The Bluffer

September 1, 2016

The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA

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Bluffer Staff Pick 'Hamilton' (2015) Yesenia Cerrillo Staff Writer Unique and interesting film that is worth the watch. A great read that will inspire you to read more. Page 4 August 26, 2016 A musical and theatrical experi- ence that equals the experience of eating pizza. Great show to watch, highly rec- ommend! Brooke Blythe Features Editor Trinity Stehno Staff Writer 'Suicide Squad' exhibits 'Stranger Things' develops 'The Sweetness at the bottom 'Pokémon Go' causes controversy Not worth your while to download. 'Suicide Squad,' a PG-13 rated fantasy/crime film was released into theaters on August 5, 2016, and featured Will Smith, Margot Robbie, along with Jared Leto. www.youtube.com As anybody with an up-to- date smart-phone may know the latest app craze on the market is 'Pokėmon Go;' it came out July 6 of this year, and immediately got downloaded by Pokėmon lovers all over the world, causing tons of crashes worldwide. 'Pokėmon Go' then proceeded to blow up all over every social media site. The game was developed by Niantic Incorporated and published by The Pokėmon Company; it's available on both Android and iOS platforms. The game itself is unsafe and leads you to dangerous areas in town or just to not pay attention while walking around your neighborhood. There's been people that have fallen off of cliffs trying to "catch them all," and there's people that have come across dead bodies while searching for pokėmon as well. Some pokėmon fanatics are even investing their life savings into traveling the world, so they can catch more rare pokėmon and get the chance to level up more. With the recent updates, Niantic Incorporated is attempting to make game play safer by giving you speed warnings if you appear to be going vehicle-speed, and it reminds you to stay alert and out of dangerous areas. Upon downloading the game, you build an avatar that's supposed to be a representation of you as a Pokėmon trainer, but they only have six options to differentiate you from everyone else; while you don't come across other game players on screen, the limited choices are frustrating. You have to roam around on foot to collect pokėmon, but you can only collect so many from one city; the other more rare pokėmon are in other cities, states or even countries. The game is based on organization of your bags, fighting other pokėmon trainers in gyms owned by different teams, collecting as many pokėmon as you possibly can and a few more things. That said, it is all very repetitive and becomes extremely boring shortly after downloading the game. 'Pokėmon Go' doesn't come with a real game play tutorial; it tells you all about what you do in the game, but it doesn't teach you how to do it. Once you're released into game play without the professor interrupting you, you're left to figure out how to catch the pokėmon that pop up in the area around you by yourself or with the help of a friend who's already figured it out. 'Hamilton,' written by Lin- Manuel Miranda, made its Off- Broadway debut in February 2015 and went to Broadway in August of 2015. Since then, it has won eleven Tony awards (nominated for sixteen and including Best Musical), a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It's the second-highest-grossing musical on Broadway, behind 'The Lion King.' Since September of 2015, almost every one of its shows has been sold out. The show is about one of the founding fathers that's generally not talked about- Alexander Hamilton. The man who's on our ten dollar bill, the one that's frequently asked about- "Who's that guy again?" Miranda, who wrote and starred in the Musical until July 2016, wanted to highlight this man's history as nobody else has before. The show explains his background (an orphan and immigrant from the Caribbean, wanting to fight for America), how he got into politics (and being General George Washington's right hand man), his love life (with the lovely Schuyler sisters), his friends (including the man responsible for his death, Aaron Burr) and the tragedies of his life. But what made this musical so radical was that its whole album was made almost entirely of rap and hip-hop music. Its cast is almost completely Black and Latino. Miranda explained this as "wanting to tell the history of America while showing what it's like now," with the diversity of both people and music. Now to explain why this musical has totally changed my life- I'm not even kidding. Let me explain to you how powerful this musical is- I never really like rap or hip hop music that much, and I never cared for some old guys from hundreds of years ago that complained about the British and flung tea into the harbor (as a tea-lover, I was a little offended). My sister forced this onto me, and I decided to try it out. The first song, 'Alexander Hamilton,' sucked me in, and each song after that just made me more and more invested. The beauty of the lyrics, the feeling of the music, the story line of each and every character. I laughed hysterically, I sobbed for hours, I hung onto every word with reverence. Within a day, I went from a normal human having no idea of what happiness is to signing my soul away to Lin- Manuel freakin' Miranda and everything he does. I mean, their cabinet meetings are epic rap battles! How could you not love this thing?! I have seen countless reviews from people like 'Variety,' 'New York Times,' and Barack Obama, and every single review was in admiration. People have claimed it's a "cultural phenomenon," and I couldn't agree more. 