Historically, the media has played an undeniable role in framing and spreading racist stereotypes that have set up narratives to create the misogynoir that is present in today’s media.

Around 25 students showed up sporting Nikes, Vans, Dr. Martens, sweaters and hoodies, with mostly women in attendance, gathered at Amundson Hall on a cold night on Oct. 14 to discuss the negative portrayals of Black women in today’s film, television and pop culture.

Hosted by Black Motivated Women (BMW), a group whose mission is to promote sisterhood and build community through cultural education, University of Minnesota students and BMW members Gwen King-Lunde and Bethany Tamrat led the discussion, advertised through Instagram as “Misogynoir in Media.”

King-Lunde, a third-year student double majoring in African American and African Studies and Sociology, led the discussion, along with third-year student Tamrat, a double major in Business/Marketing and Urban Studies. To kick off the event, the group played Catch Phrase, an icebreaker game that consisted of Black-themed categories such as food, music, people, hairstyles and Black cinema.

Created to shine a light on relevant topics in the Black communities, King-Lunde saw a lack of space in mainstream discourse to bring these conversations of Black history and culture among Black women to the surface.

“I realized representation is going backward for Black women today, but in the ‘90s we had a lot of good representation for dark-skinned Black women,” King-Lunde said. The shows in question, “Living Single,” “Sister Sister,” “The Parkers” and “Moesha,” to name a few, depicted Black women from multiple perspectives while giving them the autonomy to be themselves.

Misogynoir in Media
So, let’s talk about it.

Defined as “the ways anti-Black and misogynistic representation shape broader ideas about Black women, particularly in visual culture and digital spaces,” the term “misogynoir” was coined by Moya Bailey, a Northeastern University professor and Black feminist scholar.

The hosts hoped the event would teach attendees about how to identify specific examples of misogynoir so people can call it out when they see it. The event was also meant to be a call to action, to examine how we can all “work together to stop and eliminate the stereotypes that media perpetuate,” Tamrat said.

“This was a chance to unify Black women and to share what Black women are experiencing on campus, so they don’t feel isolated — this gives us the opportunity to connect over our shared experiences at a public white institution,” Tamrat said.

The first topic students discussed were the many problematic tropes of Black women in the media, which involves the sapphire (the angry Black woman), the mammy (the overly nurturing Black woman), the jezebel (the hypersexual Black woman) and the strong Black woman.

The trope that Black women are vehemently angry without sense or direction transcends Tyler Perry’s film canon and makes its way into reality. This, they discussed, is how stereotypes persist. Students agreed that Hollywood superstar Taraji P. Henson has been casted as the sapphire in two of Tyler Perry’s films –– “Acrimony” and “I Can Do Bad All by Myself” –– in which she plays an unreasonably angry Black woman. However, as stated in the room’s discussion, Perry can be criticized as having a history of writing Black women in demeaning roles.

“Media is a very powerful tool and if people haven’t interacted with Black women in real life, they could start to believe the stereotypes they see on TV, which could speak to their subconscious biases toward Black women,” Pamela Gray, a second-year astrophysics student, said. Gray said she feels passionate about treatment of Black women and understanding and dismantling misogynoir in the media and in real life.

The group also discussed the mammy stereotype, a racial caricature that dates back to the Jim Crow era in which Black women were depicted on stage and in films as maids or slaves who were happy to be slaves. This role ignored the historical race-relations between Black women and white people, in which Black women lovingly took care of white families despite their own oppressed and disenfranchised position in society.

The role portrayed Black women as dark-skinned, overweight women who spoke in broken English. In fact, these characters were used to justify the subjugation of Black people because they were always smiling, despite their servitude status. This trope led to cultural implications that would affect how white people and others view Black women as servants or second-class citizens in comparison to them even today. Also, other cultural implications of the historical racist objectification of Black women have been normalized, so Black womens’ identities and creations have been appropriated by white women and beyond, both nationally and globally.

