Iron Man

I am a lifelong, self professed comic book nut. Comics have been a hobby (or obsession) of mine since childhood. At the age of ten I was given a refrigerator box full of comics, and I was immediately hooked. I spent a good deal of my leisure time fighting the hordes with Conan, battling the Red Skull with Captain America, and swinging across Manhattan with Spider Man.

The last few years of comic book movies have been fantastic. Box office winners like X-Men and Spider Man have helped blot out memories of stinkers like the 1970’s version of Spider man, the Dolph Lundgren version of The Punisher, and the dreadful Nick Fury, Agent of Shield that David Hasselhoff wishes never happened.

When I heard the announcement that Marvel Comics had greenlighted Iron Man, I was actually a bit nervous. This would be an easy one to completely ruin. Iron Man has always been every bit the flawed hero… he has no genetic super powers… he relies on his brains and an armoured battle suit to fight crime and mete out justice. Tony Stark is not your standard Clark Kent, all American boy alter ego… he was modeled on Howard Hughes, and was portrayed as a hard drinking billionaire playboy.

My fears, it seems, were not warranted. Robert Downey junior was casting brilliance. Who better to play a womanizing lush than him! The writing, with all the possibilities for being hackneyed and over the top, was brilliant! They updated the Iron Man story line, and the dialogue was fresh and humorous. The film was everything I could have hoped for and more… action scenes were fast paced, dramatic scenes were well paced and engrossing, and the armour… wow.

All in all… movie magic. I only give it two thumbs up because I lack more thumbs. I highly recommend that you go see it, and when you do, stay to the end of the credits. At all costs. I don’t care if the place is on fire… it’s worth it.

- Sam

The Host

The Host, the newest book by the Twilight series author, Stephenie Meyer, was my latest conquest. This was a truly startling book. I read about 30 pages into it and had to skip to the end to read the last two paragraphs to be sure there was a light at the end of the tunnel, of course this may just be a result of my own nature (I've done the same thing with many books in the past, bad habit) It was so bleak. As I read, I felt my heart drop about a dozen times.

That said, I'm sure this is starting to sound like a negative review, but trust me when I say it is not. This book was breath-taking. Stephenie Meyer certainly has a knack for making her characters real to the reader. She makes you feel what the main character feels, and in this case that gets a little complicated as there are two people in the main character's head, so you're really not sure who you're empathizing with.

I was reluctant to read this book. I'm starting to realize that when it comes to books, I'm overly judgmental and reluctant to try new things, something I'm trying to remedy. I'm not into the alien thing. I never was. Give me vampires, give me werewolves and dragons and faeries. Those things I can make myself believe in, even if only for the short duration of the book (except unicorns, we all know unicorns are real). But aliens? Really? Now that's a little far-fetched. Reluctant as I was, however, with the Twilight series fresh in my mind and the anticipation of the next book still strong, when anything with Stephenie Meyer's name on it is shoved my way, my snobbish stubbornness will crumble. I endured 624 pages of elation and heartbreak at the hands of the emotional sadist I've come to love.

Now let us all clap our hands and say, "I do believe MTV won't ruin the Twilight movie. I do believe."

- Krista

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament

Okay, this report is a little late, but here it is:

On April 5th we finally had our tournament. Our original tournament featuring Super Smash Bros. Melee in celebration of Teen Tech Week at the beginning of March was snowed, sleeted, and hailed out. We played for a bit but ultimately decided to reschedule for April.

So April came and this time I got us a copy of Brawl, which prevented a repeat of the coup I had to quell in March over the fact that the tournament was happening one day before Brawl was released, due, I might add, to setbacks with Ninendo...not my fault!

The tournament was alot of fun. We had around 12 people so it didn't take long to determine a winner, Kevin Platt. With our winner established it was a free-for-all. We played for hours before we finally called it quits and went home. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I know I did.

Here are some pictures:




Very special thanks to Gamer Craze, who donated a $20 gift certificate to their store as the prize. They were great about supporting us and pleasant to work with.

- Krista

Science Fair

Last night I helped do interviews for the Elementary School Science Fair. As this was my first time, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Upon entering the school and being engulfed in the chaos that naturally forms when young children congregate (that's a law of physics, I'm sure. Look it up.), I thought for sure I would be overwhelmed. However, after receiving my list of kids and the questions I was to ask them, I wandered around and looked at the many projects. I was amazed at the complexity and depth of some of them, and the creativity of others. As I interviewed the kids I was assigned to, I marveled again at the variety of answers I got to the same three questions. What interested you in this project? From one child I learned that he was not originally interested in his project. He looked, but could not find one that interested him. But in response to my asking him to tell me about his project, his eyes lit up and he very excitedly showed me how it worked and how he made it. When I asked him what he learned from this, he got excited and started pointing out facts illustrated on his display and elaborating on them. It was clear that, while he had started out with a mediocre interest in the project, he ended up becoming very fascinated with what he'd learned.

It was also very nice to see so many of the kids I see everyday at the library showing off their creations. All in all, it was a really fun night.

-Krista

Persona 3

I beat my first video game ever last weekend! I'm so proud of myself. I'm obsessive about leveling up so I met the end boss battle with a level 99 team. I rocked!

For those of you who don't know, Persona 3 is one of the most awesome games ever created...says I who has completed only this game. One of the most interesting aspects of Persona 3 is the social links. You can not get anywhere in the game unless you join after school activities and spend time with people and be nice to them. The personas themselves are the embodiment of your personality. Usually based on mythological beings, they emerge from you and help you fight battles.

I found the storyline absolutely fascinating and couldn't put the controller down. It is a Playstation 2 game put out last year. It has an extended game coming out next month. It is rated Mature, so it is not for younger audiences. However, for the mature audience it is directed towards, I highly recommend it!

- Krista

Teen Tech Week

Don't forget, this week Monday through Saturday is Teen Tech Week. Participate in our Photoshop contest for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Brewer Bookstore. Join us to add your input on the creation of the YA webpage. Share your opinions and suggestions on books, movies, music or hobbies you may have. And join us on Saturday for the SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE tournament!

Sunday Nights With Miss Austen

For the past month and a half, I’ve been looking forward to Sunday nights. At 9pm on PBS, Masterpiece Theater presents The Complete Jane Austen . Last Sunday I watched the final installment of the wonderful BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. In addition to this feature, the collection includes five new adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels along with a biopic of her life.

I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about these stories that mesmerizes me. I am definitely entranced by the costumes, daily rituals, and lovely scenery. As I watch I reflect upon all of the progress women have made since that time period. I am relieved that getting married or becoming a governess are no longer the only options for a “respectable” woman. I’m also glad that one mistake can’t ruin one’s entire reputation.

Yet I am also struck by the things that have stayed the same. Beauty, youth and wealth are still prized more than other qualities in our society. Jane Austen’s characters often lack some of these prized qualities, and many modern women can empathize with their struggle to succeed in society.

However, Jane Austen’s stories are also uplifting. Often the poor, clever woman finds unexpected happiness or the woman who has made a mistake reinvents herself and is given a second chance. Repeatedly, Austen’s characters succeed against all odds.

My only criticism of the new PBS adaptations is that they are a little too short (my husband would probably argue otherwise). Two features remain to be shown: Emma (March 23rd) and Sense & Sensibility (March 30th & April 3rd). I hope others will look forward to them as much as I am.

-Amanda