Category Archives: Entertainment

Chabot lose to San Mateo making it their eight lost in this season

Chabot Gladiator Football lost their 8th game to the San Mateo Bulldogs. The game took place on October 28th at 1:00 p.m. at Chabot, where they have not secured a victory all season. The team suffered a crushing defeat, with a final score of 3-66, leaving their season record at a dismal 0-8. Immediate action must be taken if they hope to win even a single game before the season draws to a close.

Chabot Gladiator Wide Receiver  Kierr Stewart making a play.

Chabot Gladiator Wide Receiver Kierr Stewart making a play.

Photo by Jared Darling

Eric Fanene, the coach of Chabot, had this to say about their defeat. “We knew this team. Everyone knows this team (San Mateo) is one of the best. We made some mistakes, like an error in understanding where to take the knee. Our kickoff return guy thought he was in the end zone, and took a knee. We’re on the one-yard line. So that doesn’t help matters right there. Fumbling the ball in big plays feels like we had some drives that we were getting first downs because, in the first half, we had five to six first downs. It didn’t feel like that, but then it ended in a blunder, you know. The main thing is belief in themselves. That’s something we’ve been saying to our guys and having our sophomores lead this team and finish strong with our sophomores. And it’s just hard when you haven’t won a game.”

San Mateo scored three touchdowns and three field goals in 12 minutes during the first quarter. They also made three recoveries. The Bulldogs ended the quarter with a score of 0-21.

During the second quarter of the game, the Gladiators made a terrible punt. San Mateo took advantage of this and scored a touchdown and field goal within the first five minutes of the quarter, making the score 0-28. Despite Chabot #25 Linebacker Willie Chase made a powerful tackle on San Mateo’s offense, they were still able to make a very hard touchdown and field goal, extending their lead to 0-35. On the other hand, during the Gladiators’ offense, they fumbled the ball in the bottom of the quarter, giving San Mateo an easy opportunity to score another touchdown, bringing the score to 0-42 at half-time.

During the third quarter, Chabot’s defense showed great strength. #44 Callan Ivy, a defensive lineman, made a massive sack on San Mateo, and #24 Sione Latu, a defensive back, made a remarkable tackle on them as well. The defense made it impossible for the opposing team to score a touchdown, but they managed to score a field goal, making the score 0-45. Chabot also made a field goal, bringing the score to 3-45. However, San Mateo’s offense made another touchdown, bringing the final score to 3-52.

In the fourth quarter, Chabot struggled to move the ball, with numerous incomplete passes and fumbles, while San Mateo dominated the game, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal, resulting in a final score of 3-66. Making it the 8th  game they lost in this season. 

Next week, Chabot plays San Francisco at Chabot on Nov. 4th at 1:00 p.m. To watch all of Chabot sports, go to www.norcalsportstv.com

Chabot College’s Gladiator Day: A Roaring Success with Over 200 Student Attendees

Gladiator Day was held on Aug. 24 from noon to 1 p.m., with over 200 students attending. The event was located between bldg. 700 and 800. Gladiator Day raises awareness of what all Chabot has to offer and encourages students to sign up for clubs and get involved.

Students packed for Gladiator Day.

There were games, free food, clubs, and performers like R&B artist Deli God, T.O.A, The Original Artist, poet Pap1, Grand3, and the K-pop Club. Hosted by L.J. the DJ from KCRH, and Khalil Canlis from the Student Senate. The event is where students come out to celebrate, engage, and join the clubs on campus. The Student Senate sponsored the event.

Up-and-coming R&B artists like Deli God were one of the performers. He expressed his gratitude by performing a song for Chabot College.

Artist Deligod performs for the crowd

“Shout out to Chabot for letting me perform. I’m glad the campus and KCRH showed me some love. I really hope my music touches someone,” said Deli God.

 Multiple clubs attended and had tables, including the Engineer Club, Nesian Unite, Revolutionaries Advocating for Greener Ecosystems, and more. Gladiator Day is when clubs gain new members. My Sisters Keepers Is a leadership support group for young African American Women. Yetunde Osikomaiya is the counselor and instructor of the group.

 “For Gladiator Day, I’m happy to see clubs representing what all they have to offer, and new faces,” said Osikomaiya

In addition to the clubs, Chabot had tables for different services, programs, and academic departments to support students. These included El Centro, Counseling Advocacy Resources Emotion Support, Chabot Library, FRESH Food Pantry, Disabled Student Program Services, Restorative Integrated Self-Education, TRIO, and more.

