Abigail Kuhns
Happy Death Day 2U, the sequel to Happy Death Day, was released early last week and people everywhere are rushing out to see it. Both movies are spin-offs of the original film Groundhog day.
In 2017, the first Happy Death Day was released where the main character Tree must relive her murder over and over, not to mention it was on her birthday. Throughout the movie she dies 11 times and wakes up in the same place every time.
With the help of fellow college student, Carter, she discovers her killer in order to stop the continuous loop which leads into the sequel.
In the beginning, it is Carter’s roommate, Ryan, is the one who starts to live one day over and over; however, the tables quickly turn back to the main character Tree. She must discover the true source of loop while finding her second murderer with the help of science.
According to Rottentomatoes.com, 65% of viewers said they enjoyed the first Happy Death Day while 67% of viewers who have seen the second movie so far said they enjoyed it.
Despite what the majority stated, I liked the first movie a lot more than the sequel.
Creativity was a positive factor of the movie because of the ways she died and how she she had to make a choice of living in the past or moving on with the future.
The animations in the second movie were amazing and the attention to detail was spectacular, but other than that the movie was not really exciting.
Happy Death Day 2U was way too predictable because of the first one and the storyline needed more of twist to differ it from the first.
Both times the creators have tried to make the movie scary but not too horrific and I think they are doing a poor job. The movies are not fearful and just plain cheesy.
Overall, I would give Happy Death Day 2U a 5/10 rating based upon the animations, creativity, plot and horror factor.
All posts by Stohion Staff
Band Clinic Concert
H. Suzie Lee
SMFHS Wind Ensemble visited the University of Akron’s 31st Annual Band Clinic Concert Festival.
Band Clinic Concert Festival was held on Feb. 13, 2019 at E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall welcoming three high school bands including SMFHS, Mogadore Concert Band, Champion Symphonic Band.
Dr. James R. Shaker was the guest conductor and clinician for the festival; he served as a Professor and Director of the Bands Emeritus at the University of Nebraska.
Guest soloist was Dr. Elisabeth Shafer, a Visiting Assistant Trombone Professor at The University of Akron, and performed “Morceau Symphonique, Op. 88” by Alexandre Guilmant.
Students were able to meet with their instrument profession professor and have an hour length of clinic including rehearsals at EJ Thomas Hall.
After spending a full day at UA communicating with the university’s faculty, students performed at E.J. Thomas Hall with their repertoire.
Evening Program of the concert started with the UA’s University Band, Concert Band.
Mogadore High School Concert Band performed “Bonds of Unity” by Karl King and “Polly Oliver” by Thomas Root with Stephanie Bonitz, conductor of the band. James Shaker, guest conductor, directed “Voltage” by David Shaffer.
Champion High School Symphonic Band played “Down in the River” by Jay Bocook within the direction of Tyler Husosky. Shaker directed “Strange Humors” by John Mackey.
SMFHS Wind Ensemble performed “Black Granite” by James L. Hosay and “Shine” by Julie Giroux with conducting of Greg Newman. Shaker directed “Variations on a Korean Folk Song” by John Barnes Chance.
Concert was finished with UA’s Symphonic Band and all of the brass players in the high school performed “God of Our Fathers” by Claude T. Smith.
On the Basis of Sex- Review
Hannah Bartels
“On the Basis of Sex” is a film that many people are rushing to see, especially women. Everyone loves a good story of self fulfillment and finding happiness in working for justice. This movie is about a very famous and important women’s right activist that gave women nearly all of the rights that they have today: Ruth Ginsburg.
According to biography.com, Ruth was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933. She earned a bachelor degree in government from Cornell University in 1954 and was first in her class. She married Martin Ginsburg the same year and had a daughter named Jane. Shortly after, Ruth and Martin enrolled into Harvard as a law students where Ruth faced the challenges of raising a child while working for her law degree.
In 1956 Martin was diagnosed with cancer and Ruth attended all of his classes for him, taking notes so he could continue his education from home. He recovered fairly quick and began working in a New York law firm. Ruth later transferred to Columbia Law School where she also graduated first in her class in 1959.
Despite Ruth’s incredible academic records and achievements, she still faced constant discrimination throughout her life as a lawyer. She brought six landmark cases on gender equality to the Supreme Court and was later appointed by Bill Clinton into the Supreme Court. “On the Basis of Sex” does an outstanding job of highlighting Ruth’s many achievements and her journey fighting to give women rights in a world of men.
In the movie, the discrimination Ruth faced as a woman in an almost all male law school is depicted and how she had to earn her name and place into society. She learns an important life lesson from her daughter that listening, is equally important as speaking. She also learns that it’s important to listen to the younger generation (i.e. her daughter) and opinions from other people.
The movie also shows the battle that Martin had to face with cancer and how hard Ruth worked as she filled in classes for her husband, attended her own, and raised a child. Eventually, Ruth picks up a case that upholds the possibility to change the game for all women and must fight harder than she has ever before.
In the end, there is a scene that shows the real Ruth Ginsburg walking up the Supreme Court house stairs and it left many people with joy. This movie is a beautiful story of how hard work pays off and that real happiness comes from the things you do to help others.
Despite all of the great aspects of this movie, it is somewhat challenging to follow due to the amount of political terms used. The movie also movies at a fairly fast pace and requires people to have the ability to catch on quickly. The movie can seem like it drags on for some time because it tries to show how much pressure Ruth had to face and how my barriers he had to break through to earn equality for women.
