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Not another teen movie cont.

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By Marah Harbison
10. Bring It On– Although this movie’s sequels have become so abundant that they have almost fallen into noteriety, the original Bring it on has a number of redeeming qualities. While it does it’s fair share of making fun of cheerleading, it also gives this tough sport the credit it deserves. Also, it teaches viewers that they cannot cheat their way to the top, a lesson applicable to any high school sport.
9. Napoleon Dynamite– This movie may be low-budget and have virtually no plot, but there is something about it that is addictive. While Napoleon (John Heder) is likely the most awkward character to grace the big screen, he almost revels in his own gawkiness. Napoleon Dynamite makes being a nerd cool and thanks to this film every sixth grader owned shirts that read “Vote for Pedro.”
8. Dead Poet’s Society– Every movie on this list could not be sugary-sweet and have a happy ending. The Dead Poet’s Society shines light on the dark side of high school. It exhibits the pressure that kids have to be successful in the future, and how sometimes that pressure is too much to bear. On a more positive note, this movie does teach viewers the value of creative learning, friendship, and wonderful teachers.
7. Pretty in Pink– Although most would argue that the best John Hughes movie starring Molly Ringwald is The Breakfast Club, my personal pick is Pretty in Pink. Why? There is one reason and one reason only; Duckie. Apart from being adorable and hilarious, this character played by John Cryer is extremely relatable. Everybody has had that time when they were only the best friend but longed to be more.
6. Clueless– While this movie is undoubtedly cheesy and does nothing short of mock teens who live in “The Valley”, something about it is undeniably endearing. Unlike most movies about high school, the most popular girl in school is also the nicest. Cher (Alicia Silverstone), is all for helping others. Whether it be giving them a makeover or organizing a drive for earthquake victims, Cher is always giving back. She may be clueless but she is also selfless.
A&E

Creators clash over Facebook debacle

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By Amanda Millea

A&E Co-Editor

In a time before friend requests from strangers, before relationship statuses, before people knew what you were doing at every waking moment, there was an idea for a social network that would have all of these features, plus more. The question is who really came up with the idea for this social network? Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a Harvard Undergrad and computer programming genius, claimed to have come up with a social networking site that allowed people all over the world to communicate.

At first, Zuckerberg started small, restricting the social network only to people who attended Harvard. This was where Zuckerberg’s first law suit came into play. The Winklevoss twins (Josh Pence and Armie Hammer) said that Zuckerberg had stolen their network idea, where anyone with a Harvard.edu email address could join. Naturally, the “Winklevii” decide to sue for ownership. Somewhere in the midst of his first law suit, Zuckerberg gets hit with law suit number two, provided by none other than his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Saverin was the one that provided the originally small company with the money it needed to expand. Saverin was supposed to be a cofounder of the company, originally known as “The Facebook,” but in the expansion process, Zuckerberg and Saverin’s ideas clashed. The clash began when Napster founder, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) started giving Zuckerberg advice Saverin didn’t necessarily agree with. Eventually, Parker practically pushed Saverin out of the company and off of Zuckerberg’s real life friend list.

This movie was different in the way that it depicted not only one view, but three—three perspectives and three completely different truths to a story everyone assumed to be one-sided. Screen writer Aaron Sorkin adapted the screen play from Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires. Sorkin did an excellent job leaving most of this story to the imagination. The different perspectives leave the mind wondering where the truth lies, and will have people talking, even after the movie ends.

“The Social Network” takes a deeper look into the social networking world most teens visit on a daily basis. After the movie, the first thing I did was get on my Facebook. The movie opened my eyes to how truly addictive Facebook is. The movie itself proved to be equally addictive. Although it seemed long at times, the audience is immediately invested in the plot of the film. When the movie was over, I had mixed feelings about the actual ending. I was glad it was over because it was a rather long film, but the plot still seemed like it had so much more to it. By the end, my opinion on who had invented Facebook had not changed. Facebook was created solely by Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg’s character says it best, “If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you’d have invented Facebook.” If Zuckerberg was lying, all I have to say is well played, Zuckerberg. Well played.

Columns, Forum

Inspirational movies pay tribute to artists

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By Paige Thompson

Columnist

            Janis Joplin was a talented, legendary singer. She had a signature voice that is well known; therefore it came as no surprise to me when I heard a film about her life is in the works entitled Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can.  Amy Adams, of Enchanted, has been cast as the legendary singer.