LJ-The DJ provided the music for gladiator day as well as the performer.

Some clubs provided games like giving out a bingo card where students had to have 12 clubs sign their cards in order for them to have free lunch. Before the clubs sign the student’s card, they were given information about the club.

Another game that was provided by the Dean of Language Arts, Paul Pina M.S was a game called Wordle. It’s a game where a student must use a five-letter word. Pina wrote down the word, and then you had six attempts to guess the word on each of them. If you win the game, the prizes are pens, a water bottle, and or a book bag.

Gladiator Day was a great opportunity where students can get involved and learn about clubs, programs, and services provided to them. Students coming back for their first semester on campus after summer have something to look forward to in this fall event. 

“This and the carnival the UMOJA hosts every February are the events I look forward to. For me, I look forward to meeting new people, great music, and food. The performers did a good job. It’s great to see staff and students enjoying themselves.” said student Tyhrell Baker.

Gladiator Day turned out to be a great event that provided a sense of belongingness for students, by meeting new people, joining clubs, or just enjoying the friendly atmosphere.

 A complete list of clubs can be found on the Chabot website.

https://www.chabotcollege.edu/student-services/student-life/student-clubs/list.php

Sims 4 Update: Playable Babies & Bay Area World

On Mar. 14 Electronics Arts (EA) released a patch update for the Sims 4 which introduced infants, making them the youngest playable life stage in any Sims game so far. Along with this patch, EA also released a new expansion pack featuring a world modeled after the Bay Area, CA.

This new update was highly anticipated by fans of the Sims franchise as it introduced a concept that hadn’t been seen in any of the Sims games over the past twenty years: playable babies. Up until now, babies in the Sims games were no more than objects that players could interact with and even then these interactions were limited. Not only were they limited in interactions but, before this update, baby sims could only come in three skin tones and were confined to their cribs.

In games like the Sims 2 and 3, players were able to satisfy their baby-fever with toddlers; however, for the Sims 4, toddlers weren’t added to the game until 2017 – nearly three years after its release. Before this, newborn Sims would immediately age into children, skipping a vital life stage and taking away the opportunity for them to bond with other Sims in that aspect.

The “Growing Together” expansion pack combats this issue by adding the concept of milestones to the game, allowing Sims to remember and be influenced by the good and bad moments that have happened to them throughout their lives. Sims can now reminisce about their first time riding a back or losing a tooth, a feature that is similar to the “memories” in the Sims 2 which helped provide a basic form of storytelling for the players.

San Sequoia, the new world that came with the “Growing Together” expansion pack for the Sims 4, is just one of many in-game worlds based on places in real life. Worlds like Del Sol Valley from their “Get Famous” pack and Sulani from the “Island Living” expansion pack are based on Los Angeles and Hawaii, respectively. Regarding San Sequoia the developers drew inspiration from Silicon Valley specifically, adding in NPCs with jobs as app developers and start-up employees.

This new world mirrors the Bay Area in terms of diversity, as well, by adding the games first canonically transgender and non-binary Sims, Celeste Michaelson and Jay Robles. The NPCs can talk about their gender-identity with players through certain social interactions if they have a high enough relationship level.

While a lot of members of the Sims 4 community were initially excited about the new pack, a month after its release, it received mixed reviews – with a lot of those being on whether or not the content in the pack should’ve been released for free.

Youtuber Catkin commented that this was the first pack they felt that nearly everything included should’ve been included in the base game, stating: “The milestones, relationships and quirks are all quite important and would have been a huge quality of life update.”

Among these complaints, there was also the argument that this pack was only focused on familial interaction and didn’t offer anything for players that are not interested in that playstyle. Reddit user Nicky Q says that the pack is useless to them since they don’t play with families. They say: “I play Sims to live my best childfree life with a bunch of pets. I’m happy for everyone else, but if I ever end up buying this pack it would just be for the build items.”

Did You Know That Chabot TV Has an App?

Chabot has an app where students can watch programs produced, written and directed by MCOM students on campus including the news.  The app launched March 2023.  You can stream the channel 24 hrs seven days a week. 

To watch the app on Samsung and Apple phones all you must do is 1) download the free Cablecast app.  2) Once you open the app, scroll until you see  Community Media Center / Chabot TV, and lastly 3) Tap on it  Once you open it you will have access to Chabot news, TV shows and their 24hr streaming channel. The app is only available on tv through Roku. Download the Chabot TV app from the Roku app store. 

