Author Archives: Beth Weese

Unknown's avatar

Review: The Town

by

Written in 2010.

In his third film-writing venture, Ben Affleck takes on federal crimes in Charlestown with the drama, “The Town”. Although Boston may not actually be “the bank robbery capital of America”, director Affleck creates a fascinating and seedy underbelly for the town.

Based on Chuck Hogan’s book “Prince of Thieves”, the two-hour film tells the troubled tale of bank robbers Doug MacRay (Affleck), the mastermind, and his out-of-control but loyal friend, James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner). Their lives are only made more complicated by the women, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) and Krista Coughlin (Blake Lively). Jon Hamm plays FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley, a man who seems to have a severe vendetta against the robbers.

Affleck balances the cunning, cutthroat quality of a bank robber with the gentle nature that slowly reveals itself throughout the film. As calm MacRay, Affleck plays a man who is facing a challenging decision: staying faithful to a life of corruption or making an admirable change with an innocent woman. Renner powerfully portrays Coughlin, MacRay’s unstable friend who is quick to choose violence over rationality.
Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

Artist Spotlight: Natasha Alterici

by

Written in 2010.

“I’m a person (not a dinosaur, in case you were wondering) that doodles dinosaurs on a regular basis, so I thought, ‘What the czech?’ I can scribble things and talk about other things, totally doable. So I’m a doin it.”

Natasha Alterici, who began her blog in April 2010 with this declaration, is a 23-year-old artist with a striking fascination for dinosaurs. With great ease, she is able to combine her talent for art with the simple joy that prehistoric creatures bring her. Her blog, which is titled “Candysaurus” and features the tagline “weekly randomness sprinkled with 200 million year old magic,” provides a great representation of the creative person she is.

“The goal has been to document my progression as an artist and also as a human being,” Alterici said. “What I am trying to do with the blog is to try to make people think about what it is that they believe. And then random drawings of dinosaurs. Gotta break it up once in awhile.”
Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

He(art) of Oklahoma

by

Written in 2010.

Oklahoma has never been a very popular topic in American media. The state is not considered a political force, financial center, or powerhouse of industry. It tends to quickly fade into the dark, dusty corners of the minds of non-Oklahomans. The lack of national news channels and newspapers featuring life today in Oklahoma can only perpetuate stereotypes that people have of the state. Stereotypes that classify and describe Oklahomans in a narrow, fragmented, and unrealistic way. In the article “How to Break the Stereotype”, Sister Elizabeth Thoman comments, “Stereotypes can become too rigid and when there is no room for growth the label becomes stifling, both for the individuals who are labeled and for the category itself….Absolutism is not a virtue in our constantly changing world.”

Not all Florida residents are senior citizens; not all of the people living in San Francisco are homosexual; and not all New Yorkers are rude. So it is logical that not all Oklahomans live in rural areas and make their living through agriculture. Farming is a respectable and prominent career choice in Oklahoma, but it is crucial that people realize that there are thousands of Oklahomans who have never been near a horse and only wear boots to be stylish. Oklahoma is just as diverse as any other state, and with this diversity comes a unique mix of interests, passions, and goals. By categorizing Oklahomans with one notion the individual is lost, true identities are masked by ignorance, and first impressions occur before contact is actually made. Oklahoma is more than flat land, cows, farms, and rodeos, and Oklahomans are not rednecks, hicks, or hillbillies. Oklahoma is culture and inspiration. Oklahoma is art, and its people are artists. Other Americans do not make this connection easily, but if they were willing to dig deeper—past the red dirt exterior—they would uncover a world of art that exists in Oklahoma.
Continue reading →