Back to Artwork Nightmare on Main Street Back to Sections Nightmare on Main Street- Jillian Ostrow Jillian Ostrow November 6, 2023 Colored Pencil Volume 4 Issue 1

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Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – A Very Rad Review Jasmine Roberts Volume 4 Issue 1 November 6, 2023 Image Provided by Unsplash+ The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a classic supernatural romance, film noir of 1947. Starring Gene Tierney, as the titular Lucy Muir and esteemed actor Rex Harrison, as the Ghost. Directed by well accomplished filmmaker Joseph Mankiewicz, it bases itself on the book written by R.A. Dick, or more truthfully, Josephine Leslie. This movie could perfectly be summed up as a blend of the classic noir characteristics of idealistic romance, a stunning contrast of black and white, and the charming transatlantic accents with the supernatural and the melancholic sadness of lost love. The film creates not only an artistically beautiful film, which emphasizes the beauty of intimacy, but also a nuanced and heartfelt perspective on two of the most natural parts of human existence, time and love. The viewer’s heart has no choice but to flutter and yearn for the passion each protagonist shares for one another, even after years have passed. If it was not apparent enough, I will gladly say that The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is one of my most beloved films, and inherently one of the loveliest Romance films to date. The story takes place in 1900s Britain, following Mrs. Muir after the death of her husband, leaving her a widow in a period of patriarchal dependency. The now widowed Muir decides to move to an abode near the seaside, in the small village of Whitecliff, to the dismay of her family and the dismay of the realtor who sells her the home, as Gull Cottage is rumored to be haunted by its previous host, a man who had committed an unfortunate act of suicide; however, Muir decides to rent the home, allowing the widow’s life to change in ways that no mere skeptic could rightfully explain… We open to a scene of Lucy discussing her future with her family-in-law. Her sister and mother are distraught at her departure and are actively begging the widow to stay. Her mother in-law is crying into a handkerchief from losing the only remembrance of her late son, while Lucy’s sister in-law is questioning her ability to raise her daughter, Anna, on her own. Lucy, however, is calm and collected, she is blunt in her answers and makes sure to correctly point out, that she is merely an in-law, who does not have connections to her husband’s family other than by law. She freely states that after her husband's death, she now has her own life to live. When I first watched this movie, I was very young, around 6 or 7. I couldn’t appreciate the tasteful depiction of Lucy as an intelligent woman who understands what she wants, but after my fifth viewing of this movie, it has now greatly surprised me how independent Lucy is, in a time period of the late Edwardian era to early Victorian era. Women of this time were frequently considered more desirable, the less opiniated and assertive they were. If a women allowed herself the independence Lucy has decided to uphold, she would have been considered mentally ill and even branded with the misogynistic illness named female hysteria. Though we could blame this more feminist take on the fact that the author of the book is movie is based on is a woman, and also the time this movie was created, 1947, which was two years after the second world war, a time when women worked in the factories and the iconic illustration Rosie the Riveter was created. It still should be noted that the 40’s were not kind to women and strongly harbored objective views on how women should live their lives, so it was refreshing to see a take that showed not only a bold woman of the early 20th century, but also depicts this in the late 20th century. This movie also wonderfully illustrates Lucy’s personality as soon as she is on screen. As any film hobbyist will explain to you, it is imperative to establish your characters once they are first introduced. This allows the viewer to immerse themselves into the movie, but also makes the select characters' behavior and choices more sensible to the characterization as the story progresses. When we meet Lucy, she is shown to understand what she wants and even though she is a woman in the 19th century, she is blunt and does not sugar-coat her words, so it makes sense that she would want to live independently on her own, away from those who seem to enforce such traditional behaviors. Lucy’s choices make sense and allow me to forget my troubles and completely follow the story of Mrs. Muir and the ghost. I believe that some directors now, seem to not understand how jarring it can be to suspend your disbelief with every scene and decision a character makes, this movie understands that hassle and makes sure not to make those same mistakes. The movie continues to masterfully use Lucy’s early characterization to both make her decisions make sense and also build on her character. After, we are shown a quite short montage of Mrs. Muir moving to Whitecliff, we settle on a scene of Lucy trying to rent a home, from a realtor, Mr. Coombe. He guides Mrs. Muir to a seat next to him and begins to show her different listings, which all seem to be too expensive, except one. Gull Cottage. Mr. Coombe puts the paper aside again in anxious haste, explaining