“The company that makes our server gives us free software called Cablecast that goes on Apple TV, Roku, Firestick and all the Samsungs and Apple phones. When you download the Cablecast app you got our account 24/7.” Says Sujoy K. Sarkar Chabot, TV station and app general manager. Cablecast is an app where you can watch local news and shows on the go.

Chabot TV app has been in the works for years. “We’ve been working on it (the app) for a long time and it’s always been a streaming project for over a year. We’ve been on air for almost a decade, but having our own app is something that is really brand new.” Says Instructor Tom Lothain who teaches television, newspaper, journalism, and radio courses on campus. 

The TV studio was founded in 1967 just six years after Chabot College had just been established 1961. Sakar has been working with Chabot TV since 1973. 

On TV you can stream the Chabot TV app only on Roku TV. “We decided that we should try Roku first for our own branding, because as a cable company, the company that makes our server gives us free software (Cablecast).” Says Sakar.

The app and the streaming services provide every Friday and Saturday night they provide horror films, something like a creature feature . where the host is hosting a classic horror film with a spooky background and theme. The app also includes news, 10 to 15 local Chabot student TV Shows. 

“I’ve heard about the app. I haven’t downloaded it yet, but I will.” Says Tom Lorentzen, the host of Interesting People, a show that broadcasts meeting interesting people from around the world and sharing their stories. The show is also on the app.

It’s great that the campus has their own TV app where students can watch other student contents, news and learn more about the activities on campus. “I Knew Chabot had a TV Station but not an app. Sounds interesting. No other colleges I know of have a TV app.” Says student Aiki Chamberlin.

“It’s amazing how Chabot has their own TV app. I don’t think any college in America has that and that’s great for our campus.” Says student Cornell Preston.

The inspiration of creating the app was strategized to make more students come on campus and intake the MCOM classes that Chabot have to offer. There are many amazing MCOM courses this campus has to offer and one of them is TV. Sujoy expressed, “We need more students to apply at Chabot so I figured. This is just 1 way of getting students interested in enrolling in Arts and Media classes. The hardest thing is to get a platform to show their programs and movies! This platform gives them the same chance by allowing them the same platforms. All we need now is to notify people that it exists.” 

This app is a perfect strategy for MCOM students who created their own content show to watch it. No other college in the world has the advantage of having their own TV App. There’s only 15 shows on the app but it’s enough to motivate more MCOM students to watch and create their own shows. Not only students, but other college campuses can soon one day have their own TV app.

Cultural Appropriation in Fashion

Cultural appropriation has been in fashion for decades, yet in the past 10 years, cultural appropriation has been brought to the forefront.

Fashion is a form of art that is interrupted as society sees fit. Throughout the decades, fashion has been a statement that one uses to express love, hate, or even misfortune. Inspiration comes from all over the world and many fashion designers use cultural attire to innovate their fashion lines.

Musical artists like Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea, and Rihanna all have taken an aspect of another culture for music videos.

Jess Gaertner, Cosmopolitan writer states that culture appropriation “in a nutshell, is when people of one culture start using elements of another culture that’s not their own.”

“It can be seen as a violation when these elements are merely used to make a media or fashion statement, or when they’re taken out of context, becoming offensive – for example, when an item of clothing that has deep meaning to culture is used as a fashion accessory flippantly by someone else,” Gaertner states in article Cultural Appropriation: 10 Times Celebs & Fashion Brands Took Things Too Far.

Vogue, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Givenchy, Balmain, and Gucci are all luxury designers that have had a controversial issue with appropriating culture from Native American headdresses to Japanese geisha-inspired looks.

Heather Brown, a Native American Chabot student, expresses how she’s not very knowledgeable about her culture, but knows when something is wrong and how fashion is sending out an inaccurate message about the history of her culture.

“If you research the attire of Native Americans, each piece of clothing means something … you put a headdress on a white model in nothing but a bikini, what exactly are you trying to sell?” says Brown.

Brown then goes on to say that “the fashion industry is full of people who don’t understand the history behind the fashion and they should educate themselves.”

Another Chabot student, Darion Jurden, doesn’t follow fashion but knows when something is offensive and is on the lines of cultural appropriation.

“It’s hard to not take something from one culture and brand it out. This day and age people don’t pay attention to the content they put out, just the revenue they bring in. They don’t care about the history or how it might make someone feel,” says Jurden.

There is a fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. With social media being this era’s platform to express yourself some might be overly sensitive on how their culture is represented.

