by Rebekah Stogner | Jul 18, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
The controversy and backlash surrounding the female “Ghostbusters” reboot has been in the air since the first trailer dropped in March. After months of angry comments, extreme dislikes and waiting, we finally have the answer to the question, “Is the film actually any good?” In my opinion, yes. I actually think it improves on the original. Physicist Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) reunites with childhood friend Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), and they team up with Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) to investigate paranormal activity in New York City. Of course, many doubters and the mayor of the city are against them, until a large device that amplifies the paranormal unleashes an apocalypse of ghosts. As a huge fan of all four of the leading ladies, I was hyped about this movie since it was announced, and I was not disappointed. While certainly paying homage to the original with its many Easter eggs and cameos, “Ghostbusters” was able to stand on its own as a film with its own unique plot and characters. While Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones were all fantastic, Kate McKinnon absolutely stole the show with her quirky, adorable, mad scientist characteristics. Almost everything she did was laugh-out-loud funny. I laughed out loud throughout most of the film, whereas I only chuckled a few times watching the original “Ghostbusters.” The secretary character was much more interesting in this version, and there were more ghosts to bust. Best of all, the bonds between the characters were much stronger. These ladies (and Chris Hemsworth) just work so well together, and it’s nice to see...
by Erin Franklin | Jul 8, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Some might think Katie should have let sleeping dogs lie (. . . or in her case, one sleeping dog lie). Max (Louis C.K.) and Katie (Ellie Kemper) are best friends. Katie got Max when he was just a puppy, so they’ve been together almost all of Max’s life. Max dutifully waits for her to come home from work every day, and she always greets him with a big hug when she comes home before they eat dinner and stare off into the scenic, brightly-lit New York City skyline together. One day, though, Katie messes up the idyllic life they have; she brings home, to their small New York apartment, a “brother” for Max — Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a gigantic mutt from the shelter who doesn’t have a family. Max, of course, doesn’t take to this new family member well. Viewers can see Max’s perspective; Duke is a “threat,” taking over Max’s life — eating his food and sleeping in his bed. On the other hand, Duke was eager to join a new family and is just getting accustomed to his new life. Eventually, the two new brothers get lost in NYC together and meet up with Snowball (Kevin Hart), a bunny with a posse of misfit pets trying to lead a revolution against mankind. There’s a host of likable characters, including Max’s friends — Chloe, (the cat who could not care less, voiced by Lake Bell), Tiberius (the hawk who’s just learning how to make friends rather than eat them, voiced by Albert Brooks — aka Marlin in Finding Nemo), and Gidget (the soap-opera-watching, crazy-in-love French pup leading the rescue mission, voiced...
by Patrick Carpenter | Jul 6, 2016 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
A few years ago, my buddy Anse Rigby made me a pallet guitar that now sits by my fireplace. On the back he wrote: “Pat, continue to praise the Lord with your incredible talent! You rock.” – Anse. Thanks, Anse, you rock, too. Underneath, he wrote a proverb that I had never heard of before. It was Proverbs 27:17. It reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” I have been Coach Carpenter or Coach Pat, depending on who you talk to, for about a month now at Franklin High School. When I first got the idea about wanting to coach, my professor at Mississippi State in 2013 told me that I needed to develop a coaching philosophy. My philosophy, I thought, was simple: I want to run a vertical passing attack benefiting from play action off a strong power run game. Simple, right? Well. After being around the coaches and players at Franklin High School for the past month, I have decided this. I want to have two philosophies. The aforementioned philosophy is my X and O plan, but I decided that I needed a coaching philosophy with the players and, mostly, with myself. That philosophy can be summed up into a few words: Proverbs 27:17. One thing I think our society has forgotten is how to build people up. When people fail, we laugh. We mock them. We make memes with Michael Jordan crying on their face. We don’t challenge others to be better. Instead, we are so involved with ourselves that we aren’t coachable ourselves. This morning, one of the coaches said something that was simple, yet...
