The Hunger Games Movie Review (By: Nikhita Singhal)

For the fourth weekend in a row, The Hunger Games has dominated the box office – in fact, it’s the first film since Avatar to spend that amount of time at No. 1. And on its opening weekend alone, the movie grossed a whopping $155 million, making it the third-highest debut in North American box office history. Only The Dark Knight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 came ahead of it, both of which were sequel films that were released in the summer.

But does The Hunger Games live up to all the buzz?

As you probably know, the movie is based on the best-selling dystopian novel for young adults by Suzanne Collins. It all starts when Katniss Everdeen, a teenager played by Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence, volunteers to take her sister’s place in a brutal, televised fight-to-the-death. And worst of all? All of the competitors, known as tributes, are between the ages of 12 and 18.

The struggles of the main characters may not be literally the same as what we go through every day, but are certainly relatable. And the film is fairly well directed. But in the end, it’s the strong performances by the film’s leads, Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, as well as a few of the minor characters, that set this movie apart. In particular, Stanley Tucci steals every scene he appears in. However, the film lacked some of the darkness that was omnipresent in the book. Sure, there were children killing children. But the movie almost seemed like it had had the sharp edges of the book smoothed off. Several scenes were still full of raw emotion though, and may even bring you to tears.

All in all, The Hunger Games is a superbly acted, fairly thrilling film which appeals to a wide audience. And although it certainly lives up to the hype surrounding it as an amazing movie, it doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

The next installment in the series, Catching Fire, is set for a November 22, 2013 release.

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Dramatic Drum Roll (By: Olivia Herbert)

I waited. For a sign, a smile. Something that would grant me the knowledge that he is still in there. That he was okay, but with each moment that passed I was constantly disappointed. Tyler sat unmoving, not making a single sound. We sat side by side on the cold concrete floor, which was surrounded by shelves upon shelves of empty jars. Leaving me uncomfortable, feeling like a cadged animal with no sign of escape. Yet there was an urge within the pit of my stomach. One that burned like the depths of the underworld itself. I knew what had to be done. It was time for the hunter to become the hunted. Mitchell has to pay for what he'd done.

"Tyler? Tyler? We need to come up with a plan." I whispered softly. His sea blue eyes, as deep as the Mariana Trench itself, flickered to me, but only for moment. "We can't just sit here and wait for him. If we don't do something, we're giving him the upper hand."

A long moment of silence followed after I spoke. "You know she's right Tyler."

My breath caught in my throat. Neither of us had made a sound. There was someone else in this cellar. I slowly looked to my left, dreading what I might find. A girl and a boy sat diagonally across from us. Hands intertwined, clothes caked in blood and dirt. I wondered how long they had been here.

"Who are you?" "I'm Bay and this is Emmett. And who might you be?" I was afraid to answer. The words I wanted so desperately to say, gathered in my mouth but lingered on my tongue. Maybe it was because of all the backstabbing and double-crossing. Maybe because I just couldn't trust them quite yet. All I could do was stay quiet.

"I'm Tyler. That's Natalie. May I ask what you're doing here?" I saw Tyler in the corner of my eye giving me a questioning but disapproving look. "Shh," the girl named Bay hushed.

"You mustn't speak too loudly, the others will hear us. Come closer and then we'll talk." Something didn't feel right, but Tyler didn't take a second to think it over. He stood up but remained low to the ground as he walked towards them, taking a seat next to Emmett. However I was hesitant. Why hadn't they asked us to move closer in the beginning? What kind of a trick was this? Nevertheless curiosity got the best of me when I followed afterward.

"Emmett and I had been on the road when it all started. For months we had planned for this day. It was the day that we were going to run away together," muttered Bay once I sat. Despite the circumstances, I felt a smile forming on the edge of my lips.

"Our parents never approved nor understood our relationship. We were the happiest we've ever been once being free of their rules and hatred. Although, that didn't end up lasting long because the suns rays that had beamed down on us so beautifully, disappeared. Then dark clouds suddenly loomed above us. It was like all the light and joy in the world had vanished."

As Bays words painted the scene, I felt like I'd already been there. Or that she had been in the car with us when we crashed.

