Arts + Entertainment

Arts Entertainment

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  Drama Club Performs “Comedia Tonight!” Entertains Crowds

  Every year the Wilson College's drama club, the Kittochtinny Players put on a play. This year, the play is a bit different.

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  Movie Review: An Actor's Best Friend is His Director

  I love movies about making movies. When I heard last year the film Hitchcock, starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, was about one of my favorite directors making Psycho, one of my favorite films, I couldn’t wait to go see it.

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  Movie Review: The Greatest Manhunt in History

  In the wake of the September 11th attacks there have been dozens of movies made dealing with the homefront aftermath of the events, the multiple wars conducted in the name of freedom and countless theories as to how we became a target and got involved in what seems to be endless war with people that may or may not even exist half-way around the world. Most of these films are poorly done, jingoist fodder and usually forgotten a few weeks after their release.

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  Movie Review: Top Ten Movies of 2012

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  Movie Review: We Need a Hero!

  Wreck-It-Ralph is one of few solo Disney films (without the assistance of the wizards at Pixar) of the past decade or so that actually works.

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  Juried Student Art Exhibition Showcases Campus Talent

  The Wilson College Department of Fine Arts and Dance organized the Juried Student Art Exhibition 2013, which was held in the Bogigian Gallery from Feb. 27 – Mar. 22. The Juror for this year’s exhibition was Holly Strayer, regional artist and art educator at the Chambersburg Area Senior High School.

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  Art Exhibit at State Museum Increases Visibility and Rewards Students’ Efforts

  The art department just might be Wilson’s best kept secret. Assoc. Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey and Assoc. Professor of Fine Arts Robert Dickson are making big things happen for their department.

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  Movie Review: Two Score and Seven Years Ago, the World was Introduced to Daniel Day-Lewis

  I cannot think of a better actor today than Daniel Day-Lewis. With little more than a dozen films during his career, Day-Lewis has raised the bar for what it means to be a screen actor. He does so again with Lincoln, Steven Spielberg’s long awaited cinematic interpretation of the sixteenth president’s life, but here the director does something different than the standard birth to death story.

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  Movie Review: The CIA Makes Stars Wars (Well, Kinda)

  A movie that everyone's talking about, Argo, the newest film from actor/director Ben Affleck, is catching a great deal of early Oscar buzz, and shockingly it's justified.

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  Orchesis Fall Performance Excites and Captures Audience

  Orchesis, Wilson College's modem dance ensemble, presented their performance on Nov. 9 and 10 at Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio.

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  Movie Review: Hoffman’s The Master is Unfortunately Not a Masterpiece

  Joaquin Phoenix looks like hell in The Master, the new experience from Oscar-nominated director Paul Thomas Anderson, his first film since his masterpiece There Will be Blood five years ago.

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  Movie Review: The Dark Knight’s Darkest, and Perhaps, Finest Hour

  The darkest chapter by far in the groundbreaking series, as well as the first PG-13 movie I would advise parents to view before their children; The Dark Knight Rises arrived to theaters a few months ago to millions of movie goers waiting with bated breath as to how director Christopher Nolan would end his critically acclaimed revamp of the Batman mythology. Will Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) die? Will Gotham flourish or burn in flames? And, this reviewer’s most asked question, will Anne Hathaway sink her claws into or merely scratch the surface of the role of Catwoman?

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  Orchesis Ensemble Communicates with Audiences "On Edge"

  Twenty four dancers wearing casual dress, but serious faces seized the dance studio. Dancers walked around the chairs, suddenly stopped walking, sat on chairs and began moving to the music. Audiences who sat in front of the dancers tried to understand and interpret the dancers’ movements.

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  Movie Review: Critics and Audiences Clash over The Tree of Life

  I’ve received several negative comments for my pick as the best film of 2011: Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, a movie that divided critics and audiences, some calling it a pretentious piece of crap and others calling it an astounding masterpiece. I obviously agree with the latter and hopefully this review will make clear why this unique film made its way to number one on my (and many others) top 10 list.

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  The band Fun. Strikes Out With 'Some Nights'

  Indie-pop rock band Fun. released their second album, Some Nights, on Tues, Feb. 21. Fronted by Nate Ruess, formerly of the The Format, the inventive New York Trio delivers spacious, theatrical sounds with some hit and miss success.

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  Act of Valor Sets Documentary Sites on Military Action

  Act of Valor, a film directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, premiered on Feb. 24, 2011. The film focuses on seven Navy SEALS, who jump from country to country tracking a terrorist cell with links in multiple countries. While the film provides the look and feel of action, without the strength and acting of the action film genre.  

