Mean Things Come in Threes

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

Picture this. You’re a clumsy girl who’s never quite fit in, and you’ve just transferred high schools (again) and now you find yourself trying to navigate this unfamiliar environment with all of your textbooks held tightly against your chest. Due to an unfortunate accident just before your first day of school, your thick glasses have been cracked and taped back together with masking tape you pulled from your father’s toolbox. You feel alone in the swarm of people, the misfit of them all.

Then you fall. For seemingly no reason at all, you trip dramatically in the middle of the hallway during passing period, and your books and papers tumble out of your hands and onto the floor. Heat floods your cheeks. Embarrassment can’t even come close to describing the pure humiliation and shame you feel. As expected in a typical high school, there are plenty of snickers and a complete lack of helping hands. Just as you reach for your chemistry textbook, a hot pink Louboutin heel steps right on top of it. You look up, your lips parting in horror.

Here she is. The head honcho of the high school hallway, the princess of the pubescent people, the tyrant of the teenage throng. “Oh ew, I just stepped in nerd,” she sneers, triggering giggles from all around you. It’s the popular mean girl and her two lackeys.

And she’s just marked you as her target.

When people talk about mean girls, the movie Mean Girls rightfully comes to mind. It’s the prime example of a popular girl with skewed morals who seeks to dominate the high school social scene through terrible misguided actions. As always, her two followers echo every word she speaks as if it’s gospel, but why do we see this trope across so many different films and television series? What could possibly be the appeal of an evil version of the Three Musketeers?

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The Highlander’s Favorite Halloween/ Spooky Season Movies

It is spooky season, y’all! Here are the Highlander’s staff picks for what Halloween movies you ought to watch to celebrate.

Alaina Valdespino, Staff Writer/ Photographer:

As an avid horror movie lover, it would be a crime for me to not recommend the classics. So, if you're looking for a good scare, then Halloween (1978 film), The Shining (1980), and It (the original 1990 film) would be my three absolute go to horror movies for the spooky season. That said, if horror isn’t your thing, I’d definitely make it a point to watch Disney’s Hocus Pocus. This film is my family's go to Halloween film because it’s perfect for getting you into the Halloween spirit. 

Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer:

Personally, I tend to be more of a drink-a-pumpkin-spice-latte-and jump-in-leaves type of fall person, so I’m not the one to go to for horror. However, the one Halloween movie I cannot praise enough is The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is classic, visually and aesthetically pleasing, and overall a delightful watch. Also, it qualifies as both a Halloween and Christmas movie, so it is seasonally appropriate to watch it twice a year!

Sandra Vo, Staff Writer:

With full honesty, I admit that I am a complete scaredy-cat and that I hate any and all horror movies. As a result, my recommendations come from the much more family-friendly end, and a few of my favorite classics It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Spooky Buddies. Both of these movies are wonderful if you’re looking to sleep the following night!

Morgan Jacobus, Editor in Chief:

As a nostalgic child at heart, I have a special place in my heart for Disney Halloween movies. For instance, I recommend the Halloweentown movies (there are four in total). My roommate and I watched them last year on Halloween during the day (since our plans weren’t until night). I mean, it has Halloween right in the name so you can’t go wrong with those movies this spooky season. I also enjoy The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy, and I have fond memories of watching that on Disney Channel back in the day. If you have Disney+, you can stream childhood favorites like the ones I mentioned, as well as both Twitches movies, Hocus Pocus, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. A non-Disney childhood throwback for me is Monster House, which you can stream on Netflix. 

Vivian Pham, Staff Writer

I personally felt like not everybody enjoys scary movies, especially when it’s Halloween season and all the Anabelle and The Conjuring trailers start to show up if you don’t pay for that pricey YouTube Premium. So, I’d highly recommend one of my all-time favorite Tim Burton’s classic Halloween movies, Corpse Bride - an animated dark romance genre for those who are looking for a heart-broken movie night but still fit in with the vibe of the Halloween season. Be prepared not for a blanket to cover over your head and contain your scream, but a box of tissues to soak up those tears when Victor, the main character, is torn apart to make the right decisions.

WandaVision: Not Just for Marvel Fans

By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer

I’m sure nearly everyone at this point has heard of the Disney+ original WandaVision, the first series made by Marvel Studios, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, with that being said, you don’t have to care or even know about any of that to enjoy the series as it is. Though Marvel fans might advertise this series as something of the specific niche, anyone who likes a good plot and cool characters can enjoy it. This sitcom format series is something enjoyable for multiple audiences of different familiarities of the characters. Whether you’re a marvel fanatic, only seen two or three films, or never even heard of it, WandaVision is bound to have something you can enjoy.

The show follows a couple, Wanda and Vision, as they move into their new home in the town of Westview, New Jersey. Wanda, a stay-at-home wife who can make a pen float in the air, and Vision, an indestructible AI that works for Computational Services Inc., move in at the beginning of the series. This series also expands on the two characters on a more personal level. This approach establishes the two in their own little bubble. The two are the main characters and we get to see the two grow with each other in a completely independent manner. The show follows a standard sitcom format that changes throughout the series, going from 50’s to 60’s and so on and so forth. While the two love birds are living their newly-wed lives in their new home, things begin to look out of the ordinary for their picture-perfect life. New problems begin to arise that are out of the ordinary even for a sitcom, and the rest of the series attempts to understand who or what is ruining the show. 

Though this may not be the most enticing storyline for everyone immediately, each episode comes with its own flavor. In addition to having the time era‘s general aesthetics, the story line of the episode follows a similar arc we would expect from a television show at that time. From I Love Lucy to The Office, WandaVision has an episode for whatever your comfort sitcom may be. In addition to this, the variety in episodes keep audiences constantly on their toes. The easy-to-follow plot makes this an ideal binge for family nights or background entertainment for studying, while still being entertaining.


Where Did Movies Go?

By: Jane O’Neil, Staff Writer

If you’re like me, then before pandemic took the world, you paid some attention to what films were supposed to have been released in 2020. However, for many of these major motion pictures and other films of excitement such as the new “Dune” remake by Denis Villaneuve or “The French Dispatch” by Wes Anderson, the release dates have been pushed far into 2021 for theatrical and digital release. But, even so, a number of films were released in 2020 that didn’t get quite as much spotlight as they deserve.

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