August 20, 2004
In this issue:

Library project works overtime

Wallace takes Vice Chancellor reins

Owens Field House to be rebuilt

Opinion: A new year is here

Other sites of interest:

WASU fm

Office of Cultural Affairs

APPS

Special to The Appalachian

'Alien vs. Predator': two bad guys, but not fun

By Ryan Finn

What a waste. In “Alien Vs. Predator” we have two of the greatest science fiction entities of the last 30 years together for the first time, and the result is borderline offensive.

I don’t mean the result of the “battle.” I could care less, really. I mean this film. It’s quite bad. Many will call it a summer movie, indicating that it’s supposed to be this dumb, this cliched, this boring. Sorry, but the pedigree doesn’t bear this out.

“Alien” is not a bad film. It’s nearly a horror masterpiece.

The sequel “Aliens” was a horse of a different color, a brilliant action extravaganza like only James Cameron can do.

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At the Movies: summer blockbusters

By Ryan Finn

It’s nearing the end of summer, and that means one thing above all others: we’ve collectively spent millions of dollars to go to the theater and watch movies. Actually, by now, we may have spent billions. We do so love our summer movies.

Lightweight and disposable, summer movies can be escapist entertainment or mind-numbing trash. I think there is a place for both, though only to a point. I don’t require movies to be art first and entertainment second, nor the reverse even.

I didn’t have the time to see everything this summer, but I think I caught all the highlights (or lowlights on occasion). Overall, I had fun this summer at the movies, and that’s really what it’s all about. If you can’t have fun watching summer movies, something has gone wrong.

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