Delta Machine (Depeche mode) - The highly anticipated 13th album from the British electronic band marks the end of the trilogy of records the band made with producer Ben Hillier. Featuring lead single "Heaven," the album showcases more of the landmark band's genre-defining sound and is its first release with Columbia Records. The group takes a more modern direction with the album, but it retains the same charm fans have come to appreciate.
In two months, a quarter of the Rice population is destined to confront the real world for the first time. In this strange new post-collegiate world, not having a summer job rapidly translates into unemployment. Going through this exact same dilemma is Adventureland's (2009) central character James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg). Brennan had originally planned on spending his post-graduation summer in Europe, casually enjoying a flaneurial existence, but recent changes to his parents' financial situation instead require him to work over the summer before starting graduate school in the fall. While James' Oberlin College degree and passion for Charles Dickens' writings make him an excellent candidate for journalism school, his general lack of work experience renders him unemployable for almost every minimum-wage job he can find in his native town of Pittsburgh. "I majored in comparative literature and Renaissance studies," reveals Brennan to his mother after another failed attempt to find a job. "Unless someone needs help restoring a fresco, I'm screwed." Still, he eventually finds gainful employment through his scrotum-punching childhood neighbor, "Frigo," as an over-educated carnie at the family-run amusement park, Adventureland, where Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig hilariously serve as the married managers.More than anything else, this movie succeeds at capturing summer. It brings to life the situational relationships that develop from the hate of menial employment and thoughtfully demonstrates how aestival employment intensifies our protagonists' personality-defining virginity.Although very few current Rice students were alive during the 1970s, it is easy to appreciate the sense of nostalgia that the period setting lends this film. Also, it allows writer and director Greg Mottola to employ a well-constructed soundtrack filled with overlooked Midwest punk icons such as Husker Du and the Replacements.The acting is generally strong. Even though the central role is not a stretch for the typically typecast Eisenberg, his signature blend of effete and thoughtfulness works well in this role. Even the perpetually criticized Kristen Stewart (Twilight) offers a very convincing performance as Em, Brennan's principal love interest. Her surprisingly nuanced acting helps her develop her character beyond her limited role as an object of virginal desire. Freaks and Geeks fans will also be pleased to see the screen prowess of actor Martin Starr as the Gogol-reading Adventureland employee Joel Schiffman. The only moderately unsatisfying acting comes from antagonist Ryan Reynolds (Definitely, Maybe) as the park's general repairman. The film strikes a consistently pleasant balance between laughs and sentiment, and with easy access through Netflix instant streaming, this film works well as a springtime date-night movie.
On Saturday, March 9, 2013, an unusual combination of families, students dressed in their hipster best and a man in a head-to-toe bunny costume invaded Rice University's central quad.
The Owls have faced many speed bumps this season and this weekend did not spare them as they split a Saturday doubleheader. Rice suffered another stinger last weekend, dropping a match to Pennsylvania State University 4-3. The Owls did not get discouraged, however, and they rebounded with a 4-0 win over Abilene Christian University.
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm is about human expansion into alien territory in the year 2500 and the pacts, alliances and betrayals that happen between the humans (Terrans), bug aliens (Zerg) and robotic, futuristic aliens (Protoss) as a result. The newest game focuses on what happens to Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, after she is transformed back into a human by the only man who still believes in her, James Raynor.Starcraft is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that combines chess and Starship Troopers. Players start each game as one of the three aforementioned races with several workers. From there, players have to out-mine, outproduce and outmaneuver their opponents in order to conquer enemies' armies and ultimately win the game.Heart of the Swarm, with its great storyline and even better multiplayer experience, raises the bar for competitive gaming set by its predecessor, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty.Starcraft II is more than just a game that people play at home and quickly tire of. It is also an e-sport, meaning there are professional Starcraft teams that train with coaches and fitness trainers to make sure they are eating healthy, practicing the optimal strategy and pushing the boundary of what is possible in the game. These teams compete in tournaments with huge prize pools and lots of people watching. Last year, the player who won the Starcraft championships received a $100,000 check, and second place won $40,000. More than 125,000 people watched. On March 11, just before the game was released, a 24-hour event was streamed live that approximately 60,000 people watched at any given time. The competitive scene and community surrounding Starcraft II is huge and extremely active. The first tournament of Heart of the Swarm will take place this weekend, March 15-17, in Dallas and live on www.majorleaguegaming.com. The winner will take home $50,000. Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm:
