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Best Picture Countdown

to the OSCARS

Kayla MarshA&E Editorkmarsh2@lhup.edu “12 Years a Slave” tells the true historical ac-count of Solomon Northrup, a free black man living in Syracuse New York in 1841. Solomon, played by Chiwe-tel Ejiofor, works as a prominent violinist to support his family. One day, he is offered a job in Washington DC. While there, Solomon is kidnapped, sold into slavery and taken to New Orleans where his identity is stripped away.

Solomon ends up on the plantation of Edwin Epps, played by Michael Fassbender. Epps has the reputation of being the worst slave owner in New Orleans, and rightfully so. He is a raging alcoholic who viciously beats and whips his slaves. Along with his horrid wife, played by Sarah Paulson, they force the slaves to have midnight dance parties for their enjoyment after the

VODYHV�ZRUNHG�IRU�KRXUV�LQ�WKH�FRWWRQ�ÀHOGV�Throughout the movie, Solomon struggles

to hold onto his identity and return to his family in Syracuse. During his harrowing experience, he encounters Patsy, played by Lupita Nyong’o, a tragic young slave girl who is the object

of Epps’ affection. Solomon’s journey is D�GLIÀFXOW�RQH�WR�ZDWFK��EXW�KH�D�QHYHU�

loses faith that he will one day be reunited with his family. The compelling story is reason

enough to see this movie, and the incredible acting is the icing on the cake. Fassbender and Paulson are so realisti-

cally cruel and terrifying, that the anxiety they create makes viewers empathize completely with Solomon.

� 1\RQJ·R��ZKR�PDGH�KHU�ÀOP�GHEXW��LV�deserving of every award that she receives. Her powerful portrayal shows the innocence and devastation of a young girl whose only fault was being too desirable. Ejiofor’s moving performance as Solomon

breaks the hearts of the audience while also giving them an intense

glimpse into the dark reality of our nation’s history. In every scene, Ejiofor shows the determina-

tion and strength that this real life counterpart faced over the 12 years of

enslavement.Overall, this movie deserves the highest

award for its amazing performances and out-standing cast. In our opinion, this is our bet for Best

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6 February 20, 2014Arts & Entertainment

Best Picture Countdown to The Oscars

Gravity 12 Years a SlaveAriel GuerraDesign Manageraguerra2@lhup.edu

I walked into this movie half expect-ing it to be a steaming pile of poop, driven by an overbearing George Clooney with a cameo by a “barely-there” Sandra Bullock. But despite my best efforts to be unimpressed, this movie kept me on my feet.

:LWKLQ�WKH�ÀUVW����PLQ-XWHV�RI�WKH�ÀOP�WKH�DXGLHQFH�is thrown into an alternate reality where the Space Shuttle Program has con-tinued and was never re-tired. The Space Shuttle “Explorer” has been sent on a mission to repair a broken Hubble Telescope.

Here we are introduced to Bullock, playing Ryan Stone, a Doctor of some sort. Despite a questionable past, she has somehow managed to become an astronaut ZLWK�RQO\�VL[�PRQWKV�RI�WUDLQLQJ��$W�ÀUVW��%XOORFN·V�FKDUDFWHU�VHHPHG�nonchalant and just sort of there, but then I realized that this was going WR�EH�PRUH�RI�D�VRUW�RI�´FRPLQJ�RI�DJHµ�ÀOP��GHVSLWH�WKH�IDFW�WKDW�'U��6WRQH�is a middle aged woman.

Clooney’s character, Matt Kowalski, seems to have a heart, despite his playful bantering that makes me feel as though he has a problem keep-ing it in his pants around Dr. Stone.

“Gravity” includes some touching moments that make you scratch your head in a “but they’re in space, how did that even happen” sort of way.

Kowalski, I won’t really get into it but, somehow helps Dr. Stone recover her will to live during an

“AH-HA!” moment that left me hitting myself in the face.

Overall “Gravity” is a movie I wish I had seen in theatres, at times it makes you clutch your seat and at other times you just want to run up to Dr. Stone and punch her in the face. It’s a visu-DOO\�VWXQQLQJ�ÀOP��HYHU\�JOLPSVH�RI�(DUWK�PDNHV�\RX�want to become an astronaut. Then you realize, hell

no, I don’t want to die in the empty void that is space. Seriously, thanks for that one Alfonso Cuaron, you made

me afraid of space. I give it a 3 ½ out of 5.

“Gravity” photos courtesy of digitaltrends.com

“12 Years a Slave” photos courtesy of collider.com6WDWXH�SKRWR�FRXUWHV\�RI�DUHHOYLHZRQ¿OP�¿OHV�ZRUGSUHVV�FRP

Erika White Sports Editorewhite@lhup.edu

6 February 13, 2014Arts & Entertainment

Best Picture Countdown to The Oscars

The Wolf of Wall Street

Lisa ConnerStaff Writerlconner@lhup.edu

Sex, drugs, alcohol, money and position. The setting of “The

Wolf of Wall Street” is a much dif-ferent atmosphere than Leonardo DiCaprio has become known for. Most of us are used to seeing Di-&DSULR�LQ�PRUH�GUDPDWLF�ÀOPV�VXFK�

as “Revolutionary Road”, “Inception”, “Shutter Island” and “The Departed”

just to name a few. I can honestly say that his character

LQ� WKLV�ÀOP� LV� D� FKDUDFWHU� WKDW� ,�KDYH�QHYHU� VHHQ�KLP�SOD\�EHIRUH���Though DiCaprio’s character, Jordan, is a drug addict who has nu-merous relations with prostitutes (while married) and takes advan-tage of good, hard working people to make money, you just can’t help rooting for him.

