Arts & Entertainment

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 The Theory of Everything

by Bethany Mann

The Theory of Everything spun into theaters everywhere on Nov 26, garnering near perfect ratings from those who saw it and followed its progress. Following the life and personality of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, the movie travels along the relationship he had with his first wife Jane. 

     With a range from the completely adorable to the absolutely heartbreaking to the fearlessly robust, this story accurately and unwaveringly tracks every hurdle the pair had to go through. The movie centers on the disease and how they cope with its slow takeover, the relationship they share, and the bravery Hawking has for his unique and genius perspective of the world.

     The most immediately noticeable quality is Eddie Redmayne’s immaculately talented portrayal of Stephen Hawking in every stage of the scientist’s life and disease. His excellence in method acting is comparable to well-known biographically accurate transformations like Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln and Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia. His and other performances in this movie are things to keep an eye on this February; Redmayne is projected to take home an  Oscar.

     Sometimes the camera work and direction acts like dialogue in itself, in artistic measures like the ways opposing colors were used. This quietly vocal style was especially easy to see in scenes filled with silence. Out of either biological necessity or simple lack of words, they filled the silence with expressions that would kind of speak on their own. It was so well done in its understatedness that it didn't feel overdramatic or forced at all. Some scenes went a long time with only a few words, which felt surprisingly natural. It had a way of creating a world that referenced the audience’s own silence and accepted it as part of your condition, which was a genius way of  making the viewer feel like the main character themselves.

     The Theory of Everything runs until Dec 12 at the Circle Cinema, and bonus features for the movie can be found on their Facebook and Twitter pages. This is a film you won’t want to miss.

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Austin City Limits Music Festival 2014

By Brandon Ashlock

Poster Image by Austin City Limits Music Festival

    Deep in the heart of Texas sits the beautiful city of Austin. Known by many as the live music capital of the world, the town hosts many different festivals throughout the year. One of the biggest and most well known is the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park. 

    ACL was founded in 2002 as a one weekend event, but in 2013 it expanded to two weekends, with almost all the musical acts playing both weekends. There is approximately 75,000 people that attend the festival every day. Each individual seems to have their own sense of style, helping to "Keep Austin Weird."

Photo by Brandon Ashlock

    Besides the music there are different vendors selling everything from art works to clothes, food carts with an array of different cuisines, craft beers from around the world, and many other fun and interesting things to do. Make no doubt about it however, the music is why everyone goes to this wonderful festival. This year the headline acts were Eminem, Pearl Jam, Beck, Outkast, Skrillex, Lana Del Ray as well as a few others. All these acts put on amazing shows that left the crowd buzzing with excitement.  With eight stages at ACL, there were many other bands that wowed the audience as well. Bands like St. Vincent and Fitz and the Tantrums stood out with their live sets, but lesser known bands like Temples and Black Pistol Fire showed that they will be bands to be reckoned with for many years to come. 

Photo by Brooke Carter

    There is over 100 bands playing almost every genre of music on both weekends. People from different walks of life and backgrounds from all over the globe come to experience this one of a kind festival, as well as take in the culture of the city of Austin which is a young and vibrate city. With so many things to do and bands to see there is no wonder why ACL is and will continue to be a huge attraction to so many people from around the world. 

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The Skeleton Twins brings uninhibited joy

By Bethany Mann
October 29, 2014

 

Photo from IMDB

    The critically acclaimed and Sundance award-winning film The Skeleton Twins opened at the Circle Cinema on Friday, Oct 26. Lauded as being both "hilarious and heart-crushingly real" by Rolling Stones writer Peter Travers, this "dramedy" stars the versatile talents of Tulsa native Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and writers Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson.

    A pair of twins, Maggie (Wiig) and Milo (Hader), find each other again after ten years of missed calls and miscommunication. After finding out they both cheated suicide on the same day, they find that the best way to better their own messy lives is to strengthen the relationship they have with each other.

    From the very beginning scenes of the movie, the flickering film quality and artfully arranged camera shots give a feeling of staring pensively at surroundings. The landscape's fall colors arrange themselves into rich orange and cool blue, falling into place in the worlds of Milo and Maggie respectively. Even while the two main roles in this comedy are played by regulars from SNL, Twins is nothing less than a work of art.

     Realism comes easily to every character as their true colors show over time. The intention to show characters with deep-cut flaws and histories plays out very well, and it's gratifying to watch them slide from giggle fights, to bare honesty, to dispute, then to forgiveness and back again. By the end, it's hard not to feel like Maggie and Milo are your good friends, just navigating the same minefield of adulthood as you.

    The one negative aspect to me was the way it portrayed marriage and romantic relationships in a negative light. The whole point seemed to be to slowly cut down the life of both people involved, instead of to strengthen them. This seemed to take away from the realism somewhat, even though the purpose might have been to show what Maggie's and Milo's tendencies are under emotional stress.

     Either way, the whole experience made for a memorable journey and a moving film. 

    The Skeleton Twins runs at the Circle Cinema until Wednesday, Nov 5.

Photo from IMDB

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Two Sci-Fi shows currently airing that everyone should watch!

By Callie McKinney

Doctor Who 
BBC

    The eighth series of Doctor Who has viewers learning to love a new doctor. There has been a long line of actors who have assumed this mantle.

       Peter Capaldi is the actor playing the new doctor. He is the 12th throughout the series. He is much older than the last several iterations and has a Scottish accent, but the doctor is still himself in a new body. Viewers have to learn to love a new face or disregard the current actor playing the title character. It is interesting to see the different ways in which people react to a main character that is changing every few years.

      Sadly, series eight has not been very original. For example, the first episode “Deep Breath,” is based on the same story as a previous episode “Blink.” In the episode, a one-time character named Sally Sparrow cannot blink in the presence of a terrifying creature called a weeping angel. It is known for the way it goes in for the kill once the victim blinks or looks away. In the episode from the newest series, the Doctor's new companion Clara has to hold her breath to avoid alien machines from detecting her and turning her into a machine as well.

     Are the writers of Doctor Who running out of wild adventures for the Doctor and his companion? Viewers expect there to be reoccurring episodes about Cybermen, Daleks, and maybe even the Master, but the issues change. One theory is that the writers might be slowly building a plot based around the new “promised land,” which was announced in the first episode of series eight.

     The Walking Dead

AMC

      The Walking Dead is a story set in the stark realm of a world ravaged by a zombie plague. The zombies take on the role of dangerous obstacles and the main story focuses on the breakdown of society and morals as the remaining population struggles for survival.

     The world this show is set in is harsh and unforgiving, and any small mistake can lead to horrifying consequences in a world where humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

      The storyline is known for its rawness and brutality, so becoming attached to almost any character generally does not pay off. Main characters are killed off in huge numbers, which is generally not seen in such a popular show.

      This program deals with the struggles of a small band of survivors. The group deals with the constant threat of zombies that turn human beings into undead carnivores with a single bite. They also have to scavenge food and supplies in dangerous territories. However, the band's biggest threats are humans competing for survival in an anarchic world.

      Its plot is deep and the attention to detail is very high. For example, if you examine the state of deterioration of the zombies you will notice as seasons progress the zombies become less human-like and more skeletal. The background and the physical states of the characters change as well.