to Lucy that she would be wasting her time; however, Lucy picks up the paper once again, and holds her ground. She, adamant that she wants Gull Cottage and is not afraid to disagree with the man who speaks down to her, even threatening to leave him without business. The first major first scene and the second major scene wove together into a knit of splendid story telling. These scenes need one another to make Lucy. The first scene shows why she would not be scared to double down with her want of Gull Cottage, while the second scene shows how a characterization like this would apply to the real world . Some would say that scenes like this have little to do with the overall review of this movie, but I disagree with such an opinion. This is a romance movie, and romance movies need relationship dynamics for viewers to apply to our own realities. Lucy’s personality, as we will see, makes her and the ghost’s romance lovely to watch, especially in a movie of supernatural and paranormal idealism. Lucy is driven to the Cottage and on the outside, the home is decrepit and wild, in the inside it is plain and blanketed with dust. But this isn’t the most fundamental part of the film. No. It is when Lucy opens an inconspicuous door of the Cottage and is intrigued by an illuminated painting of a man with dark, brooding eyes, wearing the hat of a captain. This is our first introduction to The Ghost. It is a wonderful way to introduce a character and illustrate how the viewer should see this man. The image of a hyper realistic painting in a pitch black room, with the only light source being directly upon this mysterious man's face, not only tells us that we should remember his presence, but also creates an air of suspense, as we want to know more about this man and why a painting of him is so important to be directly emphasized upon. The light on this painting is also eerie. It illuminates upon an uncanny valley depiction of this gentleman, bringing a life to him, that should not be there, it feels as though he knows you are in his home, he sees you, and he knows what you are doing. The black and white contrast of the movie also creates this aura of mystery of both fear and intrigue. Even something as simple as the hat upon his head is a great way to tell us who this painted man is without directly stating so. In context, Gull Cottage is near a beach, so when the captain hat is shown, it tells the viewer right away that this man has worked at sea, and most likely appreciates it, as to then live right near it. The usage of the bright light is a stylistic, somewhat impressionist way of shooting this scene, because realistically in an all dark room, that does not have any obvious source, light does not appear in one area, but the light works so well because it feels supernatural, as if a ghost is haunting this portrait, and could even express how Lucy sees this man. A handsome gentleman, that draws attention with his aesthetic powerfulness, a man that the heart leads towards, to find some sanctity in his love. When they learn that the home was owned by the late Captain Gregg, we aren’t told anything after that, leaving the viewer with more questions that shall not be answered. The lovely Lucy seems to already adore this home and has already fallen in love with it. This scene shows a significant way of how the Ghost and Mrs. Muir will connect. Their taste in furniture can strongly allude to their sensibilities about life, as where furnishing is where you live for the majority of your life. A shared taste in furniture is also a shared belief in how individuals should live. Lucy has fallen in love with the home, and especially the room in which the painting resides, but there is a tree that exists on the outside of a large bay window, which she finds hideous, and tells the realtor she will have chopped down. At that moment, she freezes in place once the words have left her mouth. The instruments which play in the background have risen in intensity, and Mrs. Muir looks surprised, like she has felt a chilling presence, but nothing is there… right? We will discuss this later. A few more occurrences occur, which point to paranormal activity, such as food being left loosely upon a table, as the charwomen who had visited left in a haste, and a telescope located in the main bedroom, being clean when no one has lived in the home for 4 years, leaving the rest of the cottage dusty and old. But most chilling is the disembodied laugh which echoes through the main bedroom, as the realtor runs away in fear. These are good ways to foreshadow the existence of the ghost, as now the viewer knows there is a supernatural being roaming around, and one can piece together who it is, yet the viewer knows very little about the ghost. It both lets us on the secret yet leaves us out the loop. Questions surely need to be answered, so the viewer continues to watch the film, hoping their queries will be resolved in due time. Mrs. Muir still decides to take the home, she is skeptic of a ghost actually haunting the cottage, but the thought does not frighten her. It hints that she wants to understand the ghost, while others run away from terror. So, she moves in and begins living with her maid, Martha. A scene which I deeply appreciated was when Mrs. Muir discusses feelings of inadequacy. It foreshadows later events, ties into her characterization while adding a conflict, and creates agency in a female character when in other films, even modern ones, women are shown to have little. Every scene in a movie should