"House"
By ALLISON MILLS
Staff Reporter
MXA@PSU.EDU
FOX's hit television show "House"
is a medical drama like no other.
Though the stories that go on in
the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching
Hospital lack the complicated
romantic problems that characterize
most medical dramas, "House" is
still one entertaining, captivating,
and impressive show.
House focuses on one primary
character, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh
Laurie), who is a witty, intelligent,
arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic,
and yet strangely likeable diagnostic
doctor. Secondary characters
include Dr. James Wilson (Robert
Sean Leonard), House's opposite
and best friend, and Dr. Lisa Cuddy
(Lisa Edelstein), the sexy hospital
administrator and House's boss;
both characters have no apparent
role separate from House's character
development, and, of course, being
the butt of his many inappropriate
and sarcastic jokes.
In the first three seasons, House
solves seemingly impossible
Geek Corner: Spore arrives; Kreuger doesn't
By MATTHEW MAHONEY
Columnist
MLMSO39@PSU.EDU
Recurring Nightmare
By now many of you may have
heard the news: New Line Cinemas
has looked into the possibility of
remaking the classic 1984 horror
film "A Nightmare on Elm Street".
While "Nightmare on Elm Street"
may not exactly be a film with a
cult following, it is one that any
child of the 1980 s can look to and
have memories of, most of them
revolving around the idea of "Was I
really scared of that?" or "My God,
that is a young Johnny Depp."
Most people (and by "people" I
mean fans) have looked at this with
disgust. What's the need to digitize
a whole bunch of blood when the
classic film remains unrivaled to
this day? Unfortunately, those that
stand to make a pretty penny off of
"re-envisioning" "Nightmare" have
decided this is a great idea.
There are a limited number of
things people can do in protest
(actually, just two): Blog about how
much it's going to suck, just like
every other fat man in their parent's
basement is doing. Or, you can
decide not to see it. Unfortunately,
horror fans and movie-goers stuck
"Felafel" a little-seen
By PHIL NARSH
Columnist
PSNSOOI@PSU.EDU
As the newest addition to The
Capital Times action-news team,
I can't think of another indie
movie I'd rather feature for my
first review than a little-known
flick from 2001, titled "He Died
with a Felafel in His Hand". The
title alone was enough to make me
place it at the top of my NetFlix
queue. I had no idea what it would
be about and no idea who would be
in it; all I knew was, that if a movie
with such a name existed, I needed
to see it. And low and behold,
"Felafel" has become one of my all
time favorite independent films.
Based on a 1994 novel of the
same name, this Australian dark
comedy follows the early adult
life of Danny (Noah Taylor), a 20-
something-year-old writer, as he
moves from one shared household
to the next, all the while avoiding
his landlords, while attempting
to write the next great Australian
is the perfect medicine
Hugh Laurie playing the title character of FOX network's "House", a me
its fourth season.
medical cases with his team of
fellows. These brave, but doctors
are Allison Cameron (Jennifer
Morrison), Robert Chase (Jesse
Spencer), and Eric Foreman (Omar
Epps). The basic pattern to every
episode goes as follows: A rare
medical condition is presented;
House's team suggests different
diagnoses which House rudely
disproves; the patient (or in some
cases, patients) condition worsens
in the world of being cool with
what's nostalgic and retro will spend
their hard-earned dollars to see this
crap, and in doing so will be sending
the wrong message to the studios:
that we, the consumers, actually like
this , schlock.
To those of you that would go
see this: Do us a favor, and stay at
home. For a long time. Your genes
should never be replicated and I
don't want to hear your opinions on
chance to design and evolve a creature from a single cell to a whole civilzation
novel. The movie begins at the end
with the foretold death, and then
rewinds to the start of it all. The
first house revealed is a shanty, an
all-but condemned little place in
Brisbane, where Danny lives with
a handful of other guys and one
girl, Sam (Emily Hamilton). The
rent hasn't been paid in over four
months, and there isn't much to
do but play the guitar, argue with
and becomes startlingly close to
death. It is at this point that House
has a revelation and realizes exactly
what is ailing the patient (not always
in time, however).
Probably the most notable and
notorious characteristic about House
is that he is a Vicodin addict, which
really comes into focus in season
three. While treating a detective
in the hospital's free clinic with
his typically poor bedside manner,
how a G.I. Joe movie would be the
greatest thing ever. (Yes, there is a
G.I. Joe movie in the works with a
cast already announced.) Just don't
do it.
TV might be worth watching
The writers' strike is all but over.
