You’re probably wondering why I decided to see this production at Western. For one thing, I had to see the production for my theatre class. For another thing, I kind of wanted to see what I’ve been missing. And let me tell you, I’ve been missing a lot. I have seen a handful of productions at Western, and I have to say, this was the best one I’ve seen, hands down.

As far as the casting goes, I was impressed. Ray Johnson, who played Sweeney Todd, was the perfect mixture of creepy and relatable. Even though he was brutally murdering a ton of people throughout the production, I found myself still rooting for him. I wanted him to get his vengeance, especially considering his tragic past. Xan Kellogg, who played the beggar woman, was intensely powerful. It was evident that she had fallen into the role and her character was easy to believe.

I think the show’s biggest strength was its vocal talent. Overall, I was flabbergasted at the level of talent in this production. The chorus performers, who came onstage every couple scenes to perform a short song, were my favorite part of the show. Their facial expressions, morbid make-up, and ability to harmonize well with each other gave me goosebumps at times.

Ray Johnson gave the best singing performance, I thought. He committed to every word and I loved it. Adrienne Collins, who played Johanna, was glowing. Her sweet innocence that competed with her desire to find herself in the world outside her creepy pedophile father’s window was compelling, and vocally, she shined, her soft voice perfectly riding on the melodies of her trademark song, “Green Finch and Linnet Bird.”

Some comedic relief came in Sebastian Smith’s portrayal of Adolfo Pirelli, the world-renowned Italian barber who challenges Todd to a “barber off” of sorts, where the two compete for bragging rights. This scene gave a much needed break to the viewers, who were able to come up for air and get some laughter in before Todd began his killing spree just a few scenes later.

Coming from someone who gets squeamish while watching anything remotely bloody, I have to say that I wish the death scenes had been a bit more realistic. When Sweeney sliced the necks of his victims, a red sash was pulled out of their collars. I wish there had been fake blood or something more visually appealing, as these scenes were a crucial element of the plot. I loved the barber chair though, how each victim would get dropped down a hatch immediately following their deaths. Technically, this was done very well.

At the end of the show, I stood up and gave the cast and crew the standing ovation they deserved. The show was well acted, well sang, and overall, a gripping, blood-stained piece. If you’ve seen Sweeney Todd before, or even if you haven’t,  take the time out of your Saturday night or Sunday afternoon to witness some of Western’s most talented performers bring the treacherous tale of Sweeney Todd to life.

Bloody-Disgusting.com

Roger Ebert always said that if a film succeeds at what it practices, it is a good film, whether you like it or not.

The 2013 remake of “Evil Dead” follows that logic, making it a purely phenomenal horror film.

This film is not going to be for everyone. If you are squeamish, I suggest you back away from this blood-fest. Having said that, if you are a fan of horror cinema, this will be one of the best movie-going experiences in your lifetime.

There are certainly issues with “Evil Dead.” The acting isn’t exactly top-notch and there are some minor plot holes, but if you are paying attention to those things in a film like this, you are clearly missing the point.

“Evil Dead” was obviously made out to be a fun experience at the theater and not to be taken seriously. It isn’t so much a film as it is a “love letter” to horror fans.

This love letter is beautifully crafted by first-time director Fede Alvarez, who also co-wrote the screenplay, along with Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.

Alvarez could have easily taken the cheap way out and just translated the script to film and thrown a dozen buckets of blood at the lens. Instead, he opted to take the audience on a complete, stroke-inducing, thrill ride.

In this version of the cult film,  the story follows a group of friends who go out to a cabin for the weekend to try to rid one of the group’s member of their drug addiction. In the basement of this cabin, they find an ancient “book of the dead” and upon reading from this book, they cast a curse upon their recovering junkie-friend, ultimately leading to a demonic possession.

The difficult thing about remakes is that mostly everyone already knows the story and it’s really hard to pull an audience into a story that they already know the outcome to. What’s great about this particular remake is that it is not dependent upon the twists and turns of the story.

About every eight minutes, audience members will begin to realize that something terrible is going to happen. This usually creates predictability within the narrative, but instead, it produces a feeling of constant anxiety for the audience.

Throw away the fact that this is probably the most nerve-racking horror film that has been put out in about ten years. “Evil Dead” is also extremely well shot and edited.

A lot of modern horror films rely on cheap and predictable jump-scares. There is only one jump-scare in this entire film. This is because they didn’t need them to keep the audience involved. Alvarez remembered that horror films are not about “scaring” your audiences, as much as they are about “scarring” your audiences and making them remember what they saw and hope that they don’t see it again in their nightmares.

The cinematography is just flat-out gorgeous in this gore-fest. A majority of the film is really dark and there isn’t any cinematic lighting until the final scene of the film, but there was a large collection of extraordinary crane shots that proved that this wasn’t just some young kid making some cheap horror film. Alvarez knows what he is doing.

Through and through, “Evil Dead” is easily the most pleasing remake in recent years and easily one of the most entertaining horror films to come out as well.

If you are comfortable with the horror movie environment, go and watch this movie. It will strike you like a drug. You may question your life in the proceeding moments, but you will just be running back for more, and wanting.

Fresh out of college, Lara sets out on her first expedition aboard the ship Endurance in an effort to find the kingdom of Yamatai, an ancient kingdom ruled by a queen who held mystical powers. With a crew of engineers and archaeologists, Lara attempts to lead the ship into The Dragon’s Triangle, an area containing brutal storms and harsh waves that are responsible for numerous shipwrecks. Sure enough, the ship succumbs to the violent weather, leaving the crew shipwrecked on a mysterious island. Lara is quickly separated from the rest of the crew and realizes that she is definitely not alone on the island, as mercenaries constantly pursue her.

The game’s biggest flaw doesn’t lie within its story, however.  Rather, it’s the characters that lack any sort of depth. Lara’s voice actor does a fine job, and her transformation from “defenseless archaeologist” to “full-on survivor” is definitely cool (if not a bit sudden). It’s the rest of the crew that fail to deliver. I had a lot of trouble connecting with them and feeling for their cause, mainly because every other sentence that they utter is some form of, “We need to get off of this island.” Their dialogue isn’t great, and when some members of the crew end up getting left behind or lost, I didn’t really care.  On the bright side, this is probably the game’s only notable flaw.

Where the gameplay is concerned, Lara is all about climbing, sneaking and shooting. Platforming (or jumping from thing to thing), is handled incredibly well. Lara’s jumps feel as if they have actual momentum, and the climbing is simple and engaging. You’ll rarely feel frustrated when trying to reach higher areas, because everything works so well in this regard.

Lara will quickly begin to arm herself with a variety of weapons and tools even towards the end of the game. Due to the fact that Lara will constantly be receiving new equipment, you’ll be able to visit and traverse older areas in different ways to find new items for Lara to use. Nearly everything in the game is upgradeable. Lara can find all sorts of salvage in boxes around the island, and even on the bodies of dead mercenaries.  Using this salvage, you can make upgrades to Lara’s arsenal, allowing weapons to reload faster or dish out more damage.  Furthermore, some boxes and soldiers hold weapon parts that Lara can use to increase the amount of upgrades available for a particular weapon.

Lara can also upgrade her abilities through experience gathered from defeating mercenaries to finding hidden items around the island. These upgrades grant her new abilities, such as finding more salvage on a mercenary’s dead body or being able to incapacitate enemies upon dodging their attacks. The amount of customization in this game is unprecedented and incredibly cool.

With all of these weapons and abilities, Lara becomes a competent fighter. She’ll automatically crouch when enemies are nearby, allowing the player to move about the environment largely unnoticed until you either initiate your attack or end up getting spotted. Smart players can even take out enemies without others noticing. When engaged in conflict, Lara will automatically take cover behind any object you attempt to put her behind, which works surprisingly well. Enemies will often try to keep you moving to different cover spots by tossing dynamite your way, which is when Lara’s ability to scramble and roll becomes key to your survival. If enemies get to close, Lara can use a pickaxe, which she acquires fairly early in the game, to stun or even kill them.

Every battle is incredibly exciting, even up to the end of the game, because you’ll almost always be outnumbered and outgunned, but if you use your resources and surrounding correctly, you’ll come out virtually unscathed. In between the firefights and exploration, you can find hidden tombs which will reward you with a ton of salvage, weapon parts and experience upon solving their physics-based puzzles. These puzzles are expertly designed; balancing complexity and solvability beautifully. Needless to say, there’s very little downtime in Tomb Raider.

The graphics and sound design are also phenomenal. Environments are detailed, with various crumbled forts and buildings dotting the jungles and forests that permeate the island. Lara’s animations look great as she climbs tall structures and scrambles to avoid enemy fire. There are a few ugly spots where water is concerned, but they’re hard to notice and easily forgivable given the rest of the game’s fantastic art design. Tomb Raider is easily one of the best looking games to come out on multiple game consoles.

Completing the game should take around 12-15 hours depending on your level of play, and once you’re done, you can freely roam the island to find hidden treasures or upgrade the rest of Lara’s skills and guns. I, personally, am not one to go back and collect everything in a game, but Tomb Raider was so good that I felt compelled to seek out remaining tombs and unearth hidden items upon completion of the game. There are also enemies that still roam around the areas, so you’re free to gain experience in that way as well. There is a multiplayer mode, but it feels a bit tacked on to the overall package and doesn’t feel as if it has any lasting appeal. Furthermore, it’s not the reason you should pick this game up.

Tomb Raider attempts many different things, and pulls them off without a hitch, with the exception of its multiplayer. If there is anything that holds it back, it’s Tomb Raider’s subpar characters.  However, this should not prevent you from experiencing its expertly paced, action packed gameplay. After completing the game in its entirety, I can say that Tomb Raider is one of the best action-adventure games that I have ever played, and you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

Tomb Raider is available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Microsoft Windows.

Sebastian Smith and Lauryn Roberts rehearse for the play “Private Lives”. The play will be Friday night, March 1st at 7:30.

The play opened with two couples, Elyott and Sybil, and Victor and Amanda, honeymooning in Deuville, France. Unlike the typical honeymoon however, Elyott and Amanda, who were previously married, wind up in adjacent suites with their new partners. For the remainder of the play, wonderfully hilarious, and at times heart breaking, awkward situations unfold.

The most impressive aspect of “Private Lives” was both cast and crew were showcased. Typically, the crew goes unnoticed behind the scenes. Between the first and second acts, the crew came on stage and did a scene change.

