Volume 91, Issue 10, 2021

Art Show Page 4

Amarillo College's News Source Since 1930 acranger.com

Volume 91, Issue 10

April 15, 2021

Spring graduation ceremony planned

By ALYSSA FANT Online Editor

DAVE CLAYTON | The Ranger

Registration for Fall 2021 VFX classes is now open. Classes will be taught online by VFX professionals.

Visual effects create magic

By ALYSSA FANT Online Editor

The dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park,” the school-aged wizards flying on broomsticks in “Harry Potter” or a spaceship battle in “Star Wars” all require one thing: VFX. VFX, or visual effects, is an image created, altered or enhanced for a film or other motion picture that cannot be accomplished during live-action shooting. It is a critical aspect of the movie and television-making process. Almost every movie and TV show uses VFX in some way.

Whenever a film’s script calls for something that is not real (say, a dragon) or that might put someone in danger (a large explosion) the VFX department is called to create these things after the film is shot. VFX can also just be used to polish up a shot to make it look better when the original just isn’t good enough.

This spring, David Shapiro, the owner of Semkhor Productions, a VFX production company, and Amarillo College partnered to offer an online continuing education class on visual effects. AC mass media students were eligible to receive a scholarship to attend at no cost.

Shapiro said he was eager to share his knowledge of the industry with AC students. “The visual effects industry has a long tradition of producing amazing and engaging visuals that parallel and enhance the history and production of film and television,” he said.

Lance Hooper, a student in the class and a mass media major, said, “I want to grow my knowledge in anything film so that I can know where I want my future focus to be.”

Hooper said he wanted to learn what is involved with VFX, and he has not been disappointed. “I am considering adding the digital composite class to my fall roster. I love that my mass

media focus is evolving.”

Dante Rinaldi, a VFX artist and VFX/animation professor at Ringling College of Art & Design, served as lead instructor for these continuing education classes.

Rinaldi said the classes offer a good preview of the online academic VFX classes that AC will be offering beginning in fall of 2021.

“There is so much to the world of visual effects and its ever-evolving landscape, the only constant is that the more you know, the more you realize there is so much more to know,” Rinaldi said.

Rinaldi will also be teaching many of the classes in the new AC VFX program. An experienced industry professional, he has done VFX work in movies such as “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Approaching the Unknown” and games like “Homefront” (PS3).

Israel Galen, a mass media major and student in the VFX class, said he has always been interested in visual effects. “I enjoy watching movies like ‘The Avengers,’” he said.

Galen said he enrolled because wanted to gain a better understanding of how visual effects are used and what is done to make a great movie. “I enjoy making art and photos look realistic in different ways using composition.”

Registration is now open for the fall VFX classes at Amarillo College. A one-year certificate and a two-year associate of applied science degree will be offered.

Shapiro said AC will be the first college or university to offer this type of VFX training. “It goes beyond providing training on the technical side of visual effects, to also offer VFX coursework that teaches diverse members of the production team - from screenwriter to director to producer - how to plan for and integrate VFX into their work,” he said.

For more information, see https://www.actx.edu/vfx/index.php.

AC returning to normalcy

By SUMMER TESSNEER and CAYLEE HANNA Staff Reporter and Editor-in-Chief

At this point in the pandemic, a new normal has established itself. Most people don’t have to remind themselves to grab a mask before driving to class.

However, many wonder if things will ever go back to the way they were.

According to Frank Sobey, the associate vice president of academic affairs, Amarillo College is preparing for a change – a change back to normal.

“We plan to be back on campus this fall with full room capacity, no masks required and no social distancing,” Sobey said.

“However, this plan could change based on our hospitalization rate and the number of active cases in our area.”

During the most recent AC Town Hall Update, AC President, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart said that returning to normal means not discussing COVID-19

and making plans around the pandemic.

“We’re going to start moving to a post COVID college,” Lowery-Hart said.

“We’re going to start normalizing our relationship with each other. I think it’s time for us to stop reflecting the political divides around our health and come back together and loving and supporting each other. And to me that just means that we don’t need to talk about COVID anymore unless our hospitalization rates increase.”

At Amarillo’s current condition, reopening campus has become a feasible option.

