A stick(er)y situation

and hold fast to the dystopian gunmetal gray of most laptops?

Looking across the classroom, I see them all abound with my classmates behind them, pattering and pecking away. Without saying a word, I can tell their life stories — or at least, some fairly amusing guesses about dramatized lives of intrigue they may lead. From his sticker, I can tell he is a frequenter of the restaurant chain In-N-Out, and from her Rosie the Riveter scientist, I can tell she is a woman in STEM. As I gaze throughout the room and study the stickers that adorn the surfaces of my classmates’ laptops, I find myself acquainting myself with people I have never even spoken to.

While this may seem like a hobby to pass the time in less than riveting lectures, it is rather that these seemingly insignificant items that we display on our devices have so much to tell about the individual behind the keyboard.

When it comes to stickers, I am a connoisseur. In my opinion, they belong on laptops, water bottles, bumpers, ski helmets and refrigerators, and they even make the perfect illicit nighttime graffiti, but I did not tell you that. I have been this way since the day my former idol, Lightening McQueen, raced into my four-year-old life with his signature coating of sponsorship stickers.

I would implore anyone debating or without stickers on their laptops to decorate and cave to the creative opportunity that can come with it. Personally, it has been a meaningful chance at self-expression that has the possibility to brighten up my day and that of those around me.

The stickers on my laptop have saved me from the vividly painful flashbacks to DomerFest of strangers asking me, “Where are you from?” or “What’s your major?” Instead of putting my brain on autopilot with the Notre Dame introduction, my laptop stickers have been a unique way to connect with new people.

For me, it was one sticker at a time. This situation was a slow descent into madness as I started to collect and plan the layout of the front and eventually the bottom of my laptop. The first sticker can be a slippery slope, and very suddenly I was out of room on my entire device and had to make cuts. I originally planned to avoid the overlapping of even the edges of the stickers, whereas now the surface of my laptop is a multilayered patchwork quilt of assorted stickers.

Some may see a laptop like this, think it is unprofessional for a college student and shudder a corporate shiver. However, why be bland

Some of my favorite stickers I have seen include a Notre Damethemed Kris Kardashian, a Hufflepuff house crest and the romanticized city skyline of Cleveland. Some stickers I took note of — of the more meaningful variety — were a British Cider label, a pandemic HERE sticker and a cardinal to represent a deceased grandmother.

While it may be no shock to you, I will admit it: the sight of a stickered laptop is a cause for excitement in my daily life. It is as if these tiny stickers are a visual biography of the laptop’s user waiting for me to read it. When I see a laptop covered with stickers, I am instantly reminded of a minivan littered with bumper stickers obtained from a cross-country voyage. While most laptop stickers may not advertise that you made it to the world’s largest ball of twine or Mount Rushmore, many represent the journey of our daily lives.

I find the decoration of your laptop so compelling because it is a celebration of the journey of life and the dynamic ways we change along the way. My state of Michigan stickers represent the place that made me, and my travel stickers (from Washington D.C., Albuquerque and Nashville) speak to the experiences that have shaped me. For the observant viewer, my Rudy and Oozma Kappa stickers reveal my love of the underdog and belief in the impossible. Some may deem it cheesy, but I want the tool that I use the most to be a reflection of who I am and the road that has brought me here.

Laptop stickers also serve as a comforting reminder of who you are and an expression of that to those around you. This personalization of the mundane routine of answering emails, completing homework or even writing articles about laptop stickers is what makes them so special.

The next time you find yourself looking at laptop stickers, think about what they say about the person behind the keyboard and whether you should get some yourself. Engage in this celebration of the journey of life and cover your laptop in stickers to express who you are.

Jack Sirianni is a sophomore studying political science, journalism and public policy. He is a proud Michigander who appreciates jamming to Pete Seeger, scouring eBay for vintage Notre Dame paraphernalia and collecting stickers from everywhere he goes. On campus, Jack can often be seen by the Founder’s Monument or in the line for Southwest Salad. For your favorite tidbits of knowledge or any other musings, his inbox is always open at jsirian2@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

By ERIN FARMER scene Writer

When m ike s chmiedeler, ‘94 graduate in FTT and m arketing, finished his first feature-length independent documentary film “ d on’t Turn Your b ack on Friday n ight” about musician Ike r eilly, he knew he wanted his first audience to be at n otre d ame. In his introduction to the screening, m ike credited n otre d ame and the job he got after graduation at W nd U for “teaching me everything I know.” s chmiedeler explained how the film follows the musician Ike r eilly and his life, detailing how “struggling with booze, a love/hate relationship with his hometown he never left, his deeply rooted c atholic faith and the face of foreclosure on the dream house he raised his family in, Ike finds redemption in music, art and family as his 3 sons begin performing with his band”. The documentary not only features interviews with members of the band and family and Ike’s wide variety of collaborators over the years but also contains a truly astounding amount of archival footage, from decades of performances to personal family videos.

