David Fincher, the same director who brought audiences Fight Club and The Social Network, has made a gripping adaptation of the popular Swedish novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. As an adaption, it has earned criticism for lack of loyalty to the novel’s ending, but as a film, it is full of the same enthralling cinematic style and raw characters Fincher is infamous for bringing alive. Fingers have also been pointed at Fincher for “cash-grabbing” since many are aware there had already been a Swedish version adapted to the screen when Fincher began his filming. However, after witnessing the intensity of the movie, it’s clear that American competitiveness and greed were not what Fincher had in mind when directing this film.
The plot, which takes place in the novel’s birthplace, Sweden, leans towards a murder mystery-esque effect tied in with themes encompassing financial corruption and greed, popular topics of today’s culture. The story revolves around an antisocial, punk girl who pairs up with an established journalist to investigate an old missing person’s case that leads them down a path more disturbing and riveting than predicted by not only them, but by readers and viewers too. In fact, the movie has gained a notorious reputation for its sexual violence. “I enjoyed it a lot,” said Pleasant Plains senior, Grace Gollon, “but the rape scenes were too intense.”
Although Fincher’s ending slightly differs from the novel, it successfully conveys the same overall impact and stays loyal to the rest of the storyline. In fact, some have voiced that the movie is better than the book. Brandon Kuhl is included among these. “The movie and book are both great, but the movie actually intensifies and adds more style to the plot.” commented the senior.
Indeed, the film is not for timid movie-goers seeking a light-hearted comedy, but if you’re looking for an innovative, suspenseful story with twisting storylines and a magnetic female heroine, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo provides this and more.
Janna Potts
-The Cardinal
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Lightning Strikes Again
In the past two years, Usain Bolt has been the undisputed “World’s Fastest Man.” Bolt began forming his legacy at the age of 16 at the World Youth Championships in 2003 in Sherbrooke. The following year, Usain Bolt won the 200m dash at the World Junior Championships in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica.
In his home country of Jamaica, the speedy islander became known as Lightning bolt. Although the name on bolt’s birth certificate is “Usain Bolt,” there has been rumor of his name being created like a stage name so that people think of him as an insane bolt of lightning.
The humor in the name is purely coincidental. Another example of ironic names in track and field would be the Ukrainian pole vaulter Yevengy Grip, resembling the old expression, “Grip it, and rip it.”
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Bolt set three world records in winning three gold medals and officially gained his hometown nickname of Lightning Bolt. At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Bolt returned to win three more gold medals and set two more world records.
With the 2012 London Olympics approaching, we can only speculate as to whether or not lightning will strike yet again.
George Wayda
-The Cardinal
In his home country of Jamaica, the speedy islander became known as Lightning bolt. Although the name on bolt’s birth certificate is “Usain Bolt,” there has been rumor of his name being created like a stage name so that people think of him as an insane bolt of lightning.
The humor in the name is purely coincidental. Another example of ironic names in track and field would be the Ukrainian pole vaulter Yevengy Grip, resembling the old expression, “Grip it, and rip it.”
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Bolt set three world records in winning three gold medals and officially gained his hometown nickname of Lightning Bolt. At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Bolt returned to win three more gold medals and set two more world records.
With the 2012 London Olympics approaching, we can only speculate as to whether or not lightning will strike yet again.
George Wayda
-The Cardinal
Monday, December 5, 2011
Havens Succeeds at State
The Pleasant Plains Cardinals Varsity Golf Team finished a great regular season with a record of 22-7. The team, led by senior medalist Austin Havens (72) advanced out of the Greenview Regional with a score of 328. Austin is the second regional champion ever at PPHS. Their Sectional Golf Tournament was held in Monmouth, Illinois at Gibson Woods. The Cardinals finished with a team score of 350 and were once again led by senior Austin Havens with a score of 79. The team finished sixth overall and did not advance. On the other hand, Austin Havens placed sixth as an individual and had advanced to the 2011 IHSA state Golf Tournament. The Single A State Golf Tournament is hosted at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington, Illinois. The first day of the golf tournament was with no surprise a very windy and cold day. The conditions were very typical of a state golf tournament. Austin, this being his third appearance for state golf, was more than used to the horrid weather.
