Inspector Emmet Fields recruits the drunk and broke Poe to catch a serial killer who uses Poe’s stories and poems as inspiration. Many of the horrifying scenes are based upon a Poe story or poem. The film references material such as “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” and others.

Woven into the plot is a standard love story between Poe and Emily Hamilton, played by Alice Eve, daughter of a Baltimore highbrow who deplores Poe. When the murderer kidnaps Emily and threatens to kill her, Poe becomes desperately invested. He must follow the killer’s demands by capturing the frightening story in a fictional tale to be published in the Baltimore newspaper. Inspector Fields and Poe follow the clues cleverly assembled by the murderer to find Emily and end the killings.

Rated R, the 111-minute mystery is nothing short of what one would assume a Poe story aught to be: bloody. This is one thriller that is too gruesome for the faint of heart. Scenes include slit throats, hacked wrists and carved flesh. McTeigue’s effective filming techniques and employment of light and dark add to the gripping nature of the film.

Cusack delivers a believably sinister performance in “The Raven”. He brings to life a quick-witted Poe that is wonderfully sharp with an insult. Unfortunately, the role of Inspector Fields, played by Luke Evans, is less delightful. Evans, to no fault of his own, has multiple awkward lines, but his acting is, at times, unconvincing and somewhat laughable.

The suspense and gore of the film is coupled with an intelligent, mysterious plotline that keeps viewers entertained until the very end. It seems only fitting to have Poe, the author of the first mystery, placed inside the mystery thriller that is “The Raven”.

Jason Segel and Emily Blunt in "The Five-Year Engagement."

The story is about the engagement of lovebirds Tom Solomon (Segel) and Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt) and their stressful, crazy five-year trip to the altar. Once engaged, they continually are forced to push off the wedding as life gets in the way. When Violet accepts a psychology post-doc in Michigan, Tom chooses to quit his job as a sous chef at a popular restaurant, and the two depart sunny San Francisco for snowy Ann Arbor. While Violet loves her work and coworkers (Rhys Ifans, Mindy Kaling, and Kevin Hart), Tom begins to lose his mind, sinking into a hunting, bunny-costume-wearing cocoon of a life. The movie explores sacrifice in relationships, miscommunication, and everyday challenges of love; but ultimately, if love is meant to be, it will. Just hurry to fall in love, get married and start your lives together before all the grandparents die.

The co-stars were as funny as the stars and stole many scenes. Chris Pratt plays Segel’s rude, obnoxious best friend who knocks up Blunt’s sister (Alison Brie). Then the two embark on an unlikely romance that is as ridiculous as it is cute. All the actors displayed perfect chemistry. Couples, best friends, sisters, you name it, were all believable and perfect. Blunt and Segel especially are so picture-perfect that you want them to ditch their real-life partners and get together.

My only criticism is there were too many unnecessary or overly long scenes and some failed jokes. The movie’s running time is 124 minutes. Personally, I did not mind the length; because 1) I’m not four years old so 2) if I like a movie, I can sit through two hours. Others, however, complained. As suspected from double threat Segel and Stoller, there is plenty of cursing, dirty jokes, slapstick, and occasional nudity (you will see Segel’s behind, but I heard through the grapevine that in the unedited DVD version you will see much more of him, if you know what I mean).

“The Five-Year Engagement” is hilarious, predictable, honest and sweet. You’ll laugh. You’ll smile. You’ll roll your eyes. You’ll cry (just kidding, it’s not that sentimental). You will leave the theatre happy and with a subtly deeper understanding of life and love, because that’s what comedies are supposed to do. Watch the trailer here.

Grade: A

Courtesy of MilagroModernMexican.com

Milagro’s mission is to serve the best Mexican cuisine with the best service in the best atmosphere in St. Louis.  To break it down, I’ll discuss my experience at Milagro Modern Mexican using their mission statement.  Best Mexican cuisine?  Can there really be one restaurant that has the best of something? Well, let me tell you, as someone who is not a big fan of Mexican food, I was quite pleased with Milagro.

