Read about talented students - p. 3.
Visit our style section - p. 5.
Modern Warfare 3 is reviewed on p. 7.
Bear Facts
The
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A PUBLICATION OF MENA HIGH SCHOOL
Volume 2 Number 5
March 2012
1200 Dallas Ave, Mena, Arkansas 71953
Shel and Logan Lind help students kick off testing by Emily O’Rear
As students and teachers prepare for the testing months ahead, principals Shane Torix and Mark Shumate invited bands Shel, a group of four beautiful and musically talented sisters from Fort Collins, Colorado, and Logan Lind, an artist who plays blues with his own Scandinavian twist, to energize the students at a pre-test day concert in the Mena High School Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 2. Lind, a native of Mena, is a resident of two countries, Norway and the United States. He befriended the four sisters while playing on the road and invited them back to perform at Mena High School. The classically-trained sisters featured the violin, mandolin, bongo & drums, keyboard, & Norwegian Folk Accordion.
Both middle school and high school students were called out of class for the concert. When band members were asked how they felt about playing at a concert like this, Liza from Shel said, “It’s really fun to get to play for people that are close to my age. It’s really cool to see how music inspires other people, especially live, since it has been a big part of my life.” The students began testing on March 6 with the 11th Grade Literacy Exam. The students have been preparing for the statemandated tests since the first weeks of school. “We’re basically here to inspire the kids and give them a break before testing starts. They are some of the best groups to play for because they are so energetic,” said Logan Lind.
LOGAN LIND AND Shel pose for a picture before performing for the Mena High School and Mena Middle School students on March 2. (photo by Emily O’Rear)
FBLA members succeed at spring conference by Kaitlyn Schoeppey
MENA FBLA STATE qualifiers (Row 1, L-R) Kaitlyn Schoeppey, Alex Fuchsberger, April Ganster, Kayla Stone, Dani Lindsey, (Row 2) Christa Super, Dakota Rapp, Trevor Hale, Brent Musser, Riley Philpot, Connor Purvis, Cameron Ulmer, and Alex Atchley (not pictured Justin Wiseman) (photo by Molly Lindsey)
The FBLA District I Spring Conference is an exciting time of the year for many FBLA members. Every member of FBLA has the opportunity to compete in various events ranging from Business Communications to Job Interview with the hope of qualifying for the state conference. One student from each school also had the opportunity to run for office at the conference. This year, April Ganster was elected as the new Distict I Vice President. When members weren’t competing, they helped out with Ganster’s election and attended FBLA events like the annual talent show. Most of the students chose to attend the Leadership Luncheon with a former Miss Arkansas, Beth Ann Rankin. Also, Dani Lindsey, who was elected District I Treasurer last year, swore in the new District I Treasurer. The competitions that members participated in ranged from hour-long
written tests to interviews to showing proficiency in computer applications. Fourteen members scored well enough in their competitions to qualify to compete at the state FBLA conference in Little Rock. The competitors who are eligible for competing in individual competitions are Ganster, 1 st in Computer Applications; Lindsey, 1st in Word Processing II; Christa Super, 1st in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure; Alex Atchley, 2nd in Spreadsheet Applications; Kayla Stone, 2nd in Health Care Administration; Justin Wiseman, 5th in Impromptu Speaking; Alex Fuchsberger, 6th in Introduction to Technology Concepts, and Trevor Hale, 6th in Economics. The students who qualified for state based on team events were Riley Philpot, Connor Purvis, and Cameron Ulmer, 3rd in Business Ethics; and Dakota Rapp, Kaitlyn Schoeppey, and Brent Musser, 4th in Banking and Financial Systems. Students who make the top two at state will then be eligible to compete at the National Conference in San Antonio June 26-July 2.
