A review of alexander hamilton by evan soucy
I read the book Hamilton the Revolution by Lin Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. It is about the Broadway Musical Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was born on the island of Nevis. His mother fled an unhappy marriage and in the divorce it said she couldn’t get remarried. She met James Hamilton and had Alexander and James. His father left when Alexander was around 11. When Alexander was 12 his mother caught a deadly disease which she then gave to Alexander. His mother ended up dying later that year. Being an illegitimate orphan he had to work for everything. He kept track of the books of a shipping company while the owners were at sea. A horrible hurricane destroyed Nevis. Alexander wrote a letter about the destruction in Nevis. People in the colonies raised enough money for Hamilton to take a ship from Nevis to New York. He became Washington's right-hand man. He ended up fighting the last battle in the revolution, the Battle of Yorktown. Hamilton created the first national bank and the first 5 stocks on Wall Street. Even though he was great friends and fought aside Marquis de Lafayette, he convinced George Washington to not help the French in their war against England. He wrote a collection of essays to back up the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote the Federalist Papers. They were only going to write 25 essays but they ended up writing 85. John Jay got sick after writing 5, James Madison 29, Hamilton wrote the other 51. Aaron Burr a senator from New York and someone Hamilton had known since he was around 19 was running for President against Thomas Jefferson. Even though Jefferson and Hamilton never agreed on anything, Alexander decided to back Jefferson. Burr ended up furious with Hamilton and challenged him to a duel. Burr ended up killing Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton’s wife Eliza Hamilton tried to let Alexander Hamilton's legacy live on. The play has made a lot of money and has been running for almost two years. The songs are a mix of rap and other styles of music. The original cast consisted of Daveed Diggs who was Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette, one of my favorite characters. Lin Manuel Miranda was Hamilton and the creator of the play. Christopher Jackson starred as George Washington. Okieriete Onaodowan played Hercules Mulligan, one of my favorite characters and James Madison. This is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen!!
rogue one movie review by owen smiley
Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards, returns to the Imperial era to describe the events leading up to A New Hope, the 1977 space opera that has changed the film industry. In A New Hope, however, there were some questions that remained. How was the Death Star built, who designed the battle station, why was it so vulnerable, and most importantly, how did the rebels get the plans to the Death Star? All of these questions are finally answered almost forty years later in Rogue One and its prequel book: Catalyst.
When I heard that Gareth Edwards was going to direct Rogue One, I realized that he had also directed the 2014 Godzilla film. I was concerned that Rogue One would be a meaningless and gritty war movie with two dimensional characters and was pleasantly surprised when the characters were very deep and had real and relatable struggles. The three that really stood out to me were Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor and Orson Krennic. Each of them showed so much emotion and they all managed to develop in just one movie. But this movie also isn’t just about war, it is about a genius being used by his old friend, two decorated imperial officers competing for control over the most powerful weapon in the world, a girl that has been alone since she was about six years old. Although it’s nice to see a movie revolving around the war aspect of Star Wars reminiscent of the 2008 television series The Clone Wars, the movie still manages to develop characters.
Rogue One’s exposition is slow and drawn out, but definitely deserves the title of Star Wars. The action picks up naturally and is capped off with a thrilling climax. Connecting to and answering any questions left after A New Hope, the ending is very satisfying. Although I will not spoil any major plot points for the film or book, I will discuss scenes vaguely. For instance, there is a scene at the very end of the film that some have considered the best Star Wars scene of all time. It is wonderfully shot and the lighting perfectly matches the intense moment. People that have already seen the movie will know exactly what I’m talking about. One scene in the introduction, however, is my least favorite scene in any Star Wars film that consists of an Imperial pilot and a squid like creature that reads thoughts. The large introduction to the movie is not dreadful or uninteresting, but it does kind of take you out of the movie a bit. Not much action happens and the pacing is difficult to keep up with in some instances where the U-Wing crew go back and forth between planets. This brings me to another problem I have with this movie: the new technology and vehicles used in the movie. Since it takes place just hours before A New Hope, we should be seeing a lot of similar technology, but we see new vehicles such as AT-ACT, TIE-Striker, U-Wing, and Krennic’s Shuttle. The Death Troopers were also a confusing addition to the saga since they never appear in the Original Trilogy. It seemed like the only reason they were introduced was for fan service. One scene in the introduction, however, is my least favorite scene in any Star Wars film that consists of an Imperial pilot and a squid like creature that reads thoughts.
