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Spectre: A Throwback to Over 50 years of Bond- for Better or Worse

November 30, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

When I entered the theaters to see the latest James Bond film Spectre, I admit i had very high expectations. After the greatness of Skyfall and my own love of the mythology, I was near a fever pitch to see it, especially for the actor Christoph Waltz, an actor who is extremely perfect for any role that has “bond villain” attached to it. And while I overall enjoyed the film, I felt that there were some flaws in it that lowered the bar just a bit from the surprising enjoyment of Skyfall. However it is still a very much enjoyable bond film, a proper conclusion for daniel craig, and a great setup for future films.

At the start of the film, Bond is going behind MI6 orders and directive to uncover a shadowy organization known as SPECTRE and with the help of the daughter of an old enemy (Léa Seydoux) he finds that the chilling leader SPECTRE (Christoph Waltz) has a dark connection to his past- and has been a constant phantom on his life. First off, I will praise the overall look and acting of the film. Daniel Craig shows us again why he’s the perfect (and probably my favorite) James Bond, Christoph Waltz being a good, if underused, bond villain and with many of the supporting cast from Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista (who played a nicely menacing henchman), Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci all doing their job well. This movie probably had the best pre opening credits sequence in any Bond Movie I’ve ever seen, with a very impressive continuous shot of Bond moving through Mexico City’s Day of the Dead celebration and later getting into a fight on a moving helicopter. And while I wasn’t initially crazy about the new Bond song “Writing’s on the Wall,” it worked surprisingly well with the opening credits sequence, which incorporated the infamous SPECTRE organization’s octopus logo in some very creative ways. Overall, I will say that the film feels more like an older Bond film- which is good for fans of the older films, but might cause some ire with those that liked the darker realism of some of Craig’s other films.

Some things I wasn’t crazy about:

The love story. The film has a “love story” between bond and one of the women that didn’t really feel very authentic, certainly not as much as vesper lynd (his love in Casino Royale) and while she was an interesting enough character it seemed a bit rushed and forced.
Ralph Fiennes taking over from Judi Dench as M came off as a little stuff, although he’s a talented enough actor whom I’m hopeful that he can bring some more energy to it later. Additionally the “oldest bond woman” who I was more interested in originally had very little screen time or importance to the plot, which was annoying.
While I found some of the dynamic between Bond and SPECTRE’s leader intresting, I felt a little cheated in the fact that we didn’t see more of the organization as a whole- more members doing more things (in fact my parents had suggested it had been interesting if they had done a “roll call” and had other past bond villain names listed- or something to that effect).
The villain’s main motivations could have also used some more explanations. The one’s given felt a bit empty and lacking to justify the scope of his plans. I definitely felt he was underused and could have had more screentime, things to do, and richer dialogue even. I mean Christoph Waltz is a perfect actor to play a bond villain and I didn’t feel they utilized him well enough.

Since it is Sean Morris reviewing a Bond movie, I will naturally also take a moment to discuss the tailoring. Tom Ford can seemingly do no wrong as Bond’s tailor with a sharp windowpane in the opening scene, incorporation of an revamp of an old look- an ivory jacket on a train ride that hasn’t been seen on bond in decades- and one of my personal favorite of all bond looks- his three piece suit with a pin collar bar, which might be a first for Bond- that also incorporated some throwback elements, including the turnback cuff- a style not seen in ages and in synonymous with Bond. However I wasn’t a fan of his double breasted bridge coat during the funeral scene- it looked dated, unstylish and even ill-fitting. While I believe he only wore the one suit, M’s double breasted chalk stripe looked incredibly well made and it showed off nicely on screen. Andrew scott’s C wore some very trendy outfits that showcased his youth. By contrast, Christoph waltz’s costumes left me with some mixed feelings- partly because it was hard to see some of the details in scenes at night, but I appreciated the incorporation of the nehru jacket (which is synonymous with Bond villains like Dr. No and Blofield) but felt there were some things they could have paired better with it. I was not a fan of how in one look Christoph was sockless and wore loose leather slippers instead- in certain shots it made him look a bit silly and less menacing than he should be.
Overall, this movie worked as an older styled James Bond film. Whether you enjoy it is a matter of taste and preference above all else. And while I thought some of the plot elements could have been better, I’m happy to have this piece of mythology back in the Bond franchise and am curious as to where it will go next.

