A few weeks ago, I got to attend some screenings at the Beyond Fest film festival, and it was an awesome experience! I was able to see movies that had yet to be released (some were even premiering for the first time ever in the U.S.), and I got to see directors and actors participate in Q&As afterwards.

On Saturday November 1st, I went to see the new Yorgos Lanthimos movie Bugonia. Its cast included Emma Stone as Michelle, Jesse Plemons as Jesse, and Aiden Delbis as Don. The plot follows two cousins, Teddy and Don, that plan to kidnap the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Michelle, because Jesse believes something nefarious and otherworldly is happening in her company.

It’s been almost three years since OpenAI released its flagship innovation, ChatGPT, to the public. Since then, it has made countless improvements and additions to ChatGPT, some of which I’ve covered in The Barefoot Times, including the ChatGPT Plus subscription and an in-depth look at GPT-4, around late 2023.

Friends of mine have raved to me for a long time about Magnolia Bakery, so I decided to conduct a proper review of the bakery and its three most popular items: the Key Lime Icebox Bar, Red Velvet Cheesecake, and Banana Pudding.

If you live in LA, you know that there are an abundance of stores where you can buy your groceries. Some are more expensive than others, some have more locations than others, and some only draw in the richest of the rich, those who have three vacation houses on top of their mansion in Beverly Hills.

TikTok has revolutionized “the scroll.” We take it for granted that every time we flick our thumbs across a small screen in the palm of our hand, a new short-form video is displayed, different with every scroll, never letting you know what you’ll see next. Scroll after scroll after scroll after scroll after—you get the point.

ChatGPT has become a centerpiece in the AI industry. It’s probably the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “AI.” It has surprised the world with every new product release and has undergone many changes and improvements over time. As ChatGPT got more and more advanced, OpenAI had to come up with a way to profit off their products in order to stay afloat as a business.

Finding a consistently great Thai restaurant can sometimes feel quite hard. Each new place you try is a gamble—a hit or miss. With so many options and varying quality, it’s easy to walk away from a meal either pleasantly satisfied or sadly disappointed. However, my recent visit to a Thai restaurant called Kwan Kitchen, located at 777 S Arroyo Parkway Unit 101, in Pasadena, proved to be a delightful exception.

There are many amazing Japanese food spots, especially in Los Angeles. But a truly great one is Iki Ramen, located at 740 S. Western Avenue #115 in Koreatown. There is another Iki Ramen location at 6565 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, but the Koreatown location has the best atmosphere.

On December 8th, 2024 pop star Taylor Swift performed her very last show of the Eras Tour in Vancouver, Canada. The tour kicked off on March 17th, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona, and after performing for 157 hours on stage, visiting 51 cities, 21 countries, and making history by earning around $2.2 billion on the tour tickets alone.

Whether you’re a movie lover or completely oblivious to them, the 97th Academy Awards, held on March 2nd, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, sparked some interesting conversations. Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the night was packed with big wins, unforgettable performances, and LONG speeches. Personally, I liked that older actors like Demi Moore (The Substance) were recognized. In this article, I’ll share my thoughts on some of the most talked about moments of the night.

When Sequoyah high school juniors and seniors are looking for a nice meal to get with their off-campus privileges, the first place that comes to mind is the Vallarta complex, which hosts a variety of restaurants, including ones featuring pizza, burgers, chicken, sandwiches, tacos, and critically, Chinese food.

Lauded as one of the best video games of all time, a subject of mass controversy due to the 2018 Game Awards, and considered a favorite by millions of people, including students at Sequoyah, Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) remains a frequent topic in the gaming community, even seven years after its release.

For Women’s History Month in March, two Gryphon Media Company members, Millie Haberman ’27 and Loella Kleiner ’27, decided to reflect on some of their favorite books by female authors.

In Los Angeles, there are countless sushi spots, but only a few truly stand out. One of those stand-out places is Hanabi Sushi Bar, located at 3954 Beverly Blvd. Hanabi offers a delightful blend of fresh, high-quality ingredients, artistic presentation, and reasonable prices.

The Barefoot Times has created a comprehensive rating of the most popular donut shops around Pasadena and Temple City, evaluating their most popular donuts by the following five categories: taste, texture, cost efficiency, serving time, and overall appearance.

As someone who has a deep love for graphic novels, I too often notice people quickly forming opinions about the genre and those who partake in their consumption.

Whether you’re a superfan, somebody who hasn’t watched in a decade, or someone that hasn’t watched at all, you’ve likely heard something about the 24 year-old TV show Survivor, in which 16-20 contestants play a social-strategy game on an island to gain a million-dollar cash prize. 

Local coffee shops—especially in Los Angeles’ melting pot of traditional and innovative cuisine—are a must. Cozy, creative, and comment-worthy café Makisupa Coffee Bar (named after hit Phish song “Makisupa Police”) is a relatively new Silver Lake staple. 

I enjoy baking and baked goods, but I don’t know many good bakeries in the area. So, I visited multiple local bakeries with the hope of finding spots that are close to Sequoyah and good quality.