Wonder Woman 1984: Not so Wonderful
By Aidan Howard The new Wonder Woman movie came out not long ago, and I went to see it during Christmas break. Now, I have many ideas to express about this movie. It was not good. I didn’t like it because the story of the film was very confusing at some points. During some scenes, something weird would happen and they never explained or even tried to explain. For example, in the movie the actor Chris Pine (played Steve Trevor) came back to life from way before 1984, and it was very confusing without the full explanation how that happened. The movie was also very corny. From the jokes, all the way to the punchlines. For example, in the movie the actress Kristen Wiig (played Cheetah) had a very awkward sense of humor, creating jokes that just plain weren’t funny or entertaining. Some jokes felt forced, and the movie just didn’t seem like it was fully ready to be published. The writers of this movie, Patty Jenkins, should have had more jokes that were actually laughable in a funny way, not a stupid way. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) was a great actress in the movie, but I wished to see more action and fight scenes. The movie very much lacked that. I really blame that on the producers who barely put any action scenes in the movie. It felt more like I was watching a bad, cheesy comedy. Now, I would rate this movie a 4/10, because of how poorly the movie seemed to be filmed, the forced jokes, and confusing plot. I would not recommend seeing this movie, it isn’t the worst film just poorly made. |
Persona 5 Royal Game Review
By Frank Kovalovsky Persona 5 Royal is, in my opinion, one of the greatest JRPG games (Japanese Role Playing Game) of all time. For people that don't know what Persona 5 Royale is, a little brief summary of the game is that you play as a teenage boy in Japan who is accused of a crime and ends up with a criminal record. You later end up making friends who have been messed with by evil adults. Later in the game, they discover a certain power called Personas (They are used in combat to fight monsters), and they use these powers to make adults feel remorse and confess their crimes by fighting monsters in their brain and set about trying to save the world. They decided to form a group and name it, “The Phantom Thieves”. You can spend your time in this game working a part time job studying exams and building friendships, but if you don't want to do any of that, you can spend half your time fighting monsters, stealing treasures and convincing other teens and bizarre creatures to fight by your side. This game is indeed over a hundred hours long, but in my opinion, the hours put into this game is worth it. Every character in this game is written and voiced by professionals extremely well, but one character stands out the most to me, and his name is Goro Akechi. He is one of the playable characters in the game, as well as being an ally and antagonist at the same time. He is one of the characters that has a difficult and sad past, which will make some players attached to him. At some point in the game, he can wield the persona Loki, Named after the God of mischief. This game is a roller coaster of emotions, but overall, I would say that this is a game that people would definitely want to buy, if they want a good story and are interested in role-playing games. |
Image found:
Persona gameplay |
Effects of COVID-19 on Local Entertainment Industries in Myrtle Beach
By Kaitlyn Jack
While Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is easily the most popular East Coast family vacation destination, it has not escaped the grip of Covid 19 that has devastated the tourism based economy. Wayne Smith, professor and chair of the College of Charleston’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Department made the statement “Not even hurricanes do this!” The area was looking at a $523 million loss in tourism revenue between March and April 2020. With this said, I reached out to a few of our local entertainment venues for input on the following questions: Around what date did you begin seeing effects of COVID-19 at your venue? What steps did you take to abide by the CDC and state regulations? During this period, did you have to close the business entirely or partially? How has the COVID-19 affected the employees as far as reducing their work hours.
By Kaitlyn Jack
While Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is easily the most popular East Coast family vacation destination, it has not escaped the grip of Covid 19 that has devastated the tourism based economy. Wayne Smith, professor and chair of the College of Charleston’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Department made the statement “Not even hurricanes do this!” The area was looking at a $523 million loss in tourism revenue between March and April 2020. With this said, I reached out to a few of our local entertainment venues for input on the following questions: Around what date did you begin seeing effects of COVID-19 at your venue? What steps did you take to abide by the CDC and state regulations? During this period, did you have to close the business entirely or partially? How has the COVID-19 affected the employees as far as reducing their work hours.
