When you think of powerful cinematic icons from the past few years, Margot Robbie is sure to make the list. While much of her fame came from her role as Naomi in Wolf of Wall Street (2013), she has grown to change the film industry as an actor, a producer, and a cofounder of her production studio, LuckyChap Entertainment.
With Disney having so many successful studios under its control, like Marvel and Star Wars, I feel as though older studios like Pixar can become slightly overshadowed at times. As a long-time Disney fan, I grew up with Pixar classics like Cars, WALL-E, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, and so many more. While not every film the studio has released has been perfect, the consistently new and interesting stories, along with its signature animation style, is without doubt what has made Pixar such a force in the entertainment industry for so many years. Recent releases have seen a resurgence in quality Pixar productions like Onward, Coco, and most recently, Soul, in 2020. The critically-acclaimed Pixar film won the 2021 Oscar for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. I am pleased to see that Pixar is continuing to put out quality films that are just as enjoyable for Disney veterans as it is for new generations of Disney fans.
Jermaine Cole, more commonly known by “J. Cole,” is one of the most underrated rappers of his generation. While considered one of the “big three” of the new era of rap (with Drake and Kendrick Lamar), he is often discredited and underappreciated by many rap fans. Some rap fans (especially younger ones) have criticized Cole for being “boring” or having poor production, and while his discography may not be flawless, many of his best songs/albums are not his most popular ones, so most casual fans haven’t heard all the great things that his music has to offer. I was lucky enough to have two older brothers that exposed me to J. Cole’s music from an extremely young age, I have been a Cole fan since his 2010 mixtape, Friday Night Lights, and have witnessed his rise to stardom firsthand.
We are currently experiencing one of the greatest eras of superhero media of all time. As a massive superhero fan myself, I am thrilled to see such a wide variety of superhero content gaining notoriety in mainstream media. With Marvel and DC at the forefront, recent releases like Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wandavision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have all gathered a lot of praise from fans and critics alike. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed to have culminated in Phase Three with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, everything that has been released so far in Phase Four has been extremely impressive, particularly because the MCU is changing its style to avoid becoming repetitive. I firmly believe that Marvel Studios is going to continue producing quality superhero media for the foreseeable future.
I never expected to see my favorite dish – an arepa of all things – appear on television. The moment Alba, Jane’s grandmother in Jane the Virgin, pulled out an arepa, I felt a spotlight on my former country and my culture. Growing up, I watched my mother and grandmother knead and pat these special corn cakes in the kitchen, slice them open, and stuff them with anything from ham and cheese, to shredded meat, to black beans and queso blanco. Before I left for college, they made sure to teach me the recipe so that I could take a piece of my family with me. Thankfully, Venezuelan arepas require very few ingredients and can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. To me, they’re the perfect college dish.
Rising Stars is The Stargazer’s interview series where we sit down with young creatives to discuss their projects, inspirations, and goals. We recently had the opportunity to speak with graphic designer, creative director, and podcast producer Anthony Smith about his creative process and taking risks to achieve your dreams. Note: The following are excerpts.
Though comedian, actress, writer, and musician, Ziwe Fumudoh, has been a mainstay of the digital entertainment space for several years, she rocketed to popularity in the summer of 2020 with her Instagram Live interview series, which featured controversial internet personalities such as Caroline Calloway. Ziwe quickly became known for her unique and playfully confrontational interview style, which she brings to television in her new, A24-produced variety series on Showtime, named after the energetic host herself.
Of all of the films that Warner Brothers announced they would release both in theaters on streaming services in 2021, Godzilla vs. Kong was one of the most highly anticipated. And considering that the last time the two titans faced off was in the 1962 Japanese kaiju film, King Kong vs. Godzilla, it’s fair to say that two of pop culture’s most iconic giant beasts were overdue for a rematch. 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong comes as the fourth installment of Warner Brothers “MonsterVerse” – following Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). It's the culmination of the mythology and story arc built up over the previous three pictures. While each of the previous films had issues, I did enjoy the comedic tone of Kong: Skull Island and the dramatic feeling of Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Since both films had slightly different styles, I was curious to see what direction this new film would take when both titans met on-screen. I also wondered whether or not they would continue with the plot and characters from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, especially considering that it consisted of an entirely different set of characters than Godzilla. Director Adam Wingard was certainly challenged by having to try and develop an interesting plot with meaningful characters without drawing away from the main attraction: the ultimate showdown between two of sci-fi’s all-time greatest monsters. Spoiler Warning as multiple key plot points are discussed throughout this article from this point forward!
Rising Stars is The Stargazer’s interview series where we sit down with young creatives to discuss their projects, inspirations, and goals. We recently had the opportunity to speak with writer, director, and CEO Matthew Manyak about his TV series, upcoming films, and work in the Tallahassee area.
Trigger Warning: mentions of depression, suicidal ideation
Writers and artists at The Stargazer love entertainment media, so we go through a lot of it. Want to know what we’ve been watching/reading/playing recently? Interested in what we have to say about it? Check out What’s in Our Orbit.
