MUSIC Juan Almanza (CAS '29) says the Twenty One Pilots' 'Breach' is their most emotional yet. B2
FILM 'Him' only succeeds in visuals but fails everything else, Tanvi Gorripati (CAS '27) says. B4
FILM Sam Fender's electric show was spirited and entertaining, Grace Ko (CAS '27) says. B6
SEPTEMBER 26, 2025
Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' is a harrowing reflection of the modern era. B3
Isabelle Cialone Deputy Guide Editor
‘Breach’ Is a
Juan Almanza Hoya Staff Writer
Somber in tone, eclectic in sound and full of back-to-back bangers, “Breach” accomplishes everything a finale should, wrapping up the story Twenty One Pilots (TOP) has woven for the past 10 years with a bang. The rawness in lead singer Tyler Joseph’s songwriting is turned up to 11, and emotions ooze from every note. The album wastes no time, with the opener “City Walls” picking up where the cliffhanger of last year’s “Clancy” left off, welcoming the listener back to the city of Dema. The bassline — Wait, what’s a Dema? What must be understood about “Breach,” and honestly, TOP’s discography as a whole, is the interconnected lore. Intertwined within “Breach” is a finale to a story that extends back to the band’s 2015 release “Blurryface.” Dema, a concrete city housed within the fictional continent of Trench, serves as the primary analogy for Joseph’s mental health. Described as being littered with neon gravestones, representative of those who have died by suicide, Dema represents Joseph’s struggles. These struggles are encased within its looming towers and trapped behind its walls of stone.
@TWENTYONEPILOTS/INSTAGRAM
Twenty One Pilots’ eighth studio album is an eclectic mix of tracks, says Juan Almanza (CAS ’29).
There has, however, been a breach in those walls.
“City Walls” punches through with its fighting energy as Joseph raps, “Square up with me, I can take your right, throw a left.” The instrumental walks with swagger, emphasized by a discordant keyboard marking the end of each chorus with a sound so distinct and sudden it feels combative in the best ways. Even as the song slows in the bridge, the lyrics “Entertain my faith” start growing in the background, a direct callback to the song “Holding on to You” from the 2013 song “Vessel.” The instrumental swells, triumphant in its tone, until Tyler screams “This is the last time that I try” as the song comes to a halt.
“RAWFEAR” is where TOP’s experimentation starts to flourish. The song kicks off with echoing, playful screams sampled from Joseph’s daughters and transitions into a heartfelt ballad about his fear. The fear is like the “sounds of empty Uzis,” and the song displays some of Joseph’s most creative songwriting to date. It’s catchy and melodic, but most of all, it feels fresh within a discography that felt a bit stagnant after their 2021 pop record “Scaled and Icy.”
“Drum Show,” the album’s second single, is a hard rock anthem, featuring some amazing screams and a halftime drum rhythm that gives
the song an addictive, rhythmic feeling. It also contains vocals from drummer Josh Dun, a first in the band’s history. The lead single from the album, “The Contract,” draws from alternative sounds, with robotic vocals and calculating synths. The vocal layering is nothing short of gorgeous, most highlighted in its angelic bridge.
TOP’s reinvention shows itself best in “Downstairs,” a reworked demo from 14 years ago. Comparing the final product to the demo (dubbed “Korea Demo” by fans) reveals just how much TOP has grown musically. The composition is more focused, and the overwhelming synths have become melodic pianos, with Joseph’s vocals sounding sharper than they did before. Although this song shows its age with washed out electronics and tinny background vocals, it is a reminder of how far the band has come and how much they have reinvented themselves.
“Robot Voices,” featuring guest writing from indie band Blanket Approval, sounds reminiscent of an old Postal Service song; it’s fun, but sounds a bit derivative. “Tally,” however, is pure energy and my favorite track. Its raw, guttural vocals and dream-like instrumentals, combined with lyrics that weave in the guilt of repeated failures, succeed in evoking a thrilling
and powerful catharsis. I got goosebumps when I first heard it at the Byrdland listening party and knew immediately it would be my favorite.
