Category Archives: Entertainment

Krampus movie review

The movie Krampus was inspired by an old legend that started to become popular again, a few decades ago, about an evil demon who some say is almost as old as St. Nicholas. Krampus has his own holiday on December 5th, that is celebrated in some European countries where teenage guys make homemade Krampus costumes, and run around the streets chasing people.

The movie Krampus was directed by Michael Dougher. The movie is about a dysfunctional family drama that causes young Max (played by Emjay Anthony) to lose hope in the Christmas spirit and accidentally summon Krampus. Krampus then goes off tormenting the family, teaching Max a lesson, and making the audience remember about the Christmas spirit.

I would give this movie an overall 9 out of 10 star rating because the acting was really good, and the story was entertaining. Towards the end, the story line is not the clearest, especially if you go to the bathroom, so you do need to pay a lot of attention.

Anyway, this movie is a great choice for people that like horror and comedy.

Gifts for under $15

For Her

The Maybelline eyeshadow palettes are great stocking stuffers for daughters or mothers who enjoy makeup and experimenting with their look ($9.98 at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, and maybelline.com).

The Burt’s Bees Tips and toes kit is a reasonably priced set with hand creams, a foot cream, and a lip moisturizer. Perfect for a woman who likes natural healthy products to improve her skin. ($10.39 at Walgreens, $12.99 at Target and Macy’s)

Scarves are a great accessory for women to put the final touches on their outfit of the day. With many different kinds of scarves there are plenty of options. Depending on what type of material or style the scarf is the prices will vary however some good stores with scarves under or around $15 are Target, Charlotte Russe, and Forever 21.

For the Kids

Hasbro® Classic Jenga Game is a classic entertaining game perfect for younger kids and families ($7.89 at Target, Walmart and amazon.com).

Wubble X Floating Bubble Ball – Blue (Target Sale Price: $7.99)

Gift Cards are great alternatives if you need to buy a gift for someone and have no idea what to specifically get them. There are gift cards for basically anything, so if you know any hobbies or interests of the person you are getting a gift for this is a great option. (You can go directly to the store for the gift card or else Target, Walgreens, Walmart, and Gas stations have a good general selection).

For Him

Socks are a great present that everyone enjoys receiving. These socks are both stylish, comfortable, and the quality is great. Nike Matchfit Crew Soccer Socks (variety of colors) (Target Sale Price: $14.00)

Calvin Klein Men Body Mist. With a variety of high-end body sprays, he can smell great all season long for a low price! (Men’s Euphoria by Calvin Klein Body Spray, Men’s Eternity Aqua by Calvin Klein Body Spray, Men’s Obsession by Calvin Klein Body Spray) (Target Sale Price: $13.19)

Merona Men’s Bifold Wallet ( black and brown) This gift is affordable, quick to buy and present that will be used on a daily basis! (Target Sale Price: $9.10) 

Pepsi Vs. Coke

Coke? Pepsi? Which one taste better?

My fellow writer and I decided that it would be interesting to do a soda taste test, and to see which soda tastes better. We made a poster that had both sodas on one side of the poster.

Once the HPHS students entered lunch, we had them come over and try both drinks and after they tasted it, they tallied which drink they liked best. The amount of soda we gave the students to taste was about a Dixie cup worth.FullSizeRender

With the data we collected it shows that people like Coke better than Pepsi. For some students, they said that they like Pepsi because it had a sweet taste, while others said they liked Coke because it had a really fizzy taste. Some people disliked Coke because it had a bland taste, which stayed in their throat.

Overall, 41 people liked Pepsi and 56 liked Coca Cola. So, with that information, we see that Coca Cola is the favored soda of HPSH.

Movie review

I recently saw the new movie The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 at the Theatres at Mall of America with my sisters.

When I was watching the movie it was a little slow in parts but other wise it was a pretty interesting film.

The movie was about how Katniss is leading the rebels to the Capitol aiming to kill President Snow. The Gamemakers have rigged the entire city with lethal traps to make sport of their deaths, making it the most dangerous Hunger Games so far.