“I hope that we will be able to return in full this fall and remain so through the rest of the academic year. If that occurs, then it will mean that our community is doing well,” Sobey said.

Lowery-Hart also said that he is excited to return to normalcy during the update.

“We’re starting to dip our toe in re-emerging in a full sense,” he said.

“We’re having some pending events, an outdoor face-to-face graduation and we’re looking to have a more robust traditional fall experience. We’ll be bringing people on campus this summer for orientations and various activities.”

Students said they are optimistic about the possibility of campus returning to normal.

“I would be happy,” Tyler Wilburn, a general studies major, said. “I miss the inperson interaction. I feel that doing class online doesn’t quite match the learning environment a classroom provides.”

AC faculty are also ready to get back into a classroom setting.

“I am excited to get to meet with students in my class in person,” Beth Rodriguez, the program coordinator for the psychology department, said. “I feel that psychology is a topic that deserves discussion and it is more difficult to have this type of discussion over the computer.”

After two long years of taking classes at Amarillo College, several students are prepared to graduate at the end of the semester.

Kevin Ball, the vice president of communications and marketing, said, “the graduation will be held on May 14 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Hodgetown.

Each graduate will receive nine tickets for guests.”

At 3 p.m., graduates from the Health Services, Industry and Public Services majors will be graduating, then at 7 p.m., graduates from the Business, CIS, Creative Arts, Education, Liberal Arts, STEM and General Studies majors will graduate.

Graduates have received an email stating which time they should arrive at Hodgetown stadium and have been given a link to register. Graduates will not be allowed to switch the time they will be graduating.

Caps and gowns are available at the AC bookstore. Students must bring a copy of the email in order to purchase one.

Invitations and class rings will be available to purchase at Jostens.com.

Students should ask their adviser if they aren’t sure whether or not they are graduating or have any questions about graduation requirements. The last information graduates will need will be emailed to them on May 1.

“I’m really excited to get an in-person graduation,” Caylee Hanna, a mass media major, said.

Hanna was nervous that they weren’t going to be able to have graduation inperson. She is happy that she will be able to celebrate her accomplishments with her family and peers.

“I’m really glad that I’ll actually be able to do this.”

Jessika Fulton, a mass media major, said that she is excited to have a some-what normal graduation.

“I personally am super excited to have some sort of normalcy and getting to walk with my fellow grads,” she said.

April 15, 2021

HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOUR MENTAL HEALTH? RUBEN FLORES General Studies “Everything's so slowed down now.

There’s not much interaction, there’s no family events either. It’s been depressing but I guess it’s more time to work on myself. For me, it’s getting better as things are slowly opening back up.”

RAYVEN HOUSTON Business Administration “It’s been stressful for me because we had to transition to online and I’m more of an in-person student. It’s changed me and the world. Not being able to work adds to the stress of bills and classes. It’s been a lot to handle.”

ALEC MCCLENDON Graphic Design

“The pandemic hasn’t had the slightest impact on my mental health.

It didn’t affect my life drastically because I still could go out and be active. I think keeping myself busy helped a lot.”

Vaccine expectations aaap

OPINION

By JESSIKA FULTON Page Editor

COVID-19 has been a burden, causing us to miss events, spending time with loved ones, and we have been stuck taking 95 percent of our classes online.

There is a solution that can make our problems less troublesome, the COVID-19 vaccine. As soon as I could, I received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the pop-up clinic in the Carter Fitness Center.

In the clinic, there are rows upon rows of chairs and a clipboard filled with lengthy paperwork. The needle seems like it’s never-ending as it penetrates your muscle.

The staff made it easier by walking you through the process of what you’re receiving as well as what to expect.

With the first shot, I experienced minor dizziness, body aches, low-grade fevers, and headaches.

My second shot is what threw me for a loop. The first day was fine, my arm hurt a little bit but 24 hours later, I had developed a rock-hard kiwi-sized welt that was a reddish-purple and became painfully itchy.

