Isaac Shapiro

Ever since the first trailer, the Joaquin Pheonix Joker movie has been the subject of much controversy. It became the media’s favorite punching bag.

The people cry out in terror as the legions of hell pour out across the earth. Demons and unholy abominations stalk the night slaughtering the innocent. As they cower in fear and beg for mercy, they cry out for a savior! Who will liberate them from unholy genocide? Is there a guardian who can purge this evil from the land? They pray to the heavens.They cry out for a champion, a savior. They ask for barbarian, the wizard, the demon hunter, and the necromancer, but their prayers go unanswered falling on deaf ears. No one is coming. But in the darkest hour when all hope is lost a lone man stands tall alone amidst the blazing hellscape. A man fitted in green battle armor with a gaze so cold and merciless it could freeze hell itself, he steps forward with a single unrelenting purpose. Rip and tear until it is done. A new champion has come to answer the people’s prayers and deliver us from evil. A man known by one name whispered in reverence and fear by those he slaughters and that name is the Doom Slayer.

Nearly a 100 years ago famed Russian composer Igor Stravisnky introduced one of his most seminal and lasting contributions to the musical world with the debut of his composition of the rite of spring. A musical piece so radical and jarring that when it first debuted in the Paris ballet in 1913 that it literally caused a riot in the theater. Nobody’s quite sure what spawned the riot, whether it was a publicity stunt or that the audience was not prepared for what they had witnessed. Something chaotic that would build the foundations of music for the century that followed, but also something that served as a harbinger for the next decades of chaos and brutality that would follow with World War 1 starting up a year later with the even greater horrors of world war 2 to come.

Amongst nerds who love anime, there is one subject that is even more controversial than such classic arguments as whether or not the Star Wars Christmas Special is cannon. When it comes to anime, the big debate is whether or not it’s better to watch the sub or the dub. It’s a topic so contentious at conventions that entire screening rooms can burst out in vicious brutal screaming matches as the unruly cosplay masses vie to see which continent can shout down the other side. On one side, the sub contingent believes that most anime is better heard in its original language. Voice acting is treated as a much bigger deal over in Japan where some VO performers are treated like superstar idols.

On November 12th, Disney will launch their exclusive streaming service Disney Plus, firing the first salvo in what will become one of the bloodiest most brutal competitions in the world of media and entertainment. They will begin the great streaming wars. Netflix has evolved from a cute little niche DVD rental service into a tech behemoth completely reshaping the way the world consumes entertainment. With over 151 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix has become a digital buffet trying to cater towards every niche taste imaginable and racking up tremendous amounts of debt to continue to feed their audiences endless appetite for content, with some estimating the amount of debt to be as high as 20 billion dollars to make sure you're stocked with new seasons of Stranger Things.