arts / 8

ne hard t
high school sweetheart

» ‘The Best of Me’ movie review

Lauren Paulsen,
Senior Columnist

OOOOS

icholas Sparks is a well-

known author whose
novels have been adapted into
film, one of the most popular
being The Notebook. After
seeing several of these movies,
I decided I wanted to read one
of his novels and chose The
Best of Me. When I started
reading it, I couldn't put it
down. It was, to put it plainly,
a masterpiece of literature. I
was in awe of Sparks’ way with
words. So when I heard that
The Best of Me was coming
to the big screen, I knew

immediately I wanted to go and : performance of a smart, quiet,

see it. I’m happy to say, it didn’t
disappoint.

The Best of Me is about
two high school sweethearts,

Dawson and Amanda, reuniting : wants to do with his life. I also

after many years due to the
death of a mutual friend. Past

and present are weaved together ! 4s anda who has everything

CD

Fs

: beautifully. We know something :
: goes wrong in their relationship :
: as teenagers because they are

leading separate lives in the

watching and find out more.
Even after that is answered,

: there remains the question of
: whether or not they get back
: together after many years.

Dawson is played by James

: Marsden (who played Scott

: Summers in the X-Men movies)
: and younger Dawson played

: by Luke Bracey. Amanda is

: played by Michelle Monaghan
: (who is known mainly for her
: roles in action movies such as
: The Bourne Supremacy) and

: younger Amanda by Liana

: Liberato. All of the actors

: did very well in their roles.

: I especially liked Bracey’s

: and somewhat socially inept
: Dawson who doesn’t come
: from the best circumstances
: and doesn’t know what he

liked Liberato’s performance as
: bubbly, energetic, well-to-do

, arte you

 

planned out for herself:
If I had to pick one

: downside to the movie, it would
: be that older Dawson and
present, so it compels us to keep }
: at all alike. Despite enjoying

: both Marsden and Bracey’s

: performances, I found it jarring
: enough that it bugged me for

: the first half of the movie. I

: usually expect when an actor

: is cast as a younger version

: of a main character that he

: will at least look similar. After

: browsing reviews on the

: Internet about the movie, it

: seems I am not alone in my

: feelings about this.

younger Dawson do not look

If you are a fan of Sparks’

: work, or enjoy romance, you

: should definitely watch this

: movie. I feel that even the

: unromantic among us could

: walk away pleased after this

: performance. On the other

: hand, if you haven't enjoyed

: any of Sparks’ other movie

: adaptations, this one may not

: be for you. As for myself, I look
: forward to reading more of

: Sparks’ books and seeing them
: adapted into movies.

 

theotherpress.ca

 

The softer side of war

» ‘Fury’ review

Megan West
Contributor

et in 1945 in the heart of

Nazi Germany, Brad Pitt,
Shia LaBeouf, and Logan
Lerman bring the struggle
of war to the big screen in
David Ayer’s Fury. Centred

ona single platoon led by the :
: the years to come.

terrifyingly loveable leader
Wardaddy (Pitt), viewers are
exposed to violence as well
as love, courage, and loyalty
that will rival any Nicholas
Sparks adaptation.

For this film, an

: authentic Tiger I tank
: was used on screen and
: the legitimacy cannot go

60000

: making this movie so

: captivatingly realistic; the

: performances were gut-

: wrenchingly genuine and

: made the film what it was.

: Weall know the hype behind
: Pitt and LaBeouf, but I’ll be

unnoticed. But the props
were not the only thing

keeping an eye on Lerman in

Even if you’re not one for

: war-era film, this movie has

: something for all kinds of

: viewers. Undoubtedly, this

: film will rank high on my list
: of Top 25 Movies of All Time.

Chairman of the Board: 50 ways to betray your brother

» ‘Betrayal at House on the Hill’ game review

Ed Appleby
IHustrator
Millustrator
@theotherpress.ca

his October, I’m looking at
a series of darker themed
games. This week we look at a

ame that makes betraying your : .
8 yn : in the horror genre. No one

friends fun!

Betrayal at House on the
Hill is a tile-exploring game for
three to six players designed by
Bruce Glassco and originally
published by Avalon Hill in
2004, with a second edition
released in 2010. In the game,
you play one of six characters
exploring an abandoned

: house, discovering items and

: experiencing events and creepy
: omens. Eventually one of the

: players is revealed to be the

: betrayer involved in some sort

: of nefarious plot against the

: other players, after which the

: real game begins.

The game is a fun romp

: knows at the beginning of the

: game who will be the betrayer

: or whether you will be fighting

: werewolves, ghosts, dragons,

: cults, or even Hell itself. The

: replay value is very high, with

: fifty different possible scenarios
: that the game could go through.
: I’ve found the game is easy

: to fit into about an hour, and

: enjoyable enough that many

: new players have insisted ona
: second game.

Some of the rules around

: combat, and special rules

: depending on the end scenario,
: can be a little tricky. Aside

: from these relatively minor

: issues, the gameplay is simple

: and enjoyable for role-players,

: strategists, and casual gamers. I
: highly recommend this game to
: everyone above the age of 12.

Betrayal at House on the

: Hill can bea hard game to find,
: and it doesn’t come cheep. But
: if you can find it, you will be

: pleasantly surprised.