Editor-in-Chief Caylee Hanna

Design Manager Shawn McCrea

Page Editors

Cailey Dinga, Ruth Lerma, Jessika Fulton, Dave Clayton

Online Editor Alyssa Fant

It also came with severe body pains, headaches, lowgrade fevers and I became very faint. I was on multiple doses of Benadryl and ibuprofen for five days before the swelling and itching started to subside. Eight days after my second injection, I still have a slight welt, but the body aches and abnormal burning sensations have vanished.

I highly recommend for anyone if you can, plan to take off a day or two when you get the vaccine. Drink plenty of water and take a Tylenol a few hours after the vaccine. The best part about this whole situation is how much relief I felt after.

To me the suffering was nothing because in the end it was all worth it. I didn’t receive the injections for myself but for the protection of my family. As someone who has lost a close family member to the horrendous virus, I wanted to do my part in helping stop the spread of the virus. By getting your COVID-19 vaccine, you could help too. For more information on what the vaccine is or where to get it, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines.

Reviewer

Sidney West

Columnists

Ruth Lerma, Jessika Fulton

Graphic Designers

Dave Clayton, Shawn McCrea, Sidney West

Photographers

Jessika Fulton, Shawn McCrea

For a complete staff listing, visit The Ranger online at www.acranger.com Student Media exists to serve you — the students. The Ranger staff urges you to get involved by submitting ideas, photos, videos at therangereditor@gmail.com.

The Ranger is an independent student publication. Material published in the Ranger does not necessarily reflect the views of Amarillo College administrators or employees.

Illustration by DAVE CLAYTON | The Ranger

Mental health pandemic needs treatment EDITORIAL The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the whirlwind that was 2020, affected our society in many ways. We are having to socially distance, wear masks and constantly wash and sanitize our hands. But it has also impacted us in ways that aren’t physical and now there is a new pandemic that our society needs to tackle: The mental health pandemic.

Even though we might not think about the impact of the pandemic on our mental health at the beginning of the pandemic, we have to face it sooner or later and it needs to be sooner. One example of the pandemic affecting our mental health is social distancing, which has put our brains into the mindset of isolating ourselves and emotionally distancing ourselves from those around us. This is something that we need to treat and bring awareness to.

Not only did the pandemic cause society to become distanced, it also caused many people to become burned out.

Some students have little to no motivation to do their schoolwork and some adults have

little motivation to go to work.

We’re all noticing and feeling like this, yet no one is addressing it. It’s almost as if we don’t want to come to terms with how traumatic this experience has been and how much the pandemic has taken a toll on our minds. But it’s something that we need to talk about and treat.

One way that we can treat this mental health pandemic is by going to therapy. Although therapy may seem like it is only for people who have gone through crises, it’s not. Therapy is for everyone.

According to psychreg.org, therapy helps us develop new coping mechanisms, enhances deductive reasoning, provides an opportunity for experimentation, provides meaningful insight into life, helps us explore our minds and provides room for self-development. There are many benefits to going to therapy and we should take advantage of this opportunity because we are all going through this collective crisis.

We, as a staff, have noticed that there is a small amount of counselors at Amarillo College. During this time period,

we think that it would benefit everyone to have more counselors on campus. That way more people can book more appointments and take care of their mental health. This change does not have to be permanent, just temporary in order to help the mental health pandemic now.

We also believe that AC students and employees should receive more free sessions during this pandemic.

Students are only receiving 10 free sessions while employees are only receiving three. Many people have lost their jobs during this time and some may not be able to afford therapy once their free sessions are used.

Although we are all emotionally exhausted from this traumatic experience, we need to keep pushing forward. The first step is acknowledging the mental health pandemic and then we can all band together to figure out a cure. In the meantime, the CDC has information on coping during a pandemic and tips for maintaining good mental health on their website.

Mayor Nelson visit disappoints OPINION

By RUTH MARTINEZ Page Editor

In March, I wrote an opinion column calling for an end to the neglect in the north side of Amarillo. The column received a wide readership and it clearly touched a nerve. One of the readers was Mayor Ginger Nelson, who reached out requesting a meeting about the column.

During our meeting, I was introduced to Freda Powell, city council member place 2, and the mayor. Nelson gave it to me straight, she did not like my column and proceeded to ask me what made me write it as well as if it had to get approved beforehand.

I explained that “The Ranger” is an independent student publication that does not reflect the views of Amarillo College faculty or staff.