Catalyst is less centered on the galactic civil war and takes place throughout the clone wars and the birth if the empire. It explains Jyn, Galen, and Krennic’s backstory. It is a very interesting story that finally describes the science behind the Death Star’s laser cannon and its construction. The genocide of the Geonosians is also finally canon and explained. Catalyst is also very interesting because its plot pays homage to the Manhattan Project. The Death Star is the atomic bomb, Galen Erso is the leading scientist, Robert Oppenheimer, and Orson Krennic plays a similar role to General Leslie Groves. Although many aspects of the story are derived from history, it is given originality through new twists and being translated into a different galaxy.
I suggest both Rogue One to any person of any age, although you may want to have watched A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith to understand the world it takes place in more fully. Catalyst is a book for more hardcore Star Wars fans, making many old and non-canon ideas and using them to explain the construction of the Death Star. But make sure that you have the A New Hope disc in so that as soon as you finish Rogue One you can notice how every detail is finally connected and explained. It had many nostalgic references and truly deserves its place in the Star Wars saga as the first Anthology film.
When I heard that Gareth Edwards was going to direct Rogue One, I realized that he had also directed the 2014 Godzilla film. I was concerned that Rogue One would be a meaningless and gritty war movie with two dimensional characters and was pleasantly surprised when the characters were very deep and had real and relatable struggles. The three that really stood out to me were Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor and Orson Krennic. Each of them showed so much emotion and they all managed to develop in just one movie. But this movie also isn’t just about war, it is about a genius being used by his old friend, two decorated imperial officers competing for control over the most powerful weapon in the world, a girl that has been alone since she was about six years old. Although it’s nice to see a movie revolving around the war aspect of Star Wars reminiscent of the 2008 television series The Clone Wars, the movie still manages to develop characters.
Rogue One’s exposition is slow and drawn out, but definitely deserves the title of Star Wars. The action picks up naturally and is capped off with a thrilling climax. Connecting to and answering any questions left after A New Hope, the ending is very satisfying. Although I will not spoil any major plot points for the film or book, I will discuss scenes vaguely. For instance, there is a scene at the very end of the film that some have considered the best Star Wars scene of all time. It is wonderfully shot and the lighting perfectly matches the intense moment. People that have already seen the movie will know exactly what I’m talking about. One scene in the introduction, however, is my least favorite scene in any Star Wars film that consists of an Imperial pilot and a squid like creature that reads thoughts. The large introduction to the movie is not dreadful or uninteresting, but it does kind of take you out of the movie a bit. Not much action happens and the pacing is difficult to keep up with in some instances where the U-Wing crew go back and forth between planets. This brings me to another problem I have with this movie: the new technology and vehicles used in the movie. Since it takes place just hours before A New Hope, we should be seeing a lot of similar technology, but we see new vehicles such as AT-ACT, TIE-Striker, U-Wing, and Krennic’s Shuttle. The Death Troopers were also a confusing addition to the saga since they never appear in the Original Trilogy. It seemed like the only reason they were introduced was for fan service. One scene in the introduction, however, is my least favorite scene in any Star Wars film that consists of an Imperial pilot and a squid like creature that reads thoughts.
Catalyst is less centered on the galactic civil war and takes place throughout the clone wars and the birth if the empire. It explains Jyn, Galen, and Krennic’s backstory. It is a very interesting story that finally describes the science behind the Death Star’s laser cannon and its construction. The genocide of the Geonosians is also finally canon and explained. Catalyst is also very interesting because its plot pays homage to the Manhattan Project. The Death Star is the atomic bomb, Galen Erso is the leading scientist, Robert Oppenheimer, and Orson Krennic plays a similar role to General Leslie Groves. Although many aspects of the story are derived from history, it is given originality through new twists and being translated into a different galaxy.
