Since the dawn of time, many great conflicts have arisen—from religious crusades to World Wars. The most polarizing? Whether streaming services should release episodes every week or all at once. While the introduction of platforms like Netflix boasted users’ ability to binge new content rather than wait, many have returned[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric
The raw, ubiquitous power of body horror
Mild spoilers ahead for Raw and Saint Maud With weak plot lines, underdeveloped characters, and often cliché moralistic endings—such as the least-likely-to-survive character ending up as the final girl—slasher films serve one purpose: To disgust. Films like the cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and constant rehashings of Evil Dead[Read More…]
Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating life is more than just a punchline
Leonardo DiCaprio, who is verging on 50 years old, has never dated anyone over the age of 25. Thanks to his recent public split with fashion model Camila Morrone—just months after her 25th birthday—DiCaprio’s dating tendencies have resurfaced online as a trending topic. From an onslaught of ridicule on social[Read More…]
‘Dancing with the Stars’ premiere shimmies into the spotlight
Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is the perfect mix of fact and fiction. Fact: I’m very confident that the majority of viewers that judge DWTS on Twitter could not tell the difference between a Paso Doble and a Jive. Fiction: The promise that all the contestants put the “star” in[Read More…]
Mo representation, Mo problems
Mo, a Netflix comedy-drama show released in late August, centres around the life of Palestinian-American Mo Amer in a story based on his lived experiences—navigating legal illegitimacy by selling bootleg merch, working at a strip club and a Texan olive farm—as an asylum seeker in the U.S. The show has[Read More…]
Spit-takes: Harry Styles vs. Chris Pine?
To spit or not to spit? That is the question. After months of alleged drama amongst the cast and crew of Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling, it’s only fitting that press for the premiere centred around gossip rather than the mediocre-at-best movie. The moment in question happened just[Read More…]
Lisa LaFlamme’s firing sets internet ablaze
On June 29, CTV National News terminated its contract with esteemed Canadian news anchor Lisa LaFlamme. LaFlamme has worked for the network––owned by Bell Media––for 35 years and was voted Best National News Anchor in April 2022. When news of LaFlamme’s termination came to light, dedicated viewers, journalists, and countless[Read More…]
The Met Gala 2022: Fundraising event or vanity circus?
The beginning of May marks both the end of McGill’s winter semester and the annual Met Gala, a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute that has become known as ‘fashion’s biggest night.’ When the Costume Institute announced its Gilded Glamour theme this year, many expressed excitement[Read More…]
The enemies to lovers trope: Tried-and-true or time for something new?
From impassioned kisses in the rain to meet-cutes in high school hallways, romantic literature and entertainment have never failed to engage audiences through beloved clichés. One that continues to withstand the test of time is the enemies-to-lovers trope, in which two characters’ mutual hatred toward one another progressively transforms into[Read More…]
Disney’s support for ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill contradicts their alleged values
Considering that Disney owns a theme park that they call the “happiest place on Earth,” it is disappointing that the company currently supports several legislators who want to silence 2SLGBTQIA+ people and make Florida the most heterosexual place on Earth. Disney made headlines after the Orlando Sentinel and other news[Read More…]