Plugged In Issue Three • the official school newspaper of Speedway Senior High School • December 18, 2015 Paying tribute Mockingjay Part Two fufills a melancholy moment As a sixth grader, I delved into the dystopian world of the fictional teen heroine, Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence), and as a sophomore in high school, I have reread the trilogy and watched the words transfer to the screen. The weekend before J O A N N A B E R R Y Thanksgiving, the final Plugged In Reporter installment in the monu- mental Hunger Games EN FUEGO: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, far right) and her fellow comrades in the thick of the rebellion against the weaking grip of President Snow and series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 was the Capitol. The final film centers around the rebellion and the extensive sacrifices the ‘Girl on Fire’ has to make. Still from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, released to instant success, and I had the chance to see Part 2.” (Lionsgate) it over Thanksgiving break. It was a melancholy feeling cashed in around $150m its opening weekend, but with significance of this all-franchise low, Mockingjay, Part 1 as I walked into the theatre and prepared myself for the Mockingjay, Part 2 ranking last in financial success, cash- was heavily criticized for being “boring” and “stripped of last “first” time I’d see a Hunger Games film in a theater. ing in $102m its opening weekend, many were surprised. the color” that its predecessor Catching Fire possessed. I had seen all of the movies at their release except for You would think that moviegoers and fans alike This popular but negative review could have put people Part 1, and had an emotional connection to the series would be piling into the theaters, eager to see how it off and lessened the eagerness of seeing the second part, because of my obsession with it in elementary school. plays out for Katniss and her love triangle between Peeta which is a direct continuation from Part 1 and carries the While preteens like myself had matured with the Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawthorne (Liam same dark, dreary mood and tone. books and eventual movies, this powerful trilogy can’t Hemsworth), but, unlike fellow money-making series Before listening to critic reviews, I went to see compare to series like Harry Potter, which bookwise powerhouses Harry Potter and Twilight, the final film the movie to review it for myself (and also to see it be- is much longer and lasted for 12 years as opposed to was a series low for opening weekend box office success. cause it was the last film, duh!). Coming from seeing Part Hunger Games’s 7 year span. But that doesn’t mean According to International Business Times’ article on the See A FITTING FINALE on page four Katniss’s first-person fictional story can’t stand alone - it definitely can. In the past few years, young adult novels have emerged with a female protagonist leading their stories along with The Hunger Games: Veronica Roth’s You’d better watch out dystopian Divergent trilogy, John Green’s heart-wrench- ing The Fault in Our Stars, Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series, and many more. and you might just cry This growing popularity in a female heroine has had a positive impact on young girls and even older Everyone knows teenage girls. Those who grew up with Harry Potter the jolly fat man Saint connected with Hermione Granger, Harry’s bookworm Nicholas, and every- sidekick who stands up for herself and gave young girls one accepts the story a character to look up to, and even a real woman in the that the man breaks form of Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione in the into your home, and eight film adaptations. While no girl will go through a for cookies he’ll leave magic school or participate in a fight to the death, these presents to all the little women have strong traits of independence, knowledge, good girls and boys. P A M A L B R E C H T self-confidence, and that little bit of toughness that just The real question is Plugged In Veteran Reporter makes them so cool. what happens to the This is significant in Katniss’s case; as a sixteen/ little boys and girls seventeen-year old, she has to make several choices and that aren’t really all too good? The answer to that is Krampus. This creature from German folklore teaches children sacrifices even the wisest adults couldn’t begin to con- that the naughty list is nothing to play with at all. sider, although Katniss’s situation is much more extreme Krampus is the impeccable description of every child’s nightmare: seven feet tall, hairy, big bulging eyes, a whip- than anything we may experience in reality. like tongue, pointed ears, mismatched feet (one a goat hoof, the other a bear claw), and enormous horns on his Filmwise, the franchise has remained financially and head. In traditional stories, Krampus is armed with a bundle of birch switches and a basket to put children in. When socially successful, in both box office and bookshelves. children are caught by Krampus, they are spanked, whipped, and whisked away to Krampus’s lair in the basket to be The leading film in the franchise is Catching Fire, which punished until they can repent from their bad ways. The story of Krampus was created to try and frighten children See KRAMPUS IS A NIGHTMARE on page four SEASONS FIRST FRIDAY GREETINGS IS FUN FOR page 4 ALL AGES page 2 Greetings from everyone’s favorite Captured in the Murphy Art I Christmas Devil, Center in Fountain Square. Krampus! Read about An elderly couple enjoying the age old monster the art gallaries open for inside. Gruss Vom First Friday Krampus! N side Photo by Josh March. 2 Features Enjoy all Fountain Square has to offer Art, food, and music at a discounted price various designs and colors; however, de- spite the cold weather, I couldn’t find one absent of a smile. I, myself, am not a fan of the cold and wondered why nobody seemed to be affected by the chilling 30 degree winds. But as I got closer, fifteen bold capital letters came into view that answered my question. High up on the side of the building, these letters spelled out the statement “YOU ARE BEAU- FREE, FUN, FRIDAY NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT. “We saw murals of all kinds; some pop-art, some TIFUL;” and after pointing this out to graffiti, and one perplexing visual illusion on a staircase.” Photo by Josh March. J O S H U A M A R C H Plugged in Columnist my girlfriend it didn’t seem as cold and I some pop-art, some graffiti, and one per- even compelled to strike up a conversa- I have been impatiently waiting barely noticed the wind. The excitement plexing visual illusion on a staircase. Our tion with a man dressed as an X-Wing to attend a First Friday at Fountain Square that First Friday was going to be just as journey, however, came to a close when Fighter Pilot about the new addition to for nearly half a year. I was originally satisfying as I had imagined had taken a familiar font from a galaxy far far away the series (Episode VII: The Force Awak- told about First Friday this summer by a over. caught my eye. ens). It was a spectacular gallery and my friend of mine who had gone before and As my girlfriend and I assimilat- “There it is! Toy Wars!” favorite in the Murphy Art Center. enjoyed it a lot. Shortly after, with such ed into the mob of winter garments, and We approached a large room full of We left through the exit hallway of the a high recommendation in mind, I made eventually into what I knew to call the vivid colors and the sound of people en- archaic building back into the cold. I de- plans to attend First Friday for the month Murphy Building, specifically the Murphy joying themselves. By the entrance was a cided that before we left we needed some of July. Cue a week of torrential rain. On Art Center, I was boiling over with antici- poster, about four feet tall, displaying the coffee to warm up, so we walked a block July 3rd, the First Friday of the month, pation. name of the gallery and all the artists who east and conveniently found a coffee/ Fountain Square was in the middle of “I know there’s a gallery here tonight had contributed. This gallery was amaz- gelato shop that doubled as a boutique a thunderstorm so instead of walking called Toy Wars that has a ton of Star ing. It contained all different art pieces, for jewelry, vinyl records, and local art. around in the rain I decided it best to Wars art.” I said to my girlfriend who drawing inspiration from different aspects The place was magnificent; but what drew wait four more weeks and try again then. quickly replied, of the series, expressed through different us to Funkyard were the sounds of live Unfortunately, four weeks turned to eight; “Well we’ll definitely have to go to that mediums. music that rang through the door. and eight weeks turned to twelve; and so one!” There were paintings of Darth Vader As we waited on our barista to finish on until nearly twenty weeks had gone So the two of us embarked on a journey and Yoda hung behind a statue of the our drinks and listened to acoustic covers by.