by Cavin Jacobson | Aug 2, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
‘Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw’ takes the reigns of one of the most malleable film franchises in history and delivers a fun, nonsensical buddy cop movie that had me ignoring plot holes as frequently as the titular characters avoid potholes. A movie series that started as a serious take at early 2000’s street-racing culture has fully morphed into a big summer blockbuster-producing machine that knows exactly what it’s product is. Despite going from stealing DVD players to protecting programmable viruses that can wipe out the human population, the series never drifts away from its core themes of family and loyalty. ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ sees franchise stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles as Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Statham) as they live their respective lives as enforcers for different vague organizations (Hobbs used to work for the Diplomatic Security Service, but it unclear in this movie if that is still the case). The catalyst for the necessary plot comes when Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), an MI6 agent and the sister of Deckard Shaw, must retrieve a dangerous virus from a nondescript warehouse. Why was it there? How did they know about it? Who cares! If you came into the theater expecting trivial tropes like logic, and coherence, then you came to the wrong franchise. The plot of the story is only here to give a reason for well-choreographed fight sequences and even-better-choreographed car stunts. Another wonderful addition is the non-stop barrage of banter between Hobbs and Shaw throughout the movie. ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ was not made as a movie to help facilitate the...
by Cavin Jacobson | Aug 1, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
The Shinn Center for Entertainment & the Arts is nearly finished with construction, while the parking garage promised at convocation last fall has yet to start breaking ground. Originally slated for completion in the fall of 2018, the construction on the Shinn center was delayed for two months due to a necessary rerouting of storm drains underneath the foundation. Since fall of 2018, construction of the building has moved at a steady and consistent pace, despite some surprises popping up for faculty and staff in the design. The building’s outside brick is now complete as well as roof and exterior design. Interior design seems to be progressing steadily as well. The building will officially open late August or early September, provided no other incidences lead to delays, according to Kim Chaudoin, university spokesperson. There is still some confusion among staff and faculty, however, about whether a large door is going to be placed where the radio station currently is. Until the building is fully completed, those plans have not been discussed. Another surprise to the staff and faculty of the Ezell building was the inclusion of a connection between the Shinn center and Ezell in rooms 102 and 202 as an accessway for maintenance. The inclusion of these connecting doorways led to confusion with the faculty as to what needed to be done to the rooms that were formerly offices for adjunct Communications professors and the office of Ken Durham, a bible professor. Both rooms were ultimately cleared out while construction installed the doors. The Shinn Center will formally house the College of Entertainment and the Arts as well...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jul 20, 2019 | News Slider, Opinion
Ah, summer school — A place where (according to the movies) delinquent students who flunk a class during the school year have to spend their summer instead of enjoying vacations. Summer school is a punishment for many a high-schooler, a tool to keep students motivated to do their work or be forced to redo it during their precious break. Summer school in college is rarely talked about in the movies, however: Is summer school still for the unmotivated college students? Is it a punishment for not taking school seriously? It is neither of those. In fact, in my experience, it is the exact opposite. Students who take summer classes during Lipscomb’s summer semester are the most motivated. They want to graduate on time, or graduate early, or in my case graduate with extra degrees that may or may not help with graduate school admissions. Other than the winter semester (known as Wintermester at Lipscomb) Summer Semester is the shortest of the school semesters. In fact, it is broken up into three different semesters that are each five weeks long: Maymester, Junemester, and Julymester (catchy names, I know). Some classes last 10 weeks, throughout two of the semesters. These are called “full-term” summer semester classes, but they are just June and July. This means you can get three credit hours knocked out in five weeks or 10-weeks! Sure, the classes are fast-paced and you typically have to be there every day or for four hours on one day, but most professors I’ve had are efficient teachers and don’t ever hold you the entire length of the class. I’ve also learned...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jul 10, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
For the next 10 months, Senior English and philosophy major Jack Webber will be leading Lipscomb’s Student Government Association. He sat down with Lumination Network to discuss what he wants to do differently as president, what improvements he wants to make and how to get involved with SGA. “My interest in Lipscomb and what I’ve always been involved in, and had the most interest in, is student activities and student involvement,” said Webber. He said he wants to make sure there are always activities in which every student — even commuters — can participate. “The reason I love Lipscomb is because I love Lipscomb students. The friends that I’ve made here are so important to me and have taught me so many things; and, as much as I’m able to, I just want to give back to them,” said Webber, explaining what motivates him to serve as president. Webber also conceded that the job means giving up social time, like his predecessor, Sierra Sparks and other presidents in the past, did. Webber discussed new opportunities and roles that SGA could play in the coming semester. Lipscomb’s new Vice President Al Sturgeon reorganized how Student Life will be handled, and Webber said he believes this creates new paths for SGA to explore. Webber said he plans to be involved with administration and with Student Life to help create a better experience for students. “There is an opportunity for making our current practices better, or introducing new ones. For me working with the administration and working with the new people in Student Life is as much a question of what can SGA do and what can SGA be involved in and maybe step into new...
by Cavin Jacobson | Jul 9, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s women’s soccer players got a big boost by watching the U.S. nation squad win the World Cup. Lipscomb’s women’s soccer players are thrilled by Sunday’s 2-0 championship victory over the Netherlands, the second World Cup championship in a row, since the U.S. women also won in 2015, the preceding tournament. It is the fourth World Cup championship for the U.S. women since the legendary ’99ers captivated the world 20 years ago. “During the World Cup, it was exciting to see people who don’t play soccer be so engaged and supportive of this women’s team,” said Logan McFadden, a sophomore defender. And it wasn’t just the excitement of the fans, “hearing sports broadcasters and newspeople talk about the change and popularity they have brought” adds to the thrill, she said. Of course, when a team is expected to win, things could backfire quickly if the women had lost, according to McFadden. “All that hype and stardom they had received would have turned against them.” The pressure didn’t slow down the U.S. women, she added. “Each game I watched, I saw the amount of fight they had and it was as if they knew the trophy wasn’t going to be handed to them, and the closer they got to the final, the harder they fought. They have proven they are the best and they deserve to be treated like it. “And now that a ton of more people saw that, there is no denying it.” Hannah Torbett, redshirt junior midfielder, said she’s simply inspired, “because I know how far the women’s game has come.” And, to her, it’s almost like...
