Written By: Sarah Miner

Florence + the Machine is a band that wasn’t very popular until last spring with their hit “Dog Days Are Over” premiering on radios across the country.  This song came from the album Lungs which appeared in the United Kingdom in 2009.  Nearly two years later, the band released their second album, Ceremonials, which was received very well by the public.  The new album features songs like “What the Water Gave Me”, “Only If For A Night”, and “Heartlines”.  The album debuted number one in the UK and number six in the US.  So far, it has received very good reviews, usually four out of five stars.  Many critics have said that Ceremonials is a very British soundtrack, similar to other British artists, like Kate Bush. Each song on the album is unique in its own way which is one of the attractions.  The vocals and instrumentals are truly one of a kind and combined with beautiful lyric makes for an exceptional album.  Needless to say, the album captured my attention right away and I simply can’t stop listening.  Being a big Florence fan, I would recommend Ceremonials to anyone who likes music.  A musician this powerfully talented comes once in a lifetime.  It was definitely worth the ten dollar purchase on iTunes.

Over MEA my family decided to have a “staycation” – spending a day wandering the Twin Cities. Throughout the course of the day I had three very different, yet excellent meals

For breakfast we stopped at Isles Bun and Coffee in Minneapolis (islesbun.com). I ordered one of their famous cinnamon buns: a roll the size of a dinner plate. It was right out of the oven and still hot to the touch. The globs of half melted cream cheese frosting overflowed over the sides. By the time I finished, I was stuffed and pleasantly surprised by the tiny yet cozy restaurant. It was the perfect breakfast to be able to eat outside on a gorgeous fall day.

My lunch was much different. I went to the Minneapolis Midtown Global Market, an indoor square of multicultural foods and items. I ordered vegetable tamales at La Loma Tamales (lalomatamales.com). They were excellent.  They arrived covered in hot sauce, and were very authentic as far as I could tell. It came with sides of black beans and rice. One of the things that made the food so great was the experience that comes with wandering the Global Market. The atmosphere is exciting, and at only $6.50, the food quality was much better than anything I could have bought at any fast food chain.

Saint Paul became our destination for dinner. We decided to keep it simple because we were so full from lunch. Café Latte (www.cafelatte.com) on Grand Avenue suited us perfectly. After pouring over their many tasty selections, I ended up asking for chili topped with cheese, sour cream and onions, and fococcia bread on the side. The flavor of the chili was excellent, yet would have been much better if spicier. Still, the meal was great for a “chilly” night. I lost all will power and ended up getting a massive slice of the turtle chocolate cake to top it off. It ended up being excellent and incredibly moist. The cake was so rich that the last few bites were a struggle. I walked away incredible satisfied with all three meals from the day. I would highly recommend each restaurant to everyone, especially if you are on a nice little “staycation.”

Do you love dancing or music? If you do, how would you feel if it was illegal?

Footloose, based off the original movie directed by Herbert Ross, is a about a small town that bans rock n’ roll and dancing after five senior students die in a car accident. The church council said the corrupt music and the dancing was the cause of their deaths. Ariel Moore, played by Julianne Hough, is the daughter of Rev. Shaw Moore, played by Dennis Quaid. Rev. Moore believes that these laws should be put to use to keep the children safe from dying. But when Ren MacCormack, played by Kenny Wormald, comes to town everything changes…

It has been 3 years since the accident. Ariel is now a senior and she can’t wait to get out of this town. Being the preacher’s daughter she felt that she needed to rebel against him.  She meets a guy named Chuck, played by Patrick John Fluegur, who is a racecar driver. He is the bad boy she’s been looking for. Unlike Chuck, Ren is a gymnast from Boston. He leaves Boston to live with his aunt and uncle because his mother died of breast cancer. He goes to the club to dance all the time, but  doesn’t know the rules quite yet. He soon learns when he gets a ticket for too loud of music. That’s when things start to turn for the worse for the town.
This dance filled movie is a pleasure to those who love drama, love, and music. All in all I really loved this movie. I give the movie an eight out of ten! It was an amazing movie, don’t get me wrong! It just wasn’t as good as the original.

I wouldn’t recommend this movie to those who don’t like gushy love stories, or to those who don’t like musicals.

Have you ever believed in aliens? Maybe even aliens taking over the world?

In the movie Battle: LA it’s a normal california day. Surfurs riding the wave, kids going to school. On the news theres a report of a meteor shower that is suspected to hit earth in a few days. When a reporter is at the scene of where the metors should hit a black cloud comes from the sky. As everyone turns to look at the beginning of a spectacular shower a black figure appers on a ship out farther. Then BAMB the attack begins between alien and man!

