A&E

Sense8tion

April 7, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Michaela Peterson, Staff Writer

Image Courtesy of Netflix

Last year, Netflix unleashed one of the most complex Sci-Fi shows I’ve ever seen. But the thing is, the science isn’t the complex part–it’s the relationship between characters that makes the show so interesting to watch. Sense8 is about eight strangers, from all over the world, whose minds become interlinked with each others. Because of this connection, they are hunted. The plot sounds like any basic sci-fi movie, but once you get more into it, the show becomes captivating.

Just watching the characters interact through the plot is incredible. Each character has their own storyline, and while they are all reflective of each other, they are completely their own. The eight main characters are Will, a cop from Chicago, Nomi, a transgender hacker from San Francisco, Lito, an actor from Mexico, Sun, a business woman from Seoul, Riley, an Icelandic DJ, Wolfgang, a German thief, Capheus, a Nairobi bus driver, and Kala, an Indian pharmacist. Each character is different and strong and wonderful in their own right, and their flaws and strengths cover each others. No matter what the situation, one or more of the sensates has the skills to cover the other persons. One person’s ability to lie or fight can save another person’s life.

One of the strengths of Sense8 is that there are no archetypes in this show. Nomi’s story isn’t about her transition. Kala is deeply religious as well being a as scientist. Despite Wolfgang’s past, he still knows how to treat people. Capheus is always looking out for the silver lining, even though his situation is arguably the worse. Riley’s character is one of the few true representations of depression I’ve seen. Even though Will is a white cop from Chicago, he still goes out of his way to help people other cops wouldn’t. Lito, who spends his life playing the charming hero on screen, can’t admit the thing he loves most in real life. And physically, Sun is the strongest of the characters, yet she is the most controlled by her family.

Another strength is the balance of the characters. I’ve found that in most ensemble shows, there is almost always one character who you don’t want to focus on anymore. Not with Sense8. Even with Riley, who story takes the longest to become clear, you keep watching, wondering what exactly it is she is struggling with. Each character’s arc is complying and the chemistry between the cast is electic.

A word of warning: the show is pretty sexually explicit. There are often scenes with sex or nudity, but none of it is excessive or exploitative. Whether it is demonstrating the relationship between characters, setting up a backstory, or aspects of a character, its all done tastefully.

The main plot of the show, removed from all of the character’s individual plots, takes a little time to emerge. Because of the number of characters, and their complexity, the first episode and a half are mostly exposition. But once it gets started, it picks up quickly. Each sensate experiences a tragic death of a woman none of them have met, and, as they learn more about their connection, Jonas, who is sensate as well, tries to help them understand what is going on. All the while, they are being hunted by another sensate, only named Whispers, who uses his ability to connect with other sensates to hunt them, experiment on them, and eventually kill them.

Created by the same duo that made the Matrix, all the cinematography is gorgeous and the writing is fantastic. There are moments of comedic gold and incredible tension. The show is almost a perfect dramedy, with no episode being overly intense or comedic. They mix emotional content with humor, all while still making you want to know what will happen next. I recommend not binging like I did and spacing yourself out. Because the next season does not come out until next year, you will be left with with an unfulfilled desire to find out what will happen next.

Hearthstone: Would You Recommend?

April 7, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan W.

Staff Writer

I sat down with Thomas Wallison, a 10th grader, who has told me a lot about the card game, Hearthstone, in the past. I know very little about it, but people say that, as a competitive Magic: The Gathering player, it is something I’d enjoy. So, I figured, since I was learning about it, maybe others would be interested in hearing what Thomas had to say.

When did you start playing?

“I started playing just about a year ago. I used to see ads for the game everywhere, and it seemed like something I’d enjoy, but I could never find the time for it. Ultimately, I saw an ad for the new expansion, and finally was able to find the time to sit down and play the game.

“I wanted to get into it because it seemed like a skill based game, with a lot of strategy, which was something I liked. It’s a free game, but most people pay money in order to get cards. I never did, though. I’ve gotten as far as I have without putting any money into it, and I’m pretty proud of that.”

How do you play this game?

“Well, you build a deck with 30 cards. You start the game, and draw a card every turn. You have two types of cards: Minions, which are like monsters that you use like an army, and spells, which can affect the game in many ways.

“In addition to the cards you use in your deck, there are a few different classes. Classes determine the different cards you can put in your deck. There are a bunch of cards you can play in any deck, but there are also different sets of cards for each class. On top of that, each class has a Hero Power, that you can use at any time. It isn’t a very great ability, but since it doesn’t cost a card in your deck and you can use it repeatedly, it can be very good.

What kind of people would you recommend this game to?

“Well, I think as an investment, there’s two kinds of people who would play this game. The type of people who would put a lot of money into the game and get a larger reward faster, or the type of people who would put a lot of time into it and get a much smaller reward. It can be very satisfying to grind towards the cards you need without money, but it takes a long time. I told a friend of mine to start playing the game, and even though I told him not to, within the first few days, he had put money into the game, just because it was a much easier way to get into the game than grinding.”