I suggest both Rogue One to any person of any age, although you may want to have watched A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith to understand the world it takes place in more fully. Catalyst is a book for more hardcore Star Wars fans, making many old and non-canon ideas and using them to explain the construction of the Death Star. But make sure that you have the A New Hope disc in so that as soon as you finish Rogue One you can notice how every detail is finally connected and explained. It had many nostalgic references and truly deserves its place in the Star Wars saga as the first Anthology film.
Disney Movies--Then and Now
In 1937, Walt Disney Studios released their first ever animated movie about a girl named Snow White voiced by Adriana Caselotti who had a stepmother who was jealous of Snow White’s beauty. She ordered Snow White’s death, but in her failed attempt Snow White escapes into the woods where she found the 7 dwarfs. The stepmother ends up finding her again and poisoned her with an apple where she falls into a sleep like-death that can be broken only by a kiss from the prince.
Now the most recent movie is Finding Dory. Dory voiced by Ellen DeGeneres is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or something like that. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find her parents
In 1937, Walt Disney Studios released their first ever animated movie about a girl named Snow White voiced by Adriana Caselotti who had a stepmother who was jealous of Snow White’s beauty. She ordered Snow White’s death, but in her failed attempt Snow White escapes into the woods where she found the 7 dwarfs. The stepmother ends up finding her again and poisoned her with an apple where she falls into a sleep like-death that can be broken only by a kiss from the prince.
Now the most recent movie is Finding Dory. Dory voiced by Ellen DeGeneres is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or something like that. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find her parents
A Book Review by Evan Soucy
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
A long time ago five cousins found a dragon. The dragon gave each cousin a stone. The first cousin became a wizard--one of the most powerful out of all the cousins. The wizard used spoken word, like spells. One of the other cousins became an enchanter. They have the ability to charm and influence, create emotion, attraction, love and passion. Another cousin became a seer who can predict the future in a limited way, because prophecy is often confusing. Seer’s are the least powerful of the five guilds. The guilds are seer, sorcerer, wizard, warrior, and enchanter. One of the last cousins became a warrior who could defeat a wizard if it came to a fight. With a sword, warriors can be deadly. The last cousin became a sorcerer. They can be more powerful than wizards in some ways. Sorcerers are better with magical artifacts then with spells. The cousins worked together to either kill or make the dragon sleep. Stones are what give the guilds their powers. Jack Swift is born a wizard but without a stone. His aunt, an enchanter, hires a wizard to get Jack a stone. But the wizard implants a warrior stone so when Jack is older she can play him in The Games for The White Rose. To find out who the White Roses are and what the Games are, you should read the Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. There are five books in the series.
The Warrior Heir
The Wizard Heir
The Dragon Heir
The Enchanter Heir
The Sorcerer Heir
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
A long time ago five cousins found a dragon. The dragon gave each cousin a stone. The first cousin became a wizard--one of the most powerful out of all the cousins. The wizard used spoken word, like spells. One of the other cousins became an enchanter. They have the ability to charm and influence, create emotion, attraction, love and passion. Another cousin became a seer who can predict the future in a limited way, because prophecy is often confusing. Seer’s are the least powerful of the five guilds. The guilds are seer, sorcerer, wizard, warrior, and enchanter. One of the last cousins became a warrior who could defeat a wizard if it came to a fight. With a sword, warriors can be deadly. The last cousin became a sorcerer. They can be more powerful than wizards in some ways. Sorcerers are better with magical artifacts then with spells. The cousins worked together to either kill or make the dragon sleep. Stones are what give the guilds their powers. Jack Swift is born a wizard but without a stone. His aunt, an enchanter, hires a wizard to get Jack a stone. But the wizard implants a warrior stone so when Jack is older she can play him in The Games for The White Rose. To find out who the White Roses are and what the Games are, you should read the Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. There are five books in the series.
The Warrior Heir
The Wizard Heir
The Dragon Heir
The Enchanter Heir
The Sorcerer Heir