Another point of discussion was the Jezebel trope, which has created the stereotype that Black women are hypersexual and animalistic in their approach to romanticism. This trope has been utilized to justify the rape and sexual abuse of Black women during and after American slavery. The impact of the Jezebel character continues today and has been utilized to sexualize Black girls by controlling what they wear. For example, Black girls’ bodies and clothing are policed in schools because staff assume they are being promiscuous, which leads to their racial criminalization and racial victimization by the white gaze.

Historically, Black people have often been excluded from the mainstream media as actors, directors and writers, except for roles where they were subjected to playing caricatures.

The group discussed how images in pop culture reinforce racial stereotypes, which leads to the exploitation of Black women. An example of this was the exploitation of Kimberly “Sweet Brown” Wilkins, who survived a fire that was started in her apartment complex. Wilkins later became known as the “Ain’t nobody got time for that” lady because her follow-up interview with the press was turned into a meme online because of her voice and language.

Wilkins’ situation could be viewed as modern-day blackface because she was turned into a meme without context, which is similar to the caricatures that white filmmakers portrayed of Black people in media.

Historically, blackface has included white people speaking in broken English, wearing ragged clothes and presenting a joyous attitude toward the oppression of Black people in America. These performances imply that Black people did not mind being oppressed or enslaved.

Blackface was one of the most popular forms of artistic expression during the 1800s and 1900s, and it was pervasive. White people performed in blackface across America and it was the impetus of fanatically obscene fascination with Black people while not acknowledging Black people’s humanity or existence as people.

When the group discussed the strong Black woman trope, a conversation started about musician Tory Lanez allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in her foot –– it is widely believed that Lanez shot her. When it was revealed that Lanez allegedly shot Stallion, she faced backlash from people on social media who gaslit her and denied her credibility.

This trope suggests that Black women can endure immeasurable pain without faltering; therefore, they should be expected to go on regardless of the difficulties they face. It dehumanizes Black women because it ignores the root of whatever conflict they are facing while also applying herculean strength upon their shoulders.

Another point of discussion was the appropriation and theft of Black women’s language (AAVE) and dance moves. Ebonics has been passed off as “Gen Z language,” which is another form of cultural genocide because it discredits the origniators of said language. They also talked about TikTok star Charli D’Amelio stealing the Renegade dance from Jalaiah Harman, a young Black girl from Atlanta.

This is one example of how white people steal culture from Black people while also “robbing Black people of their wealth,” King-Lunde said.

The last discussion centered around Black women in sports, including Serena Williams’ and Simone Biles’ negative portrayal in the media for various reasons. The Herald Sun’s cartoonist, Mark Knight drew a racist caricature of Williams, but the newspaper defended Knight’s drawing. The paper agreed with Knight, who claimed his drawing was not racist. The Australian Press Council also agreed that Knight used absurdity and exaggeration to make a point rather than a racial caricature. This is a form of racialized gaslighting that Black women often experience.

The three main goals for the event were first to teach those in attendance about misogynoir and second, to identify specific examples of misogynoir so people can call it out when they see it. The third goal was a call to action, which focused on identifying the issues while also asking, “How can we all work together to stop and eliminate the stereotypes that media perpetuate?” Tamrat said.

“We want to let Black women on campus know that Black Motivated Women is a safe space for them,” King-Lunde said. “They’re the ones we prioritize.”

A24 does it again with “Lamb,” an Icelandic horror folk film that focuses on a couple living on an isolated farm where impending doom lurks around each corner, or in their case, mountain.

The filmmakers of “Lamb” made a film about motherhood, love and grief. Director Valdimar Jóhannsson wanted to explore the importance of whether motherhood could transcend nature and nurture on the basis that mythology coexists with the real world.

“Lamb” follows a couple who live on an isolated farm in the mountains of Iceland following the death of their daughter, Ada. They come across one of the lambs on their farm giving birth to a mythical creature, but the shocking revelation isn’t verbally addressed. Instead, Maria and Ingvar both look at each other with confused, yet hopeful expressions, believing that they’re getting another chance at parenthood.