progress the plot in some shape or form and this simple scene, as Mrs. Muir walks up the stairs, does this exact thing creatively. When Lucy is put down for a short nap, the viewer is welcomed to a dynamic shot of a clock, ticking. Showing the passage of time, it’s a loud ding that tells the watcher that something important will be showing soon, the camera shows Lucy’s barking dog, then lingers on the figure of a shadow, as it creeps towards Lucy. The film is amazing at shooting suspense, we know who that this shadow is the ghost, but now we are waiting for Lucy to know, though she continues to stay oblivious and wakes up in a haze, the clock is shown again, and the lighting dims, reminding the viewer that time has passed. Lucy knows very little of the Ghost, she lives her life without the knowledge of the dead, Until one stormy night. Lucy places her daughter to sleep, as lightning strikes, creating a comfy, yet haunting effect when contrasted with the traditional black and white film. Lucy, with one candle in her hand walks throughout the cottage and opens the door to the room which houses the illuminating painting, she glows once again, then vanishes with the dark. The ghost will appear soon. Mrs. Muir then lends herself in the kitchen, she tries to create light, but is disturbed by the hectic wind which blows the light. Mrs. Muir realizes it is the ghost and confronts him, she isn’t shy nor meek, instead she yells at him for being such a coward as to terrorize a poor lady. In response the ghost speaks. His domineering voice tells Lucy to allow light. Which she does and begins to show around the kitchen only to stop once she sees the Ghost in person. She is frightened, but I would say scared. More like surprised at such a sight, that should defy the laws of nature. The Ghost, however, seems to be more agitated than anything. Rex Harrison played the Ghost like a melodious flute. Everything present around the Ghost alludes to who he is as a person, from his informal, and scratchy tone to his rough beard. It helps the viewer draw correct conclusions on this sea torn man. He is ill-tempered and badly mannered, which contrast Mrs. Muir respectable, kind personality. As soon as these two meets, we are shown a sweet dynamic, where opposites attract to create the most wonderous of love. The two begin on shaky grounds. The Ghost is crude and misogynistic, finding solace in insulting others, especially women. He wants Mrs. Muir ousted from his past home, while Mrs. Muir refuses to leave. This causes a certain tension amongst the two, they argue and bicker, for Lucy is not a woman who is ordered around, while the ghost has his own wants, which Lucy refuses to allow him. But the ghost seems to have developed a soft spot for Lucy, due to her refusal to run away, and allows her to stay on a trial. The two continue to quarrel and argue, frequently clashing with one another's personalities, for instance when Lucy cuts down the tree, she deemed ugly when she first looked at the place, to then find out the Ghost planted the tree with his own bare hands. The argument is sweet to watch, it is like seeing an old married couple bicker in public. The Ghost nags Lucy about it, while the women hold her cool, demanding roses instead. They also connect in ways that are emotional. The Ghost has realized that Lucy didn’t actually love her husband, but merely liked him, a deeply hidden truth, which causes Lucy to become aghast. But through conversation, it is shown that he is right. Lucy says that her husband could not design the house she had moved into and loved so dearly, and when she asks who designed the home, the Ghost says that he created. This is similar to the furniture, these miniscule details show that they are on the same wavelength and through all their arguing, they still have a founded connection. The connection is shown even more when Lucy in-laws come to visit, bring bad news with them. The investment of her husband is paying dividends no more, forcing in a corner. With no more money to spare, she now has to move back in with the in-laws, which she finds little connection with. But, the Ghost refuses, and pridefully admits that he wants Mrs. Muir to stay with him in his own ornery manner. It is idealistic that in such a short period of time, these two would have a connection so profound, but it works so well because the connection between them was created before they had even met. They knew each other dearly before their words could ever clash. To remedy Mrs. Muir’s financial issue, the Ghost proposes that she write a book. He allows Lucy to write about his life as a captain, even though they haven’t known each other long, the captain seems to trust Mrs. Muir with his story. He evens tells her his name, Daniel, and nicknames Lucy, Lucia, explaining that the latter name, is strong and does not get forced upon. During their writing sessions, they begin to fall in love, as they fill in each other's gaps. Their bickering comes off as squabbles to hide their romantic tension, and even sometimes genuine flirts, for example when the Ghost begins to mock Lucy as a well-behaved young girl to then end with the compliments of her freckles. However, as their love grows the more unfortunate it becomes. Lucy is alive, while Daniel is dead. A love that is hindered by space and time, so Daniel must give Lucy up and direct her to fall in love with a living man. Their romance isn’t reconciled either, when Lucy meets another author named Miles Fairley and begin their own blossoming