They started us off with corn chips and salsa.  The chips were fair, and the salsa was good.  It was very mild, which worked out well for me since I do not like spicy foods.  There is hot sauce on the table for people who like differing degrees of hotness, but I thought it was good that Milagro offers a mild salsa for diners, especially a first-time diner like me.

If you enjoy a drink or two, Milagro has a Bloody Maria bar where you can make your own Bloody Mary with vodka or tequila.  I did not try a Bloody Mary but sampled their Blood Orange Mimosa.

For my entree, I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which were eggs fried in corn tortillas and also served with queso fresco, cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado, and papas fritas (fried cubed potatoes).  It came with salsa but I had them put it on the side, which they were happy to accommodate.  My dad ordered the Toluca Omelet, which was three eggs with house-made chorizo sausage, red pepper, white onion, and melted Chihuahua cheese.  My mom ordered the Baja Omelet, which included lump crabmeat, spinach, avocado, panela cheese, and chipotle hollandaise.  All of our entrees were tasty.  Mine was a bit chewy and seemed mostly full of tortilla with little egg, but it was still good.  The potatoes were perfectly seasoned and were good to dip into some of the hollandaise on my mom’s plate.  My dad’s omelet with chorizo was even better and had a nice, slight kick to it.  My mom’s crab omelet was delicious and the hollandaise was perfect on top.

As for the service, we really had a nice waitress.  She was funny, attentive and just an overall nice person.   With Milagro being a relatively small restaurant, she was taking care of several tables at once and was equally attentive to each one.

The atmosphere is impeccable.  It is somewhat small but nicely decorated.  The walls are adorned with gray, white, and brown tiles, with a matching bar.  It is an intimate environment that is sure to please everyone.

Overall, our time at Milagro was definitely worth it.  The food was great, the service was great, and the atmosphere was great.  As for the best Mexican cuisine, I’ll have to come back for lunch and dinner to make that judgment call.  Next time I must order the Churros y Chocolate (homemade cinnamon Mexican doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce) which might help me make that decision.

The Lucky One follows Marine Logan Thibault as he returns home to search for a mysterious woman whose picture he found while on tour in the Middle East that he credits with saving his life. Logan travels on foot to a small southern town, where he meets his good luck charm Beth and is thrust into her life by taking a position at her home run dog kennel. As Logan searches for a way to explain the reason he appeared into her life, Logan and Beth grow close and fall into a whirlwind relationship resulting in their two worlds colliding.

The Lucky One carries all of the typical components of a Nicholas Spark’s movie; a couple that faces an obstacle that makes falling in love seem impossible, they fall in love anyway,  a disaster soon follows and they ride off into the sunset regardless. What The Lucky One also has in common with all the previous stories told before it, is the audience will leave happy.

At 100min., The Lucky One starring Zac Effron and Taylor Schilling rarely has a lagging moment. Packed with drama, romance, action and sadness, this movie has the full package that will keep you hooked until the credits roll. Like other Spark’s movies, The Lucky One has a way of sucking you into the small town and the lives of the characters, feeling like you are a part of the culture.

Taylor Schilling, a virtually unknown actress owns the screen as single mom, Beth, living with her Nanna, trying to deal with the loss of her brother and a pain in the rear end ex husband who constantly threatens taking her son, Ben, away. Zac Effron shines as an off duty marine dealing with post war trauma while trying to find one of the only things that makes sense in his world.

As a lover of all chick flicks, I had a feeling walking in to The Lucky One that I wasn’t going to be disappointed. I was drawn into the story within the first five minutes and became frustrated as the credits started to roll. The one complaint I had, was I found it weird to see Zac Effron portraying a full on adult after growing up watching him in High School Musical. Needless to say, after seeing the movie, I now think that Zac Effron should be cast in every romance film ever. Ever.

Pinterest is now the third most popular social networking site after Facebook and Twitter. It is a free online, public bulletin board. People can make profiles, pin and repin pictures and videos on different boards, and view other people’s pins. There are few words, just rows of organized, evenly centered pictures. It is visually-appealing, easy to use and immensely popular.

Pinterest is the third most popular social networking site.