Now, before addressing “Intentions,” “City Walls” must be revisited. “City Walls” was intended to be the finale of the band’s lore, and it ends by repeating a motif heard only in the song “Heavydirtysoul,” the opener to 2015’s “Blurryface.” The story of Trench is one about cycles, and “Breach” ends just as it began, symbolic of the nature of mental illness. “City Walls,” however, doesn’t stand alone. It is a partner track and music video to “Intentions,” which, per Joseph’s Instagram post, “is my attempt at understanding the ending of the City Walls video.”
“Intentions” features a reversed instrumental and sparse lyrics. The leading line states, “I am starting it all over once again / Did I learn a thing? / Intentions are everything,” in some of Joseph’s softest vocals to date. It’s the feeling of hitting the bottom, knowing the only way is up. It’s raw, gorgeous, and honestly, it made me cry.
The key to it, however, comes in reversing it. When reversed, the song’s instrumental and vocal melody is “Truce,” the closer from 2013’s “Vessel.” Their album cycle comes full circle. Life is a cycle, but “Breach” invites you to find the joy within each and every moment of it.
Isabelle Cialone Deputy Guide Editor
“Do you know what freedom is?” asks Sensei Sergio (Benicio del Toro). “No fear,” he says, quoting civil rights activist Nina Simone.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film embodies this aphorism. A fast-paced, nearly threehour-long sprawling odyssey of an action film, “One Battle After Another” is staunchly pointed in its portrayal of the United States — both contemporary and in the near future — as a scarily recognizable ethno-fascist regime.
The movie opens with the French 75, a militant, radical revolutionary group at the pinnacle of its might, freeing immigrants from a deplorable detention center and steadfastly announcing a revolution. Heading the group is the fearless Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), trailed by her bombmaking lover Ghetto Pat (Leonardo DiCaprio). Their insurgency is rivaled only by their lust — and the terrifying Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), whose encounter with Perfidia teems with volatile
tension — sets up the film’s primary action, which picks up 16 years later.
Gone are the days of Ghetto’s intrepid vigilantism; now, under the pseudonym Bob Ferguson, he is resigned to a reclusive life of stoned haziness off the grid with his and Perfidia’s daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). However, Colonel Lockjaw wields incommensurable power, and he hasn’t yet forgotten about Perfidia or the relict French 75. Infatuated with the white supremacist Christmas Adventurers Club, who praise St. Nicholas and tout ethnic cleansing, Colonel Lockjaw sends his troops after Willa, whose mere existence threatens his stature due to suspicions of him being her father.
Bob is then thrust back into the revolution, a blundering and forgetful shell of the hotshot he once was, carried only by the respect the French 75 name commands. As his and Willa’s exhilarating journeys unfold, Anderson lays bare the horrific state of U.S. politics and the hope that thrives in the shadows, where generations of revolutionaries keep the fight for what’s right alive.
Some all-around incredible performances perfectly complement the politically charged and well-executed plot. Though Taylor is present only during the first halfhour, her presence is truly explosive. Perfidia’s revolutionary zeal lives in Willa, portrayed by a phenomenal Infiniti, who announces herself as an instant star and force to be reckoned with. Penn infuses Colonel Lockjaw with a taut and terrifying gravitas, truly hammering in the inhumane evil of his character. On the flip-side, DiCaprio excellently delivers Bob’s stoned stupor and his bumbling, but ultimately wholesome, attempt to rescue his daughter. Though the grim reality the film presents is depressing, “One Battle After Another” is chock-full of humorous moments that depict just how out of touch Bob became in his decade-and-a-half-long smoke sesh. Bob’s foolishness is balanced by Sensei Sergio’s clarity and level-headedness. Even as Lockjaw’s agents close in on Sergio’s Underground Railroad-esque migrant rescue operation, he keeps his cool composure, and
IMDB
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” urges audiences to beckon in the revolution, says Isabelle Cialone (CAS ’27).
the two men’s unlikely friendship provides a number of comedic respites.
Of course, the peace and calm can’t last long in a revolution action movie, and speechless breath-holding quickly takes the place of laughs as fights and car chases ensue. One car chase scene in particular establishes itself as one of the best shots of the year — the camera bounces along rolling hills as the cars disappear and reappear before your eyes. Every second feels like forever and you cling to the edge of your seat, the tension growing frantic and palpable throughout the whole theater.