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  From Thundering Tales of Heartbreak to Poetic Lullabies: The Best Albums of 2011

  As the new year begins, a look back into this year's top artists offerings illuminates the new and enduring artists to come.

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  The Artist to be a Surprise Mega-hit of the Year

  The Artist, a black and white silent French film about a mega-film star of the 1920s golden age of Hollywood and his decline with the advent of talkies, is an extraordinary movie sure to make you embrace the art and love of movie making more than anything else ever before released in recent memory.

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  Dance Department Stays "en Pointe" Offering Free Ballet Classes to Community

  Every Monday on the hardwood floors of the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio, 40 arms sway back and forth while 40 feet plie in ballet formation. The arms and legs belong to students, faculty, staff and community members who participate in the first free ballet class offered courtesy of the Fine Arts and Dance Department.

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  Billboard Cinephile Names Best Films of 2011

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  Get Addicted to 'Contagion'

  I have to admit that as I write this review for Contagion, a new epidemic dramatic thriller from the always unpredictable Steven Soderbergh, I’m periodically blowing my nose and coughing. There’s probably some irony in that, but I’m in such an over-the-counter drug induced state, I can’t figure it out.

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  Buzzcuts and Color Spark Interest for Approaching Winter

  Fashion and hair styles come from popular culture. Often, inspiration comes from the most unique places, notably psychedelic cartoons, animé or celebrities with a flair for difference. Most students rush to class without much thought given to how other students style their hair.

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  Dance Scholar Tangles Audience in the Works of Loïe Fuller

  Leading scholar of Loïe Fuller and Artistic Director of Time Lapse Dance, Jodie Sperling, visited campus on Wed, Nov. 30 to dedicate a lecture on the connection of Fuller’s art, modern cinema‘s use of lighting and modern dance.

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  Movie Review: Singh’s Latest Film ‘Immortals’ Lacks Depth of Character

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  ‘Million Dreams’ Nails the Scene

  Despite his entrance onto the country music scene four years ago, and his Grammy nomination in 2011, David Nail is still considered a relatively unknown artist in the genre. His second album, The Sound of a Million Dreams has already surpassed his previous work, no doubt due to its unique music and relatable lyrics that fans will grow to love.

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  Tran’s Abstract Sculptures Dialog with his Vietnamese and Chinese Identity

• von Trier’s 'Melancholia' and the Infinite Sadness

  It’s the end of the world as we know it, but do you feel fine? If you are a character in Lars von Trier’s new film Melancholia then it depends on your mental state.

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  Orchesis Ensemble Pushes Limits with ‘On Edge - Dances on the Brink’

  On Fri., Nov. 11 and Sat, Nov. 12, Orchesis performed in the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio. The Orchesis ensemble’s performance not only presented a dance, but also delivered a message.

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  Twin Atlantic Revives Pop-Rock with Passionate Album Free

  While North American pop-rock bands are drowning in unoriginality, an underground quartet from Glasgow, Scotland is breathing life to the genre. After rising to popularity in the United Kingdom, Twin Atlantic released their first full-length album, Free, produced by Gil Norton (Jimmy Eat World, Bayside, Foo Fighters) on May 2, 2011.
  

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  “Drizzy” Drake Raps for Real This Time in Take Care

  For all those Drake lovers out there, expect his new album Take Care to hit stores on Mon, Oct. 24. The rap world and Drake fanatics are raving about his upcoming sophomore album. It has been over a year since his last album Thank Me Later.

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  Annual Arts Day Encourages Interdisciplinary Creativity

  This year, Arts Day was held on Wed, Oct. 5. Activities took place in Lenfest Commons and Lortz Hall as well as outdoors. The activities started around 10:00am and lasted the entire day.

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  Matisyahu’s Album Youth Offers Optimism for Peace

  Youth is the second studio album from singer Matisyahu, releaed after the Live at Stubbs Austin, TX studio album. His album continues to attracts new fans. It resides among the Billboard’s top 200.

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  Hochendoner’s Paintings Suggest a Dreamy Obscurity

  The college campus was invited to attend the opening reception of Mary Hochendoner’s paintings on Thurs, Sept. 29. The exhibit ran from Sept. 8 to Oct. 14 in the Bogigian Gallery located in Lortz Hall. Her work has a dreamy obscurity that Hochendoner says, "appears and disappears suggesting the reality of emptiness."

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  Thrice’s Sound Continues to Evolve in Newest Album Major/Minor

  The California-based rock band, Thrice, is notorious for delivering studio albums which represent nearly every type of genre. Their newest release, Major/Minor takes the best parts of their first three albums and combines them into a raw, grunge sound reminiscent of the 1990s.

