For this edition, the newspaper staff is going to try out a new type of article for you guys: a group movie review of none other than Fifty Shades of Grey. Everybody had their own opinion on this fine cinematic creation and after much debate at our meeting, we all had to share our views with you guys. Comment below if you agree (or even disagree) with our expert opinions.

DRaab: Hearing about this movie was enough for me to vow to never actually see this movie in any way, shape, or media format. The movies I enjoy the most and the ones I like to see have at least some basis in reality. The mark of good fiction is that it is realistic enough that you can really imagine it happening. From what I have heard, Fifty Shades miserably fails that test. It portrays an abusive “fantasy” relationship between Anastasia and Christian that I cannot possibly condone. Words that come to my mind to describe the movie are: morally outrageous, repugnant, and vile filth.

Lauren Bilton: On February 15th, a few of my friends and I went to view this “must-see” movie of 2015. I would not go nearly as far as DRaab to call it “vile filth,” but it surely is a risqué movie. I may be a sucker for rom-coms and movies about love, but I promise you this isn’t any love story. Don’ get me wrong, I didn’t hate the movie; I actually ended up liking it more than I had expected to. Before seeing the movie, I had read the first 50 pages of the novel, unaware of the storyline. Let me tell you: pages 1-50 of the book are completely clean. So here I am sitting in the theater anticipating the movie, thinking “how bad could this be?!” But about 20 minutes into the movie, I realized why people were making such a big deal about it. How are they even allowed to make a movie based solely off of sexual relations and abuse?? The “R” rating is no joke. In Fifty Shades of Grey, Anastasia Steele is a journalism student whose life changes the minute she meets Christian Grey. I will choose to end my review there.

Eric Carey: Honestly, such a steamy flick. I was sweating throughout the whole movie. It was just so mmmmm perfect. Don’t even get me started on the guy who played Christian Grey. O-M-G, can you say hunk? Hunk. There, I said it for you. I often see myself as Anastasia trapped in a rugged, tall, good looking body. On the inside, I’m a beautiful 21-year-old who is attracted to a masochistic weirdo into BDSM. Seriously, the book, the movie, and anything relating to this hot garbage of a franchise should be eradicated. I didn’t watch the movie, but I’ve read some hilarious quotes from the book and I don’t know how anyone can read such schlock without dying laughing.  I got to the word “inner goddess” and it was goodnight, Irene for me, I was done. Yeah this sucks so…. yeah.

Callie MacDonald: An open letter to Anastasia Steele:

Dear Anastasia Steele,

First of all, you have a beautiful name.  I am sorry that people will refrain from naming their children Anastasia for the next five years, out of fear that people will think they are naming their sweet angels after a Fifty Shades character.  Second of all, you need to stop shaking so much.  You look like you are going to pass out the entire movie.  I mean, yeah, I would be intimidated too in the majority of those scenes, but in one scene you were working in a hardware store and looked as though you might pass out.  Pull yourself together!  Third, I do not know why you bite your lip so much, it seems like a rather unnatural habit.  Lastly, you seem like an intelligent girl, you could have a good journalism career in the future, so I advise you to get out of this abusive relationship, no matter how hot Jamie Dornan is.

With love,

Callie.

Andrea Bilton
Sitting in the theater awaiting the start of Fifty Shades of Grey, I expected what anybody was bound to expect when viewing such a controversial movie. I expected a lot of heavy nudity, a slight violence factor, and graphic sexuality that pushed the brink of what is usually permitted on the big screen. But after the movie came to an end and the final credits rolled across the screen, my expectations were vastly underwhelmed. The movie was surprisingly tame, considering all of the harsh criticism surrounding it for being overtly sexual and inappropriate. I had never read the book, however I’ve heard from many about how graphic and almost disturbing the unconventional sex scenes are. However, when brought to life in the cinema, the sex scenes were brief and subtle, showing no more nudity than would be suitable for an adult romantic comedy. And the violence, although jarring in such a romantic and sexual context, was definitely not as heavily involved as I anticipated. In fact, the movie threaded the concepts of BDSM in as merely supplements to the romantic storyline- the movie was not focused primarily on these elements as many people assume. The directors of Fifty Shades of Grey definitely made the right choice of focusing the movie on the storyline and romance between the two characters of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, rather than jolting the audience with graphic sexual encounters as the book supposedly does. I entered the movie expecting to laugh at the overkill of violence and sexuality, but I left very shocked by the lack of explicit nature and touched by the love story portrayed onscreen. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t be deterred by all of the hype and controversy. I promise you the movie is much tamer than it seems.