"It was never ending. The rain came down so heavily I was in fear the windshield might cave in. I remember my heart pounding in my chest, so loud I could have sworn I heard it over the crackling thunder. The next thing I knew, the air bags had been deployed, my vision was blurred, and blood trickled down my dress from my side. The rain had made it nearly impossible to see where I was going, therefore causing me to drive off the road and send us tumbling down a hill."

I stared at her in disbelief as several questions clouded my judgement. How had the exact same events happened to the both of us?

"Emmett was badly injured, but even when I tried to drag him out of the wreck myself it was no use. I cried out for help, after what seemed like an eternity someone finally came. Emmett had already been unconscious for over fifteen minutes."

An image of Mitchell passed through my mind, making me shudder. To my surprise, I felt Tyler's arm drape over my shoulders in a comforting motion. My skin tingled where his hand laid. I looked up at him gratefully. Our faces so close, yet he seemed miles away.

"The man said he lived in the house nearby, but moments before hadn't seen one." Bays voice startled me, once I was brought back to earth and the situation. I tried to pay attention, though I bit my tongue attempting to ignore the desire my lips prickled with.

Without any other options I followed the man towards the rickety, uninviting house. I watched him nervously as he carried Emmett over his shoulder. I knew something wasn't right, a nervous knot had formed in my throat and my stomach twisted into several uncomfortable knots.

At that moment I could have sworn Bay and I were the same person. That we had experienced the same things, met the same people. At that moment our hearts seemed to beat as one, in perfect harmony. I sat impatiently to hear more of the story we somehow shared.

The door creaked eerily as we entered through it. Suddenly the awful combination of mold, decay and death assaulted my nostrils. Cringing slightly, I followed the helpful stranger into what I could assume to be the kitchen, where he set down Emmett's unconscious body. I felt slightly shy when I realized the man hadn't said anything the entire time, thus startling me when he asked me my name and my whereabouts. I told him my name was Sally and I was on the road with my boyfriend. But it was something in his eyes that told me he knew I was lying. His friendly sweet smile unexpectedly twisted into a vicious, foul smirk. At that instant I abruptly found myself caught between two options. Run and think only of myself. Or stay and do everything in my power to protect Emmett, whose body still laid limp on the kitchen table.

My heart began to sink in my chest, for I knew this wasn't going to end happily ever after. Since they were still here. Hiding, waiting for their killer to find them. I guess we had more things in common then I thought.

So of course I stayed with Emmett. Knowing there was no way I would be able to live without him. I swallowed my fear and held my chin up high as I watched the man twirl a knife in his hand. I stood in front of Emmett, standing my ground, even though my legs wobbled unsteadily.

Bays voice became faint as a series of sobs erupted from her. Almost like she's been holding it in the whole time. Even with Emmett brushing away every tear that fell from underneath her closed eyelids. She struggled to continue.

"The man told me his name was Alaric. Although I had about as much trust in him as he did in me. Alaric then told me how he hated when people lied to him. He said it reminded him of his wife who had died a while ago. I offered my condolences, which caused a rage unlike no other to emerge from him. Alaric's anger so powerful, I would be lying if I said the room wasn't heating up. I looked down at the knife he had been holding this whole time. His knuckles turning white from clutching its handle. Unexpectedly, Alaric grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and pushed me against the wall. His odd black eyes bored into mine like hot charcoal."

I remembered the look on Mitchell's face when I went to look back at them. His eyes had a similar dark essence to them. It was as if they were two dark vortexes that would pull you in if you got too close. Once these thoughts passed through my mind, two puzzle pieces seemed to snap together. Unexpectedly, I finally understood what was happening.

"Bay. Would it be possible that this Alaric guy and our killer Mitchell could be the same person?"

I fiddled with my thumbs anxiously while awaiting her answer, but she seemed lost in thought. When she finally answered I realized I had been holding my breath the entire time.

"No, that's definitely not possible," said Bay. A wave of relief washed over me. Although what I hadn't realized was, Bay hadn't finished.

"That's definitely not possible because we killed him..."

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How to... get fit! (By: Cheryl Joseph)

Summer is coming in less than three months, and if you’re like the rest of us, you’ve developed what some like to call a little “pouch”. By “pouch”, I mean that your trouble zones (stomach, thighs, etc.) get an extra layer of insulation. Some like to blame it on our evolutionary desire to put on fat for winter. For any other animal, it would be a good thing, but we humans are masochistic and have decided that it’s better to be thin.

