Kpop Demon Hunters follows the story of Rumi, Mira, and Zoe as they balance being international Kpop idols and protecting their world from demons trying to steal everyone’s souls. They write, record, and release songs as band Huntrix (stylized Huntr/x) while slaying demons, using their songs to create their weapons and strengthen the Honmoon, the layer of protection keeping the demons at bay. They use the power of their fans to reinforce  the Honmoon, but their main objective is to create the Golden Honmoon, an impenetrable shield to rid the world of demons forever. Their jobs change when the demons come up with a new plan to infiltrate, creating a Kpop boy band called the Saja Boys to steal the Hunter’s fans and souls. 

In essence, Kpop Demon Hunters is basic. The plot has been done, and the tropes are predictable. But still, fans can’t get enough. Many people have reported watching it anywhere from three to ten times, and still wanting to see more. The art style, characters, and music captivate the audience and leave them wanting more. The movie is nothing remarkable, but it’s topping the charts. The enemies to lovers trope is bland, and the main villain isn’t all that scary, but something about the magic the three girls share keeps people watching. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey are all unique, well developed personas with their own desires and conflicts, and they stay true throughout the movie. Their designs all include incredible detail and work, and represent their personalities in the designs. As the main character, Rumi especially has an extensive backstory, as her mother was a former Hunter and her father was a demon. Her internal conflict drives the movie, eventually leading to her running away and abandoning the rest of the band before returning to save the day.

The main demon, Jinu, has an in-depth backstory that explains his character choices and motivations throughout the movie, and the Demon King, Gwi-ma, seems impossible to defeat. The final battle takes place after Huntr/x has entirely given up hope and broken up, heading their separate ways. Gwi-ma is preparing to feast on thousands of souls as the Saja Boys perform one final concert, when Rumi shows up to save the rest of Huntr/x and the fans. When a win seems unattainable,  Jinu makes the ultimate choice and gives his soul to Rumi, powering her enough to defeat Gwi-ma and create the Rainbow Honmoon. This resolution is somewhat expected, but watching Jinu and Rumi’s emotional arcs connect is many fan’s favorite part of the film.

Maybe the most iconic part of the franchise is the music, with songs like Golden and Your Idol still topping the charts. As of Sept. 6, the movie had four songs in the Billboard Hot 100 top ten, and eight of the nine songs featured in the film in the Top 100. Considering that the songs are still charting three months after its release (with Golden at number one), it’s safe to say that the music is what makes the movie. 

In fact, the music is so popular that Netflix held an in-theatres singalong for one weekend only. Tickets sold out incredibly quickly, and the energy was energetic. Fans dressed up in costume, did their hair in the style of the Hunters, and sang, danced, and quoted along with the movie. The grand reaction launched the film to the top of the box office for its one weekend debut, and it could easily happen for the next three weeks. Netflix and Sony have declined from keeping the film in theatres, which may have been a devastating decision. While they may have lost potential money by keeping the movie on streaming, they widened the potential audience and access, allowing Kpop Demon Hunters to become the phenomenon it is. 

The movie is still popular, which is maybe the most shocking thing about it. The movie has a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews raving about the movie. The songs are still on the charts, and the movie’s overall watch levels are rising steadily. The appeal of the movie ranges from the catchy songs to the alluring art style to the scariness of the fight scenes, which young children aren’t usually allowed to watch. The movie has been compared to other animated films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, following similar themes of self discovery and growth, while incorporating incredible art styles and music choices. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Kpop Demon Hunters have similar animation both following the choppy, comic-book feel inspired by the Spider-Verse franchise. Before this era, movies featured smoother, 3D animation in the style of Pixar movies like Wall-E. This comic book style takes the audience further into the world of the film, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the universe. 

Overall, Kpop Demon Hunters isn’t an incredibly original movie. The concept of three girls with unique yet matching personalities and styles forming a magical group to fight monsters is nowhere near new. But something about the movie, be it the animation style, the songs, the depth of the characters, or the overall atmosphere, is incredibly enticing to today’s world. The film represents a return to a classic style and a classic story, taking us back to simpler times, where the only thing we had to worry about was whether our favorite band would make it to their concert on time, all while thwarting the demons that hunted them. 

Young friend is the alias of Canadian artist Drew Tarves, a 25-year-old from Vancouver. Tarves grew up on music, and released his debut album HOW DID WE GET HERE? when he was just 22. Tarves draws from indie inspirations such as Phoebe Bridgers and Bon Iver, leading him to create his own distinct sound on both HOW DID WE GET HERE? and motorcycle sound effects.

The start of motorcycle sound effects immediately draws you in, bringing high energy and an intriguing sound with golden rule. The song paints a picture of a relationship that never began, contrasting its cheery guitar with downhearted lyrics. The album gets slower as it advances, with songs like sweet tooth and the real deal being low energy love songs, continuing the motif of contrasting lyrics and melodies. 

Further into the album the songs begin to flow into each other, leading to the listener feeling like they’ve just listened to one song, as opposed to five separate songs. This effect only grows interest, as you have to be actively listening to fully understand the album. 

