Staff Reporter

Over the past several months The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, has become a worldwide phenomenon. The Hunger Games was published in September of 2008 and became popular among young adult readers.

The story is set in the ruins of future America that has been divided into districts. Due to the past rebellious acts against the government by the districts, the Capitol hosts an annual Hunger Games event in which one boy and one girl from each district must compete for their lives in an arena created by the evil masterminds of the Capitol. The event is viewed on national television and serves as punishment and as a constant reminder of past rebellious acts, their consequences, and the Capitol’s sovereignty in its citizens’ lives.

The story follows a survivalist girl named Katniss Everdeen through the rough conditions of the games after she volunteered to take the place of her younger sister, Prim. Katniss struggles for her life, and even love, throughout the trilogy. The movie adaptation of the first book in the series brought The Hunger Games to life on the big screen on March 23. The film sold $152.5 million  on opening weekend across America, making it the third largest grossing movie ever on an opening weekend.

The actors chosen to play the main characters of The Hunger Games really stepped up to the plate. Jennifer Lawrence, a no-nonsense  Kentucky native, brought raw emotion and a type of intensity to the screen that embodied the heroine Katniss Everdeen in every way. Experienced actor Josh Hutcherson portrays her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, the local baker’s son.  Katniss’s best friend, Gale, is played by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. The three actors’ chemistry is apparent on screen.

In comparison to the best-selling book, the film was almost spot-on, missing only a few minor details. The movie’s magnitude brought the terrifying games to reality just as the book did. Despite its two and a half hour mark, the movie never dragged but kept the anticipation and constant action rolling.  The Hunger Games not only addresses the female audience through romance but the male audience as well in action.

When compared to other young adult novels such as the popular Twilight saga, The Hunger Games appeals to a much broader audience and has something for everyone. The Hunger Games is a must-read book and must-see movie (in that order) for men and women of all ages.

Staff Reporter

Throughout this year I have written solely about my opinions and tastes and while I consider my opinions as above reproach I thought it would be a good idea to let you read the opinions of some promising seniors at Oak Grove. I interviewed seniors about their favorite restaurants, but it wouldn’t be my column if I didn’t first tell you what my favorite restaurant in Hattiesburg is. I love almost all food and most restaurants in Hattiesburg, but my absolute favorite place to eat is Crescent City. You just can’t get better than crab cakes and bread pudding. It looks like Oak Grove’s senior class has some excellent opinions on restaurants…

Staff Reporter

Picking up Mass Effect 3 was, for me at least, exciting and scary. It was exciting because it was the last installment in a series I’ve come to love, but scary because I was worried that it would be a whimper of an exit to one of the most brilliant marriages of science-fiction and the modern video game industry I’ve ever seen. After fighting against only two of the spaceship-sized sentient machines known as Reapers, who are intent on destroying all organic life in the galaxy, for two games, I was concerned that fighting a war against thousands of them wouldn’t feel at all real. However, I’m happy to say that Mass Effect 3 made the series go out with a bang, several of them in fact, by retaining the most popular aspects of the first two games while still showing enough growth and evolution to have an identity of its own. The game continues the biggest tradition of the series: letting players choose what their stories turn out to be.

Instead of being given a cardboard cutout of a protagonist with an arsenal of witty one-liners and a charming smile, players get to make Shepard (the main character) in their own image, male or female, mix and match three different styles of combat, and manage the war effort as they see fit. If they choose to be the compassionate, caring hero who everybody loves, then they can do that, but likewise, they can also be the ruthless antihero that everyone fears. Either way, the decisions you make in the game (and in previous games if you’ve played those) stay with you and play out in front of your very eyes before the end of the game. Along the way you gather an assorted group of compatriots, both alien and human, who, instead of playing second fiddle to Shepard, have their own backstories and their own emotions and problems that come to light as the game goes on.  The game does an excellent job of portraying the scope of the war as truly galactic in size, by showing how humans and various alien races are affected by the Reaper invasion, and by having the player go through the process of smoothing over relations between these races, as well as building a galactic armada in order to fight for the survival of all organic life.

