Several summers ago, I needed a new book to read. One of my friends suggested the Stephanie Plum series. Eighteen books later, I’m still hooked. So I was quite excited to find out that One for the Money, the first book in the series, was being made into a movie.

Starring Katherine Heigl as main character Stephanie Plum, One for the Money was one of the more faithful book adaptations to make it to the big screen. The plot centers around Plum, an out-of-work lingerie buyer from an exceedingly Italian neighborhood in Trenton, New Jersey. At dinner, she tells her parents that she had been laid off- six months earlier. Having had her car repossessed and receiving an eviction notice, Plum is in serious need of cash. So her parents suggest she get a job with her cousin Vinny (John Leguizamo), a bail bondsman . Intending to get a filing job, Stephanie soon finds herself doing skip traces. Knowing nothing about the bounty hunting business, she sets her sights on the file that promises to bring in the most money- Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara), her high school nemesis turned police officer, who is wanted for murder. It very quickly becomes apparent that catching Morelli is more than Plum can handle, so office manager Connie sends her looking for bounty hunger extraordinaire Ranger (Daniel Sunjata) for help.

After Plum makes several failed attempts to drag Morelli to the police station, he makes a deal with her- he’ll go to the police and let her collect the reward if she helps him prove his innocence. At first she’s not sure that Morelli realty is innocent, but agrees to entertain the idea as a possible way to make her rent. As they begin to piece things together, it becomes clear to her that Morelli really is innocent, and they begin to form an awkward sort of friendship that has the hints of physical attraction dating back to high school. Although it never gets that far, and they alternate between hating each other and cooperating to reach their shared goal, there is an underlying possibility that things will go further.

The actors in the movie are well-cast as their counterparts in the book, and for the most part felt familiar for anyone who has read the books. Heigl is a believable Plum, though at times she seems to move in and out of her Italian-girl-from-Jersey accent. At first, O’Mara doesn’t strike me as the best choice for Morelli, but he gets better as the film goes on. There is definitely chemistry between Heigl and O’Mara that goes a little bit past that of the first book, but alludes to events that take place later in the series. Sunjata is a good choice for Ranger, a tough guy who has a bit of a soft side. Though the movie never brings Ranger and Morelli face to face, it does set up their relationship as two men who don’t like each other but respect each other, and share the common goal of helping Plum stay safe as she stumbles upon information that makes her a target for the bad guys.

The main difference between the book and the film version is that the movie moves much more quickly, and there are definitely parts of the book that did not make it into the movie. At first the film shows Plum’s ineptitude as a bounty hunter, but has her developing skills like shooting a gun and picking a lock much sooner than she does in the book. Some of the humor that accompanies her follies in the book is lost in the film, though the film does have some of the same laugh-out-loud moments as the book. The characters are rather well represented in the film, though they lack some of the depth that they have in the book.

For me, one of the main drawbacks to books being made into movies is that they tend to be quite different from their original version. But all in all, One for the Money was an enjoyable film that stayed true to the book that made it possible. It had to be hard to fit all of the action that took place in the book into 106 minutes, but it stayed true to the book and to the characters that I have come to know. I’m still partial to the books, but I was sad when the movie ended, as I wanted to see the characters catch up to where they are 18 books later. I don’t know if there are any plans to make any more of the books in the series into movies, but if there are, I know I will be seeing them. If you are a Stephanie Plum fan, you have to see the movie.

The Tuskegee Airmen are probably the most famous group of people that overcame racism and prejudice in the Second World War. Being black prohibited them to fight for their country in a big way. They were forced into menial tasks while the white pilots were given the big missions. However, through persistence they were eventually given the opportunity to fight. They were given new planes, to which the tails were painted red. They were known as the “Red Tails.”

In 1995 an HBO movie, The Tuskegee Airmen, was made in honor of these brave men. It was met with positive reviews. About 16 years later, another movie was made called Red Tails. This movie, though inspiring, feels mediocre, leaving the feeling that it could have been much more.

The plot is a simple one: Tuskegee pilots are being discriminated against, so their commanding officer tries to make things right. He gets his wish; the airmen prove their worth and they are regarded as heroes. The problem is that they add two sub-plots, one being completely unnecessary and the other being under-developed.

The first sub-plot involved a romance between David Oyelowo’s character and a local Italian woman played by Daniela Ruah. I have nothing against romance plots, but this was an unnecessary addition. This added nothing to the struggles of the airmen.

