Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
'Twilight: Eclipse' reviewed by Ryan Michaels
Hey, I'm Ryan Michaels, a 13-year-old writing movie reviews for Heritage Newspapers. I've been doing it for two years, and enjoy it a lot. Here's my review of "Twilight."
"Twilight" was not made for me, I know that. It was not made with the thoughts or feelings of non-"Twihard" males in mind.
And, you know what? I'm totally fine with that.
Some 95 percent of all large movie franchises are geared toward guys, so to see a franchise made with females in mind is actually something of a breath of fresh air.
That said, the first two "Twilight" films were nothing to write home about. "New Moon," in particular, was pretty horrible. My main complaint with those two films is that you never got a sense of why exactly Bella and Edward are so completely in love, or never really got a sense of any of the characters' motivations at all.
So although I didn't expect (or want) "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" to be horrible, my hopes were admittedly not all that high for it, which makes me somewhat happy to say: "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (henceforth referred to as merely 'Eclipse') is actually pretty entertaining, and is at the very least much better the first two installments in the franchise.
First off, the performances are much improved from the first two. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are much less awkward here than they were in the first two, bringing more charisma and depth to their roles, which ultimately elevates the film as a whole.
The film is a better blend of genres and elements than the first two. In "Twilight" and "New Moon," it was mainly romance with half-hearted attempts at humor. Here, the primary element remains romance, but the incorporation of action and humor feels much more natural and just works very well in the film.
These things aside, there are a fair amount of problems I had with "Eclipse." First off, a lot of the side characters' performances were very weak. Most of the side cast give very wooden performances, and are, simply put, boring to watch.
A lot of the dialogue is incredibly bad. A few lines, in particular, had me laughing out loud. And, as I said earlier, my main gripe with "Twilight" and "New Moon" was that the characters' motivations were often incredibly vague and were never really explained. Unfortunately, that same complaint holds true for "Eclipse," as well.
So overall, "Eclipse" was made for Twilight fans, and those fans will eat it up. Yet speaking as someone who isn't the biggest fan of the "Twilight" franchise, I was fairly riveted and entertained during "Eclipse." Bravo, Edward.
I give it three out of four stars.
Film critic Ryan Michaels, a student at Emerson School in Ann Arbor and two-time winner of the Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for his reviews, can be reached through mrogers@heritage.com.
"Twilight" was not made for me, I know that. It was not made with the thoughts or feelings of non-"Twihard" males in mind.
And, you know what? I'm totally fine with that.
Some 95 percent of all large movie franchises are geared toward guys, so to see a franchise made with females in mind is actually something of a breath of fresh air.
That said, the first two "Twilight" films were nothing to write home about. "New Moon," in particular, was pretty horrible. My main complaint with those two films is that you never got a sense of why exactly Bella and Edward are so completely in love, or never really got a sense of any of the characters' motivations at all.
So although I didn't expect (or want) "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" to be horrible, my hopes were admittedly not all that high for it, which makes me somewhat happy to say: "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (henceforth referred to as merely 'Eclipse') is actually pretty entertaining, and is at the very least much better the first two installments in the franchise.
First off, the performances are much improved from the first two. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are much less awkward here than they were in the first two, bringing more charisma and depth to their roles, which ultimately elevates the film as a whole.
The film is a better blend of genres and elements than the first two. In "Twilight" and "New Moon," it was mainly romance with half-hearted attempts at humor. Here, the primary element remains romance, but the incorporation of action and humor feels much more natural and just works very well in the film.
These things aside, there are a fair amount of problems I had with "Eclipse." First off, a lot of the side characters' performances were very weak. Most of the side cast give very wooden performances, and are, simply put, boring to watch.
A lot of the dialogue is incredibly bad. A few lines, in particular, had me laughing out loud. And, as I said earlier, my main gripe with "Twilight" and "New Moon" was that the characters' motivations were often incredibly vague and were never really explained. Unfortunately, that same complaint holds true for "Eclipse," as well.
So overall, "Eclipse" was made for Twilight fans, and those fans will eat it up. Yet speaking as someone who isn't the biggest fan of the "Twilight" franchise, I was fairly riveted and entertained during "Eclipse." Bravo, Edward.
I give it three out of four stars.
Film critic Ryan Michaels, a student at Emerson School in Ann Arbor and two-time winner of the Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for his reviews, can be reached through mrogers@heritage.com.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Latest poll results are in!
