Articles by: style

 

• Ten flicks worth a second look: These remakes rival the original films

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:35 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer Hollywood is always ready to look to its past for inspiration for its future. In fact, this month alone, we will see remakes of Clash of the Titans, Death at a Funeral and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Since it is growing frequently popular to remake older films, here are the top 10 modern film remakes. 10. Hamlet (2000) While not as great as Laurence Olivier’s Shakespeare adaptation, this modern retelling of one of The Bard’s greatest stories is almost as inventive as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet revamp. 9. Dawn of the Dead (2004) Zack Snyder’s first film is a surprisingly good modern take on George Romero’s classic horror film. With it, Snyder creates one of the only decent horror reboots recently made. 8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) After several film adaptations of the play, Tim Burton took his own turn and made a very effective take on this morbid story. Using his usual go-to guy Johnny Depp, Burton creates a gothic, yet touching story. 7. The Mummy (1999) One of the great Universal monsters came back to life with this guilty-pleasure remake. The Mummy brought Rachel Weisz to […]

   

• Sigismondi resurrects The Runaways: First-time director conquers passion project

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Kayla Beardsley, Broadside Correspondent Floria Sigismondi is most known for her direction of music videos such as Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People.” But after April 9, Sigismondi will be known for something much bigger: her first feature film. Sigismondi has been an artist from a very young age. “I would look at a paintbrush and just have to touch it, or use it,” she said. As a child, Sigismondi painted and drew, but as she grew up, her passion turned to photography. Sigismondi wanted to tell the story of the ’70s rock band The Runaways because she was inspired by their story. “I loved the story of two completely different girls coming together and doing something that girls weren’t supposed to do at that time,” she says. “Cherie Currie and Joan Jett were so different . . . yet they created something awesome.” The real Joan Jett and Cherie Currie played a large role in the filmmaking process by helping Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning develop their characters; Sigismondi even had the chance to sit down with Currie’s family. Although many may be a little taken aback by seeing Dakota Fanning as a rock and roll star, Sigismondi saw […]

   

• GMU Players nerd out: Mason’s theater group shines in The Nerd

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Dylan Hares, Staff Writer We all have people in our lives that we just can’t stand. Luckily, few of us can say that those people literally ruin our lives and bring us to the brink of madness. But such is the case for the character of Willum Cubert when a long-lost friend comes over to stay in the George Mason University Players’ rendition of Larry Shue’s 1981 play, The Nerd. The stage lights up with the rather bland architect Willum surprised by his more lively friends, Tansy and Axel. A long exchange ensues, and the audience learns that Willum’s primary love interest, Tansy, is moving away, leaving Willum and his fast-talking friend Axel depressed. Student Michael Burgos, who plays Willum, plays the slow-talking awkward role to near perfection, exuding that too-nice guy feel — he can’t speak up, say no or express what he actually wants. Willum’s birthday party takes a turn for the worse when a character from his past, Rick Steadman, comes over with all the subtlety of a bull on cocaine. English major Joshua McCreary is absolutely stunning in this role as the boisterous Rick. From the moment he comes on stage in a ridiculous purple […]

   

• Come on, feel the noise: Five bands, one night, one chance for the ultimate gig

  Lifestyle April 9, 2010 at 3:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor The coveted spot to play a gig at Mason Day is up for grabs once again. So apply some eye liner, wash your heavy metal t-shirt of choice that’s at the bottom of your closet and get your devil’s horn wrist control down because battle of the bands is coming to George Mason University. The free event, which will be held in Dewberry Hall on Thursday from 8-10 p.m., will give five bands the chance to prove that all those late nights in the garage practicing weren’t just an excuse to rebel against their parents and get chicks. At the end of the night, one band will be crowned the champion, while the rest will be left in rock purgatory. The rock n’ roll show down will be fueled by the music of five bands with rivaling individual styles. Two of the bands duking it out, House of Echo and Rites of Ash, are bands on two different extremes of the genre spectrum, who will be attending the event. House of Echo’s soulful rock hybrid sound runs parallel to that of Dave Matthews Band and The Police. Equipped with a brass section and Mason’s […]

   

• The Runaways primed to scare off the competition: Young starlets bring rock 'n' roll to life

  Lifestyle April 5, 2010 at 1:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Kayla Beardsley The Runaways will shock and sometimes disgust, but it will keep you entertained the entire time. The film tells the story of the famed ’70s rock band formed by Joan Jett (played by Twilight’s Kristen Stewart) and follows them through the good times, the hard times and all the rock and roll along the way. Stewart has come a long way from her role in the famous tween vampire saga. She is convincing, empowering and all around awe-striking in her performance as the sexually confused rock star. In the story, The Runaways’ lead singer Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) realizes her dream of being in a rock band. But after a full makeover of her wardrobe and then her entire life, she slowly realizes the rock and roll lifestyle may not be what is really important to her. While watching the sweet and innocent Fanning (known for films like Charlotte’s Web and Uptown Girls) in a corset, with her legs spread, singing about “grabbing boys until they’re sore” will make audiences feel incredibly creepy, her performance will rock you. However, one performance in this movie soars above the rest — Michael Shannon’s portrayal of the band […]

   

• Sketched into the silver screen: 10 greats that went from comic book pages to Hollywood