How To Treat Woman on the First Date: The Do’s and the Don’ts

November 28, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Micah Henry

There are two types of parents, to keep it blunt: the type that encourages you to date and find a woman to call your own and the type that is one hundred percent against dating, absolutely not. However, the second type are usually ignored, because let’s be honest, us guys are curious. Most guys, who are attracted to woman, want a woman. So regardless of what parents say, most of the time we talk to woman, and we date woman. Now what we do when we talk or are on dates with woman is a completely different story. As you might have heard, there are certain things you never ask or tell a woman, and there a certain things you always ask or tell a woman. However, some people don’t know anything about dating and might want to know for the future. These quality points and examples should help anyone in that boat. Now let’s break it down:

The Do’s:

Always be on time for the first date. If you have a date at 6:00. Be ready at 5:30. Get your clothes ready at 5:00. If you can, be at her door by 6:00 to pick her up. Show her that you are about it, and that you are interested in her. Having punctuality and showing assertiveness on the first date will make a woman see you as someone who is interested. Investing time in a woman and making her feel special will lead to happier times. Don’t play around when it comes to being on time, show her that you like her. From experience, I was late for a date when I was in 10th grade and the overall energy was down and it was even kind of awkward. I was never told anything definite, the girl and I do not talk now, but I am pretty sure me being late, an hour to be exact, was a bad first impressions, and first impressions are everything, leading on to my next point.
Dress to impress, if you can. If I were to go on a date, a nice button down, some chinos and some deck shoes is a perfect outfit. Make sure to have the fresh haircut down, as well. A tie, dress down shirt, leather belt and leather shoes, matching the colors of course, also makes for a great outfit. Looking presentable will show your date you have taken this date into consideration and have taken it seriously, a great first impression. This was probably the only plus of my date aforementioned, I looked rather fresh.
Please, always compliment your date when you first see them and throughout the night. Recently, I went out with a girl, recently meaning during the summer, and I gave her more compliments than I usually do. I do not know why, I mean I liked her clearly, but I was not shy at all about it. Don’t be scared to let her know she looks pretty, or smells good, or you like her shoes or jacket, show her you are paying attention to her. Making her feel special is the key to getting the woman that you want.
Listen to her. On every date I have been on, I’ve listened to my date. One, its just rude not to. Also you should want to listen to her and get to know her better, having eye contact is very important. Hear what she has to say. As a relationship goes on, a woman is going to learn to trust you. She will only learn to trust you if you show you are willing to listen. If she’s talking about how her cat getting lost or what she had for dinner last night, pay attention. You should want to pay attention if you are into her. You should want to know everything about her, show her you want her, and she’ll want you too, guaranteed.

The Don’ts:

1. Don’t act like you do not care about your date or it is just another thing to do. Showing any signs that you are not as interested as a woman is leaves a horrible first impression. Be punctual. If you are late, and for good reason, make sure you let her know your reasoning. Do not play around and see how she’ll react if you just come an hour to the restaurant. Show the woman you are interested in her. Don’t do anything that might make her think otherwise.

2. Looks, no matter how much people say personality matters more, looks are very important. Wearing blue jeans, a t-shirt, a baseball cap and some G Fazos to a first date at an excellent restaurant isn’t dressing to impress. Show her that you aren’t just throwing clothes on last minute. Looking sloppy on a first date, smelling nasty as well, is one of the worst first impressions. For every woman deserves someone who is going to respect them enough to look good with them. So why would a woman want a relationship with someone who doesn’t care to look nice on the first date?

3. Don’t talk about yourself. Or at least, not too much to the point where it’s obvious you are not listening to her. The more you listen, the more you’ll learn. The more you learn, the more you have to talk about there and in the future. If you just talk about yourself, and what you’re like, and what you do for fun, etc. She will grow uninterested because it becomes clear rather quickly that you are more interested about yourself then her. It leaves her thinking that you don’t care about her.