Havens started the day off on the back nine, which was harder in his opinion. He shot a 39 on the back. As he proceeded to the front nine, he knew he had a chance to get it back. Unfortunately, he started off the front with two straight double bogeys and finished the front with a score of 41, for a total of 80 on day one. After all of the scores has came in, Austin was still in the Top 25 and knew he had a chance to get back in contention.
On day two, Havens started on the back again. He finished the back with an even par 36, so he was very pleased considering the conditions were nearly the same, if not worse than the day before. Advancing to the front nine, Havens had great confidence. He fired another even par 36, to total out his round for a 72. This 72 put Austin in third place total for the tournament. His two day score was eight-over-par 152. Austin is the first PPHS Cardinal ever to place in the Top 10 in the IHSA Golf Tournament. This was a very big accomplishment for Austin as well as the program. Congratulations Cardinals on the great year!
Austin Havens
-The Cardinal
Havens started the day off on the back nine, which was harder in his opinion. He shot a 39 on the back. As he proceeded to the front nine, he knew he had a chance to get it back. Unfortunately, he started off the front with two straight double bogeys and finished the front with a score of 41, for a total of 80 on day one. After all of the scores has came in, Austin was still in the Top 25 and knew he had a chance to get back in contention.
On day two, Havens started on the back again. He finished the back with an even par 36, so he was very pleased considering the conditions were nearly the same, if not worse than the day before. Advancing to the front nine, Havens had great confidence. He fired another even par 36, to total out his round for a 72. This 72 put Austin in third place total for the tournament. His two day score was eight-over-par 152. Austin is the first PPHS Cardinal ever to place in the Top 10 in the IHSA Golf Tournament. This was a very big accomplishment for Austin as well as the program. Congratulations Cardinals on the great year!
Austin Havens
-The Cardinal
Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
Thousands of fans lined up the streets at midnight on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 for Activision’s new Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 3. For many games it is hard to gain the hype they did for past games. Many games will be released this year, but it will be a struggle to reproduce the hype, expectation, and dedication of fans of the Call of Duty series.
Keeping excited gamers up all night may not have proved to be a problem, but it seems that the traffic has been too much for the newly released Call of Duty: Elite Service. This was built for the people who love stats. The service organizes every tiny bit of activity happening in the online games, tracking every stat possible from distance covered to number of shots fired with a particular weapon.
The official Call of Duty Twitter stream gave confirmation of a problem with logging in and registering to the service, however did provide information that the service was still capturing all MW3 game play data.
Schyler Hollis
-The Cardinal
Keeping excited gamers up all night may not have proved to be a problem, but it seems that the traffic has been too much for the newly released Call of Duty: Elite Service. This was built for the people who love stats. The service organizes every tiny bit of activity happening in the online games, tracking every stat possible from distance covered to number of shots fired with a particular weapon.
The official Call of Duty Twitter stream gave confirmation of a problem with logging in and registering to the service, however did provide information that the service was still capturing all MW3 game play data.
Schyler Hollis
-The Cardinal
Lady Cardinal Volleyball Team’s 2011 Season
The Varsity Volleyball Team proved to be a threat this 2011 summer’s pre-season matches. Starting the season off with multiple wins from the summer, the team and their fans were confident to go far. Within the first few games of the actual season opinions were proving to be correct. It wasn’t until a tournament in Mahomet that the varsity players left with not only their first loss of the season, but also their second. With heads still reeling over the losses the team struggled to compete. It was not until their ninth loss of the season that the Lady Cardinals began to pull through the remainder of the season. Finally after much hard work and effort the team competed against Auburn in the IHSA Regional Championship coming away with a new shiny plaque and Cardinals Volleyball Team’s head coach, Mrs. Ballinger’s 600th win. The team energized, arrived in Beardstown for Sectionals ready to play. After easily defeating the Illini Bluffs in two, the real challenged for the Cardinals came with the Sectional Championship Match against QND. Unfortunately after a delayed start, the team pulled just short of the win ending their season in the Sweet 16, an accomplishment only made by the year before. The Pleasant Plains Lady Cardinals finished their season with a total of 27 wins and 10 losses. The program is proving to be a force worth fighting, and with new talent coming in, hopes are higher than ever.