Dakari Thomas, a writer for The Guardsman states in the article Cultural Appropriation or Over-Sensitivity? “Among minorities in America, we have become hypersensitive to the idea of our cultures being imitated.”

Even though some might confuse cultural appropriation with appreciation, hypersensitivity can cloud one’s judgment on how someone else chooses to express themselves. 

“However, we have to realize as a society that cultural appropriation is present throughout every culture, and it is not frowned upon,” Thomas states.

Cultural appropriation is and will continue to be controversial in the fashion industry due to the belief that some trends commercialize and tarnish the ancient heritage of cultures. There have been debates on whether designers are acknowledging the history behind the attire they are taking from different cultures.

Corona Impacts the Entertainment Industry

The coronavirus also known as COVID-19 is an equal opportunity disaster. The virus has the whole world closing up shop. 

The outbreak has not only affected the working-class jobs horrifically, but it has also taken away something the world has grown accustomed to: entertainment.

“This is going to have a broad impact on most of the sectors in all of the economies of the world, but entertainment will be particularly hard hit,” says veteran media analyst Hal Vogel in an interview with U.S. entertainment magazine Variety.  

According to qz.com, the universal stamp of the film and television production industry is more likely susceptible to infection. With a higher risk of escalating the virus, due to how much traffic is typically needed to make a movie. 

During a variety.com interview Jesse Tyler Ferguson, star of “Take Me Out” expressed that “the thought of rehearsing for something that no one would even get to see is heartbreaking.”

A good portion of film sets are now requiring that their makeup artists and hairstylists only touch performers with gloves and masks on. “People are scared right now,” says Vogel “the big issue in my mind, and it’s not answerable yet, is how long will this go on and will it intensify?”

The outbreak has landed on the cusp of a variety of paramount international film events and each of them has been canceled or postponed, leaving the organizations, the venues, and the patrons with issues that no one has the answers to yet.

Analysts estimate that COVID-19 has already cost the global box office approximately five billion dollars, predominantly due to the closure of theaters in China, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and France.

In the United States alone, the death toll has risen since the beginning of the outbreak and is continuously on the rise, with over 3,400 people testing positive for COVID-19, celebrities included. 

In the eyes of society, celebrities are on the lines of mythical creatures. They are unstoppable, resilient, and not like the average citizen. So when Tom Hanks, Prince Charles, Kevin Durant, and Idris Elba tested positive for the virus the world opened their eyes to just how serious COVID-19 is and how it doesn’t discriminate on your status. 

Rapper Cardi B took to Instagram live with a video about how celebrities are confusing the public by going to get tested for COVID-19.  “If a celebrity is saying, ‘Hey, listen. I don’t have no symptoms. I’m feeling good…., but I want and got tested and I’m positive for the coronavirus, that causes confusion.” 

Cardi B then goes on to say that “45” referring to President Donald Trump is advising citizens not to get tested if you don’t have any associated symptoms yet it seems like celebrities are exempt. Which once again causes confusion.

If you not feeling sick, there no need to go get tested. You are putting yourself at risk and lucky going to spread the virus. 

The chaotic impact of the coronavirus is affecting every territory of the cultural and entertainment scene with no cure or vaccine in sight. The outbreak has caused worldwide panic for everyone.

Sonic the Hedgehog Review

Last year, Sonic the Hedgehog made news for his first-ever live-action movie in the works, and the trailer was released in April. However, fans were outright disgusted to see one of the most iconic video game characters in history designed as an anthropomorphic nightmare. Things weren’t looking bright for the film’s release in November. Unexpectedly, director Jeff Fowler responded by delaying the movie to redesign a Sonic more accurate to the games.

The new design revealed in the movie’s second trailer received overwhelming praise for Sonic’s more cartoonish form, with animation akin to Detective Pikachu. The revised movie was released on Valentine’s Day 2020. With the changes put in place, is it enough to make you fall in love with Sonic the Hedgehog all over again?

Sonic the Hedgehog starts in the middle of an intense and explosive chase between Dr. Robotnik and Sonic in San Francisco, all before Sonic gives you a cliché but funny, “you’re probably wondering how I got here” moment. Just a few seconds in, you already get filled in on Sonic’s personality. 

As a disclaimer, fans should expect a new story written for Sonic, as characters like Knuckles and Tails, and the overarching plot of the Chaos Emeralds are not in this movie. Fans of the video games might question this, but the new lore is treated weightlessly, so it’s not much of a distraction.