4. Lastly, do not, do not, do not, do not, bring up any mentioning, recognition, or anything, anything at all, about your exes. This has to be engraved into every single restaurant table in the world, so you can never forget. But in all seriousness, don’t do it. Bringing up your ex shows almost instantaneously to your date that an ex would most likely be involved if she were to take it any further. It is the epitome of turn offs and it will mess you up.

During a first date, it is either the beginning of something that you will remember in your mind forever, negative or positive, or it will end before it begins. Make sure it doesn’t end before it begins. If you aren’t really feeling a woman, or you aren’t sure, be mature and call off the date. Don’t lead a woman on, it’s not fair to her and won’t benefit anyone. First dates and first impressions are very important to the start of any relationship, take the opportunity, and go for it.

Star Wars: Will the Expectations Achieve Our Hopes?

November 23, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Image from Star Wars producers and Lucasfilm.

In less than a month, Star Wars The Force Awakens will be released worldwide for the world, which is in a fever pitch and is already breaking records, will be released. This will be the seventh film in the Star Wars saga. We have seen the initial movie trailer, which has the most views than any movie trailer set the bar for this film.

Like many huge fans of the series I have seen them all a dozen times. The series really set the bar for science fiction film that few films have approached. But like in 1999, most people were thrilled about the Phantom Menace just like how we are today. There were celebrations, parties and even camp outs for the midnight release in 1999. People would see other films in theatres to get to watch one trailer- just like today. That was before we had advanced internet but the hype was the same.

The only expectation that will surely meet is the box office. This might become the most viewed movie in theatres of all time worldwide. Current;y the previous six have all cracked the top 65 movies in box office of all time. The Phantom Menace is the 6th highest grossing movie of all time. Avatar, directed by James Cameron has the highest grossing movie of all time following Titanic- another James Cameron movie. On opening weekend there will be we’ll over $200 million due to the popularity of this franchise.. The movie will cross $2.5 billion if it is that good. This is encouraging to the filmmakers but we will have to see if they truly earned that money. Already the film has $50 million in pre ticket sales, doubling the previous record.

So how does SLA feel about the upcoming film? Do they believe their expectations will be met?

Overall there has been some confidence in the film. Many Rockets are excited to see the characters of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and other to be continued. Our own math teacher; Brad Latimer stated “I am very excited to see how the story develops.” This is really why the story has been continued. To show one of the best science fiction storylines played out to its potential.

Brandon Jones has a different opinion. He thinks every generation deserves a Star Wars series. For example, he refers to our adults having the original series as kids. For teenagers of today, we had the prequels of how Anakin Skywalker came to become a Sith. “The 7th film is necessary because this generation deserves a proper Star Wars experience.” Some of SLA thinks that this film is for our enjoyment and for the kids to have a chance for a 2015 Star Wars film.

Sean Morris, senior at SLA thinks a seventh installment is unnecessary. He believes it shouldn’t have been produced, as he felt the story had a naturally conclusion, despite his excitement for the talent working on the film. He refers to the fact “many of the producers grew up loving it” watching George Lucas’ original three films. So the legacy of Luke Skywalker and Star Wars remains while adding onto the saga. He thinks the “astronomical expectations” on J.J. Abrams and for The Force Awakens are unfair. Many of the SLA community think you just can’t “beat” the originals. Sean said the he will give the film “a chance” and has mixed, but overall positive feelings about it.

There are many predictions coming out for this new film. Sean Morris says it will be the “highest grossing” movie of all time. As an avid fan and SLA student I think this is very possible. Jason Greene, a junior at SLA says he thinks Han Solo will die in this new series and have Star Wars fans losing their minds.

The expectations are fairly high at SLA. Most people think this will be a good movie but far from a classic. We received as low as a 3 for an expectation to a 4.5/5 in expectations. From everyone’s favorite math teacher, we received a 4.13852 out of 5 for an expectation. This is a very high expectation from a person who disregards the prequels as Star Wars movies. Of all the expectations set for this next film, the average expectation was around 3.9/5.