The film itself is not your typical documentary. r ather than trying to construct a traditional three-act structure, the film examines and reveals Ike’s life through his songs. r eilly’s records are the window into his soul and his truly remarkable life. The film begins by introducing the audience to Ike through his community including the likes of Tom m orello ( r age Against The m achine); d avid Pasquesi (“ veep”, ”The b ook o f b oba Fett”); Johnny h ickman ( c racker); d avid Lowery ( c racker); Tony Fitzpatrick (“Patriot”); m ars Williams (Psychedelic Furs); and his three sons, who themselves joined the band. The film reveals Ike’s life in a non-linear fashion through the stories embedded in his songs, which draw from real experiences in his life, including a range from the birth of one of his sons to the death of a friend, and getting stiffed as a doorman by d onald Trump. o ne truly remarkable fact about Ike that s chmiedeler hopes audiences take away from the film is how r eilly somehow manages to succeed, not only as a musician but also as a family man. s o often, musicians are forced to choose whether to prioritize one or the other, but Ike managed both. When I asked s chmiedeler what it was about r eilly that made him the choice for his first independent documentary, he said it was simple. Ike was “just that good.” And s chmiedeler is not the only one who thinks so. The n ew York Times described his band as “one of the best live bands in America.” With this documentary, s chmiedeler hopes that more people can come to that same conclusion.The screening on s unday also privileged the audience with a performance by Ike r eilly and his three sons s hane, m ickey and Kevin. They performed three songs, “Living in the Wrong Time,” “Trick of the Light” and “Put a Little Love in It.” They also did a short Q&A session, where r eilly said the documentary was “humbling and humiliating at the same time” and expressed his gratitude for the community showcased in the film who made the band and his life what it is today. There was no perceivable difference between the life in the documentary and the man answering questions for an audience. h e spoke honestly — albeit sarcastically and often self-effacing — concerning his life, his mistakes and his hopes for the future. The band and the filmmaker are certainly ones you’ll want to keep an eye on. For more information about the film and the band, you may visit the documentary’s website.

Contact Erin Farmer at efarmer@nd.edu

By CLAIRE McKENNA scene Writer

“Formula 1: d rive to survive” is back for its fifth season and ready to give viewers a behind-thescenes look at all the drama that unfolds in Formula 1. With a large amount of unrestricted access to the Formula 1 paddock, “d rive to survive” once again gives viewers spectacular insights into some of the major events of the 2022 Formula 1 season.

For those unfamiliar with “d rive to survive”, here is a quick summary: aided by exclusive interviews of the Formula 1 driver and team principles, the show provides a recap of the previous year’s season of Formula 1. b ut because the show cannot cover everything that happened throughout the year, it creates episodes around some of the most notable events. This time around, the producers of the show highlight events such as Ferrari’s strategy woes and red b ull’s breach of the Formula 1 cost cap.

And truly, those behind “d rive to survive” once again demonstrate how to masterfully build a single-episode story arc from footage filmed throughout the course of a year. There are drawbacks to the episodes not being in complete chronological order, to be sure, but the single-episode arcs are amazing at getting viewers emotionally invested in the singular event that is being followed in the episode. The noteworthy incidents of the Formula 1 season can be complicated by technical explanations, but “d rive to survive” shines because it explains those incidents through the lens of the people who lived them.

For me, however, there was a bit of a letdown in what was not shown. multiple notable absences include moments of tension between the drivers and the Federation Internationale d’Automobile, or FIA (the governing body for Formula 1). o ne example is the uproar that resulted from the FIA deploying a recovery vehicle in wet conditions where the drivers could barely see. since “d rive to survive” focused on driver safety multiple times this season, the show definitely would have benefited from the inclusion of this incident.

Longtime fans of the show might also know that the show creates some controversy with the way that it dramatizes some of the stories it tells. And while the extra drama does create some entertaining fanedited videos, it also creates an element of distrust. o ne example of this extra dramatization is when the show misuses quotes from the drivers. While I was watching the show, there was a constant niggling in the back of my brain asking whether the situation presented to me is accurate. h aving to constantly think about the accuracy of the show did a lot to bring down my enjoyment of watching it. Ultimately, “d rive to survive” does what it is meant to do, but it does not do much more than that. For a Formula 1 fan like me, there was a benefit from the recap of what happened in the sport last year before this week’s race. o n the other hand, anyone who wants to learn more about Formula 1 will also have a pretty good introductory resource. If you are watching “d rive to survive” for either of those reasons then you will be satisfied. b ut if you are looking for a show that you will want to come back to and rewatch again, then this show is probably not the place for you.