House of Cards Season 4: Bigger, Badder (in a good way) and Better than Ever

March 31, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

*Warning there will be some minor spoilers

If you read my last review on Netflix’s giant “House of Cards” third season, you will know I was not overtly fond of where it was going.this season, however, I am happy to say exceeded my expectations and brought back the quality the show needed.

Picking up within a few weeks of where the show last left off, the new season begins with Frank Underwood up against his most formidable opponent- his own wife, Claire, who shockingly announced to frank that she was leaving him at the end of the last season. Despite this rivalry, they start to mend their relationship in order for Frank to win the presidency in the 2016 election against a media savvy republican candidate (played with a surprisingly thoroughly likeable charm from Joel Kinnaman) as well as a number of other challenges to their power.

The show takes place during the present day, with acknowledgement to an actual 2016 election in America. The difference is, however, is that on the surface the candidates presidented to their voters are much more electable than our actual candidates- and that is saying something. The Republican candidate in the show is young, a loving family man, humorous, likeable, and we even find he has some liberal views- which is in vast comparison to the likes of Trump and Cruz, who alienate members of their own party and even more so the Democrats. And Underwood seems as solid a candidate as others (ignoring his murderous tendencies for now). In the real world election, he could be even potentially been seen as the best choice for the Democrats when compared to Clinton and Sanders. Which begs the question as to just how far American Politics may have fallen if a show about the fictional backstabbing and murderous politicians seem better than our actual ones?

Acting wise, the Underwoods continue to hit their stride This season gives them both wonderful moments that show why Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are some of the best actors and actresses out there. The show’s recurring characters remain strong like Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper, Nathan Darrow as Edward Meechum, Lars Mikkelsen as President Petrov, Paul Sparks as Thomas Yates,, Molly Parker as Jackie Sharp and more (as well as surprising returns) all hit their mark and do their job excellently. Some new faces include Neve Campbell as Claire’s aide, and a particularly memorable performance Ellen Burstyn as Claire’s mother.

While the season has a few plot points that make you question the “reality” of the show–like Claire’s path to power seems a little far fetched and illogical at times it’s still able to sell it convincingly enough to allow an audience to have its “suspension of disbelief” for the season. In my review of the last season I had mentioned that I expected it to be able to run for another 2 seasons, and after this season it definitely seems like they have one more, and possibly only one more. While I won’t give spoilers, the season ended on a note that seemed to be preluding to a finale for the next season- while this is not definite it would seem likely.

The season I found improved vastly from the slow burn of the previous season with its ability to take different twists and turns that were both surprising and editing. Additionally, the cinematography and direction was top notch. Like during a dream sequence Underwood was chasing a woman in a low lighted hallway and imagined blood dripping from a faucet were very well captured and that’s only a little bit of the whole season. Some of the best episodes of the season (including the one that had the shots I described) were directed by Claire Underwood herself- Robin Wright- who further goes to show that she is one of the most talented people in the business.

If you were not a fan of the last season as I was, this season remains a treat nevertheless and well worth a watch for any House of Cards fan. I look forward to what might be the final season when it comes back next year.

Person of Interest: Welcome to the Machine

March 31, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

I’ve always tend to avoid watching crime shows, as I feel most of them fall into the same cliches when it comes to characters and plot: namely its procedural episodes often feeling repetitive and a lack of interesting themes.

However, I was intrigued by Person of Interest, and binged through it the day it was finally released on Netflix after the release of it’s fourth season. Let me tell you why this show was not just another predictable crime drama.

The show manages to combine a procedural crime drama with post 9/11 surveillance and espionage and a touch of Sci-Fi.The plot focuses on an ex-CIA agent John Reese (Jim Caviezel) who works with a mysterious billionaire hacker named Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) in an attempt to prevent violent crimes from occurring. The pair receives social security numbers of the victim or perpetrator of the crime from an AI. The AI known as The Machine was built by Harold to predict terrorist attacks but is capable of predicting crimes as well and is programed to label the numbers as those relevant to National Security or Irrelevant. The duo works to protect the irrelevants with the help of Fusco (Kevin Chapman) a former dirty cop and Detective Carter(Taraji P. Henson). As the series progresses more characters join the cast including another ex-CIA agent Shaw (Sarah Shahi), a manipulative hacker known as Root, and an adorable guard dog named Bear.

PoI sticks to many aspects of a typical crime drama in its first season, with the exception of working to prevent the crimes with only the SS number of a single person to do so. It often makes use of the classic perceived victim is actually the perpetrator or vice versa but manages to create a number of surprising episodes with it without relying on this too heavily. The second season slowly moves more towards themes of government conspiracy and threats to The Machine and continues to mix the two aspects of the show henceforth.