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The Bear Facts - Editorials
March 2012
Parental restrictions force success
As we progress through school and expand our interests, we all feel the need to possess more freedom. I don’t mean freedom for our country, but personal freedom; the ability to make decisions for ourselves, even if those decisions carry risk. When we compare our mindset about personal freedom in middle school to what our mindset is today, the differences made in a few short years are mind-boggling. At the age of 12 or 13, getting permission to go to the movie theater or to stay the night at a friend’s house was a big deal. Now we find ourselves asking to go on multiple-hour road trips with friends, dates, or even parties. When we get told that we can’t, we sometimes overreact completely and start pointless arguments. The way most of us see things when it comes to doing what we want is that we are young adults; we will be moving out in whatever number years, so we should be able to do what we want, whenever we want. While arguing our points to our parents, however, we should slow down and take a second to think if this is really worth the fight. Believe it or not, our parents have been in our shoes. Those moments we have when we say, “I will never do that again,” well, the strange people who raised us have said that before too and more than likely they’re saving us from that embarrassing sting of, “I messed up.” We should appreciate that! Kudos to the parents who are awesome enough to care about our well-being and to care about how we turn out in life! Sometimes the hardest thing to do is see the bigger picture. We don’t always understand that one little party will hurt, but we should always trust our parents to know if what we are asking to do is a good idea or not. Making a habit of showing self-control is a wonderful thing; we should all exercise that, instead of arguing about things that will not matter a year from now. It is an understood concept that as we get older we will earn more and more freedom, but for now, keeping a grip on who is the parent and who is the child is important.
Clothes make the man… or do they?
by Ayla Powell
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Taylor Hale; FEATURE PAGE EDITOR: Kimmi Hanners; EDITORIAL COLUMNIST: Ayla Powell; SPORTS EDITOR: Hana Hunter; PHOTO/GRAPHICS EDITOR: Emily O’Rear; ADVERTISING MANAGER: Lake Ashley; LAYOUT MANAGER: Kim Erickson; CLUBS/ ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Taylor Betz; CIRCULATION MANAGER: Viet Nguyen; STAFF WRITERS: Cathy Haynes, Kaitlyn Schoeppey; PAGE
DESIGN by Digital Communications students: Monique Chelius, Carolyn Cobb, Brenden Daniels, Brittney Duvak, Bryan Ernst, Nathaniel Faught, April Ganster, Sydney Hebert, Nathan Hinson, Alyssa Looney, Ryan Lowery, Megan Moon, Gage Runion, Dakota Schaffer, BJ Schuller, Nathan Smallwood, Greg Spalding, Olivia Stafford, Kayla Stone, Jamie Thacker, Trent Vaught, Mariya Zagulova; ADVISER: Lisa Schuller
The Bear Facts, a publication of Mena High School, is published monthly October through May by MHS journalism students and is printed by the Mena Star. The Bear Facts is a member of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association, the American Scholastic Press Association, and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association. Editorials and letters to the editor reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff or school. All letters must be signed, and all published letters will include the author’s name. Advertising rates are $10 per column inch. For advertising or subscription information, address all correspondence to Bear Facts, Mena High School, 1200 Dallas Ave, Mena, Arkansas 71953.
Appearance is not the most important thing about a person, not by a long shot. Think about some romantic comedies. At the beginning of the movie, the girl’s a total nerd, but by the end she’s decked out in a beautiful dress or skinny jeans or some other manner of revealing clothing. Or it’s focusing on the boy, and by the end of it all, he’s wearing a suit. That’s the magic of the movies! I, quite personally, hate this kind of thing. Sure, it’s great when a guy looks good in a suit or when a girl can pull off nine inches of cleavage (cleavage that, may I remind you, wasn’t there before), but my own personal taste is a bit more…varied. I like things to be a little ugly. Actually, I like things to be quite ugly indeed. The French have a term for it, ‘belle-laide,’ and though it’s used to refer to a woman who isn’t necessarily a conventional beauty but is still very beautiful, I think it describes my tastes quite nicely. It’s an urge a lot of women have, and you can correct me on this if you want, but I think it’s something along the lines of, “You are the worst thing I’ve ever encountered, the absolute worst, and now I am going to kiss you because you make me feel something, which is more than I can say for some people.” Why would anyone want somebody perfect? Perfection is a farce, and probably the most undesirable thing I can think of. Scientists abhor perfection, as it means their research is over. No room for improvement; talent and wisdom may as well be taken out of the picture completely. A beautician doesn’t want someone with perfect hair; the whole point of their job is to make people beautiful, enhance their appearance. If it’s already perfect, there’s only one direction to go. And it’s down. A perfect appearance doesn’t necessarily connote a good personality, either. A lot of beautiful women I know are idiots, and a lot of less popular girls with unconventional looks have intelligence that’s off the charts. Especially in high school, while we’re still young and impressionable, we need to be able to see past appearance and into the heart.
