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The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

“Lilo & Stitch” is a decent standalone movie with entertaining characters, visually pleasing sets and a fast-paced plot, but it falls short of the original animated movie and makes unnecessary, downgrading modifications. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

‘Lilo & Stitch’ is enjoyable, but has a few sloppy stitches

The fun live action adaptation is enjoyable yet unfaithful to the original
Giljoon Lee and Ellie Wang
June 2, 2025
Jin reminisces about a past lover in the music video for “Don't Say You Love Me.” Photo courtesy of Big Hit Music

Jin is lost and incohesive on ‘Echo’

The BTS member’s solo EP is an uneven collection of songs with standout moments, but are mostly mediocre and sometimes bad
Giljoon Lee
May 28, 2025
Graphic | Vaishnavi Katukam

In Review: Volume 7, 2025

El Estoque’s staff review recently released media, ranging from Ken Carson's surprise release to Maroon 5’s latest single
PinkPantheress poses amongst a sea of flowers for the cover of "Fancy That." Courtesy of Warner Brothers | Used with permission

PinkPantheress shatters all expectations with “Fancy That”

The mixtape stuns with its lyricism, sampling and creativity
Vaishnavi Katukam and Kate Yang
May 24, 2025
The protagonist Hatsune Miku appears on an electronic device among various citizens. Photo courtesy of P.A. Works

‘Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing’ misses the beat

Despite impactful animations, the film struggles to provide adequate context for viewers
Elizabeth Yang and Owen Liu
April 30, 2025
Rapper Ken Carson embraces his dark and violent aesthetic through the cover art of “More Chaos.” Photo courtesy of Interscope Records

‘More Chaos’ displays piecemeal technical improvement from its predecessor

Opium-signed rapper Ken Carson’s fourth album is manic and messy
Samika Bhatkar
April 29, 2025
A group of survivors, led by Smoke, prepares for battle against vampires. | Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios

‘Sinners’ is stylish, sexy and seething with culture

The only sin this film commits is not giving us more
Sagnik Nag Chowdhury
April 25, 2025
“A Minecraft Movie” smashed box office records this year as 2025’s highest-grossing film. | Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

‘A Minecraft Movie’ digs up humor and chaos from the mines

The long-awaited film embraces creativity out of nothingness
Alan Tai and Samuel Teo
April 22, 2025
Graphic | Jillian Ju

In Review: Volume 6, 2025

El Estoque's staff review recently released media, ranging from Netflix's newest romcom to Lil Tecca's latest single
The album cover depicts a hotel building called “The Crux,” the basic concept for Keery’s third album. The corresponding YouTube videos include a similar level of calculated chaos. Photo | AWAL

‘The Crux’ gets back into the heart of things

Djo’s third album is playful, if patchy
Jillian Ju
April 11, 2025
Snow White (Rachel Zegler) poses with Jonathan (Andrew Burnap). | Photo courtesy of Disney Studios

‘Snow White’ aims to spread messages about fairness, but plummets fairly quickly

The newest Disney addition adds to the long list of the studio’s failures, with poor execution cheapening the quality of the beloved classic
Sana Karkhanis, Staff Writer
April 9, 2025
The interior of the ZERO& storefront in Cupertino Village is adorned with curtains and bags that scream the company logo, “0&.” Photo | Jillian Ju

Dessert Detectives: ZERO& | Cupertino Village

Reviewing popular menu items based on quality and taste
Jillian Ju and Benjamin Zhang
April 8, 2025
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