The Plank - Opinions
“Final Letters” Learning from the past to change the present
On Friday, Nov. 4, Jesuit Drama held the Opening Night Gala and
Performance of the fall play “Final Letters,” a company-created
production based off of the Yad Vashem Archive’s “Final Letters.”
This solemn yet educational production presents emotional letters
written by Jewish victims of the Holocaust while under Nazi
oppression.
Jesuit hosts first in person Back to School Night in three years
Jesuit High School Sacramento’s Back to School Night is on
Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m. This marks the first in person Back
to School Night in three years. The event looks to reunite
parents and teachers and to showcase a student’s life at
Jesuit.
Review: ‘The Witcher’ season 2 makes massive improvements
On Dec. 17, 2021 the second season of Netflix’s “The Witcher” was released, and it is remarkably different from the first season. The second season is based off of the short story “A Grain of Truth,” the second novel in the “Witcher” series “Blood of Elves,” and the beginning of the third novel “Time of Contempt.”
Review: ‘Severance’ is an intense, mind-bending sci-fi thriller
On Feb. 18, 2022, the intense sci-fi thriller “Severance” aired its first episode on Apple TV+. The show’s season finale was released on April 8, and was created, written, and produced by Dan Erikson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
Review: ‘Ambulance’ has a sour emotional core
Michael Bay strikes again. His newest action thriller film
“Ambulance” stars Eiza González, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jake
Gyllenhaal.
Review: ‘Uncharted’ Underwhelms Expectations
On Feb. 18, 2022, “Uncharted” was released in theaters. The film
stars Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, Mark Wahlberg as Victor
“Sully” Sullivan, and Sophia Taylor Ali as Chloe Frazer. It
opened to overwhelmingly negative critical reviews, and
underwhelming box office results, making only 51 million dollars
in its opening weekend and one of very few movies to make less
than a 1 thousand dollar-per-theater average.
Review: ‘The Stanley Parable’ re-released with hours of new content
Developed by Crows Crows Crows, the critically acclaimed video
game, “The Stanley Parable,” originally launched in 2013. Lauded
for its wit, humor, and commentary about the nature of choice in
video games, “The Stanley Parable” has now been re-released in
2022 with hours of new content under the moniker “The Stanley
Parable: Ultra Deluxe.”
Opinion: Struggles of Growing Up Black
Growing up as a young Black man trying to navigate this world is
hard. From a young age, I was taught survival skills that I will
have to live with for the rest of my life.
Review: Spotty first season of ‘The Witcher’ disappoints
On Dec. 20, 2019, Netflix released the first season of the long
awaited “The Witcher” series, starring Henry Cavill. Now with the
release of the second season, I figured it was time to look back
on the first season.
Review: ‘Inventing Anna’, entertaining show based on a true story
The Netflix limited series “Inventing Anna,” created by Shonda
Rhimes, was released on Feb. 11, 2022. The show stars Julia
Garner, Anna Chlumsky, Laverne Cox, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd,
and more.
Review: ‘The Batman’ is the movie we don’t deserve, but need right now
Superhero hit “The Batman,” was released on March 4, 2022. The
film was directed by Matt Reeves, who is known for sci-fi
endeavors such as “Cloverfield” and the “Planet of the Apes”
trilogy. The film features a star-studded cast including Robert
Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano, Jeffrey
Wright, Colin Farrell, and Andy Serkis.
Review: Book of Boba Fett: worst Star Wars show yet
Jon Favreau’s “The Book of Boba Fett” premiered on Disney Plus
starting Dec. 29, 2021. The show stars Temuera Morrison as Boba
Fett, Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand, Pedro Pascal as The
Mandalorian, and many more special cameos. The show takes place
just after the events of the second season of Jon Favreau’s other
show “The Mandalorian,” and it follows a wounded Boba Fett
on his journey to take over Mos Espa as its benevolent crime
boss.
Review: ‘The Planets’ by Gustav Holst: equally riveting and unnerving
“The Planets” is a seven-movement orchestral suite by Gustav
Holst, which was composed in 1916 and first performed in Sept.
1918. My favorite rendition is the recording by the Berlin
Philharmonic, Rundfunkchor Berlin, and Sir Simon Rattle, which
was released in 2006.
Opinion: Upcoming Grammys has potential to be historic
This year provided millions of people with new songs and special albums that deserve to be recognized. This coming Sunday, April 3, is the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, a night that celebrates the music industry and all the art that singers and musicians have created in the past year.
Opinion: ‘Maid’ is a heartwarming series with wonderful writing
On Oct. 1, 2021, Netflix released the 27th Annual Critics Choice
Nominee series “Maid.” This emotional series is based off of the
true story memoir, “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will
to Survive” by Stephanie Land in 2019. The show features Margaret
Qualley, Nick Robinson, Andie MacDowell, Raymond Ablack, Rylea
Nevaeh Whittet, Anika Noni Rose, and more.
Opinion: ‘Don’t Look Up’ serves up supreme satire
“Don’t Look Up” was released on Dec. 5, 2021 on Netflix and in
theaters. The film follows Leonardo Dicaprio as Dr. Randall
Mindy, a socially anxious, good hearted astronomy professor, and
Jennifer Lawrence as doctoral candidate Kate Dibiasky.
Opinion: “Scream” is a scary good time for die hard fans
“Scream” was released on Jan. 14, 2022 and was directed by Matt
Bettelini-Oplin and Tyler Gillet. The film stars Jenna Ortega,
Mellissa Barea, Dylan Minnete, Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott,
Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers, and David Arquette as Dewy
Riley.
Opinion: “JoJo Stone Ocean” takes franchise in a fresh new direction
The manga “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” has recently released its
sixth part “JoJo Stone Ocean” on Netflix. JoJo’s anime adaptation
is being handled by David Productions, an anime production
company which has been in charge of the adaptation since
2012.
Opinion: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is a heartfelt spectacle
Spoiler Warning!
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the long awaited sequel to
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and was
released in the United States on Dec. 17, 2021. The film was
directed by Jon Watts, and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya Maree
Stoermer Coleman, Jacob Batalon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Marisa
Tomei, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Thomas Church, Rhys Ifan,
Jamie Foxx, and J.K. Simmons.
Opinion: “The Queen’s Gambit” is an intelligent, detailed masterpiece
One of Netflix’s Original limited series, “The Queen’s Gambit,”
was first released on Netflix on Oct. 23, 2020. This captivating
show directed by Scott Frank and starring Anya Taylor-Joy has won
11 Grammys and is critically acclaimed among many.