March 2012
Page 3
The Bear Facts - Feature
Student Life…
Can an inspiration really be lurking in the shadows? by Kimmi Hanners
According to Webster’s dictionary, individuality is the total character peculiar to; the distinguishing of an individual from others. It is the complexity of characteristics serving to set off a person or a thing from others. A person is a distinctive character, born with a certain physical and psychological personality. In dictionary terms, one may not understand what all these words mean, but really, they are just enlightening the idea of a person’s individuality as uncovering one’s personality. Freshman Tori Rudman, known to some as superior beyond belief in artistry, is just one example of what makes a person individual. Coming from a broken but strong-willed family, Rudman has gained her own perspective on individuality, blossoming sparks of diverse personality. “What makes a person is what they do when nobody’s looking. I think people adapt to situations and just sort of ride the fence. You shouldn’t judge someone by who they hang out with or what they wear. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything,” said Rudman. Being an open book and not restricting herself to one idea, Rudman hopes to inspire and touch lives, just like one inspiration of hers, Gerard Way. Growing up battling depression during his teenage years, Way is an inspiration of just another powerful personality in letting kids know they’re not alone after the tragedy of 9/11. He started My Chemical Romance with a beautiful talent – being able to show the public what friendship and love is through his music. Having a beautiful and powerful gift herself, Rudman hopes to show the world what she sees in her mind in concrete form. “I can put an idea in my head and express it when I put it down. Drawing is sort of relaxing to me. You can wonder who someone is just by looking at the physical picture. You sort of learn about the person. For instance, noticing a wrinkle or a beauty mark makes you wonder how that person got it or about the beautiful character in his or her face,” said Rudman. Just being herself, Rudman has come to gain passion for the arts. Loving to sing, draw, and express creativity, Rudman has only begun to discover who she is among millions. Junior Daryl Castillo, known to some as a comedian in everyday life, is yet another illustration of individuality uncovering personality. Growing up with a loving family and more cousins than he can handle, Castillo has regrets just like anyone in the world but holds a dream not a lot of people would necessarily reveal. When asked what one’s dream is, most would say some high-end job or to have a family, but Castillo’s uncovers his sometimes shy personality. “My dream is to make people happy. I like to make other people happy, and I want no one to be alone. Everyone deserves a friend,” said Castillo. Developing his own beliefs on life, love, and happiness, Castillo is grateful for what he does have. Having been through the devastation of having his house burn down from an electrical fire just a little under a year ago and struggling financially, he holds his head high. Castillo believes that everyone has his or her own individuality, and he or she should embrace it. Holding true to Castillo’s same belief, famous comedian Kathy Griffin once said, “Don’t be who you’re not.”
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Open to new places and ideas, Castillo has taken a recent interest in juggling and hopes to travel one day. Being a very big Green Bay Packers fan, Castillo has thought of traveling to Wisconsin and unseen beautiful places around the world. When asked what he wanted to do after high school, he simply said, “I’m undecided.” This thought, in turn, shows two different people leading two different, yet inspirational lifestyles. Someone can come from a completely different walk of life and be like someone at the opposite end of the world. People are who they are with similar and dissimilar beliefs, and they are all born with something that they can learn about the rest of their lives – who they are. Two students with similar mindsets but from pretty different worlds hold true to what individuality represents. Everyone is his or her own individual having their own uniqueness. Being one’s self expresses individuality, which in turn, always lets one’s one-of-a-kind personality shine. An anonymous person once said, “Just be yourself, ‘cause everyone else is taken.” There is only one ‘you,’ so discovering who you are before you become who you’re not is the secret no one wants to reveal.
ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE TORI Rudman shows off her masterpieces. (photo by Kimmi Hanners)
Happy Spring! Mena High School Andy Riner, Prosecuting Attorney 18 W Judicial District Paid for by Andy Riner
Page 4
The Bear Facts - News
March 2012
FCCLA kicks off their shoes by Kimmi Hanners
Family Career and Community Leaders of America are teaming up with a charitable organization to change the world with one shoe at a time. Soles4Souls® Inc. is a charity that began in Nashville, TN and was founded by CEO Wayne Elsey. Elsey developed a nationwide initiative right after the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, but he really gained people’s insight after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He wanted to distribute shoes to people in need, regardless of their race, gender, or age. His purpose was to collect shoes as a sense of relief for victims of natural disasters. In the end, this idea has come to not only decrease poverty but to change millions of lives. O r i g i n a l l y o p e r a t i n g a s w w w. katrinashoes.org, Soles4Souls® Inc. has received over 1 million shoes from the natural disasters of the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Rita. As of today, Soles4Souls® Inc. has gathered over 17
million pairs of new and gently worn shoes and still needs shoes to distribute to people in need over 127 countries. Mena High School’s own FCCLA learned about this effort at the FCCLA Spring Conference February 16 and decided then and there to take a stand for the sufferers of these devastating natural disasters. FCCLA officers and club members are now taking new and gently used shoes by collecting them in boxes around the school and will be taking donations until March 16. FCCLA is hoping to receive at least sixty pairs of shoes to take to the state conference but is hoping for even more! Elsey said, “Each person has the ability to make an impact on someone’s life. There’s nothing that’s too small to make a difference. You can go down the street, within a mile of your house, and find someone who is hurting. There’s a natural disaster happening in people’s lives every day.”
Opening in April
Safe rooms are sure to have safety during a storm by Kim Erickson
MHS can be grateful for the certainty of being able to retreat to a safe room during a natural disaster, with the construction of Mena High School’s new safe rooms. “The storm shelters seem to be a great idea! I am thrilled that we have them, but I am worried if they will hold all of us,” said Tiffany Sides. Many students are afraid the safe rooms will not hold the number of students that are enrolled in Mena High School. Shane Torix stated, “There will be plenty of room for all of the students enrolled at MHS.” The storm shelters are made of iron rods and cement, which are built tremendously large. They have been tested multiple times to ensure they can endure storms and are built large enough to safely hold the students of Mena High School. If a storm were to hit after school hours, students would be released when it is
PLEASE DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
safe. Torix stated, “The students will not be released until it is safe outside. We always keep in contact with the sheriff.” Many students had very positive input on the subject of the safety rooms. Cathy Haynes stated, “I love the fact that we are guaranteed safety in the storm shelters from any storm that hits Mena. I also love the fact that I would be stuck with my friends during a storm.” Kimmi Hanners said, “I think that storm shelters are an excellent key to keeping my peers safe. Storm shelters are one thing that a lot of schools may not have, which makes me even happier that I am a Mena High School student.” Students of MHS greatly appreciate the storm shelters. The safety of the students and faculty of Mena High School has been greatly improved because of the hard workers who have made the safe rooms possible. Completion of this amazing project will be in April.
LOVE ABOUNDS AT Mena High School, Valentine’s Day, 2012. (photo by Kim Erickson)
MHS seniors explore broadcasting by Cathy Haynes
As seniors, students get the opportunity to fulfill their learning experience by taking college classes. One class that is offered by Rich Mountain Community College is the Radio and Broadcasting course, which is taught by Rudi Timmerman and Chris Gregory. Radio and Broadcasting is a hands on class in which students get the chance to learn how to film and use the radio. It’s a very fun and interactive class, and students get the chance to learn how to use the camera and editing equipment. Radio and TV broadcasting is teaching students how to host their own radio shows and record their own videos for channel 19, which is the RMCC channel. The students make up their own radio shows, which they record weekly. They choose their own types of music and program the data into the computer. The video work consists of students going out with cameras and videoing different outside events and then bringing them back to class and putting
them into the computer and editing the programs on Final Cut Pro putting them to DVD. Radio and broadcasting teacher assistant, Chris Gregory said, “I love the fulfillment of teaching this class. I enjoy seeing the students excel into something they have never done before while learning new opportunities.” This class benefits people because they get to learn the ins and outs of radio and TV broadcasting so that later on they have the necessary tools to land careers in those areas. There are several job opportunities for radio and TV broadcasting such as jobs at radio stations, doing DJ work, or programming, camera man, post production editor, lighting, teleprompter, stage production, sound production and special effects. Several students have received jobs at K.E.N.A., a local radio station, running sound boards. So students who are interested in learning how the radio works and learning how to film using a camera should take Radio and Broadcasting to further their education.
