Editorials

Jade’s February favorites revealed

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That’s right, it is February: it is the 28 days of the year consisting of hot wings, roses and candy hearts.

This month holds many trademark events and desserts. From the delicious candy to the feelings brought from the words “Super Bowl” and “Valentine’s Day,” February definitely reminds students of some of their favorite things.

Feb. 1 was a memorable day for all New England Patriot fans. Winning by only four points, Super Bowl parties all around were either crushed by the slight loss or enthusiastic from the victory.

The Super Bowl is one of those events that brings friends and families together with the fire of debate on who the best team is, excitement for victory and a little dash of comedy with each new commercial.

My favorite commercial this year was for Mountain Dew Kickstart. The dancing dog and couch made for a very weird yet comical commercial.

Although the entertainment on Super Bowl day is what excited most people, I get pumped for the food. With the selection of mini hot dogs, chili and chip dip, one could never go wrong.

Thirteen days later is yet again another favorite day in February.

This day is surely a favorite for all of those elementary students who get to buy those cute, little cards and make their own decorated tissue box. Back in the day, that Valentine’s day party in class was one of the best days of the year because any day that you could receive chocolate in the second grade, was a great day.

Now-a-days, we may want fancier sweets from Malley’s or Edible Arrangements.

Malley’s is a favorite of mine, definitely around this time of the year. With a new location in Stow, you could buy your loved one a heart shaped box of chocolate or their famous chocolate strawberries without having to go very far. Their chocolate covered pretzels and strawberries are my absolute favorite item in the store. Just down the road from the high school, 3027 Graham Road, the new Malley’s is sure to have something for everyone on Valentine’s day or any other special occasion.

Just a few miles further into Stow is yet another marvelous place to shop for your valentine.

Edible Arrangements has quite a different selection for your partner. They offer baskets of all different kinds of fruit, which may seem boring; however, they take it a step further than just an ordinary basket of fruit.

Edible Arrangements takes the pineapple, strawberry, grape and cantaloupe combination and turns them into a beautiful creation. Each basket resembles a bouquet of flowers, with the fruit pieces shaped like individual flowers. They are stunning to look at and are even better to eat. Your valentine would definitely not turn down a basket of glorious, high quality arranged fruit. Edible Arrangement is located at 4326 Kent Rd, in the plaza by 5 Below.

On the more traditional side of Valentine’s day are candy hearts. Some have a burning hate towards these little candies; however, some people, like me, love them. The tiny pastel colored hard candies with the cute sayings on them is one of my favorite parts of February. My favorite color of the selection is orange. Usually only being available within this month, candy hearts are like gold. Those who love the little hearts must stock up now, because before we know it, it will be March and one step closer to spring time.

Community

Woodland hosts carnival for students

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The staff of Woodland Elementary joined together with PTSA to host a fun, family-friendly dance on Feb. 11.

The dance included a variety of activities for students, parents and teachers to enjoy. In the art room, volunteers from the high school’s National Honors Society chapter painted faces and oversaw board games as well as helped sell pizza, tickets and water.

The gymnasium was decorated with festive banners and lights to create a fun dancing space where the kids could dance. There was also a DJ to help emcee the event as well as lead the dances like The Cupid Shuffle. At one point during the night, there was also a school-wide limbo contest.

Spike the Bulldog also made a special appearance during the night. While he was mostly seen over by the music room taking pictures and in the hallway giving high-fives, Spike also helped lead everyone in dancing The Cotton Eyed Joe and The Cha-Cha Slide.

“I’m really glad the PTSA and teachers helped put this event together,” said senior Courtney Herring. “I remember when I used to go to these things when I was [in elementary school], and now I realize how much [effort] it takes to put something like this together.”

The volunteers that helped with the event, both student and parent, rarely had a chance to stand still. Chaperones had to keep a close eye to make sure every event ran smoothly.

“I’ve been a part of Student Council for awhile, so planning dances and organizing committees is nothing new to me,” senior Brittany Lytton said. “Of course, when you’re working with really little kids, it adds a whole new dimension to things. I think it’s funny how [at the high school] the biggest problem is how many people are grinding. At [Woodland],  the biggest problem is people screaming in the hallway.  I was supposed to be giving away tickets for a free raffle, but most of my time was spent telling kids to use their inside voices unless they were in the gymnasium.”

Despite all of the time, energy, and effort it takes to organize the family dances, the effort always seems worth in the end.

“These dances really take it out of you, but when you see the kids get excited about pizza or games or something like that, [it is] worth it,” senior Molly Divine said.

Memories are being created as well as a  stronger community. Woodland and PTSA, as well as the other elementary schools, look forward to organizing more fun events like these in the future.

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.

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