Movie theatres have been a significant part of American culture for decades. A gathering place for everyone. Occasionally, huge movies became cultural events. Everyone saw them at the theatre; they were universal experiences that became part of pop culture and regular conversations everywhere. In 2023, there were some such movies. We will be talking about the shock wave of the Bomb in Oppenheimer and...

[Content Warning: If you're unaware, this is a horror film. Some pretty dark stuff follows.] A rumbling sound then three sharp knocks: BA BA DOOK DOOK DOOK. That’s when you’ll know that he’s around. In The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, a single mother, depressed because of the death of her husband, starts being stalked by a monster, whose presence frightens her son and causes her to...

It’s a bright, cool Saturday morning in the summer of 2024, in Rochester, New York. While most people are also awake, but only just barely (the coffee hasn’t finished brewing yet), hundreds of men across the city are preparing for a fun time outside with the guys. They live in houses that suit their and their respective families’ needs. Their children are perfectly content with their abode and...

Devastating Headlines, Fresh Starts As the 2025 MLB season approaches, the New York Yankees find themselves at an interesting point in their wonderful franchise history; navigating the challenges of significant roster changes. The (somewhat expected) departure of star outfielder Juan Soto and the devastating season-long loss of ace pitcher Gerrit Cole due to Tommy John surgery have reshaped the team's...

Do you perchance like any of the following concepts: liberty, democracy, or Earth? Have you ever wanted to fight bugs that were harvested for their resources on government plants that broke o—I mean bugs that have no elections and must be liberated of their resources, robot sla—I mean protesting unionized automaton workers, or an alien race that at this time is not recognized by the government?...

Honkai Star Rail is an immersive turn-based open-world RPG game released in late April 2023, the fourth in the Honkai series. As the player, you tag along with the Astral Express crew to explore and help save planets across the universe from seeds of disaster known as "stellarons." There are many aspects to the game that can be seen in other Hoyoverse titles, but one of the most unique aspects is...

Like everyone else, sometimes I feel a powerful need to grab a pint of Häagen-Dazs dulce de leche and dig out shavings of soft, cold, sweet caramel until my brain decides that I am no longer at optimal body temperature. Before I get on my actual soapbox, let's be clear: this is the mature, adult, restrained version of this urge. When I was in college, I happily dug my way through entire pints of...

The last time I showed up around these parts to talk about food, because I have a gift for staking out popular positions that will be shared by absolutely everyone in time, I chose to talk about how cooking during lockdown taught me the value of not wasting anything in your kitchen. I stand by that, to be clear, especially as every grocery store chain openly gouges us, gives us some sorry excuse we...

As I roam and traverse this empty hall, I start wondering if it's the same at all As the raucous building that I used to hear Throughout all the days of yesteryear. Here I am, though I should really be free; This is basically an educational tyranny. Learning my lessons all over again? If this is for real, I might go insane. I'm at the room now, though I'd rather hide From the ultimate...

I left you, mother, at such a young age, and turned to sadness and sorrow and rage. The Danes had family and friendship alike, and they tasted better than sheep and the like.   They would fruitlessly run right away, whenever I opened the hall to light from the day. Then I began coming at night, leaving them with quite a blight.   Never would I be normal like them, they...

Music. Music is a collection of coordinated sound or sounds. Music is one of the greatest things to exist. We see it in nature, notably through birds and their songs, and anything can be music. There are thousands of genres of music, allowing for a huge variety of different tastes. One person can like one song, while another dislikes it just as intensely. This certainly proves that music is subjective,...

[Ed. Note—As you've probably guessed, this was supposed to run in our annual Shield Gets Spoopy issue—but Mr. Collings' heroic labor was not supported by enough of his colleagues. We apologize to him for that, and intend to re-run this somewhat often.] During the Spooky Season, I have heard from so many people that there is not a great selection of listenable music. There is the Monster Mash...