‘Home Alone’ movie review

December 11, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Sophia Elmstrom and Lily Sheldon

*Warning: this review contains spoilers

‘Home Alone’ is an American holiday comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and was made in 1990. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, and the cast features Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard and Catherine O’Hara. This film is also the 1st movie out of 4, along with 2 other versions. The film grossed $476.7 million worldwide, becoming the second highest grossing film of 1990. This movie was a big hit, but before we share our thoughts here is a rundown of the plot.

The movie starts with Kevin and his huge family getting ready to spend Christmas in Paris. Everyone is staying at Kevin’s house the night before they leave. Kevin’s siblings and cousins are running around the house preparing for this vacation. No one in the family will help Kevin pack his bag which results in Kevin eventually getting sent up to the attic after ruining the family dinner when arguing with his cousin. Kevin is very upset and is sick of his family picking on him. When he is up in the attic Kevin wishes that his family would disappear.

That night, there is a power outage due to snow, and all the alarm clocks in the house were reset. This causes everyone in the house to oversleep, and they have to rush to get to the airport in the morning. While Kevin’s family is rushing to get to the airport in the morning, Kevin accidentally gets left behind. Kevin wakes up to the house being empty, and is very happy that his wish to not have a family came true. Kevin loves having the house to himself, and is taking advantage of that. Kevin’s house then becomes watched by the “Wet Bandits”, Harry and Marv who are neighborhood burglars. Kevin tricks Harry and Marv into thinking that his family is still home. This makes them hold off on their plans to rob Kevin’s house.

Kevin’s mom, Kate, realizes on her flight that Kevin was left at home. When they get to Paris, Kate tries to get on a flight home. Kate makes it to Pennsylvania, but cannot get on a flight back home to Chicago because all the flights are booked and the phone lines are still down in Chicago. Kate meets a guy named Gus at the airport, and Gus offers to let her travel with them to Chicago in a moving van with his band.

On Christmas Eve, Harry and Marv realize that Kevin is the only one inside his house. Kevin hears them discussing plans to break into his house that night. Kevin sets up his whole house with traps. When Harry and Marv break in, they set off all of the traps in the house, making them regret the robbery. Kevin calls the police and Harry and Marv get arrested.

Kevin is disappointed that his family is still gone on Christmas Day. Kevin’s mom finally makes it home and surprises Kevin. The rest of Kevin’s family comes home shortly after. Kevin is glad that his family is home.

‘Home Alone’ received a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.7/10 from IMDb. Overall, the audience rating summary was a 4.8 with many people saying it was a classic Christmas movie with a nostalgic feeling.

We agree with this rating of the audience but we believe that Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb should have given it a higher rating as it is a very good movie. We both watch this Christmas movie every year with our family and it brings us lots of Christmas memories. We overall rate this a 9/10 because it has that nostalgic Christmas feeling and reminds us of our childhood.

You can watch ‘Home Alone’ on Disney Plus.

World

Gisele Pelicot’s trial in Avignon

December 11, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Baarika Suresh

*Warning: This article contains information and details about rape.

Monday, the 25th of November, was the international day for the elimination of violence against women, and in recognition of that I have chosen to tell the story of Gisèle Pelicot who was an ordinary woman in Avignon, France. She is 71 years old and had been married to her husband for nearly 50 years.

During the court trial, Gisèle Pelicot’s husband, Dominique Pelicot (72), admitted to mixing drugs into her food and drink which caused her to become unconscious so that he and other men he had recruited online could rape her. It was anticipated that the prosecutors would need three days to compile evidence and specify the judgments and penalties they wanted due to the large number of defendants and alleged rapes.

Prosecutors sought penalties of 10 years or more for co-defendants also on trial for rape, or attempted rape, in the first cases they addressed on Monday, and they asked for 20 years in jail (which is the harshest punishment for aggravated rape) for Dominique Pelicot.

It is expected that the court will deliver its verdicts by December 20th, 2024.

The victim waived her right to anonymity, a demonstration of courage. The prosecutor, Jean-François Mayet, commended her bravery and her will to shift the blame from victims to their rapists.

This case is revolutionary as it is making a great impact when it comes to feminism and victims of sexual violence. Chantal Crémont, a supporter who traveled from western France said that, “When she (Giséle Pelicot) says that shame changes sides, it’s really that. She’s standing as the victim and she’s turning the tables. It’s very important.”

On Saturday, November 23rd, large groups of men and women marched in Paris while holding purple signs that supported women’s reproductive rights and condemned gender-based violence. Organizers of the protest called for more government funding to combat sexist behavior and sexual assault as well as to advance gender equality.

Editorials/Student Voice, Events

Christmas is America’s most popular holiday

December 11, 2024 HPSH Plaid Line Leave a comment

By: Isabel Strack

There is a survey on YouGov.com that shows that more than ⅓ of America stated that Christmas is their favorite holiday.

Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ who people believe in as the son of God. The name “Christmas” comes from the mass of Christ which is a mass service. Mass service is where Christians can remember that Jesus had died for us then came back alive. Christmas was a holiday in the mid-1800s. It was seen as a day of peace and rest.

Many people also enjoy celebrating Christmas because that is when you can see your loved ones that you may not have seen in a while. Some people will celebrate with just their immediate family and others will celebrate with their extended family. It is very common for people to have family reunions over the holidays. It’s a perfect time to spend with family, as you can decorate your Christmas tree with ornaments or make some Christmas baked goods. It is a celebration of love. The Christmas season provides great opportunities to strengthen bonds with friends and family.

You could also get gifts for yourself and other people. If you love giving gifts to other people this is a perfect opportunity to do that. It’s also a perfect time to do secret Santa with your friends, family cousins, etc. Secret Santa is like another word for a gift exchange, but Secret Santa can be a little bit different. In Secret Santa you don’t know who’s giving you your gift or what you are getting. You only know who you’re getting a gift for. You can pick names out of a hat or find an app that can pick the names for you.

Christmas falls on a different day every year so sometimes it’s hard to plan a time to get together with your family, but if you are able to plan it right it is always worth it. Christmas is a perfect time to pause and spend quality time with loved ones.