With Anderson’s directorial prowess joined by Michael Bauman’s excellent cinematography, “One Battle After Another” is not only a compelling and incredibly important story, but also a visual feast. Incredible aerial shots mixed with bouncing and jostling handheld sequences deliver a final product that showcases the ugliness of the United States that Bob is fighting and the beauty of that resistance.
“One Battle After Another” solidifies Anderson’s place as an auteur at the peak of his craft. Teeming with palpable rage, hope, humor and anxiety, the film perfectly captures the confusion and the fear that seem inherent to life today. Yet, it is also a fearless rallying cry full of hope that today’s youth — you and I — will take a stand.
Tanvi Gorripati
Senior Guide Editor
Justin Tipping’s “Him” follows rising quarterback Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) after an attack by an obsessive fan. Offered the chance of his lifetime, Cameron joins his idol, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), at an isolated training compound to prove his talent, only to realize that nothing there is as it seems. Produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, the film continues in the studio’s tradition of horror with a moral under current. However, “Him” doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors: The allegory is somehow both too on the nose and frustratingly muddled amid the chaos of the movie. There is a very clear, almost too clear, message about the dangers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and its devastating effects on
football players. Cameron suffers a head injury early on, and the film repeatedly cuts to X-ray imagery during player collisions, as if to make sure we don’t miss the point. Given the ongoing debates around helmet safety, and the growing number of players struggling with CTE and consequently displaying increased violence, this should be a compelling and timely theme. Instead, it feels heavy-handed, as though Tipping didn’t trust us to grasp the message without an excess of brain-scan imagery.
Ironically, the film’s more compelling threads, warnings of drug dependence in sports and the toxic culture of fan worship, end up drowned out. The movie hints at the dangers of athletes being turned into idols, as fans project impossible expectations onto players and treat them as near-divine figures. This tied neatly into the Christ imagery plastered across the marketing and throughout the film,
with the primary poster for the film featuring a bloodied Withers in cruciform pose, but these themes flicker only briefly before getting lost in the chaos, leaving the film’s sharper insights buried under its bluntest moments.
On a technical level, “Him” delivers. The music is phenomenal, genuinely amplifying the scare factor. The union of cinematography and soundtrack had me covering my eyes and ears in anticipation of the next jump scare. In fact, I probably spent the majority of the movie watching through my fingers, but I am historically bad at handling jump scares, so this says more about me than the frightfulness of the film itself.
My biggest qualm with the film is its dialogue, which was, frankly, corny. For a horror movie trying to serve as an allegory about the dangers of football, I was expecting a lot more depth. Instead many lines were rem-
@IMDB
Tanvi Gorripati (CAS ’27) claims that the newest football horror film, “Him,” is aesthetically pleasing but lacks depth.
iniscent of a group of twelve-year-old boys trying to seem cooler than they are. The climactic scene features White menacingly claiming that he “is football,” which had me laughing out loud rather than sending shivers down my spine. However, given the adolescent quality of the dialogue, it is admirable how frighteningly believable the actors were able to deliver their lines.
The clear standout was Marlon Wayans as Isaiah White. He brings a magnetism to the role, making even the most stilted lines feel both genuine and unnervingly sinister. His transformation from disarmingly charming mentor to unhinged zealot is the best performance of the film. Newcomer Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade also delivers a solid performance, though something feels incomplete. Julia Fox as Isaiah White’s wife, Mrs. White, leans into a familiar persona, somewhere between herself and a quite obvious parody of Gwyneth Paltrow featuring a jade buttplug. It works well enough, even if it doesn’t quite offer anything new.
The film is a clear representation of style over substance. However, the style is definitely good enough to make it worth watching. The cinematography is beautiful. Some scenes are definitely more comparable to a Nike commercial than a movie, while others are akin to Renaissance paintings, the most memorable being a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” with Cameron Cade as Jesus. Adding to the effectiveness of the cinematography is the set design. Tipping uses long, cavernous hallways and somber colors to heighten the tension while simultaneously leaving you awestruck at the opulence.
Despite its flaws, I ended up enjoying the film. It is far from perfect, with clunky dialogue and heavy-handed allegory, but the style, scares and performances (not to mention a very attractive cast) kept me hooked. “Him” is best appreciated for its striking imagery and atmosphere, though it definitely requires a strong stomach.