'Suicide Squad' has finally hit the theaters, the wait is finally over, and I can say it did not disappoint. Since the release of the trailer in 2015, excitement grew over the film inspired by the late 1980's comic book series. Each character had their past entwined throughout the story, each a heart wrenching story that made one's eyes burn with tears; the audience was made to understand why the Suicide Squad was the cruel villainous people they were that day. Deadshot, an infamous assassin for hire in Gotham city has a perfect comparison of dark and light throughout the movie; his caring, fatherly side present and melding with the cold hearted killer he had been forged into. Many times freedom was presented to him by choosing what was morally wrong, and his character constantly battled back and forth between what would be right for him and his family. Harley Quinn and the Joker, lovers and enemies, are a main source of entertainment to the fans. Margot Robbie portrayed Harley Quinn's character beautifully. Her careful mix of sociopathic tendencies, recklessness and her blinding love for the Joker all make the plot even better with her "I'm hot and I know it" attitude. The Joker, her partner in crime, was the only disappointing aspect about the movie. Jared Leto came in and out of the movie in little clips. Although he was barely present, he perfected his crime boss attitude. The Enchantress and June Moon, two characters that possess the same body, play a vital role in the main mission at hand. June Moon a sweet young girl who falls in love with a soldier wages war against the Grand Witch inside her known as the Enchantress. A mysterious and ethereal character that shows her dark side through her god like abilities makes her mark on the world. However, for the rest of Suicide Squad, the character build up was poor and rushed. A group villains ready to pay their debts, and give back to the world show that they weren't so villainous after all. Some shed tears, some gave their lives all to right the wrongs done by their hand. In the Netflix original series, 'Stranger Things' written and directed by Matt & Ross Duffer is a very interesting series. This show stars a young group of boys and a psychokinetic girl in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana where things become mysterious. On November 6th, 1983 a young boy named Will Byers from the group goes missing, it is up to his friends: Dustin, Mike and Lucas to find him. Meanwhile the boy's older brother Jonathan Byers, his mother Joyce Byers as well as the Police Chief, Jim Hopper are investigating. In the boys search for their friend they encounter a girl named Eleven, they soon realize she has mind powers making her psychokinetic. These young kids experience and see things they never imagined would be real, things that give you chills down to your bones, things that make your inside scream. Yet through it all they remain courageous and strong by sticking together no matter the situation. Only a few people in the town are aware of what is happening where they live. It is up to these people to get rid of the problem before everyone becomes in danger. The question is, if they don't succeed how many people will be at risk to disappearing or dying? This was by far one of the most interesting and mysterious shows I have watched. Each of the 8 episodes in season one got me thinking, what happens next? This show gets you wondering what will occur in the next episode so you must continue watching. After finishing season 1 I am anxious for them to confirm and release a season 2. I highly recommend giving this show a watch because I doubt you will regret it. 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie' by Alan Bradley is a riveting tale about a young girl with a knack for chemistry and a fascination with poisons. Set in the 1950's in the English countryside which she navigates on her trusty bike Gladys, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce meets a fascinating group of characters. The mystery begins when a dead blackbird with a stamp stuck on its beak, a possible warning sign, turns up on Flavia's porch. The next night when a dead man shows up in her cucumber patch, Flavia is ready to set her detective skills in motion. The story takes many different twists and turns throughout the chapters. In the middle of chasing down clues, Flavia still finds time to get revenge on her annoying older sisters by distilling poison ivy in her chemistry lab to mix in with her sister's lip gloss. It's astounding how "...has great humor with the perfect dose of sarcasm thrown in here and there." curiosity of the Pie' intrigues readers tremendous acting skills Arts and Entertainment Aly Smith Staff Writer Mr. Bradley, a seventy-year- old man, can capture sibling rivalry between Flavia and her two sister so well. The fights between them lend a sense of relief through humor while in the midst of hunting for a murderer. Since Flavia is young, it's an interesting twist to have a book narrated by a child. She has that childlike zeal and the feeling that she is unstoppable that most of us lose as we grow older. At times, her vocabulary is so much like that of a grown up that you forget you are looking at this mystery through the eyes of an eleven- year-old. 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie' has great humor with the perfect dose of sarcasm thrown in here and there. At 384 pages, it may not sound like a quick read, but you will find yourself zipping through this puzzler. Flavia's tale will be so thrilling that you will be wishing to read the other books in the series. Some of the titles include 'The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag' and 'A Red Herring Without Mustard' and five others. Out of ten, I would rate 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie' as a nine. When a book has been translated into thirteen languages like this one has, that's a sign of a good read. It may seem a bit dull in the beginning, but once you start to get into this mystery's details, it will be hard to put down. Becca Frey Topics Editor

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