Flooded bathrooms at mosques are something Muslim actor, comedian and writer Ramy Youssef is all too familiar with. This is often a byproduct of wudhu, an Islamic ritual where individuals wash themselves before prayer. Using personal experiences, such as dealing with messy washrooms during prayer times, Youssef created stand-up comedy routines that eventually inspired his upcoming television show, “Ramy” which […]
Category Archives: Film & TV
Second Take: Recent wave of nostalgia-based marketing is compelling, but may be unsustainable
America’s burnin’ up with nostalgia. But all fevers have to break. In March, the Jonas Brothers made a move that possibly changed the course of American society by dropping “Sucker” – their first song since the band’s historic split in 2013. And it didn’t disappoint. Riding a wave of sentimentality, the song clearly drew from […]
Student-made film shines a light on escapism and its consequences
Peter Yang wants to give students food for thought about escapism in his film “Strange Fodder.” The fourth-year biochemistry student’s film project stars fourth-year sociology student Daniel Vallejo, who mentally enters a series of new realities after experiencing an unspecified traumatic event. The narrative follows both what is actually going on around the main character […]
Documentary works to destigmatize mental health in Asian-American community
The model minority mindset establishes a certain demographic as more successful than others, said Wendy Wang. However, those labeled as such – like Asian-Americans – often find it difficult to discuss, she said. Being Asian-American, she said her culture often puts pressure on younger generations to accomplish more. Students tend to overwork themselves to achieve […]
Movie review: ‘Pet Sematary’ revival falls flat, fails to deliver fully fleshed-out horror
The plot of “Pet Sematary” is almost as nonsensical as its spelling. An unclear timeline and inconsistent performances do not exactly help, either. Following the 1989 film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 novel, “Pet Sematary” takes yet another visual incarnation. The movie opens on Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his family moving into a remote […]
Archive opens doors to restoring films made by The Doors members
Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek are best known as the founding band members of The Doors. But many do not know that their friendship dates back to their time as UCLA film students. Between 1963 and 1965, the pair contributed to five student films that are now held in the UCLA Film & Television Archive. […]
UCLA Extension student’s short film emphasizes optimistic outlook on Alzheimer’s
Every three seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease – but Bruna Cabral is trying to find hope despite its negative impacts on millions of families. The UCLA Extension student’s short film follows an 8-year-old boy named Dylan (Mason Wells) whose 80-year-old best friend begins to lose her memory due to Alzheimer’s. Instead of abandoning her, the […]