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Wonders abound in ‘Wonderland’ REVIEW BY CARLEY MEINERS While walking across tables and laughing maniacally, the brightly colored Mad Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse sip tea with their new friend, Alice. Alice, the newest resident of Wonderland, stares back at them with a confused expression. For a moment, the audience feels as if they too are a part of this perplexing situation. On Nov. 5-8, the theater department put on the play Alice in Wonderland. It is a tale of a young girl who falls into a rabbit hole, which leads her to Wonderland. After landing, the girl encounters odd experiences for the remainder of her stay in Wonderland. While she journeys through forests, stumbles upon unusual characters, and plays croquet with lunatic royalty, Alice navigates through this strange land in order to avoid getting beheaded by the Queen of Hearts. The play began with a video of Alice in the woods taking a nap and then following the White Rabbit to Wonderland. This scene would’ve been a more effective beginning had it been performed live rather than recorded ahead of time. After entering Wonderland, Alice apears on stage and runs into the easily offended Mouse, who recites a poem. The scene seemed to take away from the rest of the play. However, through every scene of the play after the rocky
beginning, humor and wonder intertwine, giving the audience feelings of giddyness and childlike joy. As Alice makes her way through Wonderland she encounters crazy characters that grab the audience’s attention. Characters such as the Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter and Mock Turtle fill the auditorium with laughter because of the play’s well-written script. With intricate lighting and various set changes, the play had a wide variety of visual aspects. During set changes tech students wore white gloves that glowed under a black light to keep the play flowing, which made the usually tedious set changes more entertaining and fun. The backgrounds were well designed with very bright colors, and all the sets fit perfectly with the scene. Detailed costumes kept the eye intrigued from beginning to end. Crazy colors, elaborate make-up and big hair accessories and hats all came together to make the costumes extraordinary. The actual students were almost unrecognizable because their excellent make up and costumes. All in all, the play was well done. The characters were humorous, the costumes were colorful, and the sets were put together nicely. The audience walked out feeling as though they had just had their own experience in Wonderland.
Game release lives up to considerable hype
PHOTO BY NATALIA CHEKHA During a dress rehearsal, seniors Jessica Wilson and Hollis Edwards perform the “House of the Dutchess” scene from the production of Alice in Wonderland on Nov. 4. The play ran Nov. 5 - Nov 8 in the Larry Sigler auditorium.
REVIEW BY JOEY ULFSRUD The first installment of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the biggest selling first-person action game of all time. The sequel, Modern Warfare 2, has been surrounded with hype ever since conception. It does not disappoint. The game begins with a training exercise reminiscent of the original Modern Warfare, but that’s the only similarity. From this point on, the player finds himself in developer Infinity Ward’s famous staged scenes. These scenes pit the protagonist in a stressful situation that highlights key points of the story. The game play is fast paced and the weapons seem to have more stopping power than before. The game also has higher quality graphics and resolution textures. Unfortunately, the story in the campaign
does not meet the bar set by the previous Call of Duty storylines. The campaign is an adrenaline rush the whole way through, but it lacks substance. In other Call of Duty games, the story is told with a mixture of in-game dialogue and briefings in between levels, but in this installment, the story is told almost entirely within the briefing scenes. Yet, Modern Warfare 2 excels in the newly implemented Special Ops mode, and the multiplayer aspect. The multiplayer is very familiar to players of the previous Modern Warfare, and the new special ops mode adds variety to single player and cooperative modes. Modern Warfare 2 is not just for the players looking for an adrenaline rush or a basic shooting game. The plot might be lacking, but the gameplay and new modes make up for the story.
Second album outshines first release REVIEW BY DEVON MILLER Anywhere but Here, the follow up to Tallahassee band Mayday Parade’s first album, A Lesson in Romantics, has already accomplished something the first CD did not. It has cracked the Top 40 Billboard Chart, reaching number 31. Released on Oct. 6, Anywhere but Here, the band’s first major label release, impresses with 11 tracks, each complete with powerful guitar riffs and heartfelt lyrics. There was debate over whether Mayday Parade would be able to fare well without lead vocalist, lyricist, and guitarist Jason Lancaster, who left the band after the release of A Lesson in Romantics in 2007, but the remaining five members seem to be doing just fine judging by the growing fan base that Anywhere but Here has brought them. “The Silence,” the first single off Anywhere but Here, is filled with lyrics that are bound to tear at a listener’s heartNOVEMBER 20, 2009 {the marquee}
strings. Another strong song is “Kids in Love,” a nostalgic ode to young romance. While the lyrics are simplistic, “Closed lips, she was never one to kiss and tell,” they’re extremely relatable and catchy, as are upbeat “Get Up” and the touching love song “The End.” While the overall album is good, Mayday Parade seems to have left behind their signature sound, a mixture of emotional storytelling and potent guitar solos, for a more upbeat, straightforward style of music. Although the change seems to currently be working in the band’s favor, some older fans may be turned off by the absence of the band’s original sound. Despite the change in tune, Anywhere but Here is worth listening to from beginning to end. Listeners will not be disappointed.
Performer lives on REVIEW BY KATE O’ TOOLE
Forget the Michael Jackson you once knew – the suspected pedophile, the man heavily in debt and the plastic surgery addict. This Is It highlights Jackson’s greatest trait: being a performer. The documentary shows not only how agile Jackson was before his death but also how dedicated he was to making his concert amazing. The movie is filmed in HD and features many of Jackson’s hits such as “Man in the Mirror” and “Billie Jean.” Not only is there behind-the-scenes footage of the rehearsals, but the movie also includes commentary by director Kenny Ortega and the singers and dancers involved. Even haters of Jackson’s can understand why this man was loved and worshipped by so many people. When Jackson appears on the screen, at 50 years old, it is amazing how energetic and youthful he seems, dancing and singing in nearly every take. Although tedious at times, This Is It shows how much work and effort went into Jackson’s last tour. It also shows how many people were dedicated to making these concerts magical, most notably the Australian guitarist playing behind Jackson. If the concerts went on, Jackson and company probably would have wowed fans, especially in person as opposed to seeing it in the cinema. It is a shame that Jackson did not have the chance to say goodbye to his fans, but This is It is a very worthy tribute and a heavy reminder of why Jackson was a star in the first place.
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