The play is a must see, and it would be worth paying for another ticket to see the crew dress the set. It was a stylistic choice that made “Lives” a unique experience.

Although the beginning of the first act lacked energy, the pace quickened as both women’s screams echoed the theatre. After that, “Private Lives” found its stride and became truly engrossing.

The cast, although comprised of only five members, did not lack talent. The two stand-out performances of the evening belong to Matt Wright, as Elyott, and Sebastian Smith, as Victor.

Not only did both Wright and Smith maintain convincing English accents, but they also delivered their lines candidly and their comedic chemistry was on point. Wright and Smith demonstrated that they were seasoned actors that have found their bearings.

While the men of “Lives” were the highlight of the play, the women cannot go unmentioned. Nerissa Lee, as Sybil, and Lauryn Roberts, as Amanda, held their own with the more experienced Wright and Smith. Both Lee and Roberts have had prior stage experience, but “Lives” is the first major role in a play for both.

The fifth member of the cast, Sharon Rodriguez Benarroch who played the maid in the second and third acts, was delightful to watch. Rodriguez Benarroch spoke only French throughout the scenes, but her energy was most memorable. Exasperated, with the two couples and their absurdities, the Rodriquez Benarroch’s character served as an important foil character to the rest of the cast.

“Private Lives” finishes its run on March 1 and 3. It would be a shame to miss this witty, ridiculously funny play.

Annette Raleigh (Robin Ussher) celebrates after destroying her husbands cell phone while he was on an important call.

Before the play begins, two grade school boys, named Benjamin and Henry, get into an argument that results in Benjamin picking up a stick and hitting Henry across the face, knocking out two of his teeth. That afternoon, the parents of the children meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. Henry’s parents, Michael and Veronica Novak, are surprisingly calm and civil, especially compared to Benjamin’s parents, Alan and Annette Raleigh. While Annette constantly apologizes and tries to make conversation with the Novaks, her husband, Alan, is busy with phone calls pertaining to his law firm. After about ten minutes of exposition and idle chitchat over how their sons should meet to discuss the incident, the Raleighs decide to depart. However, with virtually nothing resolved, the Novaks insist both Alan and Annette stay for a few more minutes, and it’s here where “God of Carnage” really starts to take off.

Both couples begin finding flaws in each other’s views and attitudes. Eventually, the warm coffee that both couples politely sipped from their cups turns into a never ending supply of rum that is passed around the room several times. It isn’t long before arguments become too much for some of the characters to handle. Fights break out, shirts are torn off and punches are thrown. It soon becomes a free-for-all, with each couple growing tired of the habits of their significant other.  Sitting in the audience and watching this chaos unfold is the reason why “God of Carnage” is so good.

But these hilarious situations would be nothing without solid actors and actresses to sell them to the audience.  Fortunately, these four performers did not disappoint.  Alan Raleigh, portrayed magnificently by George Arnold, was the most believable of the bunch.  His professional demeanor and long winded explanations fit his character perfectly.  His wife Annette, played by Robin Ussher, was also very believable and incredibly funny once she had consumed enough alcohol.  Both Michael and Veronica Novak, played by Riley Bayer and Stacey Park respectively, played off of each other very well.  Seeing Michael hesitantly agree with his wife on nearly every topic until he started drinking large amounts of rum was absolutely hilarious.  Meanwhile, Veronica’s constant need to bring about peace before giving into the effects of alcohol was priceless.  Each actor’s antics also permanently transformed the stage, so that by the end of the play, it was hardly recognizable.  “Transformation” is a big theme that is stressed throughout the entirety of God of Carnage, and the fact that each performer was able to demonstrate these changes onstage is a testament to their devotion and abilities as actors and actresses.

“God of Carnage” was a fantastic play that I would recommend to anyone looking for a laugh. Though the first few minutes can feel a bit slow in comparison to the rest of the play, things gradually escalate to a beautiful crescendo of chaos and hilarity. The four performers definitely deserve praise for their acting and willingness to perform some interesting routines. There are some dark undertones present, and the language definitely isn’t appropriate for children, but if neither of these things are an issue, you owe it to yourself to witness “God of Carnage.”

*Photo courtesy of imdb.com

This is exactly what happened with Steven Soderbergh’s latest film “Side Effects.”

This mysterious thriller isn’t a perfect film. It has some script issues and it starts slow, but once it gets a hold of you, it never lets go.

The main storyline of the film follows a young Emily (Rooney Mara) who has been prescribed to antidepressants by her new psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks (Jude Law). After she goes on the controversial drug, she begins to experience some “side effects” that include even more severe depression, anxiety, and violent behavior.

The rest of the film is a high-intensity thriller between all of the characters. Dr. Banks is dealing with pressure from lawyers and criticism from his colleagues, while Emily and her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) are constantly trying to deal with the side effects that she is experiencing. You might notice a slight scent of greed with Martin, as he begins to believe that whoever made this drug is going to be a rich man. Sometimes you get the sense that the doctor doesn’t truly care for his patients and that it is just a profession for him.

The performances in the film are just phenomenal. Rooney Mara proves that she is not just a one-trick pony. She really has a commanding presence on-screen. Her high-anxiety makes the audience feel that we really don’t know where she is going, and that is nothing short of enthralling.

Law also puts on probably the best performance of his career. You question his motives and morals throughout the entire film, but you still don’t feel like you completely know him at the end.

Tatum, surprisingly enough, showed some solid acting chops in this film too. He was truly intense in the right moments, but also convincingly real in many other spots. A true coming-out party for him.

Soderbergh said that this would be his last feature-film. I really hope this is not the case.

Soderbergh has always been known as a diverse director, but this film proves it even more. He doesn’t have to pull any fancy tricks with the camera or use violence to up the intensity. In the tradition of Hitchcock, he just knows how to pace a story so that the intensity and intrigue come naturally.

The film is also shot rather dark, which can be distracting in some cases, but it wasn’t here. It created a new atmosphere. Everything was also shot at very low angles, which tends to be very strange, but it created a beautiful intimacy between all of the characters that truly benefited the film.

One of the reasons I truly believe this is (so far) the most important film of 2013 is the trust Soderbergh put into his actors for this film.

This is a story in which the actors really carry. While the film did have good camera work, lighting, and editing, it didn’t matter. The intensity and mystery existed because of the performances by the actors. It takes a lot of guts and trust for a director to put the liveliness of a film within the hands of its actors, but Soderbergh did it and they nailed it.

He casted who he wanted to, and because of that, he truly trusted everything his actors wanted to do, and that was the reason that “Side Effects” was such a strong and powerful narrative.

Again, the film is not perfect. It starts off slow and takes 20-30 minutes for audience members to get into, but once you do, you are a slave to its craft.

This film is not going to take over the box office because of its competition, but I urge movie-goers to give this film a shot, especially any psychiatrists or young psychology students.

To say the least, you won’t be able to get the film out of your head for several hours.

courtesy of http://www.nonstophonolulu.com

In actuality, Jonathan Levine’s zombie-flick resembles a more famous romantic tale.

Instead of borrowing it’s characters from Stephenie Meyers’ vampire series, it borrows them from William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy “Romeo & Juliet.”

This wasn’t a terrible idea.

Through clever comedy and a general feeling of fun, “Warm Bodies” will be a success with audiences.

A lot of the media has been in fear, by comparing this latest zombie-flick to the vampire love tales of “Twilight” but it leans more towards Shakespearian tragedy with the two lovers in this journey named “R” and “Julie.” Ring a bell?

If that isn’t enough to sway you, R has a comedic and free-spirited friend named “M” (Mercutio, anyone?) and Julie’s father is very disapproving of R and wants him dead. Seriously, that’s Capulet. Oh, and her best friend is Nora. Pretty close to “Nurse.” Just saying.

This all works, though. The film is pure entertainment. There are a lot of plot holes and characteristics involved that don’t make much sense or seem ridiculous, but the audience shouldn’t really care.

Putting logistics into a film like this would be like trying to figure out why spinach makes Popeye that much stronger. There’s no need for it.

The base of the story is that R, who can’t remember his entire name, is a zombie who spends his days at an airport finding human flesh to feed upon. When he eats the heart of “Perry”, he gains Perry’s knowledge and memory. There’s that craziness I mentioned.

Perry was actually the boyfriend of Julie, so therefore he develops a strong love for her. This sets up a lot of well-executed jokes and awkward situations between many of the characters.

Both the lead actors, Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, do a good job. They both have great comedic timing and they earn their paychecks. Rob Corddry, who plays M, is the “X-Factor” of the film as he creates some great laughs and generates an overall enjoyable presence on-screen.

John Malkovich plays Julie’s father who is a military general of sorts and is leading the hunt against the zombies. It’s pretty obvious that he isn’t putting too much effort into the role and is just treating it as another paycheck, but it still works.

Director Jonathan Levine puts forth a sold effort with this film, but there were still some flaws and inconsistencies. With his last film (50/50), Levine was able to put out a story that was funny but also really tugged at the heart, this wasn’t the case.

I understand that this was just a zombie-flick romantic comedy fun time, but Levine was never really able to find a for-sure identity with the film.

There were moments where it felt like a well-written romantic comedy, but then it would switch to a full-out zombie film for 20 minutes or so. There wasn’t a real consistency of style within the film.   Yet at the same time, it’s hard to really hold the film accountable for much of anything. The purpose of it is to just be a fun time had with some laughs. Does it succeed at that? Yes, very much so.

All in all, “Warm Bodies” is worth the admission price. It has it’s flaws, but it is better than a majority of the films out there right now, and it is definitely the best choice for a Valentines Day trip to the theater. Go see this film and fall madly in love. With Zombies.

*courtesy of theaterpimp.com

Book of Mormon is a musical created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the incredibly popular and controversial South Park series. This is their first attempt at a Broadway play, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Book of Mormon has won nine Tony Awards including the award for Best Musical.

If you haven’t deduced from the title, Book of Mormon is a musical that’s almost entirely focused on highlighting some of the more interesting beliefs of the Mormon faith. If you’re not familiar with Mormon teachings, there are a few explanations given throughout the play that offer the audience humorous insight into the history of Mormonism. The song, “All-American Prophet” is an excellent example of this, telling of Joseph Smith’s journey to the Promised Land after finding “the third testament of the Bible.”

