Category Archives: Entertainment

Entertainment

‘House of Cards’ loved by many

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By Ryan Stone

Shows like “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad” have become  extremely popular to the general public in the past few years. Through the use of Hulu and Netflix many people have the desire to start to watch a new series. The show for people who like these programs is here. The name of this television series is “House of Cards.”  “House of Cards” features Kevin Spacey as the main character; however, it is not correct to call him a good guy. This show features all of the following: money, greed, dirty politics and what life could be life for a congressman who has a desire burning for more political power.

“House of Cards” had its entire first season of 13 episodes released to Netflix on Feb. 1, 2013 and is based off the novel by Michael Dobbs, which is also titled “House of Cards.” This was Dobbs first novel, and it was published in 1989. Dobbs is an Oxford graduate and was an advisor to Margaret Thatcher for Britain’s conservative political party.

Netflix has just recently released the third season. “House Of Cards” has been gaining popularity to the public with every passing episode.

“‘House of Cards’ is a really good show, and Kevin Spacey is an awesome actor,” sophomore Jacob Dewald said.

“House of cards” continues to gain popularity mainly because Kevin Spacey is liked by many people ever since his release of the 1999 film “American Beauty.”

Spacey plays a character by the name of Francis Underwood who is a congressman of South Carolina. Spacey is not the only brilliant actor in the cast: upcoming actress Kate Mara also is a fan favorite. She will be playing the Invisible Woman in the reboot of Marvel’s “Fantastic 4,” which will be coming out later this year.

The show is something American people can really rally behind. People will have interest in the show because they  have curiosity of what the nation’s leaders do in their downtime, or how they get people to be on their side with the proposal of bills, resolutions and re-election campaigns. This is a satisfying realistic fictional story of how determined men stop at nothing to accomplish their goals.

This program has won 2 Golden Globes with 12 other awards and 87 nominations since its premier in 2013, so it is safe to say that many people are enjoying watching the season thus far.

“House of Cards” is highly recommended to all who are hunting for a new series on Netflix or Hulu.

Reviews

Bon Iver fills the room with poetic melodies

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Few bands or solo artists today can make listeners feel as if they are the steady snowfall on Christmas Eve. Bon Iver; however, has this technique mastered

DeYarmond was the name of the band that lead singer and songwriter Justin Vernon played in before Bon Iver. Vernon played with high school friends, but after they relocated to North Carolina, everything had fallen apart.

Altmusic.com said Vernon felt out of place, so he broke up with his band, broke up with his girlfriend and headed back to his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. While searching for himself, naturally, he found haven in a log cabin in the woods where he wrote songs for months.

When Vernon left the cabin, he emerged with his first album called “For Emma, Forever Ago.” The album was released in 2008 and is filled with soft, haunting sounds.

“I crouch like a crow contrast with the snow for the agony I would rather know,” Vernon, in his song “Blindsided”, wrote.

His voice throughout the entirety of the album is beautiful. Vernon has a calm, yet powerful tone that can put anyone to sleep, but still make them think about their life at the same time.

“For Emma, Forever Ago” is full of heartbreak, which makes the album even more significant. Vernon puts his heart on the line for every song he writes and the extreme poetic words of his writing flow perfectly together.

“I was full by your count. Lost, but your fool. Was a long visit wrong?” Vernon sang in “Creature Fear.”

Most people, at least teenagers, are familiar of the song “Skinny Love” covered by Birdy. The cover of the song is beautiful, but the original is written by Bon Iver and comes packed with a sound no other artist can produce.

“Tell my love to wreck it all. Cut out all the ropes and let me fall,” Vernon hauntingly sings in “Skinny Love.”

The second album released is called “Blood Bank.” Released in 2009, the album is shorter and follows “For Emma, Forever Ago” almost perfectly.

Vernon competes with his own lyrics, writing the songs in “Blood Bank” even more powerfully than before. Some songs are open for any interpretation, but others are very black and white.

“When you are out, tell your lucky one to know that you will leave. Don’t you look when you’re fleeing. I’d like not to hear keys,” Vernon sang in “Beach Baby.”

The way he writes brings imagination to the listener, making them feel like they are in the situation or forcing them to relive a past experience all over again.

“And I said I knew it well, the secret that you know but don’t know how to tell,” Vernon sings in “Blood Bank.”
Sadly, the most recent album released by Bon Iver was “Bon Iver” in 2011. This album, thankfully, is much longer than the other two.

Vernon, again, does not disappoint listeners as he belts out ballads with the same, if not more, amount of power and relaxation. He writes songs about truth, but delivers them in such a way no other artist can.

