Lifestyle

• The Odds Were In Their Favor

  Lifestyle March 26, 2012 at 4:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  “The Hunger Games” has solidified itself as a major blockbuster. Making just under $20 million in midnight-release tickets alone, it has secured its position as the new, undisputed champion of book-to-film adaptations. Was there ever any doubt? Taking place at an unspecified time in the future, “The Hunger Games” is a tale about class oppression and how far people are willing to go to survive and provide for their families. Whenever beloved books are adapted for the screen, expectations run perilously high, and I have to say I feel it truly delivered. Jennifer Lawrence has been knocking performances out of the park with roles in “Winter’s Bone” and “X-Men: First Class,” but “The Hunger Games” is the first time she’s had a part I felt would herald her arrival as a star. Her performance as Katniss Everdeen is the anchor of the film. With the exception of Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, all the actors deliver strong performances, even in roles that will have you doing double takes. Yes, that’s Lenny Kravitz in the film, and, yes, he can act. The film is broken into three distinct acts, and each takes a unique approach to filmmaking. The third act is the […]

   

• Punk Rock Lives On

  Lifestyle March 26, 2012 at 4:01 pm Comments are Disabled

  The new Anti-Flag album, “The General Stike,” just dropped. The album was much anticipated in the punk world by old, nostalgic fans and the new crowd alike. The album isn’t unusual or shocking, but it’s comfortable and just OK. Since their first performance in 1993, the band has been refining their sound. The group came out of Pittsburgh Pa. in the late ‘80s and has been a force to be reckoned with ever since. Their first album, “Die for the Government,” was a gritty, punk strike at the establishment, embodied by subpar recording equipment and visceral, youthful anger. Since then they have cleaned up their equipment and their sound but maintained a staunchly revolutionary and pissed-off tone. The band is heavily involved in activism — their influence can be felt from PETA to Amnesty International. However, involvement in big-ticket organizations doesn’t mean they’ve sold out; they’re still behind the scenes, organizing groups like Military-Free Zone and the Underground Action Alliance. Most recently, they have been up in arms against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, an act signed by President Barack Obama that gives the president the right to detain American citizens without a trial. “The General Strike” is […]

   

• Button Mashing: Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City

  Lifestyle March 26, 2012 at 3:59 pm Comments are Disabled

  The “Resident Evil” series has been through several transformations since its Sony Playstation debut in 1996. The premise of the game was simple: survive and blast your way through flesh-eating zombies. The graphics at the time, were stunning, combining polygon-modeled characters with eerie backgrounds and limited camera angles, which gave players a sense of unwanted — but fun — tension. With four sequels, a few remakes, and a fair amount of spin-offs, the series has taken a new direction: third-person shooter. “Resident Evil 4” (2005) and “Resident Evil 5” (2009) were the first in the series to make the leap into the realm of the third-person shooter. Now, with “Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City” released, there are a few things that tarnish this traditional, survival horror classic. In “Resident Evil: ORC”, players are given the choice of playing the role of one of six members of the Umbrella Security Service team. Each character has a unique set of special skills. The USS receives orders from the higher-ups of the Umbrella Corporation to destroy any evidence of the incident that takes place during the events of the second and third Resident Evil games and eliminate any survivors of the incident. With […]

   

• I’d Rather Be Eating: Piero’s Corner

  Lifestyle March 26, 2012 at 3:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  Right before spring break I met up with my friends Marla and Pander to go to dinner at Piero’s Corner. Piero’s Corner opened recently in The City of Fairfax where Carlos O’Kelly’s used to be. I love Italian food, however, I typically don’t venture out to new Italian restaurants and just stick to the ones I know well in the area like Villa Bella in Burke. You can tell it used to be a Mexican restaurant before transforming into an Italian restaurant, but the décor inside was nice and the service was good. We started out with an order of calamari, which was prepared the common way: floured, deep-fried and served with lemon wedges and spicy marinara sauce for dipping. Pander does not care for seafood, but Marla and I enjoyed it. The waiters also brought out a basket of bread with olive oil and herbs for dipping, which was much better than what you normally get at a mid-range Italian restaurant. For my entrée, I selected one of my all time favorites — eggplant parmesan. Piero’s Corner takes a different spin on this traditional dish by lightly breading thinly-sliced pieces of eggplant, flash frying them and rolling up a […]

   

• I’d Rather Be Eating: Coyote Grill and Cantina

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  Time and again, internationally renowned music group Celtic Woman has won the hearts of Patriot Center audiences. They perform at the arena every year, and returned Saturday, for their latest American tour “Believe”. Celtic Woman is an all-female singing sensation, comprised of three vocalists — Chloe Agnew, Lisa Lambe and Susan McFadden — as well as effervescent violinist Mairead Nesbitt. As the show started, bright, multi-colored lights shined into the audience. The raised stage was set with veiled curtains, and drum sets towered over on side platforms. With slow and careful grace, Nesbitt played the violin, with accompaniment from a piano, a guitar, drums and a haunting tin whistle. Nesbitt, wearing a sparkling, baby blue dress, smiled at the ever-receptive audience. Seconds later, the three vocalists stepped out while singing their high-energy opening number “Awakening.” Agnew, Lambe and McFadden wore a pink dress, lavender dress and purple dress respectively. The audience was in for a treat. The appreciation between the audience members and Celtic Woman was mutual. “We’re delighted to be back in Fairfax and to bring our show to you,” said Agnew, 22, Celtic Woman’s youngest member. “I hope you can all take something special from it.” Celtic Woman […]