On the edge of your seat the whole time! The graphics were phenominal! The director,Jonathan Liebesman, had all the right ideas for an epic battle between man kind and the outside worlds. In most alien movies you see slime, guts, and gore. Not in Battle: LA! Sure there is some gore and guts for you horror lovers out there, but the aliens are all mechanical and much more high tech. Sgt. Michael Nantz, played by Aaron Eckhart, and a crew of young soldiers are sent on a mission to save civilians in a local police station. They must transport them to the nearest military safety base, but in every movie there are obstacles! Its alien then man then alien then man! Who comes out in thee end? That my friend is for you to find out.

I would suggest this movie to sci-fi lovers and action lovers! If you got a little dizzy from Cloverfield I wouldn’t recommend this to you! The plot works very well in this movie! The only thing I didn’t like was the camera work. Its all over the place!

I HIGHY RECOMMEND THIS FILM!

           When New Moon hit theaters on November 20^th 2009, it was a huge success. It earned 140.7 million dollars on opening weekend. Overall, the film was very good. When asked for her opinion on the film, Park senior Alicia Meyer said “Yes, I liked it, if I didn’t like it I wouldn’t have seen it twice!”   

            The roles of Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale played by Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone are worth mentioning. The loveable vampire couple did a wonderful job of being humorous and clever. Lautner’s performance as Jacob Black won the hearts of the viewers as well. The crowd watched in amazement as Jacob turned into a werewolf and fought off danger. Their hearts broke for him as Bella told him she had chosen Edward instead of him.

            Overall, Stewart’s performance as Bella Swan and Pattinson’s performance as Edward Cullen were decent, but sometimes their voices and actions lacked the emotion which they were supposed to portray, which made the scene less convincing. The occasional scenes with the emotionless acting took away from the sense of romance and danger in the film.

            However, there were some intense scenes in the movie. The audience was on the edge of their seats when Jacob rescued Bella from the water after she attempted cliff-diving.

             “My favorite scene was in the beginning when Bella was opening her birthday presents!” stated Alicia Meyer referring to Bella’s birthday party when Jasper lost control and nearly killed Bella after she received a small cut while opening her presents.

            There were also some funny scenes. Bella’s awkwardly funny movie date with Jacob and Mike Newton had the audience laughing out loud.     

            Even with the occasional detached emotionless scene, the movie is worth seeing. For the most part, the loveable characters are portrayed by great actors and the film has many interesting scenes. Devoted Twilight fans or people seeing it for the first time will enjoy the action and romance packed movie. Individuals leave the theater with a curiosity at what will happen in the next movie, which hits theaters in June 2010.

             Held at the expansive Loft Stage, the play featured characters from several of Suess’s most beloved works: including The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Horton Hears a Who, The Butter Battle Book, and many more. The cast of approximately sixty students consisted of a majority of freshmen and only featured one Park alumnus, Maria Durose.  Suessical was extremely light hearted and included thirty three Suess related songs, ranging from slow ballads such as “Alone in the Universe” and “Notice Me Horton” to the upbeat songs “Amazing Mayzie” and “Oh the Thinks You Can Think.”  Dylan Eike played a very convincing Cat in the Hat, jumping joyfully around the stage, just as the mischievous feline would do.  In addition, Adam Mickelson, who played Horton the Elephant, stole the show with his crisp and booming voice.

             However, some of the play seemed awfully infantile. While this production was on Broadway, the majority of the performance did not fit the incredible school in which it was performed. For instance, after seeing the extensive ten page program filled with actor biographies, the Suessical souvenirs sold outside, and the painted Suess character displays in the entrance, it would be expected that the costumes would be colorful and extravagant. However, Max, who is the Grinch’s playful dog in the beloved A Grinch Who Stole Christmas, was merely dressed in a brown sweatshirt with a paw print on the front.  This effort seems to be the equivalent to drawing a stick person for an AP Art class; it does not fit the high expectations set and appears incredibly sloppy. Also, it was very difficult to understand what was being sung by the characters at many times, for the octave was too high for the students to sing coherently. The performers thrived much better when singing lower octave songs, for not only was it easier to understand, but the students sounded much less pitchy. Furthermore, the pit orchestra, which provided beautiful background music for the performance, played a little too loud, therefore making the storyline even more difficult to understand.

              Unfortunately, the musical was not worth the eight dollars charged. At most times, it did not appear to have the quality that is come to be expected from a high school play. The theatre program would probably thrive much better as a high school by taking on a more serious and credited production.  Suessical the Musical appears to be a show best left to be performed by junior high schools.