“On the Basis of Sex” is the kind of movie that leaves you thinking and inspired. It makes you see the world from a different perspective and makes you compare our world today with Ruth’s world then. It really makes you see how powerful and critical the constitutional right to speech is for all American citizens and how big of an impact you can create with it. Freedom of speech is a right that people must hold onto and cherish and “On the Basis of Sex” does an incredible way of showing why.
2020 Democratic Stance
Shea Sullivan
2016 brought a state of shock to American politics and a major defeat to Democrats. Since then, democrats have been trying to rally up presidential candidates to take back the white house in 2020.
Former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have been the candidates most heard in the public ear, yet neither one has declared a campaign for presidency. Sanders is a very popular candidate that appeals to many young voters, a very important characteristic democrats are looking for.
However, Sander’s loss to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries may haunt his chances of winning the 2020 primary, democratic voters must look for someone electable, and losing to a losing candidate in past years is not a promising sign.
Biden is another candidate who has the ability to attract young voters and democratic voters that may have sat at home in 2016. Although Biden’s politics do not resonate as much within the current day democratic party, he has proven to been electable and has defeated Trump in many 2020 polls. If the party is looking to nominate someone due to their electability over their actual politics, Biden is certainly the right choice if he chooses to run.
One drawback for both Biden and Sanders may be their age, thankfully for them, a number of younger democrats are in the mix.
Beto O’Rourke is a democrat who has strongly increased his platform after narrowly losing to republican incumbent senator Ted Cruz in the 2018 Texas senate election. A democrat who can possibly flip Texas, a republican stronghold and state with 38 electoral votes, is certainly a top contender for the 2020 democratic nomination.
Like Biden and Sanders, O’Rourke can bring in many new and young voters. He has past experience in congress, and although he lost his senate election, he proved that he can challenge popular candidates in even the most conservative states. O’Rourke has not yet announced his decision on whether he will run for president but is expected to soon.
As for candidates who have declared their presidential bid, many are important figures among liberals, yet the majority of them are pretty unheard of to the average voter.
Hawaiian representative Tulsi Gabbard was one of the first congressional democrats to declare her candidacy for president, running her campaign on the ‘aloha’ spirit. Gabbard, a former army medic, is a very young and progressive candidate; however, she lacks experience and name recognition, and also has a past of strongly advocating for anti-LGBT laws.
While the Hawaiian representatives states her views have changed, that is definitely not something a democrat in a crowded field is going to want to have in their history. Gabbard may be a contender for democrats in the future, but certainty is not the best choice to take on Trump in 2020.
One candidate who has certainly spread their name is California Senator Kamala Harris. Harris, the former attorney general of the state, made national headlines after announcing her decision. She is another upcoming democrat that has caught the attention of millennials and those who may be voting for the first time in 2020. She also might be able to ignite the Obama voters in crucial midwestern states that felt uninspired in the 2016 election.
While the California senator may seem like a perfect fit for the increasingly progressive party, her history as the state attorney general has created controversy. Under her rule, California’s incarceration rate increased, as well as legislation that negatively impacted families. Harris’s name may be spreading out into the public, but her name comes with her record, possibly leaving a bad taste for many voters.
Another candidate that has a possibility of exciting the Obama base, is New Jersey senator Cory Booker. Booker has the ability to engage with new voting demographics, but probably not as much as Harris and contenders like Biden, Sanders and O’Rourke.
Although the garden state senator may not have a past with many problems to hide, he is not seen as the biggest proponent for affordable prescription drugs and health care, something democrats seem to value more and more each election. For a young candidate, Booker has a big future ahead and he nor democrats should waste that on such a big upcoming election.
Right next door in New York is senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Gillibrand replaced Clinton’s senate spot in 2009 after she was appointed to Secretary of State by President Obama. This fact already creates problems for Gillibrand. Democrats want to forget the embarrassment of 2016, and electing a candidate that can be easily comparable to Clinton is not going to help them.
Gillibrand, a centrist liberal has grown more progressive in recent years. She was the first candidate to call on Minnesota Senator Al Franken to resign after sexual assault allegations, and has consistently voted for non-discriminatory legislation.
Despite her recent liberal stances, she has a pretty conservative past for a democrat. She received an A rating from the NRA when first elected, and also has a record of anti-immigration beliefs. If democrats want to move on to a relatively controversy free future, Gillibrand is certainly not the right choice.
Staying on the East coast, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren drew mixed feelings from the country when she announced her run for the white house. Warren has been attacked countless times by President Trump and by tribal groups after she inaccurately claiming she has Native American Ancestry.
Aside from this controversy, Warren is a candidate with many positive ideas and one that can lead the democratic party. Unfortunately for her, she is from Massachusetts, a very democratic state that is not a make or break for the presidency. As a result of this, Warren would struggle in winning back rust belt and swing states democrats lost in 2016. Although a good candidate, the Massachusetts senator is not the wisest decision for nomination if democrats want a fighting chance.
One last candidate democrats have to consider is Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar. Clinton barely won Minnesota in 2016 by a point. In the most recent senate election, Klobuchar won Minnesota by 24 points, a very promising sign for the party if they want to win back midwestern states. The Minnesota senator is more of a centrist, yet has many aspects the base can support such as helping the environment, net neutrality, health care and winning elections. Klobuchar may not be as popular right now, especially with allegations of the negative way she has treated staff.
If Klobuchar can muddle through these allegations and escalate her name and platform, she can be a big player in the democratic primaries.
While the Iowa caucus, the first big test for presidential candidates one year away, it is once again time for democrats to think about who can take on Trump, and they certainly have plenty of options.
