Category: Arts & Entertainment
Hobbs and Shaw Revs Up Summer Fun
By Troy Kelly
Staff Writer
The Fast and Furious series has come back with yet another hit movie, entitled Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw. Hobbs and Shaw boasts 41/2 star reviews and a strong cast, including stars like Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Idris Elba. To no surprise, this globetrotting adventure has plenty of action and comedy, much like the other movies that Johnson and Statham have starred in, as the two of them care constantly at each other’s throats.
Dwayne Johnson: Ay bruh whats the time?
Jason Statham: Oi, cheerio, mate, its 17:00 hours
Dwayne Johnson: Thanks brother.
Jason Statham: No problem *brofist*.
Brixton Lorr (Elba) is an evil cybernetically modified soldier who possesses superhuman abilities such as super strength and enhanced intelligence, along with an arsenal of weapons and impressive cars. He plans to spread a virus around the world that could end up killing half of the world’s population. It’s up to Officer Hobbs (Johnson), a world-renowned hero, and British intelligence agent Deckard Shaw (Statham) to save the world. However, they first have to set aside their differences.
The stunts were absolutely astounding, leaving me breathless throughout the entire movie. The Fast and Furious franchise never slacks on the car chasing scenes, as they are well-known for stunts including cars. The movie was filled with action-packed car chasing scenes that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Some of the stunts they pulled even made me want to try them myself. “I like the chase scenes… the helicopter part was my favorite,” said Freshman Ryan Hope. Hobbs and Shaw pushes the boundaries on what was possible to do in a car chase, which truly made the whole movie come together.
The fight scenes were also a major factor in helping the movie come together as a whole. What stuck out most to me was how each fight scene complemented each character and their style of fighting. For example, Hobbs used brute strength and size to dominate his opponents, whereas Shaw used skillful techniques to break down his opponent and render them useless.
Overall, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw was a hit that lived up to the expectations of all Fast and Furious fans. “It was a great movie, I didn’t think it was gonna be so good because it was a spin-off,” said Senior and avid Fast and Furious fan Sam Mercedes. Much like Sam, I thought the movie couldn’t have been any better than any of the previous movies in the franchise. However, to my surprise, it was everything I wanted and much more. I would high recommend it to anyone who likes action, adventure, and a whole lot of laughs.
Fall Theatre Preview: “These Shining Lives”
By: Carlos O’Ryan
Online Editor
This November, Hammond High School’s Theatre Department will be putting on These Shining Lives for its annual fall production.
Set in Ottawa, Illinois, during the 1920’s, These Shining Lives tells the true story of Catherine Donahue, a young mother and wife who begins working at the Radium Dial factory as her husband, Tom, does not make enough money to support their family on his own. Excited to hold her own job for once, Catherine quickly becomes close friends with her co-workers, Charlotte, Pearl, and Frances, and she finds that she excels in her work, painting watch faces on wrist and pocket watches, with glow-in-the-dark radium paint. Catherine has found her perfect life… until she starts to suspect that she is getting sick, and while her boss and the company doctors insist that nothing is wrong with her, she knows that something is fatally wrong.
Image Courtesy of Avery Moe and the Hammond High Theatre Department
A drama full of heart about sisterhood, marriage, and the abuse of workers by large corporations, These Shining Lives is sure to tug at heartstrings and start the waterworks. Rehearsals for the show began on the first week of school. Sarah Meklir, 11th grader, when asked about her experienced acting in the play thus far, was ecstatic: “It’s honestly such a great group, I love developing my character and being able to interact with everyone involved in the show… and welcoming new people into the department is a blast.”
Starring Juniors Skylar Shaffer and Sarah Meklir as Catherine, Ali Khalid and Carlos O’Ryan as Tom, Danielle Gilbert and Julia Steinberg as Charlotte, Sydney Finger and Sera Chase as Pearl, Katie Marshall and Jasmine Britt as Frances, and Isaiah Olujide and John White as Mr. Reed. These Shining Lives performs November 7th and 8th at 7pm, and on Saturday, November 9th at 2 and 7 pm.
John Wick Chapter 2 Review
By: Troy Kelly
Staff Writer
John Wick: Chapter 2, starring Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane and Riccardo Scamarcio, is an action film set in present day Rome.
The movie’s main conflict begins when John Wick is betrayed by a man, Santino D’Antonio, who cashes in a favor after John tries to abandon his life as an assassin. Because of D’Antonio, John’s his time away from the business is cut short, and after he is betrayed, John realizes he needs to kill D’Antonio. John declines D’Antonio the favor he is blood-bounded to repay at first, but begrudgingly accepts after D’Antonio bombs his house, and he is encouraged by his good friend and the owner of the NY Continental hotel, Winston, to repay his dues.