March 2012
Page 5
The Bear Facts - Style
Indulge yourself in beauty like never before! by Kimmi Hanners
Boys and girls of all ages have always desired to look good without spending too much money or going through unbearable pain. Many salons seem to support the public’s desperate longing, but one salon knows exactly how to meet the public’s desire. Learning from the locally owned Mena Cosmetology College, Michelle Talamantez opened her first and only salon, Indulgence Beauty and More Salon and Spa, just a little over a year ago. Talamantez has been inspired all her life by her loving father to run a salon in hopes of making people feel beautiful, not fake. Growing up with generations of cosmetologists, Talamantez knew what she was to do with her life from the very start. “A woman may be having a bad day and may happen to walk in my salon. That is the very thing I look forward to – letting someone who may be having a
terrible day indulge in beauty and so much more. As the owner of my salon, I strive to make people who are feeling ugly one moment, beautiful the very next,” said Talamantez. “We aim for excellence, beauty, relaxation, and most of all, the happiness of our customers,” said a former co-worker of the Indulgence Beauty and More Salon and Spa. Specializing in hair, nails, makeup, and facials, Talamantez looks forward to a future of continuing to make people feel beautiful and welcome right when they step through her salon doors. When asked what she would say to someone who was interested in working in cosmetology and maybe owning his or her own business one day, Talamantez said, “Go for it. Keep on trying, and never give up. Knowing you tried 110 percent is a thousand times better than never trying at all.”
Find the perfect prom dress Between buying the dress and shoes, then getting make-up and hair done, prom can become a very expensive event. Most girls want that twice-in-a-lifetime night to be as special as possible, especially for senior year. So what does one do when she needs to find an amazing prom dress, but doesn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars? Many girls know recent high school graduates or ladies who still have their dresses or their daughters’ dresses. These friends might be willing to give, borrow out, or sell their old dresses for a reasonable price. Ask these friends if they are willing for their dresses to be tried on, the perfect dress just might be found. Another great place to look for a prom dress is at a second-hand store. Surprisingly, many second hand/thrift stores have many
Raging with The Rage by Lake Ashley
More bang for your buck by Emily O’Rear
OWNER MICHELLE TALAMANTEZ beautifies a client in her salon Sat. Feb. 18. (photo by Kimmi Hanners)
beautiful dresses that other girls have previously worn. Many of the high-end thrift stores will sell the exact same name brand dresses that the designer stores sell for a huge discount. Finally, if all else fails, shopping online is an option. Many designer stores will have dresses that are exactly the same online as they are in the store, but they will be reduced in price. The only downfall to shopping online is that once the dress is purchased it can often not be returned. Another negative to shopping online is the dress cannot be tried on for size or looks. Prom can be a fun and exciting part of life, so don’t spend the weeks prior to prom stressing over finding the perfect dress and how much it will cost. Use some of these tips to find the perfect dress for a possibly perfect night.
Have a happy and safe prom!
behind,’” said Miner. Facebook accounts for approximately 70% of her business. Miner has been doing very well in 2012. She even made four sales in the time span while being interviewed for this article. The Rage’s best sellers are the brands Ya Las Angeles and Karlie. Some of the other brands sold there are Toms, Sanuks, Reef, and Miss Me, along with certain accessories, such as bracelets and sunglasses. Freshman Carissa Gordon said, “My favorite thing there is the Toms, there’s so many of them!” Junior Holly Lewis said, “I love going there because the clothes are great, and Josh Marshall makes my day.” If a young woman is looking for what’s hot, she should try The Rage. Every girl is bound to find something great!
