This is the archive for May 2010
By Michelle Danai, Courier Staff Writer
I have seen this movie,
Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, about a million times and I€™'m still not sick of it. It is the movie of my pre-teen years, the
Sixteen Candles of my generation and I love it to bits.
Excuse the odd title, which is based on Louise Rennison'€™s popular book series of the adolescent adventures of Georgia Nicholson. 14-year-old Georgia is a great example of your ideal pre-teen, whose most important goals in life are to look like the runway models presented in teen magazines, win a romantic first kiss as well as a gorgeous boyfriend, hold onto her best friends and prevent her parents from getting a divorce.
Posted by courier at 10:04 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Shamal Asnani, Courier Film Critic
May 12 marked the release of a movie which is centered on the legendary character, Robin Hood. The film stars Russell Crowe as the title character. The film begins with Robin being a part of the Third Crusade of England as an archer. After the death of the king in battle, he along with three other friends, abandon the crusade in order to return home. On the way back home they encounter Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong), an English knight who is secretly aligned with the French, and his men, who had just recently slaughtered a group of English knights.
Posted by courier at 09:17 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Thao (Michelle) Hoang, Courier Staff Writer
This year's Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles took place earlier this month. The theme this year was all about national pride, and everyone showed a lot of spirit. Throughout the concert, everyone showed enthusiasm and support for the team of South Korea, which will be representing at the famous World Cup.
This year’s two hosts were Nicole Jung from Kara, and MC HAHA, a famous South Korean entertainer.
Posted by courier at 10:04 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Beatrice Esteban,
Courier Managing Editor
The dominance of pop music has always been highly disputed by music critics worldwide. The flashy and sexually-energized outfits, constant use of Auto-Tune, and lack of true lyrical depth inspired the rise of indie music, a genre made of many sub-genres with one common identifying factor: clear contempt of mainstream music. Emerging into the indie music scene in 2001 with their debut album
Feel Good Lost, Canada’s Broken Social Scene began as a duo recording ambient instrumentals but has expanded into a musical collective group with a varying lineup and evolved style. This becomes clear to the listener in 2010’s
Forgiveness Rock Record, a seamless integration of different music elements in one enjoyable baroque-indie record.
Posted by courier at 09:39 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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From left: Wonder Girls' Ye-eun,
Sunye, Sohee, Sunmi, and Yubin.
wikipedia photo,
Courier Staff Writer
The Wonder Girls, a popular Korean girl band is hitting the US market. After opening up for the Jonas Brothers World Tour, and Justin Bieber’s Valentine’s Day Concert, they are now going to be having their own tour with special guest 2PM as the opening act.
They announced the first nine cities they will be performing at on April 5, 2010. They will be stopping at 3 cities in California, which includes West Hollywood, Anaheim, and San Francisco. The tickets available were General for $50 and VIP for $150. The VIP package includes a Meet & Greet with the Wonder Girls, a photo opportunity, and a tour gift.
Posted by courier at 09:06 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Journey into Islam – The Crisis
of Globalization by Akbar Ahmed
Hardcover: 300 pages
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN-10: 0815701322
ISBN-13: 978-0815701323
Muslim-Americans fear there may be a public backlash following the recent attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square by Pakistani-American suspect Faisal Shahzad. They faced one following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. A timely new book examines the "identity crisis" in America's greater Muslim community.
"My findings are of urgent relevance to America, today," says author Akbar Ahmed of his book,
Journey into Islam. “Communication is needed between the two segments [Muslim and non-Muslim] of society.”
Posted by courier at 09:56 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Alan Wake>
For: Xbox 360
From: Remedy Entertainment/Microsoft
ESRB Rating: Teen (blood, language,
use of alcohol and tobacco, violence)
McClatchy-Tribune (MCT)
Until now, "Alan Wake" was best known in gaming circles as a title in development since before the Xbox 360's mere existence was public knowledge.
The effects of the lengthy development are apparent in the final product, which occasionally looks older than it is and forces players to contend with some unwieldy (and slightly incomplete) third-person shooter controls. But all those years also have been very kind to the titular character and his story, which are so carefully and cleverly constructed as to render any shortcomings almost completely moot.
It's no great surprise that "Wake's" storyline — which finds Alan, a famous mystery writer, racing through a secluded resort town to discover why the pages of his unfinished manuscript have come true and made his wife disappear — is a cut above. Remedy Entertainment produced some of the best storytelling of the early 2000s with its "Max Payne" games, and while the particulars have changed, the ingredients — narration from the playable character, generally stellar voice acting, a word-perfect script that touches darkly comedic, self-depreciating and noirish nerves in the right ways at the right times — have all returned.