Contact Claire McKenna at cmckenn4@nd.edu

“Formula 1: Drive to Survive”

Starring: All the principles and drivers in Formula 1

Favorite episodes: “Pardon My French” purely for Sergio Perez’s reaction to Sebastian Vettel’s retirement

If you like: Formula 1, motorsports

Where to watch: Netflix

By CLAIRE LYONS

Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers for “Babylon.” damien chazelle, the director and genius behind “Whiplash” and “La La Land,” recently released a box office bomb: “babylon.” maybe you’ve seen the exuberant trailers of margot robbie and brad Pit at the party of the century, but you probably haven’t seen the actual movie in theaters. Lucky for you, if you have three hours to spare and a Paramount+ subscription, “babylon” is yours for the taking. It was just released for streaming services on Feb. 10.

“babylon” chronicles hollywood’s transition from silent to sound films through a stacked ensemble cast. nellie Laroy (margot robbie) is a low-class girl from Jersey who already has the ego of a superstar and is hungry to prove that she is one. manuel Torres (diego calva) is a struggling assistant who gradually works his way up the ladder to become a studio executive. Jack conrad (brad Pitt) is a box office-breaking heartthrob (of course, he’s played by brad Pitt.) All of them are silent-era has-beens. but if the cast isn’t appealing enough to you, the visual effects might be. I knew I was in for a wild ride from the beginning. Within the first fifteen minutes, an elephant poops on the camera, an up-and-coming actress pees (consensually) on a naked studio executive and nellie Laroy and manuel Torres do lines of cocaine from the apparently free and unlimited supply of drugs in a hollywood big-wig’s house. It only gets wilder from there. nellie drunkenly fights a snake in a fit of rage and vomits an ungodly amount of food onto citizen Kane (William randolph hearst). There’s a weird underground freak show bit toward the end where Tobey maguire plays a creepy, sunken-eyed casino king and a bodybuilder eats a rat alive. (I recommend skipping it, actually.)

“babylon” certainly doesn’t shy away from spectacle, but it does sometimes distract from the point chazelle tries to make. From breakout hit “Whiplash” to oscar-winning “La La Land,” chazelle’s big question in his creative work is: “Is it worth it?” nellie Laroy and Jack conrad do not survive the transition from silent to sound. After only getting offers for typecast roles, Jack shoots himself. his dreams of achieving artistic greatness never come to fruition. nellie’s boisterous and wild personality that once thrived in the chaotic silent film show-biz never adapts to the meticulous attention and rehearsal required for sound films — and the increasingly chaste hollywood society. she overdoses. hollywood keeps churning out movies. The show must go on. only those who are ostracized by hollywood make it out alive. Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li), an Asian-American lesbian singer, is fired as the movie industry becomes less libertine. she eventually moves to europe to continue her career in film production. sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), an AfricanAmerican jazz trumpet player, is forced to do blackface for a performance. he subsequently leaves the production company and has a successful career as a trumpet player anyway. both characters leave with their artistic integrity intact. still, the show must go on. even manuel, who had major control over the industry, is forced to leave town after a bad deal with an evil Tobey maguire. he goes back to see what remains of his production company almost 20 years later. he sees a sound film presumably for the first time. his voice – chazelle’s words — play over a montage of footage spanning from the French 1902 film “A Trip to the moon” to modern hits like James cameron’s “Avatar.” The entire history of film is before him. “I just want to be part of something bigger,” he says. “To be part of something important, something that lasts, that means something.” chazelle knows the show must go on with or without him, but that won’t stop him from saying thank you.

In “Whiplash,” is becoming a great drummer worth being psychologically tormented by a terrifying jazz instructor? Yes. In “La La Land,” is leaving your potential soulmate worth achieving your creative dream? maybe. In “babylon,” is your passion for movie-making worth the soul-sucking efforts it takes to survive the industry? no, at least according to chazelle.

Contact Claire Lyons at clyons3@nd.edu

“Babylon”

Directed by: Damian Chazelle

Starring: Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt

If you like: “Whiplash,” “La La Land”

By PETER BREEN scene Writer

Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers for “Cocaine Bear.” could I have enjoyed more than 95 minutes of watching a bear high on cocaine devour members of my own species? marketed in the horror-comedy genre, the movie is a well-crafted product of overexaggerated whimsy. As each new person is introduced, it’s a pleasure speculating about how much time that character will be alive before becoming the bear’s next snack. To my initial dismay, the picture’s most lovable protagonists — a couple of middle school troublemakers — escape being mauled to death like most everybody else. I was on the edge of my reclining chair wondering when the film would take this dark turn, yet it never did. If you can handle a little blood, the choice to portray a pair of truant 13-year-olds ingesting a bit of yayo is about as messed up as this elizabeth banks film gets.