Ginger Fernandez and Riya
Sundaram Guide Columnists
As college students, we often find our stomachs craving more flavor amid tedious days of dining hall hot dogs. If you’ve been admiring the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants around the Georgetown neighborhood but don’t know where to start, our first installment of “The Eat Speak” is for you. Every month, we go to restaurants in and around Georgetown — all from the same cuisine — and provide you with a list of that cuisine’s best restaurants.
We rate restaurants on a 5-point scale by taste, for the overall enjoyment factor of the meal; cost, relative to the content, quality and amount of food; and accessibility, based on the distance from campus, seating availability and food wait time.
Falafel Inc
1210 Potomac St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007
As one of the first restaurants recommended to us (second only to The Tombs) after setting foot on Georgetown University’s campus, Falafel Inc certainly lives up to its mighty reputation. Walking down Prospect Street, Falafel Inc is an easy gem to overlook. With a space only
large enough to comfortably accommodate 10 or so people at a time, the small restaurant functions more as an open-kitchen and quick service restaurant than as a sit-down dining option. For the humble, Palestinian-founded, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area-based chain, this tight space frequently means lines out the door, often consisting mostly of Georgetown students — and for good reason.
Despite the kitschy reputation that chain restaurants tend to hold, Falafel Inc feels as friendly and warm as your everyday mom-andpop. After a surprisingly short wait in the long line of hungry locals, a first-timer might be surprised by the very concise menu. Its entrees consist of only three items: the falafel bowl, the falafel sandwich and the shawarma sandwich. The rest of the menu is a selection of sauces and sides, including their za’atar fries, which alone bring this restaurant’s taste rating to a 5/5. We settled on ordering the most iconic menu item as our entree — the falafel sandwich — priced at a shocking $4. The food arrived quickly and in sizable portions, with perhaps the highest enjoyment factor of any restaurant on this list.
Taste: 5.0 | Cost: 5.0 | Accessibility: 3.8
Muncheez 1071 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 Muncheez is a small restaurant in a multicolored building on Wisconsin
Avenue that’s definitely worth checking out. It serves a wide range of options, from homemade drinks to manakeesh and Levantine flatbread to sweet crepes. The restaurant usually isn’t too busy and has a quaint feel, with French posters and small tables in the back. We ordered a spread of the falafel sandwich, the Muncheez cheesesteak in a manakeesh, the fries, some jallab — a Middle Eastern drink made with dates and rose water — and three extra sauces to try. Unsurprisingly, the combo of beef, cheese, sumac onions and garlic mayo was insanely good and our favorite part of the order. The fries were also enjoyable, especially dipped in tahini sauce. Opinions were split on jallab, as it has a rather unique flavor, but it was useful to cuts through the heavier meal of beef and cheese, and we recommend trying it out if you like sweet, fruity drinks. Though the falafel sandwich was enjoyable, we wouldn’t recommend it as this spot’s strong suit. While Muncheez definitely offers good food, our order for two came out to be roughly $40 — not the kind of money many college students are looking to spend every night. As a once-in-a-while delicacy, Muncheez is definitely worth a try, especially since it closes at 4:30 a.m. on weekends and 2:30 a.m. on weekdays. Whether you need some food after a late
By Isabelle Cialone
The Immigration Film Fest, hosted by nonprofit organization KAMA DC, honors and supports immigrant artists by showcasing their work. This year’s festival will be hybrid, with four in-person screenings showing at Regal Gallery Place in downtown Washington, D.C., until Sept. 28, and various virtual screenings available until Oct. 4. Learn more and get tickets on their website.
night hangout or an intense study session, Muncheez will be there waiting for you.
