‘Gray Man’ wowed

By Ty Ruddy Collegian Freelancer

An immensely fun and energetic action flick, “The Gray Man” is a perfect example of one and a half hours of absurdly explosive fun.

“The Gray Man,” based on the Mark Greaney novel of the same name, follows the story of CIA spy Six, played by Ryan Gosling. After a failed mission, the most dangerous men on the planet hunt him for the bounty put up by a former agent turned sociopath, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans). Through it all, he must protect his ex-boss’ niece and remain undercover.

Rhein said that the key to engagement is connecting with the audience.

“As a vocalist, my job is not to hit a specific pitch or to reproduce a studio recording—it’s to make energy,” Rhein said. “The ground has to shake, and our job is to facilitate that. My favorite moment was watching the crowd join in on the ‘shananananana knees’ from ‘Welcome to the Jungle.’”

Junior Avery Miller, president of Phi Mu Alpha and guitarist for James Bulleit and the Dirty Blondes, said he loves seeing the audience having fun dancing to live music.

“The best way to make sure the crowd has fun starts with the band having fun,” for Schizmatics, said since the band formed in March, this was their first Battle of the Bands as a group. Still, Byrne said the energy was on par with their past performances.

Byrne said when choosing a set list, the band puts a lot of care into choosing songs that can feature their horn parts

“John and Owen are a huge part of the feel of our band, so to exclude them would feel wrong, not to mention that they’re two of my best friends,” Byrne said. “We also just play music we love. Billy Joel is one of my greatest musical influences, so to play ‘Tell Her About It’ was really fun for me.”

Listro, guitarist and vocalist for the Schizmatics, said it was motivating to follow

Believing stiff competition is essential for improvement, Schizmatics are looking forward to CHP Showdown in the spring.

“So often when a musician becomes first chair, or wins a competition, he can be tempted to sit back and rest upon his laurels,” Schaefer said. “I am sincerely hoping that some new band will rise up and shock the world at CHP Showdown, because that will make everyone involved better. Schizmatics is certainly looking forward to Showdown, and we are beginning to plan our setlist. This time we have a chip on our shoulders because we got second at Battle, but that just shows that we need to get better.”

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, the visionaries behind “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame,” bring a unique element to the spy/action-thriller genre: self-awareness. The film does its best not to take the absurdity of a worldwide manhunt too seriously. Between a high altitude plane crash and the desolation of Prague, watchers would never suspend their disbelief for long unless the movie blatantly acknowledged its own outlandish qualities. The directors acknowledge the wild premise of the movie and the absurdity of action. They blow up everything. The characters punch for two hours straight. The plot is fastpaced, the location changes constantly, and every set piece is used for action in some way. But the movie works because it recognizes itself as audacious from the beginning. The actors, too, play along perfectly with over-the-top performances to acknowledge the crazy world in which the characters live.

Dazzling visuals and a unique soundmix blends exciting action with gritty plot. Although the situation is tense, showing through the sound and music, the dialogue remains quippy throughout. The demeanor of the characters never waver from giddiness, even in the most ruthless scenes. This quality makes Evans especially enjoyable to watch as he shines playing a brutal, genius, sociopathic ex-spy hot on the tail of a talented, handsome counterpart, Gosling. Throughout, Hansen and Six exchange banter from nations away. But even when the two meet for a weaponized showdown, they ensure that the other acknowledges their marvelous qualities. Witty writing and constant banter create an engaging dynamic between the two. Hansen begins to reveal more of his tendencies – and audiences are inclined to believe and even like him. He was trained to torture as a spy and seems to take delight in it. Evans perfectly portrays a criminal who is far too excited about evil.

Six’s expression almost never changes. Whether he is interacting with a child, the head of the CIA, or his sociopathic nemesis, he is chronically deadpan. Even handcuffed to a bench in the middle of Prague, surrounded by bounty hunters, he manages to remain calm, fight, and live. Where Evan’s entertains with pure emotion, Gosling grounds audiences. He reminds viewers that a story with big stakes is still at play. Gosling and Evans – the former a traditional rom-com star and the latter one of the most iconic American cinema symbols this century – shock and thrive as an action hero and a brutal villain respectively in one of Netflix’s best releases of the year.

Trotting for turkey

By Christina

Looking for a way to burn off some calories before the big Thanksgiving dinner?

Take part in Hillsdale Academy’s Turkey Trot. For over 20 years, students and members of the Hillsdale community have participated in this beloved tradition.

With races for all ages, preschoolers ran 200 meters, grades K-2 ran 600 meters, and grades 3 and up ran a mile. As participants arrived at the academy on the morning of Nov. 12, they checked in, received a number tag and T-shirt, and tried to stay warm despite the freezing temperature.

While participation awards were given to everyone who competed, winners of each race got to take home a turkey to have for Thanksgiving dinner.

Catherine Huffman has served as the parent leader for Hillsdale Academy’s service club for approximately four years. Huffman is in charge of planning and organizing all the events the club puts on. Huffman emphasized the importance of students finding ways to serve their community and fundraise for various non-profits.

Organized by Hillsdale Academy’s Service Club, the organization aims to empower students to pour into their community. Students at the Academy are required to volunteer for at least five hours each semester and help out with fundraising events throughout the school year, Huffman said.

Students are encouraged to get financial supporters for the fundraising events.

“We have to oversee the kids going out and getting sponsors for the Turkey Trot,” Huffman said.

Elizabeth Andaloro, a student at Hillsdale Academy, ran the mile. She described her experience as a member of the Service Club.

“You serve the community, help around the college, help around town, pick up trash,” Andaloro said. “Anything you can do to serve other people.”

The Turkey Trot was the first event of the fall season and was a big success, according to Michael Roberts, headmaster at Hillsdale Academy. Over $5,000 was raised and will be donated to the local homeless shelter, Share the Warmth of Hillsdale County.

Haven Socha, a sophomore at the Academy and a member of the Service Club, came to volunteer at the event.

“I’ve been helping with registration and helping people come in and get their tags and their shirts,” Socha said.

Another member of the Service Club, Jaylen Fisher, was in charge of writing timestamps for all the runner’s entries. She reflected on her time as a Service Club volunteer at this event.

“I love the Turkey Trot. It’s a good event,” Fisher said.