The movie was about men overcoming adversity in the military, not mixing it up with the locals. If anything, the relationship between Oyelowo’s and Nate Parker’s character should have been explored more considering they were at odds with each other at times.

The other sub-plot involved Tristan Wilds’ character being shot down and captured by Germans. He was sent to a POW camp where he became part of an escape plan lead by some soldiers looking to escape the camp. There were only two scenes in this movie that depicted this and personally I felt it should have been explored more.

I liked the action scenes. They were rather well done. You get the feeling of being up in the midst of the fighting with the pilots themselves. Given it was produced by George Lucas, the dogfights portrayed have a Star Wars quality to them. The movie thrilled at the right moments and the visuals were well done and environments portrayed beautifully.

The acting did not impress. They played their parts competently enough to where they’re believable, but in the case of character development it was lacking.

Only three actors’ characters, Parker, Oyelowo  and Wilds, were examined deeper than at face value in the movie and ironically the two main actors, Terrance Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr., were not given any real development. Howard’s character focused mainly on getting equal representation and Gooding just made some hollow impassioned speeches and went over briefings.

The dialogue borders on plain. Grante,d during a dogfight it’s supposed to be short and sweet, that’s understandable. However, outside the dogfight scenario it’s pretty weak and at times cliché.

Red Tails attempted at inspiring the masses, but fell flat doing it. The action sequences and barely competent acting do not make up for the other flaws: the scarce character development, and unnecessary and underdeveloped sub-plots.

Around the same time everyday, throughout the whole year, our campus booms with harps and bells coming from the Davidson Hall tower.

Everyone has heard it, whether it has brought them complete joy or has annoyed them as they walk through campus to class.

It can be assumed that up in the tower, a series of bells in collide with one another creating the famous melodies such as the “Nutcracker Suite” or “Brahm’s Lullaby,” but that is not the case.

“The Singing Tower,” made by the Verdin Company, has been on campus for more than 20 years with two different versions being purchased.

This electronic device can be found in an ordinary, locked closet in Davidson Hall and with just a push of a button, music is sent up to “horn-type” speakers that are located in the tower above.

Scott McKenna, director of Operational Logistics and Event Management has been overseeing the system for some time, operating the music box and updating it when needed.

“It’s really, really simple,” said McKenna next to the electronic device. “It’s simply a digital recording device that you program and it sends up to a speaker that is in the tower. You are just hearing a harp and bell combination.”

McKenna keeps an updated schedule of class times for the semester to determine just when he wants to set off the device. McKenna is able to do that by just a click of his mouse in his office.

“It adds a sense of ambiance to the campus,” said McKenna.

Although it may sound like the same songs are played every day, McKenna said that they are not. In his office, McKenna has a book full of hundreds of songs selected  by the music department and other committees on campus.

“It plays songs seasonally,” said McKenna. “However, out of the blue the “Nutcracker Suite” will start playing in the summer as well as a lullaby during finals, it’s all in good fun. It may seem like the same songs are played everyday, but they are different each day with the device going through the long list of songs.”

Aside from its daily schedule, McKenna will toll the bell for major events, in which he simply overrides the system by pressing a button.

McKenna also commented on how realistic the bells sound, even though it is just an electronic system.

“The quality of the sound is great,” said McKenna. “I haven’t changed it or updated it because of its fine quality.”

“The fact that it is just a bell is just odd, I thought that it would be a bell,” said Adam Goldstein, a senior. “To hear that it is a musical box kind of cheapens it for me. If I had a few more years here I’d even volunteer to ring the bells myself. I figured it would be easier to have regular bells, but maybe not.”

James McGowan, also a senior, said that he accepted that it is an electronic device due to how digitalized everything is in current society.

“The way that technology is now and how advanced it has become, it is probably a lot easier that it is computerized so it can be easier to manage it,” said McGowan. “It makes more sense now to have this box rather than a rusty old clock tower. The only weird thing is that Davidson is an old building and you would expect there to be bells.”

It’s hard to describe what Crave was without telling what it wasn’t. There was no scenery and no setting. No props. No color. The Black Box Theatre in Maloney Hall was just that: black. The costumes? Black shirts and black pants. It was visually simplistic, but mentally and verbally turbulent.

