James Franco began his career with television show Freaks and Geeks in
the late 19905, playing James Dean in a 2001 biography of the legend, and
now, James Franco's starred in many roles from Harry Osborn in the Spi
derman trilogy, to most recently, Pineapple Express and Milk. He frequently
challenges himself in the Arts community, recently playing a role on General
Hospital with a character by the name Franco and even more recently, releas
ing Palo Alto, a book of short stories set in his California hometown of the
same name.
Upon reading the collection, there are some serious problems as well as
some unavoidable feelings of wonder. First off, however successful the book
ends up being from its Oct. 19 release, it's solely based on Franco's name
on the cover, as he hasn't written any previous works. The collection has re
ceived mixed reviews, mostly bad from reputable sources: The Washington
Post called it "a flat, undergraduate effort" and the Los Angeles Times stated
Palo Alto
A collection of short stories The collection opens with "Halloween,"
centered around a group of which centers on a sophomore in high school
teenagers in the area of the that, after leaving a party of drinking with a
same name. bunch of friends, runs over a woman near his
home. The story ends with the Ryan, the nar
rator, sitting in a lounge with his friend's father
and smoking pipes. Even though this is just
the first occasion of unaccounted for violence
in Palo Alto, "Halloween" rings as a favorite.
By James Franco
197 pages. Simon & Schus
ter Adult Publishing Group.
$24.
Another favorite of mine, ultimately the most
stylistically successful story, was "American
History" the third out of the eleven stories. "American History" focuses on a
freshman's speech in his American History class, a persona debate that's set
in the 1800 s where one group of students is pro-slavery and the other is anti
slavery. While it focuses obviously on racism, the true success of the piece is
that it isn't saturated with the collection's often alcohol-driven violence and
sex.
Franco pursues an undeniable level of angst through Palo Alto's entirety
and I think it all comes to a head in his last installment, "Jack-o.'" "I often
think about driving off the side of freeway overpasses, just plunging Grand
pa's old blue boat through the cement guardrail... What an adventure lies be
hind one quick turn of the steering wheel," from "Jack-o. The story revolves
around an unnamed narrator and his friend, Joe, who go to pick up weed from
Hector, a funny but equally violent and primal Mexican teen downtown. The
three of them smoke and ponder menial adolescent questions, like "Would
you rather be the pope or Pablo Escobar?" All of them agree that Escobar
Editor's Choice: CD Reviews
NATE CARTER
show( a.se editor
Circa Survive
Appendage
In April, Philadelphia na
tives Circa Survive released
their third album, Blue Sky
Noise. A mere seven months
down the line, they have re
leased an EP entitled Append
age. With these five never
before-heard tracks that the
band recorded in their earlier
Blue Sky sessions, they've
taken several risks.
They seemingly slow down
their style to showcase that
they don't embody the "post
hardcore" tag they've re
ceived by reviewers, but can
branch off into somewhat am
bient "post-rock."
Alternative Press gives a
seven out of 10. "They [pro
duced a slower album] with
out losing any of the hallmark
characteristics that made
their atmospheric and subtly
dynamic sound so appealing
in the first place," the review
said.
Sputnik Music also rates
Appendage a seven out of 10,
"Circa Survive proves that
they aren't just one-trick po
nies but a band capable of
Deathly Hallows:
On Nov. 19, Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows: Part 1 was released and saw a $125
million domestic gross its opening weekend.
Feedback on this film has been generally
positive and, judging by numbers, its success
proves that the Potter fan base is still strong
after thirteen years.
Over the next couple of weeks, this lat
est release will most likely be a hot topic in
conversation and for good reason. This latest
Harry Potter installment did not disappoint.
While the actual plot easily keeps the audi
ence's attention, Deathly Hallows also brings
new techniques to its storytelling.
Behrend student Jenna Baughman, a fan of
the new film, was also impressed by the spe-
JAMES FRANCO DEBUTS PALO ALTO
change and adaptation, ulti
mately the reason for the al
bum's success."
Appendage opens with
"Sleeping Underground",
an organ-backed song that
most would call an interlude,
a perfect opening to the pro
duction tone Appendage pur
sues. There's this unmistak
able feel of musical closure
through the EP, and most
reviewers have stated that it
feels like it could've just as
easily been a fresh addition
to their last album, Blue Shy
Noise. It sounds like it was
almost a productive order for
the band to hold back with
their instruments as the EP
builds. The last track, "Laza
rus," is an explosive conclu
sion that reverts back to their
post-hardcore style, and lets
the instruments go, as well
as exercises Anthony Green's
vocal range.
For their earlier music,
they combined fervent, often
progressive bass guitar and
Green's vocal stylings for a
heavy, technical sound. On
Appendage, Circa challenges
themselves by slowing down
their instruments as well as
Green's usually fast-paced
vocals.
When compared to their
first album, Juturna - a much
SAMANTHA VERTOSICK
tall writcr
that the stories "share an identical and increas
ingly trying monotone."
faster mix bordering on pro
gressive metal much like The
Fall of Troy - they may not
even be recognized as the
same band. This shows how
much they've changed their
style for this EP. The only
easily discovered similarity
would be Anthony Green's
unmistakable vocals amidst
the fervent, experimental
sound they once had.
This is just one of the various
designs of cover art for Circa
Survive's new album.
