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Artist of the issue: Mitchell Buckley Emily Dzubak >>Staff Writer After four years of being a part of theatre, Mitchell Buckley,12, is taking the next step of his life to continue his future in acting. “I love acting and found it is a good way to express myself and reach out to people,” Buckley said. In theatre’s most recent production, Flowers for Algernon, Buckley played the role of Charlie, a man with an IQ of 68 who is selected to take part in an experimental surgery to increase his intelligence. “Flowers for Algernon was a really significant experience for me. It was such a powerful show and Charlie was such a challenging character to play,” Buckley said. Buckley has been in a total of 10 Westfield Theatre productions, playing a lead role in several of them. “I have gained a lot of experience with Westfield Theatre. I had a lot of opportunities to play a variety of different roles and I’ve been lucky to have the privilege to act with so many talented students,” Buckley said. Buckley auditioned for several theater programs at different universities and plans on majoring in theater. “I’ve auditioned at New York University, Pace, Bos-
ton University, Emerson, Fordham, SUNY (State University of NY) at Purchase and Ithaca. I should probably start hearing back in mid-March,” Buckley said. As he was a member of the theater program for all four years of high school, Buckley had the opportunity to work with a lot of different people. “The upperclassmen were such a huge influence on me when it came to carrying on Westfield Theatre’s tradition of excellence,” Buckley said. Buckley also attended the 64th Annual South Eastern Theater Conference, SETC, to perform their award winning, including the state title, production of Hothouse and compete against schools from the southeastern region. “I think it’s a huge honor that we went so far and I know we were all really excited for the opportunity to perform,” Buckley said. Buckley has gained a lot of experience in the theatre program and is ready to learn more and further pursue his career in the theatre industry. “Of course I’m excited for the future. I think I’ve made the most of my four years here, but I’m ready to move on to the next thing. I still have so much to learn and college is definitely the next step,” Buckley said.
(Top) Looking for support >> Brandon Sanchez, 11, Mitchell Buckley, 12 and Alex Mann, 12, pose for promotional pictures for the winter mainstage, Flowers for Algernon. Photo by Madeleine Bloxam (Bottom Left) Practice makes perfect >> Buckley rehearses a solo scene the week before opening night to prepare for the first performance of the fall mainstage, Laughing Stock. Photo by Kelsey Stanton (Bottom Right) Teamwork makes the dream work >> Julian Sanchez, 11 and Buckley present a scene from Westfield Theatre’s annual Back To School Cabaret. Photo courtesy of Westfield Theatre Boosters
Jack the Giant Slayer disappoints critics, sales prevail Julian Sanchez >>Staff Writer We’ve all heard the famous tale of Jack and the Beanstalk; a legend of childhood whimsy, harrowing monsters, and supernatural flora of epic proportions. But the movie that came out last weekend isn’t your average Mother Goose story. Jack the Giant Slayer is a violent, one dimensional take on the classic story we’ve all learned to enjoy. This high-budget fantasy film chronicles the misadventures of Jack, a young farmhand who’s eager for adventure. One day, while Jack is selling his calf, he is given magical beans by a mysterious priest. After a series of ill-fated events, these beans end up sprouting and becoming a portal to the land of the Giants. Meanwhile, the princess
of the city is captured by the angry giants, who are taking revenge on the humans because of an unsettled ancient war. Jack must kill all of the giants, take back the princess, and save the kingdom before it’s too late. Directed by renowned action filmmaker Bryan Singer, this disappointing film adaptation fails to enthrall. The juxtaposition of action-packed scenes of tension with the more slowpaced romantic scenes makes for a jarring combination. Despite the efforts of Singer and his screenwriting crew, the film is extremely formulaic and largely unimpressive. Nicholas Hoult has an admirable performance as Jack, the curious farmhand who gets into all sorts of trouble.
Hoult is able to capture the excitement and youthful spirit of his famous role, but his mediocre acting chops only gets him so far in this film. During more dramatic scenes where he shows his serious side, he tends to lack chemistry with his scene partners. Opposite Hoult was newbie Eleanor Tomlinson, as the royal Princess Isabelle. Although Tomlinson strives to make her role substantial, by the film’s end she fails to break out of her lifeless role. Some of the only surprisingly good acting in this movie came Stanley Tucci as the evil Lord Roderick. Tucci plays the slimy, usurping advisor with great vigor, and he commendably walks the line between seeming benevolence and
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inner malice. Another standout performance came from Ewan McGregor, who played the Elmont, the noble guard of the city. McGregor’s invariable talent and believability stood out in against the
largely transparent acting of this film. Altogether, this film lacks substance in its pursuit of excitement. Rather than fully develop the characters and work on their relationships, Jack the Giant Slayer’s re-
dundant and long action sequences take precedence. This basic, contrived film struggles due to the weak story and average acting but found box office success through its thrilling moments of high drama and impressive CGI.