Ryan Coogler. Viola Davis. Keke Palmer. This sounds like the line-up for the next tear-jerking, mind-bending, oh-she’s-acting-acting film, right? Unfortunately, not. It’s a small—and I mean SMALL—portion of the list of Black actors left out of this year’s Oscar nominations and ensuing celebration. Maybe you’ll remember the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, which[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric
Justin Bieber: Canada’s wrongfully maligned hero
When we think of famous Canadians named Justin, one particular name comes to mind—and no, it’s not Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Instead, it’s pop sensation and heartthrob Justin Drew Bieber. Though the young man’s initial rise to stardom was met with admiration and praise back in 2009, the musician has[Read More…]
Logan Paul’s genius strategies to make you rich!
Logan Paul is not the scam king that the media has falsely painted him to be. I, for one, am an avid supporter of the hotter Paul brother and have personally spent thousands of dollars on NFTs, which I don’t regret at all. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are the genius[Read More…]
Pop Dialectic – Two Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie reviews
Just for Laughs – Simi Ogunsola After four years of waiting, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is finally here and people have been talking. Some are calling the film an 11/10 and hailing Ryan Coogler as a genius while others can only describe the film as “mid” and prefer the first[Read More…]
‘This is Actually Happening’ and the commodification of trauma
One particularly warm night this September, I found myself wide awake, sweating. Frustrated at my inability to sleep, I put on a podcast to take my mind off the heat. The show was an old favourite: This Is Actually Happening (TIAH). In high school, I listened to the show and[Read More…]
What’s wrong with world music?
On what grounds do we describe music that breaks with Western traditions? Does the simple label “world music” suffice? Unsurprisingly, this term was not popularized by so-called world musicians. Rather, like much of the language we use to describe music, it was the creation of profit-minded record label executives. In[Read More…]
Quinni of ’Heartbreak High’: Finally, a successful example of autism representation
On Sept. 14, Netflix released Heartbreak High, a remake of the 1994 Australian coming-of-age TV show of the same name. Critics praised the series for its realistic portrayal of high school and the diversity of experiences the show depicts. The series remained in Netflix’s Top 10 list in 43 countries[Read More…]
Pop Dialectic: To binge or not to binge?
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…]
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…]