The gameplay is completely overhauled from the second game, changing a stiff-and-awkward-to-control Shepard to an agile and mobile force of destruction in combat, giving the environments the breadth and depth they need to feel realistic and not restricted, and giving the weapons in the game enough customization options to form a strategy around but not so much that players are lost in the myriad of options and advantages. The added multiplayer portion of the game brings an entirely new aspect to bear for the Mass Effect series, tying into the story in a unique and inventive way.

The bottom line is that Mass Effect 3 delivers a rich, compelling, player-driven narrative, smooth, unhindered gameplay, and a fun, challenging multiplayer, all of which create a game that only comes around once in a blue moon and pits not just the player’s reflexes, but their mind and personality against an enemy to see just how good of a job they would do defending the galaxy.

 

Staff Reporter

Don’t let the title for The Woman In Black fool you; it is in no way related to the popular Will Smith movie, Men In Black, which I was able to figure out within the first five minutes of the film.
The film is actually a horror movie starring Daniel Radcliff, but don’t let Radcliff fool you into thinking the movie has anything to do with the Harry Potter series, which took me a little longer to figure out.
The movie is centered on Radcliff’s character, Arthur Kipps, a widow whose job is settling the estate of a recently deceased recluse in a small town far from his home. While in the small town, a series of inexplicable children’s deaths occur. Little does Arthur know, the small town is haunted by a crazy woman in black spirit. Throughout the movie, Arthur must find out what is happening to the dying children and who the woman in black is. He is accompanied by a father whose son has recently died and his wife, who claims she has the spirit of her son inside her.
As far as horror films go, this movie is successful in setting up suspenseful, jumpy moments, though, I had to repeatedly remind myself that Radcliff’s character is not a wizard and is incapable of wand work.
There were definitely moments when I gasped and jumped a little in my seat. The movie creates many of the “stereotypical” ghost story moments: dim light, creepy noises, and dead children. On the side of originality, I think the movie succeeded in creating a new story audiences haven’t heard before, which is very rare for scary movies today. The movie was exemplary as far as plot is concerned; it established character development well. I was impressed the film wasn’t centered on blood and guts.
Personally, I thought for the sole purpose of frightening audiences, The Woman In Black succeeded. I’m certain that if I first watched the movie by myself in the dark, I would’ve been scared. But, because I saw the movie in theaters, I was unable to choose the people in the rest of the theater; therefore, I was taken away from the film because of screaming, texting, and obnoxious people.
If you haven’t yet seen The Woman In Black, I would recommend it. I think it’s definitely one of the scarier films of our generation. But like most memorable scary movies, at the end, you’ll probably be unsatisfied. I wouldn’t see the movie if you’re expecting a happy ending. I can’t say that this movie will scare everyone that goes to see it, but coming from someone who thrives off of thrill and theatrical suspense, the movie definitely gave me chills.

Staff Reporter

There are many things we don’t have in Hattiesburg. We complain about not having an H&M, a P.F. Changs, or a mini golf course, but one thing Hattiesburg is not in short supply of is Mexican restaurants. I’ve begun to wonder which Mexican restaurant is the best in Hattiesburg. For my wallet’s sake, I chose to compare only two of my favorite restaurants, and I found that all Mexican restaurants are not created equal. There are a few things that people always get at Mexican restaurants. We love cheese dip, quesadillas, and enchiladas. My personal favorite things to order at Mexican restaurants are chimichangas. Since that reference to chimichangas in Napoleon Dynamite, I haven’t ordered anything but chimichangas at Mexican restaurants, and life’s been good. Anyway, I decided to compare the prices of these foods at Papito’s and at Rio Grande to see which restaurant is cheaper. I also rated each restaurant on taste, atmosphere, and customer service. My results are as follows:

Staff Reporter

In the 21st century, the realm of time travel has already been explored by the Sci-Fi channel, Carl Sagan, and the Back to the Future trilogy. However, with the release of his new book, horror writer Stephen King takes a stab (figuratively, not literally) at the seemingly-overdone time travel genre in 11/22/63.

