By ryan
Ah yes, the beautiful sounds of February. The trees glisten with the beautiful snow-covered branches and the cool winter air lights up your morning. Okay, so maybe February isn’t as glorious as my previous description may seem, especially not in Ithaca. However, the winter wonderland we live in does allow us to take advantage of one of winter’s newest and most exciting past-times — snowboarding. Every day hundreds of students make the trek to the mountain of all mountains — Greek Peak — to partake in both skiing and snowboarding. Snowboarders have very different styles on the slopes: some like to gently go down the slope, while others are more partial to 180 degree flips and other tricks that can be seen on ESPN2. However, one thing does unite these boarders — a passion for equipment. What follows is, from what I can deduce, some of the better equipment on the market this winter. I Can See! Goggles are very particular to the person wearing them. Some people don’t mind heavy, less-expensive goggles while others want small frames that don’t make them look like something from the X-Files. However, the perfect amalgam of both utility and panache are the Oakley A-frame Snow goggles ($120). These puppies come in many different colors, and although there are smaller goggles to be found, none allow as much peripheral vision as this eyewear. In addition, the goggles block the UV light, which can render permanent damage to your eyes on the reflective slope. Board Everyone on the slope needs a basic board. The Burton Dragon Snowboard is not a basic board ($550). The Dragon is made of the lightest wood available on a snowboard, which means faster acceleration and increased ability to perform difficult maneuvers. In addition the board includes “self-cooling iridium,” which according to Burton means the snowboard will accelerate faster than the competition. And the look of the board just screams ‘kick-ass’ as you straddle one of three zombie-like images. Although each style boarder requires their own type of board — I don’t think anyone would begrudge someone coming down the slopes on one of these babies. The Game So not everyone likes the cold — but that shouldn’t keep you from enjoying the sport of snowboarding. The next best thing to real-life is of course a video game. SSX for the Playstation 2 console is the next best thing to actually being on the slopes. The game allows you to control a boarder of your choice as you advance in skill level through many different mountain terrains. This is the most addicting game for the PS2 right now and is hands down the best snowboarding game for any console on the market today. After all, the game’s price itself and the ability to play it in your warm dorm room is a better deal than shelling out over $600 in equipment and having to deal with the bitter cold
By ryan
Why are there are so many action or thriller movies, comedies, and love stories, but no art movies? I guess one could say that the above movies are in fact art, while others might say that in order to be interested in an art movie, you have to know the artist being depicted. Most commonly, however, people say they’ve never heard of an art movie playing in the theater. That’s the problem. Do we not see a movie if we don’t either know the so-called stars of the flick or at least know part of the story? In all reality, how many people actually know anything about action? How many people are actually funny? And how many people have ever had anything even remotely close to a love story happen in their own affairs? Rarely. But the fact remains that movies about artists are not popular. They don’t have the hype that other movies get, so why see it, right? That is a sadly mistaken view, however. Because of it, great art movies like Basquait remain virtually unknown. Who ‘s at fault? Is it Hollywood, or are parents just not teaching their kids to explore anymore? After all, why would anyone see The Wedding Planner? The entire story was given to us in the preview and the actors are not all too talented either. Oh wait, but they are HOT! Well, those who want to learn a little something about the past (oh God no!) should see Pollock. Pollock is based on the life and struggles of world-renowned artist Jackson Pollock. Directed by and starring Ed Harris in the title role and Marcia Gay Harden as Pollock’s wife, the painter Lee Krasner, this is a rare film that depicts a part of American history everyone should know about. One does not have to like art to see a little history instead of fantasy. But enough with the criticism. Let’s get to the movie. Jackson Pollock is a struggling painter in 40’s New York. We follow him through his rise to the top — although it is not a steady route — until his eventual death in 1956. Pollock is known among the Abstract Expressionists of his time, but his work did not sell. When he meets fellow artist, Lee Krasner, his life improves. He is introduced to Peggy Guggenheim, who has a love/hate relationship with Pollock, but knows that he is special. His first show is not a great success, but with the help of critic and later-on friend Clement Greenberg, Pollock gains recognition and soon becomes one of New York’s hottest artists. Soon he and Krasner move to the country as he continues painting. One day, while in his studio, Pollock has an fortunate accident. While laying canvas out on the floor, he spills some paint on the ground before it. It should be noted that he preferred painting on the ground, since he could walk around the painting and have more control over the canvas. It is just a splash of paint, but Pollock is fascinated. He continues dripping some paint on the floor until he proceeds to transfer this technique to the canvas. This technique, also known as action painting, makes him famous. According to Willem De Kooning, “Jackson broke it wide open.” With this accident he creates the most provocative and new paintings the art world has ever seen. He becomes a star, but the attention soon gets to him, and after years of not drinking, he returns to the bottle. This time around, his artwork suffers, his love life starts to fade, and he soon dies. The movie is a great depiction of a time and of Pollock himself, but it was hard to feel all of Pollock’s pain. Harris was great, but the movie seemed a bit long and ended abruptly. Now, maybe I am falling into the same trap that Hollywood has set. Perhaps I expected an ending with great music and tears, but I just felt like it was missing something. Nonetheless, if you would like to know about Pollock and his art, as well as see what artists go through in the process of creating, this is a great film.Archived article by Nino Linsmayer