Eve Galanis’ take on Sarah Kane’s look at human guilt, desire and grief, to go along with countless other psychological issues, was nothing short of gut-wrenching.

The cast was limited to four actors, each of whom conveyed a different kind of passion in the way they spoke, moved and interacted with the others.

Audience members were completely fixated on the intertwining dialogue that the characters titled “A, B, C and M” were able to recite without hesitation. It was this skill that vaulted the production from chaos to a study on the inner workings of societal minds.

Crave was driven by strong performances from Ally Brown, Julia Idarola, Conor Moran and Ed Moreno. Their stage personalities were each unique, but the audience didn’t get bogged down by trying to decipher these differences and could embrace each of them, without truly understanding any of them, through the emotions they explored.

The script wasn’t for the faint of heart, and this was echoed by the warning signs posted in the theater lobby. With that being said, too often a production shies away from taboo subjects and ends up skirting the real issues in our lives and minds.

Moran, who played Creole in Antigone, was up to his usual, high level of emotional conveyance. His words are piercing at times, but at others you can feel his humility and the overwhelming burden that his life puts on him. This is a standard that he’s set for himself throughout his rise in the theater department.

There are seldom times that an audience winces at the thought and sight of a female taking advantage of a male. It’s often hard to do this with any sense of believability. Brown took the notion of an “alpha-male” and turned it upside-down. She was pushing Moran, her counterpart in the show, into sexual acts and making him look like a second-class citizen. Based upon how strong of an actor he is, it took a dominating performance from Brown to make this work. It did.

In his first performance as director, Ed Moreno, who plays “A,” spits out his, what must have been, paragraphs of script without breaking a sweat. The fact that he is in his freshman year at CCSU tells us that he’s going to have a great career to watch on stage. His character is the main source of disdain for the last member of the cast. A co-star whom he loved and then raped on stage.

Finally was Idarola, but in no regard was she least. In fact, her acting skills may have been shown off in the most unique way; she was the most visual. There was a segment, that seemed like it painfully went on forever, where her character, “C,” is listening to “A” describe the ways that he loves her. You’d think this would be a good thing, but it drives her crazy. You can tell she feels smothered and wants nothing to do with that, even though she doesn’t have to say it until after she’s made it obvious to the audience with her facial expressions and body language. This was hard to watch, but for the tone of this production that was a good thing.

Kane’s works have a reputation for being hard to watch. That isn’t due to the fact that they are not artistic and beautiful in their own way, but because they always include subject matter that makes the audience cringe. Galanis was able to take this production and make it her own, but she also made sure to never hold anything back. On that Friday night, a firm punch to the psychological gut was just what the viewing audience needed.

Mindy Kaling was born for comedy. At least she is 100 percent certain that she was. With the release of her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), Kaling makes it known to the world that she’s made her mark on the comedic industry, and that she isn’t planning on going anywhere.

Kaling, 32, is most renowned for her work on the famous TV sitcom The Office, in which she plays Kelly Kapoor. She is also an Emmy-winning writer and director for the show. She broke into the industry by portraying Ben Affleck in a play titled Matt & Ben in 2003, which she co-wrote with friend and roommate Brenda Withers.

From the second you start reading her book, Kaling will have you laughing out loud. Her recount of her own rise to fame is full of humility thanks to her ability to laugh at her own flaws. Her style of writing is whimsical and quirky, with no real plot or outline, but it fits her outgoing personality.

Kaling brings us the details of her many different lives, including the child of immigrant workers, a broke college roommate who cries too much, a writer of plays and a TV star and director. It seems impossible that a woman this successful could joke about not being able to fit into a size 1 dress at a photo shoot or about going for runs only so she can come up with elaborate revenge plans… but she can, and you will love her for it.

What a refreshing experience it was to learn that Kaling also takes narcissistic photos on her Blackberry and thinks men shouldn’t get their chests waxed. There are so many women role models in Hollywood that, to put it simply, should not be. Her ability to openly admit to millions that her favorite food is a cupcake and that she will eat one whenever she damn pleases puts her at the top of my hero list.

Amidst all of the feel good moments, she does hit a few serious topics like her experiences with bullying and her struggle for years to get a job she didn’t hate, but thanks to her undying need to make people laugh, you can easily see she is better for them.

“I wrote this book in a way that reflects how I think. Sometimes its an essay or story, and sometimes it’s a pliest, which is a piece with a list-y quality, a term I’ve just made up,” she said in the book.