The topics of surveillance is a prime topic and manages to engage the idea with the show often using the Machine as a viewpoint. Each episode begins with the words “You are being watched.” The show goes much deeper into the questions that come with nationwide surveillance in Season 3 with a group attempting to protect people’s privacy from surveillance, only a few months after the real world PRISM revelation. Despite the Machine acting as a black box and giving only SS numbers, it does highlight a common fear of the loss of privacy and the lack of knowledge you have of the loss. The fourth season shows a more sinister version of the Machine and highlights the terrifying possibility of an unassuming surveillance state.

The Machine is one of the most interesting characters in the show, given how realistically it is portrayed. Most shows that feature AI give it a human form, but the Machine is never shown as anything more than a system of surveillance footage and code with the ability to constantly evolve. The Machine doesn’t even have a voice, forcing it to use snippets of pre-recorded audio, morse code, or text to communicate with its agents. It’s a chilling idea of a real life AI built to analyze and predict and despite its perceived benevolence it is motivated to fulfil its primary objectives.

That’s not to say that the human characters aren’t interesting as the shows acting is excellent. Michael Emerson completely sells his performance as Finch managing to portray the caring yet paranoid character. Taraji P. Henson also bring a strong performance to Carter, who manages to be one of the shows most compelling characters despite lacking any knowledge about The Machine.

The show will air its fifth and final season this spring starting May 3. The first four seasons can be found on Netflix.

Madoff Madness: The Shakespearean Tragedy Transitioning to the Small Screen

February 29, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

In 2008 the world was shocked and dumbfounded at the astronomical scheme respected investor Bernie Madoff when it turns out he had lost $65 BILLION from his investors. Madoff received 150 years in prison for his crimes- virtually ensuring that he would die in a cell- but soon, he suffered an even greater emotional crisis One of his sons committed suicide two years after his arrest, and his other son died of lymphoma two years later. Madoff also suffered a heart attack while in prison and currently is battling kidney cancer, and while he talks to his wife, it is only when he calls her- she never calls him.

These hardships are not to hide his crimes. His victims also suffered greatly- with some of them losing billions of dollars, and some woke up and found that they had lost their entire life savings. The monstrosity of Madoff and the downfall of his life make for compelling drama, as both ABC and HBO realize and are bringing the story to our television screens.

On ABC’s Madoff, Richard Dreyfuss as the titular fraudster. I found that the two part special was surprisingly enjoyable. I did not expect how much I began to feel sorry for Ruth Madoff in the story. Brought to life masterfully by Blythe Danner, she made Ruth a likeable and truly tragic character But I will also admit some pieces seemed rather dramatized as even ABC has admitted about it apparently to the point where Bernie Madoff himself was peeved about it enough from his cell to write an email about it.

While there is not much press yet about the upcoming HBO series “Wizard of Lies,” it brings a promising cast in the form of Michelle Pfeiffer as Ruth Madoff, Hank Azaria (The Simpsons), Nathan Darrow (House of Cards and Gotham) Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle), Lily Rabe (American Horror Story) and perhaps most impressive: Robert De Niro Himself and the infamous fraud. While a release date hasn’t been announced, the show is currently in production and is expected to appear later this year.

With two dramas about the Madoff like (three, if you count the movie “Blue Jasmine” which was inspired by it) it’s clear that not only does it make for good entertainment, but it also shows that as an audience people want to see more. Why is that? Do we enjoy seeing the rich and powerful kicked off their pedestals? Do we see an epitome of greed in a single person that we can hate rather than a faceless corporation? Is Madoff the ultimate warning of greed gone wrong?

Every person has their reasons, but for this writer I quite, for lack of a better word, enjoy the Shakespearean aspects of the drama. From the sheer magnitude of the scam that affected thousands of people- including celebrities like John Malkovich, Steven Spielberg, and Kevin Bacon — to the intimate, inner family drama of the Madoffs it is truly a sensational story.

I will also argue that, if we are to believe her, that Ruth Madoff is perhaps the greatest victim of Madoff’s crime. It is one thing for your investor to lie to you, but it is another to have the man who you’ve been with for most of your life and the father of your children to have lied to you about how your wealth has been made. Then, after so long of enjoying these comforts that she thought were well deserved to be suddenly stripped away to rightly help the victims of your love’s crimes while your family is, for better part, emotionally distant from you must be unbearable. To top it off, the whole world is has such vitriolic feelings to her family that she has little sympathy from many and has to worry about the rest of her family being sued by the victims and photographed at their lower points.

Ultimately, the crimes of Madoff shouldn’t be romanticized, but the story deserves to be told. The current perilous economic climate has many predators, but gain a name and a face in the form of Madoff and it’s effect on people needs to be told, at least for the sake of all the many victims whose lives he ruined. What we can hope is that these dramas show Bernie for the monster he was in the hopes that these actions will not be repeated, although is may already be too late. Harry Markopolos, the man who discovered Madoff’s fraud years before it was revealed and confirmed, recently warned of three new Ponzi schemes- one of which is supposedly even more massive than Madoff’s 65 billion scam. No names have been named yet to ensure it gets to the authorities but it further shows that the crimes Madoff committed and his legacy linger to today.