Student journalists have First Amendment protection and

do not seek approval from the AC administration when choosing what to publish.

Nelson was interested in getting to know me as a person. She asked about my background, my goals, as well as what I’m pursuing in my education. The meeting was friendly, but I felt on the spot, especially with Powell being at the meeting because I was not aware she would attend.

Everything was formal, but I was tense, which made me feel cornered. I completely forgot to take notes, record the meeting and ask questions. Overall, Nelson was really interested in knowing my feelings and that made me feel heard.

Powell spoke the most, she let me know about all the good things the city is doing for the north side, the projects going on in the Heights, El Barrio, San Jacinto, Eastridge, and Hamlet. Powell also explained that

outdated materials were used to build that area. As the city expanded and moved south, more laws and new technology and materials resulted in what we see today in the south.

I thanked them for giving me constructive criticism as well as letting them know that I appreciated their time for seeing me. I was told that this will not be the last time I meet with Nelson, and I needed to get a group of friends together and give her a tour of all the areas that are being overlooked.

Nelson and Powell pointed out the improvement efforts the city has made and will be making on the north side of town. I was not aware of those efforts, but, I do not believe that it is enough. I do see the complexities of the issue, but I still stand with my previous opinion. I still believe that the north side needs more attention.

April 15, 2021

COURTESY PHOTO

No time for hesitation AC open for registration

By ISAIAH FLORES Staff Reporter

DAVE CLAYTON | The Ranger

The Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University Student and Faculty Exhibition will be open April 9 through May 2 in the Amarillo Museum of Art.

Students display art

By LEXI SMITH Staff Reporter

Student and faculty artwork is on display this month at the Amarillo Museum of Art on Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus. The AC and WT Student/Faculty Exhibition will be held from April 9, 2021, until May 2, 2021. In a news release, Claire Ekas, the AMoA director of marketing and community engagement specialist, said the show is a longstanding tradition.

“Since 1972, Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University visual arts departments have enjoyed this partnership with AMoA. The exhibition showcases the best works from current students and faculty of both institutions. Students learn to prepare work for the exhibition and gain a sense of pride in sharing their work with the community in the professional setting of the museum.”

Students who have their

pieces on display said there are many emotions involved when creating and presenting their artwork.

“My piece was a project for Derek Weathersbee’s typography class at AC,” Dave Clayton, an animation major, said. “The idea was to select at least 20 upper and lowercase letters. The objective starts with thinking in terms of shapes – how they can be curved lines, straight lines, something everyone has a basic idea about and how they can create letters that have a cohesive connection.”

Professors participate by submitting their own artwork and helping students find their own style.

“The AC/WT Student and Faculty Show is an event that is all about contrast,” Derek Weathersbee, an AC graphic design professor, said. “So many varying media types, artistic styles and personalities all in one place in a situation that would seem to be

an unnatural compilation.

In many ways it is. But it’s strange in the same way that we all are; art intersects life, design intersects behavior and on the cycle goes.”

Stephanie Jung, an AC art professor, said there is a bittersweet aspect to this year’s show because they could not hold a reception due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Of course, we are missing having the opening reception, which is a time to really celebrate the work that was made throughout the year, to invite family and friends, and to connect with faculty and students from our sister institution, WT,” she said.

Nevertheless, she said she was glad the show is taking place since last year it was entirely virtual.

“It’s an honor for students to have works selected for this show – all the faculty are watching for potential inclusions through the whole academic year,” Jung said.

Registration is now open at Amarillo College.

Ernesto Olmos, the director of advising, said students can register for summer and fall.

“If students have already met with their adviser and have planned and approved classes in student planning, they just need to log in and complete the registration,” Olmos said. He added that he encourages students who aren’t registered, to meet with their adviser as soon as possible.

“Students think that they have to wait until closer to August to register for fall and that’s not the case. Now’s the time, some classes go fast and so you don’t want to wait until the last minute,” Olmos said.

Olmos also recommended that students “get all their classes planned out and approved for a year or more. This will expedite the registration process when it opens, and you won’t have to meet with your advisor to register as long as you stay on your plan,” he said.

