THE NORTH STAR
FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012
NORTH STAR REVIEWS BEING FLYNN
Zahab Qazi STAFF WRITER Being Flynn, an adaptation of Nick Flynn’s memoir, Another Bulls**t Night in Suck City and directed by Paul Weitz, was released on March 2. Nick Flynn, played by Paul Dano, has never had a father who was present in his life. Jonathan Flynn, played by Robert De Niro, is a con man, corrupt to the root and also a self-proclaimed great American writer. Aside from being estranged from his father, Nick has also lost his mother Jody (Juliana Moore) to suicide. So when Jonathan and Nick meet in a homeless shelter which Jonathan has checked into and where Nick works, fate intervenes. Though Nick wants nothing to do with this man who is his father he realizes that this is fate’s way of showing him a path for both himself and his father. Dano and De Niro are incredibly heartwarming as the Flynn men in this tale of father and son. As the movie toggles with the two men’s stories the audience views both men’s perspectives of their lives. Dano does an impeccable job driving the angst of his character home. Nick Flynn is an aspiring writer who struggles with the ghosts of a family. The mother he loved left him and he never knew a father but Nick finds some peace in a relationship with Denise (Olivia Thirby), his coworker. Dano manipulates his emotions beautifully as a man who struggles with addiction and trying to reconnect with his father. De Niro is also wonderfully adaptive to his grisly role as an alcoholic man with big dreams. Jonathan Flynn, a man who never lived to his potential and who left his family and dreams to seek comfort in a bottle of booze. Throughout the movie the man assures people of his great talent as a writer. Despite his failures there is arrogance and an ego in him. Jonathon Flynn says there have been only three great Amer-
A&E EDITOR
T
he word “meme” may mean nothing to some people but there are others, those who spend most of their time online, who would know exactly what the word means. A meme is a modern day phenomenon where an idea is spread through the Internet from one person to another. Memes can range from picture graphics to videos. The definition of a meme in scientific terms comes from a theory by Richard Dawkins which states that an idea will be thought of by one or more people. When the idea is shared verbally or written it mutates, which is exactly what memes have done: mutated
throughout the Internet. Ranging from the popular “Troll Face” and “Forever Alone” to the new ones that appear every day on social networking sites such as Tumblr and 4Chan. The more popular memes seem to become, the more they seem to appear in places other than the Internet. Sayings such as being “forever alone” and “trolling someone” seem to be rising among many. Being forever alone is derived from the meme which includes a Microsoft Paint drawn cartoon face that is crying. This meme represents loneliness and disappointment in a strangely funny manner. One thing that makes memes so popular is how relatable they are. Everyone at some point has had a moment when they’ve felt alone and therefore been the forever
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“Being passed from generation to generation”
TITANIC 3D
ican writers. Mark Twain, J.D. Salinger and himself. The acting of both Dano and De Niro is matched with a great directorial hand. Weitz finds the balance between the two men and it is this balance in the screenplay that makes the movie different from the many movies dealing with life struggles. The events are unpredictable which is what makes the movie so engaging. Despite the movie
being a tug at t h e heartstrings it really isn’t your typical Friday night movie. If you are looking for an intellectually stimulating movie, this is it. Overall it was a great movie about human emotions and the sometimes ugly entanglements behind them. If you like this also try... About a Boy Meet the Parents The King There Will Be Blood
Zahab Qazi STAFF WRITER On April 4 the worldwide phenomenon Titanic will be rereleased in 3D. The movie, directed by James Cameron of Avatar fame, originally came out almost fifteen years ago on Dec. 19, 1997. The resurrection of the movie is to commemorate the fact that on April 15 it will have been 100 years since the unsinkable ship, the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic, met her unimaginable doom. It seems unthinkable that the RMS Titanic could ever be revitalized yet that is what J a m e s Cameron did in this timeless movie. The ship lost forever has been given a new life along with a new story and insight. Titanic is a lot more than just a movie that keeps its audience enthralled. The haunting message that underlies the movie is much deeper. The phenomenon of Titanic can be contributed to how much of a complete film it is. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet display incredible charisma and energy in their characters and the film to this day continues to give the actors great fame. Every ship needs an able captain to sail and James Cameron proves himself that. Cameron’s eye for detail and
painstaking accuracy in the story all made the experience unforgettable and now this entire process has been meticulously converted to 3D. The thrill in the 3D experience is promised to be even more jaw-dropping. Just the history behind the RMS Titanic is enthralling enough to make it an event that history would never be able to forget. Adding that incredibly powerful history to a love story worthy of Romeo and Juliet is a recipe for a box office hit. When originally released, Titanic broke all previous box office records. The movie now stands as one of the highest grossing movies of all time, achieving a worldwide gross of 1.8 billion dollars. This record remained unchallenged for 12 years until broken by another James Cameron directed movie, Avatar. One of the most memorable aspects of Titanic remains the heart-wrenching theme of “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. After the release of the movie the song became a romance staple. Aside from winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song it became the best-selling single of 1998. Titanic remains one of the greatest romantic tragedies of cinema history and the story behind the film remains one of the most shocking, horrendous and ironic twists history has ever seen: an unsinkable ship that sank and a ship of dreams that took with her the lives of her passengers. The movie Titanic captures these lessons. So it is fitting that 100 years after the tragedy of the RMS Titanic it is paid tribute by a movie that beautifully enfolds the true emotions of the incident. Titanic will rise to the surface once more, redone in all its glory, never to be forgotten. If you like this also try... Inception Pearl Harbor Revolutionary Road Romeo and Juliet