When do you start getting interested in the Primary Election?
Never: 36 percent
July, closer to the election: 23 percent
Just days prior to the election: 21 percent
After petitions have been filed: 21 percent
What qualities do you look for in a political leader?
Independent thinker: 55 percent
Rapport with 'regular folks': 17 percent
Experience: 17 percent
Agent of change: 10 percent
How did you spend Memorial Day?
Did nothing in particular: 51 percent
Attended community Memorial Day events: 21 percent
Attended a family picnic: 20 percent
Spent time at the pool or lake: 7 percent
What do you do about child care in the summer?
Family members: 40 percent
Summer camps: 32 percent
Daycare facility: 20 percent
Babysitters: 8 percent
What do you really do when there's a tornado warning?
Cautiously wait and see: 49 percent
Take cover in the basement: 31 percent
Ignore it: 11 percent
Take cover in a room without windows: 8 percent
Never: 36 percent
July, closer to the election: 23 percent
Just days prior to the election: 21 percent
After petitions have been filed: 21 percent
What qualities do you look for in a political leader?
Independent thinker: 55 percent
Rapport with 'regular folks': 17 percent
Experience: 17 percent
Agent of change: 10 percent
How did you spend Memorial Day?
Did nothing in particular: 51 percent
Attended community Memorial Day events: 21 percent
Attended a family picnic: 20 percent
Spent time at the pool or lake: 7 percent
What do you do about child care in the summer?
Family members: 40 percent
Summer camps: 32 percent
Daycare facility: 20 percent
Babysitters: 8 percent
What do you really do when there's a tornado warning?
Cautiously wait and see: 49 percent
Take cover in the basement: 31 percent
Ignore it: 11 percent
Take cover in a room without windows: 8 percent
Chamber, CRC goes golfing with community
The seventh annual Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and Community Resource Center golf outing took place June 16 at Pierce Lake Golf Course. Prizes were won, golf was played, and dinner was enjoyed.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Class of 2010 graduates take home several scholarships
Both the valedictorian and the salutatorian took home $500 scholarships, as noted at graduation. However, many more students earned monetary donations throughout the year, some from colleges and others from local businesses and non-profits. Here's the list provided at graduation of the scholarship donors and their recipients:
Adrian College: Logan Zigila, Brandan Sklener, Claire Simpson
Alan & Carolyn Dyer Scholarship: Jamie Payne
Albion College: Emily Werner
Alma College: Emily Werner
Aquinas College: Brooke Fuller
Catholic Order of Foresters Scholarship: Matthew Johnson
Central Michigan University: Jordan Ridenour, Logan Zigila, Logan Caszatt, Emily Lobbestael, Brian Uhr
Faith Vlcek Wrestling Scholarship: James Hamilton
Ferris State University: Roxanne Rickert, Taylor Heldt
Helena M. Grossman Living Trust: Mary Kastanis, Holly Thorson, Amanda Barker, Stephanie Steele
Hope College: Amanda Barker, Stephanie Steele
Jackson Community College: Tracy Schaible
Junita College: Kathryn Brown
Kettering University: Lukas Weber
Kleinschmidt Scholarship: Megan Bossory, Matthew Johnson
Knights of Columbus Scholarship: Taylor Evans, Stephanie Ball
Lake Superior University: Roxanne Rickert
Lawrence Technological University: Brian Uhr
Lawrence University: Sarah Wagner
Lions Club Scholarship: Kathryn Brown
LoRen & Roger Trolz Scholarship: Tracy Schaible
Manchester Alumni Ackerson Scholarship: Logan Caszatt
Manchester Alumni Class of 1960: Stephanie Ball, Katelyn Horning, Roxanne Rickert, Tracy Schaible, Lukas Weber
Manchester Alumni Scholarship: Megan Bossory, Jordan Ridenour, Jenny Stautz
Manchester Alumni Valedictorian: Kathryn Brown
