‘Civil War’ avoids real conversation of America’s dangerous divide

Share: What kind of American are you? How would you answer that with a gun to your head? Is that something that we should be asking ourselves? A24’s newest movie “Civil War” tries to answer the question with a gun to the head, but at the same time, it doesn’t and instead replaces those questions with jarring and often disturbing visuals which gloss over the real questions like how our nation got to that point. Don’t come into this movie expecting anything or wanting your …

Five berry fields to frolic in this Spring

Share: Before Los Angeles was known for being the home of Hollywood and famous celebrities, it was home to many farmers and their produce. Now most of our farms are found in the IE and towards Ventura, giving many Angelenos an opportunity to take advantage of the locally sourced fruits and vegetables at their local farmer’s markets throughout the year.  While we’re blessed with fresh local produce year-round, few people actually experience getting to harvest their food themselves, not knowing it’s an experience they can …

The ‘Big Three’ beef is heating up and Drake just won round one

Share: The first round of the ‘Big Three’ beef has concluded and in a span of one month, we got three albums, two diss tracks (kind of), and one participant turned casualty. Coming into the fight there was a wide consensus that Drake for some reason was at the bottom of the pole, but after this preliminary round, it’s time to throw that list away and actually get it right this time. What reignited the Cold War feud into the fiery onslaught it is now …

Crawl out of your vault and go check out ‘Fallout’

Share: Amazon’s live-action adaptation television series “Fallout,” doesn’t fail to impress new viewers or old fans with its faithful rendition of the post-apocalyptic video game series. The show satisfies what one should expect from Fallout: nuclear wastelands, cynical humor, jazzy music, ominous mutants, and bloody violence. Premiering on Prime Video with 8 episodes for its first season, “Fallout” doesn’t directly adapt from any of the existing games but rather expands on them as a chronological continuance of the series. Starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and …

The keffiyeh is a statement based on freedom, resistance, and solidarity

Share: In California’s Bay Area, Abd Al Kareem Qaraman owns an online company called Rajaeen. Qaraman sells many items, including jewelry and embroidery. One of his best-selling items is the keffiyeh, a popular Palestinian garment in the region. For Qaraman, the business has been booming since the war in Gaza. But as a Palestinian himself whose family were refugees of Palestine, his entire purpose for Rajaeen is more than just to make money.    “We’re buying their product from a local market in the West Bank, …

What’s the big deal, it’s just the tip?

Share: To tip or not to tip that is the question. Does the server have to do anything specific to get your money or is it wraps from the jump and there’s no tip regardless of what they do? When the IPad does more work than the cashier should you still tip that 20%? Are you thinking about the employees in the back of the kitchen? These are just some of the questions that a lot of people, especially college students, think of when entering …

Dev Patel fights tooth and nail in bloody brilliant directorial debut

Share: After sitting on Netflix’s shelf for years before producer Jordan Peele took it off their hands and brought the film to the big screen, “Monkey Man” finds Dev Patel rising to the top as an unlikely action hero who holds his own against the “John Wick” franchise.  Patel, who broke through at 18 when he starred in Best Picture winner “Slumdog Millionaire,” serves as writer-director-star of “Monkey Man,” a far cry from the dramas he’s known for. In his stark departure, he punches against …

‘The First Omen’ delivers damn-good body horror

Share: Winter is over, and it’s time for Hollywood’s tortured and undying horror franchises to shamble their way into theaters one by one. Studios could have stuffed the spring schedule with series filler, but “The First Omen” brings a screaming start to the year, revitalizing the franchise with an experience that is visceral and shocking. Released last Friday, the feature-length debut from director Arkasha Stevenson is both a prequel and reboot. It knows when to foreshadow the Richard Donner original and when to ignore it …

‘Godzilla x Kong’ roars, leaving another win for the MonsterVerse

Share: “Godzilla x Kong” is the sequel to the smash hit “Godzilla vs Kong” where this time around the duo teams up to battle giant ape Scar King and his ice-breathing dragon Shimo while Kong continues his search to find others of his kind.  When compared to previous films in the franchise, “Godzilla x Kong” is more on the cartoony side with one fight scene being in an antigravity room where Godzilla and Kong are flying through the air battling other titans. The duo also …

It’s superbloom season: Here’s SoCal’s best wildflower trails

Share: As we say goodbye to winter and welcome spring with record-breaking showers, it is the perfect time to go out and see the wildflower superblooms around Southern California. Here we’ll show you some of the best hiking trails and viewpoints to see some picturesque flower fields.  1. Starting off with Diamond Valley Lake, a man-made reservoir in Riverside county. This reservoir provides much to do with facilities such as an aquatic center, community park, hiking trails, and viewpoints. Diamond Valley Lake offers 3 trails: The …