Category: reviews
-
Water for Elephants impresses Williamson
Like every other time a movie comes out based on a book I haven’t yet read, the Water for Elephants trailer inspired me to go out and buy the novel. I wanted to be…
-
Spring chorus concert
On May 13, Leesville’s Choral Department presented the 2011 Spring Concert. The Beginning Chorus, Intermediate Chorus and Capital Pride all performed a variety of songs. The concert began with all the choral groups filing…
-
Scotty McCreery’s homecoming: “Garner’s proudest moment”
On Saturday May 15, Scotty McCreery, an American Idol top 3 finalist, returned to his hometown of Garner to perform at Lake Benson Park. To celebrate his homecoming, the town of Garner sponsored a…
-
Water for Elephants : simply smashing
When my girlfriend first told me we were going to see Water For Elephants, a film directed by Francis Lawrence, needless to say I was less than enthusiastic. However, led by a superb cast…
-
Cinderella: a magical experience
Leesville’s production of Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: The Enchanted Edition was an absolute treat—a delicious dessert of sorts, really. In fact, if I were to describe this production, I would compare it to a…
-
Insidious: a breath of fresh air (in the world of scary movies)
Imagine this: you’re in a house, at night. You hear a knock, go downstairs, and see no one. You turn on the alarm system and go back up the stairs, and all of a…
-
Our America with Lisa Ling an eye-opener
Our America with Lisa Ling on the Oprah Winfrey Network is an MTV True Life-esque exposé on various issues hidden in American society. Sometimes shocking and always enlightening, host Lisa Ling takes an objective…
-
Tangled: A princess movie to get tangled up in
Once upon a time, in a land far away, a King and Queen were having a baby, but the Queen grew dreadfully sick. There was knowledge of a magical healing flower somewhere in the…
-
Gnomeo & Juliet less than phe-gnome-enal
Toy Story, Monsters INC., Shrek – all are examples of great animated movies that people of any age can enjoy. When I entered the theater on Saturday, Feb 12 to see Gnomeo & Juliet,…
-
Straight No Chaser a phenomenal performance
On December 17 and 18, Straight no Chaser, an a capella group, performed at Fletcher Hall in downtown Raleigh. The show opened with their own version of “Joy to the World,” originally by Three…
-
No Strings Attached a funny, forgettable chickflick
No Strings Attached, starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, is a light, cutesy comedy about the pitfalls of being friends with benefits. Full of “romcom” cliches and little that was unexpected, the movie was…
-
Cataclysm
Blizzard Entertainment has produced some of the most addictive games the world has ever seen since it started in 1994. With the release of Cataclysm, the third expansion set of the World of Warcraft…
-
The battle of the flat-irons
My hair straightener is dead. The Remington Wet2Straight I received in eighth grade has survived through five years of daily use. By sophomore year, I had my routine down to a science, turning the…
-
Fro yo at Yo Mo
In mid-November, a new frozen yogurt location, Yogurt Mountain, opened in Raleigh on Creedmoor road next to Five Guys. I’m a huge fan of frozen yogurt–I possess frequent buyer cards at both Freshberry and…
-
Shish Kabob: a new lunch destination
This October, students at Leesville gained a new lunch option, Shish Kabob, a Mediterranean food restaurant located in Pinecrest Point. This restaurant is the second location of the Shish Kabob chain, which was started…
-
Rocky Horror: Scandalous fun!
I recently wrote that Alex Stewart, senior, and I were Rocky Horror virgins, nervous and excited to go to our first ever showing of the play. However, that is no longer the case. On…
-
Blithe Spirit a hit
It is said that you do not marry someone you can live with, but rather, you marry the person who you cannot live without. But what if that person is dead? In Leesville’s fall…
-
Dance Ensemble concert impressive
The Leesville Road High School Dance Ensemble held their fall concert on Tuesday, October 6 in the Leesville Auditorium. The program consisted of a wide variety of performances reflecting many styles of dance. All…
-
Homecoming lame, but that’s ok
I had high expectations for Homecoming 2010. After three years of watching the seniors waltz in at 10:15, I was ready to do the same. Expecting a chorus of Ke$ha’s “the party don’t…
-
Easy A easily earns an “A”
Any movie that persuades teens to read more of The Scarlet Letter than the title deserves kudos. In Easy A, directed by Will Gluck, Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) embroiders a red “A” onto…
-
1970s rock trio proves its lasting relevance
On September 18, I found myself lucky enough to be attending a performance in Manassas, VA (near Washington, D.C.) by one of rock and roll’s most legendary acts – the legendary power trio Rush.…
-
Halo: Reach gets mixed reviews
Halo: Reach was released at midnight on September 14 and at that moment, the nation was hooked. Teenagers everywhere camped outside of stores and even skipped school to put their hands on a copy.…
-
How 283 Great Colleges saved my life
Barnes & Noble’s SparkNotes, as everyone knows, is the official religion of American high schoolers. Aiding in the understanding of literature greats such as Shakespeare and Dickens, the geniuses at SparkNotes know how to…
-
SNL: Saturday Night… Laughs?
Every once in a while, its nice to know that those who once had it still have what it takes to leave you wanting more. And if the affirmation happens to come in the…
-
Wicked is wicked!
