Anakin Skywalker’s rise and fall is a story masterpiece

Although Skywalker’s character was explored decades after the well-known Star Wars trilogy, he’s the most interesting in terms of character arc, the past that separates him from most Jedi, and his turn to the dark side. His dark past and lust for power make Skywalker the most influential and memorable character of the entire franchise.

Top 10 Albums/EPs of 2020

2020 has been one of the best years for music, with many artists coming out of this strenuous year’s woodworks. Some artists returned after leaving the spotlight for a bit, while others have dropped some of their best music out of nowhere. Although 2020 has had its share of mystery with the pandemic, the music industry has addressed issues worth discussing, such as love, masculinity, staying mindful, and saying what it means to have fun with music and friends.

Your required watchlist for ‘Cyberpunk 2077’

A world dominated by advanced technological progress/prowess, invasive corporations industrializing the planet to catastrophic levels, and millions of volumes of new information flooding the digital landscape every second. Sound familiar? I am talking about cyberpunk; a subgenre of science fiction exploring dystopian futures filled to the brim with neon billboards stretching into the stratosphere and cybernetic enhancements that make you more machine than man. With the launch of what might be an entire generation’s first foray into this style of storytelling, here are a few movies that will prepare you for the world of Cyberpunk 2077.

Agree to Disagree: Apple Music vs. Spotify

A constant debate is the dispute between which streaming service is better: Apple Music or Spotify? Apple die-hards stick to their guns and defend Apple Music to the ends of time, while Spotify users hold their ground and refute every claim that Apple Music lovers throw at their face. So, which streaming service is better?

Warner Bros. Potentially Kills Theaters with HBO Max

This year has been disastrous for film fans. There were countless incredibly huge blockbusters originally slated for this year including Dune, Black Widow, Eternals, A Quiet Place Part 2, and No Time to Die. There were also some interesting smaller titles such as The Green Knight, Willy’s Wonderland, and Spiral. In what felt like a blink of an eye, all these films and more were pulled from their schedules and tossed into 2021. The next 12 months were slated to be jam-packed with an abundance of films scheduled to roll out. However, Warner Bros. has completely changed the landscape and broken all the rules, doing the unthinkable with their latest announcement.

The Curious Case of Abby Anderson

When 'The Last of Us Part II' released on Jun. 19, its thrilling performances, pulse-pounding gameplay, and breathtaking visuals were all acclaimed. However, the same cannot be said for its narrative. Said narrative saw 19-year-old Ellie, one of the protagonists from 2013’s ‘The Last of Us’, go on the warpath in order to avenge the death of Joel, her father figure, and the other protagonist from the original game. The person responsible for Joel’s death was a young woman named Abigail “Abby” Anderson. In a shocking twist, players were made to control her for nearly half the game’s runtime. Such a tactic allowed for her perspective of the game’s storyline to be illustrated.

History Of: Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes’ cover of “As Long As You Love Me” brought his name into fame that would later lead to three studio albums with an incoming fourth album, Wonder, hitting shelves Friday, Dec. 4. The singer’s career has been crafted with bridges, scars, and love that only furthered his path to continue forward instead of turning back.

What Happened with Quibi?

Streaming services seem to be popping up almost daily. Just within the last year, we’ve seen four major new services join the already crowded market: Apple+, Disney+, HBO Max, and Peacock. One of the other streamers to launch during this time was Quibi. Now, if you’re unfamiliar with this service, don’t worry because everyone else is as well. Quibi seemed to have come out of nowhere, just to leave as quietly as it came. But what led to this service being a failure?

Top 5 Jennifer Lawrence Films

Jennifer Lawrence’s acting skills expand well beyond The Hunger Games. Over the past decade, Lawrence has appeared in various genres like horror, drama, romance, and action. The actress can separate her real-life persona from each character’s personas and comes off as a strong, independent, and fierce actress. Here are the actress’s top five films that are a must-watch.