by Erin Franklin | Jul 2, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Although it wasn’t quite “grizzling or horrigust,” The BFG just might be categorized as a “grunicous” (as BFG would say) film to sit through for anyone who’s graduated from elementary school. Moviegoers can’t help but to expect an E.T.-like film upon hearing Steven Spielberg was directing another story about a child developing a friendship with a fantastical being, but The BFG (The Big-Friendly Giant) falls short of the storytelling magic E.T. possesses that we’ve come to expect from Spielberg. The film focuses on Sophie, an orphan, who is snatched by a giant from her bed. The tale continues with an unlikely, yet lovable friendship between Sophie and the giant, whom she dubs “BFG.” BFG isn’t the only giant in the world, though; there are several other giants, who have terrifying names, “Bloodbottler” and “Maidmasher,” for example, who eat children such as Sophie. The rest of the story tells Sophie’s and BFG’s quest to end the terror the other giants inflict upon “human beans,” and even BFG himself. BFG is not entirely without merit. The budding young star, Ruby Barnhill, delivers an admirable performance as Sophie, the orphan who travels to Giant Country. Mark Rylance also provides a wonderful voice performance as the title character. The CGI in the film is striking as well; however, this year’s The Jungle Book’s imagery is much more so. With today’s CGI possibilities, it seems that the scenery could have so much more depth — “Giant Country” is dull and lacking compared to the intricate and detailed jungle in The Jungle Book. Despite Barnhill and Rylance’s performances, older filmgoers may begin to suffer from boredom...
by Patrick Carpenter | Jun 30, 2016 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
Sometimes all you need is an opportunity. Sometimes all you need is a chance. And sometimes your first opportunity comes from chance. My name is Patrick Carpenter, and I have been a musician for over 10 years now. I love music. It’s been in every major aspect of my life. Luckily, God not only gave me the gift of music, but He also made me a nerd as well. The primary subject I “nerd out” about outside of music is football, especially the quarterback position. Being from Mississippi, my football hero was the largest football icon there was, who also happened to be from my state — Brett Favre. The way that Favre played as an athlete spoke to me as a musician. Favre improvised; he had fun; he loved every moment and was not afraid to make mistakes. As a guitar player, I had the same mindset when it came to how I approached the instrument. This past spring, I had an idea. I knew I only had a few hours left to complete my undergrad degree, so I was looking for something to “fill” my time during the summer. In the back of my head, I kept hearing many of my instructors in my academic department saying, “Never be afraid to tackle what you fear the most. Take chances.” At some point, I got the idea to be a coach. I have studied football relentlessly and have been in several leadership positions. In my head, I knew I was more than prepared to be a coach. I knew I had the tools, but was it something that...
by Erin Franklin | Jun 18, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Many wondered if “Finding Dory” would sink or swim, but in typical Pixar-fashion, the animated comedy gets along swimmingly. Ellen Degeneres’ Dory, one of Disney’s most beloved characters, returns to the screen for her own feature film, providing lots of laughs and delighted squeals — from children, college-aged students who grew up with “Nemo” and adults alike — along the way and teaching some valuable lessons about family and focusing on one’s strengths. Among many good qualities, one of the film’s greatest strengths lies in its voice actors, brilliantly voiced by Degeneres (Dory), Albert Brooks (Marlin), Ed O’Neill (Hank), Ty Burrell (Bailey), Diane Keaton (Jenny), Eugene Levy (Charlie) and newcomer Hayden Rolence (Nemo). For moviegoers who are familiar with Pixar’s 2003 hit, “Finding Nemo,” Dory’s “short-term memory loss” ‘disability’ has often landed her in trouble. For example, she, on occasion, wanders off, then forgets where she has wandered off to — causing much despair for the fish who try to keep an eye on her. She forgets that Marlin has told her she’s not supposed to go on the class trip (making it a very awkward situation for Marlin to tell her in front of the class). She can’t even remember when she’s already told Marlin something in the night, so she repeatedly keeps waking Marlin up to tell him. For a moment, she even forgets why she and Marlin trekked across the ocean a few months ago (it was to find Nemo). It would seem Dory can’t remember much of anything important. One day, though, Dory does remember something important — something very important. She has a family. Somewhere out in the...