At the penning of this article the
deal was on the table and just about
finalized. An official announcement
is expected soon. What this means
each other and smash toads with
golf clubs. Here Danny is stricken
with writers' block (as well as
depression and loathing) due to
his girlfriend dumping him for his
best friend. Flip (Brett Stewart)
tells Danny that he should write a
story to "Penthouse" to make some
cash, which Danny does, retelling
a hilarious tale of masturbation
gone horribly wrong. Danny pines
for a muse to inspire him to write,
and almost on cue, Anya (Roman
Bohringer), a dark and rather
mysterious young woman, arrives
to rent the spare room. Here the
guys write up "the rules of the
game." One: All intelligence must
be shared. Two: There is to be no
lying, cheating or backstabbing.
The guy who gets a first date (with
Anya) wins; the loser has to run
around the house three times with
his underwear on his head." But
much to their surprise Sam ends
up with Anya, during their massive
pagan ritual in the backyard, which
ends up forcing Danny, among
others, to pack up and leave.
rams now running in
related) put a large strain on all of
his relationships.
At the close of the third season,
House, who doesn't like change,
receives quite the shock from his
team when he finds himself working
alone. At the beginning of the
fourth and current season, House
(still happily taking his Vicodin),
searches for a new team as the show
humorously spoofs reality television
for all of us is that TV will once
again become a staple of the
American household. No longer will
we be tortured with reruns that force
us outdoors into finding forms of
entertainment that have meaningful
impact on our lives and those
around us. Conan, Colbert, Stewart,
all of them; they can now return to
being funny.
Shows like "24", "Lost", and
"Heroes" can finally get the
treatment they deserve and actually
begin to air. "Battlestar Galactica"
isn't due back until April, a date that
is a month further than its previous
delay, and "Heroes" won't have any
new content until the fall.
This strike affected more than just
writers and did serious damage to
the economies of areas like NYC
and LA, where behind the scenes
workers found themselves out of
a job since no content was being
produced.
"Spore" gets official release date
Will Wright's "Spore" has been
in development for a little over a
period of time I like to call "Too
friggin' long". Spore, a game in
which the player designs and creates
their own creature from a single
celled organism to watch it grow
into a full grown, technologically
advanced sentient life form, has
dark comedy
The film comes to a screeching
halt as Danny moves into his
next home, this time taking
refuge with a Lennon-obsessed,
Y2K survivalist with conspiracy
theories. As the pace slowly picks
up, Danny is rejoined by some of
his previous roomies, including
Sam, who found his new address
by calling his Mum. Unfortunately,
the police follow him there too (in
search of the exorbitant amount of
money owed in rent and damages
from his previous flat), and this
time somebody gets shot in the
ensuing dramatic confrontation.
Danny and Sam strengthen their
friendship and eventually hook
up in his apartment, but Danny's
travels aren't over yet.
The final living arrangement of
the film is in Sydney. Tensions
are high in the white-walled
house where Danny resides with
a psychotic drama-queen, among
others. Sam and Anya both show
up this time. At first they fight, then
they make out, then Danny makes
out with Anya, and then Sam
THE CAPITAL TIMES
House makes
the mistake
shows. Beginning with forty
doctors, he eliminates more each
week, in a style reminiscent of "The
Bachelor" and "Survivor".
of popping
a pill in
front of him.
Degraded and
embarrassed,
the detective
For medical insights on "House",
be sure to check out Polite Dissent.
corn. A real medical doctor posts a
blog for each episode, commenting
on the medical realities. For the
most part, he contends that the
diagnoses are correct, but are
normally hastily arrived at or
treated without first confirming the
diagnosis. His biggest nitpick with
the show appears to be the team
performing surgeries and tests they
are not qualified to do. After reading
a few of his blogs, it was clear to
me that he is a critic who enjoys the
show.
uncovers
House's dirty
little secret
and exposes
it. House
refuses to
cooperate,
and his
actions
(which
many would
describe
as denial-
"House" has captivated audiences
everywhere with its humor and
candor embodied in its title
character, Dr. House. It is refreshing
to tune into a medical drama that
is not based on complicated love
triangles. While the next episode is
predictable (as far as the plot goes),
the medical mind-bogglers are
always intriguing. All in all, House
is as uncontainable a character as he
is entertaining.
been delayed without a definite date
until now.
Spore is set to launch on
September 7 of, believe it or not,
this year! The game is currently
being released for PC, Mac, DS,
and mobile device. Consoles have
been discussed but nothing has been
made official.
The game play is one that can be
described as "god-like". The player
overseas the development of the
creatures, makes sure they survive
on their planet and then follows
them along as they technologically
advance themselves through time.
IN fact, nearly every element of
the game involves some form of
customization, making it nearly
impossible for any two players to
have matching cities, creatures, or
anything else. Once the player's
characters achieve the ability to
travel in space the game reaches its
peak feature.