If you want to get fit, fad diets don’t work – you may lose weight at first, but you’ll gain it back later on. The best way to do it is in a holistic way: by eating right and exercising, so that you’ll keep off any weight that you lost. Really, you need to change your lifestyle before you can truly get healthy. Here are a few ways to get fit, and stay fit.

1) Eat food from all the food groups. Unless your personal beliefs prevent you from doing so, do your best to eat meat, dairy, grains, and fruits and vegetables. Approximately half of each meal should consist of fruits and vegetables. We all know that fruits and vegetables are great, but protein is useful too! Protein actually keeps you full for longer, so you’ll eat less. Meat is also full of vitamins and minerals essential to all bodily processes, including weight loss and metabolism. Carbs are vital too: when they’re whole grain, their fiber helps keep you full as well (among other health benefits). As for dairy, not only does it contain vast amounts of vitamins and minerals, but studies have shown that women that drink milk actually lose weight faster than those who don’t. It’s just a study, but there’s no harm in trying.

2) Drink lots of water. Studies have actually shown that more often than not, when you think you’re hungry, it’s actually thirst. This is especially common in women. Besides preventing overeating, water cleanses your body, which is great for clearing up your skin (who doesn’t hate pimples?).

3) Start an exercise regimen. The ideal is to exercise for 3 to 5 sessions a week – but make sure you understand which type of exercise does what. For instance, a lot of people do crunches to get rid of stomach fat; crunches (when done properly) are great, but mostly it’ll just reinforce the muscle beneath your layer of fat, rather than getting rid of the layer itself. This is why the best exercise regimens contain a combination of cardio, strength training, and flexibility. Cardiovascular exercise, as the name suggests, increases your heart rate; it works your whole body, burning calories, strengthening your heart, and increasing your lung capacity. Cardio exercise is (arguably) one of the best ways to burn calories. Strength training specifically targets muscles – weight-lifting, Pilates, etc. This is great, because not only does it burn calories during your workout, but also increases your metabolism. This means that you’ll burn more calories at rest, without even lifting a finger. Stretching is also essential to longer muscles, and should be done before and after cardio and strength training, after warming up the muscles. A combination of all three of these is your best bet to getting fit.

4) Exercise… again. Physicians also recommend incorporating at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day – “moderate” meaning something that warms you up, and makes you a little out of breath. It’s pretty easy to integrate this into your day: walking to school, work, or other locations; cleaning the house; and gardening are all great sources of moderate exercise.

5) Motivate yourself. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, the best way to get motivated to exercise and eat well is to understand all the benefits associated with it. Exercise, for instance, stimulates insane amounts of endorphins, which is why everyone is super happy right after a workout. It also helps you concentrate. In the long run, it benefits your body in countless ways (other than how it looks!): your organs begin to work optimally, your skin glows, your hair is much shinier and healthier, and you have an overall feeling of well-being. Who doesn’t want that?

Although it’s great to get in shape, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Also, remember that everyone has a different natural body shape. So don’t be upset if you don’t look exactly like some other girl – every body shape is beautiful. By all means, get fit – I encourage it! But as long as you’re living a healthy lifestyle, even if you don’t look like what you see on television, it doesn’t matter. Hopefully, you’ll see soon enough how gorgeous a healthy body really is.

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How to… fight the winter blues (By: Cheryl Joseph)

Okay fine – it’s not really winter weather. It’s a sad day when it’s early February in Canada and the grass is as green as ever. Nonetheless, “winter” blues still happen.