Grieving parents Maria and Ingvar steal and adopt their farm lamb’s anthropomorphic baby to fill the void left by their dead daughter. Ironically, they name the anthropomorphic baby Ada, too. The lamb is uncanny – her design involves a lamb head, human torso, human legs, one human arm and one arm with a hoof for a hand.

The crux of this film’s plot involves the lives of Maria and Ingvar after Ada’s death as they raise the lamb as their own child. Their lives are changed because they nonchalantly care for a mythological being, which comes with ramifications.

As any mother would, Ada’s mother consistently – and rightfully – shrieked outside of the couple’s window because she wanted her baby back. She was in agonizing emotional pain. As a result, Maria shot Ada’s mom in the head, killing her.

The murder represents Maria’s monstrously distorted version of motherhood and her desire to be a mother again despite the cruel acts she commits. It also represents her selfishness to fulfill this desire, even at the expense of another’s life.

This poses the philosophical question of whether Maria is capable of nurturing nature despite her violence toward it. Maria’s actions contradict her motive – she can’t truly mother Ada even if she loves her as her own.

The acting in this film was visceral, realistic and gut-wrenching. There were moments where dialogue wasn’t used, but facial expressions conveyed the message instead. A powerful component to this film was Maria and Ingvar’s refusal to mention that their daughter died; instead, their facial expressions and the film’s composition said it.

The atmosphere revolves around the fact that they’re living in an isolated mountain range. If isolation-based horror has taught us anything, it’s that dread, uncertainty and the unknown lurks around each corner. This feeling of unease is reminiscent of films like Alien, Jaws, The Thing and A24’s own Midsommar and The Lighthouse.

Unbeknownst to them, baby Ada was also the child of a half-human, half-lamb creature who would stalk the family and kill their dog named Dog. In this scene, filmmakers took the stylistic approach of showing the reflection of the menacing creature in Ada’s eyes, the half-human, half-lamb who witnessed the murder.

It’s important to note there was no dialogue for the first few minutes of the film. The tone was set by the eeriness of the isolated farm and the sinister presence of an unknown monster who can be heard in the opening scene trekking through the snowstorm toward their farm. This film does a great job of creating tension without showing the monster or creating cheap jump scares.

The color blue is ubiquitous throughout the film, but its most notable appearances are in Maria and Ingvar’s room, where the absence of their deceased daughter brings permanent gloom. Within the context of this film, blue evokes melancholy and irreparable sadness.

There is a beautiful melancholic scene where the camera is positioned behind Maria, who’s sitting on the bed in their blue-themed bedroom while she faces the square-shaped window that is above the empty baby’s crib. It’s unclear if she’s staring out of the window or at the crib, but the absence of her face and the presence of the rain represents the limitless tears she shed over the empty crib.

Noomi Rapace plays Maria, a grieving mother who’s willing to raise an anthropomorphic lamb baby as her own to fill the void of the daughter she lost. Hilmir Snær Guðnason plays Ingvar, a grieving father who by all accounts seems to be a regular guy who’s willing to do anything to appease Maria’s pain. The beauty of their parenting of Ada is their nonchalant attitude toward a sentient being that shouldn’t exist because their love far exceeds the realm of logic and reason.

A24 aren’t strangers to abrupt and open-ended endings, but this film shows there’s a method to their madness. Film goers can use their imaginations for what happens after the credits roll. This film ends with Ada’s father, the half-human, half-lamb, killing Ingvar with the gun that Maria used to kill Ada’s lamb mother, which is deathly poetic.

Grade: A-

Everything that is mundane, malevolent, monstrous and miserable spells out happiness for this loveable family who hates to love, but loves to hate.

But in the new sequel to the Addams family, “Addams Family 2,” the filmmakers are expanding the Addams’ lifestyle around America, distorting the boundaries of what it means to be a “normal family.” This is important because the Addams family’s traditions and values are paradoxes to how they truly feel about each other, but they love each other nonetheless.

