DIEGO RIVERA SHOWCASES STUDENT FILMS
BY BENJAMIN R. TAYLOR
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Paul Greth miles as he shows off his award for best short film. MICHELLE STROMBERG / GUARDSMAN

Filmmakers, students and faculty gathered at the Diego Rivera Theater May 11 for the seventh annual City Shorts film festival.

Lasting on average about five minutes per short, the 17 films by City College students ranged in subject from skateboarding to social commentary, though most films were not so easily defined, leaning towards surrealism and the avant-garde.

“I don’t really know what my film is about,” said film maker Joseph Lucas about his film “Hectors Goggles,” in which a man finds a mysterious set of headphones sending him off on a psychedelic journey. “It’s a fabrication of the imagination.”

Film students Paul Gretch and Alec Rapalski both won Kodak awards for their submissions, consisting of $250 worth of motion picture film, Gretch for his short “Dream,” and Rapalski for “Mother/Father,” which he made for his parents fortieth anniversary which is at the end of the month. Rapalski plans on sending them a copy of the film since he can’t be with them at this time.
“Eventually I plan on entering my film into other festivals, but I think it needs a little more polishing,” Rapalski said.

The Diego Rivera Theater was filled close to capacity for the festival, which started with a 6 p.m. reception with snacks and live music, followed by the film screening at 9 p.m.

“My favorite short so far is ‘The Wedding Date,’ but I’m biased because it’s my daughters,” Salvador Barcena said as everyone swarmed around the buffet tables during the 10 minute intermission.

Department equipment and lab manager Jody Wirt also won a surprise award of a small trophy for her contribution to the film department, as this is her last semester at City College.

“The show went off without a hitch,” Wirt said as she coiled up wires back-stage and the last of the stragglers picked at scraps from the snack table before facing the cold and windy Friday night.

e-mail:a_e@theguardsman.com

STATE YOUR FASHION CITY COLLEGE
BY DESMOND MILLER; PHOTOS BY AMMABELLE DAY
EDITOR AND STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Girl just wants to buy shoes, lots and lots of shoes.

Wendy Shew, 20
Shoes are her specialty

For Wendy Shew just one pair of shoes is never enough.

“I am obsessed with shoes. I have over 75 pairs,” Wendy said. “I only wear flats to school, not the good stuff.”

With a name that sounds like “shoe,” one wouldn’t expect anything else. Wendy shows her love for shoes with the amount of money she spends.

“I spend about $2,000 on clothes and shoes a month. I spend way too much,” “Wendy said. “My credit card bills are horrible.”

With all the time put into finding the perfect shoes, Wendy will only wear clothes that pop.

“I like things that don’t look like anything else,” Wendy said. “If it really stands out on the rack, I will buy it.

Derrick Thomas, 20
Helping to bring sexy back

Derrick Thomas glides by the Student Union and feels his sexiness sparkle.

“I dress this way because it makes me feel sexy,” Derrick said as he posed with a cheeky smile.

Derrick has two specific items that “get his sexy going.”

“I’m really into sweaters and hats. I have about 15 hats that I rotate,” Derrick added as he struck another pose.

Heavily influenced by hip hop and rap, Derrick feels that making beats and rhymes comes naturally to him.

“I have an urban casual style … I make beats and rap. I like to rap because basically when you rap, you are just telling people how cool you are,” Derrick said as he struck his last pose and glided away, sexy intact.

Colin Durfee, 22
The frugal shopper

People are moving faster nowadays and it gets harder for people to feel the need to impress each other with clothes. Colin feels he doesn’t need to impress anyone.

“I don’t try to be anyone else. I like Japanese and Chinese culture but I don’t think I feel I need to dress like them, but I do like their style.”

As a student-waiter, when Colin goes shopping, he goes straight to the sale items.

“I don’t go shopping that much, but when I do, I spend about $200,” Colin said. “I usually shop at places downtown.”

Colin likes to get the most out of his clothes, and the ladies don’t seem to mind.

“I like the fact that I can wear what I wear to school out to a club at night. Besides, the ladies really like my fashion sense.”

Snowma Smith, 20
The ‘60s schoolteacher

Teaching might be Snowma Smith’s calling, because when you look at her she apparently has the style down.

“My friends tell me that I dress like a schoolteacher,” Snowma said. “I like old style prints and flashy colors.”

Snowma’s fashion sense can be traced back to a bygone era – when Twiggy was on every magazine.

“I love clothes from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Mustard yellows, greens,” Snowma said. “I love to mix the styles from then with my stunner shades.”

Don’t let Snowma’s style fool you. She is still a hottie of the highest degree – just ask her boyfriend.

“On the first date with my boyfriend, he was kind of scared of my fashiont,” Snowma said as her phone rang – it was her boyfriend.

e-mail:dmiller@theguardsman.com

REVIEWS
BY DESMOND MILLER, BRITTE MARSH AND MICHELLE STROMBERG
EDITOR, EDITOR, AND STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Music: Arcade Fire "Neon Bible"

“Neon Bible,” Arcade Fire’s newest release is yet another solid compilation from the same group who brought you “Funeral” but this time it’s no burial. Each track is grounded by a driving pop beat and ominous guitar assaults. With brutal lyrics and a voice with a serious flare for drama. Lead singer Win Butler crafts a sound that is both passionate and world-weary at the same time. No longer a rookie band, they have grown up since we last heard from them. Lucky for us.
Go to iTunes and download “Ocean of Noise.” In no time you’ll have pure indie rock bliss pouring out of the headphones I guarantee it. —Michelle Stromberg

Before “Shaun of the Dead” & “Hot Fuzz,” Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson wrote a little known English television series, “Spaced,” directed by Edgar Wright. It is now available on DVD in a collected format with a ton of extras.
“Spaced” is about two people who lie to get a flat by posing as a married couple. It’s everything else that makes this show shine, like the weird flashbacks to when Simon Pegg was a kid, or the fact that he is terrified by dogs and bamboo. The show never missed the mark with its off kilter comedy aimed at the PS1/ rave culture. Remember, it originally aired in the mid 90s. —Desmond Miller

Love a good scare? Nowadays, the new release section at your neighborhood movie store can be so overrated. If you were bored to tears by “Freddie vs. Jason” or felt physically/mentally disturbed by “Saw 3,” consider retracing your steps from the shiny New Release wall back to the slightly worn Classics section.
It’s time on the silver screen long past, “An American Werewolf in London” has a cult-like legacy that remains to this day. Filmed in 1981 by legendary director John Landis, who also directed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” this movie has a comedic twist that can be appreciated by Brits and Yanks alike, while maintaining its theme of monster–man horror. In short, this film has achieved the kind of immortal popularity and cross-generation appreciation that comes around about as often as a blue moon.
Also, don’t be fooled into renting the cheap, imposter version, An American Werewolf in Paris (1997.) Example: does the 1998 version of “Godzilla” leave the same lasting impression as the 1954 version? Nope. Keep the classics classy, rent “An American Werewolf in London.” —Britte Marsh

When Pokemon hit, children and adults caught Poke-Fever and the U.S. was never the same. After a decade of trying to catch them all, the Pokemon franchise is still going strong with the release of the two new versions for the Nintendo DS.
In Pokemon: Diamond & Pearl players are introduced to a whole new region to explore and close to 200 new Pokemon to capture, battle or compete in contests with. Also added is the ability to poke-battle wirelessly with opponents all over the world plus more small nuances that make the game the most enjoyable of the series. Gotta catch them all! —Desmond Miller