Posted by courier at 12:55 PM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Julie Mendoza,
Courier Staff Writer
Patrick Fugit stars as William Miller in the comedic drama,
Almost Famous. He's a high school boy who gets the opportunity to tour with his favorite band and write an article about them for the Rolling Stones.
Who could pass up a chance like that?
Posted by courier at 09:07 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Michelle Danai,
Courier Staff Writer
Mike Posners music has been filling up my iPod. Mike Posner is an uprising artist who is well-known for his hot single, "Cooler Than Me," which was an online hit over the summer of 2009 and has just recently been released on the radio.
Posner is an American singer, songwriter, producer as well as a Duke University student. With the help of Don Cannon and DJ Benzi, Mike Posner released his first mixtape, ";A Matter of Time,"¯ in the beginning of 2009.
Posted by courier at 10:18 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Michelle Danai,
Courier Staff Writer
Christina Aguilera returns to the music industry with the latest hit, "Not Myself Tonight,"¯ which has recently made its online debut. The song is from her upcoming album called €œ
Bionic€¯.
Aguilera's new album also includes the song, "Glam,"¯ which is a poppy, hip hop-inflected throwback to Madonna's "Vogue." Since the release of Christina Aguilera's new song a lot of talk has been made about how her lyrics and sound are a great imitation of Pink's previous work and that her new attitude and style combination portrays many similarities to Lady Gaga's work.
Posted by courier at 10:07 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Farah Habad, Courier Staff Writer
Often times, artists' collaborations are some of the greatest works they ever produce. Whether we look toward Run DMC and Aerosmith, Jay-Z and Linkin Park, Nas and Lauryn Hill, or Method Man and Mary J. Blige, collaborations produce artistic juices that would probably not be found elsewhere.
In the case of Tyga of Young Money and famed Rihanna-beater Chris Brown, their collaboration is nothing more than a waste of time and money.
Posted by courier at 09:54 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Language: English
ISBN-10: 157322989X
ISBN-13: 978-1573229890“ He kissed her so gently she wondered if she had imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes. And then there was a shot."
The Pact by Jodi Picoult starts with this climax of action, and works simultaneously backwards and forwards to explore the motivations, character development, and aftermath of the death of Emily Gold.
Emily Gold and Christopher Harte have been best friends since they were born, and it was only expected by their families that they should begin dating in high school. Chris is completely comfortable with this, but Emily has doubts about the relationship and feels it is almost incestuous. Afraid to break up with the one boy she loves and afraid to stay with him, the problem is compounded when Emily finds out she is pregnant. She feels her only option is suicide.
Posted by courier at 09:03 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Iron Man 2
Reviewed for: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360
Also available for: Wii, PSP and Nintendo DS
From: Sega
ESRB Rating: Teen (mild language, violence)
If you're bound and determined to enjoy "Iron Man 2" in video game form, here's a tip even the most skilled of you may wish to follow: Play the game on its easiest difficulty setting.
That isn't a testament to the steely challenge "IM2" poses to players so much as — as was the case in the first "Iron Man" game — its aggravating propensity to let some truly sloppy execution get in the way of what otherwise could be an ideal action gaming playground.
Posted by courier at 08:52 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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From wikipedia:
Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones, May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style. Her devotion to the jazz idiom was such that her fellow vocalist Carmen McRae once claimed that "there's really only one jazz singer - only one: Betty Carter."
Carter was born in Flint, Michigan and grew up in Detroit, where her father led a church choir. She studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. She won a talent contest and became a regular on the local club circuit, singing and playing piano. When she was 16, she sang with Charlie Parker, and she later performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles and Miles Davis.
Visit bettycarter.org.
Posted by courier at 12:56 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Michelle Danai, Courier Staff Courier
Over the weekend I made my first trip to Yogurtland, located just across the UC Berkeley Campus and simply fell in love with the wide variety of flavors and toppings. I got the red velvet and chocolate twilight along, with chewy mochi balls, (like brownie bites) and it was absolutely delicious — a bit sweet, but surely delicious.
Yogurtland offers both tart and sweet flavors and is a self serving place. Although it is not a spacious location and could really use some tables and chairs during rush hours and sunny afternoons, the service was great and at 30 cents a topping I would go back any day. The frozen yogurt at Yogurtland is creamier, than icy which is very tasty. What is even better is the fact that the serving size is up to the customer and the toppings are unlimited.
Posted by courier at 10:19 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Michelle Danai, Courier Staff Writer
"I can'€™t read your mind. But I can kick your ass."
The movie quoted above,
Kick-Ass has been in theaters for a while and earned many positive reviews. You should go see it while it's still on the big screen.
