by Erin Franklin | Jun 11, 2017 | News Slider, Opinion
The Mummy is a bad remake buried under good summer flicks such as Wonder Woman. Despite Tom Cruise leading the tale, one does not necessarily expect a critically-acclaimed or award-winning film when going in to see The Mummy — simply an entertaining, thrilling monster movie, but The Mummy fails to deliver even this. Cruise stars in the film, his character a man who goes around searching for ancient artifacts and loot to sell on the Black Market. He then unearths the tomb of an Egyptian princess who was put to death after murdering her father, her stepmother and her baby half-brother. However, once this ancient tomb is unearthed, Princes Ahmanet is awakened, unleashing “fury” and a plan to bring the Egyptian god of death to life through Nick Morton (Cruise). Nick, of course, isn’t having this, so he meets up with Dr. Henry Jekyll and does a lot of running, yelling and a little bit of fighting. His companion and ancient Egypt expert Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) does all of this right beside him too, except the quality of her lines are reduced to screaming “Nick!” more than half the time, unfortunately diminishing her to damsel-in-distress status and wasting the potential of a decently good character. The Jekyll/Hyde storyline is distracting and unnecessary, leaving viewers questioning the purpose of Russell Crowe’s character(s). From the trailer, The Mummy looks to be a scary film, or at least a little thrilling. However, after watching the movie, it appears all of the “scary” scenes were utilized in the trailer, presenting a monster movie without a scary monster. Honestly, I find the 1932 version...
by Erin Franklin | Jun 2, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Wonder Woman is a breath of fresh air in a line of previously underwhelming DC films. Gal Gadot stars as the Amazon princess crafted by clay — her performance a triumphant achievement in portraying such an iconic character. Gadot brings both a strength and beauty to Princess Diana, who exhibits a relentless drive and desire to embrace her heroism rather than run from it. The origin story hearkens to the original classic superhero films such as Christopher Reeve’s Superman, and also somewhat parallels Marvel’s Captain America with its World War focus. The story is not particularly unique, but its emphasis on providing a heroine who the “world of men do not deserve” is new in such a male-dominated genre. The tale begins with Wonder Woman as young Princess Diana growing up on a peaceful island of only Amazon women who are adept at fighting and protecting their utopian community — a stark contrast to the way women are treated when Diana arrives in World War I London on a mission to stop the war. Gadot does an excellent job of mixing worldly innocence with classic superhero charm and skill once arriving in London, with Chris Pine portraying her sidekick and love interest, Captain Steve Trevor. Pine and the rest of the cast do an admirable job, but their respective characters remain flat and stereotypical, one of the few weaknesses of the film. Behind the camera is Patty Jenkins, who directs an atypical DC film focused on story, preferring to show the horror of war and fighting instead of its glorification. This is not to say that Wonder Woman’s fight...
by Erin Franklin | May 29, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Nashville Predators’ historic season has sparked new growth in the hockey community in Nashville, with Lipscomb’s own club hockey team eager for the transformation. The Preds’ inaugural season was in 1997, while Lipscomb’s team is less than a year old. The Nashville Predators are racing towards the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins this week, and the Lipscomb Bisons, although young, capped off this past season with a strong 4-2 victory over MTSU. Army veteran, Lipscomb engineering student and Defensemen Nick Morris is one of the founding members of Lipscomb’s club hockey team. Although not a Predators fan, he said he’s excited to see what the Preds’ Stanley Cup quest will do for the hockey community in Nashville. “I’m always excited for hockey to take a little bit more of a forefront because it’s an absolutely fantastic sport,” Morris said. “I would like to continue to see Nashville become more of a hockey town and more of a hockey community.” Lipscomb coach Ryan Patterson started playing hockey at the age of 7 and has since devoted himself to the sport, serving as Lipscomb’s coach, and as a coach for Blackman high school the past two years and also working for the Predators for the last 12 seasons as a video coach assistant. “I actually stepped away from my job with the Preds to start a new adventure with this team, and feel it’s the most positive and goal-oriented team I’ve ever been a part of,” Patterson noted. “It’s refreshing actually, and something that you don’t see everyday.” Patterson added that he is glad people are recognizing Nashville...
by Erin Franklin | May 18, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s golf team put up a historical fifth place finish with help from Dawson Armstrong who clinched the first place individual title in the College Grove Regional at the Grove Club on Wednesday. The team will advance to the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship next week at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. “For those guys to do what they’ve done in four years — it’s phenomenal for the school, the university and our golf program,” said Lipscomb director of golf Will Brewer. “I can’t be prouder.” Lipscomb came in fifth overall; UCF clinched first, with Vanderbilt, Clemson and Kennesaw State all tied for second place. “I’m probably most excited about checking the box off and doing something I’m not sure the school has ever done before,” Brewer said. On the individual leaderboard, Armstrong posted a first place finish. Mikey Feher tied for 17th individually; Eric Ansett tied for 34th as did Stoney Crouch, and Hunter Howell tied for 57th. “It’s been a long time coming, getting to live a dream that we have had for the last two years,” Armstrong said. “It’s been hard fought, and it’s been a grind. The coaches have really prepared us well, and we’ve taken initiative to make sure that we’re prepared for any situation that comes our way. I’m sure that we’ll be ready when nationals comes around next week.” Brewer noted that back in August, he didn’t necessarily expect for his team to clinch such a high seed going into the tournament, but he believed their stellar spring season helped them succeed. “We had such a great...
by Erin Franklin | May 13, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
In back-to-back years, men’s and women’s golf earned the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards. The NCAA released the APR results for Division 1 teams on Wednesday, with the Lipscomb Bisons as a whole being recognized for their high APR. Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson credits the Bisons’ success in the area to recruiting strong student-athletes at the beginning. “Our coaches know that Lipscomb is a school that prides itself on academics, and we don’t want our athletes to be any different than the rest of our student body in that regard,” Hutcheson said. For each academic term, APR measures student-athletes eligibility and retention. All teams must reach a score of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for low scores. In addition to each Lipscomb athletic program receiving high APR scores for 2015-2016, men’s and women’s golf were honored with the Public Recognition Award, which is given to only the top-10 percent of programs in the nation. “I try to emphasize those things that anyone’s friends, teacher or parents would emphasize — things like showing up for class, making sure to understand what your assignments are and when they’re due, and even simple things like sitting up front, introducing yourself to your teacher and letting them know your schedule so that you can get ahead of any things that might get in the way academically,” Hutcheson noted. “Each one of our teams take pride in doing well academically.” Hutcheson stated that, ultimately, his goal as athletic director is to recognize that Lipscomb is primarily an academic institution where student-athletes can come to earn...
