look it up if you must. The most interesting theory, I think, is that of Michael Mayfield being a suspect. The Ripper wrote, “ The Juwes are / The men that / Will not / Be blamed for nothing.” This was such important evidence that the Chief of Police woke up at 4am to rub it out. It implicated a Freemason in the crime (a bit like a Kingsman), and as a fellow secret-clubbestie, the Chief was compelled to remove the evi dence. Mayfield was a popular religious song writ er, and wanted to kill his sister-in-law because she wouldn’t have an affair with him. He thought of her as a prostitute, so in her place murdered five other ‘prostitutes’, and then set her up for the death pen alty for her husband’s murder. Ta da! Simple right? I think that the Ripper was wealthy, and came to the area on business to prey on the weak. He liked attention and stopped murdering when he was already famous without the risk of getting caught. Whatever your opinion, the victims: Mary-Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Kate Ed dowes, and Mary-Jane Kelly deserve to be remem bered this week.
Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
This is what happened to the first ever immortal cell line and the woman who they belonged to, Henrietta Lacks.
How would you feel if some of your cells were taken from you without your knowledge, cultivated until there were more cells there than in your own body, and were then used to develop treatments for diseases such as polio, cancer and AIDS without any compensation or even recognition?
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Put simply, immortalised cell lines are cells that can be cultivated in definitely because they have mu tated to lack a limit on how many times they can divide. These types of cells often originate from can cer cells, as they already have the mutation, or from stem cells. They are useful for science as they can be used to easily analyse cell biol ogy, cloned to conduct repeatable experiments, test drug toxicity and more. The oldest human cell line, HeLa, originated in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks, an African-Amer ican woman seeking treatment for cervical cancer. After her can cer cells proliferated and Lacks died, the head of the Tissue Cul ture Laboratory of the hospital, George Otto Gey, donated them for research purposes. These cells have been used to test the first-ev er polio vaccine, study treatments for cancer, ascertain the number of human chromosomes, identify HPV’s influence on cervical cancer and have commercially benefitted over 100 However,companies.inthe1950s
Battle of the Cyber Worms:
informed consent was not necessary, so Lacks and her family were utterly unaware of the immortal cell line until 1973, 22 years after Lacks’s death. By that point the cell line had been commercialised and was even used to test cell behaviour in space, while the Lacks family were living in poverty, unable to afford health insurance. And this is not the only case in which marginalised groups have been experimented on without consent or knowledge. The Tuske gee Syphilis Study was a 40-yearlong study in which 600 black men were denied treatment for syph ilis in order to study its effects on the human body. 7 people died as a direct result with 154 more un confirmed deaths. The 74 men still alive today cannot be treated due to their age. All of this raises a mas sive question about the ethics of human experimentation and what can be sacrificed for the greater Ingood.aperfect world, science would benefit everyone equally and the sacrifices of individuals would be able to benefit them no matter the individual’s background. Howev er, we don’t live in a perfect world and irrational social beliefs make it impossible for individuals to have their sacrifices recognised. We must accept that the pursuit of knowledge is not worth excessive undue sacrifice without informed -Sophiaconsent.Budkin
Krishna Janmashtami: The 18th-19th of August is an an nual Hindu festival to celebrate the anniversary of Lord Krishna’s birth, the 8th avatar of Vishnu. People commemorate the day by fasting and singing songs of devotion and love for the divine Krishna. A tradi tional event that occurs on the sec ond day of Krishna Janmashtami is the Dahi Handi, where young men and boys make a human pyramid to break an earthen pot full of but ter, milk or yoghurt, that is general ly hung 20 feet above the ground. This competitive sporting specta cle pays homage to the childhood of Lord Krishna.
Fun DolphinFacts:soldiers!
7 Have a religious or cultural event coming up? Do not hesitate to share your re ligious or cultural background by writing about an upcoming event to be published in the Stag. Email thecom.auzoe.litter@reddamhouse.tohelpbetterrecognisediversecultureatourschool.