Why is it so pinteresting?

Every day Pinterest increases in unfailing popularity. Why? Because people love to look at pictures. Pictures can tell stories more than words. In an instant, people can see a picture, learn a story, create an opinion, and learn something. There is a simplicity in Pinterest that has created its success. The minimalist, to-the-point style matches our society’s demand for information at incredible speed. People can scan hundreds of images in minutes, and their favorites will stand out. Pinterest, like Facebook and Twitter, is information sharing except in the sole form of visual communication.

Why should you use it?

If you love looking at pretty pictures, chances are you’ll love Pinterest. Another form of digital wizardry, Pinterest is a social networking and information sharing website, just with the façade of an attractive collage.

Similar to Facebook and Twitter, people can ‘like’ your pins and they can also ‘repin’ your pins. This means that someone can post your image on their board, so all of their followers can see it. You can see what your friends are pinning and repinning. It is all about having fun (and wasting time) for both men and women.

“I love Pinterest!” says Emily Smith, a sophomore. “You will definitely waste time, but it is a lot of fun.”

What will you find on Pinterest?

Individuals use Pinterest but so do companies, businesses and organizations. Most pins will be from people’s blogs or online shopping. Department stores such as Target or retail stores such as H&M have boards because people love to look at clothes, accessories and miscellaneous things. Here are some examples of fun boards you might find as you browse through Pinterest.

You will see a lot of pictures of nature posted by Nature and Wildlife Conservations. What are more beautiful than pictures of nature? It is springtime, so people love to look at flowers blooming, trees budding and a complete submerge into green. Many Nature Conservations create specific boards, such as ‘DIY Projects’ and ‘Sustainability Tips’ that can be fun to repin.

Animal shelters have started using Pinterest. People love nothing more than pictures of puppies. It is common to see a puppy—no, a sleeping puppy—on Pinterest, and it is guaranteed multiple repins. There will be specific boards, such as ‘Adoptable Pets,’ ‘Little Critters,” and “Photos from our Followers” that create a storyboard for different animals.

Fair Trade stores and small businesses love to use Pinterest. These stores will post pictures of arts and crafts or particular products that are for sale. On Pinterest, you can also see the price of an item, so businesses that upload products, and you’ll find all the information you need. This is a great way to find small brands you’ll love and support good causes.

Pinterest is one of the newer social media sites, and everyone should take advantage soon. There are so many ways to create interesting boards, post fun pictures, find followers and enjoy the small things in life. So, stop reading and go make a Pinterest now.

Most students today are preparing to enter the workforce for the first time, or due to the economy, finding themselves preparing for a job search for that new career.

While the academic programs teach us what is needed to perform the duties of your chosen career path, there is still the need to prepare to find that new career.  Through the academic programs offered here at Maryville University, students are given the opportunity to expand their education to include the skills needed for that job search.

The Communication department here at Maryville University has a course that will help with these needs.  Dr. Barb DeSanto is head of the department and agrees that everyone in saying not just communication students can benefit from this course.  The course is COMM 233, Professional and Organizational Communication.

Students entering any of the communication degree programs will be required to complete this course.   However, any student can complete this course for an elective course and should consider doing so.

This course contains so much information to help you get started in preparing for entering the workforce.  Dr. Leilani Carver will help you from the beginning in building that network of contacts, to the resume, to the interviewing process.

This course was developed to help the student understand today’s job and career market before the time comes to face the task of finding a job.  Part of the course work is to develop a portfolio which will promote the student to prospective employers.

All students should consider this course early enough in their education to allow them to develop their portfolio for that individual path they have chosen.  Your portfolio is like an extension of yourself.  It will show samples of your skills, work samples and so much more.  This is important for entering today’s work force.

Do not let the syllabus scare you away.  It is an action-packed program that will provide the student practical assignments, providing the students opportunities to experience real interviews, attending networking events, and building that network of professionals that might be able to help you find that perfect job.

Another part of this class is to help the student find that mentor.  A mentor is crucial to success in any field.  A mentor in your field of work will help guide you in locating that perfect job and help ensure you have the skills for that job.