Planning ahead also prevents the frustration students experience when their advisers get busy and they cannot schedule an appointment.

“It would be easier for students if they came in earlier in the semester and meet with their advisor to

get planned and approved for their future semesters, that way when registration opens, students can register themselves with student planning,” Olmos said. “We want to encourage more students to do this so we can help ease their frustration come registration time.”

Olmos said that AC advisers have faced challenges during the pandemic.

COVID-19 has changed the way they operate when doing their jobs, but they’ve learned to adapt to the situation.

“With more students wanting online options, we’ve been able to accommodate by providing virtual advising,” Olmos said. “This has really worked well for distance education students. They can connect with us virtually and not have to make the trip to campus.”

Pamela Valdez, an academic adviser, said she has adjusted to virtual advising. “At first it was difficult; however, it has finally become the norm to see students virtually, and I miss the students and being able to meet in person.”

Valdez advises students to get greenlighted as soon as possible.

“We are busy because students get to us at the last minute. If every student will plan and get greenlighted beforehand, it will be easier for everyone,” she said.

Vaccines distributed to badgers

Campus hosts shot clinic for students, faculty

By RUTH MARTINEZ Page Editor

Amarillo College is making it possible for students and staff to receive COVID-19 vaccines on campus. On March 9 and 10 and April 7 and 8, vaccines were given at the Carter Fitness Center on the Washington Street Campus.

The pop-up clinic coincided with AC President Dr. Russell Lowery Hart’s announcement that if Amarillo hospitalization rates remain low, masks will become optional on campus starting April 26.

“Getting vaccinated is the choice of each individual.

If your health supports you getting it, I hope you will,” Lowery-Hart said.

Walgreens partnered with Amarillo College to distribute the vaccines, with help from the Director of Outreach Services, Cassie Montgomery.

Montgomery discovered that Walgreens was about to have 400 vaccines expire by March 31 and was going to throw out these vaccines by the following Wednesday if they were not used. She sprang into action and set up the clinic

overnight. “It was a miracle to me that this was actually going to happen overnight,” Montgomery said.

All the information about the clinic was sent out to employees at 5 p.m. that same day and on Tuesday morning at 8:15, there were 20 people already lined up to get their vaccine. No vaccines were thrown away.

Before the clock striked 4 p.m., an email was sent out to all students and faculty informing everyone that the vaccines were available to all family and friends in a first come first serve basis.

Osyris Padilla, an education major and Blue Blazer, said she was impressed by the college’s commitment to helping students and staff get vaccinated.

“The vaccine distribution just surpassed my respect for Amarillo College. It was amazing that AC went to the extent to bring the vaccines on our campus for our staff and students,” she said.

There were some employees who decided not to receive the Pfizer vaccine when the opportunity presented itself.

Janel Vargas, a criminal justice major and Badger Central

Bookstore employee, decided not to receive the vaccine. “I will in the future once there is more research and development is done,” she said.

Vaccinations are still available to anyone who qualifies at any Walgreens pharmacy as well as the Civic Center in downtown Amarillo.

Walgreens pharmacy hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Except the Walgreens on Bell Street which is open 24 hours.

April 15, 2021

RAYGAN LOPEZ | The Ranger Photo Illustration by RAYGAN LOPEZ | The Ranger

Key to success: financial planning

By LEXI SMITH

Staff Reporter

Attending college requires a heavy helping of money as well as the ability to manage it.

Learning to budget is a key lesson for many college students.

Taylor Bingham, the Amarillo College career and employment services coordinator, said she advises every student to make a budget.

“Know how much money you need to make sure you can pay yourself first and save some money and pay all your bills and hopefully live as comfortable as you can,” she said.

Bingham said that new graduates should be aware of their salary needs when they begin job hunting.

“Knowing how much money you need in order to then negotiate for a job that can pay that gives grads that edge,” Bingham said.

Some students begin financial planning earlier in life and take the responsibility serious.

“Financial planning is getting together a budget and other financial resources to formulate a plan to implement when purchasing something or setting aside money for a specific purpose,” Kenzie Webb, an education major, said.

Many students start budgeting while still in high school.

“I think people should start managing money as soon as they get a job,” Savannah Garcia, a nursing major, said.