taking over the world one troll at a time Dominique De La Rosa
A&E
alone guy. Instead of moping around about not having a date, we can look at the humor of the situation through memes. Memes also gives a new meaning to the word “troll.” Before, a troll was simply a small being that was said to be found underneath bridges but in 2012 this is certainly no longer the case. Looking up the word “troll” no longer brings you to the mythological creature but to what is now known as the “Internet Troll.” The Internet Troll represents the sinister side of the Internet and its definition is a person who comments on a certain idea or topic with something ironic and off-topic that mostly creates an argument. The “Troll Face” is another Microsoft Paint drawn face that resembles a taunting
smirk, similar to the face made when pranking someone. But where did all this start? Most memes started from “Rage Comics.” Rage Comics and memes as a whole were said to have started on 4Chan, an online imageboard forum site. Rage Comics include a wide variety of characters such as the class nerd who always reminds the teacher you have homework, stereotyped with the name Melvin. They also include familiar faces such as the emotionless face you make when someone catches you in a lie, known as “Poker Face.” Of course the most popular of these faces and characters is the infamous “Rage Guy.” Rage Guy is the side of everyone when they get flooded with anger. Other memes include “LOLcats,”
which uses humorous cat pictures with text in a broken form of English now known as “LOLspeak.” Then there is “Okay Guy,” who represents all the times people say “okay” when really they wish to decline. Okay Guy is the passive aggressive side of the meme world. Each meme has its own personality. Even though memes started on 4Chan’s Internet forums, that is not where they must begin. Anyone with a clever idea or picture can easily start a new one by posting on any social networking site. It’s certainly not guaranteed to become the next Rage Guy but it might just grab a few reblogs on Tumblr. Memes have even been known to turn people into Internet sensations. Memes often come from noticeable lines from popular television shows and video games. This includes the “I took an arrow to the knee” joke from the popular game, Skyrim. The joke was brought about because the line is said repeatedly throughout the action role-playing game. In a generation filled with the Internet, memes are an important part of cultural exchange because of their popularity. Even advertising companies have turned to memes to sell products because of their popularity. Despite their sometimes offensive material, one thing is for sure: Memes are growing just as fast as the Internet.
CULTURE CORNER NANCY VALDOVINOS
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ff the southeastern coast of the Asian mainland there exists a cluster of islands known as the Philippines. The Philippines are the second largest group of islands in the world with over 7,000 individual tropical islands. The capital of the Philippines is Manila and that is where sophomore Shaira Erum was born. Erum lived there until she was six years old and is still waiting to be able to go back. Since she has not been able to travel to the Philippines just yet her relatives typically visit her and her family in the US instead. These visits are certainly anything but ordinary for Erum. “They’re usually loud and crave a lot of rice and want to do a lot of sightseeing. They also like taking a lot of pictures,” she said. For Erum’s relatives, certain aspects of the US seem very different. In the Philippines, the streets are narrow and the houses are very close together. There are always children running around on the streets and the traffic is supposedly worse than in Los Angeles as there are no freeways, only highways. “On the streets there are a lot of food vendors but [sometimes a] lot of thieves too,” said Erum. “It’s best to be careful whenever you’re walking down the street.” Typical foods for Filipinos are rice and mangoes for breakfast, spaghetti with hotdogs, roast pig, egg rolls, pansit, which is a type of noodles, and fish. “Pretty much everything is eaten with rice,” said Erum. Filipino cuisines have been influenced by many other cultures including those of the Spanish, French and Chinese. Erum explains that traditional Filipino music is usually about telling a story. In her own words, it “focuses more on Filipino values.” They are sung in Tagalog, the language that the majority of the population speaks. Modern music typically focuses on romance, life struggles and advice. There are variations in music based on the interests of the different regions within the Philippines. It’s a big part of culture to be able to do something associated with music. Erum herself plays a few instruments including the guitar and piano. The “tinikling” is a traditional and very popular dance in the Philippines. It involves two bamboo poles that are about eight feet long. One person holds a pole on each end and makes rhythmic beats by tapping and sliding them on the ground while another person steps in between the poles, corresponding with the beats. Holidays and special events are a big part of almost every culture. In the Philippines, New Year’s Day is more of a family holiday than Christmas. Midnight on New Year’s Eve brings an outburst of firecrackers and gunfire from upwardly aimed firearms. Independence Day, celebrated on June 12, is also an important holiday as it celebrates freedom from Spanish rule. It is honored with fiestas, parades and fireworks. In the Philippines, an 18th birthday is celebrated with a party called a “debu.” “It’s a way of celebrating you becoming an adult,” said Erum. “[It’s similar to] a ‘Sweet 16’ or a quinceañera.” Another unique characteristic of Filipino culture is its emphasis on respect for elders. In Filipino society, the parents are accorded the highest position of honor in the family. For Filipinos, upholding close family ties is very important. Most Filipinos live close to their family for most of their lives even when they are independent adults. “You always greet adults or older people with ‘po’ or ‘opo.’ [The American equivalent would be] saying ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ Everyone is treated like family. [Essentially,] you can call anyone your aunt or uncle,” said Erum. For her, being Filipino is very important. “The family traditions are always fun. [I enjoy] how the values are being passed from generation to generation. And the food [is great],” she said. Even though she hasn’t been back to the Philippines in a long time now, technology allows her to remain in touch with her family. “We’re able to Skype, call, email and [just talk all the time],” she said.