Category Archives: Scene

Summer Movies Review

Summer movies are all about big guns, tons of money, too much hype and super heroes—and this summer we got all of the above. However, movies that rely too heavily on hype take a huge risk. These “blockbusters” either rock hard or flop even harder. 

Tropic Thunder is the most expensive comedy of all time. It’s also chockfull of big names and faces. “Tropic Thunder” is about a group of actors trying to put on the performances of their lives while filming a war movie. The twist is that the lines between fiction and reality blur when the actors find themselves deep in the trenches of real military action. The movie begins with several fake trailers featuring the lead actors. This idea of creating fake trailers is nothing short of comic genius—I was in tears. For the last 90 minutes of the film I was still in tears, but for a completely different reason. I realized why I’ve come to hate Ben Stiller: he tries way too hard. The movie contains a small handful of cheap jokes that are endlessly recycled. Certain questions started to flood my mind such as: is Jack Black running around topless and acting insane funny anymore? Is having a young scar-faced Asian boy as the leader of a drug ring in the jungle supposed to get a laugh from me? Why is Robert Downey Jr.’s wonderful acting talent going to waste on bad writing? I wanted the movie to be funny, but it never managed to recapture the humor of the very impressive opening sequence. It may have been an expensive film to make, but in the end the humor is cheap and appeals only to the lowest common denominator. 
Tropic Thunder:  D+

It’s impossible to talk about this year’s summer movie season without thinking immediately of The Dark Knight. It beat “Star Wars” for all-time U.S. box office gross, making it the second best selling film. Few movies are able to live up to the colossal hype that usually accompanies summer movies, but “The Dark Knight” deserves every penny it has raked in. Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors of this decade. His latest installment in the Batman franchise is preceded by movies like “Batman Begins,” “The Prestige” and the critically acclaimed “Memento.” Along with directing, Nolan can also claim writing credits for all four of these films. With a gleaming resume like that, its no wonder Nolan was able to reinvent the summer superhero flick so successfully. Earlier in the summer, “Iron Man” hit screens and temporarily became the new standard for superhero movies. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but “The Dark Knight” made me almost completely forget about “Iron Man.” Heath Ledger’s performance would be equally as impressive and worthy of praise even without the knowledge of the actor’s tragic death, which admittedly adds a layer of poignancy and eeriness to his portrayal of the Joker. If you’re one of the last two people one earth that still hasn’t gone out to see it, do yourself a favor by skipping class and getting to the nearest showing as soon as possible.
The Dark Knight:  A-

Campus Jobs

Student Assistant @ KUSF

The student assistant position at KUSF may be unpaid, but it’s a job that’s far from thankless. For students who are willing to put in long hours, the perks acquired can be as numerous as the awards this radio station has garnered over the years. 

If you’re interested in music, broadcasting and other forms of media, KUSF is an ideal place to network with bands, record labels, music venues and ticket vendors. 

Students who are very committed to working at KUSF could find themselves DJing their own show in as little as two or three months with the advantage of having been trained by professional KUSF DJs. Of course, if you want to be the next Howard Stern, you could potentially run into some issues.
The most diligent and dedicated KUSF assistants spend their leisure time at some of the most popular concerts in town. Best of all? The tickets are provided, free of charge, by KUSF. Sorry, no Hannah Montana tickets available at present.

Student Assistant @ Gleeson Library

For those who don’t think that being surrounded by books is enough of a perk, there are plenty of other nifty benefits to being a student assistant at Gleeson Library. 
You’ll have a full understanding of the library and the resources that are available so that when research papers roll around you’re not perusing through Wikipedia articles the night before a deadline. 

There are also staff parties every semester where you can win USF gear or action figures based on famous people from history and literature (think Tolstoy with karate-chop-action). 

Lastly, Gleeson Library will ensure you graduate in style. Students who graduate from USF under the employment of Gleeson Library can have a library book of their choice dedicated to them. Here’s hoping there’s at least one volume of Harry Potter a current employee hasn’t called dibbs on. 

USF Ambassadors

You see them around campus all the time, leading throngs of wide-eyed prospective students across campus, but did you know that USF Ambassadors are some of the highest-paid student workers on campus? The starting wage for new Ambassadors is $12 an hour. And the free polo t-shirts are pretty snazzy, too.  

For trivia geeks, it’s a dream job. You’ll learn how USF’s mascot went from being the Grey Fog to the Don. You’ll dazzle your friends with your knowledge of USF. They’ll wonder how they went to this school for so long without knowing any of the amazing facts that your brain is positively brimming with.

Training also includes a trip to one of the most inaccessible places on campus: the towers of St. Ignatius Church. From this privileged perch you can be certain that you are taking in one of the most spectacular views in all of San Francisco.