Part 1 succeeds in pleasing
cial effects used in the movie
"I really liked the part where all of Harry's
friends turned into him so that they could
trick the Death Eaters," she said. "The spe
cial effects used in that scene were great and
it turned out to be my favorite part of the mov
ie."
In the middle of the film, this Potter film
deviated from the usual formula to feature a
side-story, narrated by Hermione Granger, in
full animation. While that may seem like a
bad idea in a live-action movie, this animat
ed story was so beautifully done that it only
worked to complement the film as a whole.
Throughout the movie, the audience is
presented with picturesque landscape shots
filmed in a high-contrast style that gave these
scenes a haunted feeling. This style of filming
works perfectly to capture of the essence of
NATE CARTER
showcase editor
would be'better. Shortly after this, the story ends with the narrator and Joe
driving down a California highway at 2:30 in the morning, and the narrator
wonders what it would be like to drive in the oncoming lanes. The last sen
tence: "And a little ways down the freeway there is a gap in the center barrier,
and I turn the wheel and cross over."
However, what these reviews fail to acknowledge is that Franco is very
close to achieving a doctorate from Yale, as well as having already completed
MFA programs with Columbia University and Brooklyn College. This poses
an unavoidable question: are the somewhat "monotone" and "flat" stories in
Palo Alto written as such to fully personify their early '9os adolescent narra
tors? I lean toward yes, as the question continually runs around in my head.
Other notable pieces are "Tar Baby" and "Emily." Overall, the collection is a
start if Franco decides to pursue writing further. He has some great ideas, but
structurally, he has a lot of room for improvement.
A Day to Remember
What Separates Me From
A Day to Remember came
into the hardcore music scene
in 2003 with their first album
from Victory Records, For
Those Who Have Heart. Since
then, they've released Home
sick in 2009, and have just
released their third album,
What Separates Me From
You, on Nov. 16.
Alternative Press rates this
album nine out of 10, stating
"There may not be one single
standalone cut on Separates
that shines to the degree of
Homesick's 'The Downfall of
Us All,' but the new album
is arguably the more even
stacked of the two."
Ultimate Guitar rates eight
out of 10, saying "this is not
a case where every song
sounds the same - far from it,
in fact. Even the majority of
tracks that are pop punk veer
in unique directions as far as
the arrangements go."'
Upon reviewing What Sep
arates Me From You, the band
seems to be coming into their
sound. They've combined pop
punk and hardcore in their
music since their debut, but
Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hal
lows novel.
Much has changed in this movie, including
the composer. Nicholas Hooper did the sixth
Potter film's score, but Alexandre Desplat
composed the score for this movie. Desplat
is an experienced composer who has recently
created a few songs for The Twilight Saga:
New Moon film. Although expectations were
high for Desplat, he did fulfill them, but did
not go beyond that.
The acting in this Potter installment showed
improvement. With each new movie, the ac
tors seem to improve a little more and this was
most apparent in Rupert Grint's character,
Ron Weasley. While the actor's performances
were not flawless, Grint captured Weasley's
wide range of emotions very well.
When asked what performance she liked
now, it seems they are round
ing the corner to an even
poppier, punkier, streamlined
sound.
While on tour for their al
bum Homesick in 2008 and
2009, the band confessed
to becoming "toursick," as
it takes away from their
time with friends and fam
ily. What Separates Me From
You seems to showcase those
feelings and anger in its lyri
cism. "You still know me, not
cut out for this sort of thing,
Never wanna be caught in
between, I need constant re
minders of everything," from
"It's Complicated."
It's inferred that the band
is struggling between their
love of music and their home
lives. It's equally interesting
how the band almost segre
gates their influences. In the
beginning (For Those Who
Have Heart, specifically "The
Plot to Bomb the Panhan
dle"), they equally combined
punk, pop, and hardcore into
their tracks. "Better Off This
Way," a break-up ballad in the
band's signature style, shows
off their ability to bridge the
gap between popular music,
and their more fervent hard
core sound, as seen in "2nd
Sucks" which opens with a
snippet from the Mortal Kom-
Culture
bat franchise
On What Separates Me
From You, they've made three
songs heavier and the rest
remains lighter pop/punk in
mostly balladic forms. "2nd
Sucks," "Sticks and Bricks,"
and "You Be Tails, I'll Be Son
ic" pursue a fresh, heavier
sound for the band, even to
the point where metal-core
influence seems to take over
the song.
"All of the things you love
are all the things I hate, How
did we get here in the first
place," from "You Be Tails, I'll
Be Sonic."
Through these drifting
tones of maturity, Day to Re
member is progressing.
viewers
best, Behrend freshman Samantha Myers, an
avid reader of the Harry Potter series, agreed
that Grint's performance was most impres
sive.
"I think Rupert did best; he was my favor
ite," she said. "I just think he did really well in
bringing Ron's emotions alive."
Fans of the Harry Potter franchise are
sure to love this movie and it will even keep
the interest of those who are not so familiar
with Rowling's magical world. While there is
still one more installment to go (Part 2 will be
coming July 2011), Part 1 still suffices for now.
If you are one of the few that have yet to see
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
it is strongly recommended that you hop on
your broomstick and to head to the nearest
theater to see this film; you will not be disap
pointed.