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Show A&EDiversions Friday, April 8, 2011 Page 7 Toys: Shop owner happy with current occupation Little wrong with 'Source Code' I continued from page 5 movie theater was beyond real," he said. "I remember going to Bob's Big Boy for dinner one night shortly after that, and sitting in the waiting room. There was a kid with a Kenner X-wing fighter toy. I have never in my life coveted anything as much as I did that kid's toy. I remember so distinctly. It took a while, but I actually got one. I still have it today." Moving from Seattle in 2003, Shelton left a publications job working with clients like Sears, Nordstrom and REI Sports for the toy business. He said he loved the job, not to mention the five figure bonus structure, but in the end he wanted to be in business for himself. Even though he's making only a fragment of what he was, the toy lover said it's worth it. "I'm not going to get rich off of this by any means," he said. "The big payoff comes when a kid comes in the door and he's been saving up all summer to get one particular item. They come in and open up their mason jar, taking out pennies and nickels and quarters and wadded up dollar bills to get this item they want, and they're beaming from ear to ear. That's what I do it for." As Rhea Smith and Kendall Gurley, mother and daughter, wandered down an aisle of Magical Moon, Gurley inspected a selection of glass animal figurines no bigger than a fingernail. Smith, her arms full of Easter toys for her grandchildren, shifted her load to get a closer look. "You find things here you wouldn't find in other places," Smith said. "If you want something unique for your children or your grandchildren this is where you come." Although Smith frequents the store, it is her daughter's first time. "It's a novelty toy store," Gurley said. "I'm 25 and I like it." - allee.evensen@aggiemaiLusu.edu SHELTON FIRST DISCOVERED HIS LOVE of toys after seeing Star Wars. Now, he finds satisfaction from bringing a smile to a child's face or seeing them finally get that special toy. KYLE PETT photo Required literatur e for every reader The fact that I am an English major emphasizing in literary studies means I have 200 pages of reading - per day. Needless to say, this leaves little time for pleasure reading, or even when I do get that time, I'm a little tired of reading for the day. So, in light of my absence of recent reading, I instead came up with my own list of books everyone must read before they die. There are a million top 10 or top 100 spanning the genres, but on my list, each one is completely different, so I promise there will be something on this list for everybody. Now, I would like to warn you this list is by no means comprehensive. I am only including books that I personally have read, and since I still have a list of classics to read, there could be many other novels that make the list in the future. If you disagree with my picks, check out that e-mail at the bottom of my column and tell me what you think. THE LAUREVWSHAKESPEARE Oh, and by the way, if you have read any of these books in high school, I don't care. Francis Ferpounn, General Editor WA a Madero Read. Them. Again. Reading a Commentary by MAURICE EIANS novel is very different when it is not required for a class, and I promise you will get more out of a book the second time, as opposed to back in high school when it was cool to hate everything. 1. Hamlet - A wise philosophy professor once told my class if nothing else, every person on this earth should read Hamlet at least once in their life, and while Hamlet is not my number one Shakespeare play, it IS number one on this list for a reason. Though the main theme of "Hamlet" is simple, the plot has great depth. The play is not just about revenge, and many classrooms have debated the multiple meanings behind Hamlet for days, weeks even. If the language scares you, at least watch the movie. I admit reading Shakespeare is not like reading Harry Potter, but once you get used to the language it does become easier. Plus, there are a multitude of books out there to help you tackle the Bard. 2. "Utopia" - For the political buffs out there, you should have read this already, and if you haven't, start right now. This book will teach politics better than any textbook out there, I promise you. Thomas More writes of an island discovered by one of his characters to have an interesting and unique political sys- Hamlet LDS am ing, describing the island of Utopia's political system can THOMAS MORE actually be quite fascinating. "Utopia" conducts politics like none other, and by reading this book we can better understand flaws with our own political system. I'm telling you the truth; this book will change your life, just as it changed mine. 3. "Pride and Prejudice" - I already reviewed this one in the past, so if you would like to read about it, see my other columns. However, this novel is important and deserves to be on the list. While "Hamlet" is great for the psychologists, and Utopia is good for the politicians, Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is for anyone, man or woman, who happens to be romantically inclined. It has a wonderful story, and presents both strong male and female characters. Guys - if you have some time this summer and want to impress the girls, read this book. Ladies - while laying outside on a beach up at Bear Lake getting that nice summer tan, read this book. 4. "To Kill a Mockingbird" - You may have noticed that the rest of my books come from European literature. I have a love for it, and so that is mostly what I like to read. In spite of this, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the one piece of American literature I think should be read over anything else. 7tre Jima/ass Classic oiligrarving (ilp and Harper Lee's novel is brilliant. Not only is it extremely 0 Me 76mx. Diymiy 7/./96zik., '21$ 2/f well-written, but it shows of a time period every one of us can learn from. There is a reason it is just about impossible Harper Lee sw to graduate from high school without reading this book. \■ .1 IN*,I .N1SI, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Kellyn is a junior in English and The Statesman's features editor. She loves reading both her Kindle and paperback novels and can be reached at kellyn. neumann@aggiemaiLusu.edu Gyllenhaal's name uttered on the streets everyday opposed to the ones who have been around much longer. When you did hear his name, his movies were lost in the back of the mind. However, when Jake Gyllenhall's name is called again, people will ask "Which movie was he in again?" and "Source Code" will be at the tip of their tongues and edge of their brains. Way to go Jake! Michelle Monaghan, with her few lines, was excellent as well. Her character, Christina, was a confident, beautiful and sophisticated woman. Monaghan perfectly depicted Christina when she was concerned, calm, playful and just plain kind. While watching her role develop, I could not help but think that Monaghan was like that in person. She has a simple elegance to her, exuded through Christina. I have no negative note for Monaghan. Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed) played Steven's commanding officer in the source code program, Colleen Goodwin. At first, Goodwin appeared to be an objective officer with no personal ties to Stevens. She was just doing her job. Over time, Goodwin feels sympathy for Stevens and tries to help him more fully understand his situation and duties. In those times when her character felt apprehension in a small predicament, Farmiga effectively represented Goodwin. I have to say that the cast in its entirety was chosen well. With all this positive feedback you may ask, "So, what is wrong with it?" That is just it; there is very little wrong with it. However, "Source Code" was predictable. My favorite movies and books are usually ones that I cannot predict, like "Fight Club." Another negative is that it is hard to decipher, but this is not much of a problem; I like puzzles but because I thoroughly enjoyed it I have to be nit-picky. A program called Source Code does not exist in our world. Therefore it is hard to grasp an idea of something so far beyond common knowledge. It is like thinking of how little we are compared to the rest of the universe. It hurts my brain and so does "Source Code," but it is and will be near the top of the list of movies in 2011. Anike Pullens is a junior majoring in public relations and minoring in sign language. She enjoys movies any day of the week of any genre. Anike can be contacted at cRESTWOoos 755 3 18,1 * SERVICES Single and Pregnant? t't:1) A Call for Help 1f.1 1:.1111 Explore your options. Were here to listen. We're here to help. FREE confidential services available to all. 175 W 1400 N, Suite A, Logan PDAYS PUillf ANSWERS Stickelers Answer — Answers Solution time: 21 mins. EASY APR RAJA TUNA LIE EVER CRUMPLED SEEM HAG A ID HARRY SIN KIM SETIN DIMPLED IMAM FUN LANA RUMPLED TEDDY LOW BED LATEX ORE ADO AL IT TRAMPLED OTTO WAN OSLO SOON OLD DOER [I?ti illkli 051! I Edlgriti.44011 736 I.. N Crestewoods [kub n-veers-yuh ns] Definition: Low Summer Rates www.itsaboutlove.org 752-5302 — King Crossword tem. While it may sound bor- If you would have asked me six months ago if I thought films made in the 21st century were original, I would have said no. However, fresh ideas have come to screen recently, and "Source Code" is one of them. "Source Code," starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Made of Honor), is mind-boggling, intricate and remarkable. Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) is a soldier who wakes up on a train in another man's body, confused as to how he got there. He is assigned to a special mission for the government inside what is called the source code. The program allows a person to cross over into another's identity for the last eight minutes of his life. Stevens' mission is to find the bomber of the train in order to prevent a more massive bombing in Chicago. He relives the bombing over and over until he solves the mystery and finds who's responsible. While in the Source Code, Stevens meets Christina Warren (Monaghan). After all, what is a movie with out a little romance? Though a hint of romance is most definitely included in "Source Code," it is neither the main theme nor the first priority of the film. Many are familiar with director Duncan Jones from his 2009 project, "Moon." Many were also expecting that same feel and positive feedback as "Moon," and those same people might feel disappointed with "Source Code" in comparison. For me it was the opposite. "Moon" is a science fiction thriller where as "Source Code" is a thriller with just a hint of sci-fi. It is like comparing apples and grapes. They are under the same category, both being fruit and coming in more than one color, but taste rather differently and therefore, should be judged differently. Gyllenhaal has really stepped up to the plate and proved to be an adequate actor in the role of Colter Stevens. He found a perfect balance between perplexity, frustration and poignancy. Juggling emotions that appear to be real can be difficult to exhibit on screen but Gyllenhaal lacked any such struggle for brilliance and really delivered. Viewers can not help but sympathize for the muddled soldier and Gyllenhaal is to blame. He was never that actor that stood out to me like Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp or even Brad Pitt. You just do not hear Jake Figure B does not belong with the others. The others each contain mirror images divided by the middle line. Weekly SUDOKU Answer 3 9 7 6 1 4 2 5 8 8 2 1 5 7 3 9 4 6 4 6 5 2 8 9 7 3 1 5 8 3 4 2 7 1 6 9 6 4 9 1 5 8 3 7 2 1 7 2 9 3 6 5 8 4 7 3 6 8 9 1 4 2 5 9 5 4 3 6 2 8 1 7 2 1 8 7 4 5 6 9 3 (from $560) -Private bedroom.: private bath -Expanded cable; Free High Speed Internet Air conditioning; Covered Parking (Edgewood) -Washer and dryer in your apartment -Practically on Campus. Synonyms: Summer, Social, Fun, Good Times Used in a sentence: With CrestiAroods, your housing choice is made! FOR THE See also: www.logancrs twoods.com UTAH CONSERVATION CORPS! www.usu.edu/ucc UtahStateUn iversity |