A&E

Movie Review: Get Out

March 21, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Mekhi Granby

Staff Writer

Last weekend, I went and saw “Get Out.”

My only expectations for the movie was for it to be super good as I was told it would be by a friend and my sister who had already seen the movie. I didn’t watch the trailer at all, so I had no prior knowledge about anything concerning the film. Usually, I could care less about movies and keeping up with them. But this movie was different. So much excitement was building up inside me in the days leading up to seeing it. I think the reason is because all the good comments I heard about the movie and the movie being completely new (non-sequel or remake).

I got to see it on a Friday at the Rave Cinemas in West Philadelphia. As soon as the movie started, I was so engaged, my mind is constantly racing and it’s easy for me to slip into a daydream or just not be paying attention but this wasn’t the case for Get Out. From the beginning of the movie my eyes were glued to the screen, I didn’t want to miss any small clues or important information.

For those who don’t know, without giving anything away: Get Out tells a story of an interracial relationship between Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). They’re at the “meeting parents” stage in the relationship and Rose decides to invite Chris over her parents house to meet them. Chris and Rose arrive and things start getting crazy as Chris slowly realizes the truth about the Armitage family. From the beginning things seem a little strange to Chris but as the film unfolds, so does the truth.

In the beginning I was calm and relaxed but towards the middle my jaw slowly started to drop as things got intense. A factor that made the movie ten times more enjoyable for me was the audience. In those intense scenes, reactions were heard by multiple people across the theater and most of the stuff that was said was what I was thinking. Some of the reactions throughout the movie were “I KNEW IT!”, “OH MY GOD!,” “NO SHE DIDN’T!,” and “DON’T DO IT!”

The callouts weren’t directed towards the main character as they normally are in horror films. Instead they were directed towards the people affecting the main character and the actions concerning him. Nobody seemed irritated or annoyed by the callouts in the theater, the screening went perfectly in my opinion.

Towards the end of the movie my jaw was completely dropped, I was on the edge of my seat, I was so amazed by the scenes and I even made some callouts of my own as I was so shocked by what I was seeing.

After the movie I was completely satisfied by the film, it was everything that I was told it would be.

While leaving the theater I couldn’t stop smiling. I was ecstatic that I seen the movie and I was happy with how it ended. I came to the conclusions that I should give movies more of a chance instead of completely dismissing them without seeing a trailer or knowing anything about it.

There are countless amounts of messages and references to things going in today’s society found within the film. It makes ties to slavery while shining a light on a new concept. During an interview with HipHopDX, Peele said he wrote the script while Obama was president and that Get Out is very relevant in today’s society.

Get Out is a very eye-opening, edge of the seat type of movie. As I was watching, some of the events were predictable but it kept me guessing at the same time. It added a new perspective to my inventory and made me more cautious about several things.

Concert Review: Panic! At the Disco

March 7, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Going to see one of your favorite bands is the best feeling in the world. Screaming out the lyrics and admiring the presence of your favorite person is like no other experience. On February 25th, the Wells Fargo Center had the honor of holding a Panic! At the Disco concert. Philadelphia was the second show on the North American leg of The Death of a Bachelor tour.

Lead singer Brendon Urie is a fantastically talented man, having a very large vocal range. Panic! At the Disco formed in 2004. Brendon is the only original member remaining since the others have left. They are described as a rock band from Las Vegas, but every album of theirs contains a slightly different sound while retaining the same theatrical feel.

Their most famous songs are “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”, “Nine in the Afternoon”, and recently, “Victorious”. The band’s newest album, Death of a Bachelor, was nominated for a Grammy this year under the best rock category. Unfortunately, they lost to Cage the Elephant.

On The Death of a Bachelor tour, there are two opening acts, Misterwives and Saint Motel. Both have an indie pop sound but stay unique to their own styles. They put on a spectacular show, it was honestly mind-blowing. Having them on before Panic! was something that I didn’t know I needed, and now I have been listening to those bands ever since.