Manchester Athletic Booster:
Manchester Community Scholarship: Megan Bossory
Manchester Education Support Staff: Maicie Fruge, Heather Sweeney
Manchester Kiwanis Scholarship: Jamie Payne, Matt Johnson, Sarah Wagner
Manchester Manor Scholarship: Emily Lobbestael
Manchester Optimist Salutatorian: Ryan Paul
Marilyn Knouase Memorial Scholarship: Paul Dority
Marshall University Yaeger Scholar: Stephen Sheler
Mary Nosbisch Scholarship: Stephanie Ball, Roxanne Rickert, Mary Kastanis, Emily Johnson
MHSAA Scholar Athlete Scholarship: Matt Johnson, Kathryn Brown, Liz Timoszyk, Jenny Stautz
National Merit Scholarship Finalist: Kathryn Brown
Oakland University: Brandan Sklener
Purdue University: Emily Werner
Riverfolk Art Scholarship: Katelyn Lorinca, Myra Sandford
Robert C. Byrd Honors Award: Sarah Wagner
Robert J. & Kathleen A. Hagerman: Jamie Payne
St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship: Stephanie Ball
Tower Scholarship: Elizabeth Timoszyk
United Producers, Inc.: Katelyn Horning
University of Michigan Dearborn: Robert Carver
Washtenaw Community College: Stephanie Ball, Lauren Dalton, Maicie Fruge, Katelyn Lorincz, Ryan Lenhart
Worth Repeating, Inc.: Katelyn Horning, Taylor Evans, Ryan Paul, Claire Simpson
Adrian College: Logan Zigila, Brandan Sklener, Claire Simpson
Alan & Carolyn Dyer Scholarship: Jamie Payne
Albion College: Emily Werner
Alma College: Emily Werner
Aquinas College: Brooke Fuller
Catholic Order of Foresters Scholarship: Matthew Johnson
Central Michigan University: Jordan Ridenour, Logan Zigila, Logan Caszatt, Emily Lobbestael, Brian Uhr
Faith Vlcek Wrestling Scholarship: James Hamilton
Ferris State University: Roxanne Rickert, Taylor Heldt
Helena M. Grossman Living Trust: Mary Kastanis, Holly Thorson, Amanda Barker, Stephanie Steele
Hope College: Amanda Barker, Stephanie Steele
Jackson Community College: Tracy Schaible
Junita College: Kathryn Brown
Kettering University: Lukas Weber
Kleinschmidt Scholarship: Megan Bossory, Matthew Johnson
Knights of Columbus Scholarship: Taylor Evans, Stephanie Ball
Lake Superior University: Roxanne Rickert
Lawrence Technological University: Brian Uhr
Lawrence University: Sarah Wagner
Lions Club Scholarship: Kathryn Brown
LoRen & Roger Trolz Scholarship: Tracy Schaible
Manchester Alumni Ackerson Scholarship: Logan Caszatt
Manchester Alumni Class of 1960: Stephanie Ball, Katelyn Horning, Roxanne Rickert, Tracy Schaible, Lukas Weber
Manchester Alumni Scholarship: Megan Bossory, Jordan Ridenour, Jenny Stautz
Manchester Alumni Valedictorian: Kathryn Brown
Manchester Athletic Booster:
Manchester Community Scholarship: Megan Bossory
Manchester Education Support Staff: Maicie Fruge, Heather Sweeney
Manchester Kiwanis Scholarship: Jamie Payne, Matt Johnson, Sarah Wagner
Manchester Manor Scholarship: Emily Lobbestael
Manchester Optimist Salutatorian: Ryan Paul
Marilyn Knouase Memorial Scholarship: Paul Dority
Marshall University Yaeger Scholar: Stephen Sheler
Mary Nosbisch Scholarship: Stephanie Ball, Roxanne Rickert, Mary Kastanis, Emily Johnson
MHSAA Scholar Athlete Scholarship: Matt Johnson, Kathryn Brown, Liz Timoszyk, Jenny Stautz
National Merit Scholarship Finalist: Kathryn Brown
Oakland University: Brandan Sklener
Purdue University: Emily Werner
Riverfolk Art Scholarship: Katelyn Lorinca, Myra Sandford
Robert C. Byrd Honors Award: Sarah Wagner
Robert J. & Kathleen A. Hagerman: Jamie Payne
St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship: Stephanie Ball
Tower Scholarship: Elizabeth Timoszyk
United Producers, Inc.: Katelyn Horning
University of Michigan Dearborn: Robert Carver
Washtenaw Community College: Stephanie Ball, Lauren Dalton, Maicie Fruge, Katelyn Lorincz, Ryan Lenhart
Worth Repeating, Inc.: Katelyn Horning, Taylor Evans, Ryan Paul, Claire Simpson
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