The story begins in modern day Lisbon Falls, Maine. Jake Epping, a recently divorced high school teacher, is a regular customer at the local diner where he has befriended the owner, Al Templeton. One afternoon, Al divulges a life-changing secret to Jake. Hidden in the diner’s pantry lies a portal to a particular time in America’s history: 11:58 a.m. on the morning of September 9, 1958. With access to the portal, one could completely alter the events of the past 50 years. Al realized he had the power to prevent one of the most influential moments in recent American history – the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Al returns from one of his journeys into the past, unfruitful in his attempts to stop the assassination, but now dying from lung cancer. He asks Jake to fulfill his duties, and Jake unwillingly agrees. For five years, until that pivotal day in Dallas, the book chronicles Jake’s struggles in stopping Lee Harvey Oswald from murdering the President.
Rarely does a commercial fiction author craft a novel that exposes so much truth about humanity. Unlike his previous novels, King doesn’t use irrational fears to play on the nerves of his readers. King pinpoints, in the midst of a gut-wrenching plot, the common anxieties, worries, and obsessions of every day life and their ability to influence our decisions. With each decision made, history is created. King explores these influences on history and raises a deeper question: Would you change the world if you had the chance?
While the book drags on in the years spent waiting until the assassination attempt, the suspense remains. King gives his main character a chance to explore 1950s America while making the trek to Dallas. He relives the glory days, where one often has friendly conversation with the local grocer and can purchase a brand new Ford Sunliner for $300. I was originally hesitant about the plot, but King successfully approached the time-traveling subject with a confidence that is unparalleled by most popular fiction writers. For a novel that has been 30 years in the making, it deserves to be praised. King has finally figured out how to spook his readers. Clowns, magic, or any other sort of cheap thrill won’t cut it anymore in today’s skeptical world. He uses something real and familiar to create fear: the inescapable effects of time.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the Oscar nominated contender for Best Picture by filmmaker Stephen Daldry, is based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. The story, though rooted in the September 11 tragedy, does not focus on the event. Rather, the movie documents the story of a young 11-year-old boy Oskar Schell who suffers from the loss of his father at the World Trade Center. Oskar, played by Thomas Horn, is convinced his father, who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, left a message for him hidden somewhere in the city. This is the story of his quest to keep his father’s memory alive by searching throughout the Big Apple, the nation’s largest city, for a lock to fit a key.
As Oskar is exploring through his father’s closet, he accidentally knocks over a blue vase and finds a key in an envelope that is simply labeled “Black.” He ponders the true meaning behind the key: Was it left for him or his mother? Did it even have an actual meaning at all? He quickly looks up the name “Black” in the phone book and finds that there are 417 people with the last name “Black” in New York City. Oskar vows to himself that he will meet every person until he finds the key’s lock. As he searches for the lock, Oskar meets many sympathetic yet helpful strangers; however, one stranger stood out from the rest who becomes Oskar’s confidant. Oskar is accompanied by “The Renter,” an old man played by Max von Sydow, who rents a room in Oskar’s grandmother’s apartment. As they both become close friends, Oskar learns many lessons from this stranger, such as facing his fears and knowing when to intervene.
As his adventure continues, Oskar’s hope begins to falter and wants to stop until he notices that the stranger he has been sharing his journey with is just like his father. Oskar finally concludes that the stranger is actually his grandfather. Oskar confronts him, but before Oskar can receive any real answers, his grandfather moves out of his apartment and tells Oskar not to search anymore. However, Oskar does not give up. He continues his search until he finds the truth behind the key.
Tom Horn, the actor who played Oskar, who was discovered on the game show Jeopardy, delivers an incredible performance of a young boy searching for answers after his father’s tragic death. While many critics call his character selfish and spoiled, I call him a crushed, grieving character who finds his rite of passage as he overcomes obstacles and faces his own fears.
Stephen Daldry’s film meanders a bit, but the stellar cast, starting with young Horn, as well as the weighty nuances such as Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, make this a must-see film for the New Year. Daldry’s ability to remove the slight ambiguity of the original novel allowed the film to retain the precise symbolism for applying the message to all the hurting people in the world. Furthermore, the movie explores the importance of a three-word phrase that is continuously misused today, “I love you.” Suspend your disbelief on the unbelievable parts and stay to the end. I promise it will be worth it.