This film’s world revolves around the actions of the Addams family and their decisions that affect the world. The world in this film looks vibrant and like something out of a Pixar movie, but the initial Addams family movie’s animation is a grungy monochromatic color palette. After an encounter with a mad scientist, the Addams family embarks on a presumably typical vacation, but dark clouds follow them.

Oscar Isaac plays Gomez Addams, a loving dad, husband and brother who’s always in a good mood. Isaac portrays Gomez as a suave, smooth-talking romantic whose voice is smoother than grease. Charlize Theron plays Morticia Addams, the nonchalant mom who ignores her children’s plots to kill each other. Theron takes this character and drags her voice down the proverbial chalkboard, but she speaks with the utmost confidence in everything she says.

Chloë Grace Moretz plays the ever-so monotone Wednesday Addams who’s always involved in death. This role is an unconventional one for Moretz because her voice fluctuations are one level — monotone — so you don’t hear much of her happy-go-lucky voice. Javon Walton plays the hungry Pugsley Addams who’s always plotting to kill Wednesday.

The parallels of being a “weird Addams family” when compared to the other “normal” characters in “The Addams Family 2” allows the characters to relish in their individuality, offsetting the modern American cookie-cutter family. “Normal” people aren’t less scary than the Addams family — they’re assimilated into the norm that is current society, whereas the Addams family is a family whose identity is honest and transparent, no matter how dark, twisted and murderous that identity might be.

Filmmakers did a good job of maintaining the consistency of the Addams’ creepiness by writing and directing a script that encapsulates the deathly and manic identities of the family.

The complexity of the Addams family lies in their family dynamic and how they interact with each other. Certain death and dread loom and linger around each barren crevice that would swallow most people not belonging to the family. The Addams are willing to be themselves 24/7, yet they’re judged for their uncanny behavior by anyone who isn’t their family. Despite the two kids’ attempts to kill each other, it’s their family tradition to embrace the macabre and violent nature of their behaviors.

This animated film’s target audience is children, so the humor is goofy and kooky, but this film also plants Easter eggs and pays homage to classic horror films. There’s a scene where the family is in Death Valley, Texas and there’s a sign that points to directions of Haddonfield, Camp Crystal Lake and Elm Street — homes of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddie Krueger.

The humor in this film is carried by the nonchalant reaction of the Addams family attempting to kill. The music is comparable to Mario Kart’s 8 Deluxe Twisted Mansion and the Luigi’s Haunted mansion series — comically creepy and gives every scene additional weight.

Despite this film being an enjoyable ride for the family, it couldn’t capture the feeling of recreating the family’s eeriness in the first film. As the movie concludes, The Addams family leaves the viewer with snippets of nostalgia but fails to expand beyond the world created for them in the first movie.

Grade: B-

Reaching the end of the summer spells out melancholy for many Minnesotans, but the largest plant-based festival in the Midwest shined its natural light on vendors and consumers alike.

Twin Cities VegFest, a festival held on Thursday Sept. 19 on Harriet Island in St. Paul, offered a wide variety of cultural foods from dozens of venue owners, catered to vegans and anyone looking to experiment with their taste palette.

Zachary Hurdle, owner of Food by Zachary, is a Black food entrepreneur who specializes in preparing and cooking a multitude of personalized dishes, especially when it comes to sushi.

Hurdle started out as a cottage food producer who made bread, pickles, ferments and kimchi. He continued his chef career as someone who’d cook sushi and experiment with different sushi recipes, which he would offer to people at his pop-ups.

“I’m a former ramen sous-chef and I really like cooking and creating new food options – for example, I’ve been cooking sushi for two years and I’ve been practicing my craft in hopes that I could maybe open up a restaurant,” Hurdle said. “I think it’s important to let Black people know that they could be vegan too.”

Hurdle offered apple miso caramel popcorn at his VegFest station, which was held together by the glazy stickiness that the caramel offers, the popcorn kernels connected to each other in a lego-like cohesion inside of a white paper bag. If a caramel apple could be in popcorn form, apple miso caramel popcorn would be it – the flavor consisted of a honey-like sweetness that offered a crunchy, sticky substance with each bite.

