![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Fatima Qaderi grew into the person she wanted to become when she was younger and continues to work towards growing more confident in using her voice when it matters. “I didnt get treated the way I wanted to be treated, and I realized that it wasnt just them treating me the wrong way, it was me treating me the wrong way,” Qaderi said. “I forced them to like to look at me in a way where Im someone who needs to be respected; they cant just disregard me, they cant just look over me because I have a different opinion, because Im a woman, because Im Afghan, because Im Muslim, or whatever. It just took going through different experiences to figure out how [I wanted to] be heard.” Photo courtesy of Fatima Qaderi.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3870.jpeg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
“The Bad Guys:” The Big Bad Wolf Likes Being Called a Good Boy
With main characters as sarcastic, lovable, and hilariously criminal Bad Guys, “The Bad Guys” has a little something for everyone.
Although the criminal masterminds were largely hated on in the beginning of the film, “The Bad Guys” implements the concept of “everybody deserves a second chance” to create an entertaining journey that the viewers can follow along with.
May 24, 2022
Redemption—a scary search for self development, approval, and an improved reputation. It’s even scarier when you have to prove to others that you’re good, while convincing your equally bad friends that you haven’t completely betrayed them. What happens when the Big Bad Wolf decides that he likes being good? Will his friends understand and cause a domino effect, or will they drop him and continue with their crimes? As the bad guys say, “go bad or go home.” Guess we’re going home.
The newest Dreamworks film,“The Bad Guys,” is a comedic and adventurous film for the family. Released only in theaters on April 22, 2022, this movie follows a group of notorious criminals nicknamed The Bad Guys. Composed of Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), this group had been well known for a long time, pulling off many heists and even evading multiple police chases to avoid being caught.
However, this changes one night when they try to steal the Golden Dolphin, an award given to the city’s best citizen, famous for never being stolen. During this robbery, after an unexpected complication, the batch was caught and arrested. Mr. Wolf cuts a deal with the year’s most outstanding citizen, Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade); if The Bad Guys can prove that they’ve turned good before Marmalade’s charity gala in a few weeks, they’ll be set free.
“The Bad Guys” is emblematic of the idiom “everybody deserves a second chance.” Although this group had been hated by most of their city for their crimes, and the fact that they’re a group of criminal animals surrounded by humans who fear them, in the end they’re able to prove themselves.
Mr. Wolf suffers the brunt of the backlash during his fight for redemption. As the first of his friends to experience satisfaction from an accidental good act, he had to lose everything he had to even start working towards gaining something. He was forced to fake who he wanted to be around his friends, all to try and keep their trust and keep his “big bad” persona.
However, when they found out, everything broke loose. Mr. Wolf lost not only the people who had his back through everything in the recent years, he was still losing heavily in the court of public opinion. Despite this, he still continued his journey towards being good.
Since there’s a stereotype surrounding PG movies—that they’re meant for children and not older audiences—it’s hard for those over the age of 10-12 to watch animated movies such as this. However, “The Bad Guys” would be a perfect example to convince someone to think otherwise. With a feel similar to the animated film “Zootopia,” it is sure to be a hit that makes its way into many hearts once released on streaming platforms.
While being kid-friendly, this movie manages to keep the audience’s attention with funny jokes, plot twists, betrayals, amazing portrayals of friendship, and a life lesson. You could watch this with friends, by yourself, or even with your parents, as it is appropriate while being entertaining enough that a multitude of different people could enjoy it together and not dread every additional minute that it’s playing. This makes it worth the watch and then some.
As of now, “The Bad Guys” is only available for viewing in theaters. It is expected to release on the streaming platform Peacock around June 6, 2022.
