Monthly Archives: September 2014

Motionless in White’s New Album Drops Today

16 Tuesday Sep 2014

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Motionless in White – Reincarnate

$9.99 – iTunes

Released September 16, 2014

MIW 2

Congratulations to the fans of Motionless in White, the new album is here! Just shy of two years after Infamous, Motionless in White has returned with their third studio album, Reincarnate, a 14 track headbanger’s dream. The Scranton, Penn. natives prove heavy metal can have a strong presence in an industry dominated by pop and country.

Title track Reincarnate and Puppets 3 (The Grand Finale) were available in July as part of pre-orders. With the two songs giving a preview of what was to come, fans were waiting in anticipation for the September 16th full release.

Starting with what is sure to be a metal anthem, Death March, MIW sets us up for the ride of heavy guitars, keyboards and lead vocalist Chris Motionless’s healthy balance of scream and melody. Fans won’t be disappointed in Unstoppable, Everybody Sells Cocaine, Generation Lost and Dead As F**k as they will have you shamelessly singing along no matter who’s around to see you do it. The album ends with the acoustic version of Infamous’s Sinematic, which round out the metal album with a mellow edge reminiscent of The Smiths.

Guest vocals include Danny Filth of Cradle of Filth, Maria Brink of In This Moment and Tim Skold.

Reincarnate premiered at #9 on iTunes top albums and #1 on iTunes Metal chart.

The Yooper’s Daughter

08 Monday Sep 2014

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I’ve always loved my mom’s cooking. It’s a cliché to say that my mom is the best cook but I seriously dread the day I am forced to go more than a few weeks with out it. I had to survive off frozen dinners and chewy chicken for two weeks because my parents went on vacation. Not fun for my taste buds.

Growing up, I thought a plate with fried cabbage or gravy beans were the norm in every household. Of course the kid down the street had the same sort of things every night, why wouldn’t they be enjoying the same delicious delicacies.

Oh, to be young and naïve.

Around the age of 10, I started paying attention to the kitchen banter between my parents and I realized something. It was a break-through of sorts: I was the daughter of a Yooper.

Any Michigander knows what this means. For all those living outside the Great Lakes State, a Yooper is a person that hails from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or the “UP” as we call it (not to be confused with the word “up.” We pronounce both letters). Across the Mackinac Bridge lie our eccentric statesmen with their own unique dialect and food. My mom grew up in Escanaba, a lakeside town in the UP with a population less than 13,000 in 2012, which was the setting of Jeff Daniel’s Escanaba in da Moonlight.

One night a couple of weeks ago I remember waiting in my parent’s kitchen for dinner to be ready. A meat and potato rich aroma was permeating throughout the house. As my mom would say, it was the “smell of her ‘yoot’”.

Allow me to be the stereotypical daughter translating for her mom. Her “yoot” is her youth. I wasn’t kidding when I say they have a dialect of their own and it sometimes charges out of my mom when talking, in this case smelling, something from her days spent in the UP. This particular night, one of the UP’s greatest comfort foods was in the house.

Pasties were in the oven.

For all the “trolls” (people that live below the Mackinac Bridge), a traditional pasty is a mix of potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, onions and ground beef all encased in a crust. Most places toward the south of the state don’t have them on the menu but once you cross the bridge there are shops boasting the delicious dish.

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The UP was originally a popular place for immigrants looking for work in either the mining or logging industry. Immigrants from England brought the love of Cornish pasties to the locals and were made even more popular by Finnish immigrants. Pasties became so popular that they are not only a go-to meal for locals but also a tourist attraction.

The small town of Calumet, Mich., is home to the annual Pasty Fest every summer. Pasty Fest includes a 5k walk/run called “The Great Pasty Chase”, a parade and a pasty bake-off. Yes, these meat pastries are that popular.

Growing up eating these dishes in the wrong peninsula makes you feel like you’re a member of an elite society. I’m technically not a troll because my mom is from the UP but I’m not a Yooper because my dad is from southeast Michigan. I’m hybrid; I eat in with the northerners but live with the southerners.

I guess I get the best of both worlds.

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-Emily

 

Images obtained via Google Images

10 Movies Every College Student Needs to See

04 Thursday Sep 2014

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Seeing as this is my fourth year of what I call academic enslavement at an urban university I hear quite a few random movie references and love when I can laugh along. What I really hate is being the person standing there like a dear in the headlights waiting for someone to explain.

 

  1. Office Space (1999)

Comedy (R )

Director Mike Judge

89 Minutes

Trailer

I won’t lie; I’m guilty of not seeing this film in its entirety so we shall rely on IMDb.com’s synopsis instead of my own quirky one.

“Three company workers who hate their jobs and decide to rebel against their greedy boss.”

