I, like most others, have spent the past few weeks looking for anything new to experience to stave off boredom and restlessness. Because of my newfound free time, I’ve been able to revisit some of my favourite video games, while also playing a couple for the first time. Throughout this period of isolation, I had been looking forward to playing The Last of Us 2, the sequel to perhaps my favourite game of all time. However, earlier this week, video game developer Naughty Dog announced that they would be pushing back the release of the long-awaited game indefinitely, which has […]

As North American movie theatres have continued to close indefinitely over the past three weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film industry has been forced to adapt their strategies to better suit the self-isolating population. Traditionally, the Spring season is a period of blockbuster releases, and this year was supposed to be no different. Mulan, Marvel’s Black Widow, and the new James Bond film, No Time to Die are just a few of the flicks that have been postponed because of the current situation. As well, current movie and TV productions have been forced to shut down, […]

Five years ago, Kendrick Lamar released what would eventually become the most impactful creative work that I have ever experienced – To Pimp a Butterfly. To Pimp a Butterfly is an empowering project about race, fame, social economics, and as I have gone on to truly understand and empathize with most recently, reflection of self. The album’s sound is a combination of hip-hop, old school west-coast funk, and jazz, which was a departure from his modern-sounding previous work. I have casually listened to this album countless times since its release, but before yesterday, I hadn’t given it a really thoughtful, […]

On the first Sunday of this past reading week, I took a trip to Toronto’s Cinesphere. Located on the grounds of what was formerly Ontario Place, the Cinesphere was the first ever permanent IMAX screen back when it first opened in 1971. The film that I decided to watch was 2010’s Inception, and as the screen dimmed and I anticipated that the movie would be starting, something else began to play. The screen displayed a large brightly lit, Russian music hall that being taken over by terrorists. As the counter-terrorist unit arrives to the scene, you realize that they possess […]

DISCLAIMER: ALL views expressed in this work are my own and may not reflect the views and opinions of any students, staff, or faculty at Ryerson University or Spirit Live. If you’re a Ryerson: RTA School of Media student or member of staff and on Instagram, you may have come across @rta.confessions or @rta.memes while browsing your phone. These pages post anonymous, RTA student-submitted memes and messages often dealing with general student life, complaints, and even occasional positive words that students have for each other. Below are a few examples of some typical posts one may see on these accounts. […]

This month’s release of the late Mac Miller’s final album, Circles, is an emotional, brilliantly handled posthumous project that gives many fans the right closure they need after the artist’s tragic death in September 2018. Circles was initially intended to be a companion album to Mac’s 2018 album Swimming; a dark, distressing album that mirrored his unfortunate struggles and demons at the time. Although Circles touches upon these same themes, this time, Mac Miller addresses his issues in a mode of self-reflection and acceptance, crafting a portrait of a more mature person, ready to move on to a new chapter […]

Last week, Toronto Life named Masai Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors President of Basketball Operations the city’s Most Influential Person. Although I was personally thrilled about this decision, a quick social media search proved that the primary reaction for many Torontonians was simply “Who?”. After an initial wave of surprise, I soon reflected and remembered that, understandably, the majority of the population does not perceive the world through a sports lens and may not be aware of Ujiri and his accomplishments.  Masai Ujiri inherited a franchise that was most well-known for its aggressively consistent mediocrity, and the team was often viewed […]

November 12th’s launch of Disney+, the brand new Walt Disney video streaming service was released alongside plenty of controversy, which has become a common theme regarding any of the Mouse’s endeavours in the past few years. Cable cutting has become an increasingly popular occurrence in North America as a result of the high costs of television subscription packages, however the video streaming industry has also become progressively more expensive for consumers. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crave, Hulu, Apple TV+, and now Disney+ are just a few of the many TV and movie streaming services available, and each platform has begun producing more […]