Frank Portillo

OPINION: Marvel Studios needs to further diversify its characters

By Frank Portillo Marvel Studios needs to continue its trend of diversifying its roster of characters and actors. What started off as a handful of traditional white male superhero characters has evolved to include more female and minorities in respectable roles. It began with the casting of Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, a character who up until that point was traditionally caucasian. Jackson changed the character who was portrayed by…

May 23, 2018
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Deadpool returns to big screen

By Frank Portillo “Deadpool 2” does away with the one-note villain and opens up the universe that it takes place in by introducing the X-Force to mainstream audiences. The sequel replaces the lackluster villain for a cast of morally complicated characters, which makes for a much more compelling second outing for Wade Wilson. Newcomers Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Cable (Josh Brolin) are welcome additions to the Deadpool universe. Brolin, coming…

May 23, 2018
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Marvel’s highly anticipated film smashes box office records

By Frank Portillo The biggest film of all time, “Avengers: Infinity War,” is a relentless roller coaster ride of emotion that never lets up. It has obliterated box office records and has claimed the spot as the highest grossing opening weekend film of all-time, surpassing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” In total, the film grossed $641 million worlwide,which is $100 million more than the previous record holder. Kevin Feige deserves…

May 2, 2018
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Laura Aguilar: 1959-2018

By Frank Portillo Photographer and alumna Laura Aguilar died at 58 in a Long Beach nursing home last Tuesday. Pilar Tompkins Rivas, director of the Vincent Price Art Museum, said that she was an incredible and important artist who had a brave soul. “She has really forged a path that is, in my mind, so critical for many of the conversations that are taking place today. Especially within the intersections…

May 2, 2018
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Skyward offers unique perspective

By Frank Portillo The latest release from Image Comics, “Skyward,” offers a unique look at a world in which gravity on Earth is at such a low level, people float as if they’re on a space station. In this world, twenty years have passed since the loss of gravity and a new generation of people grew up their entire lives not knowing what the past was like. The first issue…

April 25, 2018
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Political awareness club champions social justice

By Frank Portillo The East Los Angeles College Students for Political Awareness club aims to promote political literacy for students. Vice president of the club Golden Sheard said that the clubs presence on campus is important in order to try to “demystify” what people’s perceptions of politics are. She said that trying to have conversations with different people about current politics outside of school, usually results in the other person…

April 25, 2018
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‘Truth or Dare’ fails across the board

By Frank Portillo “Truth or Dare” is an unoriginal movie that is marketed as a horror, but fails to deliver anything scary or even a worthwhile story. The problem with the movie is that none of it makes any logical sense. With four credited screenwriters, the story never gets engaging enough to warrant attention. The movie follows the most hateable group of friends who have no redeeming qualities as they…

April 18, 2018
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Horror film becomes box office sensation

April 11, 2018
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By Frank Portillo With its unique use of sound and silence, “A Quiet Place” is a thrilling roller coaster ride of emotion that all movie lovers should experience. Starring John Krasinski, who also directed the film, and his wife Emily Blunt, the story follows a family as they try to survive mysterious creatures in a post apocalyptic world that attack and kill people who make any sound. With the threat…

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Theater alumnus gets big break

March 27, 2018
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By Frank Portillo Alumnus Peter Mendoza journeyed from student actor to playing the lead in “Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue” at the Kirk Douglas theater in Los Angeles. In a Los Angeles Times review of the play from theater critic Charles McNulty, Mendoza was said to “raise the emotional stakes for the audience as the young Marine descends into hell.” The actor, however, didn’t end up in his position easily. He…

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Students walk out in solidarity

March 21, 2018
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By Frank Portillo The national school walkout reached the campus Wednesday morning as students congregated in front of the E3 building at 10 a.m. The walkout was in response to the Florida shooting last month in which 17 students and staff members were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The mood was somber, as everyone in attendance remained silent while the names of the victims and their ages were…

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