Yellow
3.4 | Cost: 2.9 | Accessibility: 4.3
1524 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007
As a beautiful bakery on Wisconsin Avenue that almost always has a long line, Yellow might seem overhyped. But even though the food is expensive and employees try to sell you merch while you’re waiting in line, Yellow is absolutely worth it. Though you can go for any meal and get an array of interesting foods, our review focuses on Yellow’s dinner options. We bought two (not) pizzas, the harissa and the burnt eggplant, as well as a smoked dirty chai and a coconut cardamom iced coffee, for a total of $63, with each pizza costing a little over $20. The harissa (not) pizza was our favorite, with burrata, basil, harissa — a hot chili pepper paste — and jibne, a soft, white Middle Eastern cheese. The burnt eggplant was also great, with eggplant, smoked feta, roasted peppers, chili crisp and kefta, a seasoned ground meat. Finally, though the drinks weren’t quite to our tastes, we could definitely see the appeal of each. While the price makes it clear it’s not an everyday meal, Yellow is a restaurant that’s absolutely worth trying at least once during your time at Georgetown.
Taste: 4.5 | Cost: 3.3 | Accessibility: 3.4
The All Things Go Music Festival is back in the DMV this year for another weekend of fantastic musical performances. With headliners including Noah Kahan, Clairo, Doechii, Kesha and more, all music tastes are compiled. The festival is at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., Sept. 26-28. For tickets and more information, check out the official website.
The D.C. Coffee Festival will run this weekend, Sept. 27-28, at Dock 5 in Union Market. Those in attendance can sample coffee from more than 30 vendors, and they will have access to food available for purchase, live music and more. Tickets and information about the roasters are available on the festival’s website.
Join WGTB Georgetown Radio, Georgetown Coalition for Workers’ Rights and Prospect Records for an evening of music and student-worker solidarity on Copley Lawn this Friday, Sept. 26, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Perfomances will include student bands, and those in attendance will also have access to food and small snacks.
Grace Ko
Senior Guide Editor
If you were looking for one of the most harrowing voices in the world, you would have found it at The Anthem, where English singer-songwriter Sam Fender took the stage on an unsuspecting Tuesday night. Backed with a dynamic band and beautiful lyrics, Fender’s stop in Washington, D.C., was a magical sequence full of passion and heart.
Shot into stardom by his 2019 debut album “Hypersonic Missiles,” Fender released his third album, “People Watching,” earlier this year — an 11-track project that showcased Fender’s storytelling and larger-than-life instrumentation. Hitting seven cities on this branch of his “People Watching” tour, Fender returns to the United States with a revived energy after previous cancellations in North America and Europe due to health issues.
The show opened with indie rock band Young Jesus, led by frontman John Rossiter. The quartet looked tiny on the stage, but their infectious energy was enough to make up for the empty space. Rossiter’s voice is emotive and
gorgeous, positively soaring in the pre-choruses of “Rabbit.” However, the highlight had to be the simple piano and guitar combination of “Two Brothers,” a song Rossiter described as having come from using song to let hardships and loss loose on a church organ with his friends.
When Fender took the stage, the cheers and wave of sound that was “Angel of Lothian” immediately transformed the space, the atmospheric blue of Young Jesus’ set shifting to bright white and orange lights. The set faded into “Will We Talk?” soon after, to which Fender encouraged the audience to dance. After a quick introduction, the driving beat of “Getting Started” filled the expanse of The Anthem. Although the concert was light on tracks from the eponymous album, with only four of the 11 tracks on the album performed, the setlist was a good mix of both the hits and lesser-known tracks from his previous albums “Seventeen Going Under” and “Hypersonic Missiles.” Much of Fender’s music is quite rhythmic, making slower songs such as “Crumbling Empire” and “Spit of You” feel as engaging and driven as faster-paced, instrumentally full tracks like “Getting Started.”
From the barricade, the Anthem’s sound setup made the band feel like a pounding wave of sound — strong, yet sometimes overpowering. However, Fender’s voice cleanly cut through the space, a gorgeous tenor in the midst of the beautiful instrumental layers.
A lot of the concert’s lively energy was as much a credit to Fender’s wonderful band as Fender’s performance. The band’s saxophonist Johnny “Blue Hat” Davis was a consistent highlight, shining particularly during “People Watching.” Keyboardist, occasional tambourinist and backing vocalist Brooke Bentham’s voice elevated “Tyrants,” an enchanting blend of her and Fender’s voices on the track’s chorus.