Ripley’s Aquarium:
Stacia White, Assistant Director of Husbandry Around what date did you begin seeing effects of COVID-19 at your venue? The spokesperson advised the Aquarium staff began increased cleaning and sanitizing of all spaces beginning in February of 2020. What steps did you take to abide by the CDC and state regulations? In March 2020, they closed the doors when lockdown orders were issued. They increased all sanitizing of guest areas, any hard solid surfaces, and employee spaces. They began encouraging the use of masks by our guests and made it mandatory for our employees in February 2020. We then shut our doors in March 2020 to follow CDC guidelines on lockdowns to help control the spread. During this period, did you have to close the business entirely or partially? Closed entirely and since reopening we have cut hours of opening. How has the COVID-19 affected the employees as far as reducing their work hours? Most of the hourly staff was furloughed or layed off during this time. When we did reopen we have reduced many of the guest interaction aspects of the aquarium which also reduced the amount of staff needed to help run the facility. What would you like the public to know about your show or attraction in terms of coming back? We have and continue to do an excellent job at not just protecting the health and safety of our animals but also all of our guests that come and visit us. We have created new experiences for our guests and still allow for animal interactions but keep it safe for guests and staff. |
Photo credit:
https://www.dunesvillage.com/news/ripleys-aquarium-at-broadway-at-the-beach/ |
Legends In Concert
Brian Brigner (Legends In Concert, Chief Operating Officer) Around what date did you begin seeing effects of COVID-19 at your venue? March of 2020. What steps did you take to abide by the CDC and state regulations? Out of concern for our guests, cast, crew and employees, we closed the theater on March 17. During this period, did you have to close the business entirely or partially? We were forced to close the business entirely. This was done out of an abundance of caution, as well as capacity issues and other limitations that were mandated. How has the COVID-19 affected the employees as far as reducing their work hours? All employees are currently on Leave of Absence. What would you like the public to know about your show or attraction in terms of coming back? We have a robust safety plan in place and have written a complete reopening guide to ensure the safety of our guests and our employees. We have rolled out the same plan in Branson, Missouri and Coastal Alabama, and it has been very effective. Safety is paramount! We have designed a plan so that the guests can experience the show and not be worried about the theater environment, and the staff can feel comfortable as well, and deliver exceptional customer service. We are hopeful to reopen this spring and plan to make an announcement later this month. |
Photo Credit:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgulfcoastnewstoday.com%2Fstories%2Flegends-in-concert-now-at-owa%2C78322&psig=AOvVaw1_kpsUDnocRsVH-BtHULTo&ust=1611256554603000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOjewcqcq-4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD |
Alabama Theatre
Abby Scher, Director of Marketing & Public Relations Around what date did you begin seeing effects of COVID-19 at your venue? We were impacted immediately due to the government shutdown. The entertainment industry was one of the first businesses shut down by the government due to COVID-19 and one of the last allowed to reopen. We were shut down for a total of 6 month and are still seeing the impact due to lack of business even now. What steps did you take to abide by the CDC and state regulations? We were restricted by the government to only allow 20% capacity in our theatre. We followed all CDC guidelines to insure our staff & customers safety. We require everyone to wear masks, stay 6 ft apart, and only allow people in the same groups to sit near each other. We also installed partitions between all point of sale locations, did wellness checks on all staff prior to entering the building, and sanitized the facility before, during, & after each show. During this period, did you have to close the business entirely or partially? As stated in question number 1, we were mandated to be closed by the government for 6 months however we are currently closed to save money and allow us time to apply for more government assistance. We plan to reopen in Spring 2021 with our signature production ONE The Show. How has the COVID-19 affected the employees as far as reducing their work hours? Unfortunately COVID-19 has forced our company to furlough almost all of our employees during the government mandated shutdown and now again while we are applying for more assistance. What would you like the public to know about your show or attraction in terms of reopening? We are working very hard to make sure that we continue to provide a fun and safe environment for our staff and customers and we are very excited about the 2021 season of ONE The Show! Stay tuned for more information on official opening dates in the Spring and we look forward to bringing everyone the best entertainment on the Grand Strand. In conclusion, almost a year has passed since the COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our South Carolina entertainment industry. As of this date, it appears COVID-19 is getting worse everyday and the long term impact is going to be difficult to get back where things were prior to February 2020. |
Photo Credit:
https://www.seawatchresort.com/blog/alabama-theatre/ |
Review of: Arrow
By John Stutts The TV show Arrow is one of the later installments of DC live action on TV, it is based on the superhero known as Green Arrow. It focuses on his life in the dying city of Star City where corruption runs rampant and unchecked by the police. Fan favorites such as Firefly, Arsenal, Count Vertigo, Dead Shot and many more make their own appearances in the show and it even has many crossovers with another DC show, The Flash. I am all for having two of my favorite Justice League members in a show together, but certain episodes will make zero sense unless you also have watched The Flash, this is due to them only airing some episodes of a story arch on The Flash rather than Arrow. The way it portrays these extraordinary characters as still being human is a talent the show knows how to do well. For instance, the show dives into Deadshot as a person rather than just a hired gun. The storyline also shows that Deadshot has a daughter and a wife who the challenges of war made him lash out against and cause heartbreak...not many people expect that from a DC show, so it is a welcome surprise to say the least. Arrow teaches that even heroes deal with the pain of heartbreak in many situations as the characters struggle to try and have normal relationships. So if you are a fan of comics, check out Arrow. It is now streaming on Netflix. |