Players can "travel" to other
players' worlds and mingle with
other species. While not too much
is known about the specifics of the
leveling system, rest assured that a
group of no-girlfriend, pimple-faced
30 year olds living at home will be
playing non-stop in the quest to be
the most technologically-advanced
being... within a video game.
storms off in a rage. Danny falls
back into depression and writers'
block, realizing it was Sam who
was his inspiration all along, and
locks himself in his room.
Will Danny ever make up with
Sam? Will Danny ever become a
successful, published writer? And
how does one go about dying while
eating a felafel? I won't spoil it for
you...
Though there are no big name
actors (aside from Noah Taylor),
"Falafel" is still a bizarre, hilarious
and refreshingly original piece
of Aussie-fried gold. Perhaps a
little too dark for some, "Felafel"
touches on issues of sex,
homosexuality, violence, drug use,
and Middle Eastern food. At one
point it displays a rather shocking
attempted suicide scene that may
be difficult to watch. However, if
you're a dark soul like me who
loves intelligently quirky films
that dabble with existentialism
and the meaning of life, I highly
recommend "He Died with a
Felafel in His Hand" to you.
FEBRUARY 18, 2008
A glance at the album artwork
bashful poses of a skinny girl
in awkward sneakers, reluctant
to engage the camera, her mouth
securely hidden behind a transistor
radio - would give one the wrong
impression. "Little Voice", the
album from newcomer Sara
Bareilles, showcases a young
woman with a voice that is at
once soothing yet surprisingly
strong. Curiously, it seems that
Bareilles is not playing coy, but is
instead endearingly unaware of her
blossoming strength, as the tracks
that comprise "Little Voice" reveal a
girl at a lonely crossroads struggling
with the burdensome vestiges of
once-fulfilling relationships.
The album kicks off with "Love
Song", a radio-friendly hit which
has been quietly gaining mainstream
play. Deceptive in its gaiety, the
song is a desire to reexamine
a relationship which is lacking
direction: "Convinced me to please
you/ made me think that I need this
too/ I'm trying to let you hear me as
I am/ I'm not gonna write you a love
song/'cause you asked for it/ 'cause
you need one, you see."
Equally energetic is the song
"Fairy Tale", where Bareilles
channels the throaty-punch of feisty
Fiona Apple. A clever feminist
deconstruction, the song pokes
fun at the relationships depicted in
princess stories: "Sleeping Beauty's
in a foul mood/ for shame she
says,/ None for you dear prince,
I'm tired today./ I'd rather sleep
my whole life away than have/ you
keep me from dreaming." "Fairy
Tale" provides a new perspective
on ideas like chivalry and female
independence, and calls for a
new era of relationships based on
equality and trust. Remember:
there's normally an abusive slob
hiding behind that shining armor.
"But the story needs some mending
and a better/ happy ending/ 'Cause I
don't want the next best thing".
Complementing the band of upbeat
tracks are the more reflective,
slow songs, which are delicately
sprinkled throughout the album.
Highlighting the mix is "Gravity",
a melancholy ballad in which the
speaker regrets the oppressive
influence of an old relationship:
"Set me free, leave me be,/ I don't
want to fall another moment into
your gravity./ Here I am and I stand
so tall, just the way/ I'm supposed
to be./ But you're on to me and all
over me." Accompanied by a gentle
piano and strings, her voice takes on
a tone of soulful grace comparable
to Sarah McLachlan. Towards the
finale, the strings intensify to an
emotional peak, leading the song
to is shattering conclusion: "But
you're neither friend nor foe though
I can't/ seem to let you go./ The one
thing that I still know is that/ you're
keeping me down."
Sarah and Fiona aside, Bareilles'
album creates its own distinction
in the songs that show off her own
unique style, like in the provocative
"Come Round Soon"; sultry and
soulful, Bareilles purrs "I could use
another cigarette/ But don't worry
daddy, I'm not addicted yet/ One
too many drinks tonight and I miss
you/ Like you were mine" over a
smoky-steady hypnotic beat, her
voice cascading like a waterfall
in the chorus. Perhaps the most
male-dependent song on the album,
Bareilles reminds us at the end of
the track that though she may be
upset now, she won't be heartbroken
for long: "I may seem naïve if I cry
as you leave/ Like I'm just one more
tortured heart/ These cracks that I
show as I'm watching/ you go aren't
tearing me apart".
Sara Bareilles, a talented pianist
who penned every one of the songs
on this album, is a great alternative
to the same-old-same-old offerings
of Pop divas like Britney, Janet and
Mariah. Ignore her deceptively shy
demeanor; "Little Voice" is a big
surprise.