Film Analysis — Sinners

StrawberryMushroomLeave a comment

Surrounding the subject matter of the 2026 Academy Awards, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners seems to be the primary topic of discussion. The movie set the all-time record for the most Oscar nominations presented to a single film, earning a total of 16 nominations. From merely hearing the film’s premise, I couldn’t imagine it warranting the praise it seemed to be receiving. But after seeing the film for myself, it was clear that the film held a significant amount of subtext beneath its seemingly simple exterior.

On paper, the film seems to be a generic and straightforward musical horror thriller featuring vampires. But my favorite aspect of the movie is how it takes its seemingly simple premise to convey a complex, layered story featuring historical and political subtext. The film could’ve so easily had the threat of vampires serve as a metaphor for racism. But instead, Coogler explores more nuanced themes through its premise; the vampires represent assimilation under one unified group and hive-mind. Their ultimate goal to corrupt Sammie for his extraordinary musical talent mirrors the exploitation and cultural appropriation of Black culture, with music being incorporated to further reinforce the juxtaposed themes of individualism versus unification; while the music in the juke joint is composed of various instruments and voices layered on top one of another, the music from the vampires seem very coreographed, rehearsed, and in sync, once again highlighting their desire to assimilate and strip cultures of their originality.

The Deeper Meaning of the Blues Music in 'Sinners,' Explained | Marie Claire

PC: Google

Mornings

riceandsoysauce4Leave a comment

There is something about early mornings that feels different from the rest of the day. Everything is quieter, slower, and a little more honest. The light comes in softly, and for a moment, it feels like nothing is expected of you yet. I have always liked that feeling, even if I am not naturally a morning person. It feels like a small reset before everything begins again.

I usually notice how calm everything is before the day starts moving. There is less noise, fewer messages, and not much pressure to respond to anything right away. 

I think moments like that are important. Life can get overwhelming and fast, especially with school, decisions, and everything else constantly happening. Having even a few minutes to slow down makes everything feel a little more manageable. It reminds me that not every second has to be filled, and that sometimes doing nothing is actually exactly what you need.

PC: Google

Baseball

Halos_击Leave a comment

I had recently joined the baseball team at the beginning of the sports season. I haven’t done a team sport since I was like… 7 or 8, and I’m just getting into sports now. I don’t know what drove me to join baseball, but, at the same time, I would think it would be fun anyway.

After losing a game 3-13 (ouch.) I wanted to get better. Sure, I haven’t had any sports experience prior, but… It’s the effort that counts. As soon as I got home, my dad and I played catch.

It was nice playing catch with him because I like playing baseball, and he’s a good person to play catch with.

We had a game today, and we won 4-3! My parents were so happy to find out that we won, even though I was benched the whole time. I strive to get better, though, no matter what. Even if I won’t be put out in play.

P.C. – Pinterest “smiling emoji funny”

Rumi the Poet

riceandsoysauce4Leave a comment

I am named after the Sufi mystic poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, commonly known as Rumi. He is one of the world’s most widely read poets, known for writing about love, spirituality, and the search for meaning in a way that still resonates centuries later. Here is a list of my favorite poems by him:

  • “The Guest House”
  • “Where There Is Ruin, There Is Hope for a Treasure”
  • “What You Seek Is Seeking You”
  • “Stop Acting So Small”
  • “The Wound Is the Place Where the Light Enters You”

What I love most about Rumi’s work is how it feels both deeply personal and universal at the same time. His words capture emotions that are often hard to put into language, like longing, growth, and self-discovery. Reading his poetry feels grounding and calming, especially during moments of uncertainty.

Being named after him feels meaningful to me. It reminds me to stay open to change, to be reflective, and to look for beauty even in difficult situations. His poetry encourages me to think more deeply about life and the connections I have with others.

PC: Google

Around the Corner

zombiegxrlLeave a comment

I feel as though time is moving more quickly than it should. I feel as though my senior year of high school only started weeks ago. I feel as though I just began new and more difficult classes, but in reality, I’ve been sitting through them for months now. When we were approaching the end of the first quarter, I remember thinking to myself, “You have to do that three more times,” and feeling defeated by the seemingly endless amount of work I would still have to complete to graduate. Now, we’ve begun the fourth quarter. It feels unreal that all the work and time I was dreading is now behind me. It feels unreal that high school is almost over. It feels unreal that I will be looking up at everyone during graduation, instead of watching from high up in the amphitheater seating. Although I’m relieved that I can leave behind the long and tiring years of high school, I’m still sad that it’s over. I feel like I’m saying goodbye to my childhood. Sometimes I think back to my first day in public school, when I received my student ID. It specified that the year I would graduate was 2026, and it seemed an impossible distance away. Now it is 2026, and that impressionable and innocent child has faded and worn. I hope she will not completely fade away after graduating, because innocence is too beautiful to lose forever. I guess they really meant it when they said it’ll all be over in the blink of an eye.