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  The King's Speech: A King Finds His Voice and a Nation Discovers Its Leader

  Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter give the three best performances of the year in The King's Speech, a British drama by director Tom Hooper about a somewhat forgotten figure in British history, King George VI, probably best known today as the father of Elizabeth II.

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  There's No Sitting on the Fence with 'Fences'

  If you did not pay attention last year, the self-titled debut album, Fences, may have flown under your radar. With just ten tracks, Fences does not look like a full-length studio album should. However, looks can be deceiving. Fences is one of the best albums of 2010 that you might have missed.

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  Harp Orchestra Performs at Chapel

  On Mar. 5, a different kind of music filled the Alumnae Chapel. At 7:30pm the Brandywine Harp Orchestra filled the chapel with harp music. Their songs included selections such as "Brian Bory's March," "Swan LK 243," "Moondance," "King of the Fairies" and "America the Beautiful".

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  Orchesis' Spring Performance explores the idea of “crossing boundaries”

  On Fri and Sat, April 16 and 17, the Wilson college dance ensemble, Orchesis, showed its Spring performance. Dealing with many different issues like women's condition, duality and the crossing of boundaries, the pieces were more political than ever before according to its main choreographer, Paula Kellinger.

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  Wilson Writer's Series Poets Speak Provocative Prose

  Poet D.O. Moore needed no preparation before Assoc. Prof. of English, Michael Cornelius introduced her to the audience last week at the Wilson Writer's Series. She seemed excited and ready to share her work with the crowd as everyone applauded her appearance at the podium.

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  Elisabetta Gut’s Debut in America Features Old Theme with a New Interpretation

  The heavy and light sentiments swing back and forth throughout Elisabetta Gut's exhibition. Sometimes the splash of colors and delicate pieces make you smile and recall your carefree childhood, other times the deep tone and expressive rendering of paints strike your heart with sympathy and agony.

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  Wilson Students "Act Out" During Class

  There is new drama at Wilson College. Theater 100 (THE 100) and Prof. Richard Shoap are its source.

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  The Ryan Payne Band

  Ryan Payne performed at Wilson Thompson Chapel on Wed, Mar. 22. The Ryan Payne Band's infectious hooks and poignant lyrics have been inspiring and encouraging fans since its beginnings.

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  The Rocketz Releases Album with Psychobilly Power

  I had the opportunity to hear the three-piece, East L.A. Psychobilly band, The Rocketz, play live this past weekend. Buying their most recent album Rise of the Undead was top priority by the end of the night. Their live energy transfers well to their album.

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  In Case You Missed It: Top Albums of 2010

  As the year comes to an end it is time to look at some standout albums of 2010. If you haven't picked these albums up yet, there is still time.

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  Peruvian Rap Reveals "Revolutionary" Power

  Peruvian rapper Immortal Technique's first album, Revolutionary Vol. 1 has been around for almost nine years, and to this day it demands to be heard. The underground artist compiled some of the most brutally realistic and emotionally powerful lyrics in the past decade.

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  Arcade Fire’s New Release is Smokin'

  With their new album The Suburbs, Arcade Fire announces their return to indie rock and reminds listeners what true writing talent is. Hailing from Canada, Arcade Fire is fronted by Win Butler and Régine Chassagne and backed by five other members.

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  The Hello Strangers Become Familiar to Wilson

  Even over the phone, the sister songwriters—Brechyn and Larissa—and singers of local Mercersburg band The Hello Strangers, have a captivating presence that transfers just as well on the phone as it does in their music.

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  Soletta Reveals the Road Back to Optimism in Latest Effort

  Pop punk music is characteristic for its shaggy haired front men and regretful messages spoken through minor-chord melodies. A Philadelphia-based quintet, Soletta, provides an optimistic get away for the faithful pop-punk audience with their second EP The Road Back Home released in August .

• Trey Frey's Dance Party is 8-bit Gold

  Before three dimensional images, before highly realistic characters, before orchestrated soundtracks, there was 8-bit video games. Graphics were simple, the music simpler.

• Bask in the sun on the Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach"

  The Gorillaz are back with their third project, Plastic Beach, a far cry from the hip-hop of their past two albums.