It was clear the whole band was having the time of their lives on stage, and that enthusiasm couldn’t help but pull the audience into the performance. D.C. can be hit or miss in terms of crowd energy — and given that it was a Tuesday, much of the audience felt more willing to sway rather than sing their hearts out. But that initial calm turned into an outpouring of heart by the show’s end, with much thanks to keyboardist and guitarist Joe Atkinson, who didn’t miss a chance to encourage the crowd to let loose.
JULIANA MELARA-RECINOS / THE HOYA
Sam Fender captivated his crowd in performance at The Anthem Sept. 25, says Grace Ko (CAS ’27).
Fender was quite playful throughout the show’s entirety, frequently joking with the crowd. At one point, he commented on the crowd’s politeness as claps and cheers cut off in clean bits, but that didn’t last long as the crowd delved into grunts, hoots and barks by the end of “Wild Long Lie.” After Fender expressed his appreciation for the new chants (“never heard that one before,” he joked), the grunts were a mainstay for the rest of the show.
A few audience members were able to participate in the show themselves. Selected for his sign, which read “Can I play in Borders, por favor?” one audience member joined Fender on the stage, playing the acoustic guitar for “The Borders.” During the encore, another fan positively shrieked for a performance of “Spice” as Fender prepared to play “The Dying Light.” “Tell you what, if you let me get through this fucking song, I’ll play it,” Fender said — and, much to that fan’s delight, the pounding drums of “Spice” came soon after. It was indeed this interaction between artist and audience that made the show all the more special. The most beautiful moments were when Fender and his band led the audience to sing the choruses and backing melodic lines of “Seventeen Going Under” and “Hypersonic Missiles.” It was magical to be in the dark space as the audience finally let all their inhibitions go and sang the iconic melody of “oh”s that make up “Seventeen Going Under” before the encore.
In the past year, I have listened to Fender; I’ve found that what makes his music so special is the quiet beauty buried underneath the often massive instrumentation that builds the anthemic base Fender is known for. On that Tuesday night, Fender and his band put that beauty on full display — a joyous, ever-beating force of nature, inviting the audience to join in on the wonderful spirit and passion they poured out on the stage.
Riya Sundaram Hoya Staff Writer
“Demon Slayer,” one of the most popular anime shows of this decade, recently released the first movie of its three-part finale, “Infinity Castle.” “Demon Slayer” is essentially an anime about kids learning swordfighting to slay demons (shocking) with their super special breathing techniques that give them magic powers. The plot is fun, but one of the main draws of the show is its art. The anime has a beautiful way of combining the 2D art style anime is known for with 3D fight scenes, and the movie did not disappoint. If you’re a fan of “Demon Slayer,” you should absolutely watch this movie, even with its lengthy two-and-a-half-hour run time.
Though I’ll do my best, it’s hard to summarize the plot of a movie like this without spoiling anything from the earlier installments — so look away if you’re not ready for that! The movie begins with main character Tanjiro Kamado (Natsuki Hanae) and his friends falling into an “infinite” maze prepared by the boss demon of the franchise, Muzan. “Infinity Castle” focuses on Kamado and company searching for Muzan to try to kill him once and for all. While in the maze, they stumble across multiple demon henchmen. These fights are charged with tragic backstories, dramatic music and the culmination of character development. Though the ending doesn’t resolve the story arc, it left me satisfied with this movie as its own story — and has me dying for more.
In terms of characters, only a few of them are relevant to the movie’s central battles. However, the movie does a good job of showcasing everyone in the large cast, even for brief comedic moments, while still allowing its main characters to shine.
The movie features the climax of multiple characters’ development throughout the franchise. Both Zenitsu Agatsuma (Hiro Shimono) and Shinobu Kocho (Saori Hayami) have turning points where they come face-to-face with a demon who hurt the people closest to them.
Agatsuma’s moment is handled extremely well, with a good mix between slow emotional confrontations and charged battle scenes ( because he has electricity powers — get it?). These contrasts are made even better by the changes in music and the fight’s differences in the choreography. Small details like these really elevated this movie and made you forget how long it was.
However, not every moment hits this success. While Kocho’s battle against one of the topranking demons exposed an interesting side of her character, its pacing fell short. The scene draws out too long, with characters delivering redundant lines and music that conflicted with the emotional beats, disrupting the audience’s emotional investment in her development arc. I was disappointed that in one of the movie’s main plot points the filmmakers push for length instead of quality.