Specifically, Book of Mormon focuses on a nineteen year old Mormon elder named Kevin Price who is eager to be sent out on his mission to spread the faith. Price, in particular, is one of the, “smartest, best most deserving elders the center’s ever seen,” according to his peers. However, he is thrown into a difficult situation when he is paired with a clumsy, inept elder named Arnold Cunningham. Furthermore, Price’s hopes of being sent to preach in Orlando, Florida are crushed when he’s told that he’s being sent to a village in Uganda.

The story, overall, is incredibly funny and, at times, genuinely heartfelt. There are definitely a few lessons to be learned here regarding one’s appreciation for their own religion as well as how fragile friendship can become when put under stress. Furthermore, both Price and Cunningham aren’t portrayed as perfect Mormons, but instead as human beings who do, in fact, make mistakes and struggle with their beliefs. There are many characters in Book of Mormon; most of them being villagers with radically different beliefs from that of Price and Cunningham. These different attitudes about God and his works clash frequently, and account for much of Book of Mormon’s “unique” brand of comedy.

I can think of several people who would walk out of Book of Mormon before intermission strictly due to how filthy and irreverent the humor is. The comedy here can range from hilarious jokes to incredibly offensive observations that will have you laughing harder than you thought possible. Jokes about racism, rape and terrorism are fairly prevalent throughout most of the play. However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t experience some genuinely funny jokes; most of which come from Cunningham’s general awkward attitude and appearance as well as his failure to identify with African customs. Early on, he develops a bit of a crush on one of the villagers, Nabulungi, but can never seem to pronounce her name correctly. Substitutes for her name include Jon Bon Jovi, Neutrogena and Nala (appropriate due to Cunningham’s fondness for Lion King).

Nearly every song in Book of Mormon is unforgettable. Each one is incredibly catchy, featuring outstanding orchestration and memorable lyrics as well as some fantastic choreography that rivals some of the best shows on Broadway. Furthermore, each song will have you laughing throughout the entirety of its performance. “Two by Two” is a song that features multiple elders singing of their joy of being paired with their brothers in faith as they proclaim, “Two by two, we’re marching door to door; because God loves Mormons and he wants some more!” Few soundtracks can compare to Book of Mormon’s.

Book of Mormon stands tall among some of the greatest plays currently touring the country. Nothing is off-limits in this outstanding musical by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who have solidified themselves as comedic geniuses. Book of Mormon is unlike anything you’ve ever seen; I simply can’t recommend it enough.

Book of Mormon is currently making its way across the United States, but will be showing in Saint Louis at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on from February 9 to March 3. You can purchase tickets through the website: http://www.bookofmormonbroadway.com/.

Brad Pitt has just went from “celebrity with talent” to an official “acting legend.” Consider yourself warned.

Andrew Dominik’s latest film “Killing Them Softly” is going to be a highly debated film. Whether the audience member loves or hates it, one thing must be said: they just witnessed film history.

“Killing Them Softly” is a crime epic. If there is anything we know about crime epics in film history, we know that they have produced some of the most famous quotes and monologues.

“The Godfather,” “Goodfellas” and “Pulp Fiction” all have their significance in both pop culture and history. This film is about to join them.

The story doesn’t really follow one specific character, in general, as much as it follows a situation.

The situation is some amateur criminals pulling off a robbery at an illegal card game that was run by the mob, who now wants the robbers dead, but the person who was believed of being behind the robbery (Ray Liotta), actually isn’t. So now we have a barrage of heat and violence surrounding the entire crime industry, with no resolution in sight.

Jackie Cogan (Pitt) is then hired to come on and take care of the entire situation, so that  the crime-economy can be set straight.

Pitt is insanely memorable in his role. Every time he comes on screen, the audience is enthralled by every word that he speaks. There is a clear intimidation that results from every movement he makes. His performance is both real and entertaining. It is an event. It is a sight to be seen.

Pitt, however, is not the only strong performance in this film. James Gandolfini plays a legend of sorts in the crime business who Cogan wants help from in order to “solve” this entire situation.

Gandolfini is only in two scenes, but each one is just a pleasure to watch. There are moments of awkwardness in them because his character is in a point of his life where all he has is his sexual ventures, so the dialogue can get pretty uncomfortable for some audience members.

Despite that, both of the scenes are electrifying. They are both one-on-one meetings between Gandolfini and Pitt.

Something that acting enthusiasts would only believe to see in their dreams.

This is writer/director Dominik’s third film and has been five years since his Western epic “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which also starred Pitt.

It has been a constant in Dominik’s career where he doesn’t really have a protagonist or antagonist within the story. His films have leaned more towards character studies than stereotypical narratives, and they have all worked in that sense.

The film definitely has it’s political undertones, but they are neither liberal nor conservative.

Throughout the film, the audience often hears soundbites from the 2008 Obama campaign, with shouts of “change” and “yes we can.”

At one point, Cogan throws away the idea of “change” but it isn’t so much an anti-Obama angle as it is an anti-patriot angle.

In what will eventually be seen as one of great monologues in film history, Cogan summarizes why America will never be “united” and must just accept the fact that it isn’t a nation. It’s a business.

This is the final moment of the film and it gives you piercing chills as you leave the theater.

The film does have it’s troubles, though. The opening of the film is, by far, some of the worst and most unbearable 60 seconds ever seen in a movie theater.

There is a credit sequence that cuts between the credits and one of thugs who robs the card game. It is well shot because the imagery is very memorable, but the sound editing is so jarring that it can make an audience member want to take a snub-nose .38 to the head.

Despite some pacing issues early on and a terrible opening sequence, “Killing Them Softly” succeeds in it’s efforts. It is going to be one of the most memorable films of the year and will forever be referred to, in film history, as one of greatest “acting films.”

It will be highly-debated and won’t be for everyone, but it still deserves an opportunity. Go see this in the theater. Now.

Christmas is a little less than a month away, but getting in the holiday spirit is ‘only a day away.’

“Annie” has arrived at Missouri Western’s main stage. The classic musical, based on a popular comic strip, is the second production of the theatre department’s Year of the Tony. Annie, the optimistic redheaded orphan, challenges everyone to discover something positive in every situation.

Annie and Oliver Warbucks, played by Annaka Kellogg and Erik Burns-Sprung respectively, did a phenomenal job portraying their characters. The highlight of their performance was the heartwarming rendition of “I Don’t Need Anything But You.” Kellogg also handled a slight technical problem like a professional when her microphone pack came undone during the first act.

There were also several supporting roles that made “Annie” truly memorable. Actors Kyle Minx, Sebastian Smith, Robin Ussher and Andy Tyhurst all played three roles throughout the musical. Each role demonstrated their versatility as actors.

Makayla Tovey, who played the orphan Molly, cannot go unmentioned. The entire Orphan Ensemble gave noteworthy performances; however, Tovey continually captivated the audience with her back flips and mischievous stage presence.

The technical crew of “Annie” was just as impressive as the cast. Upon entering the theatre, there was a simple curtain with the original artwork from “Annie.“ Radio commercials and songs from the 1930s were a pleasant scene setter. Although the stage dressing was not as elaborate as past productions, the simple backdrop provided the perfect stylistic pretext to “Annie.” The New York City skyline, that lit the background with its ever changing lights, was another visual element that added to the authenticity of the production.

Throughout the entire production there were two details that could be improved upon. The first is the Tiffany box that contained the new locket Warbucks gave to Annie. The prop box was red. While this may seem an insignificant, Tiffany and Co. has been known for its blue box since 1837.

The second critic is that the chorus line needs to project when singing. While the majority of the audience won’t notice the locket box color, the audience will notice if the chorus line fails to project their voices during musical numbers.

“Annie” will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 9. Tickets for show can be purchased at the box office in Potter Hall or students can participate in the Student Ticket Rush Program which gives the first 25 students attending the play a free ticket.

*To see a slideshow of the play, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC9sdNqSYhQ&feature=player_embedded

RZA, from Wu Tang Clan fame, makes his directorial debut in a Kung Fu extravangza where plot is irrelevant and visuals are key.

The script was written by RZA and famed filmmaker Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Cabin Fever”) and while the backstory can be pretty deep, at times, this is still clearly a film that is about the fights.

There is a hint of sensationalism with a lot of the man characters within the film. RZA plays a former slave who is now a blacksmith and has created iron hands for defense (cue the title). WWE wrestler Dave Bautista plays Brass Body: a man whose body turns to gold as a defense mechanism. Lucy Liu portrays a Madam, conveniently with Kung Fu skills. And then Russell Crowe is a man simply called “Knife,” whose main weapon is, well, a knife-gun.

With characters like these, it completely clear to understand what kind of a film this is. While there is a plot, it isn’t really important. In fact, the few times that they try to go into the deep backstory of it, it starts to lose it’s luster a bit.

Everyone is going to be seeing this film for its fight sequences. Everyone will be pleased.

While they are not up to “Kill Bill” par, the fights in “The Man With The Iron Fists” are still beyond a higher quality that most action films of today. When you throw in all of the interesting dynamics of the different characters, in increases the quality of all of the fights.

To be honest, I had a hard time following the story. I got really lost at a few moments during the film because they were not really well explained. This does hurt the film, but doesn’t completely ruin it.

This is clearly not a film for everybody. Many will find it rather hard to follow and not completely understand what is going on. Others will understand it but not necessarily get the point of the film. Then others will completely bask in it’s excessiveness and enjoy their time at the theater.

“The Man With The Iron Fists” is genre cinema at it’s finest. It’s appealing to a specific crowd but appalling to another. I found myself between the two.

The the film had trouble keeping it’s identity, so to speak.

There was a little story in the beginning and then a lot of fights and then they started somewhat “explain” the backstory and the depth of the characters, but they weren’t well-explained and the action was so excessively fast, brutal, and entertaining that you kind of just wanted to ignore the story.

You can kind of call it an achievement when a film’s action actually wants to make you ignore it’s text, but RZA was able to pull that off.

The issue is that he decides to go back to the backstory and the film would of benefited more from explaining all of the backstory in the early-going and then just having a Kung-Fu epic for the remainder of the film.

“The Man With The Iron Fists” is not a film for everyone but many fans of the Kung Fu genre will enjoy it. Those willing to suspend their belief of anything realistic and narrative will be able to go into this with a pleased outlook.

The theater department chose to start the Year of the Tony with an intense drama. An adaptation of the book of Job, J.B. examines the relationship between the protagonist’s faith and life trials.

The standout performance of the evening belonged to Andy Tyhurst in the role of J.B. Tyhurst’s performance was both captivating and difficult to watch. Although uncomfortable at times, his suffering was tangible throughout the audience. The level of authenticity that Tyhurst brings to his character was truly memorable.