• Top Ten Films of 2010

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  Inception: Don’t Worry, It’s All Just A Dream

  I hate movie reviews that praise a new film with such grandiose acclaim like "the greatest film ever" or "the best performance of all time." These kinds of snippets put such unrealistic expectations on the film and ultimately disappoint most audience members. That said,

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  In Toy Story 3, the Time for Play Has Come to an End

  I have to admit, the first time I watched Toy Story 3 a few tears came to my eyes. Who would have thought a movie about bits of plastic and cloth could elicit so much emotion? But the Toy Story films are about a lot more than toys; they are about friendship, recapturing childhood and, most of all, love.

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  “Outsourced": a Comedy Ride Driven by an Ugly American

  Office based sitcoms such as The Office and Parks and Recreation are windows that reflect, magnify and show an audience the humor in everyday office routines and relationships. These shows work on a cultural level playing field. Too bad, there is not a cultural level playing field in the new NBC sitcom Outsourced.

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  Grandin Fascinates HBO Audiences

  Over the years HBO has continued to produced outstanding mini-series and made-for-TV movies that rapidly became the benchmark for which all other television productions are judged. While many of their films focus on prominent historical figures such as John Adams, Elizabeth I and Franklin Roosevelt, from time to time they release a movie on lesser-known, but nevertheless, important figures such as, most recently, Jack Kevorkian and Temple Grandin.

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  Before "She Played with Fire" and "Kicked the Hornet’s Nest," She Had a Tattoo

  Director and co-scriptwriter Niels Arden Oplev gives an interesting and not altogether successful film treatment of the late Stieg Larsson's international bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But even with some major flaws, Larsson's timely theme of the novel, the treatment and perception of women in Sweden, is still intact.

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  Movie Review: Inception

  Inception is a mind-bending sci-fi laced with action and mystery starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joeseph Gordon-Levitt and Ken Wantanabe. It was also one of the biggest box-office hits of the summer.

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  Oscar Winner May Change Future for Wilson Students

  Bigelow's Hurt Locker changes the gender dynamics of filmmaking.

• "Kick-Ass" Gives Viewers a Sugar-High

  Amid controversy sponsored by some religious and parent organizations, as well as a large movie theater chain refusing to show the film, Kick-Ass emerges gleefully unabashed of its obscenity and, surprisingly, is one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in quite awhile. I do not, however, recommend this movie to everyone.

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  Juried Student Art Exhibition Draws Artists

  The Wilson College Department of Fine Arts and Dance is taking submissions for works of art for the Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition. Any enrolled Wilson College student is encouraged to enter.

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  Orchesis is "On Edge" in Preparation for Spring Performance

  Wilson's modern dance ensemble, Orchesis, is putting on the final touches for their Spring performance in April. This year, the theme of the dance(s) focus on the idea of working on the cutting edge, "art you don't see in mainstream media," says Paula Kellinger, Prof. of Dance and advisor of Orchesis.

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  Bogigian Gallery Presents Baltimore Artist's Work Inspired by the Mason-Dixon Line

• "The Outlet" Embraces a Variety of Dance Styles

  Orchesis will sponsor a dance performance that features dance styles other than modern dance. It calls for student choreographers to join and plans to present a performance called "The Outlet" in April.

• Shippensburg Features V-Day Theatrical Play

  This month Shippensburg University will be hosting their annual performance of "The Vagina Monologues" on Feb. 16 through Feb. 19.

• Kittochtinny Players Declare Cast for Greek Tragedy of Antigone

  On Tues, Nov. 28 Richard Shoap, director of The Antigone of Sophocles, An English Version and Wilson's adjunct Prof. of Theater, finalized Antigone's casting results. Antigone's Assistant Director and President of the Kittochtinny Players, Candice Grant, collaborated with Shoap during the decision making process. Auditions took place on Sun, Nov. 21 and Mon, Nov. 22 in the Allen Auditorium of Warfield Hall. During the auditions, potential candidates warmed up with a theater game. Shoap then assigned them scenes from the play's script to read. Each candidate read about three or four times.

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  Jeanine Durning Illuminates a Philosophy of Presence Through Speech and Movement

  On Fri. Oct 15 at the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio, choreographer and performer Jeanine Durning presented her spoken word and dance performance titled "inging."

• Inception Meets Audience’s Hope

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  Alumnae Return to Wilson And Exhibit Their Paintings at Bogigian Gallery

  The Wilson College Bogigian Gallery welcomes two alumnae to showcase their paintings at their alma mater.

  The two alumnae, Libby Manchester Gilpatric '62 and Linda Sargent Beach '71, attended the reception on Fri, Oct. 29 and each gave an artist's talk.

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  Frightful Fun: Field of Screams is a must-see

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  Art Exhibition Blooms to Life at Wilson’s Bogigian Gallery

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  Antigone is on Her Way to Wilson College