Film Review: Beastly

Beastly lacks the charm and fun of original Disney classic despite delivering a positive message

It is sometimes incredible to believe that movie producers spend such huge amounts of time and money to produce pieces that clearly state the immaturity of their careers. “Beastly”, which is a modern day re-telling of Disney’s classic “Beauty and the Beast”, is a perfect example of this “Beastly”is the story of a kid named Kyle, played by relative newcomer, Alex Pettyfer, who is completely infatuated with his looks and what others think of him. Due to his strained and terrible relationship with his father, he teases his peers when...

Exploring voluntourism

Barriers to world travel have been collapsing rapidly in the past several decades as very few destinations around the globe are out of transportation reach and a modest budget. With tour companies offering excursions to Antarctica and even North Korea, traveling is becoming limitless. “Be the change you want to see in the world” has become a rallying cry for students and tourists loading up big backpacks with little red maple leafs carefully sewn on and heading out into the world. Students are recipients of a large portion of marketing...

Film Review: Nowhere Boy

Exploring the early life and struggles of John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Released in 2009 in the U.K., but only coming to North America in late January of this year, the film Nowhere Boy was widely anticipated by many. Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, the film is a chronicle of John Lennon’s first years, focusing mainly on his adolescence and his relationship between the two motherly figures in his life. It stars the brilliant Aaron Johnson as John Lennon, The young British actor was discovered by many North American audiences in the 2010 blockbuster hit film Kick-Ass. Johnson offers up a haunting portrayal...

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Keeping our priorities and perspectives in order

“Now, if you two don’t mind, I’m going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed, or worse, expelled!” “She needs to sort out her priorities!”-Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Quite right you are Ron! However as absurd and humorous as the above example is, the sad truth of that matter, is that many of us(myself included) have last any sense as to what our true priorities should be, and are simply not keeping things in perspective of the bigger picture. More...

So much drama!

Theatre Antigonish’s One Act Play Festival showcases the best of local area theatre talent

Once again, it is that time of year when Theatre Antigonish will be presenting The One-Act Play Festival, showcasing the best dramatic talent that the community at large has to offer. This year’s festival, taking place at the Bauer Theatre, will be running from March 17 to 20 with a total of nine productions. All of this year’s submissions will be adjudicated by stage veteran Genevieve Steele in a public adjudication after the performance, and a private session with the cast afterwards. On the final evening, she will also award...

Spring 2011: Bright, bold, and frostbite-free

Fashism A few weeks ago, designers rolled out their collections for fall/winter 2011, and while they were beautiful, I’m not that eager to start thinking about next winter. As it starts to warm up, it’s hard to picture anything but heading to the beach and the ability to lose the top five layers of my standard cold weather outfit. It’s been a long, rough winter, even by Antigonish’s standards, and since the end is in sight, here’s how to put some spring in your wardrobe: Paint it red Spring is...

Bedouin Soundclash exploring new horizons

After a time of change, the much loved musicians are back with Light the Horizon

On March 5th 2011, Bedouin Soundclash preformed in front of a packed house at The Inn. The band, consisting of Ontario natives Jay Malinowski (lead vocals), Eon Sinclair (bassist), and Sekou Lumumba (drummer) sat down with The Xaverian Weekly prior to the show to discuss their new album Light the Horizon, their past experiences, and going through a transition phase in both their line-up(after losing former drummer Pat Pengelly) and their musical sound. Xaverian Weekly: With your new album Light The Horizon, what were some of your inspirations for this...

Women’s role in sustainability, locally and internationally

Around the world, women are playing an important role in sustainable development. At the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the involvement of women was considered necessary for sustainable development and in Beijing at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, delegates unanimously supported a plan that acknowledged and stressed that empowerment, participation and equality of women are fundamental for sustainable development. Oxfam, a group active on the StFX campus, partners with several organizations working to empower women as a way to address sustainability issues in developing countries. Among these organizations...

The StFX Energy Challenge

Residences are flicking off in an effort to go green, and potentially win $500

In these dark and cold winter days, it is easy to forget about the benefits of conserving energy. Everything is kept plugged in and turned up so high it feels as though summer has come early. Olwyn Foley, the internal environmental officer, and president elect of the students’ union is trying to work with all of the residences here at StFX to improve their environmental outputs. She is currently attempting to spread awareness to the student body about conserving energy through the StFX Residence Energy Challenge that is will run...

Cut and paste culture

We’ve all read blogs and zines, updated our statuses on Facebook or Twitter, used Wikipedia, or listened to a podcast – so we’ve all participated, in some way, in what’s known as DIY or self-made media. The term is used to describe any media form that is produced, published, and distributed by their creator. As Brandi Leigh-Ann Bell states in “Riding the Third Wave: Women-Produced Zines and Feminisms,” they are most often non-commercialized and nonprofessional. DIY media is often described as a democratized media form as it allows for the...

“Who the f*** is she?”

A typical night of shocks and surprises at the 2011 Grammy Awards

The Grammys never cease to surprise and amaze audiences year after year, with moments you would never expect to happen, performances that you will never forget, and controversies which will live on in infamy for years to come. 2011’s version was without exception and showcased many stars of the future, who will no doubt use Sunday’s awards show as a springboard to super stardom. On the flip side it dealt blows to the careers of others, and the dust is still settling to see what the implications will be. For...

Is Lady “Mother Monster”Gaga a copycat?

A review of Gaga’s latest much hyped single “Born this Way”

On Friday. Feb. 11, Lady Gaga released her much anticipated single “Born This Way”. Before the single was actually released, Lady Gaga made sure that fans and critics alike were well aware of its existence. At the MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga, decked out in a dress made entirely of meat, gave viewers a preview of the new single. This preview was a full five months ago, and since then, Lady Gaga has continued to build up hype for the song. On Jan. 27, in an attempt to create even...

Where is the love? A Super Bowl halftime review

Instead of Boom Boom Pow, it was Boom Boom Ouch for The Black Eyed Peas

The Super Bowl halftime show over the years has gained the reputation of a not-to-miss live music performance of the year, rivaling the hype of award shows like the Grammys. Fans often anticipate a full on showcase of the best the music industry has to offer. “So what the hell happened this year?” was the sentiment that was echoed by many immediately following this year’s performance. For the millions of people who only tune in to watch the halftime show and could care less about the game itself, it was...

Taming of the Shrew continues

Theatre Antigonish’s latest production returns for a second week of shows, in a modern adaption of a classic Shakespearean comedy

After a strong first week of performances, Theatre Antigonish’s production of The Taming of the Shrew returns for a second week at the Bauer Theatre. The classic comedy by William Shakespeare, told in this adaption set in the 1950s, tells the story of Katharina and Petruchio, two headstrong ,stubborn individuals, who become engaged in a courtship that is unlike any other. The two battle it out in a love story that sometimes can seem like an all out brawl. In a highly entertaining story, these two complex characters will keep...

Big, fracking mess

Gasland has been screened in community centers, in theaters, to the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and last Thursday, it was screened to an audience of nearly a hundred students at StFX. This single camera documentary has garnered worldwide recognition for its quality and for its warning of unregulated growth by the petroleum and natural gas industry. The current search for fossil fuels is much like the student’s end of the month search for money after rent and other bills have been paid. Your bank...