Lifestyle

Straw Dogs: Not a Classic But Worth Your Dollars

Lifestyle September 19, 2011 at 5:57 pm Comments are Disabled

When a screenwriter from Los Angeles returns to his wife’s hometown in Mississippi to get away from it all and start writing again, things take a twisted turn when locals make his life a living nightmare. If you turn to the opinion section you’ll see my little rant about Hollywood remakes lately. My question being, what’s the point? Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 “Straw Dogs” was an intense film about what happens when a man finally reaches his breaking point. The new remake follows suit, but like most remakes, it breaks no new ground. It’s not a terrible film, though. The biggest obstacle facing the movie is the fact that the original exists and thus invites comparisons. THe leap from Dustin Hoffman to James Marsden is probably the biggest comparison I found myself making. How many times have we seen Dustin Hoffman kick ass on film? I’m kind of drawing a blank. James Marsden, though, I mean the dude played Cyclops. Much of what made the first one so impactful was watching an everyman snap. Seeing someone who’s shot lasers out of his eyes do it just made me nod my head in approval. Alexander Skarsgard of “True Blood” fame turns in […]
Sexual Chocolate — Educational or Not?

Lifestyle September 12, 2011 at 2:24 pm Comments are Disabled

Chocolate. Dildos. Trojans. Lube. Do you think you’d find these sexual knick-knacks at a campus event?
Living In a Hearing World

Lifestyle September 12, 2011 at 2:23 pm Comments are Disabled

Most college students could never fathom being self-taught all of their lives. For Scott Smith, this scenario is a reality.
Fall TV Preview

Lifestyle September 12, 2011 at 2:19 pm Comments are Disabled

With popular shows coming back this fall you may think it’ll be tough for all the new shows premiering to make it big. Well, you may want to think again. CBS’s “A Gifted Man” and “Person of Interest” are creating some buzz among those who love dramas and the supernatural. “Gifted Man” delves into the latter, so if you’re looking for something like “Ghost Whisperer” with a bit more pizzazz, then this is the perfect show for you. “Person of Interest” is sparking some interest among those who loved “Minority Report.” It takes the movie’s set-up a step farther, becoming a CIA crime show wrapped up in politics. “Person” will definitely be the “Inception” for TV-watchers this fall. “Charlie’s Angels” and “Pan Am” seem as though they’re going to be the biggest crowd-pleasers for ABC this fall. Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor and Annie Ilonzeh are going to be playing the female crime-fighting trio from the classic series of the ‘70s. With luck, they’ll be able to live up to the original, and keep crime at bay with their groovy ways. “Pan Am” takes us back to the ‘60s when flying on planes was hot and the flight attendants were hotter. […]
How to Cure a Hangover

Lifestyle September 12, 2011 at 2:17 pm Comments are Disabled

Turning 21 is a rite of passage for Americans: It symbolizes the acquisition of the last major legal right — the license to legally consume alcohol. Naturally, it’s well within one’s rights to knock back a few drinks with friends on this special day, but, like many other good things, it’s easy to get carried away. If, and when, this happens, you’re going to wake up feeling terrible. In other words, you’ll have a hangover. Now, the science behind hangovers is fuzzy at best. We do know that alcohol inhibits the antidiuretic hormone which tells your kidneys when you need to use the bathroom, hence the excessive urination during alcohol consumption. This dries out your body, resulting in constricted brain cells and therefore a horrible headache in the morning. Other symptoms to look forward to include nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, diarrhea and a bad mood. Luckily, there are a few simple remedies that will alleviate your self-induced pain. First, there are some definite don’ts when it comes to hangover relief. The phrase “the hair of the dog that bit you” refers to drinking more alcohol when you wake up. While this might numb the pain and provide temporary […]
‘Contagion’ Tells Us What We Already Know

Lifestyle September 12, 2011 at 2:16 pm Comments are Disabled

I’m not a germaphobe. I don’t feel the need to use Purell after every bit of human contact I have. When the swine flu, bird flu or any flu for that matter is announced, I don’t run out and grab face masks or get the super vaccine. Now that I’ve seen “Contagion,” though, I might actually think about it. “Contagion” is definitely what I would call a slow burn. It takes its story telling cues from the likes of “Traffic,” “Crash” and any other movie that follows the lives of multiple, seemingly unrelated people. This time, viewers watch as the characters deal with an unstoppable virus that decimates the world’s population. If you’ve seen “Outbreak,” you may think that you’re going to be in for a similar ride, but you’re not. Where “Outbreak” delivered a tightly wound action thriller in which a few people try to stop a virus while simultaneously debating the extremes to which humans should morally go in order to prevent a disaster, “Contagion” is a bleak story simply about surviving. Don’t get me wrong: I definitely think the film succeeded. The entire time I was watching, I couldn’t help but think about bathing in that Purell […]
Fall For the Book — What You Need to Know

Lifestyle September 12, 2011 at 2:08 pm Comments are Disabled

Each fall semester, George Mason University students and the surrounding community anticipate the arrival of the Fall for the Book festival, during which readers can connect with authors and attend various events. The annual celebration has grown significantly over the years, starting out as a two-day festival and now featuring six days of events. This year marks the 13th anniversary of the festival and will showcase nearly 150 authors from different stylistic backgrounds. Fall for the Book is not limited to the Mason campus and features additional locations around northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. What makes Fall for the Book so different is its ability to let readers interact with authors on a higher level. “At some book fairs, the only chance you get to meet or hear an author is the minute you have with them while they’re signing a book before they move on to the next person in line,” said Kara Oakleaf, manager of Fall for the Book. “The individual readings allow the audience to hear from authors in their own events, and it really gives authors more time to read, more time to talk about their work and their writing process, more time to talk with […]
Martial Arts Star Speaks at Center for the Arts’ Kungfu Show

Lifestyle August 29, 2011 at 4:01 pm Comments are Disabled

George Mason University’s Center for the Arts played host to the World Champion Wushu Kungfu Show on Aug. 14, where over 20 of the world’s best Wushu kungfu athletes shared a stage for the first time.
Helpful products every student should have for the new school year

Lifestyle August 29, 2011 at 3:59 pm Comments are Disabled

Dorm supplies purchased, summer shopping completed, bags packed and expectations set, a throng of Patriots return to their second home in Fairfax.
Trio of musicians serenades Hampton Roads residents with ‘elevator jams’

Lifestyle May 2, 2011 at 11:26 pm Comments are Disabled

If you had a soundtrack to your life, what songs would appear on the playlist?