With only nine days until the unraveling of one of Hollywood’s biggest red carpets, music junkies have a lot to look forward to with this year’s 54th annual Grammy awards night. Music’s biggest night airs on February 12 at 7:00 p.m. on CBS. It will definitely be a night to watch with actor and rapper LL Cool J as host and artists like the newly popular Adele and the always hip Rihanna as competing nominees.
There will be many compelling performances consisting of both solo and duo artists. One of the most anticipated performances is Coldplay and Rihanna. Coldplay recently released their successful album Mylo Xlyto which featured Rihanna in the song “Princess of China.” Paul McCartney, 14 time Grammy award winner and member of the legendary Beatles, will also be making an appearance on the Grammy stage. In the four most popular categories are nominees that are the most talented artists of our time. Nominated for Record of the Year are Rolling in the Deep by Adele, Holocene by Bon Iver, Grenade by Bruno Mars, The Cave by Mumford and Sons, and Firework by Katy Perry. Rolling in the Deep is a shoe-in to win based on the charts and the many fans who adore Adele’s chilling voice. The song sold an impressive $5.567 million in the U.S. in 2011. That’s the most digital copies ever sold within a year’s time in the U.S.
Other nominees, such as Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, are also equally loved for their pop serenades. Bruno Mars especially caught attention with the song “Grenade” and the appearance of “It Will Rain” on the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn soundtrack. Mumford and Sons and Bon Iver are also great competitors for their popular alternative hits. Adele’s 21 and Bruno Mars’s Doo-wops and Hooligans are up for Album of the Year along with The Wasting Light by Foo Fighters, Born This Way by Lady Gaga, and Loud by Rihanna. Sadly, Nicki Minaj didn’t make the album cut with Pink Friday which sold 1,663,000 U.S. copies as of November 2011.“Rolling in the Deep,” “The Cave,” “Holocene,” and “Grenade” are all also nominated for Song of the Year with “All of the Lights” by Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi, and Fergie. Kanye West is the leading artist with seven total nominations. The nominees for Best New Artist include The Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, and Skrillex. After the remix of “If I Die Young” in early 2011, the original song hit the charts in July to make The Band Perry a well known group.  Skrillex is not like any other nominee. Known for his wild techno mixes, Skrillex is nominated for five Grammys including Best New Artist, Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronica Album, Best Remixed Recording (Non-Classical), and Best Short Form Music Video for “First of the Year.” Kelly Rowland, Lil’ Wayne, Chris Brown, Cee Lo Green, Lupe Fiasco, Beyonce, and Wiz Khalifa are nominees in different rap and R&B categories. Others nominated for pop and alternative Grammys include Foster the People, Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera, Kings of Leon, and Radiohead.  Taylor Swift, Sum 41, Mumford and Sons, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, The Civil Wars, and Blake Shelton are nominated for Grammys in Country and Rock categories. With so many new and continuously crowd-pleasing artists nominated, the 54th Grammys is sure to be one of the best awards ceremonies of the year.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, it cannot be denied that many of us are thinking of that one special person that we like, love, or even hate. Thankfully, my first love will never forget nor forsake me. And my first love is, without question or hesitation, chocolate. Yes, I admit our relationship isn’t perfect, and we’ve been through some rough times including the time I ate an entire bag of M&Ms in one sitting, and my stomach hurt for an entire day. But I would say we have a pretty strong relationship excluding a few low points. I have spent countless nights sitting on my bed watching a movie with one of my very best friends – chocolate icing. Another high point in our relationship is the time I had a chocolate fountain at my 16th birthday party. So because of my great love for chocolate, I decided to make truffles this month.
At first I thought this endeavor might be challenging, and as I looked for recipes, I found this to be true. Most of the recipes were complicated, and as an inexperienced chef, I try to find the simplest recipes that I know I can do well. So, after much searching, I found the perfect recipe. It has only three ingredients: 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, half a cup of heavy whipping cream, and half a teaspoon of vanilla. I heated the heavy cream over medium to low heat until it was simmering, stirring constantly to keep it from scalding. In a separate mixing bowl, I combined the chocolate and vanilla. I poured the cream over the chocolate/vanilla mixture and stirred until the chocolate was melted. Then came the hard part: I was supposed to let the mixture chill in the fridge for two hours, but I impatiently put the mixture into the freezer for 20 minutes instead. When it was chilled I rolled tablespoon-sized amounts into truffles then rolled the truffles in cocoa powder. I thought my truffles were delicious and am not ashamed when I truthfully say I ate all 30, my sister as my witness. I will definitely be using that simple recipe again, but maybe next time I’ll share my truffles.
If you would like some high quality truffles without having to make them yourself, C’est La Vie sells wonderful ones. I will warn you: their truffles are expensive but worth it. They will serve as a great pick-me-up on the dreaded holiday that is known to many of us as Singles’ Awareness Day.