love. Daniel becomes jealous of their love at first, but ultimately decides to vanish in the night, leaving Lucy with merely a dream and idea of his existence, for he told Lucy to move on, so now the Ghost must move on too. But, not without his own sorrowful regrets. Lucy, however, doesn’t obtain the mortal love, The Ghost so desired her to get. Instead, she is left heartbroken, once she discovers that Miles, in an unfaithful man with two kids and a morose wife, who explains that Fairley makes it a habit to practice adultery with other women. Lucy withdraws into herself and forgoes the search for love, instead she grows lonely and tired, as her daughter leaves her to attend college and falls in love with her own future spouse. But her daughter leaves her with a few words relating to her secret crush as a child Daniel, who she has seen since the little girl had been living in Gull Cottage. As time grows and life begins to wane, Lucy’s health begins to diminish, she denies a cup of milk Martha offered to her and begins to grow tired. Time is merely a circle which documents our life throughout our years, and like any circle, there is a cycle to be maintained. Lucy dies in the same seat, in which she was first visited by the ghost. Daniel has come back to guide her to the heavens, and hand-in-hand the couple are delivered to the song of the angels. This movie cannot be explained, just in words. No. One must actively see how beautiful and loving this film is, by watching it on a cold, gloomy afternoon, with little to no natural nor artificial light. I couldn’t recommend it more! The symbolism of the clock, and of time, reminds those who view the movie, that nothing lasts forever, and we must cherish what we have now. This film has engraved itself into the edges of my heartstrings, and with every romantic memory I dare think, the water of my eyes begins to overflow, and the waterfall of my soul drowns me in sorrow and a hopeful yearning for the love so similar to that of the Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and for that I rate this movie: 10/10 Crying Jasmines BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The War of the Pens: George R.R. Martin Versus Brandon Jasmine Roberts Volume 5 Issue 4 April 8, 2025 An interesting aspect of indulging in literature for so long is that similar to a wine connoisseur who can differentiate a pinot noir from a chardonnay, I can tell one author from another. I can smell with just the tip of my nose, the sharp scent of a Shakesperean blank verse. With my eyes, I can find a hint of Tolkien in almost all the fantasy I have ever read, with its purple hue of fantastical worldbuilding and a necessity for intricate detail. It isn’t as hard to understand the qualities of an author if you scrutinize them like the black dots upon a ladybug’s back. Sometimes it’s in syntax or a specific style of writing. An American author of the early 19th century is obvious amongst European authors, as the former subscribes to a raw, blunt, practical energy which enforces strength and individualism, for example. However, the most curious of all differences amongst writers, which sets does not just set one’s technique apart from another, but instead one’s psyche and personal conviction: theme. A theme is a tricky little thing to catch, it flies too high and dives too low; it knows how to camouflage and blend in under the words of a character or it can trick you, like the back of an Owl Butterfly. But it can never escape. Stories and their themes, like the humans who wrote them, press a fingerprint into the heart of creation and can ever escape the watchful eye of one who has the patience to internalize literature’s beautiful lessons. Let us take two authors who have already solidified themselves as giants in the world of fantasy: George R.R. Martin and Brandon Sanderson. Their careers have been vast, as their body of work has been. Sanderson finished the original tale of the Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin’s work frequently evolved into visual adaptions, even if there is still no announcement for a film adaptation of his most recent book, Winds of Winter. If my frustration isn’t palpable enough, when one has opened the not-so-secret wardrobe of the realm of fantasy zealots, these two names show up with great prominence. Honestly, they feel inescapable, but both are craftsmen of their work. I was pleasantly jarred at the differences in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire ( ASIOAF) and Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives . I have gathered one main difference between their primary texts regarding their subgenres of fantasy. Both ASOIAF and the Stormlight Archives rely on the medium of fantasy to convey their messages. Both seemingly take great notes from pioneers of the genre, such as Tolkien. This is apparent in their detailed and otherworldly settings which seem as livable as Manhattan to a New Yorker. ASOIAF is set on the continent of Westeros, and the Stormlight Archives is placed upon the planet and continent of Roshar (It is an intergalactic, entangled setting of other intercrossing works). Two important terms to gather when speaking of these novels are the concepts of High and Low fantasy. High fantasy can be defined as consisting of a world which does little to mirror our own. For instance, in the Stormlight Archives much of the culture and structure of protagonist, Kaladin’s world, holds little bearings to our own. Magic is an expectable and prominent feature