  Lifestyle April 5, 2010 at 12:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer Next week, the movie adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book Kick-Ass, about a high school student who becomes a superhero after being influenced by his favorite books, will be released. Over the last decade, comic book films have become immensely popular, giving us some fantastic films. With that, here are the top ten films based on comic books. 10. Road to Perdition Sam Mendes’ follow-up to American Beauty told the story of an even more dangerous family — a mafia family. Tom Hanks is chilling in one of his few darker roles and the noir tone makes you feel like you’re reading the graphic novel. 9. American Splendor This story of eccentric comic writer Harvey Pekar deconstructed the typical autobiography, while showcasing the soon-to-be-star Paul Giamatti in one of his first great roles. 8. Sin City If you want to keep the essence of the source material, why not hire the writer to direct? That’s what Robert Rodriguez did with his co-director Frank Miller in the adaptation of Miller’s work, starring a cavalcade of stars and featuring a visually striking style. 7. Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect choice to play the rich […]

   

• Public confessions get loud at open mic night: Pride Week event gives performers the chance to confess personal struggles and cultural insight

  Lifestyle April 5, 2010 at 12:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ramy Zabarah, Staff Writer Open Mic Night is a Pride Week event dedicated to bringing people of all genders and expressions together to share music, poetry, comedy or art in front of an audience of their peers. Cheese, crackers and fruits were served as students, faculty and staff situated themselves in front of the stage at the Johnson Center Bistro Thursday night. Although the turnout wasn’t as high as anticipated, there was plenty of fun and good spirit in the air. Acts ranged from poetry, spoken word and singing to comedy and a metal band. Overall, the audience enjoyed the talent, and everyone had a great time. The significance of an event like this is the opportunity for members of a marginal group to express themselves in a forum without censorship. Associate Director of LGBTQ Resources Ric Chollar agrees. “What I love most about this event is that it gives a chance for each participant to share something personal and provide insight about their culture,” he said, “In a way, that makes Open Mic Night my favorite Pride Week event.” Last week was filled with fun and educational events intended to bring people together in recognition and appreciation of […]

   

• Drag show a raucous, high-energy hit

  Lifestyle April 5, 2010 at 12:52 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Hayley Roder, Broadside Correspondent The lights dimmed in the Johnson Center atrium. The stage lit up as Reann Ballslee walked up the steps and back into the spotlight. Reann Sassie D’Loceanono Ballslee sparkled in a green, black and white dress, silver heels and her Ms. Mason 2009 sash and tiara. She captivated the cheering group of students, family members and friends who lined all three levels of the Johnson Center. She readied the crowd for a fierce and fabulous night of performances and fashion as she kicked off the 2010 Pride Week Drag Show. Better known during the day as Ryan Allen, Ballslee returned to host Pride Week’s main event after graduating last year. She has been a crowd favorite since she first appeared in the drag show four years ago and has hosted the annual event ever since. Ballslee gained international media attention after being crowned Mason’s Homecoming Queen last year. Friday night, she told the audience that she was updating her Wikipedia page to reflect that she is also George Mason University’s final Homecoming Queen, since the competition was redesigned this year to be more inclusive and featured only one winner crowned “Mason Majesty.” Usually a festive […]

   

• Star Trek

  Lifestyle April 5, 2010 at 3:44 am Comments are Disabled

  Star Trek is not just for geeks anymore. JJ Abrams recent resurrection of the Star Trek franchise proved it. Capturing the attention of a whole new generation of trekkies, the Abram’s installment beamed up younger fans to the Enterprise who were just being introduced to Captain James T. Kirk for the first time. This new fan base, combined with the diehard fans that have been rocking the Vulcan salute for over 40 years now, can be attributed to the large turnout alien language designer Marc Okrand received from George Mason University last Friday. Okrand is the designer behind the alien language Klingon used in many of the Star Trek films. The veteran linguist is also responsible for developing the language used in the Disney animated film Atlantis.  A god to those familiar with the franchise, Okrand unveiled the secrets of Klingon to a waving room of Vulcan salutes and anxious fans. James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty in the television series, came up with the idea of Klingon orginally. Okrand took it one step further though in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Actually, make that two Klingon Dictionaries, several Shakspeare plays translated into the alien language and […]

   

• Zero to 88 Degrees: Hot Tub Time Machine as predictable as its name

  Lifestyle March 29, 2010 at 12:53 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Josh Hylton, Staff Writer Back in January, I was invited to attend an early screening of a little film called Hot Tub Time Machine. It was a rough cut and was, well, a little rough. The editing required tightening and a few story issues needed to be resolved. Now it has been completed and the finished product is, well, still a little rough. It is a shoddily structured, messily executed hour and a half trip through an unoriginal screenplay. The story is reminiscent of dozens of other time-traveling films, only this time, the machine in question is a hot tub. Still, its goofy nature and fun, unabashed ridiculousness are hard to deny. The story, as lackluster as it may be, can be summarized as follows: After Lou, played by Rob Corddry, tries to kill himself, his friends Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Clark Duke) and Jacob (Craig Robinson), travel to their old vacation spot, a ski resort in the mountains. There, they are transported back to the ’80s via a hot tub and must travel in the same footsteps they did all those years ago, lest they disrupt the past and change the future for the worse. Much like Snakes […]