“It will teach you how to manage money for the rest of your life,” Webb agreed about the importance of learning to manage money at a young age.

“Honestly, I think when you get your first job is when you should learn how to budget and manage your money. Set good habits early on,” she said.

Bingham noted that for college students, financial planning is crucial because they often have a limited amount of money to spend because of the lack of time for a full-time job.

TheatreAC students rehearsing for “The House of Mirrors and Hearts,” the upcoming Spring musical.

TheatreAC keeps performing

By ALYSSA FANT Online Editor

Seeking creative solutions to difficult problems is nothing new for the Amarillo College theatre department, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to unusual challenges.

Theatre productions could no longer be held in front of an audience on a stage, so the department turned to technology.

From social distancing onstage to livestreaming, the students and faculty tackled the problem head on.

“This year we’ve had to adapt to the virus and get creative with how we put on shows,” Edgar Camarena, a theatre major, said.

Camarena played the lead role in TheatreAC’s production of “Dracula.”

The show was staged as a live recording of a radio play with actors separated in cubicles speaking to individual cameras instead of to each other. Viewers tuned in online to watch the performance in real time.

Ray Newburg, the theatre program coordinator, had to work through several changes due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“It forced us to figure out how to present live theatre

Businesses take lead

By ALEJANDRA GARCIA Staff Reporter

Amarillo College has started to transition its advisory boards to Business and Leadership Councils.

These councils help create next year’s curriculum.

“They are a group of employers within the business and industry community,” Barbara Wahi, the director for Perkins grants, said. “That is who advise on the contents of the curriculum related to the labor markets demand,” Wahi said.

In the past, AC and the previous advisory boards would only meet once a year, according to Wahi.

She said college officials wanted the change to maximize their level of engagement.

“We are looking at engaging more and more strategically and intentionally with our business

and leadership partners so that we could provide them with the needed workforce that they would want at the end of the day,” Wahi said.

The new name doesn’t mean everything is completely changing.

“We aren’t necessarily changing the business leaders,” Linda Munoz, the dean of technical education, said. “We may have new people in the Business and Leadership Council, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re replacing an entire group of people.”

Munoz said the purpose of this group is to advise the college on all training or certifications needed to prepare the student for work after graduation.

“We’re just making sort of a qualitatively different type of council that more actively supports the needs of our business

and industry partners and where our business and industry partners are more actively engaged with the college to ensure the college is providing what they need,” Munoz, said.

“These BLC’s allow for us to know when an employer or business leader is ready to engage with the college and individuals that can move into internships or apprenticeships,” Munoz said.

“To a student going through the program that means they’re going to be exposed to and get connected with local jobs earlier,” David Hall, the associate dean of technical education, said.

“All the stuff that we’re doing to revise this BLC process is about the business and our students,” Hall said. “Our students come to us to get prepared for a job,” Hall said.

without it being live; a conundrum for both us as instructors/directors and for the students who came here to get live performance experience,” he said.

Monty Downs, an AC theatre professor, said the biggest challenge was moving from stage plays to livestreamed performances.

“COVID has changed how all technical aspects are achieved,” Downs said.

“The set designer has to now think about what is actually going to be seen on the screen rather than fill an entire space for a live audience that looks wherever they want to throughout the performance. The lighting designer has to think about lighting angles much more since the camera is not as sensitive and flexible as the human eyes.”

Downs said they discovered that costumes that look good onstage are not always suitable for close-up presentation on a camera that catches specific and notic details.

“The ‘it’ll look good enough 30 feet from the audience’ approach doesn’t really work anymore,” he said.

The pandemic also changed which productions the department could select since the shows needed to be livestreamed. “We have had

to look for scripts that the publishers will let us present online and find companies to help us get the productions online with all of the security required by the publishers,” Downs said.

Both faculty and staff agreed that, along with the many challenges, the restrictions also created new opportunities. In the play “Dracula” they incorporated live sound effect production that the audience could view on their screens while it’s being produced.

Hitting a sheet of metal to reproduce the sound of thunder replicated the way such effects were done in radio plays in the 1930s and added a creative new twist to all of the shows.