J.B. also had other great performances. Xan Kellogg, as J.B.’s wife Sarah, did a wonderful job in her Missouri Western debut role.

The dichotomy of Nickles, played by Robin Ussher, and Mr. Zuss, played by Erik Burns-Sprung, cannot go unmentioned either. Both Ussher and Burns-Sprung played well off of one another while providing context throughout the play.

Although full of noteworthy performances the play itself was sometimes confusing. Particularly the lack of key set elements that could clarify the storyline for the audience. During the scenes where J.B. and his family were in their home the absence of walls and other homey elements left the setting undefined. It was never quite clear if the characters were in their home or on the street.

Another element that causes confusion was the notion of time. Throughout the play it was unclear if the events occurred in a year or throughout J.B.’s lifetime. There were subtle hints that showed the progression of time throughout the production, however, if those elements would have been accentuated it would have made it easier to understand.

Though the set and the timeline of the play were slightly confusing, other production elements were done exceptionally well. The costuming, music selection, and lighting were powerful elements that established the tone for the entire show. These production components were the technical highlights of the show.

While J.B. had its confusing moments, the acting and technical execution makes this show worth seeing. J.B. has three remaining performances Oct. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 7 at 3:00 p.m.

Residential Evil: Retribution is the new box office release movie for the week. Brian Duskey, multimedia editor gives his response on the movie.

There have now been five Resident Evil movies, and this one should have been given to the SyFy channel.

Resident Evil: Retribution uses horrendous acting, embarrassing writing, and cheap computer-generated imagery to easily become one of the worst films of the year.

The “story” follows Alice (Milla Jovovich) once again, as she is now stuck in a facility built by the Umbrella Corporation that is filled with several of the virus-infected monsters that have plagued this series.

The inside of the facility was constructed to replicate several large cities and civilizations such as Moscow, Tokyo, and New York City. These replicated cities were created for the corporation to sell the secrets to countries on how to help themselves survive against the virus.

Each of the replicated civilizations are populated by thousands of clones that resembled actual people in the real world. Alice’s clone was a suburban housewife with a daughter. Alice comes in contact with her “fake daughter” and develops feelings for her and brings her with her as she tries to escape.

Paul Anderson, the writer and director of this movie, tries to explain this lavish “story,” but fails miserably.

One of the opening sequences of the film is a cut-scene where Alice, literally, explains the entire series to the audience. This is done to catch up any audience member who has not seen any of the films before, but it’s a cheap solution to telling the story and a rather weak sequence.

The first fight scene between Alice and Ada Wong, a former employee of Umbrella, is actually rather entertaining but interrupted by Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) and goes into yet another unbearable scene.

Wesker, who is an arch-enemy of Alice, now wants to her escape from this facility. He is also the one who explains the entire replication idea to her.

So yet again, everything is being cheaply told to the audience, instead of us finding it out for ourselves.

As Alice is helped by her one-liner spitting “friends” to escape the facility, the audience is thrown into a barrage of sickening action scenes.

Each scene is there just for the sake of action and not a bit entertaining. The characters bore us, the visuals are completely unattractive, and we are taken out of the movie way too often.

The CGI resembles something we would see on a really bad SyFy movie like Snakes on a Train or Mega Piranha. There is a car chase where Alice is being chased by this giant four-legged monster and it was so uncomfortable to watch because of how obvious the CGI is. You can even tell that the car is fake.

The acting is flat-out atrocious. Jovovich has a really good “game face” throughout the film but it feels like she is still stuck at the table reading.

There is also a plethora of actors who do nothing but spit out horrible stereotypical action-movie one-liners. It is hard to call the actors out on such bad acting when the script doesn’t give them much to work with, but it also doesn’t seem like they even tried.

To be honest, a novella could be written on how much of an abomination this film was, but it wouldn’t be worth it.

Just as all of the $65 million put into this production wasn’t worth it.

Ultimately, the trailers that preluded Retribution were more entertaining than any part of this movie.

So please, do yourself a favor, and don’t even consider seeing this film. It is not even close to worth it.

“The Words,” starring Bradley Cooper, contains good cinematography, but  fails to excite as the movie drags on with too much dialogue.

A cynic would say, “If it looks good, sounds good, it generally isn’t.” In the case of CBS films’ “The Words,” the cynic would be right.

All of the cast portrays the characters well and rather believable, the overall plot is intriguing and the cinematography is top-notch.

But where the filmmakers of ”The Words” miss out is through the development of the pacing and their respect for the audience.

The film follows Rory Jansen, played well by Bradley Cooper, who is a writer that has a love for the art but has never been able to make it like he once dreamed. By totally random happenstance, he stumbles upon a briefcase in Paris, France, that contains a manuscript for a novel that was never published. Jansen’s desperation with his career causes him to take the manuscript and publishes it as his own work.

Writing ethics 101: Don’t steal other writers’ works.

Jeremy Irons plays the original writer of the manuscript and calls Jansen out on his plagiarizing.

Both Cooper and Iron play their roles pretty convincingly. What we expect to get out of them we get.

Irons wrote the novel, which is a steamy romance, during his World War II days when he fell in love with a woman that he met overseas – but he claims that he lost the manuscript shortly after their affair ended in Paris.

The issue is that the conflict never reaches the potential that is truly has. The first 40 minutes of the film are pretty entertaining, and the audience is really taken in by the story because it is a pretty intriguing one.

The issue is with the script. Here we have a good concept, but a bad script. The perfect example of this is a scene about halfway through the film where Cooper and Irons’ characters meet to talk about the manuscript that was published.

A scene like this should really be the highlight of the film, in a good way. We should hear some sharp dialogue and it should be very intense. The issue is that the scene dragged for a long time. Irons’ character went on and on about his background and how he wrote that manuscript.

His story was something that could of been told in five to seven minutes, but was wasted with a 20-minute spiel.

I understand that the filmmakers want the audience to draw a romantic feel from his backstory, but that would be a whole other film in itself. Trying to combine it with this one just made the story drag.

The writers and directors of the film had an opportunity to really up the stakes in this scene and push towards some “edge-of-your-seat” nervousness between the characters, but they failed to even recognize it.

The film was written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal. One of the great advantages of the writers also directing the film is that you can absorb that passion and love that they have for the story.

This does not happen.

The only feeling that was received was that they were too in love with their own “words” to make a more entertaining film. A lot of dialogue should have been cut and they should of focused on showing the audience the story, rather than telling it.

Another issue the filmmakers run into is pointless characters. Jansen’s wife, played by Zoe Saldana, and his father, played by J.K. Simmons, are interesting and entertaining but don’t really serve a purpose in the film. Saldana is mostly just there for the “supporting wife” character, while Simmons is the typical father who is helping his son survive in the cut-throat real world.

Despite some gorgeous cinematography, the experience of “The Words” just felt like some old man explaining a hashed out story to me over 90 minutes.

Save your money. Don’t go see this film.

“Hit and Run” tries to create a smooth combination of comedy, car chases and nostalgic 1970’s rock songs and the result isn’t anything “artistic.” It won’t make you think or reevaluate yourself. No film school will be analyzing it, and it’s not going to be on any film critic’s top ten list.

However, it creates a fun experience for the audience. While it isn’t as hard-nosed as Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof” or definitely not as intense as Nicolas Refn’s “Drive,” it is a fine piece of entertainment and a very “cool” movie.

Every single car chase, shoot-out, and bloody brawl in the film are pushed to the highest level of exuberance with erratic cinematography and chilling usage of such classic rock songs as Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” and Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion.”

Shepard plays Charlie Bronson, who is in the witness protection program for being the get-away driver for a series of bank heists. However, his charmingly kind girlfriend, Annie, played wonderfully by Kristen Bell, is lead to believe that he was just the witness to a murder.

Annie’s oddly obsessive ex-boyfriend, Gil, discovers the truth about Bronson’s background and calls up the man that Bronson has been hiding from for all these years: Alex Dimitri, who is played quite convincingly by Bradley Cooper.

The remainder of the story is a simple cat-and-mouse game between Shepard and Cooper, but not in the traditional sense. Shepard’s “Bronson” is not frequently trying to escape and he doesn’t want the money. His single motivation is to get Annie to Los Angeles for her job interview at California University for her dream job as the head of the “Non-Violent Conflict Resolution” department.

The real noteworthy performances come from Shepard and Bell. Their on-screen chemistry is simply addicting.

Too often in romantic comedies do we see a couple that seems to be “in love” but we don’t really understand why. We just accept it because the narrative tells us so.

This is not the case.

Whether it is their frequent witty banter with one another or their selflessness towards each other, the audience can truly believe that these two are madly in love.

A strong euphoria was constant during their intimate scenes.

The film is definitely not perfect. While it’s easy to tell that Shepard is very passionate about the script and vision, the story does lack some character background and structure.

It takes about 35 minutes before we even see Dimitri and, even then, the film’s main conflict doesn’t arise until the one-hour mark.

Despite it’s faults, “Hit and Run” excels at entertaining the audience and, at the end of the day, is one cool movie.

Little Shop of Horrors is going on in Potter Hall. Times are as follows: April 19 – 7:30 pm April 20 – 7:30 pm April 21 – 3:00 & 7:30 pm April 22 – 3:00 pm April 27 – 7:30 pm April 28 – 3:00 pm April 29 – 3:00 pm. Photo by Jason Brown.

Morgan Breckenridge held her own as Audrey, blending her beautiful voice with the nasally voice of her character well. She found a good balance between the comedy in the role and the serious theme of abuse. She absolutely made the audience laugh, but she also brought some real gravity to the role. You felt for her and fell in love with her right alongside Seymour.

When Jacob Mills came on stage as Seymour, the audience could not have been expecting such a powerful voice to come from such a young man. But Mills does have that powerful voice, and he completely takes over the stage every time he opens his mouth. Seymour and Audrey’s signature duet, “Suddenly Seymour,” will absolutely give you goosebumps. Mills is so likeable that you root for his character from the start, which is so important for an underdog story like “Little Shop.” And you will definitely want to see this kid’s tango: just wait for it towards the end of Act I.

In a show chock full of scene-stealers, Kyle Minx takes the cake. He played, by my count, eight different characters. All of them had different voices, mannerisms and personalities. By far the most developed and interesting of these would be the dentist: Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. Minx takes this character from hilarious to downright scary in a second, and his gyrating is not to be missed. Audience members tonight got to see Minx commanding President Vartabedian to say “AH.” That alone was worth the ticket price.