The lyricism of the album is fantastic, from upbeat songs like loose apologizing for messing up a relationship and claiming “I think I’m about to break loose” to soft songs like sweet tooth reminiscing on a past relationship and wondering what went wrong. While indie artists can sometimes fall into the trap of being too basic or too complex with their lyrics, young friend hits the nail on the head by saying exactly what he means while simultaneously telling a story.

While the middle of the album slows down, it picks up again at the end with i like girls and boyfriend energy. young friend has mastered the art of album-making by drawing listeners in with dynamic beats, then capturing them with gentle tunes before picking the energy up again to surprise the listener. With relatable lyrics and catchy tunes, Motorcycle Sound Effects is an immediate hit.

ADs function as the backbone of every show, ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. They act as another authority figure that actors and technicians can go to when they have questions, and help the director with any miscellaneous tasks they might need.

“When we’re first starting off the show, we help with casting, [which is] deciding who’s on the show and [in] which roles,” Jacob said. “Then we help with staging the show [and] deciding where actors go, and then later on in the process we focus on just logistics and motion, just like really nitpicking what the actors and tech do.”

Directing offers those interested a way to be very involved in each show while staying offstage. Both Wang and Jacob were independently offered the opportunity to direct, and stayed with the path.

“Over COVID, I found that I had a passion for film and cinema and movie-making,” Wang said, “In my junior year I thought it would sort of expand my horizons to try out being an assistant director on a show.”

While directing is a passion, it isn’t always easy. Because the job isn’t well defined, ADs run the risk of sometimes overstepping their boundaries, or being unsure of where they can be the most useful, leading to confusion. 

“Ultimately what we’re there for is to assist the directors in everything that they need and everything that they want to do to carry out their vision,” Wang said. “It can get hard at times, but we have each other to talk to and we can compromise.”

Though being an assistant director can be difficult, it’s also incredibly rewarding in ways that extend beyond the production aspects of the show. ADs are able to be someone the actors and technicians can come to, and help foster a friendly and welcoming theatre community.

“I enjoy being there as somebody that the actors and the crew can come to, whether that be for actual help of just like to be a friend.” Wang said. “But I also think, like what Mason said, seeing our notes come to life on the stage, and then also knowing that we took part in such a production [is] always really rewarding to see.”

In addition to being active in the theatre department, Wang and Jacob’s directorial passions also extend to film. Both are currently making the most out of their experience in the Audio/Visual (A/V) class at Westwood, and plan to pursue film in the future. 

“We’re both going on to study film in college. I’m pretty clear on my path that I want to be a film director,” Wang said.

As Wang and Jacob prepare for their futures beyond Westwood, both will leave a lasting impression and an impressive legacy on Westwood Theatre. 

“I think that’s one thing that we as a school specifically excel at, [is] giving people opportunities and letting people into the community,” Jacob said. “I think that’s the most important thing. I don’t know if that exists in other places, so that’s what I’ll miss.”

Originally, live action remakes seemed like a fun way to revive the original’s magic while also creating a new product with new revenue. But recently, live action remakes seem to be less about the magic and more about the revenue. Three relevant examples of the decline of live action remakes are The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and the currently unreleased How To Train Your Dragon. 

The Lion King (2019) is a very prominent example of an irrelevant remake. It’s essentially a shot-for-shot reprise of the original movie without taking advantage of any benefits of a remake. If made, live action versions of animated movies should give it a new spin, and The Lion King absolutely fails at this task. 

The Little Mermaid (2023) does the opposite of The Lion King, avoiding being a shot-for-shot remake from the beginning. The movie added multiple new songs, both for Ariel and Prince Eric, fixing issues that were prevalent in the original. New character development is added for both, highlighting Prince Eric’s drive and giving Ariel more motivation to be in the human world than just wanting to be with a man. The movie also creates more extravagant shots and scenes that wouldn’t have been possible with the technology of the ‘80s.

One of the biggest live action remakes of this decade is set to be How To Train Your Dragon. An immensely beloved series, How To Train Your Dragon is known for being absolutely breathtaking and immersive. The magic of the series is unmatched, and when a remake was announced, fans were both excited and apprehensive. But the release of the trailer did little more than fill them with fear of what the new movie was shaping up to be. 

The trailer solely featured remakes of shots already in the original movie. While the director has claimed the movie will further develop the characters and the plot, so far it serves as a line-for-line, shot-for-shot remake of the original movie with the same composer and same animation style. While this does give it the potential to capture the spectacle and wonder of the movie, it also makes it more likely that it’ll lack heart and soul, as it’s seeming more and more like a cash grab. 

This may also be an effect of the movie industry in general as it becomes less focused on making art and more focused on making money. Studios have started using AI instead of writers to create scripts, leading to the writers’ strike, movie theatres are struggling as streaming services grow, and remakes and sequels get higher priority than new ideas from smaller directors. When the people in charge of movies begin to care less about movies, we lose the opportunity to see unique films and projects.

All in all, live action remakes are consistently unnecessary. While sometimes they can be used to fix issues established by the original movie, they generally end up being made out of the want of money, and not of the genuine want to create art. 