            Though Adams is a talented actress and singer, and I enjoy her movies, I do not feel she has what it takes to conquer such a large role.  Joplin has a very distinguishable voice. It is unique and raspy and she created a name for herself when she was still alive.  Adams on the other hand, has a sweet and delicate voice rather than the hardcore sound of Joplin.

            Adams also has a princess image for herself, whereas Joplin had more of a hard-partying image. I think they are complete opposites and I do not see the delicate, sweet Adams rocking it out onstage and getting drunk backstage as Janis Joplin did.

            However, when I first heard about this movie, I immediately began to think of who could tackle the role.  My mind was automatically drawn to Across the Universe and the character Sadie, who was very similar to Joplin. Played by Dana Fuchs, she and Joplin have very similar voices. She even has the long, big, curly hair that Joplin had.

            Joplin made her debut during the summer of 1967, also called the “Summer of Love”. She performed Big Mama Thornton’s “Ball and Chain” and with her voice, people paid attention .In 1969 she performed at Woodstock. She went through three different bands during her career due to drug use getting in the way.  While in Los Angeles recording “Pearl”, she overdosed in her motel and died at the young age of 27. (Source: janisjoplin.com)

Joplin’s story is a sad one, because she had so much potential and such an awesome career ahead of her. However, Joplin isn’t the only artist to get her own movie biography.

            Frank Sinatra, for example, could be called one of the most famous and popular musicians of his time. Ol’ Blue Eyes created music that is very recognizable.  He is well known by almost everyone.  Not only did Sinatra make his mark in musical history, but also he went as far as winning an Oscar for his role in From Here to Eternity in 1953.

            According to his website, (www.sinatra.com), Sinatra is long acclaimed as the world’s greatest performer of popular music, and is the artist who set the standard for all others to follow.  He was a beloved entertainer for six decades. He won three Oscars, three Golden Globes, 20 total Grammys, an Emmy, and others.

            Sinatra’s music is historic as well.  From 1953 to 1961, he recorded more than 17 albums for Capitol Records. He was the first artist to record in the new Capitol Studios at Hollywood and Vine in Los Angelis but he formed his own recording company in 1960 called Reprise.

            In fact, Martin Scorsese has been working up a Sinatra biopic. Although he has considered casting George Clooney or Leonardo DiCaprio as the role of Sinatra, I think that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be a much better choice. The (500) Days of Summer star has a nice voice and I think there is something about him that would make him a much more suitable choice to play the role.

            Since I enjoy these types of movies so much, I think there are many more artists they could make movie biographies for. Ella Fitzgerald is one of those artists.

            Fitzgerald, “The First Lady of Song”, accomplished a lot in her life.  According to her official website, (www.ellafitzgerald.com), she became the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. She has also won 13 Grammys and has sold over 40 million albums.

            Fitzgerald had the unique talent of being able to recreate the sounds of almost every instrument in an orchestra with her voice. She reached out to a variety of people. Her fans included people of all race, gender, religion, rich, poor, young, and old. 

            She took on the task of becoming her own bandleader when she lost her mentor, Chick Webb. She also had to deal with discrimination when she would travel to the South.

            “The First Lady of Song” is one of my role models. She had to overcome many obstacles to do what she loved and she accomplished a lot in her life. She lived in an era of discrimination and she was an African American woman. For her to have accomplished so much during that time, and to be so loved by nearly everyone, really inspires me.

            Though I do not know exactly who I think should play her, a movie about her life is needed.  It is unfortunate that many people do not know who she is. More people need to know exactly what she went through and more of her story.

An Ella Fitzgerald biopic would deal with the looming issues of race and gender. Her being an African American female would bring a ridiculous amount of discrimination during that time.

It would be a nice change to see a film that is concerned with these issues since we really do not see that a lot in movies today. These issues need to be brought to attention and by creating a biopic about the life of Ella Fitzgerald would be a great opportunity for that.

Classic, timeless musicians hold a special place in history. They are considered legends and movie biographies are a great way to remember them.

            These genres of movies can give an inside look at the lives of some of the most influential artists of all time.  They were a big deal and pretty important if they receive the privilege of having a movie made about their lives.

            These movies are a way to keep an artist alive after they are gone.  They can keep their legends real. They are monumental and they pay tribute to their life’s work.