Megan Wavering
-The Cardinal
Megan Wavering
-The Cardinal
A Play of Murder, Mystery, and Full of Laughs
In the full play, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, a strange scent of murder was in the air throughout the play. Although it was short with little amount of scenes, the production was entertaining to say the least. A small cast of only 12 members did a great job of capturing the audience’s attention and keeping the spirit of the play alive.
Dramatic killings and mysterious characters made for an enjoyable show, as well as the cast members keeping with lines and being the perfect balance of dramatic and realistic. The show was ultimately a success. Not to mention the beautiful backdrop and intricate backdrop the art club provided for the production.
Hidden passage ways by means of sliding and revolving bookshelves kept the audience on their toes as the cast members tried to find out which one of them could possible be the “Stage Door Slasher.” This production is definitely of the theatre with its dramatic and hilarious sense of murder. Being a young cast, hopefully this means the upcoming productions of our own Pleasant Plains High School are going to stay filled with excitement and talent just as this play was.
Mallorie Lohman
-The Cardinal
Dramatic killings and mysterious characters made for an enjoyable show, as well as the cast members keeping with lines and being the perfect balance of dramatic and realistic. The show was ultimately a success. Not to mention the beautiful backdrop and intricate backdrop the art club provided for the production.
Hidden passage ways by means of sliding and revolving bookshelves kept the audience on their toes as the cast members tried to find out which one of them could possible be the “Stage Door Slasher.” This production is definitely of the theatre with its dramatic and hilarious sense of murder. Being a young cast, hopefully this means the upcoming productions of our own Pleasant Plains High School are going to stay filled with excitement and talent just as this play was.
Mallorie Lohman
-The Cardinal
Volunteer Opportunities for the Holiday Season
There is something about the holiday season that gets people interested in helping out in their community. Whether you’re a student wanting service hours or a good person offering your time, there are many volunteer opportunities worthy of checking out.
A favorite of many past Beta Club members would be volunteering at the Festival of Trees. The event is held at the Orr Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds and benefits the Memorial Medical Center. With specially designed Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, and community entertainment, it’s a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Volunteers are needed to decorate and sell gingerbread cookies, assist children with crafts, sell tickets for the holiday train, and much more. The Festival of Trees is open Saturday, November 19 through Sunday, November 27. Check out their website* for an online registration form to volunteer.
Another great volunteer opportunity this winter is to bell ringing. Working in two hour shifts, you and a small group of friends can ring the bells and ask strangers to donate to your kettle. These bright red kettles are placed in front of many Springfield area stores, including Macy’s, Schnuck’s, and Walmart. All profits from the kettles will be donated to Springfield’s Salvation Army to help serve meals and gifts to needy families over this holiday season. Volunteers are needed to cover shifts over November 11 through December 24. Check out their website** to get involved.
* www.memorialmedical.com/MMF/Festival-Of-Trees/Volunteers.aspx
** www.tsaspringfield.org
Melissa Studach
-The Cardinal
A favorite of many past Beta Club members would be volunteering at the Festival of Trees. The event is held at the Orr Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds and benefits the Memorial Medical Center. With specially designed Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, and community entertainment, it’s a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Volunteers are needed to decorate and sell gingerbread cookies, assist children with crafts, sell tickets for the holiday train, and much more. The Festival of Trees is open Saturday, November 19 through Sunday, November 27. Check out their website* for an online registration form to volunteer.
Another great volunteer opportunity this winter is to bell ringing. Working in two hour shifts, you and a small group of friends can ring the bells and ask strangers to donate to your kettle. These bright red kettles are placed in front of many Springfield area stores, including Macy’s, Schnuck’s, and Walmart. All profits from the kettles will be donated to Springfield’s Salvation Army to help serve meals and gifts to needy families over this holiday season. Volunteers are needed to cover shifts over November 11 through December 24. Check out their website** to get involved.
* www.memorialmedical.com/MMF/Festival-Of-Trees/Volunteers.aspx
** www.tsaspringfield.org
Melissa Studach
-The Cardinal
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