All three of the Doo Wop Girls were outstanding and great fun to watch. The standout Doo Wop, however, is Rachel Cox as Crystal. Her voice is so powerful that it elicited mid-song whoops and applause in only the second song of the show.

Jeff Jones and Steve Catron, as the voice and body of Audrey II, respectively, worked together seamlessly. Jones’ voice was perfect for Audrey II; he showed off his vocal range and allowed his acting skills to really show the menace of the plant. Catron wasn’t visible to the audience until curtain call, and his sweaty appearance then only showed the crowd just how hard he’d been working to entertain them. Catron was doing a job intended for two men inside that plant, and he did an outstanding job. During the entire two-hour show, I only saw one moment where voice and body were not in sync; that is a true accomplishment, especially when considering that Catron and Jones could not see each other and had to perfectly coordinate all performance cues ahead of time, with no room for improvisation.

Everyone on the St. Joe community should go see this show. It is 100 percent worth the time and money. The only complaint I have about the show, actually, is all the issues of the Griffon News that lay crumpled across the stage. I guess I should be glad that they were keeping all those winos warm—better than sitting in the racks all by themselves.

Set in the future of North America, the United States is gone. There is only a Capitol and 12 Districts. Because of the Districts’ failing attempts to overthrow the Capitol, each District must select a boy and girl (Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” style) to compete in the Hunger Games — a televised fight to the death.

Only one can win.

The nominees’ ages range from 12-to-18; it’s Primrose Everdeen’s (Willow Shields) first year. When her name is surprisingly called, her sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, “X-Men: First Class”) steps up — sprints up, rather — to volunteer.

Having read the book, it was easy to spot the changes in the movie. It’s 2 hours and 22 minutes, so it’s hard to fit in every little piece of information, I get it; however, there were too many slow parts and long shots of facial expressions that could’ve been cut down in order to make up for the loss of the important details that were either substituted or dismissed that essentially make the story.

For instance, the character Madge was not in the movie at all, and the relationships between the characters were not very strong; they felt rushed throughout the movie.

There were some other smaller parts that were changed that could have easily been avoided, but the movie’s story line was overall along the same lines as the book and portrayed the scenes accurately and in a unique fashion.

As for the acting, job well done. It’s not easy showing an excruciating in-pain emotion when not in pain, and Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson (“RV,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth”) as Peeta Mellark, Katniss’ fellow District partner, did a great job. Lawrence also displayed great versatility as she played the role of a terrified and loving, yet sassy and confident older sister. She was very believable.

As for the other well-known names, like Woody Harrelson (“Zombieland”) as Katniss’ and Peeta’s drunken mentor Haymitch Abernathy and singer Lenny Kravitz as Katniss’ clothes designer Cinna, I had my doubts.

Haymitch is supposed to be the fat sarcastic slob that you love to hate, and Harrelson nailed it. Cinna, on the other hand, is the colorful and feminine role that I wasn’t sure Kravitz was going to be able to play, considering his usual afro, tatted and pierced body and tough attitude. Kravitz was the adorable, caring teddy bear you just want to squeeze.

Oh, and don’t forget the unforgettable Stanley Tucci (“Easy A,” “Burlesque”) as the over-the-top white-toothed grin of the host of the Hunger Games, Caesar Flickman. Tucci’s small parts are perhaps some of the funniest, a close tie with the bickering between Haymitch and other mentor Effie Trinkett (Elizabeth Banks, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”).

For fair warning, the camera work is very similar to “Cloverfield.” The jittery movements are there to make the audience feel like they are in the movie, but it just leaves an uneasy feeling.

Once again, if you read the book, you’ll probably find the book better; but thankfully for the actors, the movie is still entertaining. If you didn’t read the book, you will more than likely enjoy the movie version, but I encourage you to take the time to read the book because it’s gold.

The film begins with the main character Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) suffering the loss of his mother after a tragic accident.  His father, Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler), is now forced to raise the boy on his own.  While struggling with the loss of his wife, Jackson wants to send his son away to a baseball camp for the summer.  Joe is doesn’t want to go and insists on staying home to help his group of friends direct a zombie movie for an amateur film competition.  Both are forced to change their plans when tragedy strikes their town.

While filming a scene for their movie at an old train depot outside of town, a disastrous train crash occurs that almost claims the lives of the group of friends.  The friends soon discover that the train wreck was no accident and that their lives may be in danger for witnessing it.  Something on board the United States Air Force train is set free and the military will stop at nothing to get it back.

Joe’s best friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) is the director of the zombie film.  He wants to keep making the movie amidst the chaos of what is beginning to unfold in their town.  Meanwhile, Joe is developing a mutual crush on his friend, Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning), the girl set to play the damsel in distress in the zombie film.  After experiencing the train wreck, Alice wants nothing more to do with making the film.  It is up to Joe to convince her otherwise.  However, there is just one problem; Alice’s father is indirectly responsible for Joe’s mother’s death.  Despite the reckless actions of Alice’s father, she decides to keep working on the movie.

With the train wreckage and military swarming throughout their town, Charles decides to use all the commotion in his film for production value.  It’s not long before the kids realize what exactly is going on and the danger they are all in.  After Alice vanishes, it’s up to Joe and the gang to rescue her from whatever was on the Air Force train.

The film is written and directed by J.J. Abrams (“Forever Young,” “Star Trek”) and produced with the help of Steven Spielberg (“E.T.,” “Saving Private Ryan”).  The movie takes us back in time to 1979 when there were no cell phones, World Wide Web or camcorders.  The nostalgia in the film is well portrayed and planned. It makes a great setting for the story.

This film is not your traditional sci-fi movie. In fact, you can’t even tell it is a sci-fi film until well over halfway through it.  The special effects are gripping and will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Although teenagers, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning’s acting makes the film worth watching alone.  The two are very talented and undoubtedly have successful careers in the film business.  The movie is full of clever jokes and plot twists.

The movie lives up to the claim of being the 2011 blockbuster of the summer.  If you are looking for an action packed film that will make you feel like a kid again, as well as scare the heck out of you, then rent “Super 8.”

With cold, wet weather in the forecast, students need to dig out those warm clothes in preparation.  For those students who don’t have any cold weather clothes, here are a few suggestions on where to shop for some.

Located at the Shoppes at North Village in St. Joseph is a T.J.Maxx department store.  It is a perfect place to pick up name brand clothing for a fraction of the price.  A coat that may be a J.C. Penney for $150 could be  at T.J.Maxx for $75.  The same goes for all of their clothing.  Cold weather socks at Foot Locker are $12 for three pairs; the exact same socks are at T.J.Maxx for $5.  T.J.Maxx is one of the cheapest stores in town, offering a wide selection on discounted name brand clothing.  So check out T.J.Maxx if you want quality products at lower cost.  As college students we all can stand to save some money.

Missouri Western student Steve Belding says he prefers J.C. Penney and Dillard’s because they tailor to his needs.

“Since I need to shop for Big and Tall I usually try Penney’s and Dillard’s first,” Belding said. “Their Big and Tall sections usually have nice looking things.”

Gordmans is another department store that has a wide selection of winter clothing.  It opened this year in the East Hills Mall, and is loaded with clothing for everyone.  They have a wide selection of women’s warm boots under $30.  This is a pretty good deal, considering the cheapest boots at Dillard’s department store are over $50.  Yes, the ones at Dillard’s may be a better name brand, but no one will notice the tiny little emblem stating what brand they are while you’re trudging through the snow.  All you should be concerned about is if they are keeping your feet warm without breaking the bank.  Gordmans also has a huge sale on warm clothes right now, and a lot of stuff is buy one get one half off.

Those of you looking for some extreme cold weather gear need to visit The Duffel Bag, located in historic downtown St. Joseph.  They offer military grade clothing from armed forces all over the world.  If you want an authentic Russian fur coat or a Russian ushanka, you’ll find it there.  You want some of the highly sought after Austrian military clothing, you’ll find it here.  The Duffel Bag has tons of military grade long underwear, gloves and extreme cold weather Gore-Tex.  The clothing they sell at the Duffel Bag is pennies on the dollar compared to what it cost soldiers new at a PX.

Bill Field, the owner of the Duffel Bag and retired Army veteran, says if it was made by the military it’s usually very good stuff.

“You can find about anything warm down here, regardless of whether you’re a man or woman,” Field said.  “We get different stuff in here every week, so be sure to stop in and browse our goods.”

St. Joseph resident Jesse Cline shops at the Duffel Bag quite often for all sorts of things.  He loves the store and always finds a good deal.

“I come here to get high quality clothing for a fraction of the price,” Cline said.  “The gloves, socks and long underwear a better quality than anything you will find at a department store.”

If you need some warm clothes this winter, definitely shop around.  Don’t just run into a popular department store and buy something because it’s name brand. Even if that’s what you want to do, check T.J.Maxx first because chances are they will have the same product at a lower price.  Don’t be afraid to stop in at the Duffel Bag and take a look around. Just because it’s military doesn’t mean it is not stylish.  What it does mean is that it is quality and will keep you from shivering in the next couple of months.

Students at Western are doing all sorts of things, some mischievous and some not so mischievous, such as working.

Elizabeth Hiley, an elementary education major at Missouri Western, says she will be spending her Halloween at the doctor’s office and work.

“I will be working at Subway, but I still plan on dressing up and passing out candy,” Hiley said. “I’ll be getting a sonogram that day, and I’m really excited to find out what I’m having; I hope it’s a boy.”

Most students are doing the same thing they do every year:  dressing up and heading out to house parties or pubs.

Alex Bear, a history major, said he plans on dressing up as the doctor from Dr. Hook and heading to the Flying Saucer bar in Kansas City’s Power & Light District.  Bear said his girlfriend is making him dress up, but he enjoys Halloween.

“I feel it’s a good reason to get together with people; I like hanging out with my friends,” said Bear.

If you are looking for a terrifying scare this Halloween then head to Atchison, Kan.

Less than 20 miles south of campus lays a small town on the banks of the Missouri River.  Proclaimed by the Travel Channel to be the most haunted town in Kansas, Atchison is home to many ghostly attractions.

Atchison offers many ways for people to experience its haunted aura.  One way to experience nearly all of its deadly attractions is the haunted trolley tours.