And did you know of all the places for finding an open position?  In this course, you learn of places that most people do not think about looking at for employment.  And have you thought of “Informational Interviewing”?  Show a company that they need you before they realize.

Dr. DeSanto said, “This class is more than a class, it’s an investment that each student must make in his or her professional life.  Our Maryville Communication Program’s goal is simple:  We want employers to request a Maryville graduate.  And a class like Dr. Leilani Carver’s professional and organizational development is one specific class target to providing the knowledge and skills that employers are seeking.”

Whether you are stepping out into the “real world” for employment for the first time, or making that career change, consider the opportunities this program offers.  Many of the students that recently took this class took the class to fill an elective and by the end of the program were very glad that they did.

As we learn so much from our professors and the hands on experiences in life, this is one course that helps you promote all of your skills in the best manner.  Consider the possibility of rounding out your education with the one class that can truly prepare you for the future, the future of employment and your career.

For additional information for this course, please contact the Communication Department, Dr. DeSanto at bdesanto@maryville.edu or Dr. Carver at clcarver@maryville.edu.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is back for the presumably final installment of the “American Pie” series.  Jim and Michelle are married and have a young son, Oz (Chris Klein) is a celebrity sportscaster, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a whipped househusband, Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) reportedly backpacks all over the world, and Stifler (Seann William Scott) is stuck at the bottom of the corporate totem pole.

The guys may be at different points in their lives, but some things really do not change.  Jim is the same reasonable one who intentionally gets himself into trouble, and Stifler is the same crude, fun-loving buffoon.  They may be too old for house parties, but the gang still finds a way to stir up some drama in East Great Falls.

The problems this time aren’t as juvenile as an embarrassing video gone viral; grown up issues of marriage, friendship and overall change take charge.  This does not mean that the boys do not deal with the new problems the same way they always have: with crude humor, sexual awkwardness and a lot of apologies.

If you love the old movies of yesterday, you will fall in love with “American Reunion” today.  The acting and comedy are just as they have always been.  The actors may have aged 13 years, but their humor has not changed at all.  If you have watched all of the other movies, “American Reunion” is the movie for you.

Overall Rating: A

We live in a world dictated by labels: PG, PF-13, R. There are ratings slapped on to the cover of everything from video games, to music, to movies, each one dictating the age range for which said piece of entertainment is suitable. These ratings provide a valuable insight into the morals and values of our society and can help show what people value as being important to protect their children from.

Enter “The Hunger Games”, the recent blockbuster phenomenon that has had people lining up at midnight to see it in recent weeks. This innocuous phenomenon has been branded with a rather kid friendly PG-13 label, allowing for a very large audience range. However, this begs the question and the point of this article, is this movie truly acceptable for 13-year-olds? After all, the entire premise of the movie is based around the ritualized tradition of mortal combat to the death of 24 teens.

Which is interesting because almost any video game containing violence, and certainly any involving killing, is slapped with a mature (17+) rating almost indiscriminately. This is done because people believe that seeing this violence played out on their home televisions by their controllers may cause children to become desensitized towards violence or may cause them to commit violent acts. While it may be sound reasoning I have yet to see any 10-year-old, after playing Grand Theft Auto, carjack someone, run over pedestrians, and go on a killing spree.

Yet the video game’s rating provides an interesting foil to the ratings systems of the music and more importantly, the movie industry. For some reason in the movie industry killing is okay. Horror movies featuring gore and dismemberment is okay because, presumably, the children realize that what they are watching isn’t real. However, the moment the “f-bomb” or other crude and offensive language is used, the movie is slapped with an R rating. Such is the case with the movie “Bully”, which features a documentary on a young boy as he struggles with social stigmatization and bullying. Yet “The Hunger Games”, a movie about the ritualistic sport like killing of teenagers, is deemed appropriate for audiences of 13.

This is what I have contention with, is this irregularity. So to answer the point of this article, no I do not believe that “The Hunger Games” is acceptable for 13-year-olds to watch, not unless “Bully” is also deemed fit to be viewed by the same demographic. Currently we live in a society that will condone its children to watch teens be slaughtered in mass, yet we will not allow them to watch a documentary about bullying because it contains offensive language.