Hurdle has been in the business for three years, and said he plans to continue to cook more sushi and expand his brand throughout the Twin Cities and internationally.

Henry Kisitu, owner of Jajja Wellness Tonic, offers immune boosting beverages that — depending on the specific drink’s ingredients — provide multiple health benefits. Kisitu’s company was started in Uganda by his grandmother Margaret who used “ancient indigenous wisdom, organic fruits and ingredients to create the drinks you see here today,” according to Kisitu.

Kisitu offered a variety of products at VegFest, including hibiscus lemongrass tea, which is meant to promote stress relief and detoxification. The anti-inflammatory drink was tangy, and the sour aftertaste proved to be an acquired taste — yet it’s lack of sugar proved to be a necessity in its healthy elements.

Kisitu also served a baobab turmeric drink that contained skin-improving properties, immune system-boosting properties and curcumin, which helps reduce inflammation. The drink was easy to digest because the flavor was smoother than the hibiscus lemongrass. If the baobab turmeric drink was water, the other would be an Izze.

“I’m grateful that I’ve been able to continue the legacy that my grandmother started,” Kisitu said. “We take pride in the cultural element of this drink and the health benefits it offers.”

Kali Terry, the owner of Life Juices, knows how to concoct ingredients to create beverages that are as tasty as they are healthy.

Life Juices’ drinks contain ingredients like beets, ginger, apple, lime, carrot and more to prioritize nutrition. Terry places an emphasis on incorporating fruits into the drinks because he believes that “healthiness is the key to a long life.”

“I created this brand because I believe that underserved communities deserve nutritious drinks that are good and healthy,” Terry said.

While the event was crowded, it was also clean, largely thanks to the Zero Waste Plan, a Minneapolis initiative aimed at reducing waste. There were trash, recycling and organic bins spread throughout the festival.

Whether people were coming into VegFest, waiting in line, walking en masse on the populated sidewalks to vegan vendors, sitting in the grass or sitting at picnic benches to enjoy their food, people were enjoying the atmosphere.

The musicians’ and poets’ words were as vivacious, vibrant and culturally significant as the vendors’ businesses and products they sold with vigor at their respective tables.

The Black Creatives Event: Into the Fire became a hub for up-and-coming Black business owners, musicians and poets to share their vision with other creative, like-minded Black people. The event, held Sept. 10, was located at and sponsored by St. Paul’s Indigenous Roots, a culmination of artists who dedicate their time and art to uplifting and empowering communities of color.

Hosted and organized by cousins Hajaratu Jaafaru and Athena Estime, the event is their second time hosting the Black creatives event in 2021. The two also have an up-and-coming brand called Kreyatif Noir, which focuses on creating spaces that explore holistic well-being, culture, arts and activism.

“The importance of this event is pretty much to center Black wellness,” Estime said. “People don’t always have the platform to authentically be themselves and define what wellness is for themselves, so that’s what we intend to do with this space.”

“Our main priority is to prioritize the wellbeing of brown and Black people, so we deliberately chose vendors, creatives and wellness practitioners to create a positive experience for all,” Estime said.

DJ McShellen made sure to keep the place lively. She was the music curator, whose music genres range from hip-hop to Afro-Caribbean.

HERB, a poet, was the first performer, and he rocked the mic in both of his performances, setting the stage for the night. His first performance revolved around his experience in America as a Black man, and his second performance focused on his Ghanean identity and his refusal to assimilate to America’s standards of what it means to be American.

After the first performance, the hosts reminded people to check out the vendors’ products. “Y’all be sure to show these Black businesses some love throughout the night,” DJ McShellen said.

Jenna Engfer’s business is Tarot card readings. She’s an intuitive reader who began her company at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. Her business revolves around holistic healing, a medicine that focuses on healing the mind, body, spirit and emotions to help her clientele become one with themselves.

