I’m Gonna Leave You Anyway…

Photo courtesy of FX.com

By: M.K. Killen

Season four of FXX’s “You’re The Worst” kicked off Sept. 6, 2017, 10 months after the season three finale which dropped two consecutive bombshells on fans. The first three seasons of the anti-romantic romantic comedy follow the budding relationship of two unlucky-in-love and all around terrible people Jimmy and Gretchen.

The seemingly self-aware narrative deals with the sordid lives of millennials in Los Angeles, who often serve as their own antagonists.

Covering themes like monogamy, domestic abuse, PTSD, clinical depression and the mystery of the human condition, the show makes use of the dark comedy popularized on the network by “Louie” and “Fargo.” Though “You’re The Worst” is arguably more tame, it still contains scenes that cross the line from black comedy into just plain morose and bizarre.

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Great Scott! St. Bonaventure University talks Back to the Future

By Jason Klaiber @J_Klaibs

Oct. 21 2015 most likely isn’t circled as a special day in your calendar, unless perhaps you plan to celebrate the occasion of it being 10 days before Halloween. In film circles, however, it signifies the day that Marty McFly and “Doc” Brown travel in time by way of the DeLorean in 1989’s Back to the Future Part II.

In the sequel to the series’ inaugural 1985 blockbuster, director Robert Zemeckis foresaw flying cars, self-tying shoes and a World Series-winning Chicago Cubs roster in the year 2015. With the Cubs currently playing in the National League Championship Series, the latter of those three actually retains the potential to happen on schedule. The others? Not so much. What the film thematically envisioned with an accurate scope, though, is that society would welcome a range of differences by today’s date.

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Quick Arts Center Celebrates 20th Anniversary in Style

By Emily Rosman

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts hosted its 20^th anniversary last night, and the atmosphere of the building was transformed entirely.

Upon stepping inside the building, students were greeted by a red carpet-esque photoshoot backdrop featuring the logos of the student performance groups and media teams that attended. Further inside was a coat check, a table filled with catered food and a table for refreshments. The professional atmosphere that normally encompasses the Quick Center was maintained in this entryway.

However, once you stepped further inside the building, the transformation was apparent. Colored lights flashed around the room, green star-like patterns were projected onto the ceiling and balloons were draped across the pillars. The music playing was consistent with their theme: Drake’s “Tuesday.” DJ Johmo and WSBU, The Buzz were providing the dance party.

The only word that came to sophomore Peter Bertoldo’s mind when describing the event was “fierce.”

As the night progressed, several prizes were raffled off to students, including movie gift baskets and gift cards.

Sophomore Sarah Faltyn said, “I came here for the Bonacoustics mostly…but I ended up winning a movie box! I got some movie passes and popcorn, and I won with my ticket number.”

Members in attendance were not only excited for the prizes, but also for the performances by the SBU Hip Hop team, the SBU Step team, the Bonacoustics and the Chattertons poetry club.

Each of these groups worked hard to perform at last night’s event. The Bonacoustics in particular went the extra mile into making the night unique.

“We made a nineties medley so we could pay tribute to the fact that this [building] was built in 1995” said sophomore Stephanie Kennedy, Co-President of the a cappella group.

The SBU Hip Hop team was one of the main performances of the night as they participated in a dance battle against the SBU Step team.

“We did a number in the beginning and we have three separate numbers for the dance battle,” said Nisha Patel, sophomore member of the team.

Using some moves from their old dances and incorporating some new choreography, the SBU Hip Hop team came up with enough cool moves that ultimately won them the competition.

While dance performances went on in the main room, the Chattertons poetry club members read some slam poetry in the ‘relaxation room’ provided during the event. They offered a more relaxed vibe so students could take a break from the music.

All of these synchronized pieces did not come together without a lot of hard work and tedious planning. Sean Conklin, assistant curator at The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, has been planning this event since August 2014.

When approached over the summer of last year about plans for a 20^th anniversary celebration, Conklin and other collaborators all had the same idea.

“As an arts center, we said, let’s get the arts involved,” said Conklin. “Let’s do something just for the students because that’s what this event is about.”

And they did not disappoint. Students could be seen laughing, dancing, singing, or taking photographs throughout the entire event all while enjoying the work of on-campus performance and media groups. Their excitement only increased as the hundreds of balloons that were draped across the pillars were released to signify the end of the night.