My dentist once made a reference to this film and I just stared at him with narrowed eyes and an open mouth (granted, he was checking my teeth) until he explained. He and the nurse laughed while I stared at the ceiling. Never again.

  1. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Comedy/Drama (R )

Director John Hughes

97 minutes

Trailer

This is one of those need-to-see movies before you’ve even left high school. A while ago, a good friend of mine told me he had just seen it and he was only a week away from graduating high school! I wasn’t sure whether I should feel betrayed or sorry for the poor boy.

Set on a sunny Saturday at Shermer High School, a brain, a beauty, a jock, a basket case and a criminal all sit in the library for detention while the vice principal is across the hall in his office. The catch? The library doors must stay open so he can keep an eye on them. That is until he leaves his office for a few minutes and the criminal takes a screw out of the door and thus the doors stay closed allowing the motley crew of students to do as they please until detention is over.

  1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Comedy/Musical (R )

Director Jim Sharman

100 minutes

Trailer

A classic indeed! This cult-classic starring Tim Curry as a cross-dressing alien doctor that creates a man has inspired many to attend live performances of the show and participate during their favorite songs. At times cheesy and borderline ridiculous, this musical will have you tapping along with songs like “Time Warp”, “Sweet Transvestite” and “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me”. Best send any younger siblings to bed beforehand. Enter at your own risk!

  1. The Star Wars Saga (Episodes I-VI) (1977-20005)

Action/Adventure (Episode I, II, IV, V, VI (PG). Episode III (PG-13)

Director George Lucas

Trailer

Too many times have I heard people make Yoda-esque references, even professors (I had one professor go by Yoda)! The iconic saga which had six episodes spanning over nearly three decades has become a household name. Not only does this saga give the viewer a total trip through space but also through the evolution of film special effects. Sometimes I still shake my head at the laser guns. May the Force be with you all!

  1. The Godfather (1972)

Crime/Drama (R )

Director Francis Ford Coppola

175 minutes

Trailer

Perhaps crime and the mafia are not your forte but ever heard someone say, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” or something along those lines? Or “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli” which is a personal favorite.

The Godfather gave us some of the more iconic film phrases though many don’t understand the underlining violence behind them because they’ve never seen Francis Ford Coppala’s masterpiece. Have a sit-down with your Netflix or AMC’s Mob Week and prepare for gun fire.

  1. Citizen Kane (1941)

Drama/Mystery (PG)

Director Orson Welles

119 minutes

Trailer

Any film student probably has this film committed to memory. Spanning the life of Orson Welles’ character, the film shows the rise and fall and personal struggles of one man’s empire all while using innovative cinematography techniques. Good luck trying to find a list of greatest movies ever made that does not include Citizen Kane.

  1. American Pie (1999)

Comedy/Romance (R )

Director(s) Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz

95 minutes

Trailer

If you enter college without knowing the significance of “This one time, at band camp…” then consider yourself cinematically far behind.

Jason Biggs’ incredibly awkward character ends up doing a strip tease while his webcam is rolling, getting caught by his parents having some personal time with himself and getting caught by his dad violating a pie. Needless to say, Biggs’ character always ends up in the worst situations and none of his friends can offer any help. You could call this film the pioneer of obscene humor.

  1. Animal House (1978)

Comedy (R )

Director John Landis

109 minutes

Trailer

If you ever see someone walking around campus in a toga I think it’s safe to blame Animal House, National Lampoon’s film of a college fraternity and the debauchery they got up to during the 1960s. The party loving frat faces getting shut down by the “good boy” fraternity that are good friends of Faber College’s Dean.

  1. Fight Club (1999)

Drama (R )

Director David Fincher

139 minutes

Trailer

“The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club” was the line made famous by David Fincher’s film. Maybe it’s the violence that people loved or maybe it was the mystery behind Brad Pitt’s character that had you hooked until the end. To sum it up in simple terms: One guy meets another guy, they fight for fun, other join in on the fun, they all move in together, start Project Mayhem, destroy parts of the city and then a big ending most don’t see coming.

  1. The Harry Potter Saga (2001-2011)

Adventure/Fantasy/Mystery (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Half-Blood Prince (PG). Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2 (PG-13).)

Director(s) Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, David Yates

Trailer

Many colleges and universities have seen an increase in Quidditch clubs and Harry Potter themed movie nights at the library. The current generation of college students likely grew up watching Harry be the hero in the eight film saga and quote it constantly, myself included, and if you have missed out then make sure to catch yourself up on what goes on in the wizarding world. Mischief managed.

There are many to be seen but I feel these are the most important. Some honorable mentions include:

Easy A

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Donnie Darko

Accepted      

St. Elmo’s Fire

Back to School

Whether you’re about to enter your college career or you’re about to exit it, these film are some of the most important and iconic to our age group. In between studying for your final and writing your 15 page essay, take a break and pick one of the above to help you reset your mind.