By Carolyn Webber

Love stories have been around forever. We’re human; we can’t help but enjoy leaving our lives and reliving false love stories of giddiness on the screen. But a new movie has come out that seems all too real. Like Crazy is a movie about love. The couple meets, they part, they try, they fail, and yet some force keeps them together. Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and Anna (Felicity Jones) meet while in school in California. Anna, though, is not a US citizen. She’s British and is therefore constrained by the laws of her student visa. The movie follows the relationship between the two, rather than stressing on the individual characters. Like Crazy was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past spring, and then was re-released in theatres in November. The Broadway Theatre of Salt Lake is the only theatre playing the movie in Utah.

The plot isn’t the only thing that makes the movie worth seeing. Symbolism pops up repeatedly with items- such as the chair and the word “Patience.” And it’s interesting to see how everything is totally defined by space and time. The distance between people implies the story without speaking it. Time is imperative because if something had happened just an hour or a day before, there would have been a completely different result. Time is not normal in this movie either. There are jumps between scenes which leave you guessing what happened during those missing months/years. These jumps may cause stumbling questions, which some don’t appreciate.

Critics of the movie also found the relationship and events to be unrealistic. Senior Cassidy England said, “I didn’t like the movie at all. The relationship was not realistic and it was totally awkward the entire time.” The title also doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere with the movie, besides the quote being written on the bottom of the chair. It does, however, draw somewhere from the enduring theme of love throughout the movie. In the beginning, Anna shares a quote about love in which she writes, “I thought I understood it. But I didn't. Only the smudgeness of it. The eagerness of it. The Idea of it. Of you and me.” It may seem sappy, and maybe it is. But this movie is definitely and fresh take on the traditional love story.

By Carolyn Webber

Don’t you just love a good 80s film? The era had such a dominant style and theme in entertainment. With rebellious teens, oversized clothing, and rambunctious dancing, how can you resist? One example of the classic 80s story is Footloose, made in 1984. Twenty-seven years later, the story of Footloose is hitting theaters again. The remake stars Kenny Wormald as the lead and Alta alumni Julianne Hough as his main girl.

The remake is having similar responses around town which is, “This is super close to the original.” There are, however, some obvious differences. The story begins with a death, which is definitely a change from the original. And some may argue that certain characters are seen in a new light with this film. For instance, the new Footloose makes Ariel’s (Hough’s character) father a basically decent guy who just wants his family and town to be safe. The original character is portrayed as a fire and brimstone dictator. Still, the plot is undoubtedly the same.  A teenage boy from Boston (played by Wormald) named Ren McCormack moves in with his family who live in the small town of Bomont, Georgia. (Fun fact- the original film took place in good old Lehi. The director wanted the new version to take place here as well, but a change of directors brought the story to the East Coast).

Ren butts heads with the local law, where there is a ban on loud music and dancing. Along the way, he meets Ariel, who tends to only lead to trouble. She does help as Ren takes it in his hands to challenge the law and get rid of the ban on dance. Fantastic characters are prevalent in this movie, like Ren’s best friend, Willard, who offers the comic relief. Senior Kayla Hansen saw the film and loved his line, “We got laws up the poop shoot here.” The dancing is just as fun as it was in the 80s. In fact, you could say Wormald’s dancing skills exceed those of Bacon.

The final dance scene of both versions parallel each other, even to Bacon’s popular line, “I thought this was a party. Let’s Dance!” Either way, it’s still the cheesy, feel-good film that makes you want to dance right out of the theater. Maybe there is a message hidden particularly for Alta kids. If your right to dance is taken, dance anyway, but you might have to go elsewhere.

by Carolyn Webber

 “They say it’s like true love, good help. You only get one a lifetime.” The movie that has been on everyone’s mind and the book that has been in everyone’s hands is a story for any age. Although The Help was written to show the world how southern blacks were treated in the 1960s, it can be applied to many other groups of people. Perhaps that’s why so many people are enjoying the story.

 The movie follows a young white girl who doesn’t fit into her society in Mississippi. She aspires to be a daring writer, so she takes on the challenge of writing from the point of view of “the help.” These are the female blacks whose families were slaves and when freed, had nothing to do but keep working for the wealthy whites. Skeeter, the main character, dives into the lives of many African American helpers and observes how they are treated. The novel is beautifully written and the movie portrays the story well.

Senior Mccall Plummer said, “I really enjoyed the humor in the movie. It gave the serious topic some comic relief.”Senior Tayler Jarrett had a similar opinion. She said, “It’s a great movie. There’s a good balance between humor and sincere moments.” And there is definitely a lot of comedy in this story. The characters are dynamic and the plot is intriguing. Senior Taylor Campbell is reading the book before she sees the film. She said, “The book is really amazing. Everyone should read it.”

 The story is one that so many can relate to. The main character Skeeter doesn’t fit in. “The help” are a minority group that are under-appreciated. Every character has a unique personality and life story. It will truly leave you with a different perspective on how you should treat others. So, read the book or see the movie. I’m sure you will walk out of it with a good feeling and a better attitude.