Kick-Ass is a superhero movie unlike any other. This movie is an action-filled comedy based on an outcast high school student, Dave Lizewski whose obsession with comic books and his boring everyday life leads him to become Kick-Ass. Kick-Ass is a superhero with no special powers or training, but a lot of courage and attitude.
Posted by courier at 10:01 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Michelle Danai, Courier Staff Writer
A tedious Saturday night at home led me to scroll down on demand’s free movies list; in hope of killing time, I played the 1986 hit
Stand By Me. Besides
Pretty in Pink and
The Breakfast Club, I don’t necessarily find movies from the ‘80’s captivating. However,
Stand By Me is now one of my all-time favorite movies. The three-time Oscar winning film is truly a masterpiece.
Stand By Me is based on Stephen King's Short story "The Body” and it emphasizes the significance of friendship through Geordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern – four young boys who embark on an unforgettable journey in search of a missing and presuming body that they convince themselves could gain them a great deal of both fame and fortune. However, they aren’t the only kids in town who seek for this missing body; the movie soon becomes a race to see who will reach the dead body first.
Posted by courier at 09:55 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Julie Mendoza, Courier Staff Writer
What Dreams May Come is my mother's favorite movie. It brings together the possibility of heaven and hell existing side by side. Robin Williams plays Chris Nielsen a man whose love for his wife defies the laws of the afterlife. After his death, his wife, Annie, played by Annabella Sciorra, is left distraught and broken. She is haunted by his presence and hurt by his abandonment.
Posted by courier at 09:43 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Allen Chan, Courier Staff Writer
The long waited film, Iron man 2, was released in theaters on May 7th. Being the second of a great film, it had a lot of expectations. For instance, the first
Iron Man brought a sense of imaginable realism, meaning that all the new technology in the movie was within modern times reach. That aspect, made the film blow the human mind away.
In the second movie, a lot of things were questionable. The villain Whiplash’s ability to withstand a car collision was very unrealistic given that he had no armor. Normally, a crash like that would tear his abdomen in half. Also, the droid in the movie were very weak and fell apart to easily. It takes a dozen droid to target and hit Iron Man, yet it only takes him one hand blast to kill them all.
Posted by courier at 09:33 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Shamal Asnani, Courier Film Critic
Anyone who is looking to enjoy a great comedy with a good story behind it should definitely check out the 2005 film,
Wedding Crashers. The film stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as John and Jeremy, two divorce mediators who frequently crash weddings in order to party and meet women. Whenever they crash weddings, the two constantly have a set of rules to follow, and are always sure to device some sort of back story, in case anyone ever questions the reasoning behind their presence. One day the duo decides to crash the wedding of William Cleary, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (Christopher Walken).
Posted by courier at 09:27 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Alexys Cran, Courier Staff Writer
"Celestica (Album Mix)" is a dreamy introduction to Crystal Castle's very much anticipated new ep,
Celestica, containing five new songs. It was released April 27. Alice Glass sings haunting lyrics in the first track, and this is the most I have heard her sing. The following song, "Insectica," is also unusual because it includes the more guitar than I've heard in a Crystal Castles song.
Posted by courier at 09:21 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Niala Boodhoo
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
There are an increasing amount of people who are getting sick of Facebook's privacy issues and canceling their accounts. Anecdotally, through Twitter and personal requests, I'm seeing a lot of AntiFacebook people at least publicly contemplating the step.
ReadWriteWeb's done an interesting query on the growing amount of people who are asking how to delete their Facebook account: www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_do_i_delete_my_facebook_account_a_fast_growing.php.
Posted by courier at 09:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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"Lost States: True stories of Texlahoma,
Transylvania, and Other States That
Never Made It" by Michael J. Trinklein
Quirk Books
160 pages, $24.95
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
Summer is the time for family road trips to explore the U.S. and expose family to real American history — along with sunburn, bug bites and blisters.
But what if there were more than 51 states to visit? Michael J. Trinklein has written stories about many "failed" or non-existent states, provided them with histories, and served them up in a fascinating book called "Lost States — True stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It."
Posted by courier at 09:14 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Tawab Fakhri, Courier Correspondent
Ever since I finished fighting Zeus and saw Kratos climbing up to Mount Olympus with the Titans, I thought, “How are they going to make the third game better than this?!” The answer was revealed to me when I played the first few minutes of
God of War 3- better graphics, deeper plot, and much more killing.
God of War 3 has been considered the most anticipated game of 2010. Being rated also as the best PS3 game of 2010 and currently the second best reviewed game in 2010 (according to GameRankings), we know that this game aims to please.
