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Hot Takes




How we enable dangerous directors

Tarantino is just the newest name in a string of auteur directors whose eccentricities and outright crimes are often swept under the rug for the sake of the great films they produce. 


Internet Explained: The wacky world of VRChat

VRChat is essentially the O.A.S.I.S. from Ready Player One, except with less shameless pop culture references and features people with personalities. This social simulator, however, has become an internet phenomenon. 



The importance of documenting documentaries

Without documentaries, tons of historical footage would be lost. We’d be unable to see the impact of wars, natural disasters, and human greed. We’d never be exposed to various cultures oceans away. Without documentaries, we would lose a large part of our reality.



‘Freedom’s Goblin’ by Ty Segall is a perplexing array of strange new sounds

'Freedom’s Goblin' shows that 10 LPs in, Segall is certainly not resting on his laurels. Though his forays into different genres are inefficient and haphazard, the fact that he so boldly attempts them is admirable enough. What’s less admirable is how long the record is, and how it seems to lose drive and focus, something that could have been negated through better organization or even splitting up the LP into more than one record. The true majesty of the record shines through with its dedicated theme of highlighting his love and appreciation for his weathered yet understanding wife Denee.


‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ Episode 3: “A Random Killing”

This episode is very well done and is engaging the whole time with plenty of explanation and plot development happening. Andrew’s character is unraveling, and we are left with this question of whether he will be caught or not. The background on Lee and Marilyn is done well, using flashbacks. It’s a darker episode, probably the darkest so far. It’s very moving and worth the watch.


‘Lost Sphear’ is a quest that uses fond memories to make new ones

Lost Sphear is a nostalgic callback to the “golden days” of JRPGs that actually succeeds in bringing back the good times while not using them as a crutch. While the music and visuals may leave a bit to be desired, the story and gameplay perfectly emulate the style of Super Nintendo RPGs. While the $50 price point is probably too steep for a game like this, it’s easily one of the best JRPGs to be released, especially on PC. While veterans may not find anything new, it’ll still give enough good feelings and interesting fights to be worth a purchase.



Porches miss the mark miserably on ‘The House’

'The House' by Porches falls short in so many ways. From the invasion into the synth-pop world to the horribly unfitting vocals, virtually everything on this album is a disappointment. With luck though, Aaron Maine and co. will learn from this colossal waste of time and build something with greater depth and refinement in the future.


Mike Shinoda’s first solo EP is an emotional and personal roller coaster

Post Traumatic is not a bad EP for what it is. It isn’t supposed to be some debut record, nor is it supposed to be the start of a new brand. Its only purpose is to try and give Shinoda, as well as the fans, some form of closure. While instrumentally it can be lacking in the beginning, lyrically it’s outstanding and doesn’t hold back from being honest and personal.


Remixed S3E1: Wait, what year is this?

We’re back with a brand new season of Remixed! On this episode, we talk about some recent dub step goodness, disappointment in Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, as well as the return of Black Eyed Peas and Enrique Iglesias. 


‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ Episode 2: “Manhunt”

“Manhunt” provides information that helps us to better understand the characters of 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace'. There are secrets and lies between the family members and the press, and the setting for the episode shows a good representation of the late '90s. Andrew’s motives remain unclear because of his constant lying but this keeps the viewers wanting more. This episode is as entertaining as the first and fairly represents the Versace family and their struggles.