To sum up this concert in two words, all I have to say is Brendon Urie. His talent is unbelievable. His vocal range is absolutely insane. From start to finish, everything was perfect and definitely one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The atmosphere was very comfortable, and seeing that there were fans who were of all different ages shows how much the band has influenced so many people within their career.

A performance that particularly stood out to me was Girls/Girls/Boys, because the stage lit up with rainbow colors and had members of LGBTQ+ community featured on the screens. Brendon opened up the song with a brief message against Trump, and showed people that they could feel safe in their environment and that their favorite musician was on their side. Fans on the floor had different colored paper hearts and shined their phone flashlights through them to contribute to the support of gay rights during the song.

Panic! At the Disco has been covering Bohemian Rhapsody for years now, and this summer it basically became “official” and a studio version was recorded for the Suicide Squad soundtrack. That already was one of my favorite songs of all time, and I had told my cousin that either way if they did or did not perform it, I would freak out either way. Luckily, they performed it and honestly I was having the time of my life and didn’t even mind that my vocal cords were getting severely damaged.

I’m really glad that no one cared about my terrible singing and dancing. It was pretty embarrassing of how crazy I was going along with the music, but it was hilarious to see the girls in front of me doing the same thing.

Gabe Leeds Spotlight

March 7, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan Williams

Staff Writer

“On the train headed home, sitting there all alone, with the piece of your pride you couldn’t swallow.” The title track of Boxcar, the short EP written between Gabe Leeds and Uriah Killinger, begins with an unapologetically blunt few lines about loneliness, heartbreak, and pride: themes that come up throughout the short album. “So, tell me one more time, how you feel so bad, and if I promise to make you mine, would you still feel sad?”

Gabe Leeds, a junior at SLA, is a prominent performer in the local Philadelphia “DIY” music scene. Among music known for ‘rugged’ surf-inspired guitar, Gabe’s music stands out as simple yet catchy and listenable with deep, emotional undertones. Punchy guitar riffs stand out over his jazz-inspired chords.

Gabe started playing guitar at the age of seven, “In the way that parents will sit their kid down in front of an instructor and throw money at them until they’re talented.” He didn’t really have a passion for it; it was something he felt he had to do. However, when introduced to the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby, he found meaning in songwriting, and went on to write and perform songs with the bands Skyline(2014-2015) and Thanks, Mom(2015).

In freshman year, he was introduced to fellow guitarist/songwriter Alexei Mannino and joined Alexei’s band, Wasted America, which had run for a few years. They played shows fairly regularly and recorded many songs, such as Sharp Like Safety Scissors.

However, Boxcar was the beginning of the end for Wasted America. The EP was released under the band’s name despite only half of the band playing on it. It became much more successful than anything the band had released prior, even landing Gabe and Uriah spots in Wyoming, a much larger musical project. Soon following the release, tensions between members of the band rose, and ultimately the band dissolved in early 2017.

For the most part, Gabe’s music has met little negative feedback. “[Boxcar] energizes me,” says Matt Yemola, a fan and friend of Gabe’s. “It flows nicely. It’s loud and aggressive, but it touches me on a personal level. I can listen to it and not feel like I’m going to die alone.”

Gabe does have critics, however. “I didn’t know Tiny Tim was still playing music,” said Pablo Salvatierra, another friend, though maybe not a fan. “I didn’t know he was into that punk scene. Dropped the ukulele and picked up that electric guitar.”

Gabe’s music has touched, and continues to touch, many people. There is no question that, as time goes on, no matter who he works with, he will continue to write great, inspiring music.

SLA Poetry Club Starts Season, Cancels Slam

March 3, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

The first poetry slam of the year at Science Leadership Academy has been cancelled after being rescheduled twice. Originally slated for February 10th, It was rescheduled due to the snow day and then for the half days for report card conferences.

The final set date of the slam was supposed to be Thursday, February 23rd, but it just did not fall into place.

Sophomore Kimberly Gucciardi-Kriegh explained her feelings towards the cancellation.

“At first I was disappointed but I really do understand, we didn’t really have a lot of content, and it didn’t feel right to charge people three dollars for only 15-30 minutes of material. It wouldn’t have been enough. It was even more disappointing because of our work ethic, because the reason why we didn’t have the slam was mostly our fault since we didn’t have enough poems.”