1. Focus on the positive. Yes, you may have two unit tests in a day. Yes, you may have only gotten five hours of sleep last night. And yes, that really can put a damper on your day. But there’s so much that we all take for granted. Food, access to clean water, a roof over our heads… the list is endless. So look at the glass half full. In fact, studies have linked optimism to better health* – and even if the study wasn’t reliable, it can’t hurt to be grateful.
2. Smile. It actually releases endorphins that make you happy. It may be hard sometimes to smile when you’re having a terrible day, but even a fake smile works.
3. Find a friend. Friends always have a way of making you happy. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, go chat someone up. In fact, talk to someone you haven’t talked to in a while, and you’ll be sure to leave both of you smiling. Hugs are particularly good pick-me-ups, as well.
4. Call someone. If you’re alone at home, call a friend! Preferably the funny one that manages to make you forget that you ever even had problems.
5. Look nice. Sometimes, you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. When this happens, you know instantly that you won’t be having a good day. The best way to counteract this? Look good. Now, this may sound both frivolous and unfounded, but hear me out: when you look nice, you feel a little better about yourself, and you may even get a compliment, which definitely puts a spring in your step. And remember that “nice” is subjective: the key here is to incorporate something you like into your look – a hair accessory, jewellery, new pair of jeans… anything that makes you happy.
6. Listen to a good song. Sometimes, music is the best medicine.
7. Sing along, or having a mini dance party. If just listening to the music doesn’t help, sing along, karaoke style. Or, if you’re not much for singing, have a little dance party. Note that the best time to do this is when you’re alone – i.e. where there aren’t witnesses to a slightly embarrassing little musical.
8. Exercise – a little, at least. Exercising for only a minute or so helps blood flow and leads to an overall sense of well-being. But exercising for longer actually boosts endorphin levels in the brain, increases focus, and leads to general contentment.
9. Do something you love. This sounds obvious – and it sort of is. But a lot of people neglect their favourite pastimes. Whether it’s journaling, poetry, reading, cooking, dancing, or watching your favourite T.V. show, take a little time out of your day to have some fun, and you’re sure to feel better.

* Study can be found at http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/05/us-optimist-health-idUSTRE5247NO20090305

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A Dead End (By: Olivia Herbert)

Have you ever just cried and cried until you have no more tears left? Until your red in the face but no longer blue in the heart.This was something i had been doing for hours once finding my sister dead in the shower. The image of her cold dead eyes still etched in my head permanently. My stomach lurched, my head hurt, and i missed my sister. We had to get out of here, but because of how my plan went previously. I was fresh out of ideas. “What are we going to do!?” I wailed. “Not only are we stranded. But now we have a killer after us.” The very thought made all the hope i had die inside me. If we didn’t get out of here soon. We were going to end up like my sister. Or maybe even worse. Thoughts of Faye ran through my head like a movie. So realistic it was like she was still alive or better yet that she was never dead. But i had to face the facts. Faye was gone and she was never coming back. “That’s it. We have to get out of here right now.” Suggested Tyler while kneeling over Mitchell's unconscious body. I wondered what he’d be saying if he were awake. Maybe he would have had a better plan. One that could save us and get us back home. “Hows Mitchell doing Tyler?” He didn’t awnser. I watched him as he paced back and forth. Making the floorboards creak incessantly as he did. “Tyler. You have to calm down. Pacing isn’t going to help us come up with a plan.” Bead’s of sweat rolled down his face one after the other. He was panicking. A sudden urge to help emerged from deep within me and i felt my cheeks grow warm once again. “Tyler. I know you're scared. We all are. But there’s one thing fear can’t take away from us. Each other. Face it. We’re in this together.” I caught sight of a small smile playing on the edge of his lips. Deep down. He knew i was right. I glanced over my shoulder to see Savannah. She had her knees drawn up to her chest like a small frightened child hiding in a closet. Savannah's ocean blue eyes darted across the room as her small rose petal pink lips whispered words of none sense. This house was driving us all mad. We were on the brink of insanity. "If we keep this up, we're all going to go mad before the killer can get to us. But, honestly I don't know what will be more horrific. Do you guys really want that? We need to take action. We need to fight back! And we need to do it now." A sliver of hope glimmered in each of there eyes as I spoke encouraging words. Suddenly, Savannah stood up from the spot where she previously cowered and said " I'll go get firewood from the shed I saw outback earlier" she said, bolting for the door. " Savannah! No! Wait for someone to go with you" it was too late. She was gone before I could stop her. Savannah disappeared into the darkness and I doubt we'd ever see her again.
Tears burned in the back of my eyes like acid. "I'm sure she'll be fine" Said Tyler who's voice echoed from behind me."Remember what happened last time someone said that. The bathroom got re-decorated. With my sisters blood!" a sudden rage surged through me like an addictive drug. I spun around and almost immediately ran into Tyler's warm embrace. I cried heavily into his shoulder. Which smelled of pine trees and cinnamon. But once my eyelids fluttered open, salt water still clinging to them, I noticed something no one else had. Mitchell was gone. "Oh god......Oh dear god! Tyler!!! Look." I screamed and pointed to the spot where Mitchell's body had been previously. He turned and his hazel eyes grew wide. "But. Where did he go!? He was nearly dead the last time I checked on him. He barely had a pulse!" My heart had leapt down my thought, preventing me from speaking. A banshee like scream came from outside. It was Savannah. "Come on! We have to try and save her!" Tyler grabbed my wrist with incredible force before I could get two footsteps toward the door. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't you dare underestimate me. Just because I didn't get to my sister in time doesn't mean I won't be able to save her." I shook off his grip and let the doors to outside swing outwards. "Savannah!?" I called. Hands cupped around my face to amplify my voice but no luck. Footsteps came from behind me and I was relived when I discovered it was only Tyler. Who to my surprise joined me in calling out. The sun had gone down and it was now nighttime. The moon shown bright and full in the navy blue sky. Although it was bright and beautiful, the bad news is: I could barely see my hand in front of my face. I stopped yelling once my throat seized up in discomfort and once I felt a raindrop land on my head. Wait....it wasn't raining. Slowly and cautiously. I looked down at my hand and saw a liquid like red dot. Blood. Without another word without another thought, I glanced above. "I found Savannah." My stomach twisted like a roller coaster for the second time in one day. She hung from a banner that faced outwards at the top of the house. A noose encircled her neck like an ugly piece of jewelry and her eyes were as white as her skin.
I could barley feel Tyler's arms wrap around me as they dragged me back in the house. A menacing voice came from outside and I froze. Like livestock about to get slaughtered I stood completely still. For there was only one person who that could be.... Mitchell

