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Student Life
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Tuesday, May 1, 2018
: Thrillers w e i v e r e i v Mo
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Guo Cla ire Lyv ia Guo, Yan
A Quiet Place
In our day-to-day lives, and especially now, in May, we know what’s coming next (more work). That’s why this is the perfect time of the year to watch a few thrillers on the big screen. A good thriller keeps us on our toes, glues our eyes to the screen and sends thrills up our spines that momentarily make us forget about the AP tests, SATs, and final exams ahead. The horror thriller “A Quiet Place,” the political thriller “Chappaquiddick” and the sci-fi thriller “Ready Player One” are now in theatres. Co-Student Life Editor Claire Guo saw them and tells you what to expect:
Courtesy Paramount
Silence is golden: John Krasinski stars in his directorial triumph “A Quiet Place” as a father who will do anything to protect his kids in a post-apocalyptic world. Nine seasons of “The Office” never prepared us for Jim Halpe—sorry, John Krasinski’s directorial triumph in “A Quiet Place.” Sure, we know him for his humor, but forget about that. He sure has. After directing two unsuccessful comedies, Krasinski has somehow offered the public an exemplar of the suspense thriller. In “A Quiet Place,” creatures with hypersensitive hearing have killed most of the human population. To survive, the family
must live life in silence, complete with sign language and paint smears on the wood floors to show where it’s safe to step without creaking. In a storm of horror films about psychos, paranormal activity and teenage madness, “A Quiet Place” stands far, far out. It strikes a note with viewers because it reaches for a purpose beyond that of petrification. At the core of this thriller is family, and a burning question: what would you do for family?
Notably, the audience doesn’t learn the family members’ names until the credits. And that’s a good thing. Regardless of what Krasinski intended, that anonymity strengthens the audience’s relationship with the characters. He and real-life wife Emily Blunt are more than the characters—they represent every dad and mom trying to protect their children. In fact, “A Quiet Place” isn’t really about the family at the center of it. To me, it felt like a movie ded-
the scandal surrounding Ted Kennedy, younger brother to JFK. If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of the Chappaquiddick incident, but the movie assumes you have. In short, Ted Kennedy drove a car off a bridge into a pond. He survived, but Mary Jo Kopechne, the young campaign strategist in the passenger seat, did not. “Chappaquiddick” details the political fall-out that followed. More poignantly, it details the decisions, both political and moral, Kennedy then faced.
“Chappaquiddick” has confirmed my long-standing suspicions that I should never consider a future career in politics. While watching, I think I understood for the first time how a politician can find themselves so far removed from the truth. On a more universal level, “Chappaquiddick” explains how a good person can make such stupid decisions. Each stupid decision Kennedy makes— and there are a lot—feels real and relatable, which is the true success of the movie. Only good cinema can make the bizarre history we find on Wikipedia pages feel so human.
Chappaquiddick For most teenagers, “Chappaquiddick” is too slow, too subtle, and inextricably linked to a time long before ours. For history buffs, political junkies, old souls and older persons, it’s a quality film. For Kennedy mystique aficionados, it’s a must-see. “Chappaquiddick” claims to tell “the untold true story” of
Ready Player One
Sometimes we don’t want to live in the real world. Sometimes we’d rather create a different life—in novels, movies, videogames. In fantasies. In Spielberg’s newest hit, virtual reality is advanced enough to make people’s fantasies feel like, well, reality. Have you ever wanted to hang out with Batman? Or look like a “League of Legends” character? Well, you can in the Oasis, a VR program creicated to families everywhere. ated by 2045’s Steve Jobs It reminded me to appreciate equivalent James Halliday. my own parents, who I have When Halliday dies no doubt would have done the and leaves the top compasame for me and my brother in ny in the world to whoever such a world. can find his “Easter Egg”, Yet despite its strengths, the audience will watch Courtesy Warner Bros. know that “A Quiet Place” does dirt-poor teenager Wade not live up to the hype. With a Watts and friends turn a Escape from reality: Director Steven 95% rating on Rotten Toma- personal quest into a pop- Spielberg brings his most relevant film yet toes and gold stars everywhere ulist revolution against the to the screen with “Ready Player One,” a I turned, I expected “A Qui- evil second-best company sci-fi thriller enhanced with breathtaking et Place” to blow my mind. It in the world. didn’t. Instead, it was almost exeggs are slightly distracting, it’s The visual effects in actly what I expected. Do your- “Ready Player One” will be the impossible to mind when you’re self a favor and avoid the trailers best you’ve ever seen. While the so delighted with your own oband advertising. Watching a sin- mechanics of Oasis aren’t per- session’s 0.5 seconds of screengle trailer makes almost every fectly logical, that’s easy to ignore time. key point of the movie predict- when the world Spielberg dangles Where Spielberg drops the able, and it’s predictable enough in front of us is so enticing. The ball is in character development. already. You’ll know when the entire movie is one tricked-out Unlike in “Chappaquiddick” jump-scares are coming; the fanboy fantasy on steroids. What and “A Quiet Place,” I don’t care movie relies on you knowing. about the characters because they kind of fanboy, you ask? That’s why “A Quiet Place” is don’t feel real. They don’t develAll of them. really much more of a thriller “Ready Player One” is so op values and beliefs so much than a horror movie—anxiety crammed with pop culture refer- as have the opportunity to show plays a much larger role in this ences, I’m pretty sure it’s impos- pre-existing ones. And (spoiler film than fear. sible for any one person to find alert) when Wade finally meets So slouch down progressive- all of them. “The Breakfast Club” his Oasis crush in the real world, ly further in your seat, curse makes more than one appear- who’s scared he’ll be disappointoccasionally to relieve tension, ance, as do superheroes, decade ed in her appearance, she ends munch quietly—very quietly— music, video games and refer- up being just as gorgeous as her on your popcorn, and thank ences to Spielberg’s own movies. virtual reality counterpart. RealGod you’re not there with them. Though the everlasting Easter ly, Spielberg? She thinks she’s not gorgeous because of a birthmark? We actually not gorgeous people are groaning in our seats (spoiler over). Yet again, it’s easy for viewers to ignore “Ready Player One’s” mistakes. The real joy lies not in the characters, but in the sense of adventure. Somehow Spielberg has created yet another new world, one arguably more ambitious than any he’s previously pursued. The gray-haired director has directed over 60 movies and now has over 70 years of age on him. With “Ready Player One,” Spielberg shows he won’t be left behind. His vision clearly Courtesy Entertainment Studios changes with the times, and here to prove it is one of his most relePlaying politics: Leading man Jason Clarke makes Ted Kennedy—and vant films to date. all his terrible decisions—feel real and relatable in “Chappaquiddick.”
