The Cougar Press » Arts and Entertainment

Movie Review: Easy A

adviser — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:51:40 +0000

After high school student Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) lies to her best friend, Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka), about a weekend rendezvous with a fictional college freshman, the rumors start to fly.

Olive soon discovers that she actually likes the attention garnered by her new reputation, and she soon agrees to help out her bullied friend, Brandon (Dan Byrd), by pretending to be involved with him. Later, however, her image rapidly degrades to a more obscene state and her life spins out of control.

As classmates come to ask Olive for help to make themselves look cooler, she cannot help but say yes and her lies continue to escalate. Now she has to try to clear her name before the school’s most pious girl, Marianne (Amanda Bynes), gets Olive expelled.

Director Will Gluck’s film is unlike any high school film I have ever seen. “Easy A” is a very entertaining movie that delves into the life of teens and the aftermath of rumors. This movie is one of the best comedies that I have seen this year. I give this movie five out of five stars.

TV Review – “Glee” Hits High Notes With Music, Comedy

adviser — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:31:27 +0000

Fox’s hit TV show “Glee” tells the story of the fictional William McKinley high school glee club. The multi-talented cast performs musical numbers relevant to the story line. The script is full of witty culture references and the actors really do a good job of performing. Although, the best part of the show may very well be the character portrayal of cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, played by comedic genius Jane Lynch. Sylvester is the villain of sorts. She is the antagonist to Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison), who heads up the glee club at the high school.

Sylvester is mean to the nth degree – she is constantly out to ruin Schuster and the glee club who have taken away funding from her first place cheerleading squad. Lynch portrays her character in such a way that her sarcastic, evil and somewhat odd dialogue comes off as cruel, but at the same time completely and utterly hilarious. Lynch quite literally masters the art of sarcasm and sardonic remarks in the role of Sue Sylvester.

The story line of Glee has many twists and while it is a comedy, it also has a dramatic flair to it. This leads me to classify it as a “dramedy.” The show as a whole is sometimes a little bit too over the top to be a believable high school experience, but then again, it is basically a prolonged musical. It definitely has a Broadway feel to it. In fact, one of the main characters, Rachel Berry, is played by real life Broadway star Lea Michele. Her character is the over-achieving, over the top diva of the group whose egotistical nature often drives the other glee club members mad. Although, there is no doubt that Michele is incredibly talented. Along with her costars, Lea has made many Glee songs into smash hits on Itunes.

The show has created a frenzy. The fans faithfully identify themselves as “gleeks”. But what exactly is the appeal of a story about a high school glee club? I think it is the fact that it is different than anything on television these days. The concept of a musical television show is completely unique. Also, music can sometimes speak to people more effectively than anything else, especially when it is sung by a vocally inclined cast such as the one that Glee boasts.

They cover a wide variety of music, every genre from rock ‘n roll to gospel. Glee is a pop culture phenomenon in the making. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be entertained with good music and a good laugh. And yes, I’ll admit it. I am definitely a gleek.

Book Review: “Wake” Full Of Exciting Twists

adviser — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:47:49 +0000

Teen girls who are tired of the “Twilight” saga may find themselves sucked into the new love story, “Wake.” “Wake” provides a new and exciting twist for those seeking a break from vampires. Lisa McMann has crafted a book that is likely to keep her readers begging for more. She has created two characters which pull their audience into their lives within just a few chapters.

This story has twists and turns around every corner. Janie is the leading lady and she has a gift that will take readers by surprise. Cabel, on the other hand, is Janie’s opposite and is one character to keep an eye on. He has a rocky past that creates a truly mysterious character. Both of the main characters have their issues, but when put together they realize they can be their own person and not have to hide it.

This story has its bumps and mistakes, but has a great flow and is worth the read. Readers may find themselves flipping page after page waiting for the next turn of events. McMann leaves no stone unturned in “Wake.” This story receives four out of five stars for its great layout and plot. However, it could be better with a bit more in-depth descriptions about the minor characters and their roles in the story.

Besides a few bumps, this story is a great one for any teen girl. McMann should be proud of bringing her ideas to life in such a great story. But the story doesn’t end with “Wake” – it continues in the sequels “Fade” and “Gone.” This story is a new love story with a twist that can take anyone by surprise. It is definitely worth the read.

Album Review: “B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray”

adviser — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:47:58 +0000

From love and sweet charms to magic, kids and airplanes, rapper-singer Bobby Ray Simmons works his way into the hearts of many with his new album. Hailing from Decatur, Georgia, Simmons is an underground hip-hop hero who does not shy away from versatility. His winning single and number-one track “Nothing on you,” featuring Bruno Mars, reveals B.o.B.’s kind and caring side.

With just the simple lyrics “Beautiful girls all over the world, I could be chasing but my time would be wasted. They got nothing on you, baby. They might say hi and I might say hey, but you shouldn’t worry about what they say. ‘Cause they got nothing on you, baby,” Bobby Ray made girls from all ages hearts’ melt and caused them to fall in love instantly.

His track “Lovelier Than You,” is extremely similar to “Nothing on You,” except “Lovelier” is Bobby Ray singing by himself about his one and only. On the other hand, his song “The Kids” talks about the hard life in the streets and the future of the kids. It is lyrically one of the strongest songs of the album and has a smooth authentic vibe and awesome groove.

Being such a versatile new up-and-coming artist, it would make sense to use this album as a showcase to let the world know that he can hold down an entire studio album all by himself. Instead, he treats it as a collaborative party and features some of his favorite artists: T.I., Rivers Cuomo, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Janelle Monáe, Lupe Fiasco and many more.