The final character we need to mention is Akaza (Akira Ishida), one of the highestranked demons, who killed one of Kamado’s mentors in an earlier season of the show. Much of the movie focuses on Kamado and his companion, Giyu Tomioka (Takahiro
Sakurai), battling this demon. Though it has copious amounts of flashbacks (a classic in anime), this battle was executed perfectly.
Not only did the battle showcase the growth of our two main characters, it also took an unexpected turn in the latter half to examine Akaza’s backstory. Though not an unfamiliar concept in anime, this shift really worked for the movie as it expanded on one of the main themes of “Demon Slayer” — that even demons deserve love.
Finally, the producers did not skimp on the art in this movie. Though there were a couple outliers wherein the 3D visuals looked a bit wonky — mainly scenes involving the big, bad Muzan — and a couple still frames that went on longer than needed, the movie’s art was stunning. Even the setting of the movie was
beautiful, designed as a 3D shifting maze akin to M.C. Escher’s optical illusion paintings. The amount of work put into the movie is evident in every battle as characters clash in a whirlwind of frames you can barely see. Watching the film makes you wonder how much art you’re missing; it makes you not want to blink. Each fight scene has a mix of 2D and 3D art signature to “Demon Slayer” that brings such visual intrigue to the movie. Though I wouldn’t recommend seeing this movie as your introduction to the franchise, the new “Demon Slayer” movie, “Infinity Castle,” is absolutely worth watching. It’s action-packed, flushed with series-long character development and has the series’ signature amazing art style. It’s a satisfying beginning to the end of the series and has me so hyped for the next two movies.
Riya Sundaram (CAS ’29) says the new addition to “Demon Slayer” is action-packed.
Brad Derfner Guide Columnist
To many, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which just wrapped up Sept. 14, acts as a symbolic “starting gun” for the coming year’s awards season. This year, as usual, the conversation surrounding the festival focused on its People’s Choice Award (PCA), a fan-voted award that is TIFF’s top prize. Importantly, past PCA winners and runners-up are nominated in major categories at the Academy Awards at an extremely high rate. However, 2025 marked a new page for TIFF with the addition of a new International PCA (IPCA) category, which acts functionally the same as the existing award but with voting limited to only non-Canadian and non-American films. Ideally, the creation of the new award should do more than just diversify the winners list — an already visible recent trend with “Emilia Pérez,” a French production, and “The Boy and the Heron,” from famed Japanese animators Studio Ghibli, placing as runners-up in the past two years — and hopefully establish a new pathway for Oscars glory. The inaugural IPCA was given to “No Other Choice” from veteran South Korean director Park Chan-wook, whose 2022 film “Decision to Leave” was controversially snubbed from any recognition at the 95th Academy Awards. Lee Byung-hun stars as the lead of “No Other Choice,”
a black comedy thriller satirizing the modern job market, particularly emphasizing the pressures of generative AI. Early hype for the movie seems to surround a possible push for Park to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars, a category looking more crowded every week. However, I’m not sure he is well-known enough to American moviegoers to find traction among the general audience here. If the movie does maintain its crowd-pleasing power and catches on worldwide, there could be both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay nominations in its future. The film premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival in August with raving reviews but left Italy empty-handed, so winning a major prize in Toronto could either be a sign of more trophies to come or merely a fluke in the ever-shifting landscape of awards season.
“Sentimental Value,” the first runner-up for the IPCA, was seen as primary competition for the award, especially after earning the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Noteworthy for its star-studded cast of veterans including Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning, alongside a breakout performance from Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value” is a family drama that has established itself among the top cut of Oscar contenders. Although the chatter out of TIFF was fairly muted following the film’s showings, the film clearly has found a niche, having received praise at two major festivals, and its path for Oscar
nominations across the board is looking clearer every day. Possible pushes for the film include Joachim Trier for Best Director, Reinsve for Best Lead Actress, Skarsgård for Best Supporting Actor, both Fanning and Lilleaas for Best Supporting Actress and, obviously, Best Picture. However, wins may be a bit harder to come by for “Sentimental Value,” with competition in Best Director and Best Supporting Actor heating up as of late, mostly due to Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest smash hit with critics, “One Battle After Another.” On top of that, while both Fanning and Lilleaas do give great performances, campaigning both of them in the same category could cannibalize the vote, leading to neither being truly competitive for the win.