Writing on the wall: Pen quirks grow in popularity Justin Huang
Co-Student Life Editor
Opening one of his cabinets, Social Studies teacher John Koenig examines one of his $50 fountain pens and shamelessly admits to his “pen problem.” Koenig’s not alone. Since writing plays a big part in school life, a handful of students and faculty have moved past the wooden Ticonderoga and cheap 50-pack pens, choosing more expensive and solidly-built utensils instead. Fountain pens, for example, have a special nib and internal mechanism that feeds in the user’s choice of ink, while metal-body pencils have greater weight and special features, like a retractable tip, depending on the pencil. Instead of treating pencils and pens as mere scholastic tools, they respect and play around with them more. “In the last four years, it seems as though an interest in pens and paper and stationery has exploded,” Koenig said. “I think that’s a response to technology, and the cold, impersonal nature of the laptop keyboard, which I use all the time.” Koenig’s interest started three years ago from his father’s passion for fountain pens. We “went to the Philadelphia Pen Show, which is an annual event held in January,” Koenig said. “My primary interest was to see what this was all about, because (my father) was so in-
terested in it. I was amazed at how much passion people have for pens and writing and stationery. It was almost like a father taking a son to a baseball game, exposing all the intricacies and the wonders of being a baseball fan.” Koenig regularly handwrites to give student feedback and create ideas, like lesson plans, and using different fountain pens allows him to capitalize on the relationship between tool and user. The way each stroke of the pen looks can influence the way he treats his thoughts. “With the variety of options that you can find if you’re a pen addict, it makes it all the more enjoyable to recognize the different ways that a person can write based on the tool they’re using, and how the tool affects the way a person writes and thinks through an idea,” Koenig said. Before Koenig started exNeil Goldenthal/The SPOKE ploring fountain pens, senior Take note: Social studies teacher John Koenig holds up one of his many fountain pens. Koenig’s interest in fountain pens started three years ago, Kyle Kennedy jumped in during when he went to his first pen show with his father. the beginning of his freshman year. As a former student of write with.” Like Koenig and Kennedy, a (metal-body) pencil, and said, Zhang said. “They have a nice Koenig’s, he helped give advice Although the use of foun- junior Jojo Zhang enjoys writ- ‘This is the kind of pencil that weight to them, and they feel and bantered about their bene- tain pens can sometimes seem ing with fountain pens, but you should be getting from now like a premium pencil that is fits. daunting with some of their also appreciates special pencils. on.’ I guess that clicked ever valuable.” “They’re more customizable, high price tags, Kennedy as- Similar to Koenig, Zhang had since,” Zhang said. The world of writing utenbecause you can use any variety sures that there’s something for another family member introAlthough they’re sometimes sils only exists because of the of inks in them. One pen you everyone and recommends giv- duce a larger world of writing, harder to find, Zhang prefers amount of writing that students could use for countless years ing them a try. but with pencils instead of pens. heavier metal-body pencils as and teachers have to do every without mistakes,” Kennedy “There was this one time her instrument of choice, given day. “You don’t have to get the said. “Some of the nice ones es- $100 ones. There are cheap- that I bought this really nice how nice the extra weight feels “If you spend a lot of time pecially flow very nicely across er great ones — Pilot Varsity plastic pencil, and my sister in the hand. walking or standing or running, the paper. You don’t need to put is $3. They’re nice to have, and just laughed at me and said, ‘I’ll “I usually use metal-body you probably pay attention to any pressure when you write. they’re fun to write with,” Ken- show you an actual nice pencil.’ pencils, so a Rotring or a Pen- your shoes, and you should get It’s easier and more enjoyable to nedy said. She went online and bought me tel Kerry is what I usually have,” a pair of shoes that you’re ex-