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How to… buy the perfect gift (By: Cheryl Joseph)

There is a fine art to buying the perfect gift for someone. It may take a while to achieve Perfect Gift Status, but it’s definitely worth it. There’s nothing more satisfying than the look on someone’s face when they lay their eyes on your gift, and their breathing speeds up and their eyes light up and they start screaming (or maybe I’m the only one who does that).

So with the holidays coming up, there will be ample opportunity to buy gifts. But the question is, what do you buy? Well that depends on a variety of factors. First of all, how well you know the person. Now, this has happened to nearly all of us: when you get invited to some party for some person that you know (and like), but that you don’t know well enough to know what kind of gifts they prefer. Sure, you may know their general preferences: sports, electronics, clothes, movies… this is where the gift card comes in. Once you’ve figured out their general area of interest, it won’t be too hard to find a store wide enough in variety to please even your sort-of-close friend.

However – and yes, there is a however. Gift cards, in general are not acceptable for close friends. We’ve all done it – in fact, I’m notorious for this – but giving a gift card to a best friend is, frankly, a little unimaginative. Of course, this all depends on the reason: for instance, if you know for a fact that your friend loves origami, but you know nothing as to the preferred/higher quality textures, colours, or styles of origami, it makes sense to just get her a gift card to an art store with a good variety of origami paper. In this case, let her know your reasoning, so that she knows that you remember her likes and dislikes, and that you care.

But for other circumstances, you need to find a more specific gift. Different methods work for different people. Some people like to brainstorm gift ideas before getting to the store. Now, a good way of gift-giving is a combination gift: one or more small item paired with a larger item. Small items can be anything; to think of these, think about inside jokes that you may have had with your friend, and buy a little something to make him or her laugh. For example, a friend of mine always said that she wanted a yellow Lamborghini, so we bought her keychain with a yellow sports car. These little things are what make him or her laugh – sort of like an appetizer of what’s to come.

The key here is to get a gift that you know they’ll like. This may mean that clothes are out of the question: I for one have very different tastes from my friends, so they would never like any clothes I would buy for them. The (ideal) main gift has to be something that they’ve mentioned that they like, but that they won’t necessarily expect you to get if for them. For instance, my friend loves vanilla. But she only really mentioned it once: but I remembered, and bought her a vanilla bath kit, which she loved. Personally, for their main gift, I find it much easier to puruse the stores before making a decision. Odds are, there’ll be something that you see that you know they’ll love.

Yes, it may be a bit more effort, but you’ll be surprised how great it feels, knowing that you just made someone’s day.

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