My current summer clothing obsession, as well as others i’m sure, are high waisted shorts. I recently purchased two pairs of high waisted shorts last weekend, one denim pair at Forever 21 and the other pair at American Eagle. Both were very reasonably priced , about $25 to $30 on average.

My favorite thing to wear high waisted shorts with are worn looking t-shirts tucked in with a cute belt to top it off. Add some cute sandals for a day-time look or combat boots for a night out with friends.

Another one of my summer favorites is a nice sundress. In my opinion, every girl needs a versitile sundress to wear to the beach, graduation parties, and the even the mall. Sundresses can be worn as a bikini cover-up or dress it up with sandals and a denim jacket for a more fancy event.

I own several sundresses. One of my “go-too” ones is a maxi dress, which is almost floor length. It is perfect to wear on casual days and so comfortable that I almost forget that it’s cute. On average, a sundress costs about $35 to $45.

Although there are so many good things about summer clothes, and summer in general, students tend to forget the finger tip rule when deciding which shorts to wear to school. If your shorts don’t go past your middle finger, reconsider wearing them to school. But heck, when schools out, go crazy, with your fashion, of course.

Overall, my biggest advice for this summer is to try new things, put together different outfits than normal, and have fun with your style.

photos by Alli Nemecek and Amy Brause

Show times are this Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.  Tickets cost $5 for students and senior citizens, and $8 for adults. Activity passes will not be accepted for admission. Concessions and ‘Hugs & Kisses’ will be sold all four shows.

First off, the characters are absolutely hilarious and each have a unique trait that makes it fun to watch all the time. The voice actors are pretty spot on too, the standouts being Emma Stone and Nicholas Cage. Otherwise, the characters are not the main reason to watch this film, which leads us to the animation aspect of the film.

The animation is the single reason I would watch this movie a thousand times over. Its attention to specific details on each creature it creates is a treasure to watch, and the imagination the creators of this movie have is at a completely new level here.  From flesh-eating birds to dog/alligator hybrids, the originality overflows with every shot. Along with the creatures come the settings, which vary from colorful rainforests to towering volcanoes all greatly enhanced in the spectacular 3D.

And if you still need a reason to head out and see it, the movie is genuinely hilarious. The script and storyline may not be the most groundbreaking thing ever, but the spontaneous incidents and random character quirks are all addictive to watch, and before you know it the movie will have sped by to reach its surprisingly emotional conclusion.

Overall, the Croods is a light and action packed film filled with the best animation of the year so far. Compared to other animated movies, this is a must see. And if you’re worried about being a teen or adult going to a kids movie, trust me, there is plenty of adult humor to make you forget this movie is for kids.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (March 25, 2013) – Seldom Seen, a two-day music, literature and art festival, will take place on a rural farm near Maquoketa, Iowa, on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29, 2013. The festival will feature more than 30 acts, including musicians, writers, artists and much more. Seldom Seen aims to inspire through the arts while illuminating the unique beauty of Iowa’s countryside.

In its third year as an arts-centered camping festival, 2013 marks Seldom Seen’s first effort to include literature, art installations and bands beyond the local area.
Showcasing amazing talent in music, literature and art, the first round of Seldom Seen headliners include: fourteen-eyed folk outfit hailing from Baraboo, Wisconsin – PHOX, Chicago-based master of humorous fiction – Kyle Beachy and hyper-talented filmmaker from Dubuque – Ted Wittman.

Other music acts to perform at the festival include: Trouble Lights, Alex Body, Brian Johannesen (formerly of The Grand Tetons and Terrible) & Alexis Stevens, AlienTech, and ION. The literature showcase will feature Kyle Beachy, Lucas Mann, Anna Meister, Mollie Martin and an expertly-curated group of Iowa City spoken word poets. Art installations will transform the rural farm space into a found-art gallery of sorts, featuring talent by Ted Wittman, Kyle Regan, Erik Dutcher and other homegrown artists to be announced.

Leading the efforts in production of Seldom Seen are University of Iowa students Zoey Miller, Emily Kane and Therese Mulgrew. These young women are aided by a staff of more than fifteen students and community members from Iowa City, Des Moines, Dubuque, Ames and beyond. The festival’s community outreach will also be displayed by four pre-show fundraisers around the state of Iowa in May.

