Summer movies we can’t wait to see

“Dark Shadows”

Unrated

“Dark Shadows” is the newest creation from director Tim Burton.

The movie stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz and Bella Heathcote.

“Dark Shadows” is about a vampire (Depp) who wakes up in 1972 after being underground for two centuries.

The movie is based on a soap opera that took place in the late 1960s and early 1970s which Burton and Depp are both fans.

“What To Expect When You’re Expecting”

Rated PG-13

This star-packed comedy reveals the secrets and some obvious things that comes with pregnancy.

The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks and Chris Rock.

It is a quirky version of the New York Times bestselling book.

What can you expect? A baby, obviously. … Continue Reading

Jack White makes debut solo album success

Photo courtesy of amazon.com

When it comes to music, I will give just about anything a chance. However, my favored genres tend to be rock-based. That being the case, it’s kind of odd that I’ve never listened to much of Jack White’s music before this album.

But it’s not because I didn’t like it, because I loved the work he did with previous projects such as The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.

I also have a lot respect for artists who are willing to take chances with their work. I remember back in 2007 when the band Radiohead put out its seventh studio album, “In Rainbows.” They sold the album off their website and allowed fans to download it paying whatever price they wanted. The album was widely successful, selling 1.2 million copies online. Jack White has done something similar.

Although the album cannot be purchased for whatever price one may choose, there is the option to stream it for free for a limited time through iTunes.

“After spending years reworking the rock n’ roll foundation, with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, White has crafted his first statement as a solo artist,” iTunes stated. “And yes, it rocks.”

Because this is Jack White’s first solo album, there’s a lot he needed to say through his lyrics.

The album seems to have an underlying theme about love and what it does to you. It’s quite clear his inspiration came from failed relationships and perhaps even the recent divorce from his wife of nearly six years, Karen Elson.

The first track on the album is enough to draw you in. “Missing Pieces” is about believing in something then having it taken away from you. The last verse of the song seems to stand out more than the others. “Sometimes someone controls everything about you/And when they tell you that they just can’t live without you/They ain’t lyin’, they’ll take pieces of you/And they’ll stand above you and walk away/That’s right, and take a part of you with them.”

White gives next track, “Sixteen Saltines,” a garage rock vibe that still fits in with the theme of the album, that all women are out to get him. While the lyrics are sometimes silly, “Spike heels make a hole in a lifeboat,” they still get the point across. … Continue Reading

HBO premieres new guilty pleasure show

Photo courtesy of rollingstone.com

Girls, they run the world. At least that seems to be the direction Hollywood has been headed lately.

Recently, movies and television shows have been taking a new angle by making a female the leading character in a movie or show. Everyone else has seemed to jump on the bandwagon with hit shows like “2 Broke Girls” and “New Girl” and the movie that seems to pinpoint the entire fad, “Bridesmaids.”

Now there’s a new show on television that is taking the power of women into its own hands.

According to Entertainment Weekly, 1.1 million viewers tuned into HBO on Sunday night for the pilot episode of “Girls.”

The show is about four 20-something girls living in New York City, each at a different place in their lives.

First, there is Hannah, played by Lena Dunham, who we learn in the episode is being cut off financially from her parents. They have supported her through her internship in New York City, which was supposed to turn into a job but instead lasted two years.

Then there is Marnie, played by Allison Williams, who is Hannah’s good friend and roommate. In the first episode we learn she really values her friendships.

Next, you meet Jessa, played by Jemima Kirke, who has been traveling the world and has just returned home to Manhattan only to be living on her cousin’s couch.

Shoshana, Jessa’s cousin, played by Zosia Mamet, doesn’t play a big role in this episode. All we learn about her is that she has an undying love for “Sex and the City.”

Like any television show, it’s hard to tell right off the bat whether or not it’s likeable. … Continue Reading

Movie magic outshines green message

Photo courtesy of IMDB

When parents read their children “The Lorax,” it is usually in the hopes that the kids will grow up with the desire to read, as well as learn how important it is to preserve and protect the environment. Dr. Seuss books have become classics because they often pack a double punch in that they entertain and instill a moral idea, all in a few pages. The question is, will today’s youth get that same moral responsibility when those ideas are presented on the big screen?

The 1971 story presents the idea of deforestation by way of corporate greed and human ignorance, all in a quirky, colorful way that could only be done by Seuss. However, this idea comes across as over-the-top in the cinema. … Continue Reading

Hilton returns to music scene with second album

Photo courtesy of st0rmtracker.wordpress.com

After waiting for more than a year, Tyler Hilton fans everywhere, also known as “storm trackers” for those of us who have been following his progress, are now at ease as Hilton’s second full studio album was released Tuesday.

Hilton’s original album title was “The Storms We Share.” After a production delay, Hilton decided “Forget The Storm” was a more appropriate name for his sophomore album.

The opening track is “Kicking My Heels.” While I’m more of a music person rather than a lyrics person, the lyrics for this particular track reveal how Hilton feels unworthy of the girl he is with. This album starter is a very relaxed, bar favorite.

The next track, “Prince of Nothing Charming” was released as a single more than a month before the album was. This song premiered on “One Tree Hill” on which Hilton plays the character of Chris Keller. This song tells the story about admiring the girl in his life and how, while she might feel insecure, he observes her imperfections. The lyrics of the catchy chorus are “you love like you wanted to fight/like you needed tonight/Baby it’s beautiful/Oh and you scream like a gun in the night/Yeah you’re starting a fight/It’s like you don’t know/Baby, you’re beautiful.”

