As the third major action flick in the past month, “Punisher: War Zone” is without a doubt the most eager of the three to sacrifice an intriguing story and talented actors for boxes of Hollywood’s famous fake shell casings.

A whirlwind of heartbreak blows into the atmosphere with Akon’s third album, “Freedom.” This album focuses on a softer R&B sound with more singing than rapping and tune-filled hooks that guide each track, which might disappoint if the listener is looking for Akon’s edgier rap verses.

Going Away to Think” presents an ongoing struggle between enjoyment and activism, between savoring and saving. If saving/savoring are goals, like a mountain peak, understanding place is the trailhead. Appreciation and activism both start with an understanding of place. As an ecocritic, “place” is perhaps the most important topic in professor Scott Slovic’s work.

The end of another year is upon us, and it’s time to say goodbye to 2008. It’s been a rough year for sure, but I think we need to take a moment to reflect. I want to highlight some of the good things that went down this year: I want to talk about awesome records. We’ve had a bunch of them, and a lot of them came out of nowhere.

Disney has struck gold again by taking some bits of pop culture and throwing them into a blender to make “Bolt.” Combining the animation quality of Pixar with the voice talents of television star Miley Cyrus and the draw of a 3-D option, “Bolt” is the best of “Wall-E,” “Hannah Montana” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D” all in one.

Action star Jason Statham (“Death Race”) returns as the 21st-Century Jean-Claude Van Damme-Steven Seagal hybrid in “Transporter 3.” A weak storyline and an even more feeble attempt at acting put this shoot-‘em-up film on the list for 2008’s worst films of the year.

Guns N’ Roses fans — provided they didn’t lose consciousness years ago — can stop holding their breath. The band, which has only one remaining original member (lead singer Axl Rose), finally released its monumentally anticipated album “Chinese Democracy” Nov. 23, silencing a worldwide running joke once and for all.

Every season the dreaded category of “brilliant, but canceled” grows larger, leaving hopelessly disappointed fans in its terrible wake.

Last year, I mourned the loss of “Jericho.” The year before that, “Veronica Mars.” “Firefly.” “Arrested Development.” “Dead Like Me.” The “brilliant but canceled” gravestone inscriptions go on and on, reminders of the riveting stories that were never finished.

This year, let us all bow our heads for the loss of “Pushing Daisies.”

With “808s & Heartbreak,” West channels the spirit of 80s new wave with pop synths and 12 songs about nothing but love. Along with abandoning his soul grooves of the past, West also left rapping in the dust on this one. Borrowing a trick from past collaborator T-Pain, West sings all of his lyrics with a vocoder, for an otherworldly, robotic voice effect. And what a strange world it is, for with only a single sample, West pulled all the stops out on this one.

Captivating and visually enticing, “Twilight” cements itself as one of the most culturally-relevant romances of the 21st century, with its lead actors delivering the most authentic and heartfelt on-screen romance since Jack and Rose in “Titanic.”

Few movies have translated into successful movie adaptations. “Fight Club.” “Atonement.” The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

“Twilight,” the 2005 bestseller by Stephenie Meyer, won’t be joining that list.

Fans of the book series will find themselves disappointed when a lack of plot and character development drags the movie down. Even the sight of Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) can’t bring redemption.

There’s something about Beyoncé’s powerful voice that grabs you and gives you chills from head to toe. She has grown as an artist since her days singing with her girl group Destiny’s Child. Now, her songs show her maturity as an artist. Her recently-released album “I Am…Sasha Fierce” is a two disc set with six heartfelt ballads on the first disc and five upbeat, sassy tracks on the second.

Sometimes life just isn’t fair. Sometimes you find yourself wondering what could have been. Sometimes you hear a band like The King Left and you think, “Man, these dudes really should have been on the ‘Twilight’ soundtrack. They’d fit right in with all of the other angsty tween alt-rock on there. They could have been huge!”

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, The Underground club on Fourth Street was filled to the brim with fluorescent colors, teased hair and trance music as Internet sensation Jeffree Star performed electronica music from his upcoming album with opening acts Teen Hearts, Ultraviolet Sound and Brokencyde.

Famous for thwarting the plans of humanity’s most insidious villains for 45 years, it’s hard to believe that in Bond’s 22nd mission, the legacy of the most endearing spy meets its demise at the hands of three Hollywood screenwriters.

• Big break for 'model' student
• Students question provost on budget cuts
• 25 percent tuition increase unlikely
• Audio Slideshow: First-generation student graduates
• Denison’s suspected killer arrested
• ‘Daisies’ gets a premature burial
• Dec. 3, 2008 - Provost Marc Johnson answers student questions
• First-generation students face extra barriers in college
• Williams gives Pack post presence
• 'Bolt' saves the holiday

• Recent Comments

  • Panamanic: Reno Pride said: "...Reno draws a bigger crowd." The c...
  • Richard: God loves cycling. Yeah! Learn to be morecompassionate Emily...
  • NMSU fromDcore: WAA WAA WAA i understand all colleges have extremely rowd...
  • ABQ Aggie: I have never had a worse experience than at Nevada's home co...
  • diz: Do most athletic directors whine and cry about fans as much ...
  • Doug Adams: Any chance UNR might start such a program ? Any idea if they...
  • billythykid: BULLSHIT! help yoself kys start rollerblading...

• Big break for 'model' student
• Students question provost on budget cuts
• 25 percent tuition increase unlikely
• Audio Slideshow: First-generation student graduates
• Denison’s suspected killer arrested
• ‘Daisies’ gets a premature burial
• Dec. 3, 2008 - Provost Marc Johnson answers student questions
• First-generation students face extra barriers in college
• Williams gives Pack post presence
• 'Bolt' saves the holiday

• January 2009
• December 2008
• November 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007