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What a year it was: Oscars 2021 Best Picture Predictions – Part One

For as long as movies have existed, the magic of cinema has brought people together. The collective experience of sitting in a darkened theater and reveling in the highs and lows of the silver screen has been the cornerstone of the industry.  With the pandemic shutting down theaters and fundamentally changing entertainment, the past year…

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Rant and Rave: Ride or Die speeds off to red flags

At the outset, Ride or Die seems to be the high-octane queer feminist story we’ve all been waiting for. Spunky and defiant, the film tackles modern-day womanhood and sexuality against the backdrop of a patriarchal society with familial expectations. The story follows Nanae (Honami Sato) and Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) who find themselves on the run…

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Writer’s Recap: Full steam ahead for the 7th DLS Model United Nations

The biggest Model United Nations (MUN) in the country gathered more than 300 local and international delegates for its two-day online conference held last May 8 to 9. This was preceded by several panel discussions, a delegate’s workshop, and a socials night in the months leading up to the event. With the theme “Utilizing Multidisciplinary…

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Writer’s Recap: Sa Pagsapit ng Dapithapon sees the light in the darkness

The rhythm of music is parallel to the rhythm of life—it tells our story and speaks the hope we yearn for. This is the message that the De La Salle Innersoul (DLS-Innersoul) sang in their 24th Major Concert, Sa Pagsapit ng Dapithapon, last April 16, 17, 23, and 24. Under Vince Mallari’s direction, the show…

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Rant and Rave: Chasing The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

“One world, one people.” This was the phrase coined by the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) latest group of misfits, the Flag Smashers, led by super soldier Karli Morgenthau. Claiming to forge a world with shared resources and open borders, they will lie, cheat, and kill anyone who gets in their way. But fear not, because…

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Sit still, look pretty: Unboxing the complexities of gender in dolls

She’s part of every girl’s birthday and Christmas wishlist—a friend that comes in a mint condition plastic box with a beaming smile frozen on her face. She makes playtime all the more thrilling—through her, millions of girls across the world can be a princess, a model, a homemaker, and many more. With a seemingly-endless assortment…

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Writer’s Recap: Dancelebration 2021 waltzes down memory lane

The art of dance goes beyond merely putting on a showーit is a shared experience that captures what cannot be put into words. For centuries, it has brought communities together by expressing ideas, emotions, and cultural traditions. But at a time like this when theaters remain empty, art must take on new forms.  The La…

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God is a woman: Finding the divine in the female

In the Judeo-Christian context, God has always been painted as distinctly, explicitly, and exclusively a man. This idea of an omnipotent male has been the bedrock of our beliefs—it is then deemed only natural that men lead, that men control, and that men define.  Women, on the other hand, are also labeled many things—wives, mothers,…

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Rant and Rave: Godzilla vs. Kong vs. half-baked storylines

Every ecosystem has its own hierarchy to consider—a fundamental rule that has held true since the inception of our biosphere. When reduced to our basest instincts, we are seemingly locked in an eternal cycle of predator and prey.  And no matter which creatures partake in this deadly dance of life and death, one thing’s for…

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Free spirit: Elle Aspilla is rewriting all the rules

It was the night before the prom and Elle Aspilla (III, BS-IBS) had just come out of the closet. It would still be quite a while before she would identify as a trans woman, but even back then, just embracing queerness was liberating. And what better time to be unapologetically herself than prom night? “Nagsuot…