“I basically offer readings and tailor them to whatever a person needs that sometimes revolves around relationship advice, jobs, careers and any other existential issues they may be facing,” Engfer said.

Brian Serrano, better known as Scorpio, is a visual artist who uses canvases to express himself through means of painting. His products include stickers and posters, along with his original art pieces as well.

“In a time where COVID still exists, I feel it’s important for all of us to use our skills to make ourselves happy and our surrounding communities smile too,” Scorpio said.

Nikki Ngamne is a storyteller and author of “Note2 U,” an interactive journal that allows readers to put themselves into the book so that everyone becomes the protagonist.

Ngamne published her book last summer and it debuted in its first bookstore – Maegers & Quinn Booksellers in Uptown Minneapolis. Ngamne’s book also debuted at the Urban Outfitters in Uptown, where she did her first book signing while the store celebrated its 31st anniversary.

“My inspiration for this book comes from my life because I’ve been a storyteller for as long as I can remember,” Ngamne said.

The Black Creatives Event was a success because artists showcased their work, people showed up en masse and “everyone supported each other,” Jaafaru said.

“Me and Athena wanted creatives to share an experience with other creatives they could relate to personally and artistically,” Jaafaru said.

Yes, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is a Marvel movie at its surface, but its uniqueness and depth lies in the fact that it feels like an international film, separating it from other Marvel films in the cinematic universe.

Shang-Chi isn’t the first Asian American Marvel hero – that title belongs to Wong in “Doctor Strange,” but he is the first Asian-American lead of a Marvel film. Actor Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi in the film, noted in an interview with IMDB that representation is important within the Marvel franchise, which is dominated by white superheroes. After all, the superhero genre has historically been a white power fantasy as Marvel has historically pursued films that center whiteness.

Mandarin Chinese is the first language spoken in the film and is in a fair amount of the dialogue throughout the film, making clear that director Destin Daniel Cretton desired to put an emphasis on the importance of languages other than English.

After “Black Panther” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” became the third Marvel film to have actors of color lead the film, while also creating a story that is thematically tailored to their culture.

This film focuses on a combination of cultural elements that remind the characters to never forget who they are and the people who came before.

“Black Panther” was the first film in the Marvel universe to be Black-led and center Blackness. In addition to featuring a Black cast, the film also had critically acclaimed director, Ryan Coogler, create a story that Black people of all diasporas could relate to. Marvel’s second Black-centered cinema was Disney +’s “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” where the storytelling focuses on the consequences of being Black in America and the undeserved and unwarranted suffering of that identity.

The film begins with Xu Wenwu, also known as the Mandarin, and the army of the ten rings challenging another village’s army to surrender, so that Wenwu can conquer their lands. The Mandarin meets with the opposing army by himself, only to have hundreds of arrows shot at him, to which he uses the power of the ten rings to create a force field, shielding him from harm.

The Mandarin wields the ten rings, single-handedly forcing the army into submission by showing the overwhelming difference of power between him and them. The movie shows us what the Mandarin is capable of when he’s wielding the ten rings, while also showing the complexity of his character.

Despite his villainy throughout the film, his redeemable qualities include his love for his culture, identity and family. There’s a scene where the Mandarin and his two kids, Shang-Chi and Xialing, are having dinner where he says names are important because they help us remember who we are, where we come from and those who came before us. He went so far as to ask his son’s friend Katy, played by Awkwafina, her Chinese name because he feels she should take pride in her culture.

“Shang-Chi’s” origin story began when his mother was killed by the Iron Gang, a gang who had a past conflict with his father Xu Wenwu. After his mom’s death, Wenwu reverted back to his villainous ways by enacting revenge on the gang responsible, and he began to train Shang-Chi into an excellent and ruthless mixed martial artist. After Shang-Chi helped his dad kill the people responsible, he ran away to America to start a new life rejecting the role of his father’s protégé. At the beginning in the movie, he lives in San Francisco where he works as a valet driver, but his life is disrupted when his father sends his goons to fight him, throwing Shang-Chi back into his old lifestyle.

