Share: Based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name, “Project Hail Mary” tells the story of a washed-up-scientist-turned-teacher named Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) and his journey to stop a microbial algae from eating the surface of the Sun. Along the way, viewers learn about his past with the titular Project Hail Mary and its leader (Sandra Hüller), and meet an intelligent alien named Rocky (puppeted and voiced by James Ortiz). On the whole, the film is fun, and pretty cute. The sets are …
‘Third Act’ is a touching tribute to Asian American life, cinema, and family
Share: When director Tadashi Nakamura took the stage to introduce the screening of his film “Third Act” in the Westerbeck Recital Hall, the first thing he asked was for everyone to close their eyes. “Picture a loved one who is unable to be here sitting next to you,” he told the audience. “Then take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. Now open your eyes.” Nakamura’s request was more than an emotional palate cleanser before a hard-hitting movie. “Third Act” itself is a …
ASPCC goes to DC: Students lobby for larger loan limits
Share: Pasadena City College’s Associated Students are departing on an annual visit to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on behalf of the student body. The trip takes place from March 17 to 22, with a focus on making the Pell Grant, which covers tuition for low-income students, larger and tax-free. “The people that receive the Pell Grant need all the money that they get from it,” said Vice President of Executive Affairs Madalyn Lauterbach. “In order to benefit from it to the max, basically, they …
Trump halts and reviews all immigration from 19 countries of concern
Share: The Trump administration, through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), announced a temporary freeze on all asylum applications and renewals, as well as a pause on all immigration from 19 countries that previously had travel visas frozen. Affected countries include: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The USCIS memorandum announcing the policy included a clause that applicants from the countries accepted after January 1, …
The Courier vocalizes their favorite music of 2025
Share: It’s safe to say 2025 has been an interesting year for music. Shortform social platforms continue to dominate discovery, pop girlies have stayed in the mainstream, and British underground rap has dominated worldwide. Here at the Courier, we’re ready to go over some of our favorite albums released in 2025. Geese – “Getting Killed” 2025 is the year Geese finally made their breakout into the mainstream. After 2023’s “3D Country,” Geese have reinvented themselves as Brooklyn’s new Strokes: vaguely experimental crooning indie-pop. “Getting Killed” …
Asynchronous training proves inconvenient for ICC members
Share: At the beginning of Fall semester, PCC’s Inter-Club Council moved its mandatory club training to an asynchronous online Canvas course, confusing some clubs and exciting others. Historically, the ICC held its training in person, where it covered necessary information on running a club and keeping it chartered, such as the locations of mandatory forms and reports. Club leaders have mixed feelings on the training changes. Some refer to the online training as a hassle, while others find it convenient to those unable to make …
‘Red Bike’ takes a heartfelt ride through childhood worries
Share: When I sat down to see Nicole Javier’s production of “Red Bike” performed in the Center for the Arts theater, I had no idea what I was in for. All I knew about it was the line on the poster. “Remember when you were eleven years old and you had a bike, one that made you dream about a world bigger than the one in which you live?” The lights were dim, and all strung up around the stage were artifacts – stuffed animals, …
Oneohtrix Point Never brings life to lost media on ‘Tranquilizer’
Share: In 2025, Daniel Lopatin watched a collection of early nineties sample CDs he wanted to use on his next project vanish from the Internet Archive due to a DMCA takedown. Many months later, it mysteriously returned. This experience led him to create an album drawing on the ephemeral nature of both physical and digital media, a theme that has remained omnipresent even in his earliest work. Despite how thoroughly he’s covered this theme, “Tranquilizer” feels fresh, unique, and feels like a beautiful evolution of …
The algorithm consumes: RIP to MTV
Share: In a sad (but unsurprising) move, Paramount is pulling the plug on all but one of the MTV channels at the end of the year. After December 31, only MTV HD, which primarily airs reality shows, will stay on the airwaves. But for younger music fans, who are most familiar with the letters “MTV” from their appearance on the coolest Nirvana shirt, does this mean anything? On the surface, the story is the same: MTV is yet another example of a brand that just …
Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece guides us through the culture war, one battle after another
Share: “Permanent revolution”, as coined by Friedrich Engels, is generally a concept far divorced from American action blockbusters, but Paul Thomas Anderson marries the two beautifully. ICE agents are threatened at gunpoint by a Black woman within the first ten minutes. Immigrants rally against swarming police in military fatigues and win. A cartoonishly evil Peter Thiel-like stand-in is shot by a teenager’s newfound love for her dad. And, it turns out, Anderson’s been hiding that he’s a great action director for decades, too! Anderson has …