The second runner-up position provided the biggest shock from the IPCA results, with the fairly unheralded “Homebound” sneaking into the third slot. Not only was it a surprise to me, but the movie was essentially not on my radar at all. Although the film premiered at Cannes and has already been selected as India’s submission for Best International Feature Film, the drama chronicling two friends’ journey to pass a national police exam is unlikely to create much noise due to the slew of quality international features this season.
Frankly, the more important aspect of the placement of “Homebound,” at least for award purposes, are the implications for “It Was Just An Accident,” a film that was widely predicted to be
competitive for the IPCA. Not only is it the reigning Palme d’Or winner, but North American distributor Neon has already begun a generous awards campaign for director Jafar Panahi. Neon has now won six Palmes in a row, with four of the previous five Neon distributed films also being nominated for Best Picture. With such a glowing track record from its distributor — along with social urgency behind the film itself, as Panahi’s latest work explores political and social repression in Iran — “It Was Just An Accident” has been placed by many, including myself, into early Best Picture lineups. Could missing the IPCA, which is itself a new and unproven award, prove essentially meaningless in the end? Probably. But it is still not a good look for a film that has its sights set on nominations in Best Picture, Best Director and, likely, Best Original Screenplay. Neon is also the distributor for “No Other Choice,” which adds a layer of complexity to the situation, as the two movies are competing in many of the same categories. I personally can’t wait to see how the race unfolds and will be watching how each contender performs at the global box office. Ultimately, the International People’s Choice award has already proven itself to be yet another interesting wrinkle in the crowded lineup of fall festival awards, adding a broader scope to TIFF’s influence. However, only time will tell if the new offshoot of the famed PCA will continue its predecessor’s track record at predicting Oscars glory.
1. Ivan or Nikolai, famously
2. Another, in Argentina
3. Hasty, as in a decision 4. Shies away from
5. Temporary herbal tattoo dyes 6. Addams cousin
7. You can see whales on it 8. Tibetan guru
9. “We _____ please!”
By Jackson Roberts
1. Jewish religious text
6. Tierra rodeada por agua
10. Bldg. subunits
14. Hold off
15. Comes after pad and before tea
16. Executive Toscano
17. Insurance-fraud verdict
18. Taylor Swift debut single, named after another famous singer
20. Senior Design Kudva
22. Term of endearment, often following “cutie”
23. Kendrick album
25. Not at sea
26. The Hoya reporter’s credential
31. Ray-finned fish
32. Southern Calif. airport with 8 terminals
33. Former House majority leader from Virginia
37. Home of the SEC’s Bulldogs
38. What 16-, 20-, 54- and 61-Across are all examples of
39. Gardening tool
40. Yates aficionado’s pride
42. French article
43. Companion of satyrs or a pot?
44. Passed down from forebears, or shuffled around from Lancaster?
47. Match before the main event, briefly
50. It finishes the trio with foil and sabre
51. Spooky feeling
54. Senior Features Ramchandren
58. Change into vapor
60. Ushered from the front door
61. Senior News Abramovitz
62. Mussel cousin
63. Endorse on a screen
64. Watches
65. High-fat, low-carb diet
66. Macabre medieval art allegory
10. Someone from Luanda, for example
11. Janis Joplin’s birthplace
12. “Hey, Soul Sister” singer
13. Worked with lumber
19. Drums or lines
21. Get in the way, as of progress
24. Tokyo airport
26. “Clue” professor
27. Prego competitor
28. Tire out
29. Hold tight to chest, as with information
30. Wall light
34. Heebie-jeebies
35. Chaplin of “Game of Thrones”
36. Film unit
38. Pacific weather phenomenon
41. Successors to Muhammad
45. Shut tight
46. Albanian saint, often associated with Kolkata
47. They review papers
48. Group of skits and the like
49. Keytruda owner
52. Discount
53. RBI, HR or INT
55. Ruler of Valhalla
56. Many viral TikTok trends
57. What two of Henry VIII’s wives were named
59. Subgenre of punk music