Whichever way she’s telling her life story, I’m sure anyone reading it would be able to enjoy and relate to it. If not, then maybe you can at least learn to take yourself a little less seriously. If you can’t laugh at your self, then you will never be able to take constructive criticism, one of the many things Mindy Kaling preaches throughout Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Porn. It’s all over the place. It’s on the Internet, On-Demand, in video stores and in magazines at your local gas station. In some countries it’s on page three of your daily newspaper. It’s almost impossible to Google search anything these days with out at least one picture of a penis popping up on your screen. Porn is one of those things that isn’t going to go away. I think most people would agree that a large majority of the male population watch porn on a semi-regular basis, and if that does not apply, then they have at least watched porn once in their life.

But it isn’t just guys. Every young woman I interviewed admitted (as if guilty) that they have watched porn. What is the big deal? Most said it was out of pure curiosity, trying to figure out why guys liked porn so much. After meeting a friend for lunch, she told me her thoughts on the subject. “Now I know where guys get all these crazy ideas from when it comes to sex! Don’t they know that it’s totally ridiculous to expect that a girl would do these things during real sex? There is a reason porn stars get paid to do their job…”

Perhaps she has a point. When guys watch porn, does it raise their level of expectations when it comes to having sex with someone? Perhaps, but I do not think all men are guilty of this. Porn delivers the sexual excitement that men need, because they do have different sexual needs than women. Most guys know that the porn they watch and enjoy is not what their partner would be interested in.

Let’s take a moment to turn the interrogation lamp around and take a look at women and their own porn habits. One of the largest misconceptions about porn is that you have to watch it. But what about those romance novels that many females like to read? You find yourself getting a faster heart rate when you start reading about your leading lady and her man in a situation where they are alone and there is a bed nearby. Do you think that reaction is any different from a guy who stumbles across a tempting porn video? No.

Who is to say that the books we read and the romantic comedies we watch don’t make us females raise the standards bar for men? I know I am always hoping that the leading man in my life will one day have some corny proposal and then whisk me off to Paris to get married. Newsflash, we are broke and paying off college loans. It isn’t going to happen. Just like most guys know that there is no chance you would agree to have a three-some on the home plate at Fenway.

There are many couples in the world that have had serious issues when it comes to porn. Either the guy is watching something that completely disturbs his significant other, or his lady is a total prude and will not allow him to watch porn under any circumstance because its “emotional cheating.” From what I have learned over the past week, the easiest way to level the playing field is to watch it together, and take the mystery out of it. Ladies, if your man is watching porn, and it stops you from sleeping at night, then talk to him about it. Ask him why he likes to watch porn and what is so appealing about it. You may find that he just feels lonely, and that watching porn takes away from the fact that having sex in real life is uncertain and can cause a lot of stress. You may find that he has unfulfilled sexual desires, and if you are not comfortable with helping him fulfill them, then try not to get mad when he goes for the next best option. I’m quite sure if he could do that kinky stuff in real life he would not be sitting in front of his computer.

When Amazon announced the Kindle Fire many analysts thought the device would be the “iPad Killer.” What arrived didn’t disappoint consumers, but it sent a warning to competitors, including Barnes & Noble and their Nook e-reader, a device that competed directly with Amazon’s Kindle.

B&N went on the offensive and launched the Nook Tablet (NT) in November, a device similar to the previously released Nook Color, which ran a forked version of Google’s popular mobile operating system, Android, which had been on the market for a year.

In design, the Nook does not differ from the Color too much. The tablet measures in at 8 x 5 x .5 inches and weighs about 14 ounces. The screen is 7 inches with a resolution of 1024 x 600. The frame has an angled corner to resemble a turning page, a keychain holster and a textured back.

B&N overpowered their Nook in comparison to Amazon’s Fire. For example, the Nook has a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. The touch-screen is designed for multiple touches and can display upwards to 16 million colors, capable of HD display. It also boasts a battery live of 11 hours.

The software, which is the most frustrating part of the tablet, runs a forked version of Google’s Android. It has been extremely stripped down, and one cannot access the Android Market. The B&N Store is the replacement, but its applications are second rate, pricey and badly designed. The web browser is the same browser one sees in other Android devices. It takes advantage of the new HTML5, CSS3 and other internet technologies advances with support for Youtube and other video websites. One of the cool things about the Nook is the native support for Netflix and Hulu Plus.

