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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2009)
^fenior Insert May Summer blockbusters provide thrills, fun a M ary W ood _______________ Staff Reporter When the summer heat is shining down and heading to the pool has lost its charm, the movie theater may offer a needed respite. Plenty of new films are coming out this summer to help beat the boredom— many action and adventure flicks—plus a hearty helping of sequels. For fans of the X-Men series, May 1 brought "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." In the film, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) lives his life as a mutant and seeks revenge for the death of his girlfriend. Other stars include Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston and Kevin Durand. Science fiction gets a hit this year with Star Trek. The movie sh o w s th e ea rly days ^[C aptain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the rest of the crew. Other stars include Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy and Eric Bana. It came to theaters on May 8. If you liked watching "The Da Vinci Code" when it came out in 2006, or are a Dan Brown fan, get ready for "Angels & Demons," the film adaptation of Brown's novel of the same name. The movie follows Harvard University professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) on a trip to the Vatican to solve a murder and prevent the work of a shady secret society. The film also stars Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard, Ayelet Zurer and many others. It opened in theaters on May 15. One of the many movies this summer that are part of a larger series is the prequel "Terminator Salvation," the fourth movie in the "Terminator" series. The post- apocalyptic movie stars Christian Bale as John Connor, a man destined to lead a human resistance against an army of terminators in 2018. Other stars include Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, a man with little memory, and Anton Yelchin as a younger version of Kyle Reese, the first film's protagonist. It opened on May 21 . Another sequel coming out is "Night at the Museum: Plummer and Jordan Nagai, and comes to theaters starting tomorrow. If you're looking for comedy this summer, a good choice might be "Year One." It takes place in ancient times and follows hunter-gathers (Jack Black and Michael Cera) who are kicked out of their village and encounter many biblical figures like Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd, respectively). It is scheduled to come out on June 19. Also on June 19, is the release of "The Proposal." This romantic comedy features a boss (Sandra Bullock) who forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she can avoid being deported to Canada. Other stars include Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson and Betty White. "Transformers" is also receiving the sequel treatment this year, with "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" coming out on June 24. The movie follows Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) as he avoids the Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel, with Rainn Wilson joining the cast. The "Ice Age" series premieres its third film with this summer's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." The movie follows the characters from the first two movies on a journey to save Sid from a dangerous world of dinosaurs. Vocal stars include Sean William Scott, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Josh Peck, Queen Latifah and Ray Romano. It is schedule to be released on July 1. If you're in the mood for a period drama this summer, "Public Enemies" may be a good bet. It's a movie about a group of American gangsters in the 1930's and the government's attempt to take Battle of the Smithsonian." In them down. The movie stars this film, the same security guard from the first film works to rescue exhibits that have been shipped to the Smithsonian by mistake. There are many big names in this movie including Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Jonah Hill, Owen Wilson, Bill Hader and Robin Williams. It began in theaters on May 22. For Pixar fans, Disney- Pixar's "Up" may be a favorite this year. The movie follows an old man on his dream journey to South America, and a young stowaway on the voyage. It features the voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis and Charming Tatum as Pretty Boy Floyd. It also comes out July 1. Even after the end of the book series, the "Harry Potter" movie franchise carries on, with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" this summer. The movie follows Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, when he begins to develop a better understanding of Voldemort's past. The movie retains previous stars from the series and adds some new faces like Jim Broadbent as Horace Decepticon Forces trying to take him prisoner. Many stars return to the film, including Slughom. Shows start July 19. A favorite childhood toy for many is brought to the big screen with "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." In the film, a group of operatives known as G.I. Joe fight it out with an arms dealer. Stars include Charming Tatum, Sienna Miller, Dermis Quaid and Joseph Gordon- Levitt. Look for it on Aug. 7. For a combination of romance and science fiction, look to "The Time Traveler's Wife," a movie based on the novel by Audrey Niffenegger. It's about a librarian who accidently travels through time when he experiences stress and the strains this puts on his romance. Stars include Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston and Stephen Tobolowsky. "Inglorious Basterds" (yes, Basterds) is a Quentin Tarantino movie coming out this summer. The movie follows a group of Jewish- American soldiers in Nazi- controlled France who specialize in brutally killing Nazis. The movie stars Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger and Mike Myers, and is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. It comes out Aug. 21. Despite an emphasis on action and drama films this summer, there still seems to be plenty of variety, from period films to a bit of magic. Keep an . eye out for locations and show times. Shorts X offers fascinating mix of genres , A dam H olmes ______________ Staff Reporter "Shorts X" celebrated its tenth anniversary of student directed performances, May 7-9. The production consisted of four plays, two of which were written by the directors. The first play presented was "Mysteries of the Monk of the Castle Falconara," written by James Armstrong and directed by Catherine d'Autremont, senior, and Alexandra Mink, junior. Three Gothic English novelists from 1793 are summoned to the mysterious Castle Falconara in Italy by the mysterious lord of the castle who knows a secret about each individual. This play managed to have a unique combination of dark comedy and drama. Although the story was confusing at times, the delivery was strong, especially the subtle by Reis Mahnic, senior, was described as "four short scenes observing artists and their Tatianna Young, senior, addresses her guests, played by Dayne Scanlon, sophom ore, Tyler W hitcom b, junior, and Ailish Duff, freshm an, at the Castle Falconara. Their play was the first of four student directed perform ances during Shorts X. Photo by Hannah Zaayer jokes laced throughout the performance. The second play, "Art & Passion," written and directed relationships." It was very well done and very intellectual. I was especially fond of the fourth scene, when the actor, Michael Johnson, sophomore, interacted on stage with a recorded version of himself that was played on a giant screen behind him. The scene was excellently synchronized and fascinating to watch. The third play "Trifles" was written by Susan Glaspell and directed by Caitlyn Olson, senior. The story takes place in a small farming community in Nebraska during 1916, and centers around the investigation of a local murder. Although the story did drag a bit at times, it was very tense and suspenseful. The actors were excellent, especially Avery Breyne-Cartwright, junior, and Anna Stapleton, sophomore, as the wives in this drama which is considered to be one of the earliest pieces of feminist drama. "Lovers and Haters," the final play, was written by Nicholas Altishin, senior, and co-directed with Christopher Daniels, senior. The comedy centers around the two stars of a modem day soap opera, both on the show and in their lives. Altishin wrote a very entertaining and funny play, and judging from the response of the audience, everyone enjoyed it. Each character was humorous in their own way, whether it was Samantha Forsey, sophomore, playing the attractive and dim-witted neophyte, or Tyler Harmon, senior, playing one of the assistant writers. Leads Troy Spivey and Melissa André, seniors, also turned in great performances.