DiCaprio’s performance in this comedy has caused him to win KLV�ÀUVW�*ROGHQ�*OREH�� �+H�KDV�DOVR�EHHQ�QRPLQDWHG� IRU�KLV��WK�2V-car, an award he hasn’t been nominated for since “Blood Diamond” in 2007. Will this new success change the types of roles and movies that DiCaprio seeks out? Personally, I hope not, but then again his perfor-PDQFH�ZDV�DEVROXWHO\�SKHQRPHQDO�WKLV�YHU\�ULVTXp�ÀOP�

�+RZHYHU��'L&DSULR� LV�QRW�WKH�RQO\�DFWRU�WKDW� LV�EHLQJ�UHFRJ-QL]HG�IRU�KLV�SHUIRUPDQFH�LQ�WKLV�ÀOP���-RQDK�+LOO�KDV�DOVR�EHHQ�QRPL-QDWHG�IRU�KLV�VHFRQG�2VFDU�IRU�WKH�%HVW�3HUIRUPDQFH�E\�DQ�$FWRU�LQ�D�6XSSRUWLQJ�5ROH���+LOO�KDV�EHHQ�LQ�QXPHURXV�FRPHGLHV�EXW�KLV�FKDUDF-WHU�LQ�WKLV�ÀOP�LV�VHW�DSDUW�IURP�DOO�WKH�RWKHUV���:KLOH�,�ZDV�ZDWFKLQJ�WKH�PRYLH�,�DFWXDOO\�IRUJRW�WKDW�-RQDK�+LOO�ZDV�VXSSRVHG�WR�EH�DFWLQJ�LQ�WKH�

PRYLH��KLV�FKDUDFWHU�ZDV�WKDW�FRQYLQFLQJ���+LOO�JUHDWO\�GH-serves this nomination as well.

�7KH�ÀOP�LWVHOI�GLG�QRW�OLYH�XS�WR�these great actors or to the reputation of director Martin Scorsese. “The Wolf of Wall Street” was very raunchy and set the record for using the most “F words” in a movie. There was a lot of unnecessary nudity and the sex scenes were anything but tasteful.

� ,�GRQ·W�EHOLHYH� WKDW� WKLV�ÀOP�should be nominated for the Best

Motion Picture of the Year award, EXW� WKH�DFWRUV��ZKR�GHÀQLWHO\�GH-

serve their recognition and nomina-tions that they are receiving.

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American Hustle

Amanda BurrisGuest Writeraburris@lhup.edu

The 70’s have never looked so good; especially when it involves Christian Bale (even with his beer-gut and his mop of D�FRPE�RYHU���$P\�$GDPV��DQG�%UDGOH\�&RRSHU�WHDPLQJ�WRJHWK-HU�WR�WDNH�GRZQ�D�JURXS�RI�1HZ�-HUVH\�PDÀD�PHPEHUV��,UYLQJ�Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his British mistress, Sydney 3URVVHU��$P\�$GDPV���ZRUN�WRJHWKHU�DV�FRQ�DUWLVWV�ZKR�ODWHU�

on have to make a decision; help the FBI catch a JURXS�RI�VOLP\�SROLWLFLDQV�DQG�PDÀD�PHPEHUV�RU�

go to jail.When they team up with FBI agent

Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), Sydney faces the decision of being in a relationship with Richie or Irving, who is married. Mean-while, they must schmooze their way into the trusting arms of New Jersey’s political ÀJXUH�� &DUPLQH� 3ROLWLR� �-HUHP\� 5HQQHU���Throughout the movie, Carmine Politio is represented as the family friendly, good-na-WXUHG�SROLWLFLDQ�UXQQLQJ�IRU�RIÀFH��3ROLWLR�LV�

thrilled that there is somebody willing to help KLP�UHEXLOG�$WODQWLF�&LW\�LQWR�D�SODFH�WKDW�ZLOO�

bring in money and create jobs. Politio, who’s only real goal is to make the state of New Jersey a

better place for the people living there, soon becomes unknow-LQJO\�FDXJKW�EHWZHHQ�WKH�)%,��FRQ�DUWLVWV��DQG�WKH�PDÀD��$QG�of course, throughout the movie, there is Rosalyn (Jennifer /DZUHQFH��� ,UYLQJ·V� VOLJKWO\� FUD]\�DQG�XQSUHGLFWDEOH�ZLIH��$W�times her antics came close to unraveling the entire plan.

$PHULFDQ�+XVWOH� LV�D�PRYLH� WKDW�KDV�VRPHWKLQJ� LQ� LW�for everybody; action, romance, comedy, and tragedy…you

name it and this movie has it. There will be moments you will be sitting on

the edge of your seat, holding your breath as you wait to see if the group actually

pulls their scam off. There will be moments that you burst out laughing at Rosa-lyn for nagging Irving. This is a movie that is impossible

to predict, but you will have a great time trying to.

6 February 27, 2014Arts & Entertainment

Best Picture Countdown to The Oscars

Lisa ConnerStaff Writerlconner@lhup.edu

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Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas photo courtesy of slate.com

Oscar logo courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Philomena photo courtesy of o.canada.com

PhilomenaKyra Smith-CullenNews Editorksmithcu@lhup.edu

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