The age of Netflix: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. As I’m sure any fellow binge-watcher can attest, there is almost no better feeling than curling up with a cozy blanket and the first three seasons of any TV series. Too much of a good thing can be dangerous, however, and I’ll be the first to admit that finding out whether Mr. So-and-so gets the girl can often come at the expense of other, ahem, more educational activities (that next episode button is just so conveniently placed!). On a recent snow day I was feeling really guilty about all of the brain cells I had killed staring blankly at a screen, so I decided to search for something to watch that would actually enrich my knowledge. I stumbled across the documentary section of this fateful website and was immediately surprised and pleased. Now, I know what you’re thinking: documentaries are meant to be watched when you need something to help you fall asleep and usually fall into the category of vicious animals/cool nature, Americans are fat, or semi-inspirational biographies. In reality, there are hundreds of films about almost anything you can imagine. I watched just three of the first few options that I saw, and am so glad I chose to open my eyes up to the world we live in rather than indulge in the trash TV shows I could have wasted my time on. Here are a few of the documentaries I would recommend:

Girl Rising

This 2013 documentary was directed by Academy Award-nominated Richard E. Robbins and follows the stories of nine girls around the globe as they fight the oppression they face in their society. The girls themselves are featured, and their stories are told by actresses including Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez. As HHS seniors learned when they watched the movie here last fall, each of the girls faces her own unimaginable challenges. Sokha in Cambodia was born an orphan and grew up picking through the village dump for scraps of metal. But when she receives an education, Sokha works to teach other girls in her community and attends youth leadership conferences around the world including Washington DC. Wadley is just 8 years old when her native Haiti is struck by the huge 2010 earthquake that forced half the population to live in tent camps and shut down her school. But Wadley refuses to give up her education and starts a school in the tent camp itself. Suma in Nepal is forced into bonded labor at the age of 6 to help support her family, and spends her childhood working for a variety of “masters.” When Suma is taught to read, however, she glimpses a brighter future and makes her way to helping herself and other girls to freedom. Yasmin in Egypt is sexually assaulted but rather than hiding in shame she tells her story to the world to illuminate a problem, and Ethiopian Azmera refuses to marry at the age of 13 in order to continue her studies. A girl named Ruksana in India lives with her family on the streets so they can afford an education, while Senna in Peru uses poetry to bring beauty to her desolate mining town. Mariama lives in war-torn Sierra Leone, but stars on her own radio show and helps girls with real-life problems. Finally, Amina in Afghanistan is a child bride but pushes the limitations of a male-dominated society. Each of these stories is true, and all are equally amazing.

The Dark Matter of Love

Fourteen year old Cami Diaz and her family live in a suburban Wisconsin town not too different from good ole’ Hanover, MA. The Diaz family has always wanted more children, but after being unable to conceive for over a decade, they decided to adopt Masha, 11, and twins Marcel and Vadim, 5, from an impoverished area of Russia. Having never experienced parental love, it is unclear whether Masha and the twins will be able to reciprocate the love the Diaz family plans to give the children. The family works with developmental psychologists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine to learn more about the bond parents and children share to help these children to know they are valued and cared for. This documentary is about the psychological and scientific explanations of love, but also follows the orphans as they experience a collision of cultures and become part of a family for the first time.

Food, Inc.

Did you know that the average American meal travels 1,500 miles before reaching your plate? Would you believe it if I told you there was some form of corn in every meal you ate? Food, Inc. focuses all about the corporate side of American food consumption. Almost all of the chicken we eat comes from one of two huge corporations, and cows, pigs, and poultry are being genetically engineered as we speak to provide customers with more bang for their buck. The documentary features interviews from farmers to CEOs, and even gives viewers a glimpse into meat-packing factories, industrial hen houses, and Midwestern farms. I found this movie fascinating but also pretty terrifying . . . let’s just say I only ate salads for a few days after watching. If you’re really big on meat, I’d steer clear of this one, you may never want to look at a filet mignon again!