The album never settles on a single sound. B.o.B just seems to travel wherever his mood takes him – whether it’s with a guitar or a piano or whether it’s about love or fame. He does it all and that is exactly how great adventures should be.

World of Warcraft Review

adviser — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 23:37:32 +0000

Presenting a never ending battle between factions and forcing you to choose where you stand, either with the war-torn Horde or the forces of the Alliance, Blizzard’s top rated computer game is an awesome way to spend your days.

“World of Warcraft,” now in its sixth year, is an adventure game that requires you to play a character of your choosing and level it from 1-80. It’s a long process, but it is all kinds of fun. “World of Warcraft”’s many different character-class combinations are what make this MMO computer game worth trying.

You can choose between 10 different races, such as: Human, Dwarfs, or Elves, and from 10 different classes, including: Shaman, Hunter and Death Knight. Even though W.O.W is addicting and very time consuming, it makes up for it in interesting game play. With all of the different quest lines and people you meet, it is hard to be bored when you are a first time player.

With fun and excitement come consequences, however, and while playing W.O.W you will also encounter some problems. One such problem comes as a result of the game’s socially based game play. Because the game is so socially interactive, it will bring out the meanness in your fellow players. Players will encounter some people that are jealous of their playing abilities and others who will be downright horrible in their attitudes.

One thing I like about “World of Warcraft” is the history and background of all of the characters. This game was very well thought out and prepared before being released to the public. With every quest you complete comes a story that explains why it is there. With every character that you talk to – from Thrall, the leader of the Horde, to the leaders of the alliance races—there is a background for you to uncover. It is an interesting journey that only gets better and better as your character advances. Once you level a character to 80, there are endless possibilities on what you can do. This is not the kind of game that you can just beat and be done with. There is much more that you can do. You can join a guild, run raids and dungeons, and even get rewards for completing unique achievements. World of Warcraft is a very fun and interesting past time with its wonderful graphics and exciting scenery. For these reasons, I rate this game an A-.

DVD Review: ‘Coraline’ Is Creepy And Captivating

snoadmin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:34:15 +0000

The film “Coraline” is visually captivating, with stop-action wizardry and a slew of interesting characters, all hamming maddeningly to steal scenes in this children’s film based on the story by author Neil Gaiman.

Gardens bloom in seconds and giant insects crawl with riders gleefully yelping on their backs, as if in some mutant, kaleidoscopic rodeo. Add to that the fact that you’re watching it unfold in colorful 3-D, and you’ve got the makings of an engaging outing for the kids. If only the thing wasn’t so darn creepy.

Normally of course, most parents are loathe to frequent anything smacking of disturbing, dark or suicidal. It’s generally a good rule to live by. That’s not the stuff of happy children’s dreams, though it’s surprising how many kids’ movies rely on shriek value to sell their stories and Happy Meals.

Many parents were upset, for instance, with the film “Igor,” which seemed from the trailers to be reliably scary, yet also reasonably safer than staying at home and risking flipping the channel to televised atrocities in Afghanistan – or worse, the subprime mortgage meldown.

Of course, the “Igor” trailers didn’t focus on the suicidal cat, which spends the flick trying to kill itself in increasingly creative ways. Naturally, the inevitable question arises: “Dad, what’s suicide?” To which most parents will respond with a quick segue into the intricacies of the subprime mortgage crisis. Self-destructive in its own way, true, but more esoteric than killing oneself, and certain to leave everyone healthfully confused by the end of the discussion.

But where “Igor” was creepy and moderately entertaining, “Coraline” was both creepy and exhilarating, featuring a strong heroine willing to risk all by climbing down a more demonic version of the rabbit hole than Alice ever braved, in order to save her parents from the clutches of her “other mother,” an arachnoid limpet with steel, springy needles for fingers and domestic rage seething beneath her apron.

The images were both scary and mesmerizing – truly, a marvel of imagination – although I wondered if they needed to be so dark.

Several times during the film, the kids announced how frightened they were, and they’re not exactly the shrinking types. The boy, for instance, once browbeat me into reading a Halloween story to his kindergarten class, in which a woman literally loses her head when the wrong ribbon is pulled from her neck. The kids, naturally, howled in approval, even as the instructor gave me that severe look mastered only by elementary teachers and Abu Ghraib jailers.

This is not as bad as portraying a self-destructive feline bent on offing itself, but momentary pangs of guilt were involved. Perhaps, then, we can forgive “Igor” and “Coraline” for trying to scare the kids in the name of cinematic excitement. Still, the youngsters are a long way from the dubious teenage thrills of “Halloween in 5D” (sure to come), and I’d like to keep it that way, for as long as humanly possible.

Cougar Poetry

snoadmin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:30:09 +0000

Penn Station

In 1975, they realized that the stone
edifice had drooped in the sun
and the weather which blew clouds
whistling around the warm old
marble and winding staircases
had disappeared. And Dodgers
Stadium had been built brick
by brick and cold flat plastic
over the graves of ancient
communities, flying in the
faces of angry neighborhood
owners. The kind who would
hold a grudge for the
next fifty years, until they
eventually slumped from
sheer inflexibility. These
Atlantean monuments rose
slowly through gang infested
park landscapes, presenting a
pointillist feud that involved
everyone searching into that
reflection of the past, its
landmark a slide which chips
away at little pieces of nostalgia,
the memory of an old wound.
The years, ultimately, don’t mean
much to these great buildings,
their staircases clipping with sound,
from babies in carriages clopping
down steps to the neat frame
of expensive shoes forged from
animal skins. A million
different images from as many
mornings. All moving to make
way for what we imagine
might come next. Later, still.