When you think of The Great Gatsby , whether the novel or the movie, the first images that come to mind are sparkling champagne glasses, orchestras under shimmering lights, and luxurious parties. But behind the glamour and the roar of the Jazz Age setting constructed by its author F. Scott Fizgerald, lay a world colder, sharper, and far more exclusive: the world of Old Money, a locked door behind which the most exclusive of individuals, by wealth and social status, were permi

Viral TikTok challenges, dangerous stunts for clout, or creators sharing personal struggles for views all raise the same question: why do people enjoy watching others struggle? This obsession with spectacle mirrors the world of The Hunger Games, where suffering becomes entertainment. Just like TikTok’s For You Page pushes whatever is shocking, emotional, or dramatic, the Capitol broadcasts the Games to keep citizens distracted and entertained. The line between entertainment a

Human Acts  is a meditation on humanity’s capacity for both cruelty and nobility, a testament to the resilience of dignity amid vulnerability and a profound exploration of collective trauma. Han Kang’s narrative challenges readers not only to witness suffering but also to hold the memory of violence in order to affirm the value of human life. Human Acts , written by Nobel Prize–winning author Han Kang, may appear to be a work of fiction. Yet at its core, the unsettling and of

Booktok is a social media fanbase where books are recommended and marketed by authors and influencers. For the past six years, the Booktok community has expanded widely in numbers and successfully increased author recognition. The majority of books contain a genre overlap of romance and fantasy, combining mythical components with swooning romantic relationships - known as romantasy. When BookTok first rose in popularity, it benefited writers, creating relationships based on

Babylon is a movie that, now, three years from its inception, never truly won the praise of critics. It’s historically inaccurate,  yet real enough to portray the Roaring Twenties in all its ferocious glory. It is equal parts a masterpiece and a horror show, going deeply into the very human nature of morality and identity.  However, it is particularly notable for its characters - fictional, yet heavily inspired by historical figures and social contexts of the time. Through th

Featuring the typical fare of GrimDark world building, the Witcher, when it first came out in 2019, was viewed as a spiritual sequel to preceding dark fantasy shows, coming after the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones. Yet, what makes the Witcher unique is the complex hierarchies that take the Witcher’s worldbuilding far beyond the  typical feudalist intrigue  that has become so characteristic of dark fantasies, with different, morally grey kingdoms vying with each other fo

Written by Hannah Chun Humans are, in many ways, frail. Consuming the wrong flowers, touching the wrong mushrooms and being bitten by the wrong mosquitoes  all send us to early graves. Despite that, humans are strong, capable of things the rest of mammals on the planet are not. Handling fire, maneuvering complex machines, not only burning but annihilating a forest to a crisp… or even raising an entire civilisation from scratch. Yet, much too often, we are killed by our own c

Released in March 2025, Mickey-17 was met with mixed reception, with an aggregate Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%. Director Bong Joon-Ho had wide shoes to fill after the superhit of his previous movie, Parasite, which won an Oscar in 2020, which Mickey-17 has not quite matched. This time, with a Hollywood movie starring Robert Pattinson, Bong ventured into space, using the now tropaic premise of humans colonizing other planets after destroying Earth. Mickey-17’s unique twist on

It was the best of times—the world proclaims as Humanity lurches headfirst into what is to be known as the dawning of the "Age of AI". Following the release of ChatGPT in 2022, the usage of Generative Artificial Intelligence has surged to an unprecedented zenith. With the average individual now able to produce a university-level essay within seconds, generative AI has never been so relevant, normalised, and remarkably convenient. Yet, few manage to acknowledge severe ethical

Saving Private Ryan , directed by Steven Spielberg, is widely regarded as one of the most powerful war films ever made. Released in 1998, the movie is celebrated for its gripping storytelling, realistic portrayal of war, and profound emotional impact. This piece will explore the film’s synopsis, reception by audiences and critics, and its place within the anti-war genre in cinema. The film is set during World War II and follows a group of American soldiers tasked with finding

Rating a roaring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and having an astonishing budget of over 250 million dollars, Arcane: League of Legends is one of the most successful animated series of all time. Filled with intricate details, philosophical dilemmas, and real-world implications, any viewer would be able to tell that the show was done with love. The very essence of beauty of it, however, stems from its daringness to show nuance .  Taking place amongst the “Topside”, Piltover, and the

Food has been used as a metaphor for love for years now, and it’s quite fitting.

With its first episode being released on May 14th 2021, the k-drama series Move to Heaven  delicately navigates themes of grief and loss. The series centres around Geu-ru, (played by actor Tang Joon-Sang) a young man with Asperger’s syndrome, who works alongside his estranged uncle,  Sang-gu, (played by Lee Jee-hoon) in a trauma cleaning business. Their job involves organising the possessions left behind by the deceased, but each episode unravels much more, as they uncover th

Don't Look Up! A film review

A study into the cultural significance of the actress and her roles in film culture over time