The real story is the friendship that forms between Sonic, played by Ben Schwartz, and small-town cop Tom Wachowski, played by Jason Marsden, while on the run from Dr. Ivo Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey. 

Tom Wachowski is an aspiring officer who wants to do more big jobs instead of helping do errands for the town of Green Hills, Montana (a call back to the iconic Green Hills Zone in the video games.) Meanwhile, Sonic is the only one of his species on Earth and spends much of his time in seclusion. Watching Tom and his family, he wishes for a real friend. To make sure he doesn’t go insane he uses his super-speed ability to interact with himself almost simultaneously, while simultaneously emphasizing how much he is alone. This is a nice touch from the movie. With their own personal narratives, Tom and Sonic mesh together seamlessly and have great chemistry with each other.

One of Sonic’s goals in the movie is to get his rings back. The movie has been able to reinvent staples of the original video game series, such as reworking the iconic rings that Sonic collects in the game into the film’s “McGuffin,” or object that is necessary for the story to move forward. Rings are used as portals to different worlds, which is how Sonic ended up on Earth.

Some of the standout performances were by Carrey and Schwartz. Even when side by side, Carrey meets the same level of animation in his performance as Sonic, an actual CG animated character.

Schwartz’s voice was a satisfying Hollywood rendition of Sonic, and his performance made Sonic lovable without teetering on the edge of irritability. Moviegoer Mario Cruz felt the same, “Sonic was not as annoying as I expected him to be,” he said. “He was actually well developed as a character.” 

It helps that Schwartz is an actual fan of the Sonic series, playing the game as a child. “When it was released in 1991, the speed at which you could play it was remarkable,” said Schwartz in a press interview with IGN. Experiences like this really helped him really tap into the character of Sonic, and viewers can tell from his performance.

Sonic and Dr. Robotnik really stand out, but at the expense of the other characters. The more human characters like Tom and his family, unfortunately, stand by the wayside. James Marsden’s character as Tom Wachowski is admirable but carries the arc of being a cliché good cop. But he’s sufficient to fill the role as a human interacting with an animated being in a live-action movie (i.e. the Smurfs or the similar video game movie Detective Pikachu.)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a great family film that should please those unfamiliar to the lovable blue hedgehog, and those who’ve been fans for decades. With some glaring plot holes and cliches, if you don’t look too deep into it, Sonic the Hedgehog is a fun-filled movie with great humor and animated characters (both in performance and CGI.) It’ll be a fast hour and forty minutes. 

And make sure you don’t go too fast after the movie, there’s a special after-credits scene for loyal Sonic fans.

The Call of the Wild Review

The Call of the Wild is like a trip to a zoo where the animals also view the animals from a safe distance.

The main character, the dog Buck, was animated with CGI. The CGI was one of the movie’s strengths, in particular the animal fur. Buck’s slightly cartoonish appearance makes a point that he acts differently, more human, than the other dogs.

However, for this reason, Buck is also the film’s weak point. He is introduced as a rich Californian’s pet dog, who is kidnapped and sold far north as a sled dog during the 1890s Klondike gold rush. Throughout the story, Buck is haunted by a giant wolf spirit, representing his return from pet to beast, the “call of the wild.”

As each trial passes, Buck undergoes no change but is rewarded as if he had. He shows mercy in a fight to the death yet the loser accepts self-exile. Buck chases rabbits as he did in California, but lets it go free when he finally catches one. He pounces onto a human target in three different scenes, but never bites them.

The plot took a few unexpected turns, but between the twists it was easy to see ahead. A canoe rows down the river, of course it goes over a waterfall. Buck wants John Thornton (Harrison Ford) to quit drinking, so of course John finds one last bottle and gives it up willingly.

John was the only human character to be fully developed, because most others did not appear long enough in the story to do so. Perhaps this was done to let the audience understand how Buck feels every time he leaves someone behind.

The best human character in the film was the unnamed man in the red sweater, whose job is to beat new dogs into obedience. This man’s wide eyes, deliberate speech pattern, and fighting stance uniquely indicated he was not talking to a human.

The filmmakers took advantage of four government subsidies to shoot on location in California and the Yukon. The camerawork shows plenty of the landscape, but the music brings to mind beauty and wonder, rather than forbidding and overwhelming.

Harrison Ford narrates in character throughout the film, which forces a human’s perspective on what should be a dog’s story. Nothing was gained from the narration that was not covered a second time in dialogue.