PC- Google

Last 2 months of Junior year

Soccer11Leave a comment

The end of junior year is coming up, and summer is right around the corner. I’m excited for senior year, but I’m not excited to have to start college essays and applications. I know that I’m most likely going to have senioritis because I already have it this year. I’m also already stressed about what college I’m gonna wanna go to because I want to stay in California, preferably Southern California. I would really like to be in LA, but not in the middle of LA. I’m also excited for this summer, even though I probably won’t be doing very much or going anywhere, but it will still be fun to go to the beach, tan, and surf. This summer, I probably won’t have that much free time, though, because of soccer season and work, which will probably take up a lot of my time this summer. I’m really excited to see how next year goes and to hang out with my friends this summer. 

PC=Pintrest

Sunday Scaries

candystealer76Leave a comment

Sundays have this very specific, heavy energy that hits around 5:00 PM. The weekend isn’t technically over yet, but it feels like it is. Even if the day was good, the thought of Monday morning starts taking over. It isn’t always about having a test or homework due the following day, sometimes it’s just the dread of knowing the routine is starting all over again. It’s the part of the night when all I want to do is relax, but instead, I’m procrastinating on the one last thing I have to do while scrolling on my phone.

There is comfort knowing that almost everyone else is probably doing the exact same thing. We’re all just trying to stretch out the last few hours of the night as much as possible. Instead of being prepared for the week, sometimes all I can do is go to bed and make it tomorrow’s problem. By the time I’m finally ready for sleep, I usually just give up on trying to convince myself that the night is still young and that the weekend is over. I used to try to fight it and stay up as late as possible, but now I’m starting to realize that the more I dread Monday, the worse it actually feels.

Half of my Sunday is spent just waiting for Monday to happen, and it’s such a waste of a day. Most of the time, the week isn’t even as bad as I imagined it would be on Sunday. Even though Friday and Sunday are both on the weekend, I feel totally different on both days. On Friday, I feel like I have all the time in the world, and I’ll never feel stressed again. When it reaches Sunday, I always regret not just getting all of my work done during all the free time I had on Saturday.

What can cause Sunday scaries — and what to do about it | SBS News

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Game cancelled

thehebrewhammerLeave a comment

I came to school excited, first game of the season, baseball finally here, it was time. But rain decided otherwise, many days hoping it would stop, the rain kept coming, running poles in the rain with coach Hank, and getting 4 new players to brighten our spirits. None of this mattered because the game got cancelled, and then it was a break; we were cutting cold turkey because there was nothing to do. It was a break next week, and we have no practice. Hank said we need to go watch “game film” in the seminar room. So I’m sooooo excited to do that with him. We might just play that stupid tennis ball off the wall game we did last time, which was immensely boring. It made my arm hurt. All in all, I’m very excited to play baseball this year and share the field with everyone. We move like a pack of brothers, like a pack of wolves out on that diamond, I’m telling everyone when we’re coming, cause we come HARD.

pc: Avery Colborn – On The Hill

Ojai Odaiko

thehebrewhammerLeave a comment

On Tuesday, the school was given the pleasure of going to Lower Campuses GAC to watch an hour’s worth of beautifully played drums by Gavino and the Ojai Odaiko.

I didn’t know what to think of it at first because I saw them once when I was younger, and they were all uncoordinated, and I wasn’t impressed. But yesterday the sound those recycled wine barrels made shook my heart and elevated me on the Lunar New Year. 

When Gavino would scream and repeatedly hit those drums with all his strength, I couldn’t help but smile and sit up in my seat. As good as Gavino was, my favorite was this tiny lady who played the gong. Man, do I love hearing that gong go gong. It just brightens my day up. It’s the best instrument ever created. 

All in all, my experience of being provided a listening to the great Ojai Odaiko changed my life forever, I fell in love, it was love at first listen for sure.

Also, when they were finished, I stood up to give them a standing ovation, but no one stood with me, so it was embarrassing, but I don’t care.

I love Ojai Odaiko!

pc: google

Bye Bye Rams

thehebrewhammerLeave a comment

Today, I bear bad news: the Los Angeles Rams have lost the NFC Championship to the Seattle Seahawks.

It was a heartbreaking loss as in the final seconds, the MVP frontrunner Rams quarterback Matt Stafford threw a beautiful ball to OPOY candidate Puka Nacua, and as he slid out of bounds to give the Rams one second left of play. But as his majestic, beautiful Gazelle-like body landed with the ball, the refs deemed Puka out of bounds, making the Rams lose the NFC championship. 

It was a very sad moment, and now Davante Adams, who had a beautiful first year in LA, is 0-6 in the NFC Championship.

I believe that Stafford has another year in him, and with our young defense and promising offense, we can make another push for the conference title and hopefully Super Bowl 61.

With the Rams facing devastating defeat in the playoffs again, I think there is no shot for the Patriots to overtake the Seahawks in Levi’s Stadium.

I guess there is only one way to find out, and that is to wait and see, poor Rams, but there is always next year!

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