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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Across the Universe lives up to its prolonged hype By Grant Wallace Staff Writer Gwallac2 @ gmail.com Across the Universe had quite the build up of suspense until its national release just last week. Debuting in limited cities early last month, ours was neglected upon opening week. A few weeks later, the film had made its way to Atlantic Station but still remained select. But now, it appears the word has caught on and it is showing nationally. This is a very unique technique 1 must say, considering the trailer was shown in almost every movie I saw prior to the release. Whatever the reason behind it all, I was soon to get over my growing impatience with the film. Halo 3 shocks world, becomes biggest entertainment launch in history By Ellis Smith News Editor ellistliered@xntail.com Ask the non-gamer what they think of the word “Halo” and they are likely to recount stories of a buddy dropping out of college, girlfriends leaving longtime boyfriends, and losing touch with an old friend only to find out later he had become a “professional gamer." There are many such stories, and for years these obsessed souls have been the laughingstock of their friends who go out dancing, socializing and watching movies. Not any more. Halo 3 officially became mainstream this month when it sold $l7O million in 24 hours and reached S3OO million in sales after only Your Collegiate Readership Program is back and better than ever! University of West Georgia Pick up your copy! m 1 USA TODAY, t / The New Yorkgpes, jgsmmdrndJ Times-Georgwr ■' at the foilowfflg g r location***^ J^ : Technology Learning Coger, “Z-6* Cafeteria and W Jflß University Community Center. Sponsored by the XpP v VP of Academic Affairs, your SGA and tNflj iL Black Student Allianffl* Sriiiiin.niiiii.aiwiiiii.iiiiiiwiiii.mmiiiMP News happens! Keep up! Inspiring Thought Sljc jN'cUt Jlork Simcs Kitawhdg* Network Across the Universe is a psychedelic trip back to the ‘6os, set in a contemporary Beatles musical. What more could you ask for? Jude Feeny (Jim Sturgess) sets out from his hometown of Liverpool to find his father who abandoned him at an early age. Along the way he meets up with Lucy Carrigan (Evan Rachel W<xxl) with whom he slowly falls in love. Noticing The Beatles references yet? The rest of the movie follows the two of them as they go through all the tribulations normal couples face. The twist is how director Julie Taymor incorporates a musical theme into the two-hour h movie. Sporadically, the characters will jump into in a Beatles song w hile one week. It reached this astronomical figure faster than any movie, videogame. or any other entertainment-related entity in history. Halo 3 even managed to beat out Spider- Man 3 and the latest Harry Potter btxik, the reigning champs in the entertainment category. To put things in perspective, the entire movie industry as a whole only made SBO million last week. According to Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, “Halo 3 incorporating it flawlessly into the movie. Taymor made terrific usage of the songs, making sure the scenes plot coincided with the corresponding lyrics. Over the course of the movie, 32 songs were remade in a modern-day style. For those of you who prefer The Beatles classics. I'm afraid you’re out of luck. Critics seem pretty even among their reviews for ATU, scoring a 52 percent on Rottenomatoes. com. However, users (as well as myself) are more open-minded towards the movie’s offsetting ideas. As I’m sure you’re aware, the ‘6os were a time of hallucinating, and lots of it. so certain scenes of the movie tried to incorporate this visually. Vibrant rainbows of colors would has become a pop-culture phenomenon. Not only is Halo 3 setting sales JP**-.* % ■ : • • ■ v.. / r / 1 T '<3 A . * '■ y „\H £ The agony of defeat and the joy of success fill the room as Sophomores Reginald Foster (left), Jimmy Tran (middle), and Brandon Poythress (right) gather around the TV and take part in the Halo 3 craze. tUSA TOtW Education shower the screen, trying to give the impression that whoever watching is under the influence of some kind of hallucinogen. And despite the obvious signs of drug usage, the movie received a well assigned PG-13 rating, so don’t except much else other than a nipple slip from Evan Rachel Wood. Critics might also be too harsh on the movies’ attempts to bring insanely odd-looking characters out for short amounts of time, frequently. Despite the movies’ bizarre traits, the fact that I was able to sit down through a two hour musical says a great deal. This movie certainly isn’t for everyone, but for those of you w ith a kxtking for out-of-the-box kinds of movies, consider this for the top of your list. records, its also redefining entertainment.” It’s also redefining Photo h\ Terence Rushin Marietta's own Kenotia release debut album By Grant Wallace Staff Writer Gwallac2 @ gnutil.com Kenotia - You ’ve Dug Your Grave, Now Lie In It First there was Copeland, then there was Cartel, and now Kenotia (pronouced Keh-No-Sha) is taking their shot at being the next big thing out of Georgia. The four piece from Marietta (having lost one member this past August) is only a couple years old, but in that short amount of time they have managed to play stints on Warped Tour, Bamboozle, as well as landing a record deal with Sumerian Records. I think it’s only fair to note what kind of label Sumerian is before we nfir '/ ! ■A'-* kj, M Across the Universe remains a tough to find movie in small town theaters, but is very much worth the drive to see in bigger cities showing it. marketing. Excitement was at such a fever pitch that pre orders topped four million units back in May. The game w as not released until late September. ITie record for next highest number of preorders after Halo 3 belongs to Grand Theft Auto IV, which comes out this Spring. Additionally, over 1(),(XK) retail outlets opened at midnight to welcome in gamers who had been waiting for years to get their hands on a copy. Xbox Live, the gaming service where friends can meet up for multiplayer games continue. Home to some of the hardest-hitting metal out there. Kenotia stick out like a sore thumb. Kenotia come off as a less poppy Paramore, noting singer Carly Krantz as the most generalized comparison. Hopefully the oddball decision to sign to such a label won’t hurt them in the long run, but time will only tell. Having only released a demo EP prior to their new release, “You’ve Dug Your Grave” is a pleasant surprise to see money well spent. The recording quality brings out all the better aspects that were clouded up in their previous recordings. Long time fans will enjoy the newly recorded “Decorating for Cinco de Mayo,” and new comers will eat up “Snowman, What’s Your Photo courtesy of www.myspace.com m Photo courtesy Rotlentomaloes.com of Halo, was temporarily unavailable for about 24 hours after the game went on sale, as millions of fans attempted to simultaneously connect to the service. Problems have since been resolved, but over a million (about l/3(K)th of the population of the United States) continue to be online at any given time. Some credit must go to Microsoft, who has heavily promoted the game, going so far as to begin work on a movie before the game was even out yet. Movie plans, which included the participation of “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson, have since fallen through, but the excitement lives on in the gaming community as Halo 3 continues to break records and defy expectations. 20?” The band easily transcends the Paramore sticky that might get placed on them, appealing to a more mature audience in my opinion. A Paramore fan might be a Kenotia fan, but a Kenotia fan might not be a Paramore fan. The age gap between the two bands (all members of Kenotia are now over 20) proves the age-old wise tale “with age comes wisdom”. The nine-song album clocks in perfectly for the not-too-long-but-just-right award, but demerits are awarded to the copy-cap intros used in “Lonewolf McQuade” and again in “They Almost Got Me”. The closeness can easily be overlooked but it’s pretty bad when your own band is trying to steal your songs. Having this as my only complaint, Kenotia gives me hope that the Georgia scene isn’t as bad as 1 would like to think it is. And after their fall tour (a local stop Nov. 18 in Marietta), I would imagine that soon enough, everyone else will catch on too.