This is a movie you could watch with your kids, but probably not a movie your kids will show their kids one day. The Call of the Wild was released in theaters February 21, 2020.

Flying High With Dr. Sanchez

Dr. Marion A Sanchez holds three world records and still somehow finds time to host a talk show called Flying High on the Chabot television station. Many students see him around the Chabot campus but only know him for his friendly personality and quirky demeanor.

Dr. Sanchez is a retired Digital media instructor at Chabot College. About a year ago, he decided to devote his free time to producing Flying High. Flying High is a once a week, unique half an hour interview with varying guests from all walks of life. 

His guests range from a former Pakistani official to Bay Area Presidential candidate Tom Steyer. Flying High is produced solely with the help of Sujoy Sarkar and Morgan Butler, two friends of Dr. Sanchez.

Even though Dr. Sanchez hosts Flying High and currently holds three world records for his age of 87 in the 50, 100 and 200-meter dash. His real calling is to try and do everything he can to help promote world peace. 

In Dr. Sanchez’s free time, he raises money to send wheelchairs to disenfranchised children overseas. So far this year, he has been able to raise enough money to send over 550 wheelchairs to children in Afghanistan, Cuba, and India.

Every year Dr. Sanchez travels to India, Thailand, Russia, and many other Southeast Asian countries to help facilitate basketball tournaments with disenfranchised youths. Recently over the summer, he assisted in the creation of an 8,000 child basketball tournament in India.

Dr. Sanchez does this yearly to keep his foot in the door method to get the attention of people in higher positions to discuss possible solutions to help achieve world peace.

Dr. Sanchez’s favorite location that he’s visited working to promote world peace is Russia. “Of all the places I’ve visited, Russia is unique. It’s such a different culture from what we are used to in America.”

Dr. Sanchez is so dedicated to world peace and unity that he even wrote a Pledge of Allegiance to the world. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the world and to all the lands and countries it represents. One World indivisible with Liberty, Justice, Freedom, and Love for all.”

All in all, Dr. Marion Sanchez is a man who strives to make the world a better and more peaceful place for the generations to come. Make sure to tune in to Dr. Sanchez’s Flying High, on Chabot TV on Comcast channels 27 and 28.

Ad Astra: To the Stars or to the Dumps?

Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt as Roy McBride is set in this dystopian future where waves coming from deep space are disrupting all the electronics across the solar system. The protagonist is set up to be this emotionless guy who split from his wife and is not even afraid of falling from the upper atmosphere. 

The pacing of the movie, for the most part, is pretty slow even the action scenes feel about as slow as the last hour of work. Not that it is a bad thing at all, it is quite refreshing, especially with the oversaturation of fast-paced action movies. 

There is one scene on the moon where some space pirates try to steal their little cart and equipment. The scene was much faster paced than any other part of the movie, even faster than the climax. I’m only bringing this up because it was the only scene where it felt out of pace with the rest of the movie. 

I have grown quite tired of all movies, books, comics, and games doing these massive exposition dumps at the beginning of the story, where the protagonists narrate their entire life story up to the point where we come in. It just feels like lazy writing to me. I would prefer being able to piece together some of the story as it came up naturally in the film.

For Ad Astra, I appreciate that they didn’t do as much of that. The significant bits of background and story came from what was currently going on. Like when we find out that these waves are not only just affecting the earth, but they are hitting both the Moon and Mars knocking out all of their electronics as well.

What this movie does well is world-building. The world that this movie exists in is not an empty or bland one. For instance, when traveling to the moon, it was an option to go commercially, and the flight attendant mentions that it is $125 for a blanket and neck pillow. As soon as Roy stepped off the ship, you can easily spot several chain restaurants and retailers showing that not even the moon can escape capitalism. 

Another stop in the movie was the dystopian surface of Mars. Mars felt more like a military base compared to the moon, where there were commercial flights to and from. There were fewer people and no mention of it being a tourist stop like the moon.

The main environment in this film was aboard spaceships, and they made it feel compact. For a good part of the movie, the protagonist is alone in a spacecraft for a few months, and the feeling of vast emptiness and isolation kicks in.

Chabot student and movie attendee, Jacob Jenkins had this to say about the movie. “I have never seen Interstellar, so I can’t make that comparison, but I really liked this one it felt super atmospheric from the environments and the world it set up was fascinating. Plus, Brad Pitt is just a solid f****** actor.” 

In the end, I really enjoyed Ad Astra. I liked the world-building the shots of open space and the super chill vibe about it.