Not going to spoil the ending here.

On a scale from 1-10 I give it an 8.5 because it was kind of dull but I liked all the previous Hunger Games movies, and overall it’s a good film.

I recommend this film to people who liked the previous Hunger Games movies and books.

Sweet snack

SWEET AFTER SCHOOL SNACK!

Tired of having nothing to eat at home. Well, have I got the answer for you. I have an easy recipes that you can have done in a flash.

This recipe is the 2 minute apple crisp

All you need is

  • Slice and peeled apple
  • 2 tbsp quick cooking oats
  • 2 tbsp of flour
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbs butter
  • ¼ tsp of cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

What you need to do is you need to get a mug.

  • Once you get the mug you put the slice peeled apple in first.
  • Microwave the peeled apple slices for 60 seconds.
  • Then you add the 2 tbs of quick cooking oats.
  • Then the 2 tbsp of flour. 1 tbsp of brown sugar. 1 tbsp of butter. ¼ tsp of cinnamon.
  • Then finally a pinch of salt.
  • Microwave the mug for 30 seconds.
  • And then take it out and stir it.
  • Then put it back in for another 30 seconds.

Exactly 2 min it’s great for a afternoon snack or for some dessert after lunch.  

Movie review

I recently saw the new movie Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension at Theatres at Mall of America with my sister. The movie theatre was packed and we sat in the middle.

The beginning of the movie had a slow start like in the other ones. When I was watching the movie I got kinda bored because at times nothing was really happening. It is more interesting when you start seeing things move around and start getting scared.

The movie was about a man and his wife and daughter that are getting ready for Christmas in their new house. After moving in they come across an old camcorder. Later, the husband (Ryan) found out that the camcorder can record strange apparitions that you can’t see. Then, their daughter (Leila) starts talking to an imaginary friend and she starts acting strange. They then find themselves in a terrifying battle with a supernatural force.

Overall, it’s a good movie. On a scale from 1-10 I give it an 8.5 because of how it’s kind of  slow when the scary parts were not happening. Also, if you thought you were getting closure, you’ll be disappointed but overall it’s a great film.

I recommend this film to people who liked the previous Paranormal Activities movies, and like being scared.

Beats Music canceled

Word has spread that the popular Beats Music app is going to be discontinued on November 30th by Apple. Apple’s decision to discontinue the application was able to happen due to Android now offering Apple Music on the Android app market Google Play Store.

On November 30th, all Beats Music subscriptions will be cancelled, but until then, Beats is offering ways to move your preferences and picks to Apple Music. Apple is hoping for the subscribers of Beats Music to then transfer over to Apple Music following the discontinuation

In a document shared by the Beats Music website, http://www.beatsmusic.com,
Beats is no longer allowing new applicants, as well as asking previous subscribers to switch to Apple Music. Beats points out new and improved features to Apple music such as better music recommendations, along with the Beats 1 radio as well.

The Beats website is also offering help for a variety of topics such as offering resources for migrating from Beats Music to Apple Music on both Android and Apple products, unused balance questions, the costs of the service, ect

Restruarant review

Buffalo Wild Wings is a chicken restaurant that serves a different variety of chicken whether you want hot, mild, or even regular they have it. Buffalo Wild Wings, also know as Bdubs, is a place where you can go and watch the game and eat some chicken, French fries, salads, different sides, and different drinks.

The service at Buffalo Wild Wings is great but it depends on how smooth they transition from table to table. Buffalo Wild Wings is good place to dine if you just want to relax and eat some good food. It’s the type of restaurant where you can just sit down and enjoy some wings with some friends, and watch sports on the big screen TVs they have hanging on the wall.

The restaurant by itself is one of the most successful places you can go for wings. Their food quality is really good…at least that’s what the customers say.

When my fellow writer and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings, our opinion was that the food was very delicious.