Photo Credit: Google Images
D’Antonio asks John to kill his sister, Gianna, who has the seat at the high table that D’Antonio desires. After she decided to slit her wrists rather than being assassinated as John holds her hand, he shoots her in the head in order to kill her before she is condemned to hell because of her suicide. Her bodyguard, Cassius, however, sees John exiting Gianna’s room, and draws his weapons in pursuit.
Along with being preoccupied by Cassius, John is also attacked by D’Antonio’s own men, and realizes he is being betrayed. John and Cassius are only slightly injured by the time they crash into the Contential, where no blood is allowed to be spilled, an important recurring plot point in the movie. However, while John is resting there, D’Antonio opens an account worth 7 million for killing John, which he sends out to all assassins in the area.
Hairspray Movie Review
By: Uma Ribeiro
Co-News Editor
Based on the 2002 broadway musical and Starring Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, and Zac Efron, Hairspray is a must-watch movie for all musical fans or for simply anyone who wants to see a fun and memorable film with a message.
Taking place in 1960s Baltimore city in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, Hairspray follows bubbly, plus-sized teen Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) who has a strong passion for dancing. She dreams of having a place on the “Corny Collins Show”, the local teen dancing program she watches on TV everyday with her best friend, Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes). She finds out there are auditions being held to perform on the program, and hurries to show the producers what she could offer. Tracy faces bullying from the antagonists of the movie, network producer Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her equally vicious daughter, Amber (Brittany Snow).
Back at school, Tracy lands herself in detention where she meets a young kid with great dancing skills named Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), one of the many black teens who only get one day, called “Negro Day,” to show off their dance moves on the Corny Collins show. Tracy eventually earns herself a spot on the show after her crush, Link Larkin (Efron), sees her dancing, and she uses it to express her disdain of the fact that dancing is still segregated. She tells host Corny Collins (James Marsden) that if she won Miss Baltimore she would make dancing on the show integrated once and for all.
Tracy gains popularity on the show, much to the dislikings of Amber and her mother, who attempt to stop her from winning Miss Baltimore and oppose her ideas of integration. She must figure out how to beat Amber while also helping her friends earn permanent spots on a new and integrated Corny Collins show.
Throwback Movie Review: The Thing
Carlos O’Ryan
Online Editor
It has been 36 years since “The Thing” was released in theatres in June of 1982. Director John Carpenter’s science-fiction/horror movie, which revolves arounds the bloody events that unfold when a shape-shifting alien finds itself at a research base in Antarctica, was heavily criticized at release for being an absolute gore-fest, where characters only existed to be grotesquely dismembered in a splash of blood and guts.
However, in the years following its release, it was eventually accepted for what it was, which was never an uninspired mess of body horror, but as a genuine classic full of thrills and absolutely wonderful practical effects, but at its initial release, it was heavily criticized for having characters that only existed to be chopped up, burned, and torn apart in gross ways.
Netflix Review: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Cassandra Areola
Staff Writer
On October 26 of 2018, Netflix released an original series, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”. They released ten thrilling episodes.
The story originated from Archie Comics, and, throughout the years, more versions of the comic have been passed on, for example like the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch which premiered in 1987. “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is the new and improved version of the last remakes of the show that took place. The plot is about a teenage girl in Greendale, who is half witch and half mortal.
On her sixteenth birthday, Halloween, there has to be a dark baptism in order for her to embrace her inner witch. In order to confirm her full commitment to being a witch, she has to pledge in The Book of the Beasts. Signing her name in the book entitled that she will always stay loyal to the Dark Lord, and he will always have authority over her.
However, by agreeing with his rules, she would have to leave her best friends and her beloved boyfriend without telling them about her other life.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Play Review
By Uma Ribiero
News Editor
William Shakespeare’s many plays have been taking the stage everywhere for centuries, becoming more famous with each performance. Hammond’s theatre department, alongside their director, Mrs. Lauren Tobiason, have continued to honor the great playwright with their performance of the famous comedy and timeless love story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The story has three main plot lines to it, one which follows four lovers, Helena who loves Demetrius, her ex-lover. Demetrius, who wants to marry Hermia, and has her father’s blessing to marry her, and Hermia who wants to be with Lysander. The play then enters the world of the fairies, led by Puck, an anti-cupid of sorts who creates as much mischief between the four lovers as possible, and the fairy king, Oberon, along with his queen, Titania, both of whom are feuding over custody of an Indian child. Finally, it follows the story of the Rude Mechanicals who are putting on a play in order to impress and entertain Theseus, the Duke of Athens, on the evening of his wedding with Hippolyta, the Amazonian queen. These three storylines intertwine as the play progresses, creating much hilarity as the fairy world and human world come together when they obviously should not. While the original play takes place in the woods outside of Athens, the Hammond High Production decided to twist the concept of the play by setting it in Athens, Ohio, in the year 1957, inside of a high school.
