By Nathalie Chan ’19 & Miguel Villacorta ’19
2017 was a bitter year filled with conflicts in politics and world news. We’ve experienced mass shootings at churches, nightclubs, and schools. We’ve also experienced a lack of satisfaction within our government, multiple hate rallies, damage to our cities, and calls to violence. People were looking for an escape from reality and all the negativity in life. Luckily, America had a savior from all of the antagonism.
2017 was a phenomenal year for TV shows, movies, entertainment, and music. With new movies and films being released almost daily, we have never had this much content to consume. Many of you are familiar with shows like “Stranger Things”, “Thirteen Reasons Why”, and “Riverdale” as well as movies such as “Wonder Woman”, “IT”, “Spider-man: Homecoming”, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, and “Justice League” that came out last year.
Music is also a way to be free from the struggles of the real world. This year, rising artists such as Logic, Khalid, and Alessia Cara emerged, while returning artists like Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Sam Smith delivered their best work yet. These artists lifted our spirits and filled us with hope for a better world. One of the songs that stuck out from the rest was “1-800-273-8255” by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid. Appropriately named after the National Suicide Hotline, this song reminded us that there is always a bright side in a tough situation and there is always someone that we can turn to for help. Logic wrote this song to raise awareness for mental illness and to encourage people to call for help. We are passionate about these shows, movies, and musicians because they are relevant to our experiences in high school and in our personal lives.
2018 will be an impressive year for entertainment; not only will new things be released, but we can look forward to continuations of the stories that we have grown to love. “Jurassic World 2”, “The Incredibles 2”, “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Deadpool 2”, and many more exciting sequels are extending their storylines. Fourteen years after the acclaimed first film, we are finally receiving the long-awaited sequel that continues the story of a beloved superhero family, “The Incredibles.”
In 2018, we look forward to entertainment that motivates us to overcome the tough situations that we continue to experience in our lives. The growth of pop culture last year changed the way people viewed the world, bringing people together through common interests and passions. 2017 gave the world hope in the darkest of times. We hope 2018 will continue to bring enthusiasm and optimism.
Into the Jungle 