Top 5 Fantasy Book Series

With the popularity of big-budget, high profile fantasy shows popping up everywhere recently, streaming services seem to be looking for the next Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones to fill in that empty void. Shows like The Witcher and the upcoming Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, and the Game of Thrones prequel will hopefully continue to provide great, epic fantasy entertainment. There are many other fantasy book series that often get overlooked by bigger series however, they deserve the same, if not more, recognition as the bigger show stoppers. These series could also make for great book-to-screen adaptations, like some of the others. Considering the state of the world right now, we all could use a break and jump into a fantastical world where our problems don’t seem quite as bad. 

Cole Bennett is an Underappreciated Symbol for Visionaries

Whether it is the unique animation-style music videos, canned lemonade, organic environment flourishing within a warehouse in Chicago, or Summer Smash music festival; Cole Bennett, 24, has quickly become a prominent figure in the music industry and he is nowhere near slowing down. What originally formed as an idea for a blog, quickly became more after Bennett swiftly established himself as a prominent figure amongst the hip-hop/rap community. Bennett released his first music video in high school, at the age of 17. Thus, his brand, Lyrical Lemonade, has spearheaded itself to be a symbol of attaining any dream, no matter the depth. 

Artist of the Month: Sammy Rae

For anyone looking for new music, I highly recommend checking out Sammy Rae. Last year when I was getting prepared for a long car ride, I reached out to people asking for new music recommendations and a friend of mine told me about Sammy Rae’s EP, The Good Life. Unlike some groups where if you’ve heard one song you have heard them all, Sammy Rae keeps the listener interested by reflecting many genres such as jazz, pop, blues, and rock in her music. With a diverse array of genres in her music, every song has a distinctive sound.

Let’s Talk about the ‘Uncharted’ Movie

The ‘Uncharted’ series is without a doubt one of the most popular PlayStation franchises. Created by the now-former creative director at Naughty Dog, Amy Hennig, the series began in 2007 with ‘Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’ on the PlayStation 3. Unlike the developers’ previous efforts, ‘Drake’s Fortune’ sought to replicate the experience of watching an action film: it was plentiful with charismatic characters, brisk pacing, and wildly bombastic set pieces. The 'Uncharted' film; however, calls for conversation.

Choose Your Own Batman Adventure | Checkpoint

Blake and Aaron break down the new choose your own adventure film where the audience makes life and death decisions 

Choose Your Own Batman Adventure | Checkpoint

The Everlasting Youth of ‘Final Fantasy X’

Role-playing mechanics were never at their peak until 2001’s Final Fantasy X was released. Easily one of Final Fantasy’s best releases, if not the best, the tenth video game entry holds superior gameplay and a story lasting well past a decade that can’t be said for other role-playing games since then. Japanese company Squaresoft, now Square Enix, is known for its work with other popular titles, like the Kingdom Hearts Series. The series, which featured characters and designs inspired from the Final Fantasy Series, unknowingly reached a gold status when 2001 came around.

Disney+: One Year Later

Once Disney+ finally launched in November 2019, things started off great in terms of content. They launched with The Mandalorian, one of the most exciting shows in recent years, as well as a large library of content, unlike other streaming services like Apple+ and CBS All Access that launched with smaller amounts. However, once The Mandalorian‘s first season came to an end, the streaming service quickly began losing steam and soon became one of the more disappointing services out there.

Challenge Accepted: Uncovering the Youth’s Political Voice

I am a 19-year-old political science minor, and I voted for the first time last week. As a junkie for political science research, I have always been aware of my place in the election process. However, this year was different. It felt like I was standing in a room surrounded by people screaming at me; those people being older politicians, celebrities, advertisers, etc. Everyone demanding me to vote, but never looking at who I am. Politicians seeing me as a percentage, just a mindless number in their popular vote. 

Top Underrated Indie Switch Games

Three years ago, the Nintendo Switch was released, and it quickly became one of the company’s most popular home consoles. However, one aspect of the Switch that was less marketed was the company’s decision to let indie game developers publish and port their games to the console. This has given a variety of indie games a chance at a wider audience and greater acknowledgment for their work. Here is a list of the top underrated indie games.