When you order chicken wings, they will ask you whether you want traditional wings, or if you would like boneless. We would recommend the honey BBQ boneless wings and hot BBQ boneless wings because they are very well made, really crispy, and they have the right amount of flavor.
For some sides, we would recommend fries or mashed potatoes. You can also get your favorite drink, such as Moutain Dew, Pepsi, or Coke.

Based upon our experience, we think it’s a nice establishment, and a fine place to dine. We would rate it:

4.5 stars for its food and theme

3 stars for the service because we think they could be a little faster with the food

4 stars for the ambiance because they don’t need all those TVs. Though, it is good in a way because every TV has a different sport on it so the customers can dine and watch any game.

Scot-A-Palooza

On Sunday, November 1st, friends and family of Highland Park and Capitol Hill students gathered in The Shanty at O’Gara’s Bar and Grill to listen to some great music. Many groups performed including the Highland Park Senior High jazz band, the Highland Park Junior High jazz band, The Capitol Hill jazz band, a few string trios and even some bands that people from our own school created. There was a silent auction, gift card grab, and even a drawing to win four tickets to a Minnesota Vikings game!

There was a lot of Highland pride shown throughout the night from the musical acts. The Highland Park Senior High jazz band, lead by Joel Matuzak, played many songs including “Birdland” arranged by Michael Sweeney and “A Night In Tunisia” also arranged by Michael Sweeney. They played with a lot of energy and they were a real hit among the crowd. Some of our own Highland Park Senior High students preformed in their own bands like Escaping Evolution and Makeshift. The crowd really seemed to enjoy the different vibe these bands brought to the event.

This event was created to help raise money for the instrumental music program at our school. The money that was raised will go towards fixing instruments, buying new instruments, buying chairs and stands, and many other items.

Schools around the country have been cutting funding to art programs in schools and many have been struggling to keep the programs alive and running. Thankfully, here at Highland we have many active parents who want to support the program, and they make events like these possible. There are a few people that especially helped, such as Vineeta Sawkar, Katie Sterns, and of course our own instrumental music teacher Joel Matuzak.

I think this was a great way to raise money but also to enjoy the musical talent of many Highland students.

Book reviews

THE GREAT GATSBY

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 fictional novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald that takes place in 1922, in West Egg district of Long Island, New York. The novel is narrated by one of the main characters, Nick Caraway, who is from Minnesota and went to Yale and talks about his time in New York and the misfortunes that occurred during his time there.

What happened to Nick on the summer of 1922 changed his life forever. Nick meets Jay Gatsby who is his mysterious millionaire neighbor and his cousin Daisy’s lover. Daisy lives across the bay from them with her rich careless, cheating, arrogant husband, Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Gatsby meet again and have an affair.

Nick, later disillusioned and disgusted with happened, leaves the East and goes back to the Midwest then starts writing the book.

I recommend that people read The Great Gatsby because it’s really good and it’s realistic, because around the time the story took place, everybody was working hard to achieve the American Dream.

The author included some real life events that happened to him in the book such as, him and Nick being from Minnesota, their family background, and their social class.

You might also enjoy this book if you like the “Jazz Age” or the “Roaring Twenties” as this books takes place during that time.

There’s also a movie, based on this book, that came out in 2013, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio.

CLEAN

Amy Reed is the author of Clean. While she was growing up her family moved a lot and she went 8 different schools. When she got older she got a job as a waitress and began getting into trouble. But getting into trouble and moving place to place didn’t stop her from being a writer.

The book Clean is about teens that are drug addicts. These addicts have to share rooms and their darkest secrets with strangers at a Rehab Center.

I recommend this book because it’s really good and interesting. It’s sad because of the things the characters in the book do to fit in and impress other people, such as taking diet pills.

It’s interesting because the author did a good job of explaining teens struggling with depression.

Readers who read Beautiful and Damaged might as well like this book. From my perspective, Clean is a brilliant and strongly written book.

Something I learned from this book is when feeling depressed, talk to someone or do something that makes you happy.