The Oscars have always been surrounded by controversy, from the Oscars being accused of only picking a specific genre of movies for Best Picture, often called Oscar bait, to the 2016 boycott based on the lack of diversity accompanied by the trending hashtag “#OscarsSoWhite”.

Even through all of these events, the Oscars have failed to make a significant change in one of their most distinguished categories. Of the 257 total directors ever nominated for Best Director, only ten have been women. Of the 75 winners, only three have been women. And while they’ve responded and changed in accordance to their other criticisms, the Oscars has yet to make a significant difference surrounding this category. 

The first female director in history, Alice Guy-Blaché, released her first film in 1896, 33 years before the first Oscars ceremony in 1929. The first woman to be nominated for Best Director, Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties, was in 1977. The first woman to win Best Director wasn’t until 2010 when Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker. The other two women who won Best Directors, Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion, didn’t win until 2021 and 2022, respectively. 

The Oscars have been skirting around this issue for years, claiming that the lack of diversity is the fault of “the industry” for only promoting movies directed by or starring men. But with the rise of movies like Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, that excuse pales. As the amount of female directors goes up, the amount of female best directors can also be expected to go up, but that’s still not the case. 

While the lack of female role models is an obvious problem, the specific lack of celebrated female directors serves solely as discouragement for younger directors. Young girls who want to be in the film industry will believe that they can only be actresses and assistants because they’ve never seen a powerful woman in that field. By not giving them the opportunity to direct, they get put in boxes of what they believe they can do. 

Just because female directors don’t get nominated for awards doesn’t make them bad directors. As a matter of fact, films directed by women have been more and more successful and influential. But it can be incredibly disheartening to try to succeed in an industry that’s working against you and get no credit or recognition for it. 

As the 100th Oscars ceremony is approaching, we can only hope that their inclusivity and acceptance will go up, especially in the category of Best Director. Because when an organization holds that much power and influence over an industry, it’s up to them to make everyone feel welcome. 

Before the rise of the internet, people got dopamine from practicing their hobbies or going outside. Before that, dopamine was given when you found food or shelter as a way to help you survive. But once social media became prolific in our lives, doing long term tasks to acquire dopamine became irrelevant. Social media is a constant stream of short term reception of dopamine, and it’s easy and never ending. The easy access and quick reward mean it’s increasingly easier to become addicted to your phone. The repetitive flow of flashing lights and bright colors make our phones the first thing we want to see when we wake up and the last thing we want to see before we go to sleep.

While these quick shots of dopamine aren’t inherently bad, an absolute dependence on them leads to increased depression and anxiety. Our brain isn’t equipped to have access to the entire world all at once, and we often feel pressure to measure up to these supposedly “perfect” people, who really post their best aspects online. The brain is also put in to a deficit once we turn off our phones as it tries to make up for the unnaturally high levels of dopamine it just received.

These addicting factors mean we’re constantly searching for another shot. We want to maintain the high for as long as possible, which leads to us judging every piece of content we see by the first few seconds. The average attention span has shrunk to just 8 seconds, less than that of a goldfish. This lack of attention span makes it harder for children at school, because they’ve lost the ability to focus and learn without that instant gratification.

The rise of short form content has led to the essential end of long form media. Movies used to be hours long and contain complex plotlines and references. Now, if you can’t follow the plot of a movie while also scrolling social media, the movie is less likely to do well. Directors use the same actors and the same cliche plots for every film, knowing their audience won’t watch unless it’s exciting and predictable.

Short form content also has negative effects on music, especially as artists begin to use social media to market their songs. Musicians often have one ultra-catchy clip that they use to advertise their songs, while the rest of the song is lackluster and bland. One recent example of this is Benson Boone’s song Beautiful Things. Boone used the beginning of the bridge of Beautiful Things in multiple clips across social media platforms over the span of a few weeks, garnering excitement for the release. However, once the song came out, fans were disappointed as the rest of the song failed to live up to expectations. This is a prime instance of an artist making one part of their song very good and hyping that part up with the intention of the song going viral, while failing to apply the same effort to the entire song.
Another trap musicians fall prey to is over-marketing their song. While over-marketing may sound like a good thing, it can lead to artists losing fans because of the lack of progress. A current example of this is artist Claire Rosinkranz and her new song Lucy. When Rosinkranz first announced she was preparing new music fans were overjoyed, and the song was originally met with excitement. But as she continued to only use one part of the song with no hint of a release date, fans became weary and began complaining in the comments. This serves as another song that social media is effectively ruining, because no matter how it would succeed before this incident, now that negative reaction is all it’s going to be correlated with.

Although in the current fast-paced world of marketing this is what works best for musicians, fans are becoming more tired of it. This strategy pales in comparison to media marketing pre-social media, when bands would hang posters, hand out fliers, and play their songs on the radio to get people to buy their music.

Short form media isn’t inherently bad. In fact, there are many examples of social media positively impacting artists, by launching them to fame and making them wide-spread knowledge. But as our society becomes more centered around it, high quality art and artists get caught in the crossfire, and eventually forgotten altogether.