Another important aspect of this film was the casting: it featured international superstars Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, who is touted as one of Hong Kong best movie stars and Michelle Yeoh, who has been an action star in spectacles such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “Crazy Rich Asians.”

This film has beautiful set pieces that create cool fighting scenes through intricate cinematography, immersing fans of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and Jackie Chan’s fighting styles. The acting in this film was great – characters were able to portray suffering, pain, grief, anger and happiness in realistic performances that always seemed to fit the mood of the scene. This is attributed to the casting, which was near flawless.

In Marvel’s first Asian-led film, it delivers the goods in forms of storytelling, strong characters and being Marvel’s first film in Phase 4, the next set of Marvel movies and TV shows that are set to be released between 2021 and 2023.

Grade: A

Film adaptations of video games usually miss the mark as Hollywood retcons franchises’ years of source material, but “Mortal Kombat” delivered a beautiful rendition of one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time.

While the story is cheesy at times, it works in its favor because it delivers the violence, gore, fan service and good characters that the video game players know and love.

The film starts with Hanzo Hasashi tending to everyday duties with his family in their village, but Bi-Han, aka Sub-Zero, cuts it short when he and his group murders Hasashi’s clan, including his wife and child.

Ravaged by the loss of everyone he loves, Hasashi goes on a murderous rampage, leaving no doubt that everyone he cut down was viciously eviscerated in glorious “Mortal Kombat” fashion.

Shortly after, Hasashi finds Sub-Zero. A brutal fight ensues, in which Sub-Zero delivers the killing blow to Hasashi by stabbing him right above his collarbone.

Hasashi — knocking on death’s door — struggles to crawl to his family’s corpses, only to die. His body disintegrates to a black skidmark that transforms into flames dissolving into the ground. Consequently, Sub-Zero sent Hasashi to hell, where Hasashi became Scorpion, the undead ninja specter, the catalyst for Hasashi’s revenge and hate for Sub-Zero.

This movie starts strong. It gives audiences a good fight between arguably the most iconic rivalry in video game history: Sub-Zero vs. Scorpion. The violence and choreography staged in the movie are seamlessly orchestrated, taking notes from the video game itself.

The casting of Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion elevated the film’s sword-fighting scenes, as Sanada is a seasoned Japanese martial artist and swordsman able to showcase his skills in the film. Joe Taslim was cast as Sub-Zero. His role in the film is menacingly similar to Halloween’s Michael Myers. When Sub-Zero randomly appears in scenes, his presence means that someone is going to die.

This film has great fighting sequences and set pieces for cool fighting scenes, immersing long-time fans into the bloodfest. Everything felt video game-esque, and the decor was perfect for people to be mangled, eviscerated and disemboweled. The fights draw viewers in, and even if the storyline was above average, many viewers coming from the video game are expecting grisly fight scenes, which the movie delivered.

The casting in this film was great, but the standout character in the film was Kano, played by Josh Lawson. He embodied the scoundrel known from the video game.

There’s a fantastic scene where Kano performs his fatality from the video games on Reptile, snatching his heart from his chest. Fans anticipated this iconic finishing move, and the film didn’t disappoint, topping the scene off with a fourth-wall-breaking victory proclamation of “Kano Wins.”

This film is riddled with things that one could nitpick — the killing of characters and the use of certain characters in the film, but the only true weakness of “Mortal Kombat” was that there wasn’t enough Scorpion in the film. He should’ve been delivering more death to the opposing side in the film, but he only appeared in the opening and ending scenes, a waste of his character.

While the story wasn’t amazing, the film succeeded because “Mortal Kombat” stayed true to its formula of violence, cheesy lines and fan service that creates award-winning movies and storytelling masterpieces.

Grade: B

Antione Jenkins is a multidimensional and ceilingless creator who makes a name for himself in the local fashion scene working with professional athletes and high-profile musicians.

