“Kubo and the Two Strings” creates a unique world based on traditional Japanese art in shades of red, blue, gold, and black. The characters look like wooden kokeshi dolls, and the backgrounds look like traditional Japanese woodcut prints. It even starts with a woman fighting off a giant wave with a shamisen (a Japanese lute) which almost serves as an homage to “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” There are also charmed origami creatures that help the main characters, a magical shamisen that brings things to life, and accurate samurai armor and kimonos.

Full disclosure: I attended this film without many expectations. Based on the sickeningly sweet trailer, I thought it would be another rehashing of the “dying girl in love” movie genre, which for some reason, was very popular in 2014. But, I was proved dead wrong. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” was a nearly perfect film created with a mixture of heartbreak and humor.

Every last weekend of the month, Treasure Island fills up with food trucks, artisanal goods — ranging from ceramics to statues, jewelry, furs, clothing, oddities — and delicate little trinkets from past decades. Treasure Island Flea Market, founded by Ansanelli Productions in 2011, brings in large crowds every month.

As students of The University of “The Best City Ever”, we’re surrounded by some of the most expensive stores in the country, but we’re also living in one of the best cities for thrift shopping. All it takes to be a successful thrift shopper is an attention to detail, plenty of energy to look through seemingly countless racks, and knowing where the best stores are.