Downs said he sees the benefits of adapting to the issues they have faced during the pandemic. “It has been nice to give our students new challenges and experiences which will only help them down the line,” he said.

Nevertheless, most students said they are eager to put the COVID-19 restrictions behind them.

“While I do enjoy getting to experience new ways of putting on shows, I hope soon we will get to perform in front of a live audience,” Camarena said.

April 15, 2021

‘Synder’s cut’ gives justice to hero league REVIEW

By ISAIAH FLORES Staff Reporter

Due to the pandemic, superhero movies like many others, have been a rare occurrence.

So, it’s a real treat when a new movie comes out, especially one that fans have been waiting for quite some time.

Director Zack Snyder is finally going to show fans his version of the movie “Justice League,” originally out in 2017.

There are many differences between the original film and the recent, with the latter being much darker both literally and figuratively.

The main point of the story remains the same for both, bringing together a team of heroes, to combat an alien invasion.

Unlike the theatrical version, which skipped over character introduction and just raced to each fight scene, the Snyder cut takes the time to focus on each hero individually.

Giving viewers a general summary of who these heroes are and how their different personalities or ideals help create the ultimate superhero team.

The heroes are not the

only ones who go into greater depth., the villains also are given more background.

Allowing the viewer to better understand their motives for world domination.

The villain, Steppenwolf, is someone who tries to prove himself a worthy asset to the even bigger bad guy, Darkseid, who is only seen briefly, but nevertheless radiates danger and power.

Teamwork plays a big part in this movie. It is heavily stressed throughout the film that the only way to succeed is by working together.

I n the original version, the resurrected Superman saved the day, easily defeating the villain and saving the world from destruction.

This is not the case in the Snyder version.

Which still has Superman helping his new teammates by donning a black suit.

The film also has every hero playing a significant

role that allows them to win the battle.

“Justice League,” does have its share of flaws such as its darker tone of color.

This making it harder for viewers to see the action clearly.

This is a contrast to the original film, which had featured color tones.

It also has a lot of slow-motion scenes that can feel unnecessary and boring for someone who is not patient.

The film itself is four hours long, so viewers should be prepared to

sit for quite some time.

Overall, the Snyder Cut when compared to the original is ver similiar, like when buying the same book, but one has slightly

more in-depth material.

Even though both versions are more or less the same, viewers will be happy to see these superheroes back in action again.

COURTESY PHOTO

A beastly movie worth roaring about REVIEW

By RAGAN LOPEZ Page Editor

I had almost forgotten the boost of serotonin the movie theatre gives as you sit back and enjoy the show.

Already a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and theaters are slowly opening back up.

The smell of popcorn, the walk to your seat and finally

the dimming of the lights.

The newest “Godzilla vs Kong” was the Sci-Fi, action and thriller movie I needed to get out of my house.

The cinema also did a quality job by socially distancing the concession stand and seating arrangements.

The film is filled with jawdropping moments and for me even tear-jerking scenes.

A deaf orphaned child who’s developed an emotional connection with the giant beast, accompanies Kong on his

journey to his true home.

While Kong is on his boat ride back home Godzilla picks up his scent and round one begins.

As Kong’s caretaker and multiple scientists begin their long and dangerous journey the plot thickens and unravels the scientist’s real reason behind wanting Kong home.

Millie Bobby Brown, aka Elleven from “Stranger Things”, stars in the movie as a key role in contributing to the discovery of the new and harmful technology from the headquarters of Apex Cybernetics, a company made to

fight titans such as Godzilla.

As the action movie plays on the soundtrack adds to the intensity of the scenes.

The movie reveals Kong’s ancient and empty home which then conveys why he’s named King Kong as he sits upon his throne.

The enraged Godzilla then blasts a hole directly through the earth leading to round two.

While the fictional

technology company that has a disastrous desire to create and destroy both Kong and Godzilla, the titans enhance the use of their primal instincts to preserve the ancient battle all whilst fighting one-another.

Although humans may not understand the danger of technology, Godzilla vs.

Kong reminds us of why we should be respecting all animal territory.

COURTESY PHOTO

April 15, 2021

By DANIEL PINEDA Staff Reporter

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Illustrations by DAVE CLAYTON | The Ranger