Staff Reporter 

Unlike many American approaches to romance and its many dizzying effects, British band Florence + the Machine’s analysis of love is anything but cookie-cutter. Lead singer Florence Welch, who describes her music as a reflection of her unrelenting emotion, is a powerhouse of vocal talent and gripping personality. The band’s new album Ceremonials certainly portrays stark intensity in every song; however, the instrumentals to which Welch’s vulnerable lyrics are set are repetitive and overbearing. As a whole, Ceremonials achieves resounding emotional effects but fails to deliver adequate instrumental range.
Welch, who admittedly writes all of her songs on hangovers and wears secondhand clothes at performances, wanted the album to consume listeners with both its words and its sounds. Indeed, Ceremonials is initially captivating. In “Shake It Out,” Welch proclaims, “It’s hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off.” The song is arguably the purest showcase of Welch’s vocal range and poetic abilities. “No Light, No Light” successfully fuses pulsating drums with ethereal electronic sounds, creating an eerie and unsure tune. Other songs like “Breaking Down” are positive and relaxed. The album also cleverly incorporates the theme of water into many songs. In “What the Water Gave Me,” a synth keyboard and electric guitar are the backdrop to lyrics like “Let the only sound be the overflow.” The fast-paced song “Heartlines,” although heavy on backup vocals, portrays the power of water and nature to subtle trumpets and mystical chimes. The ballad “Never Let Me Go” shows Welch’s infatuation with the ocean. The consuming effects of Florence + the Machine’s Ceremonials are synonymous with the ocean’s waves: powerful, loud, and largely predictable. Even though Ceremonials is different from other albums, it shows little internal range. This lack of variation makes the album surprisingly mundane after the first few tracks. Each song is accompanied by heavy drums and clamorous instrumental swells that, for the most part, drown Welch’s vocal clarity. Perhaps the British accent or the hangovers also contributed to the difficulty I had understanding many songs, but, at times, the numerous instruments made Florence’s voice sound like it had gone through a machine. Also, Ceremonials included unsavory songs that produced a clash between Welch’s normally fluid voice and her forced, shrill singing in songs like “Strangeness and Charm.” The apocalyptic tune “Seven Devils” started with the words “Holy water cannot save you now” and ended with “I’ll be dead before the day is done.” These words were only made more terrifying by ghostly sound effects and muffled birds’ cries. The most chilling songs on this album did not contribute to the band’s emotional intensity. Rather, they added melodrama and made listeners like me wonder if the band attends Voodoo funerals for fun.
Ceremonials is anything but traditional. The album redefines love as a heavy, serious, and often haunting issue. Florence Welch herself is hardly jovial, and her blunt lyrics and diamond vocals illustrate how seriously she takes the band’s music. The artistry of the album, however, is severely limited because the songs are similar in structure and theme. The first time I heard a song from the album, I was left wanting more. When I listened to Ceremonials in its entirety, however, the magic and power of Florence + the Machine became repetitive. Even though the album is supposed to consume fans, I felt like I was drowning in it. Much like the band’s widely used water motif, Ceremonials proves that too much of a good thing dilutes the talent of a potentially excellent band.