   

• Students Turn to Online Shopping

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  Online shopping has become one of the most viable forms of commerce. Almost all major stores have online sister sites, some even having special offers only available on their website. According to a September 2011 article by Orange Collar Media, Americans spent $186 billion online shopping in 2010. During college, money can be tight. Combine that with students not having cars, and it can be difficult to even get to stores nearby. That is when most of us turn to the Internet. Nowadays, almost anything can be purchased online from food to technology to clothing, which is quite convenient in a college setting. In fact, according to the same Orange Collar Media article, clothing is the most purchased item on the Internet. There are thousands of clothing stores on the web, many of which are strictly online. While the web offers convenience, there are some experiences that factor in to the decision to go into an actual store. “I enjoy shopping online at places like Wet Seal,” said freshman psychology major Katelyn Squicciarini, “but I like going to the store better. I enjoy trying on the clothing.” Of course, there is another side to that coin. “I prefer online shopping […]

   

• The Ultimate Party Movie?

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:20 pm Comments are Disabled

  Flame thrower — check.  Mayhem — check.  Best party movie ever — two out of three isn’t bad. It’s so disappointing to report that “Project X” doesn’t rise to the lofty expectations it set for itself. That’s not to say it’s a bad movie, but with comparisons to “Superbad” and “The Hangover” in the trailers, the film set its own bar too high. If you’ve somehow managed to not see the trailers for “Project X,” it’s the story of three dudes — because it’s always three — who set out to have a small party in an attempt to become popular, but end up throwing the kind of party most fraternities only dream about. The gags are plentiful, and there are more than enough WTF moments. In particular, the pint-sized security team played by Brady Hender and Nick Nervies steals the show. If “Project X” had focused more on concocting original material — like it did with the security team — and spent less time trying to duplicate something that already exists, it could have been this year’s best R-rated comedy. The real problem with this move lies in the three leads. “Superbad” and “The Hangover” worked because we cared […]

   

• Button Mashing: Mass Effect 3

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  “Mass Effect 3” is right around the corner, and for some gamers, this is the best news they’ve heard in a while. For those unfamiliar with the “Mass Effect” series, this is a great time to get caught up and weigh the decision to jump into the battle to save the galaxy. The original “Mass Effect” was released in November 2007 and earned 91 out of a possible 100 points on the Metacritic rating scale. The storyline of the original game unfolds several hundred years in the future as you take control of a male or female version of the game’s protagonist, Commander Sheppard. Humankind has made technical leaps and bounds; space travel has become instant; and alien technology has finally been found on Mars. When a Prothean Beacon is unearthed on the Earth-like colony of Eden Prime, it is revealed that Saren Arterious, a Spectre — agents who are entrusted with great authority by the Galactic Council — has gone rogue and is leading a race of artificial intelligent aliens known as the Geth. Saren’s purpose behind this attack was to use the beacon and find clues that would lead him to the Conduit, the key component in reviving […]

   

• Third Annual GBAY is Great Success

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 1:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  Raising your hand is a universal way of saying you would like to be heard. When you add in money and items of value, that raised hand is a universal way of saying, “Mine.” The third annual George Mason University GBAY auction drew a large crowd of faculty and students Thursday night fand earned XXXX for Mason’s scholarship fund.  At the time of this printing, the exact amount raised could not be obtained. In addition to the money raised through the auction, all proceeds from Dippin’ Dots ice cream sales during the event went to the scholarship fund. Items up for bid ranged from autographed Mason sports memorabilia to lunch with President Alan Merten. The lunch with Merten sparked a bidding war that ended with a final bid of $150 from junior psychology major Alex Thomas. “I’m really pumped,” Thomas said. “One of my friends and I talked about it and we got one other person to chip in, so it’s only $50 a piece. Besides, it’s lunch with the president who’s done so much for the school over the past 18 years.” One student — a member of Mason’s crew of green-and-gold-morph-suit-wearing G-Men who frequent Mason basketball games — […]

   
• 

  Sub-Radio Standard Wins the Battle of the Bands

  Lifestyle March 8, 2012 at 12:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  On Friday night, five talented bands battled for the chance to open for this year’s Mason Day headliner. From indie to rap/rock, the five gave their all and delivered a stellar show. Walking into the ballroom on the top floor of The Hub (Sub II), students passed by tables offering giveaways. Posters, CDs and sample-size sticks of deodorant were available for students to grab while they jammed out to awesome tunes. The Summer Floods kicked things off with some mellow but engaging indie rock. Longtime readers of Broadside might have recognized front man Ramy Zabarah, the former editor of the style section. Their second song of the evening “It’s a Hurricane!” was a highlight of the set. With a midlevel tempo and Zabarah’s vocals adding to the ambience of the moment, the entire crowd swayed and swooned for the remainder of their performance. With each band only getting 20 minutes to perform, everyone had to bring their A game to win over the judges. As The Summer Floods playlist came to an end, the lights shifted and the crowd migrated to the other end of the room where The 6th Degree kicked things off. Dreamy — that’s the best way […]