The haunted trolley takes its victims to the infamous Sallie House, where a young girl who died during an emergency operation continues to terrorize the living today.  The Sallie House has also been featured on the television show “Sightings,” which documented violent attacks on people living in the home by the poltergeist.

The trolley tour also takes its riders deep into the woods of Jackson Park to an infamous location where a woman named “Molly” was brutally murdered and hung from a tree.  The place has for decades been referred to as “Molly’s Hallow.” Local lore has it that some nights you can see an apparition hanging from the tree or hear blood curdling screams coming from the woods.

If the haunted trolley ride is not enough to cure your hunger for a good haunt, then maybe you would enjoy having a meal with the spirits that haunt the Riverhouse Steakhouse, located at 100 Commercial St. in Atchison.

Built in 1870, the Riverhouse building was a depot for the railroad for several years.  In 1908, the building was purchased by Lulu Howard and operated as a brothel.  After much anguish, the City of Atchison was finally able to shut Lulu down in 1913.  Today the building is a restaurant and leased by Dustin Hundley.  Hundley himself has had several strange encounters with spirits in the building.

“I was closing up the restaurant one night and had my first experience with one of the ghosts who haunt this building,” Hundley said.  “Floating across the dining room was a woman dressed in Victorian clothing; it scared the hell out of me.”

Several similar incidents have been reported at the Riverhouse building.  Early one morning in 2008, a craftsman completing renovations in the upstairs bar reported a long, one-sided conversation with a person he assumed to be his co-worker.  When he looked up, the man he had been talking to was gone.  Stories like this make the Riverhouse the most ghostly dinning experience in the area.

If you are interested in some of the haunts Atchison has to offer, such as trolley ride times, restaurant hours or more haunted attractions, all information can be found at http://atchisonkansas.net/HauntedAtchison/home.html.

Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is a 15-year-old high school student who is desperate for a mate and craves to keep his distant parents together. Tate jumps on an emotional roller coaster as he falls for mischievous pyromaniac Jordana (Yasmin Paige) who agrees to be his girlfriend, but he also finds out that his mother (Sally Hawkins) may be having an affair with her ex-lover, who happens to be the Tate’s neighbor.

This dramatic comedy set in Wales is unorganized, random, dark and will make you snooze. It doesn’t succeed in humor either. It is depressing and slow with all of the elongated scenes of Tate staring into space pondering the obstacles he must face.

Roberts’ performance was accurate as he played a believable depressed teenager. However that is an easy character to play, because it’s very flat. Even when he showed emotion, he was flat. Paige played an atypical teenage girl who thinks love is gross, which is another easy role to play. The parents didn’t do anything, and there weren’t very many scenes with the neighbor. So let’s just say there just weren’t actors and actresses in this movie that will be receiving an Oscar anytime soon.

The only thing going for “Submarine” is it’s unique style of shots. It is filmed in a unique Baz Luhrmann-Martin Scorsese style with flashbulb cuts and unusual kaleidoscope shots with Tate or Jordana’s face in the middle. An interesting example would be when Tate accidentally pushes a girl into a pond—she falls backwards halfway and freezes. The shot is very creative as she and her things can be seen from all angles, stuck in time.

Other than the style of the shots, though, don’t waste your time. You might as well spend your $1.20 on a McDouble at McDonald’s instead.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the titular character in “Hesher.” Natalie Portman, in the background, also stars.

The movie “Hesher” is about a teenager named T.J. who loses his mother in a car accident two months previously and attempts to get the totaled vehicle back after his dad Paul (Rainn Wilson) sells it to the junkyard. While he tries to stay focused on getting the car back, T.J. gets distracted by Hesher, a perverted “I-don’t-give-a-crap” attitude sort of bum who, after T.J. blows his cover living in an abandoned house, forcefully moves into T.J.’s house. T.J. also has to deal with his high school bully Dustin (Brendan Hill), who is constantly out to beat him up as well as lulls over Nicole (Natalie Portman), a grocery store clerk who saves T.J. from one of Dustin’s violent attempts.

After T.J. meets the foul-mouthed Hesher, Hesher becomes an evil fairy godmother as he frequently watches over T.J. wherever he is. One day, Hesher notices Dustin bullying T.J., so he decides to help T.J. out. Hesher draws an inappropriate image of a naked body on the side of Dustin’s bright yellow convertible with a permanent marker, which gives Dustin even more reason to injure T.J. T.J. doesn’t thank Hesher, but who would? Unfortunately, Hesher’s “charitable actions” don’t end there.

Though Hesher causes a lot of mischief and won’t step down for anybody, he does let his guard down when it comes to T.J.’s grandmother, who oversees Hesher’s flaws and appreciates him due to the absence of attention from her depression-stricken son and grandson. Hesher befriends T.J.’s grandma,  splurges on her food and orders T.J. to skip school to walk with his grandma (but he doesn’t, which comes into play later).

All in all, although Hesher is profane as all get out (makes sexual jokes in front of T.J., Paul and T.J.’s grandmother, encourages T.J. to get intimate with Nicole, recovers the porn channel for the household, etc.), he manages to affect T.J. and his dad in a positive manner as well as teach some valuable lessons through perverted—but valid—analogies, one comparing the loss of his left testicle to T.J. and his family losing his mother.

“Hesher” has made a comedic drama possible. While “comedic drama” sounds like an oxymoron, it’s the only way to describe the movie. It is dramatic in how death takes a toll on the characters, but it is also humorous through Hesher’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ridiculous, random actions and perverted mindset along with the continuous beatings that T.J. (Devin Brochu) experiences (i.e. gets hit by a couple of vehicles and falls off his bike—in fact, in the opening scene, T.J. has a cast on his arm). With the mixture of both comedy and drama genres, “Hesher” will reach out to various types of moviegoers, yet is not a movie to see with the parents or kids.

Gordon-Levitt has branched out by playing such a jolting yet satisfying role in the film. His appearance, language and overall attitude are fairly different than the characters he has played in the past, from the sarcastic teenager in “3^rd Rock from the Sun” to the love struck guy in “500 Days of Summer” to the intelligent and smooth man in “Inception.”

Wilson has also tried out a new character, totally different from the goofy “Dwight” from “The Office.” While he is mainly a disheartened widower throughout the movie, which is hard to watch because his role is so dark compared to his other characters, Wilson nails it. He is very believable in a way that one may really think he lost his wife.

However, for fair warning, pay attention to the clues. The movie starts out slow, but that’s mainly because the director wanted the viewer to figure out what it is about instead of telling it through dialogue. Sometimes the scenes do not make sense — thanks to the poor organization — but give it a couple scenes, and the clues will make sense. Do not let this keep you from watching the film because the feel-good ending will sum up the message.

However, the story truly begins in 1959 when a craft from Cybertron crash lands on the moon, kick starting Earth’s space race with the United States and the Soviet Union competing for first contact.

The integration of the US/Soviet moon missions could have been an interesting plot point. However, it becomes nothing more than a reason to include archival footage of President John F. Kennedy and President Richard Nixon, along with two of the worst impersonations of these presidents I have seen.

Skip ahead 50 years and we meet up with Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). Freshly graduated from college, his previous adventures with Autobots have earned him a presidential medal and a new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley).

Sadly, like so many in today’s tough economic times, Sam has been unable to find a job where he can mean something. While his predicament is understandable (how do you go back to being just another person after you have saved the world…twice?), it begins to border on annoying.

Sam’s misfortune gives us a device to meet some of the supporting cast. While it is great to see these beloved actors and there is great respect for them all, the comedic timing seems a bit off and almost seems forced.

My main point of contention here is editing. Considering the complete plot, it is an interesting integration of an important time in mankind’s history and the science fiction story now embedded into the memories of most. There actually is a lot of story in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon;” however, an hour in and few action scenes will leave even the die-hard fans wondering why they paid the ridiculous cost to see this movie when it was in theaters.

Towards the end of the movie, the action heats up, culminating with a full-on battle scene unlike any other. Make no mistake: this is an epic fight in the biggest arena possible! Sadly, this battle begins to drag on – almost to the point of wondering if you really care which side wins.

Look, Michael Bay brings an incredible style, grace and elegance to “Transformers.” The stunning computer-generated imagery provides an experience that truly brings the Autobots and Decepticons to life; I doubt anyone would argue with that. As always, the voice acting is unmatched: each voice actor allows you to connect with his or her character. For many this is a large part of why people actually enjoy the movies.

There was doubt that “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” would be a summer blockbuster hit. As for my recommendation, I say rent it before you buy it… on Blu-Ray, of course. While you wait, you should check out the soundtrack for the movie, because the music is absolutely amazing.

The film Paul is filled with tons of great humor and action.  Pegg and Frost stay true to their roots in making Paul.  If you enjoyed any of Pegg and Frost’s other films than you will definitely like this flick.  With a much larger budget and a star studded cast, this movie may be their best film to date. Pegg and Frost’s cheeky British humor mixes brilliantly with the American comedic style of Rogan.  Playing the voice of Paul is one of the best roles Rogan has done and is a much needed refreshing break away from his redundant pot humor.  With some extraterrestrial action and some gut busting dialogue, Paul is a must see movie for comedy and sci-fi lovers.  Paul is rated R and runs 104 minutes.

Seven years in the future, Kassie has a job offer to move back to New York and reunite with her friends. Wally meets Kassie’s son Sebastian and immediately notices the kid has a few similarities to himself. Throughout the film the two begin to bond with one another and find out the ins and outs of their lives. The humor of the Wally and Sebastian together is funny: they talk about fears of diseases and other random things a normal 6-year-old kid should know nothing about.

In the beginning of the film, you can see how Wally is attracted to Kassie, but she shows no interest in him. As the film moves along she shows small signs of affection towards him, but begins to date Roland, played by Patrick Wilson, who is the sperm donor from seven years earlier.

Roland is the exact opposite of his supposed child Sebastian. Sebastian is quiet and very timid, while Roland tries to make him more athletic and social. The two clash from the beginning, but Wally seems to step in every chance he has.

The dry humor goes a long ways in this film. There were not too many scenes where a viewer would find themselves laughing out loud, but many of the scenes are able to put a smirk on the viewer’s face.

The filmed seemed to be quite predictable; it ended with the same happy ending most romantic comedies have. It did not ruin the film and the entire time, you keep questioning whether or not it will turn out to be his kid. All the signs point to yes, but sometimes movies decide to make crazy twists. If you are a fan of a subtle laugh here and there, then “The Switch” is a good movie for you.