“At once I knew I was not magnificent,” Vernon, in “Holocene”, sang. “High above the highway aisle, jagged vacance and thick with ice, I could see for miles, miles, miles.”

When listening to all three of the albums, the feeling of sorrow and happiness hits listeners like a tidal wave. If there was an award for most poetic song filled with powerful music in the background, Bon Iver, without question, would win.

Vernon sings in “Towers,” “Open ears and open eyes, wake up to your starboard bride who goes in and then stays inside. Oh the demons, they can subside.”

Reviews

‘Chasing Amy’ movie review

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Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) and Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) are comic book writers out of New Jersey. Their very successful book ends up introducing them to a very pretty Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), who is also a comic book writer. After a night out, Holden falls for Alyssa. The next night, Holden finds out that Alyssa is gay. Holden is crushed  and will do anything to get this girl. He may even risk crushing his life-long friendship with Banky.

“Chasing Amy” is another one of Kevin Smith’s comedies in the “Clerks” universe. In the movie, there are many references to characters and places from “Clerks” and “Mallrats.”

Though this movie is mostly a romantic comedy, it is unlike any other in the genre. Smith does not forget to have his trademark ironic comedy, and throughout the movie, you forget the romantic feel.

Many of the people who watch the film are skeptical about the ending. I personally think the end is powerful. Holden is faced with an extremely tough decision at the end of the movie. He has to choose between the two most important things in his life, unless he can find a way to satisfy both people’s needs.

The end to me shows how truly crazy love can make people. This portrays the change of Holden throughout the movie. At the start of the movie, there is no way that he would have even thought of that idea.

I feel that the people who have rated “Chasing Amy” on IMDb did not look deeper into the movie to see the true meaning. If someone who watches the movie does not take time to think about the film afterwards, they will think of it is a decent romantic comedy. To truly appreciate the whole movie, the viewer must dig below the surface to see Kevin Smith’s true genius.

Entertainment

Emma Watson to play Belle in Disney’s new-live-action ‘Beauty and the Beast’

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Twenty-four-year-old actress Emma Watson announced in late January that she has been cast as Belle in Disney’s newest adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” according to ABC.com. The former Harry Potter actress, is ready to leave behind her famous portrayal of Hermione Granger and transform herself into a role even more magical.

The news was initially announced to her followers through a Facebook post on Jan. 26.

“I am finally able to tell you that I will be playing Belle in Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast,” Watson said.

Fans faced Watson’s announcement with great approval. Watson is just as excited about the news as her followers.

“My six year-old self is on the ceiling [with her] heart bursting,” said Watson. “Time to start some singing lessons. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

Filming has yet to commence, and there has been no set release date for the movie. Insider sources have released that this movie will share an art style close to that of Disney’s “Maleficent.”

Like the aforementioned 2014 retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” this new version of “Beauty and the Beast” will be a live-action film that will be heavily depend upon the use of CGI and other forms of computer graphics.

The success of movies like “Maleficent” and the already abounding press coverage for the new “Beauty and the Beast” appear to be heralding a new trend of Disney movies.

This is not Disney’s first attempt at rebooting Disney classics into new, edgy live-action dramas.

2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” was the first movie in recent memory to attempt to completely and seamlessly combine CGI and live-action into a single, flowing story. The movie combined the art direction of Tim Burton, the acting talents of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, as well as the naturally outlandish nature of Lewis Carroll’s original novel. All of the elements seemed to be aligned perfectly.

Yet with a 51% rating on rottentomatoes.com and less than stellar reviews from the critics, Disney’s executives were left wondering where they went wrong. A confusing and hard-to-follow script were left to blame, and plans for a sequel were immediately scrapped.

Four years later, Disney studios took on the task of creating “Maleficent,” aware of the risk they were taking. Stunningly, “Maleficent,” contrary to its previous successor, became one of the more popular releases of 2014.

Both movies took on the challenge of reconstructing a classic story with Gothic elements, but “Maleficent” was given more positive feedback. Good scripts and flawless acting, it appears, is the best recipe for success. Now audiences are highly anticipating the newest live-action fairy tale.

The live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” has audiences pondering the possible stylistic choices of this upcoming story. Simply, many are curious if “Beauty and the Beast” will be styled after the Gothic tones of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Maleficent” or if Disney will pioneer a new style for this new live-action film.

Speculations are high, and until the studio releases more information, fans will be left to merely imagine what Emma Watson and the rest of the “Beauty and the Beast” cast will bring to theaters.