“Loaded Gun” is the title of the third track and it too was featured on “One Tree Hill” before the album release. This is the first up-beat song on the record and brings a new energy to it. … Continue Reading

First ‘Hunger Games’ film kills box office

Photo courtesy of IMDB.com

I’ll admit it, I was nervous when I heard there was a film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games.” Like many who tend to fall in love with the books first, I can usually pick apart the directing, scriptwriting, casting – you name it, I hate it. However, I found “The Hunger Games” to be different from many other film adaptations I have seen and actually enjoyed the surprises.

“The Hunger Games” is a tale about what happens to futuristic North America, in which the nation Panem has risen from the ruins of a catastrophe that destroyed present-day America. The Capitol, a society ridden with extreme indulgence and excess, rules Panem. Outside of the Capitol are 12 Districts that provide for the Capitol – most of which are living in extreme poverty and all are suffering from oppression.

To prove its control over the districts, the Capitol annually extracts a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to serve as “tributes” in the Hunger Games, a televised battle to the death between 24 children from the Districts.

For the members of the Capitol, the Hunger Games are a sport and looked forward to all year. This could be compared to an extreme version of the reality television our society already indulges in. There are Hunger Games parties, parades – huge events to celebrate the brutal end of 23 lives. … Continue Reading

Third game installment brings exciting gameplay

Photo courtesy of garrettartlair.blogspot.com

Ryan Steele
Staff writer

For the past year fans of Bioware’s amazing “Mass Effect” series have been waiting for the final installment in the trilogy. On March 6, it finally arrived.

“Mass Effect 3” picks up not long after the second installment ended. Commander Shepherd once again has to come to the rescue of humanity against an ancient threat known as the reapers only this time, it is earth that is under attack.

Bioware knew how much fans were expecting a remarkable conclusion to the series, and this game does not fall short of that.

Fans of the series will recognize the traditional gameplay that made the series famous, however there is a twist on this installment. Players can choose how they play the game. Players can choose the action setting where they will play as Shepherd in the combat scenarios and everything will play out in cut scenes.

Players can also choose a story mode in which they watch the story unfold, choosing the dialogue and outcomes while the combat takes a backseat. Finally, players can choose the traditional “Mass Effect” experience, where both aspects of action and story are perfectly balanced. … Continue Reading

Springsteen keeps rockin’ with 17th album

Photo courtesy of thesnipenews.com

Savannah Sawyer
Assistant Features Editor

Music is possibly the most important thing to me. Next to my family, food and breathing, music ranks pretty high up. I could listen to any song and it can take me back to a certain point in my life, a certain memory and everything that happened will start to flood back.

Bruce Springsteen is the soundtrack to my childhood. “Hungry Heart” off of his fifth studio album, “The River,” takes me back to my younger years when my family would have friends over on Friday nights and Springsteen was always playing in the background.

Springsteen reminds me of my preteens. “My City of Ruins” off of Springsteen’s 12th studio album, “The Rising,” makes me reflect upon a time in my fifth grade classroom taking in the latest of the unfortunate event that was Sept. 11.

Springsteen is the soundtrack to my teens. I can distinctly remember sitting on the screened in porch of my house with my father one summer night listening to Springsteen’s newest release at that time, his 13th studio album, “Devils & Dust.”

Springsteen reminds me of my 20s. Leaving home for the first time to live on my own, I often reflect back on one of his older songs “Bobby Jean” off his seventh studio album “Born in the U.S.A.,” a song about remembrance. … Continue Reading

‘Footloose’ remake doesn’t compare to original

Anna Taylor
Features Editor

Photo courtesy of IMDB

I will admit I was super excited when I heard “Footloose” was going to be remade; not that there is anything wrong with the original. I was even more excited when I learned that Kenny Ortega, director of “This Is It” and the “High School Musical” trilogy, would be directing it and Zac Efron would play the role of Ren.

But then, not long after the announcement of the movie remake was made, the lead role changed at least one more time before the final actor was chosen. No matter who ended up with the role, they had big shoes to fill.

After viewing the movie trailer, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the modern approach that Ortega decided to take on the small town. Then, watching the movie, I felt like some scenes in the movie were still taking place in the ‘80’s and others were trying to modernize a small town too much, but I guess that’s what you get when you mix a boy from Boston with a small town.

There were some things I thought were good, or maybe even better than the original movie. But, there were also some down points. … Continue Reading

Hoover biopic, a resounding success

Photo courtesy of IMDB.com

Savannah Sawyer
Assistant Features Editor

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of my favorite actors of all time. I think it is safe to say a lot of people, especially a lot of females out there, will agree with me on this one. Add newcomer Armie Hammer into the mix and Director Clint Eastwood and you are certain to have yourself a surefire hit.

“J. Edgar” started out with quite the bang, literally, and it drew me in from the start.

In order to fully understand the film perhaps I should give you a quick look into who J. Edgar Hoover actually was.

Hoover was head of the FBI from 1924 up until he died in 1972. There are a lot of tidbits of information out there, such as he never married and lived with his mother until she died, all of which are covered in the film, making people believe they know who he was though he remained quite the private person.

Once Hoover passed away, his estates went to a lifelong friend and coworker, Clyde Tolson, played by Armie Hammer, who was believed to be Hoover’s life partner.

This was ironic because Hoover wouldn’t allow gays, women or blacks to join the FBI simply because he wanted to have the best team he could possibly assemble. … Continue Reading