Sarah Waters as La Carlotta shows off her "divaness."

“Phantom” is based on the book with the same title by Arthur Kopit. His book is based on the novel “The Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston Leroux. The leading role is Eric, a tortured soul who lives in the basement of an opera house. He is the disfigured love child of a stage manager and beautiful performer who has died before the time of the opening scene.

Eric, played by Raymond Johnson, wears a mask at all times after seeing himself in a puddle of water as a youngster. It may be the number of vocal works performed by Johnson that won the hearts of the audience or his strong baritone voice. Either way, he moved through the scenes with unwavering grace and confidence. Only Eric’s father, Gerard Carriere played by Steve Catron, knows his identity and has protected him for years from the public and opera house performers.

Catron’s performance Sunday started out almost as a carryover from his character in his last performance, “Laughter on the 23^rd Floor.” He almost type-casted himself but quickly recovered. In his best scene Catron moved the audience through an emotional father and son bonding moment when Eric is mortally wounded. The urgency to bond and explain everything was masterfully portrayed to the degree that sniffles could be heard throughout the crowd.

Eric’s entire world is the basement of the opera house. He plays there as a youngster in a park of artificial prop type trees. He sleeps on a bed from a different production and teaches a costume girl how to sing in a set that must be from an opera of horror genre. After hearing grand opera all his life Eric knows good performance and talent. Both are developed in his protege, the lovely costume girl Christine, played by Morgan Breckenridge, with whom he falls in love.

Raymond Johnson (The Phantom) shows off one of several masks made for him by the art department.

Breckenridge makes both her relationship with the Eric and The Count Philippe De Chandon seem real because Christine loves each man for different reasons. The energy is equally played between her character and the phantom and she and the Count played by Brian Shewell. Nearly every available girl on the set claims to be in love with the Count and Shewell artfully strings them along while pursuing his new found talent and love Christine.

MWSU President Robert Vartabedian is credited with the idea for a production involving the music, art and theater departments, Director Tee Quillin’s program notes. The idea is more than bold. Only perseverance and discipline of each performer could bring about the cooperation of each department on this large scale production. In the words of Eric, “People are born for many things.”

This performance was nearly constantly accompanied by a music score by Maury Teston. The execution was so well performed by the live orchestra that the audience could almost forget it occupied the pit. Conductor Rico McNeela kept each moment of “Phantom” a seamless emotional experience with talented Western students. The company of artist played four times to a sold-out house.

If that sounds familiar it’s because “Phantom” comes on the heels of Dallas Henry’s direction of “Laughter on the 23^rd Floor” last fall which also enjoyed sold-out performances. Henry was the box office/house manager of this production and shared a funny but nervous curtain speech with Director, Tee Quillin. Both of these gentlemen are fairly new to Missouri Western but have hit the ground running with these two pieces.

The company has earned their audience’s highest compliment. At the end most were hoping the house lights wouldn’t come up so quickly that fellow audience members could see their tears.

The cast of "Phantom"

There may be great talent at the show. Western has numerous dance teams, rap artists, poets and choir members, so great musical abilities should be gracing the stage on Friday night. However, not every competitor can get an A plus in talent. As the talent acts prepare their voices and bodies for success, the audience will be piling in. The attendance for this show has always been successful, says WAC director of major attraction Lauren Dillon, who is organizing the show.

“We usually draw a very large crowd,” Dillon said. “About two years ago, we had 600 people. Last year we had about 300. Potter Hall has a capacity of about 350, so we are expecting a full house.”

Dillon also emphasizes why attending the talent show could be a lot of fun for students.

“It’s really awesome to go out and see your peers’ talents,” Dillon said. “It’s another event to get involved so they are not just sitting in their rooms on a weekend. There will be prizes to award people for their talent.”

This year’s talent show will be hosted by Ventriloquist Lynn Trefzer. Dillon explains why WAC chose Trefzer to host this year’s show.

“We weren’t really sure what we wanted,” Dillon said. “So, Keisha (WAC president) started talking to her agency and they recommended her because she’s really good at keeping the crowd involved and entertained.”

According to Dillon, the talent show has been going on for at least 8 years. Usually the show consists of about ten to twelve acts, all ranging in a wide variety of activities. Freshman Chase Owens, who is considering auditioning for the show explains why it’s a good opportunity to let others see your creative abilities.

“I think it would be a good experience as far as getting my name out there as a performer,” Owens said. “The experience is a benefit overall.”
Junior TJ Brooks, who plans on attending the show, suggests that the acts truly take the chance seriously.

“It’s a way to show your creativity,” Brooks said. “It’s an opportunity to show your talent and your own style.”

So, Friday night’s talent show might be an interesting event for you get out of the house and show the campus what you have to offer; or at least watch others attempt it.

“Everybody should come out,” Dillon said. “We’ve had a lot of interesting acts and we hope to have more good ones.”

The band teamed up with Director Brian Hicks and video production company, Outpost Worldwide, both based out of Kansas City. They left all of the creative concepts up to the professionals, having little input on the direction the video was to go in, with the exception of one rule: No lip syncing or air band performance.  They wanted something different from the normal rock videos, and in the end, were incredibly happy on how it turned out.

As a fan of The Roman Numerals himself, Director Brian Hicks was inspired by the nights he’s spent on the town listening to their music. He wanted to be a part of a music scene that is close to home and that he respects.

“When I heard there was a call out from The Roman Numerals to visual artist, I for sure came lurking around with interest,” Hicks said. “These guys have put so much into an aspect of the culture/counter-culture here in Kansas City that I gladly find myself participating in often.”

The band consists of Steve Tulipana on bass, guitar and vocals, Billy Smith on guitar and vocals, Shawn Sherrill on keys and bass, and Ryan Shank on drums. Given the fact that it’s officially the internet-age, and record labels are dwindling down by the hour, The Roman Numerals decided to take a different approach on getting their new music out there by digitally releasing singles through http://www.topspinmedia.com/blog/.

They take the same stance on releasing their music videos as well.

“The video projects are in conjunction with the singles,” Tulipana said. “As we did with the music, searching out engineers we respect and giving them carte blanch.”

The Roman Numerals are certainly open to new and modern ways of spreading their music, including being a part of more than just one group in the area. They consider themselves to be a collective of local artists that write and perform in several bands, varying in genre. These bands include: Olympic Size, Thee Water Moccasins, Unknown Pleasures, Be/Non, Season to Risk, Dirt Nap and Mannequin Skywalker.

“We feel that for an underground music scene to thrive in this post-record label world artists need to collaborate and support each other to the fullest whether your medium is music, art or video,” Tulipana said.

Brendan Price, a junior and acoustic musician, thinks it’s a good idea for bands to take a more hands-on approach to releasing music and keeping the local scene thriving.

“I think it’s cool what The Roman Numerals are doing,” Price said. “It’s important to stick together with other musicians in a local setting.”
Check out their official website for more information on the band at theromannumerals.com.

Timothy Mooney will be performing two one-man plays, “Moliere than Thou” and “Lot o’ Shakespeare”, along with a bingo game. These are two of the greatest playwrights of the European Renaissance and Reformation. Mooney gives a hilarious performance, expressed brilliantly and performed with powerful techniques.

Moliere performs a “greatest hits,” that usually leads the audience to participate. Mooney, himself, plays Moliere and will take you through a sequence of beloved speeches that will leave you in tears, or laughing.

“Lot o’ Shakespeare” involves a piece from every Shakespeare play that Mooney has memorized. The performance will carry the audience through tragedy, comedy and history. Each play will have a single sentence scheme arrangement that takes off while the audience plays along, each with a one-of-a-kind “BINGO” (or “IAGO”) card.

Many people talk about what a great show this is going to be whether you like Shakespeare or not. Mooney has a way of hooking you and landing the catch.

Dr. Susan Hennessy is a French instructor here at Western and expressed her enthusiasm for what she knows will be an awesome show.

“Mooney is a very energetic actor who is all over the stage. He is very animated and has a lot of range to his voice,” Hennessy said. “He has a rubber face with many different expressions.”

Hennessy said Mooney has a deep understanding of the complex language and characters and this isn’t just a performance for those interested in Shakespeare; everybody can get involved and take something away from it.

Mooney, MFA (Directing), AFTRA, has given over fifty thousand students their first initiation of these fabulous plays. He continues presenting these plays across North America and teaches classical acting.

Don’t miss your chance to see Shakespeare portrayed the way Mooney delivers these classic works. It all happens Tuesday, September 21st at 7 p.m. in Kemper Recital Hall, Leah Spratt Building.

Everyone is encouraged to attend. Be prepared to laugh, cry and simply melt in your seat. Mooney is known for his explosive performance and unforgettable facial expressions.

The MWSU Foundation, the MWSU Honors Program, and the Alliance Francaise de Saint Joseph sponsor this performance.

Midnight Reckoning is a psychological thriller that Hall describes as a mix between Groundhog Day and The Twilight Zone. Hall plays, Joe Manning, a struggling musician hunted by bikers through the high desert. Also, haunted by visions, Joe must confront his past sins, accept salvation—or wind up dead by daybreak.

With scores of on-screen credits, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Mulholland Dr., Tony Longo co-stars as the eccentric, RV-driving prophet named Atlas. On a mission from God to rescue Joe and save his soul, Atlas is accompanied on this mission by his disciple. Dawn, a once drug-addicted fashion queen played by Persia White, who was also one of the main characters on the long-running sitcom Girlfriends.

Hall said he landed the role through the typical process, with his agent getting him the audition, and with the film’s director being familiar with his past work, but he credits a lot of landing the role to how well he and Longo meshed as actors.

Longo and Hall were familiar with each other’s work, but met up the first time during auditions.

“Tony asked me to go outside and run over the scene that we were doing together,” Hall said. “We had a good chemistry, and the director obviously saw that, which is great.”

The film’s director and writer, Derrick Warfel, was on-hand for the premiere, having flown in all the way from Los Angeles. Warfel talked about one of his biggest inspirations in making the movie during a question and answer session with the audience that followed the film.

“One of the biggest things was the whole move to digital,” Warfel. “I’ve been a writer for years and years, and you get tired of seeing things get close to getting made, and then not get made.”

According to Warfel, digital films can be made much cheaper, and that shooting a movie in the middle of the desert also cuts out a lot of costs, which were two major factors in his idea for the film.