Tickets to Seldom Seen will be available for purchase online via Midwestix.com and in Iowa City at The Englert Theatre on Tuesday, April 16. Tickets can be purchased for $15 in advance and $20 on site during the festival. Cost of ticket covers admission and camping on Friday and Saturday nights.

Information provided from.

seldomseenfest.com

http://facebook.com/seldomseenfestival

http://twitter.com/seldomseen

There are several different styles to choose from. For example, infinity scarves are circular so you can wrap them around your head two or three times and there’s no “loose ends.” Infinity scarves are the best in my opinion.

There are also scarves that are many different lengths and fabrics. Knit scarves are becoming more and more popular due to their warmth. They can be worn for style and to keep you warm at the same time. You get the best of both worlds. A plain black scarf is always a necessity because it goes with anything; but colorful and fun patterned scarves are great to have as well to spice up your wardrobe.

One of my favorite things about scarves is how cute and fashionable they are. You can just throw on sweat pants on a lazy day and with almost any type of shirt, and add a scarf. You just took  your outfit from a four to a solid seven. Just make sure the pattern looks good with your color scheme. Scarves even look great when you dress up too! Wearing them with a dress is adorable if you have to look nice sometime when it’s chilly outside. Quick style tip: bright colored scarves look great with denim jackets and boots.

On a budget? (It’s okay, I am too). That’s another huge plus about scarves, they’re usually a great price. Most of my scarves are all around $15 to $20. And hey, if you’re a crafty person on a budget you could try knitting your own scarf, this way you could make a one of a kind scarf made exactly to your liking. And don’t forget, one size fits all.

To start, the actors are all believable and really understand their characters they’re portraying. No acting stood out as bad, but some characters were a bit underdeveloped and I wish I could have seen more of these characters. A huge standout is Emma Watson, who plays a senior named Sam, and befriends Charlie, Logan Lerman, along with another senior named Patrick, played by Ezra Miller. This trio of Sam, Patrick, and Charlie is the main reason why the movie all works so well; their chemistry pulls the plot along even when it gets a bit dull is some spots.

My one problem with the script was that I wished it could have included more scenes from the book, but unfortunately that might have went to an ‘R’ rating, and wouldn’t have been able to reach its target audience. The movie did very well with the script that was written for it, and again, the acting was the main aspect pulling it all through.

I highly recommend this movie to all teenagers currently in high school, as you may find things you can relate to, and it sends the positive message that you are not alone. It’s truly one of the best movies of 2012 in my opinion, as it’s something completely different from many of the high school movies you have seen. It proves that high school isn’t always fun and exciting, and shows that there are many struggles that go along with it. It also spreads how powerful and necessary friends are in your life, as well as family bonds, especially during times when you feel so alone. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a strong and captivating film with excellent acting and a strong story.

The acting is nothing too special, but none of the performances were at all bad. Some characters were underdeveloped and almost had no point at all other than to be used for some quick jokes. However, with a film like this character development isn’t exactly the main focus used, and it doesn’t weigh down the movie much at all, as our two leads are entertaining enough to carry the movie.

The screenplay was admittedly dull at times, as the zombies don’t communicate much with another, and usually just grunt and groan. This can create some boring scenes, but it never stays down for too long and throws something new and exciting at you soon after.

Warm Bodies is tentatively cheesy, but never completely reaches the eye-rolling stage of cheese, which is nice. The romance doesn’t get too sappy either, and the main focus of the movie is the zombie apocalypse and the effects it had on society. There are also some gory and shocking moments too, which one wouldn’t expect from the trailer. There are moments that make you jump, along with some bloody zombie attacks and flesh being ripped away, which is pretty unexpected for a PG-13 movie, but it also voids it from being a complete romance, which is refreshing.

Overall, Warm Bodies isn’t the best romance you will ever see, but if you’re comparing it to the cheesy and lame romantic comedies we’ve received recently, it’s definitely something you’ll really enjoy. It’s got likable characters, awesome action sequences, and some great zombie blood and gore. There are definitely things that don’t work too well, but the things that do work will distract you from any major flaws it has.