in this story, used similar to how electricity is used in our reality, under the name of Stormlight. Beasts of burden are creatures which can be likened to werewolves or dragons. Culturally, arts deemed feminine are reading, writing, and anything tactical, and men are seen as uncouth for daring to participate in such manners of expression. Lastly, people are put into a caste system based upon their eye color, the lighter, such as blues to greens, having the most power, and browns to blacks left comparable to Hindu Untouchables. From this we gather that our society would puzzle this world as we are puzzled by this world. Magic and magical beasts are commonplace and there is an overarching ‘’saving the world’’ plot of immense size and scale which is also prominent in High Fantasy, most notably the Lord of the Rings. This is textbook High fantasy and demonstrates that Sanderson has a desire to construct a world out of the fabric of air and alien to Earth. His interest is not in a complete reflection of our reality, but instead a subversive method to show us the troubles of our society, such as social classes and inequality. When building his genre, he takes into account a creativity that must be inspired, but also unique to itself, where everything feels like a distorted reality. I am fifteen, but reading the Stormlight Archives made me feel like an infant once again, curious at these concepts which appear to mock my reality. This greatly differs from Martin who uses history as direct portrayal of reality. There is little mistaking it. Martin is heavily influenced by the Middle Ages. Events such as the Red Wedding, are shown to be a parallel circumstance to The Black Dinner, a true historical event. There are knights, wars, political intrigue, a monarchy, feudalism, language which uses sparse newfound terms and actually takes from previous forms of English, a social structure which reflects not just European medieval history, but the complete Eurasian network on one continent, as we see with the Summer Isles, The Free Cities and Dorne. These examples are apparent enough that ASOIAF could easily be an alt-history text, and little would change of it. Magic has little concern within these books, but it does exist, and it also does paradoxically impact its plot. Stay with me, but I will have to introduce my other twinning term of Low Fantasy. Defined as fantasy which occurs in a world that heavily reflects or could truly be our own, like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson for an extreme metric which falls upon Urban Fantasy. We see here that in a normal world, set in the basis of reality, magic is not assimilated or normal. Instead, it impedes our characters and pushes them into the unknown. It is as new to them as it is to us. We are learning with Jon Snow as he discovers that he might be a Warg. We are as astounded as Dany when her dragons catch from their eggs. We treat the Others as much as a tall tale, even when greeted to them a multitude of times with the assistance of dramatic irony. Martin reflects and critiques our world, not by putting us in a new one where criticism must be newly constructed, but by presenting us with well, us. He tells us our history and asks us to answer for ourselves how we feel about it and does it by listening not to our future or present, but to our past. Martin demonstrates, with Low Fantasy, that the wars, the oligarchs, the death, and the Others have happened before. It is not your fault that you did not know of it summer child, but it will be your fault if you continue to remain sightless under the white silks of ignorance. Both authors with their subgenres, do as books and art in general always do with a whetstone of their written work: they sharpen the world’s blade until you can see your own reflection within it. Then they hold that blade to your temple as if fitting for the kill, but instead of drilling the bastard sword into your skull, they place your clumsy fingers to the pommel and ask you, “What are you going to do about it?’’ BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Polaris, Fiction Back to Sections Is That Me (Comic) By Nora Chery Volume 3 Issue 4 May 18, 2023 Image provided by Nora Chery BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes By Elaine Ching, Angelina Odone, and Nora Rivera Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Original photography by Elaine Ching Do you want a cold treat to go with the slightly colder temperature? Or how about just some cookies? If so, use this recipe to make your homemade ice cream sandwiches/sugar cookies. Ingredients Sugar Cookies: · 3 cups powdered sugar · 2 cups butter, softened · 2 teaspoons vanilla · 1 teaspoon almond extract · 2 eggs · 5 cups flour · 2 teaspoons baking soda · 2 teaspoons cream of tartar · 1 container of sprinkles Ice Cream: · 2 tubs of ice cream (Feel free to get more or less!) Steps 1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs in a large bowl. We recommend an electric mixer, but a spoon works too. After it’s all well combined and fluffy, stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. 2. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. It might have to sit for at least 15 minutes. Then take parchment paper and lay it on a cookie sheet. Pour sprinkles into a bowl. Take small balls from the dough and roll and then flatten them. After, stick the dough in the bowl and press down, so the sprinkles stick to the dough. Next, lay it on the cookie sheet. Place each cookie about 1 inch apart. Repeat until you have desired number of cookies. 3. Bake for 4-7 minutes. Leave them to cool. 4. After they’ve cooled, take your ice cream out. Scoop out some ice cream and spread it on one cookie. The ice cream should be about one inch high. Then take another cookie and smash it on top. Repeat till you have the desired amount of ice cream sandwiches. You can either eat them right after or leave them in the freezer for a while! 5. Enjoy! BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Portrait Back to Sections Cianna Nadal - Portrait By Cianna Nadal January 20, 2021 Photography Volume 1 Issue 4