Receiving many awards at a number of film festivals, Midnight Reckoning most notably took first place in the sci-fi/horror genre at both the Bare Bones and London Independent film festivals. Judging from the response that evening at Plaza 8 Theaters, the crowd was in agreement.

“I think it was a great movie and was filmed really well,” said Kirk Branson, one of the movie-goers that evening. “I was really impressed with the quality of the movie,” Branson said.

The film is set for home video release on October 16th. More information on Midnight Reckoning and two theatrical trailers for the movie are available at www.midnightreckoning.com.

In recent years, Skeptic’s Societies have been popping up in universities and other show grounds of “forward thinking.” Missouri Western is luckily one of those universities, as it is the home of a modest group of skeptical students, thriving on the development of a different, recognizable view to what is regularly offered on the plate of day-to-day life.

The organization was started in 2009 by David Carr, a Psychology major who began questioning popular religions early in life, as his parents moved from one church to another. The goals for the group, as listed on its Facebook page, include establishing a “home for atheists, agnostics, and other freethinkers at Missouri Western State University,” to “challenge believers in God, psychics and all other supernatural occurrences with arguments based on scientific evidence, logic, and reason” and to “present a positive view of atheism to the community.”

It’s clear that the group is still forming at an early stage, having only 17 members on its Facebook page. There is definitely room to grow, and there is a presence on campus that would take interest in a meeting of like-minded skeptics.

Senior and biology major Matthew Stehly was happy to hear that the group existed, and that he would be drawn to future meetings. Among Stehly’s various skepticisms, he included religion, the existence of God, pygmies and teapots in space. He is a prime example of atheism on the Missouri Western campus, choosing his own beliefs without treading on someone else’s.

“If it works for you, that’s completely fine, but don’t take hand-me-down beliefs as being true,” Stehly said. “Think for yourself. Use logic.”
Some students, like Junior Hanna Greenwell, think that the Skeptic’s Society would be a good place for people to get their different ideas out in the open.

“I think people should be skeptical and open minded to certain things of their own interest,” Greenwell said. “Everyone’s different, so I guess it just depends what meets their fancy, you know?”

While the Skeptic’s Society meets on Wednesdays on campus and at the Rolling Hills Library on Sundays, one can see that the on-campus presence of skeptics falls short of the group of older members who attend meetings at Rolling Hills.

“The majority that come are at least above 50,” Carr said of the off-campus meetings. Obviously, the more experienced and world-weary members of the St. Joseph community are showing off their skepticism at a much higher level than the young. However, all organizations have to crawl before they can walk, and the numbers have grown slowly but surely since the group’s first meeting at Hazel’s Coffee Shop, with only two people in attendance. It stands to reason that the longer the group holds out and more word spreads, more curious and open-minded people will arrive to discuss matters of belief, truth and logic.

While the group is mainly made up of atheists and agnostics, anyone with a knack for Devil’s Advocate would surely find a worthy forum to profess differing opinions and explanations for various behaviors.

Having a Skeptic’s Society around could do a lot of good for communities in the Bible belt, showcasing opinions that go largely unheard in a public gathering, especially any gathering with a sense of formality and purpose.

Religious groups are obviously welcome to defend their beliefs, or at least discuss them and try to help others understand them better, which could be the ultimate benefit of Missouri Western having a Skeptic’s Society. Believers and non-believers alike have a common ground where the purpose is to challenge one another with conflicting thoughts so that a new plateau may be reached, further promoting the ultimate goal of all houses of thought.

This book is a fast firing flash fiction about womanhood, sexuality, exploitation, emotional evolution and the world of stripping. It is the tale of Natalie, a thirty something mother who retraces the steps of teenaged beauty pageantry and stripping to search for the first woman she slept with. The trail takes the reader on a ride through time that reveals a life of emotional abuse, squalor and eroticism.

It makes the reader think about the lives of strippers and the esteem issues inflicted on women in a world that tells them that they have to be beautiful. It asks serious questions about the effects our sexuality has on our lives.

Without becoming porn, this book looks truthfully at the world of strippers and gets quite saucy. The shifting point of view keeps the reader feeling like they are flowing in and out of the consciences of the narrator. It forces you to wonder how you would feel if you were 17 and your high school principal just walked into the strip club you work at. It keeps a dark subject light in the right places by reviewing stripper tips, like stripper tip #6: underarm deodorant glows under black light or stripper tip #11: smoking pot in the bathroom only makes the night drag on forever.

Sure there are plenty of dirty words to keep your attention and at least two sex scenes that will make you look around to make sure you are alone while you read it, but better than that is the underlying understanding of the story. It is a story about the scars sexuality can leave on us, and how those scars shape us into the sexy little beasts we become. It is also about the connections that you make in life and how things change over time. It is a story about real life and I am glad I read it.

The direction the movie takes is not only original but is what makes the movie as terrifying as it is. The way the director splices in original footage from therapy sessions adds to the element of realism that can be lost when cutting from scene to scene.

Another interesting way the director shoots the movie is the strange focusing he uses. He focuses on certain objects in some scenes rather than the people. This is so you focus on the audio.

Even writing this, I still feel the chills as characters stumble upon the truth about Nome, Alaska, which has the most reported sightings and abductions in Alaska and possibly the United States.

The dramatization of real events gives you enough information to make sense of the story but also keep you in the dark about the truth. There are a few plot twists that are easy to guess, and once you figure them out, you want to make sure you’re right by never taking your eyes off the scene.

Tying the small history lesson in with the abduction story makes for a better case. Let’s just say I never want to hear anything speak Swahili again.

The creepiest part of the movie is the main characters first hand interview about the events that took place. The videos shown of her before the events make her look like a sane and normal woman. Then, as they show her two years later she looks like a woman that has never slept in her life, her big eyes staring into the camera piercing your minding and testing your truths.

“The Fourth Kind” should go into the record books for originality. There is little to no blood and as a matter of fact, there is some gore censored out early in the film.
It’s rare these days to come across a director that doesn’t have to use gore to make a good movie. All he needed was a good story, some original footage and a creepy woman who may or may not be insane.

By the end of the film you are asking yourself, “If our psychologists go insane, who do I go to when I go insane?”

What might be the best browser game out there ends up being free. Evony has picked 5 million users since April of this year. I have been tending to my bonsai tree of browser games faithfully since that time. I have already lost two cities and relocated twice, but I keep working to build up my horde of cavalry and ballista so that Lord Donan can lay waste to all of Server 3. It really is a bonsai. Step by step becoming a tiny work of art.

The game is easy to figure out with a series of quests meant to train the user on how to tend to their kingdom, collecting taxes and winning loyalty, all the while defending your peoples from any number of martial incursions. You can build up to ten cities; I prefer just tending the one.

With a quick chat band it is easy to get tips from others that playing the game as well. The modular form of the cities does allow for some variation in the design of your city. You could build a city with three barracks for extra army growth or a city designed for commerce and then you can rule at the always active market place. You can hire and fire heroes to lead your people and you can gamble on the wheel of fortune. I just won an iron rake with an amulet I saved up.

The beauty of this game is that if you are the kind of person that is online a lot during the day, all you have to do is favorite it, and all day long you can pop in and out of your little perfect kingdom. In the morning you can start your scholars training in the academy, at coffee break you can start recruiting heroes, at lunch you are building your walls up and at dinner you are appointing a new mayor. By bedtime you are conquering a new city.

This game really does rock for those that are into this sort of thing. I wish more of my friends were. I guess if anyone reads this article, you can come find me in land of Bohemia, ruling over Gotham City, right next to the flag 420.

Following the formula set forth by the previous three films, Nick O’Bannon (Bobby Campo) sees a premonition while with friends at McKinley Speedway, warning him of imminent death. In the nick of time, the hero saves his friends and a handful of strangers including his girlfriend (Shantel VanSanten) and a security guard (Mykelti Williamson). Like his predecessors, Nick learns the hard way that the grim reaper doesn’t like losing and strikes out at the survivors, who are forced to band together and find a way to cheat death.

Let’s get this out of the way; “The Final Destination” is not interested in being a good movie. The script is devoid of anything resembling scares or three-dimensional characters. Furthermore, if you’ve seen the other films, then you can pretty much predict everything well in advance. For some, that makes it a bad movie not worthy of the $13 bucks required to see it. For the fans, however, it’s blissful.

Just like Friday the 13, Final Destination isn’t going for masterful storytelling. Within the first five minutes, it’s pretty clear that the filmmakers know what the fans want and aren’t afraid to give it to them. That fact alone makes this film a vast improvement over the muddled “Final Destination 3” and puts it on par with “Final Destination 2.” But what puts this film above the sequels is the 3-D experience.

Whereas other recent 3-D films have tried to downplay the gimmicky nature of 3-D, the new Final Destination fully embraces the technology and uses it to its advantage. Add in the return of “Final Destination 2” director David R. Ellis, well known for crafting insanely wicked kills, and the result is one of the most entertaining movies playing on the big screen this year.

“The Final Destination” also sports a solid cast of actors that make the most out of their underwritten characters. Campo and VanSanten, as lovers Nick and Lori, come off as the best couple in the series since Devon Sawa and Ali Larter in the original. Nick Zano, playing the requisite Jerk, chews away at the scenery while the rest of the cast deliver decent, albeit workmanlike performances. Special credit goes to Justin Welborn, who is a hoot as the drunken racist ballsy enough to throw out racial slurs that most actors tend to shy away from these days. If you dug Welborn as much as I did, then by all means seek out one of his previous films; the 2007 indie hit “The Signal,” undeniably the best horror movie since “The Blair Witch Project.”

Although great for pure entertainment value, there’s no denying that the script is bad. Some key character moments are a bit hard to swallow and, as stated before, it would’ve been nice if the filmmakers had tried to at least do something to make this one a little bit different from the others. However, the main problem comes with the ending. For its brisk 82 minute running time, the film wastes too much time with the ending, throwing premonitions on top of premonitions when it should’ve just got to the point. And yes, the film most likely wouldn’t be as effective in two dimensions.

In closing, “The Final Destination” is not a revolutionary horror film nor will it likely be remembered 10 years from now save for the 3-D effects. In the end, it doesn’t really matter though. Ellis and company knew exactly what both the diehard fans and casual audiences wanted to see: a gruesome but highly entertaining horror film to close out the summer. And in comparison to the more serious movies available in theatres right now, especially the vile abomination that is Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II,” “The Final Destination” deserves to be seen. By the way, I seriously doubt this will be the final entry. Death always finds a way.