Oscar Nominations and Predictions:

Best Picture-

Amour

Lincoln - Win

Argo

Silver Linings Playbook

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Zero Dark Thirty

Django Unchained

Life of Pi

Les Miserables

This is always a tough category to predict, but it’s fairly simple to narrow it down to the top three films with the most buzz. Lincoln is one of the frontrunners for this category, and is most likely to win. Zero Dark Thirty has a good shot too, but with so much controversy circulating the movie, it probably will not be able to reach the Best Picture Award.  Silver Linings Playbook is a long shot, but still very possible. Life of Pi and Django both are amazing movies, but Pi does not have much more to offer other than a boy stranded at sea, and Django is likely too outrageous for the Academy’s taste. Overall, I’d predict a win for Lincoln.

Actor in a Leading Role-

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln - Win

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Denzel Washington, Flight

Daniel Day-Lewis is very nearly guaranteed for this win. Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Denzel Washington all did well with their roles, but nothing really stood out quite like Day-Lewis. I’d love to see Bradley Cooper take this one, but he just doesn’t have enough buzz to take a win. Another likely winner would be Hugh Jackman, but Les Miserables lacked as many good reviews as it should have gotten.

Actress in a Leading Role-

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook - Win

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

The huge battle is on between Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain, along with a lot of buzz around Emanuelle Riva.  Both have a lot of buzz and it could really go either way. Emmnuelle and Quvenzhane, presenting the oldest and youngest actresses ever nominated in the category, have both achieved an amazing feat, and either could pull an upset, though not likely. Naomi Watts delivered an incredible performance, but it’s unlikely she’ll take it. Not impossible, but not likely. I’m going out on a limb and saying Jennifer Lawrence for this one, but in reality, Jessica Chastain could easily swipe the award.

Animated Feature Film-

Brave

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

ParaNorman

Frankenweenie – Win

Wreck-It Ralph

What a year for Claymation filmmaking, with three of the animated nominees being this unique form of animation. The Pirates! Band of Misfits and Brave are both great films and both are hilarious and entertaining, but due to lack of anything extremely original and fresh, it’s unlikely these films will win. ParaNorman’s story definitely lacks a lot of originality, but it does a chance, as its animation is amazing. That leaves the battle between Frankenweenie and Wreck-It Ralph. As much as I would love to see Wreck-It Ralph win, the Academy nominated three Claymation movies, making it likely that Frankenweenie is going to take it, as it’s getting the most buzz and got a huge amount of support from critics everywhere. I predict Frankenweenie will take it, but ParaNorman could take it on visuals alone.

Actor in a Supporting Role-

Alan Arkin, Argo

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln - Win

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

I see Tommy Lee Jones winning with only Christoph Waltz as a competition against him. Otherwise, the other performances won’t likely win due to not enough buzz surrounding their roles.

Actress in a Supporting Role-

Amy Adams, The Master

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables - Win

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

I can only really see Anne Hathaway winning this one. If anyone pulls an upset over Hathaway, it’ll be Sally Field. Anne Hathaway also took the Golden Globe over Sally fields, making her a stronger choice.

This point leads to the main problem the film faced; it was simply too long. Plot points all begin interesting at first, but in some areas it becomes evident that scenes are being stretched out for no real reason other than to be longer. Many action scenes are really enjoyable and fun, but by the second hour, you begin to wonder how long is left as the film simply can’t hold many people’s attention. The movie would’ve benefited greatly from just being cut down an hour.

This is not to say the film is of bad quality. In fact, the superb acting is what carries most of the film. Our lead Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, does a great job at carrying a story that could have been disastrously dull without an energetic lead. It’s also great to see the return of the well-known wizard Gandalf, played by Ian McKellen. He always brings light comedy that he was well known for in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. His acting is exceptionally good. One final and notable acting comment would be the thirteen dwarves that our leads take the adventure with. Their multiple scenes and hilarious one-liners nearly steal the show.

A final thing that these films have always been known for, and succeeds well yet again, is the amazing camera work and imagery. The scenery shots of Middle Earth are captivating and enhance every part of the movie. Though the film is fun to see in 3D, it’s definitely not necessary to get the complete effect The Hobbit is trying to convey. The 3D works well for some scenes, but throughout most of the movie you’ll likely forget you’re even wearing the glasses.

Overall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a great return that many fans will appreciate and enjoy, but unfortunately there isn’t enough source material to take from, so the movie ends up dragging and growing dull; even the huge action sequences can’t save it when it passes that second hour mark. It’s a must see in theaters for fans of the original trilogy, but if you’re still on the edge, maybe a DVD rental would be just the thing you should wait for.