In April of 2010, Laci Miner of Mena, AR, opened her store on 818 Mena Street called “The Rage.” After growing up in Mena, Miner took notice of the lack of junior contemporary clothing stores and decided to open her own business. Miner started selling mainly Miss Me jeans, and then grew to expand her sales options. Business was great in 2010, but got even bigger in 2011 when Miner introduced Facebook to her business. This almost tripled her sales. “You have to be very proactive in this business. I kind of follow that quote that says, ‘If you don’t get ahead with technology, then you’re getting
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Mena, AR 71953
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The Bear Facts - Sports
Page 6
March 2012
Bearcats and Ladycats take to the field by Hana Hunter
Traveling to Dierks Feb. 27 for the first game of the 2012 season, the Mena Ladycats were victorious with a score of 7-3. Both Tiffany Sides and Ariel Hartin pitched within the varsity game. Senior Alyssa McCleskey and freshman Bailey Bunch hit home runs for the Ladycats, leaving the Lady Outlaws intimidated. Showing his anticipation, Coach Ray Hunter stated “I’m ready for the rest of the season to get here, and for you guys to not only go out there and continue winning, but improving along the way.” Arkadelphia hosted the Bearcats Feb. 27 for their first game as well, in which the Badgers defeated Mena 25-0. It was a hard loss for the Bearcats, but players have confidence in their ability to improve. The Ladycats hosted Waldron Feb. 28 for their second victory, with a final score of
7-6. Mena left the Bulldogs intimidated for their next match up later on in the season. “The Ladycats are doing amazing this year and I’m proud to be a supporting fan,” Kim Erickson stated. Ashdown hosted their annual softball tournament Mar. 1-3, in which the Ladycats played three games overall. Mena was defeated by Ashdown in the first game, 102. The Ladycats showed their true colors by pulling a victory the next day against Foreman, with a score of 4-1. DeQueen defeated Mena 4-3 in an extremely close game, in which fans from almost every other team gathered to watch. Although the Ladycats didn’t place, coaches used this tournament as an oppurtunity to try new players at new positions, analyzing all their playing options. Both the Bearcat Baseball and Ladycat Softball teams anticipate more victories as they advance further into the season.
MENA BEARCAT BASEBALL player Kelly Joe Miller, runs for home after a team member sends the ball into the outfield. (photo by Emily O’Rear)
Mena bowlers take state runner-up title by Hana Hunter
COACH KARLENE HOOKER takes pride in Mena’s state runner-up trophy along with bowlers after competing in Cabot Feb. 17. (photo provided by Karlene Hooker)
817 Mena St. Mena, AR 71953 Phone 479-394-3694 Fax 479-394-3695 stewmans@sbcglobal.net
Shawna Ritchie Designer/Owner
It’s What We Do!
Stewman’s Flowers
In the Jan/Feb 2012 edition of The Bear Facts, the Mena-Dover basketball score was reported 48-34, Pirates. The actual score was 48-34, Mena.
After many after-school practices and weekend-scheduled tournaments, a select number of bowlers were given the chance to participate in the regional tournament in Hot Springs, as a result of their bowling talent. Team members Kori Cain, Justin Castor, Senia Garcia, Lucas Head, Holly Lewis, Ryan Lowery, Hannah Milne, Jordan Reuter, Nathan Rhodes, Mark Roberts, Kate Self, and R.C. Sims represented Mena High School Feb. 10 at Hot Springs. Placing first in the boys’ division, Castor achieved the highest overall score of 720. Self placed 26th with the highest overall girl’s score of 410. Of the three teams competing, Mena placed second with an overall team score of 4024 in comparison to
Siloam Springs’ score of 4060 and Vilonia’s 4002. The state tournament, held Feb. 17 in Cabot, turned out to be a success with Mena walking away with the state runner-up trophy. Castor once again proved himself by placing first with an overall score of 681 and receiving gold as well as the all-state title. Placing seventh, Sims bowled a total of 582 for Mena. Roberts tied for 13th place with 556. Coach Karlene Hooker, who assisted and trained the team along the way, takes pride in her 2011-12 bowling team as well as her shimmering new trophies. “State was actually really fun, and I got a lot of experience out of the whole thing. I’m happy with the overall results of our team, and I’m proud I was a part of it,” Self explained.
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March 2012
The Bear Facts - Entertainment
Page 7
The game franchise best-seller is back by Viet Nguyen
Just like the other versions of CoD, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 once again became a favorite of this year. With new battle modes for gamers to practice and play, the graphics have been updated since the lastest version of the game, and it’s now one of the games you must have on your game shelf. The campaign picks up where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 left off. Captain Price with the support of his teammate Soap, the whole Delta force and Task force stand up against the villian Makarov. The game sets up a scene for World War III giving gamers a chance to take up arms in conflicts that consume entire cities. From New York City to London to Paris, nowhere in Western civilization is safe, and the destruction that has been visited on these iconic locations is visually stunning. One example is the destruction of the Eiffel tower in Paris. The impressive scenery makes the action more impactful, and the campaign brings you around different battefields within each city letting one experience the battle from different angles. If the five-hour campaign doesn’t satisfy the thirst for AI blood, then the Special Ops mode certainly will. This time, Special Ops offers you 16 bonus missions that take place in each event of the campaign, letting you experience the game from both the sides - heroes and the villians. The training mode requests players to take down different kinds of enemies, teaming up with friends to save the resistance army, or making a run into the enemie’s camp to steal information. Even though the longest missions can be completed in under 10 minutes, the variable difficulty levels help Spec Ops missions provide hours worth of challenging combat.
