This Week in Entertainment
Movies:
Captain America – The Winter Soldier: The newest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second starring feature for the titular, patriotic superhero Chris Evans, but unlike its predecessor, the film has a modern setting. Determined to expose a conspiracy, Captain America teams up with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, Her) to track down an unexpected enemy.PG-13. 136 minutes.
Music:
A Dotted Line – Nickel Creek: After taking a self-described “indefinite hiatus” in 2007, the Grammy Award-winning, progressive, bluegrass and contemporary folk trio returns for its sixth album, coinciding with its 25th anniversary celebration. The collection includes a combination of original tracks as well as covers of songs by Sam Phillips and Mother Mother, and it will precede a “reunion” tour that will stop at several folk festivals across the country this summer.
Blu-Ray, Streaming & DVD:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Although its predecessor was more financially successful in theatres, both critics and fans consider the second installment in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy an improvement on the first of the series. Picking up in the middle of the epic story, the film includes majestic battle scenes, witty dialogue and the first appearance of the mysterious dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock). Bonus features include behind-the-scenes documentaries, a music video and 3-D compatibility.
Video Games:
Titanfall – Developed exclusively for Microsoft by Electronic Arts, this new, first-person shooter game allows players to compete in six-on-six matches as human-piloted robots on a war-torn planet. The game also features fast-paced action and cloud-computing services that allow non-player activity to be offloaded to servers in order to optimize graphical performance. The game has already received numerous awards at the E3 Game Critics Awards and has been praised for its player accessibility. Available for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.
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AAU survey indicates mostly unchanged prevalence of sexual misconduct at Rice
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Palantir visit prompts petition, protest
More than 150 Rice University community members have signed a petition urging the department of computer science to drop Palantir Technologies from a computer science mixer event on the evening of Oct. 10, due to contention over Palantir’s ongoing contracts with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
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