While it does boast an impressive 16 GBs of internal memory, only 1 GB is available for user data. The other 14 GB are available for content purchased from the B&N Store.

The Nook Reader, used to read books on the device, has a lot of good implementations like highlighting, note taking and bookmarking; while also providing support for proprietary formats such as PDF and DOC. However, using the application itself is pretty annoying. The software reacts slowly to finger placement while reading documents. While trying to highlight a passage, I’d place my finger on top of the first word, which it would recognize, but as I dragged the finger to select the passage, the software only highlighted the very first word.

The Settings application, used to customize the device’s software, is the most infuriating settings screen in any device I own. It gives you two options, Device Settings and App Settings. The former contains important options like wireless, power and sound settings. The Nook can be locked, but specific apps cannot be locked. Finally, the keyboard settings do not even allow you to change the look of your keyboard.

The App Settings section does not add much to the device. Here the wallpaper can be changed, and Netflix can be configured, but that is as far as it goes. You can also add your credit card information to the B&N Store, but it cannot be encrypted.

The way you approach this buy is important. One, you can buy it as a book reader and not be bothered by the nuances aforementioned. Two, you can buy a cheap tablet and go through heavy software modifications in order to make it work like a tablet. The Nook is a hybrid between an e-reader and a tablet. Yes, you can watch videos, surf the web and read books, but you cannot access the Android Market to download software to organize meetings and keep track of your schedule.

Battery life is extremely impressive for the device. It does last 11-hours while reading ebooks. However, I have installed two games and many other battery draining apps, and it has lasted the whole day without dying. It has one of the better battery lives on the market.

Is It worth $249? Yes. Honestly, the powerful processor and amount of RAM this tablet offers is extremely impressive, especially for the price. While non-tech-savvy people will not notice any difference between the Nook and the Kindle Fire, others may take note.

It is not imperative to buy this tablet, but if you had to choose between an e-reader and a tablet, this is highly recommended. If you are debating between a CRUZE Tablet worth$500 and the Nook, depending on whether you want the camera, I suggest the Nook based on the price.

The Nook is not an Apple iPad killer. Apple has found the formula for a successful tablet. I don’t expect the Android OS to kill it off either because it is too open, too flexible to compete against the iOS and iPad. Microsoft will take their chances next year with the release of Windows 8 and we’ll have to wait until then to see the real iPad killer. But, if what you have in mind is an iPad alternative, the Nook is a strong choice.

The release of a black and white, silent film in the 21st century would seem eccentric and perhaps fruitless to most modern day directors, but to Michel Hazanavicius it was just what film lovers and critics needed to see.

After being nominated for 6 Golden Globes, The Artist won Best Motion Picture for Musical/Comedy, Best Actor for Musical/ Comedy and Best Original Score, and was one of only two movies that had multiple wins (The Descendents won Best Picture for Drama, and George Clooney won Best Actor for Drama).

Hazanavicius wrote and directed The Artist to echo the style used in the 1920’s. The movie was shot in the 1.33-33 “Academy Ratio” just as in the silent film era, because Hazanavicus considered it perfect for actors because it gave them “a power, a purpose, and a strength,” so much that they occupy most of the screen.

The Artist is set in the late 1920-1930’s in which Jean Dujardin portrays silent movie star George Valentin and Berenice Bejo plays Peppy Miller. While standing outside of a movie premier, our two lovers meet by chance when Peppy Miller accidentally bumps into Valentin while he is taking photos.

The next day’s papers have headlines reading “Who’s that Girl?” and Miller takes advantage of her 15 minutes of fame by auditioning for a role as a dancer on a movie set, which Valentin just happens to also be working on.  They bump into each other again and Valentin insists that Miller have a part in his movie, convincing his boss Al Zimmerv (John Goodman) that she is the next big thing.

Soon afterward, Miller is up and on her way to being a huge star and Zimmer drops a bomb on Valentin. The end of silent films. Valentin finds himself without a job, without any friends and in the middle of the Great Depression.

The Artist is hands down the best on-screen romance I have ever seen (yes, ladies that includes Titanic) and considering its dozens of nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score, the rest of the worlds film critics would agree with me.

Jean Dujardin’s portrayal of George Valentin has been compared to that of Gene Kelly, which would explain why he won a Golden Globe. Kelly’s quality work set the bar for many actors in modern cinema.