As for the future of the Quick Center, “I would love there to be a crazy fun vibe going forward,” Conklin stated. “I think this made the big splash that we needed.”

Katy Perry rocks Super Bowl XLIX

By Liam McGurl, writer

[image courtesy of People Magazine]

Katy Perry’s performance at Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday night had some viewers raving about the “shockingly good” routine while others called it “a complete nightmare.”

Personally, I found it to be exactly what I expected: a visually stunning performance.  In my opinion, Perry’s singing wasn’t extraordinary; however, the visual components of her performance guarded any opportunities for criticism.

Perry’s performance opened with a sea of people holding lanterns in the formation of the Pepsi logo to provide a captivating birds-eye image.  Beginning with the first moments of Perry’s hit song “Roar,” the lanterns turned a vibrant orange and the crowd split.  She made her entrance through the split masses of lanterns standing atop a mechanical gold lion. I was impressed that Perry was able to maintain her vocal skills while standing almost twenty feet above the field. Aside from her vocals, I was impressed by Perry’s willingness to push the boundaries and try something the Super Bowl had never seen before.

Taking this first segment as a theatrical performance, I found it to be nothing short of flawless.  While we can all argue over Perry’s raw vocals and whether or not her live performance matched well with the edited track, Perry kept this performance entertaining from the moment “Roar” began.  At the end of this first rendition, Perry let out a loud roar, transitioning into the second song to be performed, “Dark Horse.”

This segment opened with a team of dancers dressed as chess pieces on a huge simulated chessboard. I found the technicality of the choreography impressive and entertaining; each dancer hit their marks with total precision.  As this song came to a close, Perry worked her way towards a nearby stage and joined Lenny Kravitz for a rock-style duet of “I Kissed a Girl.” In all honesty, after watching this version of the song, I wished it was the original track.

After a number of hair-flips, guitar riffs and fiery explosions, Perry went through a quick costume change and transition into the beach-themed performances of “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls”  featuring dancers dressed as cartoon beach balls, palm trees and sharks. These routines were not as exciting or dramatic as “Roar” or “Dark Horse” as this performance seemed to appeal to younger viewers.

While the performance seemed to be taking a more innocent route, I was shocked to see an abrupt ending to “California Gurls” to welcome early 2000s rapper Missy Elliot onto the stage.  After almost a decade’s hiatus, everyone was in disbelief seeing this rap legend make her way onto the stage. Dressed in all black, Elliot showed that her dance moves are as sharp as ever, and she’s still a major force in the industry.  Performing some of her most popular hits, “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control,” Elliot surprised and satisfied fans tuning in.

Perry closed out the show with her smash hit “Firework.”  Flying above the stadium on a constructed shooting star, she was surrounded by fireworks, lanterns and sparks, Perry belted out this emotional tune.

Perry’s halftime show kept my attention from the beginning of “Roar” to the conclusion of “Firework.”  Unlike many modern live performances, I was not attracted to this production because of controversy.  Instead, I enjoyed the creativity put into the dancing, costuming and special effects.  Further, I found Perry’s vocal talent to exceed the expectations I had for her.  Overall, I found Perry’s performance to be anything but boring, — just as a halftime show should be.

The Flash Speeds to Success

By Nate Discavage, @DiscavageSavage

You can add one more superhero TV show to your fall lineup. The Flash opened to rave reviews last Tuesday night on the CW. This was the first time that the Flash appeared in live action since the 1990s TV show was prematurely cancelled to the dismay of superhero fans everywhere.

For some of the most diehard DC Comics fans, this is not the first time we have been introduced to Grant Gustin’s (Glee, 90210) portrayal of the Scarlet Speedster. We first met the hero in the CW’s other superhero TV series Arrow.

After an unexplainable storage robbery in Arrow, Barry Allen from Central City arrives to try and help the investigation. He is shrouded in mystery until the audience learns that Allen has been tracking down unexplainable crimes across the country in an attempt to solve his mother’s mysterious murder. He returns to Central City and is struck by lightning after a new particle accelerator malfunctions. Allen is in a coma at the end of Arrow’s second season.

The Flash opens with Allen’s mother’s murder. A young Allen is awoken to the sound of rumbling downstairs. He rushes down to see his mother surrounded by red and yellow lights. His father rushes down to help before the light shifts slightly, and Barry opens his eyes to find himself ten blocks from his house.