Kimberly and students were looking forward to presenting, especially since SLA’s slam is a smaller crowd and is not the size of the PYPM slams that hold about 100 people. There were only about three group and three individual poems that were ready to go.

Previously, there had been at least 15 performances in our school-held poetry slam, so this development reflects a drop in activity on the part of the club.

Even though the event at school had been cancelled, that doesn’t mean you can’t go to see your friends perform and support SLA. Students contribute in the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM). It is a non-profit and volunteer-run organization that allows different schools from areas all over Philly to compete in the poetry slams. The next citywide slam is on Friday, March 3rd at the Freedom Theater on Broad Street.

The slams are also now broadcasting on cable, on channel 52 if you have Comcast and channel 20 if you have Verizon. They are on a TV show where all of the slams will be. This is getting students of Philadelphia to be recognized and share their stories and pieces with those who watch.

Sophomore Nzinga Bey talked about how SLA should still have at least one more poetry slam before the season ends — and not just to share their art.

“We need the money. It would be interesting for everyone to show their talents and things like that.”

SLA has been fairly successful with gaining a champion title in the city, placing 2nd place last year, and holds the title of being a two-time division champion. The team hopes for a repeat this year.

Movie Review: I Admit It, I’m A Weenie

February 14, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Fatu Castillo

Staff Writer

I’ll be the first to admit that I, Fatu Castillo, am a weenie.

There, I said it, you can write it on my tombstone but I just don’t have the nerves for horror movies. Dark hallway with flickering lights? Nope. A poorly lit room filled with mannequins? Nope. Creepy looking antique dolls that move mysteriously? Nope.

Call me any name you want but I’ve learned to take anything mildly scary as a serious threat; I’d rather not have a heart attack when some demonic monster jumps onto the screen.

Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I could sit through Split without dying.

I went into this movie thinking that this movie was going to be a complete horror-fest.

The trailer made it look like there was going to be some kind of weird transformation, a little bit a cannibalism, and something happening with a dead buck.

And none of that stuff ever really came up during the movie. I mean, it happened but I never got see any of it. Yes, the bad guy did transform into some kind of monster but it was in a dark room. Yes, someone did munch on someone else but I couldn’t see the gore. And yes, there was a scene with a dead buck but it was hunting related.

There really wasn’t any horror going on in the movie, I felt relieved because I’m a Weenie and was misled because the trailer made it out to be the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So the trailer wasn’t the best thing to go by on what to expect, go figure. Overall, the movie wasn’t that scary to watch; if it had been then I wouldn’t have been able to watch it.

To start off, the plot had more holes than a broken, abandoned street in the middle of a ghost-town. There’s a scene where the obvious escape route was completely ignored in favor for an arbitrary reason. A character claims to be bullet proof, yet still feels the need to dodge said bullets and not charge at his intended victim. Several obvious instances where the bad guy can be killed yet no know thinks to pick up the newest sharp object and do it.

And my personal favorite, an old woman, who was fairly logical up until this point, goes off in the middle of the night to check if everything is okay, knowing there might be danger, but decides to keep her mouth shut and bring backup.

You know what I’m talking about, avoidable stuff.

But aside from some, a lot, of obvious mistakes, it was entertaining to watch. It didn’t exactly come off as the horror movie it was marketed as but something closer to a suspenseful mystery.

I had to keep track a background details like some desert conspiracy theorist to piece together what the heck was happening. There’s a lot of backstory that I needed to pay attention to otherwise nothing would’ve made sense. Though it started getting tiring after the movie tossed me seemingly key backstory without any context whatsoever for the fiftieth time, but that’s just me.

And the ending was a piece of work, I left feeling happy that at somebody survived yet exhausted knowing that a sequel probably gonna come out in the next couple of years, joy.

So would Split be worth your ticket fare? Probably not, if you’re looking to pee your pants, you might wanna save it to see Get Out or Rings. But yes, if you’d like to be at edge of your theater seat noting down minute details and trying to piece together a puzzle.