There’s a lot to hope for with Abrams’ directing the new series. The bar has been set very high and the only way to meet it is to make a terrific movie. The question on everyone’s mind is will this be another Phantom Menace, or an original when it comes to quality. As fans we can do one of two things: cheer, or boo. Let’s all hope we cheer and enjoy one of the finest film series to ever hit the screens return. We all are more than ready.

Summer Institute 2015

November 20, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By: Sydney Rogers

As incoming freshman were getting prepared for their first day of school, SLA had offered a summer institute. s and was a way for the new comers to get to know the school a little bit better. Summer institute was not mandatory but was strongly advised. Although there were teachers, faculty members, and advisors guiding the freshman there was also a number of upperclassmen students who had volunteered to help work summer institute. The orientation was a way for freshman to get a taste of what their first day would be like. They were separated into groups called “Expedition Groups” and were designated a spot in Philly. They asked questions about their location, they researched and dug deeper, and at the end the freshman planned and created a project.

Summer institute was experienced differently by freshman and their upperclassmen guides. Freshman,Christina Santana says:“It was fun in a way for me to meet new people, but I didn’t know one person who was here And it helped me adjust to the SLA kind of learning style. It prepared me for what kind of work we would be given and it showed me where to go for certain classes.” The majority of the freshman who participated in the institution felt this way. Although they were busy working on their projects, there was plenty of time to get to know the students they are going to be spending the next four years with. The upperclassmen who worked at the institute were a good resource to the newcomers who seeked answers and advice from those who had experience in the SLA field. Sarah Berg, a freshman who attended summer institute this summer says, “One of them [upperclassmen] made me feel more comfortable on the first day by just like talking to me and being really friendly.” Sarah wasn’t the only freshman who had a similar experience. Many of them recall their upperclassmen guides as good role models and gained advice.

Summer institution was informative and helpful to many or all freshman who attended. They made lasting memories, and overall it made it so incredibly easier for all the freshman on their first day of school. They were more comfortable because of summer institute and it was an experience that shaped their very first day at Science Leadership Academy.

Like A Good Neighbor State Farm is There-With $100,000

November 20, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By: Majd Bostani

Science Leadership Academy has a reputation of caring about its’ engineering department. SLA made that boldly obvious when they hired one of the coolest people many high schoolers know. Mr. Kamal, SLA’s engineering teacher is the authority on futuristic technology and engineering! Mr. Kamal has some tremendous things on his resume, and that helps him make SLA’s engineering department one of the best in the city.

Mr. Kamal holds both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Before working for SLA, he owned a software company for twenty-five years and worked for General Electric as a spacecraft designer for eight years. That’s right, he designed the spacecraft for NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration! If that doesn’t make him sound like a great engineer, I don’t know what does!

Mr. Kamal and I specifically talked about the grants that SLA’s engineering department has received.

When asked about where his grants came from he proudly stated, “We received over two hundred thousand dollars from many major corporations over the past six months!” SLA Engineering’s largest grant came from State Farm for about one hundred thousand dollars. Among other grants were forty-five thousand dollar grants from Braskem, a Brazilian petrochemical company, as well as Axalta Coating Systems, a performance automotive paint company. SLA Engineering also received grants from the United States Navy, Boeing Aircraft Company, Lowe’s, and Dow Chemical.

“That money is funding numerous projects that SLA Engineering is working on,” Mr. Kamal stated. “Among those projects are an engineering makerspace, a metal machine shop, and funding for our Robotics team,”

SLA’s Robotics Team is once again competing at the FIRST Robotics Competitions.

“It takes a lot of dedication to build a winning robotics team,” Mr Kamal added. “With our grant, we hope to be able to buy better tools for our team to build robots with,” Mr. Kamal reassured.
I, on behalf of SLAMedia congratulate Mr. Kamal and the entire SLA Engineering and Robotics Team on this grant.