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
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
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
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
Reviewed by Aarushi Kumar, a writer. On September 23, 2022, Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) released its fifth studio album, 5SOS5. Featuring 19 tracks, the album manages to maintain ties to its predecessors while pushing the band’s lyricism and instrumentation to new heights. The main themes in 5SOS5 are those of reflection and growth: indeed, the band’s debut showcase for this album … Continue reading 5SOS5
Reviewed by Jasmine Alamparambil, a writer. Marvel Studios’ long-awaited Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was released on Disney+ on February 1, 2023. Fans of the first Black Panther film, myself included, yearned to see what would become of Wakanda after the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther King T’Challa in the first movie. The loss of an actor with such a huge role … Continue reading Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Written by Amann Mahajan, Editor-in-Chief. Note from the Editor: I found this story when combing through my Google Drive for an English essay on The Great Gatsby. It struck me as particularly fitting that, once rereading this piece, I found that I’d replicated many of the same ideas in the new essay I’d written; like the Buendías and the Losers’ Club, I found my history … Continue reading King Meets Márquez: It and One Hundred Years of Solitude
Reviewed by Sydney Chan, a writer. Dumpling skin should be thin and bouncy. Prawns should be filled to the brim with umami flavor. And mango pudding should be so light and fresh that the world around you stops for a moment as you enjoy your first bite. As a Chinese American who’s grown up eating quite a bit of Chinese cuisine, I don’t take my … Continue reading 53: New York City Location
Reviewed by Irene Tsen, a writer. The drugs are endless, and so is the sleep. So Ottessa Moshfegh’s unnamed protagonist in My Year of Rest and Relaxation spends her year in hopes of being reborn when she wakes up. The novel’s protagonist seems to have it all: she’s a rich, white, young, pretty Columbia graduate working in a hip art gallery. Yet there’s something missing, … Continue reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Written by Sophia Turean, a writer. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of comics? Childish drawings, cheap gags, and maybe some crass humor. You probably don’t think “educational.” I would like to make a case for comics to be seen as educational and used as such, starting with my favorite, xkcd by Randall Munroe. xkcd promises to be “a webcomic … Continue reading The Case for Comics
Zenith Review Magazine 