Back to Articles Polaris Back to Sections Here Comes the Street By Nora Chery Volume 3 Issue 1 November 7, 2022 Image provided by Adobe Here comes the street The street that never lies Beneath the simmering crimson sun. Beyond the street The street turns to grass Beneath the time where words and paper never Shackle us. Then comes the grass The grass that never dies Under our tired feet. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 By Manal Layachi Volume 1 Issue 4 January 20, 2021 Image provided by Dneg Peeta: My name got picked for the Hunger Games? I’m toast! This is the last movie of The Hunger Games series, adapted from the books by Suzanne Collins. This movie takes place in Noisy-le-Grand, Paris, in 2014. The main characters are Haymitch, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, President Snow, Primrose Everdeen, Effie Trinket, and Caesar Flickerman. The Quarter Quell has ended, and Katniss Everdeen and other citizens live in District 13. District 12 has been destroyed. There is a rebellion taking place between the districts and the Capitol. Peeta got captured by the Capitol, and Katniss must become the Mockingjay and assassinate President Snow. Katniss Everdeen is the Mockingjay, and she must lead everyone to victory in overthrowing President Snow. The Capitol is attacking District 13 and Katniss is trying to persuade everyone to her side. Her symbol is the Mockingjay, and people who wear her symbol support her. Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen) did great job portraying her character because she acted like a very good leader. Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark) excelled at portraying emotion in the movie. Donald Sutherland (President Snow) portrays an evil and bitter character. He acted like he was the master of everyone and that’s what I like about his acting. Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne) expertly acted like a hunter and brother to Katniss in the movie. My favorite scene was when Katniss and her crew met Tigris, the cousin of the President who betrayed her. I recommend reading President Snow’s prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes . Another one of my favorite scenes was when Katniss and Peeta were playing and taking care of their children. They finally got to have a peaceful life after all the chaos and fighting they have been through. My least favorite scene was when some of my favorite characters died off, one by one. The last few minutes and scenes of the movie were very emotional. A lesson I learned from this movie was, you should stand up for what you believe in no matter what is happening or what people say. Others will learn that they should have the courage to do anything they think is right and never give up on what they are trying to do. People who like action, adventure, romance, violence, and a lot of emotions will like this movie. I would recommend this to people who like leaders and inspiring people. I would not recommend this to people who don’t like violence. The film rating is PG-13. My final word on the film was: GOOD. I give this movie 4.5 stars. Manal Layachi is a 13-year-old girl who loves to sing, make art, play soccer, tennis, and karate. She loves reading and she read all of The Hunger Games books and especially The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections Women Who Have Dominated the Grammys By Isabella Menjivar Volume 1 Issue 6 March 18, 2021 Original artwork by Isabella Menjivar Alison Krauss - She currently holds the record for female artist with the most Grammy awards. Her astounding number of awards comes from her work in Country music. In 2019, she was awarded a National Medal of Arts. Some of her well-known songs include “When You Say Nothing at All”, “Gone Gone Gone”, and “Paper Airplane”. Beyonce - After becoming a solo artist, she’s gone on to win 22 Grammy awards. Her 2017 Grammy performance sent an inspiring message of honoring women was a showstopper. Aside from the breathtaking visuals, at the performance she balanced on a floating chair while pregnant. Beyonce also holds the Grammy record for most nominations. Whitney Houston - With 6 Grammy awards and 25 nominations, the legendary singer’s most famous win was her song “I Will Always Love You” being awarded record of the year. Whitney’s powerhouse voice is unforgettable, and her performance at the 36th Grammy Awards featured fireworks, and her vocals were astounding. Taylor Swift - Her Grammy performances that feature incredible music, scenery, and background dancers are what makes her on the list to perform at the 2021 Grammys. Taylor’s 10 Grammy awards and 41 nominations are all products of her relatable music. Many different people make up her fan base because she has written country, pop, and indie music. Taylor is currently re-recording old music to officially hold rights to her records, all written by herself. BACK TO TOP