Bandhan: On the 11th of August, countries such as India and Nepal partake in celebrating the festival of Raksha Bandhan. According to Sanskrit ter minology, ‘Raksha Bandhan’ trans lates to the ‘tie’ (or knot) of protec Thetion. festival commemorates the brother-sister relationship be tween two people who don’t have to be biologically related. A tradi tion for this day is for the sister to tie a Rakhi onto their brother’s wrist as a symbol of prayer for prosperity and health, and for the brother to in return give a promise of his pro Internationaltection. Youth Day: Today’s generation of young peo ple has had to face the struggles of COVID-19 causing great isolation between people of different ages. Thus, it is only fitting that the 12th of August 2022 United Nations In ternational Youth Day theme is in tergenerational solidarity. It’s to raise awareness about ageism in society and throughout our lives.
During the Cold War, a uniquely specialised animal was utilised to detect submarines and flag mines, helping to protect ships and harbours. The US Navy began working with bottlenose dolphins in 1960 and the Soviets were not far behind. The marine animal’s ability to locate suspicious objects or individuals was able to assist military forces.
Theple: 9th of August is the designated date for recognition of the World’s Indigenous People. It first began in 1994 when the United Nations pro claimed the day and now is cele brated around the world. The 2022 theme focuses on the role of Indig enous women in the preservation and transition of traditional knowl Rakshaedge.
LastRiddlesedition’s answers: CanPlantsCutleryNothingyou solve this week’s riddles? What building has the most sto Peopleries? make me, save me, change me and raise me. What am I? What goes up and never comesIssue-down?ZoeLittler14Week 4 Term 3 2022
Day Of The World’s Indigenous Peo
6. What is your favourite genre of Whenmusic?I was your age I really liked drum and bass. I don’t really listen to that anymore, I’m a bit old for it. Nowadays I like funk and soul. I listen to The Return of Jack Splash, India Arie, and I listen to new stuff as well. I really like Lizzo, cause she’s feisty.
8. Has the campus changed that Wemuch?keep growing, and we’re kind of demonstrating urban sprawl by engulfing the surrounding houses and buildings, aren’t we. We’re like a little city, it’s Reddam 9.sprawl.What is your go-to Shuk order? Shakshuka’s the best thing from Shuk by a mile. It’s like a roasted tomato and pepper sauce, with poached eggs in it. They used to do one with kale and different stuff in as well, like olives but they don’t make it anymore. But it’s really nice. And an almond flat 10.white.What is your favourite colour pen to mark with? I used to never mark in red be cause I remember when I was at school I’d see all the red pen markings on my exams and it’d make my heart sink. So when I first started teaching I used to mark in blues and greens and glitters. But I must have become grumpy and old because now I mark in red.
8 18 Questions With Ms DignanIssue14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
5. What’s your favourite book? ‘A Little Life’. It’s a beautiful book but it’s really sad. I read it when I was on a cruise and other people were asking me, “Are you okay?” because I was crying while I was reading. I said, “Oh no it’s the book” and this older gentleman, sort of a granddad’s age, came up to me and he said, “Oh my lord, wait there, my wife read that book.” I would sit in the reading room on the cruise and they’d be like, “It’s okay, We’re here for you.” It’s probably the best book I ever read, it’s the most wonderful book ever, but it traumatised me.
3. What is your favourite movie? ‘Amelie’. I love that movie, I ab solutely love it. ‘The Bookshop’ is one I watch quite a lot these days. I really like it as well.
2. Did you model your teaching style after your geography teach Oh,er? no. My geography teacher was lovely but she was very strict. She wouldn’t have allowed so much giggling in the classroom I don’t think. She was called Mrs Wallace and she was very kind. She taught me economics as well.
1. What was your favourite subject at school? I genuinely really liked maths and geography. That was also because I really liked the teachers, and that made a difference. I liked geog raphy because it was really inter esting to learn about the world, and I liked maths because it was just right. I loved English, but they moved the goalposts all the time, you could never really finish. With maths it was like, you got it right, well done, you can move on.
4. What is your favourite TV show? For me, I really like ‘Would I Lie To You’, and ‘Taskmaster’. I like to watch things that make me laugh. I don’t watch any horror stuff, I’m too soft. I’d get nightmares.
