Michaela's Musings

  Over winter break, I had the pleasure to see Robert Eggers' most recent masterpiece Nosferatu . This gothic horror film is a remake of the 1922 silent German Expressionist film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror . The sets and sound design were phenomenal. The acting? Chef's kiss. Lily-Rose Depp's performance was fantastic! A true standout amongst the star-studded cast. She perfectly captured the quiet resilience and inner darkness of Ellen Hutter brilliantly.  Bill Skarsgård completely immersed himself into Count Orlok. Every character was brought to life so clearly, they might as well have been real. Eggers truly elevated this film, not only building off of its themes of "The Other", but furthering it as an analysis and commentary on women's existence in Victorian society. I felt totally and utterly immersed into the world's inner workings. Here's a quick synopsis: In the 1830s, estate agent Thomas Hutter travels to Transylvania for a fateful meeting ...

  Hello everyone! Today, I will be sharing my thoughts on the 2016 film The Love Witch . While many have praised the film for its feminist take on spirituality and gender roles, I disagree. While aesthetically stunning, the film is quite regressive in its message. I prefer to interpret it as an unintentional critique of modern "divine femininity" teachings and as an example of the pervasiveness of the male gaze. Warning! There are spoilers in this review. Here's a quick synopsis: Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, and she ends up with a string of hapless victims. When she at last meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved drives her to the brink of insanity and murder. First, let's dive into our main character: Elaine Parks. After the death of her husband, she rel...

 Hello everyone! Happy New Year! 2024 has had some high highs and quite low lows. Despite all of this, we made it to the end!  While I have posted a bit more this year, I'm hoping to amp up that consistency all throughout 2025. And with that, I figured a new introduction is in order! I'm Michaela! I am a freshman in college (wow...just wow). I'm an International Politics major with a concentration in International Relations. I'm a second generation immigrant. My parents are from the Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago and Dominica respectively.  I love horror, romance, ancient history, black philosophy, black diasporic studies, spirituality, astrology, and astronomy. Some of my hobbies include creative writing, painting, traveling, singing, reading, and playing the piano. While most of the creative writing I've posted here is poetry, I have many story ideas that I would love to flesh out. I plan to continue writing about my experiences, societal issues, and the occasio...

Hi! I watched Wicked  a couple weeks ago and was simply blown away. I knew it was going to be good, but my god, this was a masterpiece. While I've never seen the Broadway show, as an ardent lover of musicals, I have known the background of this story for quite sometime. Everyone was perfectly cast in this and truly brought their character to life. So without further ado, here is Wicked (Part One) . For those unaware, Wicked is an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz meant to explore good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture. Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? Besides Madame Morrible and The Wizard, there's no true fully good or bad character. We are all capable of both. Our circumstances and beliefs merely push us in one direction or another. It is also a political story about fascism where a con man dupes the citizens of a nation to ostracize a marginalized group and blame them for society's problems. It explores our complacency in the face of oppressio...

Hi everyone! Still going strong with poetry, I wanted to share some haikus I wrote yesterday! Hope you enjoy! A Warm Spot warm sun gently glows bees buzz by with the soft breeze bejeweled leaves sway Late Night Talking ocean eyes meet mine we laugh and chat late at night i hope he likes me Midnight Sky we roam the darkness full moon shines down to guide us we are the weirdos XOXO, Michaela

Hello! Here's a poem I recently wrote for my creative writing course. I'm really proud of it and wanted to share it with the world. Hope you enjoy! The Downsides of Divahood sparkling sequins / flashing lights / rosy reds and plum purples adorn her face / always glamorous and acclaimed / they whisper diva / she primps and preens / for the stage and tv / everywhere she goes, everyone knows / who she is and what she stands for / she’s hailed for her beauty / her brains and mystique / finally they cry / a celebrity with substance / she speaks on politics / on genocide and climate change / critiques the crooked in their gilded bubbles / in comments and red carpets, they praise and adore her / she is the people’s diva / but as the story goes / women who soar the highest, fall fastest / she is deemed entitled and rude / with a stuck-up attitude / with sneers they call her a diva / she is cast aside / now forced to hide from those once singing her praises / in 20 or 30 years, t...

 Hi everyone! Following through on my promise, I wanted to start sharing some of my own poetry! I wrote this poem to express my admiration and gratitude to my female ancestors. As a young black woman, I can't trace my lineage back too far back due to the effects of slavery. I'd like to imagine that there's dozens of women watching over me as their dream incarnate. It's not meant to be award-winning, just as an outlet for my feelings. Hope you enjoy it 💖. who is she? she was born from a holy rage, an ancestral rage. a bloodstained fury from bleeding mothers and devastated daughters. sacrifice, pain, and power run through her veins. liberation is her lullaby. within that rage, a vow was made. one of love and protection, filled with the promise of a better future. to see a day where their descendants can thrive with no fear. she is their wildest dreams come to fruition. sunkissed skin glows like living honey hair like clouds form a halo around her head. generous hips, pil...