Barbie
Reviewed by Judy Smith, a writer. When I heard about the Barbie movie, my first reaction was to run to my best friends and tell them. I wanted to share a part of my girlhood with them. We all got very excited, but my friends were also a bit skeptical. They told me they were scared it was going to be too serious and therefore … Continue reading Barbie
The Italian Homemade Company: North Beach Location
Reviewed by Caitlin Ginn, Restaurant Review Editor. When eating in San Francisco, the struggle is often not finding good food, but affordable food. So when I found myself craving pasta in the city, I thought there was no hope — until I found The Italian Homemade Company. I was shocked by the one-dollar sign on Google Maps: the $10- $20-dollar meal price range seemed too … Continue reading The Italian Homemade Company: North Beach Location
D-Day
Written by Esosa Zuwa, a writer. D-Day is Agust D’s manifesto to the self. It’s the thrilling conclusion in a sonic trilogy about breaking free from the burdens of society. Joined by the likes of longtime BTS producer Kyang Hyo-won (Pdogg) and producer Vincent Watson, Agust D, better known as Suga from BTS, provides thought-provoking social commentary and reflections on regrets. The pre-release single “People … Continue reading D-Day
KoJa Kitchen
Reviewed by Caitlin Ginn, a writer. In the midst of several dining options in Parklab Gardens, San Francisco, lies a gem: KoJa Kitchen, an Asian fusion food truck. Surrounded by tables, turf, tents, and couches sprawled out across roughly a block of San Francisco, the whole environment is very casual and slightly hippie: those ambling by include foodies, wedding party attendees, and random teenagers enjoying … Continue reading KoJa Kitchen
Face
Written by Esosa Zuwa, a writer. For years, fans have been enraptured by BTS member Park Jimin’s face, watching him deliver dreamy vocals and charm the world with stunning visuals. In his newest album, Face, Jimin asks listeners to look beyond his well-loved visage, giving a glimpse into his self and psyche. Inspired by deep mental introspection during the pandemic and produced by the likes … Continue reading Face
Letters to a Young Poet
Reviewed by Christina Ding, a writer. How exciting it must have been for 19-year-old aspiring poet Franz Xaver Kappus to write to Rainer Maria Rilke—a widely recognized German-language poet and novelist and one of his greatest literary inspirations—and receive a response! So began a correspondence from 1902 to 1908, encompassed in part by Letters to a Young Poet, the epistolary novel containing Rilke’s advice to … Continue reading Letters to a Young Poet
Cocaine Bear
Reviewed by Carly Liao, a writer. If the 2023 comedy horror film Cocaine Bear were a dessert, it would be meringue: a pleasure to sink one’s teeth into, but hardly substantive. Just as eating a meringue leaves one as hungry as before, watching Cocaine Bear gives viewers no greater understanding of its plot or themes than they had going into the theater. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Banks’ … Continue reading Cocaine Bear
Hold the Girl
Reviewed by Esosa Zuwa, a writer. Japanese-British pop singer Rina Sawayama is holding the girl—or holding herself, at least. Hold the Girl, Sawayama’s second album, was released on September 16, 2022. More personal, toned down, and intimate in its approach than her debut, SAWAYAMA, it still maintains the punchy, alternative, nu-metal, dance-pop sound. Hold the Girl, mainly recorded in 2020 and 2021, takes listeners on … Continue reading Hold the Girl
The Simpsons: A Case Study in Media Evolution
Written by Kabir Mahajan, a writer. Since its debut in 1989, Matt Groening’s The Simpsons has, unequivocally, become a cultural icon. References to it are seemingly everywhere, with the family’s faces plastered on rides in theme parks too and featured in memes spread across the Internet. Over its run, the show has altered its portrayal of a “stereotypical” family, adapted its approach to social issues, … Continue reading The Simpsons: A Case Study in Media Evolution
Men Explain Things to Me
Reviewed by Surya Saraf, a writer. “Violence doesn’t have a race, class, a religion, or a nationality, but it does have a gender.” So says historian Rebeca Solnit in her hit collection of essays published in 2014, Men Explain Things to Me. Yet anti-Semitism begets harassment and violence against Jewish people, Black men are shot on their daily errands, and violent crimes occur most in … Continue reading Men Explain Things to Me
Zenith Review Magazine 