Let’s not forget the qwirky and loveable Peppy Miller played by Bejo (who is also married to Hazanavicius). Her role as the up-and-coming competition and love interest for Valentin has a great combination of comedic relief and pure heart-felt moments that make you wish you knew a real guy like George.

Walking into this movie I was worried (as I’m sure most others would be) that the lack of dialogue between characters would bore me. However, I found that using my imagination to fill in the void of the “talkies” kept the movie moving at a comfortable pace, and made me appreciate the cinematography for what the film really was, a work of art.

After years in the scene with multiple collaborations with the likes of Kid Cudi and Afrojack, Steve Aoki finally released his debut album, Wonderland. The album which features many solo artists on its songs is a perfect mixture of club, electronica and dubstep, with sure fire hits such as  “Emergency” featuring Lil’ Jon; and “Livin’ My Love” with LMFAO and Nervo.

The album runs at about 50 minutes with twelve tracks, the longest clocking in at 6:53 minutes. Wonderland does not necessarily make a splash with its opening track, “Earthquakey People” which features Rivers Cuomo of Weezer fame. The music in the song does not stand out either; it borders between trance and dubstep without ever truly delving into either. It is a song pulled from techno limbo as the staccato leads do not truly stand out from the bass, and the sampled drums feel to have come from a recording of a garage band, not a techno producer.

Aoki, however, redeems himself quickly with “Dangerous.” The track features will.i.am as ‘Zuper Blahq’. The song feels saturated as will.i.am’s auto-tuned voice almost works as vocals and a type of lead. What stands out is Aoki’s ability in dubstep as the bass drums keep coming without the audience feeling overwhelmed. Surprisingly, the song can be quite catchy and definitely one used at parties. It blends well with the rest of the album, and while will.i.am’s saturated voice will be sure to annoy you, the song redeems itself with catchy riffs and chord progressions.

“Emergency” with Lil’ Jon & Chiddy Bang and “Livin’ My Love” with LMFAO & Nervo, are the most entertaining songs on the album. Lil Jon only says “emergency” throughout his cameo, but his traditional “yeaaah,” and “let’s go” makes it fun, catchy and uplifting. His raspy voice resonates throughout the three and a half minute song but never gets old. The following song, “Livin’ My Love” is just another one of LMFAO’s party anthems. The song follows a very basic structure of trance, build up and bass drop, to keep itself going and while it feels old and boring in other productions, in this song it blends as background noise because LMFAO’s silly lyrics are what you are paying the most attention to, not the music itself. Which almost feels like the opposite of what an album does, but honestly, the music does not truly stand out in this song.

The best song in the album, “The 80’s” featuring Angger Dimas, is the eighth track and also the longest song. Here we can here all of Aoki’s current influences, mainly Afrojack and R3hab. It begins with a basic 4/4 drum loop with nothing else backing it up other than white noise. Then following 30 seconds of loops, it goes into a simple arpeggio and staccato combined lead that sounds childish, cute and funny. The drums build up and a dirty-electro bass rips through the song, its pitch going up and down wildly. The song continues with this formula for its six minutes with a combination of lead and bass somewhere in the middle, akin to his Afrojack collaboration, “No Beef”.

Finally, we reach the tenth track of the album “Cudi the Kid” featuring Kid Cudi, the last track to truly stick out from the rest of the pack. Kid Cudi kills it with his pot-related rhymes and stories, but Aoki creates the best drum and bass dubstep song from the album. The first minute contains a 90′s inspired drum and bass loop which builds up to a ripping saw bass that builds up and down as if a tree were being cut. Cudi’s lyrics work extremely well with the song, although his auto-tuned voice may not be one everyone likes. The song then goes into a quick slow break where Cudi repeats the chorus, with the drum and bass loop slowly rising in the back, as it eventually leads to a build up that goes into the dubstep saw bass, with the only difference being the drum and bass loop being mixed into the dubstep.

The rest of the album feels like it cannot follow up with what came before, as it is all ‘bro’step, the annoying cousin of dubstep. It just contains a lot of drops. Rob Roy raps in one of the songs, sounding a little too much like Eminem’s “Slim Shady”-era singing, but it sounds too silly, too dumb to be enjoyed. The album ends soon after without notice, it pretty much ends.

