Senior Chris Sinclair stands with the rest of the band after warm-up, preparing to march down to the field.” I think it's fun and the audience really enjoys it.(I like) performing in general," said Sinclair. Photo by Paige Thompson.Sophomore Jacob Bauman and junior Zach Kayrouz check Bauman’s cuffs while forming a block to march onto the field. Kayrouz enjoys the adrenaline, his section and the many weird traditions when performing at football games. Photo by Paige Thompson
During the national anthem, color guard members junior Jenna Scharffenberger, sophomore Shelby Kaiser , freshmen Krista Carlisle and Laura Estar watch the band march on. “I like (color guard), we have lots of cool work. You can show what you you’re trying to get across,” said Estar. Photo by Paige Thompson
Sophomores Christian Thomas, Brian Young and Senior Jacob Novak walk off the field to change after performing the national anthem and school song. “Me, Jacob Novak and Brian Young are a quirky group of individuals and we like to wear the kilts,” said Thomas. Photo Paige Thompson
I laugh and clap while bouncing happily as my favorite cowboy and spaceman land safely in Andy’s van. It is, of course, the 900,000th time I have seen the movie, but at three years old I cannot help but marvel at the moving, talking, thinking toys on the screen in front of me.
Toy Story was an instant hit with my family when it first released in 1995. I can remember getting my first Woody doll, complete with “Jon” on the boot and an Etch-a-sketch to go with him. But never in my wildest toddler dreams would I have imagined the amazing Toy Story trinkets the children of 2010 have been blessed with. The most awe-bringing, of course, is the Toy Story 3 video game.
The movie was a huge blockbuster, passing up Shrek 2 for best selling animated movie, but even a great movie can make a gut-wrenchingly awful video game, as most do. This is just not the case for Toy Story. It has a co-op game that makes me clap my hands like a three year old again, and graphics that make Pixar look like a bunch of monkeys with colored pencils. It was a perfect accompaniment for an entertaining movie.
The game is not exactly like the movie, though, and this is Avalanche Software’s great accomplishment. Past movie games have been, at best, unpleasant due to the boring, repetitive missions that match the movie exactly. Avalanche, no doubt marketing to the small attention span of five to ten year olds, just took important parts of the movie and made a short story mode that almost matches the movie, but has more interactive games and challenges than that poor cowboy expected. It even includes a complete play through of Rex’s video game, giving you close to the same sense of accomplishment of Rex’s “I did it, I finally defeated Zurg!”
The secret to the success of this game is the Toy Box mode that, like mention earlier, was marketed towards smaller children who will play the game. What we all did not expect, but Avalanche is profiting from, is the similarity between teenage gamers’ attention span and the 10 year old’s. Both 18 and 11 year olds get the same satisfaction from picking up a Little Tike and throwing him at Hamm. Toy Box mode is an almost completely free play mode that allows the player to play as any character they want in a free roam environment, doing optional missions to gain coins to buy more toys. Toy Box mode makes Toy Story a landmark in the movie-game franchise, just from the fact that it is one that is bearable to play, and even fun.
On the technical side, the graphics are far better than poor Pixar’s, who doesn’t get all the funding of the video game world. The 1080P graphics are clearer and brighter than Pixar will be for the next 5 years. The controls are also simple, but this is expected as the game is marketed towards 10 year old children.
As I think back on my childhood, I feel a little bit of jealousy when I see the myriad of Toy Story merchandise for sale this year. I can still remember the excitement of getting the awful Toy Story 2 for Windows 98, before gaming companies were as smart as the 3rd generation gaming world. My inner childhood rushes from my mind as I hear Buzz’s comforting “Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!” come from my surround sound. This game is no doubt a best seller in the future that every Toy Story fan should own.
Seniors Justin Mills, Madi Sorrels, and Brandis DeWilligen, along with junior Brody Earnhardt, let loose at a rehersal for the Studio One production of Arsenic and Old Lace. "(We're) making a billion strange facial expressions (and) it's very fast paced and frantic," Said Mills. Photo by Paige Thompson.Seniors Alex Criss and Brandis DeWilligen practice on the Studio One stage for Arsenic and Old lace. The group duo play Martha and Abby Brewster in the production. "Just watching (the show) you wouldn't expect is to be as funny as it is. It is a fun time, " said Dewilligen. Photo by Paige Thompson.Junior Zach Herbert and junior Broady Earnhardt pull senior Tyson Woolf up during a mock fist fight. "It's a really random, clever play," said Earnhardt. Photo by Jill Moore.Senior Tyson Woolf recites some of his lines at a wednesday rehersal of Studio One's production of Arsenic and Old Lace. The show starts on September 2nd at 7:00pm in Studio One. Photo by Paige Thompson.Junior Zach Hebert recites his lines about making his own play. Photo by Jill Moore.Senior Hunter Hartman plays lieutenant Rooney. He enjoys "Arsenic and Old Lace" because everything flows together well. Photo by Jill Moore.
Junior Aaron Turner listens to instruction during music practice. "I couldn't do Jazz band if I quit (Marching band)," Joken Turner.
Photos from Marching Band Camp
Photos by Lindsey Payton. More coming, check back soon!
Affectionatly called the "field of dreams" by field commander, Katie Swan, this cement lot is the new practice location for the marching band. 2010 graduate and prior marching band participant, David Joslin said it helps the staff to see and fix more mistakes.Donated by the class of 2006, the band golf cart is used to get staff and field commanders to different practive locations quickly. "I have had many adventures on the golf cart," said Senior field commander Katie Swan.
Donated by the class of 2006, the band golf cart is used to get staff and field commanders to different practive locations quickly. "I have had many adventures on the golf cart," said Senior field commander Katie Swan.
Senior Jake St Germain Stand at “parade rest” in music practice. “The biggest weakness will be ourselves, we just have not built up our stamina enough,” said St Germain.
In a world where reality and fiction collide, an innocent dream can become a nightmare. “Inception” may be the title of this mind-boggling movie, but in the movie, inception is actually the premise of extractor Dom Cobb’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) job. Cobb, through the power of extraction is able to steal other people’s secrets from any individual’s subconscious. The problem is that the job proved to be more dangerous than the extraction team had bargained for.
A simple slip of reality into the dream can inhibit the team’s ability to tell what is real and what is a part of the dream state. This one job is Cobb’s last chance to make up for his fugitive charges, but throughout the extraction process, his goal changes from stealing an idea to placing one in the figment of the mind.
Oscar nominee Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) wrote and directed “Inception.” Aside from an award winning director, the cast includes academy award nominees DiCaprio (The Aviator), Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai”), Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), Ellen Page (“Juno”), Michael Caine (“Cider House Rules”). Other stars include Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Dileep Rao. The musical score was written by none other than the famous Hans Zimmer, who also worked with Nolan in “The Dark Night”. The music really added to the intensity of the action sequence and at times was the only thing heard in the film, and at times caused the audience to jump.
DiCaprio truly draws the viewers into the story line with his character’s pressured lifestyle. The movie begins with his character washed up on a shore of an unknown place. From the very beginning of the movie, imaginations are set up to wonder what is and what could be really happening. “Inception” is one of those movies that requires a large attention span, or the viewer will be completely lost. This movie involves a lot of thought or it will make no sense.
After this movie, there was a significant change in the way I dreamed. The night after I saw this movie, I went to bed just fine. However, waking up the next morning I felt almost disoriented. Thinking about this movie, there are still more questions arising every day. Just when it seems like the movie makes perfect sense, the human mind starts coming up with even more possibilities. I think the movie’s tagline says it best : “Your mind is the scene of the crime.”
Rating : 4/5 stars
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