Coming back from the debut in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Special Ops also brings in the new Survival Mode, which offers even more opportunity for cooperative or solo slaughter, requesting players to survive through the different wave of AI soldiers in 16 maps provided and each wave has their own difficulty. One can either camp in one spot to wait for the enemies or run around to lure them to one place for the better opportunity to pass the level. In each game, guns and equipment are also provided that unlock when you level up your soldiers. Grenade, flashbang, sentry guns and air support are required to gear-up the soldier. In multiplayer mode, the 16 maps provide an excellent array of arenas for the action to play out. Bomb planting, flag grabbing, domination, and straightforward killing form the backbone of most matches, and with the appearance of a newcomer, Kill Confirmed. This mode makes you kill your enemies, but also has you collecting the dogtags that dropped to register your kill and win the match. New weapon upgrades and killstreak also require some tactical shifting, because now to unlock attachments and proficiencies request leveling up weapons individually through use. New killstreak rewards have been added like the remote recon drone or the ground-based booby trap. The Assault Strike package still works in the familiar way, testing players for killing enemies in a single life to earn supporting, but the Support Strike package gives them a streak that spans multiple respawns so they don’t have to worry about losing it after being killed, and the Specialist strike package gives extra perks to make the soldier become perfect on the battlefield. Although it still has some errors reported by gamers during gameplay, so far the game has done a great job satisfying gamers all over the world.
A grisly tattoo you surely will not regret by Taylor Betz
David Fincher’s adaptation of the world-wide renowned novel is one of his grittiest movies and this comes from the guy who made Se7en and Zodiac. One is curious to how a director could manage to make his third film about a hunt for a serial-killer and keep it fresh. Despite what the opening title sequence and a few particularly nasty scenes suggest, Fincher is playing this one less stylish and more subtle. It’s somewhat hard to bring in the books’ loud themes concerning sexuality and empowerment without making them the center piece of the film, but Fincher is talented enough to make it work. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s biggest flaw is that it extends about 20 minutes beyond its climax and one is led to believe this is the product of making it just too faithful to its source material. Psychologically-distraught hacker Lisbeth Salander teams up with disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist to track down a decades-old serial killer. There is a lot of political intrigue laced throughout; it’s actually overly ambitious, and in, the past Fincher directed a 3-hour film about the entire life of a man aging backwards. This is a problem with adaptations lately; no one seems to understand that you’re allowed to cut things to make it better. Not to say
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this is bad; it’s actually quite good. The aforementioned subtlety Fincher applies here allows for the building of tension to come at ease making the more disturbing moments stand out with a haunting effect. This certainly isn’t for the light-hearted. Current James Bond, Daniel Craig takes on a nice transformation as Mikael where he tones his physique down to appear more normal; it’s an effect that one would think would be silly but his performance is great enough to make it work. Though the real star here is Rooney Mara who undergoes a drastic change. Lisbeth sports a punk’s fantasy wardrobe and retains such a quiet yet explosive personality as to make her nearly uncomfortable as a protagonist. This alludes to the entire film: it’s certainly dressed to impress but once you become accustomed to the flashy visuals, you’re left with an eerie silence. This of course is aided by the ghostly score from previous Fincher-collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Their work here is as essential as the death-stare Mara often projects. For all that wonderful atmosphere, Fincher ultimately drags out his marvelous movie that could’ve been fixed by a few creative cuts to the plot. In the end, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the best films of 2011, but sadly it’s a few edits away from being a masterpiece.
