This Week in Entertainment
Louis Lesser presents all the new entertainment you should be looking for this week.
Movies:
Kingsman: The Secret Service: From the director of X-Men: First Class comes this spy-themed action adventure based on the comic The Secret Service by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. In the film, a secret agent (Colin Firth, The King’s Speech) recruits a young miscreant (Taron Egerton, Testament of Youth) into an exclusive espionage agency in order to help him outsmart an evil genius attempting to control the world through the use of mobile devices. R. 129 minutes.
Hot Tub Time Machine 2: Five years after the original film, which followed a group of friends as they traveled back in time to the 1980s via hot tub, comes this sequel that takes the main characters in all directions of the time-space continuum. The film reunites three of the main cast members from the first film (Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Clark Dude) and replaces John Cusack with Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation). R. 93 minutes.
Music:
Smoke and Mirrors – Imagine Dragons: The alternative rock band’s double-platinum debut studio album Night Visions was one of the biggest surprises in music in recent years, and now the group has returned with their second compilation. The album contains a collection of 13 original songs with a more rock-influenced sound than in the band’s first effort, including lead single “I Bet My Life,” which charted to mild success last fall, as well as new single “Shots.”
Blu-Ray, Streaming & DVD:
Birdman: Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Michael Keaton) and Best Picture, this film is one of last year’s most acclaimed and arrives for home viewing just days before the Oscars. The movie tells the story of a washed-up film star (Keaton) as he attempts to stage a theatrical production. Bonus features include a conversation with Keaton and Best Director nominee Alejandro G. Iñarritu, a behind-the-scenes documentary and a photo gallery.
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice Athletics plans new pep band for basketball season, angers MOB
A new paid and audition-only student pep band will replace the Marching Owl Band at men’s and women’s basketball games and some volleyball matches, according to Rick Mello, Rice’s deputy athletics director. Mello said Rice athletics hopes to have a band of 30 students in place for the first basketball game in November.
Six computers, two iPads stolen from north campus
Rice University experienced a series of thefts this past week. Six laptops and two iPads were stolen from a Duncan College suite and Duncan Hall respectively, according to the Rice University Police Department in a campus-wide email sent out last Wednesday morning.
Inflation nation: Campus grapples with rising costs
As prices for various goods and services continue to rise nationally, student-run businesses and Rice departments such as Housing & Dining and Facilities Engineering & Planning are among those on campus implementing changes to handle this inflationary spike, while also working to keep prices reasonable for students.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.