Fourteen years later, Allen has become a scientific genius and joins the forensics division of the police force so he can secretly try to discover who or what killed his mother. After proving himself to the police, he is called on numerous occasions to assist the police department.

Shortly after the episode begins, we are shown the same scene from Arrow where Allen is struck by lightning and goes into a coma. This time, however, we get to see when he wakes up. Nine months have passed since the explosion, and Allen has been studied by a group of scientists. His cells have been altered and his entire body now moves at a much faster rate enabling him to run at super speeds.

After Allen discovers his newfound powers, he decides to use them for good. He travels to Starling City where he meets with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell)—the Green Arrow. Queen instructs him to do what he thinks is right, so he can help save the people in Central City.

Allen soon finds out that he is not the only one who was given super powers by the explosion. Another man’s intentions are not as keen as Allen’s as he uses his powers for his own personal gain. Even after the villain is defeated, Allen and the scientists learn that the entire city has been exposed to the fallout from the explosion, and anybody could have new powers.

The biggest moment for comic book readers has to come at the end. Without giving up too many details, director David Nutter (The X-Files, ER, Game of Thrones) dropped an Easter egg that could span as large as the Crisis on Infinite Earths. To read more on that, check out (spoiler alert!): http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/the-flash/239939/what-the-flash-ending-means-for-dc-superhero-tv-and-movies.

The show’s series premiere was the most viewed pilot episode in CW history with 4.5 million viewers. It was the most viewed episode of any CW show since Vampire Diaries in 2009. After such a big debut, could this new spinoff surpass the original, Arrow, in popularity? Only time will tell as DC continues to build upon their success on the small screen.

The highs and lows of the Oscars

[Photo courtesy of dalgazette.com]

By Sara Johnson, staff writer, @sarajohnsauce Pin It

ST.BONAVENTURE (March 1) – Meryl Streep said it best when accepting the Academy Award for Best Actress on Sunday.

“When they called my name, I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, ‘Oh no!’” she said.

Welcome to the Oscars, where votes are anonymous and your opinion, no matter how badly you believed Viola Davis was going to win Best Actress for her role in “The Help,” doesn’t matter.

The show kicked off with host Billy Crystal doing a comedic video montage featuring a kiss from George Clooney and Crystal’s controversial Sammy Davis impression. Then he began to sing a song featuring every nominee in the best picture category.

Although his early jokes weren’t met with more than giggles, he made the audience roar with the last line, “Nothing can take the sting out of the world’s economic problems like watching millionaires presenting each other gold statues.”

And just like every other year, the presenters stole the show.

Robert Downey, Jr. appeared on stage with his own camera crew, claiming he was making a documentary called “The Presenter,” and that he turned down Clooney’s role in “The Descendants.”

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis walked around the front of the stage carrying cymbals, which they banged in Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s faces as they walked by and continued to drop on stage when opening the envelope.

Chris Rock delivered the most laughs while presenting the award for Best Animated Feature.

He explained that having an animated role is the easiest job of all. You show up, read some lines, “and then they give me a million dollars,” said Rock bluntly.

My favorite presenters for the night were Ben Stiller and Emma Stone.

Stone loomed over Stiller at about a foot taller than him and presented different ideas to the audience of funny skits they could do on stage.

“We should have some banter,” said Stone, “Where you act cocky, and I shut you down and you call me pretty, but I say ‘No chance, funny boy!’ and everybody laughs.”

Overall, “The Artist” was the big winner for the night. The silent film, completely in black and white, took home five Oscars during the show. Mark Bridges, a Niagara Falls native, won for Costume Design. Michel Hazanavicius, won for Directing. Ludovic Bource won for Original Score. Actor Jean Dujardin, won Best Actor in a Leading Role and the film took home the holy grail of the Academy Awards – Best Picture.

Martin Scorcese’s children’s film “Hugo,” also won five Oscars that night. Its awards included Cinematography, Art Direction and Visual Effects.

Some of the best Oscars speeches of the night included Mark Bridges (Costume Design, “The Artist”).

“…you know, I was just a kid from Niagara Falls,” said Bridges, “Who dreamed, ate, and slept movies, and so I want to thank the Academy for this honor and for making a lifelong dream come true.”