Jenkins combined artistic expression with his eclectic sense of style and created Antz Creationz, an up-and-coming Twin Cities fashion brand.

Jenkins, 22, is the owner, creative director and designer of Antz Creationz, an online store that sells customized shoes.

His interest in shoes started at a young age. He was a sneakerhead and played basketball in high school, but he didn’t dive into his artistic side until his senior year when he participated in his school’s annual senior art show, submitting multiple pairs of shoes he painted.

After high school, Jenkins attended Valley City State University for a couple of years, where he majored in communications and minored in marketing. He eventually took a year off and never returned because his heart just wasn’t in it. Through an online course about the world of sneakers, Jenkins allowed his creativity to take him on a path of self-discovery.

“I used what I learned from Fashion Institute of Technology, and I was able to use my past experience with customizing shoes, and I combined that with my newfound business and marketing knowledge to create Antz Creationz,” Jenkins said.

The brand’s name originated from Jenkins’ abbreviated first name — Antione — and his belief in keeping his branding simple and straightforward. He chose Creationz because he refuses to box himself in, trying to create multiple forms of fashion, not only shoes.

Jenkins’ brand is fairly new, but due to his eclectic style and creative designs, he’s already caught the eyes of a few notable athletes and artists, including NBA player Gary Trent Jr.

“Within the first three months of me starting my brand, I created shoes for Trent, who revealed them during announcement day via ESPN live, in which he announced he was going to Duke as he unboxed and waved the shoes on camera,” Jenkins said. “This was a statement, and I really thought that if I can reach him, I can reach other people, too.”

Jenkins went on to collaborate with notable artists such as Juice Wrld, G Herbo and Lil Keed, which he did for free because he’d “rather work for free and build a relationship with them.”

Antz Creationz is currently under construction, and Jenkins is working on updating the catalog of his site with his friends’ help.

“Once I’m finished with my shoe designs, I send photos of them to my friends to get their input on if the shoe is hot or not because we’ve been friends for the longest time, so I trust them, and they trust me,” Jenkins said.

Brooklyn Park native Shadrach Subah, 23, better known as Shaddy, is the lead photographer for Antz Creationz. Shaddy’s cousin introduced him to Jenkins during their time as students at North Dakota State University, and they clicked right away.

“Antione hit me up to take pictures of a shoe that he made for NBA player Gary Trent, which was the first project we worked on, and the start of our partnership began,” Shaddy said.

Jenkins fills Antz Creationz with people who emphasize having a good, supportive team, and there’s no shortage of people who make the brand exciting and innovative.

Woodbury native Chris Dummer, 26, has been working with Jenkins as a videographer for two years. He worked on Jenkins’ collaboration with Spyhouse Coffee to create the AC Cooler — a jasmine tea with lemonade and red berries.

“I put together the behind-the-scenes video for the project and shot some footage that was used for marketing leading up to the release of the AC Cooler,” Dummer said.

Dummer also worked on the Cozy shoe release that Antz Creationz released on Nov. 28, 2019. The Cozy shoe was an all-white Air Force 1 that featured pink on the front toe; a pink, furry Nike swoosh; and a jeweled, glittery finish on the heel of the shoe that covers the Nike sign.

Since Antz Creationz’s inception, Jenkins and his partners have created unique projects such as his latest shoe, called the Loon Blazer. A Minnesota-based design, the shoe captures the cold weather and essence of the loon — Minnesota’s state bird — seen through the multiple blue hues and snow-white colorway. The shoestrings were inspired by Travis Scott’s rope shoestrings.

The shoe was successful — so successful that it sold out and is currently out of stock.

Jenkins has come a long way in a short time, and he’s still as hungry as when he first began his brand.

“Follow the story ‘cause y’all are gonna see how authentic we are, and we’re still in the beginning process of our full potential,” Jenkins said. “I have a whole production team, and we’re willing to work with all sorts of artists and any type of entrepreneur because we’re trying to change the culture out here in Minneapolis where people can know that we have a land full of Black creators, creators in general and dope people.”