7. How has Reddam changed since you arrived? Oh, it’s changed a lot. When I came there were like 60 children in each year, now there’s 130, so it’s doubled in size. It’s busier and a lot noisier. But it’s vibrant. There’s so many more opinions, so many more different ways to think about things.
13. What has been the best gift you have received from a student? I’ve been teaching since I was 22, which is a long time. Some of the students I used to teach are grown up with kids now, and they’ll send messages saying that they still re member me and it wasn’t always what I told them that stuck with them, it was being kind to them. So I think the best gift you can get from a student is when they tell you that you made a difference in their life. I see and teach you guys all the way from Year 7 to Year 12, and so I see you turn into adults and amazing human beings. Sometimes when I see students later, I’m like you fully are an adult with your own children. 14. This has turned quite existen Haha,tial. yeah. Look, adulthood is hard. But I’d say don’t give your self a hard time because everyone makes mistakes, as long as your heart’s in the right place then that’s all that matters. And you’ll probably sell out at some point, but don’t beat yourself up about 15.that.Do you have any pets? Not anymore, but over lockdown I got lots of brine shrimp - and pet rocks! Remember, from Year 7? I’ve got lots of pet rocks including ones that you guys have made for me, which is very sad. But those are my only pets. I got lots of brine shrimp over lockdown but I got bored of them by the end and they died so obviously I can’t be responsible for living animals. Remember, you’re never alone with a stone. And they are very low maintenance.
16. What is your pet peeve? When people are mean and rude.
17. If you could go to any place in the world, where would you go? I was thinking Antarctica is what I should say, because it would be amazing. But realistically, I would love to go skiing again in France or Switzerland and not have to worry about catching COVID. I’ve not been for years.
What has been your favourite student moment? There are lots of student mo ments. The funniest one that happened recently was, Felicia in year 11, she used to tell me that I was her favourite teacher but then I overheard her telling Ms Vince that SHE was her favourite. So when I passed her, I was like, “That hurt” and she replied, “Well truth hurts Dignan get over it”. I just thought it was so funny to not even pretend that “Oh you’re still my favourite miss”, but no, “Truth hurts get over it.” That still makes me laugh. Because it did hurt, in a funny way.
Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022 9 11. Who is your celebrity crush? I don’t know why because the guy’s not traditionally attractive, but it’s Greg Davies from “Task master”. He used to be a drama teacher as well, and now he’s a comedian, and he’s just so funny. But, he’s about seven foot so we would be an odd couple. I used to have a crush on Brian Cox, but then I found out that he was married and it’s not fair to have a crush on someone who’s married. That was mainly because he was super clever, he’s so so clever isn’t 12.he!
18. What do you think Reddam will be like in 30 years? I think it will be much shinier. A lot of schools will put lots of money into, you know, their shiny facilities and stuff whereas we just work really really hard. But, I think it will get shinier and be come more polished. I think we will probably recognise it in terms of the way it works, so working hard, studying, being kind, and that focus. But I can imagine that these buildings will be rebuilt and shiny and sparkling and state of the art… and probably bigger. Questions With Ms Dignan
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Some other smaller issues also in cluded poor choreography for the fighting scenes, flimsy character development and expression, and an overall bad plotline for the in tentions of the villain and heroes. While looking back, it does seem like a very harsh review, I must ad mit that ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ can still be enjoyable if you don’t take it too seriously. The writing in the comedic scenes is well done, and the cast includes a long list of A-Tier actors, which does make it a lot more tolerable. Overall, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is a movie that fails to do the incredible things it had the potential for, and it is a waste of one of my favourite com ic book villains, but it is still fun to watch with family and friends who don’t mind something a little bit -cheesy.HugoBendeich
Thor: Love and Thunder
Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022 10 After the massive success of ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ under the humorous direction of Taika Waititi, many Marvel fans were super excited to hear that he would be back to direct another ‘Thor’ movie. How ever, after its release in July this year, viewers realised that ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ was far from the box office success that many had hoped it would be. Compared to many of the cinematic epics of the Marvel franchise, and the comedic masterpieces of Taika Waititi, the movie just seems to fall flat, on account of a bad story, forced humour and janky pacing. This latest movie in the ‘Thor’ se quel line centres around a new villain, Gorr “The God Butcher”, who has caught the attention of the heroes due to his intention of killing gods across the entire MCU pantheon. The other point of inter est and main theme of the movie is surrounding Jane Foster, Thor’s ex-lover, and how she was called to his old hammer and became almost like a second Thor. While these ideas do seem inter esting in theory, they don’t play out particularly well. In the com ics, Gorr was a very serious, brutal character. For centuries before he even meets Thor, we see him rampage his way across galaxies, seeking gory, bloody revenge on the Gods who wronged him. He is carefully thought out, explained and given time to show his charac ter and capabilities. In the movie, however, he does not receive the same treatment. While Christian Bale plays this character with an admirable level of commitment and believability, Gorr is only given about 20 minutes of screentime. Instead of being built up over the course of the movie, he just ap pears as a villain, and is defeated within a few days in the movie. His dark tone is also mitigated and left uncomplimented by the comedic, upbeat tone and writing in the rest of the movie. Taika Waititi’s style of directing can be super funny and enjoyable in the right context, but Gorr just didn’t feel like a good character to fit into this silly, light hearted version of the Thor uni verse. Overall, I feel like he wasn’t able to have the room or writing to truly show himself as a complex, interesting character, and instead was packaged into a movie that had already had the plot planned out before him. The other main plotline surround ing Jane Foster felt rushed in a similar way. The movie diagnosed her with cancer, showed her jour ney to find Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, and then instated her as the new Thor all in the space of around ten minutes. Because of this, her character felt empty, cliched and unimportant, when she had the potential to be groundbreaking.
Issue 14 Week 4 Term 3 2022
Avatar the Last Airbender: My childhood would not be the same without Nickelodeon, reminiscing about the time when I waited impatiently for ‘SpongeBob’ to air. Howev er, there was one show that I distinctly remember watching, having my eyes glued to the TV. ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender ‘ is a masterpiece with a simple plot, complex characters and a depth of fictional cultures that are inspired by Asian countries. Loved due to its quirky characters and the journey that they embark on, we see the characters growing and maturing while facing the pressure to protect and save the world. The main character Aang is tasked to protect the world as he can bend all four elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. He is accompanied by Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko as they face the impending doom caused by the Fire nation. The major factor in this show is the psychology behind the characters. For example, Aang is a boy who is under pressure to save the world whilst being eleven years old. That pressure creates a complex dynamic between be ing a child and needing to save the world. Every single character has a unique backstory which en tails the ways they act and behave. Highly recom mend to watch and to even rewatch. Anonymous
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Black Phone: ‘Black Phone’ is a typical kidnapping film that follows the main character Finney trying to escape a sadistic killer. What makes this story interesting is how the director explores how the kidnapper treats his vic tims and the supernatural elements involved. Fin ney can get tips and advice for his escape from the previous dead victims, including his friend, through a dead phone that rings. Finney’s sister Gwen has the ability to “dream” about the kidnapping and is able to assist the police to find her brother. The sa distic killer creates a unique character as his mask determines his mood, actions and whether he will kill Finney. To the killer, Finney is anything but a play toy and he will kill him if he tries to escape. Through plot armour and Finney’s intelligence, he defeats and escapes the killer. The plot as a whole is rather entertaining and really made me feel the suspense of when the killer might check on him when Finney is creating an escape plan. However, there are a few nit-picky details that I didn’t enjoy. The whole use of a Christian symbol that is used to give Gwen these visions felt cheap and the movie as a whole remind ed me of a Stephen King novel rather than an origi nal idea. Overall, a solid movie. - Anonymous 11
12 Got something to say? Have and important message you want to share? Want your voice heard? Email your message to The Stag and evie.zavos@reddamhouse.com.auquinn.luu@reddamhouse.com.auizzy.lowe@reddamhouse.com.aupublished!getEmail@Issue14Week 4 Term 3 2022