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Page 8
The Bear Facts - Entertainment
March 2012
The Devil Inside lacks something wicked by Taylor Betz
The found footage genre has escalated severely within the last decade, and when trying to pin-point the exact film that birthed the popularity of such a gimmicky-type of film, one would commonly state 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, but you could find an even earlier one in Cannibal Holocaust from 1980. Both films play heavily on their attempts to convince the audience that the events unfolding actually occurred, the former being a “less is more” attitude that effectively creates true thrills while the latter is so overly grotesque and appalling that one could become genuinely sick after watching it. What makes those films more special is the fact that found footage films weren’t popular at the time and thus were more likely to be believed as real. Today, you’ve got your found footage monsters (Cloverfield & The Troll Hunter), your found footage comedies (The Virginity Hit & Project X) and even zombies (George Romero’s Diary of the Dead). Exorcisms aren’t even fresh game as we already have 2010’s The Last Exorcism to gawk at. The point being that we live in an age where found footage films are becoming increasingly common, so The Devil Inside can’t just roll on how decent a job it does at convincing us it occurred. There has to be something there to impress, and it is as empty a horror film as one has ever seen. Opening up on a police investigation concerning a slaughter, we’re instantly dropped into the world where religious ambiguity mixes with unnatural violence. It’s an effective introduction really; there are no expected spooks to ruin it: just chills being called upon as we see the aftermath to something nasty. Unfortunately this is the point where the film decides to stop trying to be subtle and lunge itself into full the power of Christ compels you territory. The aforementioned set of murders was committed by a woman who 20 years ealier was undergoing an exorcism, now we see her daughter Isabella trying to discover what occurred whilst making a documentary. In order to respect the film’s attempt at being true, I won’t acknowledge how dull a performance Fernanda Andrade delivers as Isabella but rather how boring a person Isabella is. One would think that investigating into the nature of exorcisms would cause one to be more excitable but Isabella often stands there, unaffected by what is occurring or sometimes she’ll develop strange mood-swings and act like it’s the end of the world. In particular scenes where she visits her mother, who is being housed in Rome, she shows about as much emotional catharsis as one eating a bowl of cereal he or she has desired for about twenty minutes. It’s a shame, because the supporting cast, I mean ‘all the other people’ featured in this documentary seem to actually have an interest in what is going on.
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Recalling the radically different, though equally important mockumentary movies mentioned earlier as the proposed kick-starters of the genre, it is ultimately The Blair Witch Project this film wishes to replicate. It really tries holding off all its more visual scares and out there moments until the last act, which is entirely respectable but there is nothing (aside from the great opener) before to put us on the edge of our seats and even its ending is like a deflated balloon: a hollow snore of something that would have been real fun. Partially it is Fernanda’s fault for making Isabella one of the flattest characters to be found and mostly it is director William Brent Bell’s fault for thinking he could actually pull this off. The material itself just isn’t strong, and the dynamic during the exorcism scenes themselves is non-existent due to the cartoony way the possessed people present themselves. The climax ultimately spirals out of control and ends with one of the largest teases ever given to an audience, one that leaves the viewer betrayed in some ways. That is what makes this a truly bad film: it thinks it is good. The Devil Inside truly believes it is sharp and bold enough to lead on the viewer, as if we genuinely appreciate the fact that we were left hanging. A more common way to describe such an ending is open-ended, but that would imply one would actually have been engaged enough throughout the film to want to dedicate the time dwelling on exactly what occurred. That would imply the movie is good. This is, in the end, a film that had one or two good ideas but because of a directionless creative force, it was left to abuse the genre it resides in, eventually abusing the audience’s sense of intelligence.
Beka Cooper earns its dog tag by Kaitlyn Schoeppey
What happens when police work and magic collide? In this case the collision creates an amazing book trilogy. Tamora Pierce created her masterpiece, the Beka Cooper series, about a girl who has always wanted to be a dog (policeman) in a world in which the entire concept of people trying to keep the peace hasn’t been around very long. As such, dogs figure out their jobs as they go along. How many crimes should be ignored if people are willing to bribe their way out of them? For which crimes should bribes be allowed? What should be done about petty criminals who aren’t going to last long anyway? Luckily, Beka Cooper has the two best dogs of the lower city to help her learn how best to enforce the rules on the lawless streets.
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Perhaps the best part of the trilogy is how quickly readers become engrossed in it. Pierce manages to create a whole fantasy realm without boring readers with pointless details. At the same time, enough information is provided about the kingdom that it feels complete and well thought out. Also the characters are interesting, though it is implausible that a straight nose dog would end up friends with people on the other side of the law. The main downside to the trilogy is that it has a bad habit of dragging in the middle of each book. The author is probably trying to make readers understand that a new lead isn’t gained every day, but it can cause the attention to wander. Overall every fantasy reader should read Beka Cooper: Terrier by Tamora Pierce. Non-fantasy readers should also give the series a try. Overall score: 9 out of 10.
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