Absolutely.

The 500-pound cGI bear — some 325 pounds larger than the real “Pablo eskobear” who died after ripping into two million dollars of the titular drug — could appropriately be called the Lebron James of American black bears. hollywood’s cocaine bear, whose drug-fueled rampage includes eating people out of trees, chasing down an ambulance and taking a few bullets to the chest, somehow manages to avoid a lethal overdose this time around. Through the absurdity of it all, banks spins the story of an aggressive carnivore foraging for duffle-bag-size loads of narcotics in the wilderness into a surprisingly stark rendering of substance abuse.

Furnishing the drugged-up animal with plenty of meal options, screenwriter Jimmy Warden inserted a smattering of subplots, adding to the breadth — but probably not the depth — of the film’s appeal. I’ll appreciate seeing o’shea Jackson Jr. beat up a trio of punks with a switchblade no matter the context. The performance of “Field of dreams” and “Goodfellas” star ray Liotta, who passed away in the spring of 2022, as the unhappy drug kingpin syd White weighs heavy on the heart. The Universal Pictures film was dedicated to Liotta’s memory upon release. A couple of disposable hikers, park rangers and cops — whose survival percentage lingers under fifty percent — are dispatched to tie up loose plot threads.

While I advise getting to the theater within about the next week and a half to see the movie before its shelf life as a hot conversation topic around class or work runs down, I’d recommend anyone go check out “cocaine bear” for years to come. The film opens with the infamous anti-narcotics “This Is Your brain on drugs” clip of eggs in a frying pan, inviting questions about the relationship between drugs and creativity. “cocaine bear” encourages the exploration of dumb ideas not for the sake of critical acclaim — don’t expect an Academy Award for best visual effects — but something maybe just as sweet: millions and millions of dollars. maybe the movie ought to make us non-hard-drug-using individuals ponder what we are most addicted to of all: wit.

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

“Cocaine Bear”

Directed by: Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr.

If you like: “Snakes on a Plane”

Happy Birthday: Take pride in what you do for others, and you will be offered the same courtesy in return. Step outside your comfort zone if it will help you bring about positive change. Charm and hands-on help will result in a successful transition to what you want to do next. Emotional confusion is likely; ask questions and avoid drama. Your numbers are 9, 15, 22, 28, 32, 37, 45.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Play to win. The more beguiling you are, the more interest you’ll receive. A chance to up your game or meet someone who can help you get ahead is in the stars. Set up meetings and attend reunions, and something extraordinary will unfold.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t make promises until you understand what you will have to deliver and that it’s in your power to do so. Letting what someone says intimidate you will weaken your position. Being observant, direct and knowledgeable will help you gain trust and respect.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Put your plans in motion. Think matters through, precisely execute what you want to achieve and pull in experts to ensure things get done right the first time. Reconnect with someone you miss. A romantic gesture will help you decide what’s next.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Someone will try to charm you into something you probably shouldn’t consider. When in doubt, ask an expert in order to avoid a mistake or loss. Pay attention to the changes others make, and counter anything that might jeopardize your goal.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Get together with someone you enjoy working alongside. You’ll find it easy to pick up where you left off and drum up interest regarding something you want to pursue. With the right people, success will follow. Lead the way and reap the rewards.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Change begins with you. Do not wait or depend on others when you want things done a certain way. Take care of what’s important to you before anyone can interfere. Working alone will allow you to be a perfectionist.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Get out, explore what life can offer and discover something that excites you. Gather information and follow your heart. Finding the path that brings you joy and pays for your desired lifestyle is crucial to achieving peace of mind.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Offering embellished information will put you in a precarious position when it comes time to deliver. Make sure you can live up to your promises or debt before you pledge. Handle your finances carefully and find ways to cut corners.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Someone colorful and charming will take advantage of you if you are naive or too trusting. Do your homework, ask pertinent questions and verify facts before you say yes to someone or something that can squander your time, money or freedom.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Have fun with your peers. By mixing business with pleasure, you’ll win over someone who is strategically beneficial when you need a favor. Keep your money safe, and prepare to declutter and sell what you no longer need.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Spend more time at home, and you’ll accomplish more than anticipated. Work diligently to get your house in order and lower your overhead. Once you feel comfortable with your surroundings and financial situation, everything else will fall into place.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t share secrets or gossip. Focus on improvements and applying your skills to something that makes you feel good. Don’t fold under pressure or let someone take advantage of you. Dump what drags you down and replace it with what brings you joy.

Birthday Baby: You are creative, fashionable and resourceful. You are flexible and responsible.