These days, it seems that listening to the radio can’t really compare to listening to music on your phone.  With iTunes, Pandora and Spotify letting you choose the songs and eliminating obnoxious commercials, the radio can be an annoying alternative. It is much easier to enjoy a song when you are not dreading the upcoming chant of “K-A-R-S cars for kids.” (donate your car today)  Honestly, I would agree with all of these statements, if not for the exception of one radio station.  Despite the long commercial breaks, 92.5 The River provides a better listening experience in my opinion than any other music medium.

The River is on a mission, a Blues Brothers-esque “mission from God,” to provide us with good music.  No one is paying them to play certain things, or advertise products during the talk show.  There are no high-level executives dictating what they play.  They play songs because they are good and for no other reason.

Although many stations boast their variety, this station actually has it.  They do not commit themselves to one style of music.  They just play songs that they feel have value to them.  You may hear “Uptown Funk” played in the same hour as a Bob Dylan song, and then maybe they’ll play an acoustic version and then a live version.  No matter how diverse the playlists may be, the DJs always have an artistic ability to align the music so that each song flows nicely into the next.  Even if the genre or age of the songs are vastly different, there is never a jarring transition as they change.  The diversity of these playlists suit those who pride themselves on liking all kinds of music, but benefit the majority of us who have only been exposed to the music of our friends or our parents.  The River opens you up to kinds of things you have never heard, and never would have heard if not for this station.

Another annoying aspect of listening to the radio is having to hear the trivial squabbles of the DJs.  It seems they are either telling everyone a fake account of their weekend or promoting a product that they are paid to advertise.  Thankfully, the DJs on The River don’t seem to follow the actions of their neighboring stations. Before a certain song is played, the DJ will provide interesting background that makes you notice more things while listening than you would have otherwise.  They discuss an artist’s writing process, the meaning behind the song, or even their personal thoughts on the song.  When they build up a song, they do it so genuinely that it makes you eager to listen and share in their excitement.

I would even argue that listening to The River is good for you.  It opens you up to new things and broadens your horizon.  It reminds us what radio DJs are supposed to do and what radio executives are not.  It teaches us that broadcasting should be independent, so the only motive is to benefit listeners.  In this case, the benefit to listeners is providing them with diverse, genuinely good music.

Whether you’re a fan of their genre of music or not, everyone likes at least one song by Imagine Dragons. It could be “It’s Time,” “Radioactive,” or “Tiptoe,” but when Imagine Dragons released its first album Night Visions, it became one of the biggest selling albums of 2013. With a response like that, the pressure was definitely on for the band to make a follow-up album just as awesome as the first. And in my opinion, they succeeded.

Their new album, Smoke +Mirrors, is astounding, with strong melody writing and captivating lyrics. My favorite song from the album right now is “I Bet My Life.” This album will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. Smoke + Mirrors has a whole range of musical styles that anyone can appreciate including mellow melodies, guitars filtered with alternative-rock, powerful bass or beats, and floor drums.

It’s hard for me decide if this album is an improvement over the last because the sound is different. With saying that, a lot of reviews comment on how it doesn’t sound anything like their first album and they want the old Imagine Dragons back. But here’s my question for you if you think like that: Iif a band stuck with the same old sound for every album, wouldn’t it get rather boring? I mean they only have one other album, so it’s perfectly reasonable if a band wants to change up their sound and try something different. Dan Reynolds, lead vocalist, said while making this album, “We embraced a lot of hip-hop influences with Night Visions, but I think the next record will be more rock-driven.”

The rest of the reviews have all been really positive, some calling it a “modern pop-rock gem.” I recommend this album for anyone; even if you’re not a huge rock fan, Smoke + Mirrors will be sure to rock your mind. (Wow, I ended the article with a really bad pun, good job me!)