Posted by courier at 09:32 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Omar Alimi,
Courier Staff Writer
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is not a sequel, but still a great addition to the series.
When I first heard that one of the new
Kingdom Hearts games was going to be on the Nintendo DS, I was pretty nervous. I’m a pretty big fan of the series, and I was afraid that the DS touchpad system and graphics would downgrade the amazing reputation of the
Kingdom Hearts series; I hesitated in even purchasing the game. However, when I turned it on and experienced the opening cutscene and introduction of the game, my fears completely dissipated.
Posted by courier at 09:24 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Dead to Rights: Retribution
For: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360
From: Volatile Games/Namco Bandai
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood, intense
violence, strong language, suggestive
themes, use of drugs)
Six years ago, games like — third-person action games determined to do everything under the action game sun — were everywhere. Since then, most developers learned to specialize and substitute polish for versatility.
Volatile Games didn't get that memo, and "Retribution" mostly carries on as if time never passed, competently doing a number of things (third-person brawling, shooting and stealth action) without knocking any one of them out of the park the way games today typically attempt to do. And here's the funny thing: Because games like this don't come along very often anymore, and because "Retribution" is nowhere near as bad as the few games that do typically are, it emerges as a much more enjoyable experience now than it might have been when this style was still in vogue.
Posted by courier at 09:10 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Julie Mendoza, Courier Staff Writer
A zombie frenzy has been unleashed. Daughter, husbands, loved ones are infected and unable to be saved. How will you survive?
Dawn of the Dead expresses both a fun yet terrifying perspective on zombie invasions. After Ana, played by Sarah Polley, narrowly escapes the grip of her zombie infected husband she flees and unites with a group of survivors. They lock themselves in the local mall where all their necessities are provided. All is well until they decide it's safer to leave and find refuge elsewhere. Betrayals are made and each death is more exciting than the last.
Posted by courier at 09:31 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Shamal Asnani, Courier Film Critic
April 30 marked the release of the movie Nightmare on Elm Street. The film is a remake of Wes Cravens 1984 film of the same name. Like the original, the film’s plot focuses on the undead villain, Freddy Krueger. Unlike the original however, Krueger is now played by Jackie Earle Haley.
In the film, Krueger has begun to appear and haunt many of the local teenagers’ dreams. Although many of the teenagers were reluctant to talk about these nightmares at first, they began to discuss much more with each other after two of them had died in their sleep. The film’s protagonist, Nancy (Rooney Mara), eventually discovers from her mother that the man who has been haunting her and her friends is the old gardener from her preschool, Fred Krueger.
Posted by courier at 09:24 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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By Carla Meyer
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
SACRAMENTO — The Deftones' "Diamond Eyes," out Tuesday, is the Sacramento band's first CD without Chi Cheng on bass. Yet his presence suffuses the album.
"It's all about him," Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham said. "How could it not be?"
Critically injured in a November 2008 car accident, Cheng remains in a minimally conscious state.
Lyrics such as "come wake me up" on the "Diamond Eyes" track "976 Evil" clearly evoke Cheng. But Cunningham said Cheng's influence on the CD is less specific, more all-encompassing.
Posted by courier at 10:25 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0439443849
ISBN-13: 978-0439443845
By Brandie Moore, Courier Books Editor
I once believed that life was a gift. I thought whatever I wanted I would someday possess. Is that greed, or only youth? Is it hope or stupidity? As far as I was concerned the future was a book I could write to suit myself, chapter after chapter of good fortune. All was right with the world, and my place in it was assured, or so I thought then. I had no idea that all stories unfold like white flowers, petal by petal, each in its own time and season dependent on circumstance and fate. The future is something no one can foretell.
Green Angel is a short novel that Alice Hoffman, Alice Hoffman, bestselling author of
The Story Sisters, The Third Angel, Property Of, Green Witch, The Foretelling and other works. wrote a few years ago. It's more of a starter book for smaller kids but the story is just an amazing one. Even the illustrations in this book are beautiful.
Posted by courier at 09:46 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061231673
ISBN-13: 978-0061231674 by Chad Kultgen might possibly be one of the most interesting takes on stereotypical males’ minds I’ve ever stumbled upon.
The book starts out seeming like it has no plot or story line, and it’s just the main character talking nonstop about his girlfriends butt and checking out other girls.
But the story begins to unfold when his girlfriend suggests the idea of marriage with him, and gets the wrong idea and somehow assumes he proposes to her. Not wanting to break her heart or start unnecessary drama, he sticks with the engagement, but suddenly realizes he can’t stay with her.
Posted by courier at 09:26 AM. Filed under: Entertainment
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