The production overall is not necessarily the best, or a Grammy contender, but it does have its really good ups, however, its down are far too painful to be forgiven. In this case, nevertheless, we must, because the majority of songs are catchy electronica songs that adhere to the formula we know and love. We can expect many of these song to be remixed and used at the clubs, as Steve Aoki’s Wonderland is a fun, and worth buying production.

The “Millennium” Film Trilogy, an adaption of three Stieg Larsson novels, were first filmed in his native Sweden in 2009 by Danish director Niels Arden. All three movies were released to critical acclaim. Arden’s faithful adaption of the books satisfied fans of Larsson’s novels, who saw the methodical and blatant Mikael Blomkvist come to life along with the series’ main character, the mysterious genius Lisbeth Salander. However, Arden’s adaption did not alienate those who had not read the book; in fact, if one did not know the source of this movie, one could possibly mistake it for just another crime thriller.

Nevertheless, foreign masterpieces need to be adapted by Hollywood and the job of the men in charge of the American adaption of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” fell to the hands of director David Fincher and screenwriter Steven Zaillian. Fincher is known for his “Best Director” films The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Social Network; and Zaillian for his “Best Screenplay” award for Schindlers’ List. The end result is a production that can be classified as a “masterpiece” but does not fulfill the expectations set by the original book version.

Zaillian did not take many liberties with the writing of the movie and so the plot remains largely the same as the Swedish version. The main characters, Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, are portrayed by Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Dream House), and Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Social Network) respectively. After losing a high profile libel lawsuit brought against him by businessman Hans-Erik Wennerstrom,  Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to solve the 40 year old case of his murdered niece, Harriet Vanger—under the cover that Blomkvist is writing a biography on Henrik.

Meanwhile, Wennerstrom hired computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, through her employers, to find anything they can use against Blomkvist. However, Salander’s report finds Blomkvist to be a clean person. Against her company’s, policy she begins investigating the man who hired her.

The two characters meet when Blomkvist asks for an assistant, and the lawyer of Henrik Vanger suggests Salander after telling Blomkvist how Wennestrom used her, and how the Vanger family came to know of him, through her report. Blomkvist eventually convinces Salander to work with him, and the rest of the story moves on from there.

However, there is a second story being deployed along with the primary plot, and that is Salander’s personal life as she goes from one caretaker to another. After her first caretaker suffers a pulmonary embolism, she is placed with Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen). Bjurman is a rapist, and uses his position of power over Salander to force her into sexual acts. She retaliates against him, and eventually takes control of her own life, along with his life, after he sodomizes her and she records it.

While the plot truly drives the movie forward in its original adaption, it is the acting that does it in the American version. Craig produces another great performance with his serious, tactless and sometimes overly sarcastic demeanor. Mara on the other hand remains largely quiet, mysterious and smart but apprehensive and cunning. A strong point in the film is the way that the weaknesses of some characters are the strength of the others. Blomkvist can be a little too trusting, while Salander does not trust her own shadow. But it is this openness that allows Blomkvist to make connections that Salander would otherwise have missed.

The supporting characters cannot be forgotten. Yorick van Wageningen does too good of a job as an antagonist, his portrayal of a rapist feeling a little too real, almost uncomfortably real. Stellan Skarsgard, who portrays Martin Vanger, does a chilling job as a warm person hiding a painful and horrible secret in his enigmatic mind. Those with smaller roles act as if their life were at stake. For example, Geraldine James painfully portrays Cecilia Vanger, one of the estranged Vanger heirs, as an unsympathetic, selfish woman. In all, the supporting characters give essence to the spine created by Craig and Mara.

The cinematography is top notch as well. There is a great balance between shots of the characters and the setting without ever truly overwhelming you with either. Sweden is a beautiful place, and the camera team truly captured that beauty. The snow that covers the country looks dangerously beautiful while the architectural design of the city reminds you of a gothic vampire movie. The movie does not make Sweden look like the best place to live in, however, as the overcast weather reigns throughout and precipitation makes up the majority of the visible water in the movie.

Overall, the movie is a Fincher masterpiece. While it is not a shot for shot remake, it does not stray away from the original too much. Of course, there are huge differences that can be noticeable between the original film, the books and this adaption—but only if you have read or seen the original. But, it should satisfy those interested in thrillers, pulps and a different blockbuster that does not have robots, aliens or CGI animation. It may disappoint those who saw the original a little bit, but it does the story justice.