So, in short, if you are worried about the age-appropriateness of a movie in regards to your child, don’t blindly listen to the ratings board; view it yourself first, question your own morals, and then decide on your own whether the movie is appropriate for your children.

Announced to have an unspecified release date of “some time next year”, the successor to both the X-box 360 and the PS3 will be locked down tight to prevent any possible forms of game piracy. Which, a decrease in piracy means an increase in revenue, which means either increased quality or lower prices, potentially. However, while on the outside it would appear that there are no downsides to legitimate gamers, this new generation of gaming hardware will fundamentally change the way games are bought, sold, played, and shared. And most likely it will be for the worst.

Why this will be bad for gamers everywhere:

1-    You can’t sell your game back.

One of the main ways that Sony is planning on battling pirating is by tying each game to a specific code, which will be kept on your PlayStation alone. This means that if you lend out your game to your friend they will be unable to access most to all of its content. So for video game night you have to bring more than just your video game, you have to bring your whole system. However it is worse than that

2-    No more discount games.

One of the ways kids, especially broke college kids, afford video games is to wait until a month or so after the game is released and then buy a used copy at a much discounted price. This provides the consumer with a cheaper copy of the game and provides companies such as game stop with an extra revenue stream. Take that revenue stream away and stores will have to mark up prices on new games even more in order to make any profit.

3-    Possessing what you have bought.

Video game developers are trying to move away from physical media such as disks while can be traded around for no additional profit for them, and instead are trying to have games be purely downloadable. This has two ramifications; it would end the sharing of video games entirely, and more importantly…

4-    They can take away your right to play their game.

For any reason at any time, the company can choose to take away your right to play a certain game. After all, you no longer have purchased the game, you have purchased the right to run the game simulation, and they can revoke that right if they please. Yes, once the physical media has left our hands, companies can completely lock us out of our own games at any time, for any reason.

So what can you do about it?

Unfortunately, not much can be done. Unless you entirely opt out of buying a new video game console there isn’t much of a way around the system.

As a fan of the series who read all three books in three days, I can honestly say I could not wait for this movie to be released although I was worried the film wouldn’t do the book justice.

The first novel in a three book series by Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games transports readers into the nation of Panem, which lies in the ruins of what was once North America. Within Panem lies twelve districts which are mandated by the Capitol to send a teenage boy and girl as tributes to compete in the Hunger Games as a punishment from a past uprising against the government. The Hunger Games take place in an arena and are a televised fight to the death, where only one tribute can remain. The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a tribute from District 12 as she fights for survival in the 74th Hunger Games.

The movie starts off slow, letting viewers adjust in the world of Panem before the hectic Hunger Games commence and the action never lets up. Following somewhat close with the book, leaving a few minor characters and conversations out, The Hunger Games brings unique cinematography and acting to the screen to play out the best selling story.

Jennifer Lawrence, who plays heroine Katniss Everdeen, captures the heart of the audience with her portrayal of the rough and tough tribute who is fighting to survive. Her two ridiculously attractive love interests Gale and Peeta (played by Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson respectively) not only compliment her on screen with their honest and true character portrayals but also the hearts of every female in the audience. These three somewhat unknown actors are not overshadowed, but complimented by the likes of stars such as Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Lenny Kravitz.

If you haven’t read the books, have no fear, the movie clearly tells the story and leaves nothing out. Just be prepared to rush to the nearest book store to purchase the series.

If you have read the books, you should also have no fear. Just as with Twilight and Harry Potter the movie can’t perfectly follow every detail of the book. But with The Hunger Games I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I know I wasn’t, I had goosebumps half of the 2hr. and 22min. movie, I was so excited to see everything I had read come to life.

If you were not part of the sold out crowds at midnight, be sure to see it this weekend, but buy your tickets early, they are sure to sell out and you’re not going to want to miss out on seeing the movie everyone is bound to be talking about!

If you saw the movie at midnight or opening day let me know in the comments below what you thought!

Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!