What “Joker” has to say on mental illness
Drishti Upadhyaya, Arts and Graphics Editor
December 12, 2019
Every murder starts with a trigger. The killer isn’t always the man who pulls it. Mental illness has become a buzz topic in Hollywood, with a surplus of films addressing the topic. In the past, the mentally ill were demonized in media, solely portrayed as one-dimensional monsters who act without...
Death of an industry: how the MCU and DCEU killed comics
Drishti Upadhyaya, Arts and Graphics Editor
December 10, 2019
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird—it’s a plane! Nope, it’s just another billboard advertising a Marvel movie. Comic book films are currently at their prime. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has ended another phase, and are entering a grand, new phase, ready to set up new heroes for many to...
The DVHS music department showcases an excellent performance
Amrita Himmatraopet and Shruthi Narayanan
December 8, 2019
The band, choir and orchestra students presented outstanding performances during the fall concerts on Oct. 15 and 17. The first night consisted of the jazz band, wind ensemble and symphonic wind ensemble, while the second night was all of the choirs, with chamber orchestra as a finale. The f...
Rex Orange County illuminates a spectrum of emotions in new album “Pony”
Amrita Himmatraopet, Copy Editor
December 1, 2019
Alexander O’Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, expresses unfiltered thoughts in his newest album, “Pony,” released Oct. 25. Easily his best album yet, “Pony” is refreshing, vibrant and honest. Throughout the songs, O’Connor sings about his fear of rejection, friends who aren...
Delia owens paints a beautiful marshland mystery in her fiction debut “Where the Crawdads Sing”
Eva Shen, Arts and Entertainment Editor
December 1, 2019
Venturing into fiction for the first time, acclaimed zoologist Delia Owens carves a bewitching tale of isolation and the ancient thread between humanity and wildlife. It’s dreamy and nightmarish and tangible all at once — up until the final scenes. Released August 2018, “Where the Crawdads ...
Dougherty takes a creative spin on classic play “The Importance of Being Earnest”
Amruta Baradwaj and Sheyda Ladjevardi
November 29, 2019
Dougherty Valley Drama began their production season with the classic satire play, “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde. The play revolves around the lives of John Worthing (Jose Saramiento) and Algernon Moncrieff (AJ Sohrabi), and their creation of alter egos to justify traveling incon...
BBC’s most controversial show returns to the joy of horror movie fans
Drishti Upadhyaya and Tessa Galeazzi
November 25, 2019
Halloween night, 1992. BBC airs a horror mockumentary, “Ghostwatch,” to celebrate the day of terror. Screams and sobs fill the air. Moonlit tears streak children’s faces. They have seen horror. They have felt true fear. These children are traumatized by this film that will forever stain BBC’s...
In comic books, shock value has lost all value
Drishti Upadhyaya, Arts and Graphics Editor
November 21, 2019
The art of storytelling is difficult to master. The skill to devising a plot. The ability to develop characters. The constant game of cat-and-mouse between the want for character growth and the need to continue the plot. The words by which they are woven together. Every component needs to tell a tale ...
Bill Maher’s statement on fat shaming misses the mark
Amruta Baradwaj, News Editor
November 17, 2019
“Fat shaming doesn’t need to end; it needs to make a comeback. Some amount of shame is good. We shamed people out of smoking and into wearing seat belts. We shamed them out of littering and most of them out of racism. Shame is the first step in reform.” - Real Time with Bill Maher Late night T...
“SNL” returns with its first Asian-American cast member
Caroline Lobel, Managing Editor
November 13, 2019
The popular late-night comedy sketch show “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) premiered its 45th season, the first season in the show’s history to feature an Asian-American cast member, Bowen Yang, on Sept. 28. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Yang is a 29-year-old Chinese-American gay comedian who co-h...
blink-182 returns with “NINE”
Shruthi Narayanan, Staff Writer
November 11, 2019
blink-182’s “NINE” is a noteworthy album that offers a unique perspective on anxiety and depression. Released on Sept. 20, it is the second album released without founding member Tom Delonge after his departure from the band in 2015, which made bassist Mark Hoppus the only remaining origin...
“Tall Girl” dissatisfies audiences with its unoriginal narrative
Aditi Lappathi and Aditi Praveen
November 9, 2019
Netflix released its latest Original movie “Tall Girl” on Sept. 13. A story about a 6-foot-1 high school junior named Jodi Kreyman (Ava Michelle) who is endlessly mocked for her ‘outlandish’ height. This movie was endlessly ridiculed on Twitter, with most of the jokes based on one of the first...