Alexander Payne (Best Adapted Screenplay, “The Descendants”) gave a shout out to his mother in the audience when he said, “She said if I ever won an Oscar I had to dedicate it to her, just like Javier Bardem did with his mother.”

Philip Stockton (Sound Editing, “Hugo”) kept his speech short.

“Thank you to who’s ever been born … And if you haven’t, you know who you are.”

The other big winners of the night were Octavia Spencer (“The Help”), who won Actress in a Leading Role, and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”), who won Actor in a Leading Role at the age of 82, the oldest Oscar winner in history.

Despite Streep winning the statue over Viola Davis for her role in “The Iron Lady,” the 84^th Academy Awards were funny, entertaining and had many worthy winners. If they would have just gotten rid of the out of place Cirqu de’ Soleil performance, then we might have been able to enjoy the Muppets singing “Man or Muppet,” which won Best Song.

johnsoss09@bonaventure.edu

Cartoon of the Week: Carole McNall

[Illustration by Santana Questa]

Carole McNall, an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication, is The Intrepid’s cartoonist’s choice for this week.

Mark Belcher (@markbelcherjr), news editor, interviewed McNall, ‘75 alumna, about her teaching philosophy. In the fall 2011 semester, she teaches three sections of JMC 101: Intro to Media and two sections of JMC 300: Media Law.

Belcher: The group of students you teach for the most part is freshmen, correct?

McNall: For some reason I just have not, for the most part, been teaching things that pick up sophomores. I teach Media Law because that’s one of the things I was hired for. I discovered I liked teaching freshman, and I have since asked the dean to keep me teaching (JMC) 101.

Belcher: What can freshman coming into St. Bonaventure expect from your classes?

McNall: JMC 102 (- Language Skills for writers) probably will look different by this fall because we’ve been talking about some revisions in the writing classes, so it’s hard to tell what it will look like. JMC 101 has been a constantly changing thing since I started teaching it, because it’s a constantly changing field … The lawsuit against the founder of Facebook happened (spring 2011) semester, and got pulled into the intro class, because it had some pertinence to a communications medium.

Beclher: Would you say you’re one of those teachers who always has an open door?

McNall: Yeah. My first year teaching full time, Br. Basil (Valente, O.F.M.) told me not to expect to write tests, grade exams or papers in your office. If you manage to do that; that’s gravy, but figure you won’t. Boy was he right! There have been afternoons where one person will walk out the door, and another person will walk in. Partly, that’s one of the pleasures of this job. I don’t have to just walk into a classroom full of 200 people, who are just names on a roster — and that’s pretty much it. I can get to know somebody who walks into my office.

Belcher: Have you found students enjoy your 101 and 102 classes?

McNall: Hopefully, yeah. It’s hard to tell. Some people do poker face far better than I will ever do. I try real hard to make it interesting. And happily, most semesters even some of the people that come into 101 undeclared — and there’s usually at least few — some of them turn around and become JMC majors, so apparently it was interesting at least enough to them that they said, “Yeah, I think I want to go this way.”

Belcher: Let’s talk a little about your personal history.

McNall: I went to law school (at University of Buffalo) not even knowing what I wanted to do with it when I got out. I practiced for a little bit when I did get out, then I got the chance to teach as an adjunct — first at the community college downtown, then both there and here. Within about a year or so of starting, I was looking at my husband and saying if someone were to offer me a full time job I’m grabbing it. I was here teaching a business law class, and Dean Coppola asked me to come to his office and started the conversation with, “So, would you like to teach full time for us?” And I’m like “Yes. Yes I would!”

Belcher: What would the number one piece of advice be for the incoming freshman?

McNall: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, in class, out of class. If you’re confused, almost certainly so is someone else. In class, most professors will happily back up and try again, or look at the person and say, “Stick around a few minutes after class.” We all realize people are coming in here from all kinds of backgrounds.

belchema10@bonaventure.edu

The 2011 MTV Video Awards had many St. Bonaventure University students and alumni tweeting funny and truthful tweets.

Lauren Caulfield, class of 2012, tweeted, “if lady gaga wins I’ll smash my head against the wall like the situation to avoid the awkwardness.”and won the third “Best St. Bonaventure tweets” graphic contest.

The points from last semester carried over. An updated standings will be posted later tonight.