As I sat in the Durham Performing Arts Center on Saturday May 1, there was no where I wanted to be less. DPAC was in the middle of showing their production of Wicked, which…
-
Ali Fedotowsky returns as The Bachelorette
On May 24, a new season of ABC’s The Bachelorette began, with a nervous Ali Fedotowsky as the bachelorette, and 25 eligible bachelors waiting to meet her. Ali, who was a front runner in…
-
Sex and the City 2 disappointing
Sex and the City 2, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis and Cynthia Nixon premiered to millions Thursday, May 27, promising glamour, couture, and all-around fabulousness. The movie, however, did not live…
-
Ubuntu software now easier and cheaper than competitors
An update to Ubuntu, one of the most popular distribution of Linux, was released on April 29, 2010. The 10.04 update, codenamed Lucid Lynx, touts features like a new music store, online synchronization, stability…
-
“The Mermaid Chair” a light read
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kid tells the story of Jessie Sullivan, a middle-aged woman who reexamines her life and twenty-year marriage after a tragedy forces her to travel back to the island…
-
“Minute to Win It” pointless but awesome
The game show Minute to Win It premiered Sunday, March 14 at 8 p.m. ET, and it took me three episodes to realize that it was my new favorite inane and pointless show on…
-
“Perfect Match” very accurate
Perfect Match, by Jodi Picoult, tells the story of a mother who must choose between protecting her son and allowing the justice system to give an accused man a fair trial. As an assistant…
-
Blue Man Group
When they formed the Blue Man Group and started performing in small venues around Manhattan in 1987, Phil Stanton, Chris Wink, and Matt Goldman sought meaningful connection during a decade of decadence and decline…
-
Stellar Kart article
Stellar Kart rocks the music world once again with their new album Everything is Different Now, released at the end of February. Stellar Kart has changed their sound for this record, but nothing too…
-
Prom 2010
Leesville held the 2010 ‘Night on the Orient’ Prom for juniors and seniors on Saturday, April 17 at the Sister’s Garden Catering Hall on East Millbrook Road. Most students that attend Prom do not…
-
The Cupcake Shoppe Exceeds Expectations
On Saturday, April 10, I threw out everything I thought I knew about baked goods. This is because on that beautiful Saturday afternoon, I found myself enjoying a marvelous cupcake at The Cupcake Shoppe…
-
Captain Stanley’s Fails to Impress
My family and I chose to visit Captain Stanley’s Calabash Seafood on Falls of the Neuse Road, wanting some good seafood at a reasonable price. Although we predicted that it would be a little…
-
“It Won’t Happen to Me” seminar successful
Lauren Winborne of Georgia is not your average woman. After losing both her senior prom date and a college boyfriend to fatal car accidents, she dedicated her life to speaking to teen students about…
-
Ted’s Montana Grill impresses
As I wandered into Ted’s Montana Grill, I had no idea what to expect. I’d discovered the location purely by chance, overhearing two strangers at Triangle Town Center rave about the quality of their…
-
Girls debut album impressive
Christopher Owens, the crooning, brooding, and delightfully disheveled and drug-addled frontman of Girls—a band whose four members are all men, naturally and ironically (naturally ironic?)—is possibly the most fantastically tragic yet unbelievably lucky person…
-
Bachelor Finale Review
On this year’s Bachelor finale, bachelor/pilot Jake Pavelka made an unexpected choice by choosing this season’s villain, and my personal favorite, Vienna, as his bride. All season long, Vienna was the girl that everybody…
-
The Blind Side a Story of Staggering Achievement
The Blind Side is about an under-privileged, under-educated teenage boy who finds hope in a wealthy family who takes him in. The story follows Michael Oher, (played by Quinton Aaron) an African American high…
-
The Time Traveler’s Wife a Worthy Read
The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, deals with the trials and tribulations of Henry DeTamble, a man who involuntary travels through time and how his wife, Clare, deals with his strange disorder as…
-
Valentine’s Day Forgettable
Name an actor, any actor, and he or she is probably in the new rom-com Valentine’s Day. A-list stars such as Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba and Biel star in the new movie,…
-
Nine’s Director Didn’t Take Advantage
The highly anticipated musical-turned-movie, Nine, directed by the mastermind of Chicago Rob Marshall, premiered December 25. I was half expecting to fall head over heals for this glamorous drama. But sadly, I was a…
-
Pretty Colors Make Avatar Worthwhile
Avatar, a sci-fi action film by James Cameron, was released in theaters December 18, 2009. Making just over $1 billion in international sales, Avatar has received severe criticism from viewers. The story follows a…
-
The Irregardless Cafe
I am a vegan, which makes eating out a daunting task in Raleigh, North Carolina. Even finding vegetarian-friendly restaurants is difficult, and when you finally find one, the options are about as bland as…
-
The Trader Joes Experience: Why I will Never Go Anywhere Else
I do not think I will ever shop at a regular grocery store ever again, that is, until Trader Joes’ trading hours cease to exist. With a new location on Wake Forest Rd., opened…
-
Final Fantasy XIII
Square Enix has delivered one of the most addictive system sellers ever created with the release of Final Fantasy XIII. The video game has already become a sensation in Asia and is creating much…
-
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes hit the big screen on Christmas day. The movie stays true to the classic Sherlock Holmes—mystery. However, it also brings in a lot of action. From the moment the film starts, opening…
-
Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
These days it is extremely difficult to come across a band that has a distinct sound. Artists like Daughtry and Nickelback blast continually on MTV and there seems to be no room for a…