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f y . *» 17 ‘We’re starting up a brand new Contact. 1 Js MUSIC artist, from HIS CHART-TOPPING SONG _ _ I , „ _ -A BRAND NEW DAY' Story ideas? Questions? Comments? # E-mail us atgamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu — ——— - ... ■ ■ I ",— 1 - .T- • . 1 ^V.v--> | nffifj I %With the start of the spring semester, students look to improve their study habits and GPAs. BY CARRIE GIVENS THE IIAMKCOOK It’s Jan. 12,2004 — the begin ning of yet another semester. So, how were those fall semester final grades? Is everyone blissfully proud of their 4.0 GPA’s? Right. Truthfully, nany students are likely looking br ways to improve upon their last semester scores, anxious to iirprove that all-im portant GPA. For thpse it need of some aca demic improvement, let’s review: ^^Did you follow the advice doled Kut at the President’s ^Convocation’ Did you “Keep up day to day?” Maybe you started out with grand plans — you were going to study, you really were, but somehow you became dis tracted. And before you knew it, it was the night before y#ur biology final and you were reeding chap ter one for the first time. With a new semester comes the chance for those who struggled to . redeem themselves -—<r at least to make a few small improvements. Aside from those who seem to magically absorb knowledge, im proving that GPA reqiires some quality study time. Fq' those who tend to procrastinate, <stablishing a set study time maybe helpful. However, if your problems stem ^^-orn distractions in tts dorm, you ^p;an always change ;our locale when hitting the bools. First-year mathemitics student Guy Boudreaux has ib “set study time,” but he normalT pours over his physics work at he Thomas Cooper Library. AlthAigh he likes to change his “study iabits as he goes,” other students have devel oped set routines. First-year computer engineer ing student Patrick McCormick developed his study habits in high school. He works best when he does “play activities first, and work last” he said. McCormick admitted that this may “not be the best system, but it works for me.” He continued, “In school you are told to do work first, and do fun things later, and then you are doing work forever — you become a better, quicker worker if you do fun stuff first.” Other students study while lis tening to music or the television. Boudreaux usually studies “with out music unless there is loud background noise.” First-year music student Jessica Porterfield listens to mu sic and often watches television while studying. Porterfield says “If I don’t have to use a lot of brain power, I listen to music, but if I’m writing an essay I need total si lence so I can concentrate.” Also, McCormick and Boudreaux both suggested that students not procrastinate. Even though Boudreaux said he works “well under pressure,” he added that it is never a good idea to wait until last minute. McCormick said that during this next semester he is going to “try to pace himself more.” While Boudreaux, McCormick and Porterfield were all pleased with their grades and hope to con tinue doing well, not all students were so happy. One first-year bio chemistry student, who wished to % PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Freshmen Dan Covich studies in the Washington University Law Library in St. Louis, Mo. remain anonymous, has trans ferred to the College of Charleston after having a less-than-pleasing first semester. She warned that “ill-advisement and being in the wrong classes can screw someone up permanently.” Thus, if a class seems too diffi cult or advanced, it may be best to drop it and take the course again after becoming better prepared. Sure, college is not supposed to be easy, but one is also supposed to be able to understand, fully com prehend and learn the material that is presented. After a semester’s worth of ex perience and a refreshing break, students should now be prepared to study harder and smarter. It’s once again time to hit the books. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Movie. Reviev ‘Return’ is king of epic trilogy “RETURN OF THE KUG” ★ ★★★ out of BEN ANGSTAD’ ^PlIKCA.VIKCOCK Every story must lave an end ing, no matter hoi' much we want the tale to forver contin ue. And after twoiong years, Peter Jackson’s tellng of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic Lord>f the Rings trilogy has finall come to a close. “The Return of tie King,” the final film in Jacksm’s trilogy, brings all the glory if the two pre vious movies to a itting close. The intense action Jid dramatic storytelling of thfLord of the Rings trilogy is present all throughout the finl days of the ^Jjattle for Middle-Eoth and helps |H^ake “The Returnof the King” Tie best of the thre<films. “The Return o' the King” opens with a flashbjck to the ear ly days of the One Rng’s tale: the moment when it vas found by the hobbit Smeago, the person that would later 1? known as Gollum. After this fief opening, the story rejoins theieroes of the previous films. oranaau, Aragorrana the otn er warriors from lelms Deep, where the final batle of “The Two Towers” was feight, are on their way to help tl? other peo ples of Middle-Earth having just defeated the armies c the Wizard Saruman. After reuniting with hobbits Merry aid Pippin, Aragom and the restire on their way to Gondor, the last ^to-onghold of humarity. Meanwhile, the ourney of hobbits Sam and Fr»do contin ues, as they are led b' Gollum to their final destination Mordor - home of Mount Doon, the only place where the One ling can be destroyed, sealing tie defeat of the Dark Lord Sauroi “The Return of th< King” fea tures a far greater nunber of bat tle sequences than tie previous Lord of the Rings films- This adds a pleasant twist as the frantic ac tion sequences tha1 wer* sparse PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, leads audiences through his final adventures In “The Return of the King”. throughout the first two films were among their most enjoyable scenes. Even more exciting is that the hobbits, perhaps the most lovable characters of the film trilogy, play a much greater role in the events of “The Return of the King,” even taking up swords and joining in the numerous battles. However, the abundance of battle sequences does facilitate a heavier reliance on computer an imation in the film, in a series that prides itself on the realism of its special effects and scenery. And, in some cases, these com puter graphics become down right laughable: When an army of cursed soldiers aid the human forces in the battle of Gondor, they look more like Mexican jumping bfeans than noble war riors on a battlefield. Plus, at a daunting three and a half hours, the even pacing of events is crucial to “The Return of the King.” Toward the end of the film, however, the four or five mini-endings that close each story line upset the natural flow of the tale. It therefore ends on some what of a frustrating note rather than a purely satisfying one. All things considered, “The Return of the King" moves past its predecessors and brings the trilogy to an exciting and enjoy able close. With such a success, one is left wondering if another much-hyped epic trilogy that will soon come to a close will be able to reach such a triumphant end. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatutes@gwm.sc.edu ‘L’Auberge Espagnole’ offers diverse twist to usual plot BY MEG MOORE TIIK (iAMKCOCK The scheduled fare goes foreign tonight at the Nickelodeon Theatre as the cultural melting pot of a movie, “L’Auberge Espagnole”, hits the local screen. Inspired by the experiences of director Cedric Klapisch’s sister, the film follows exchange student Xavier into the dynamic, ethni cally diverse heart of Barcelona. After a stint as a boarder in a mar ried couple’s apartment, he finds a seemingly ideal situation in an apartment with seven other stu dents. With their varied backgrounds, languages and ideas about life, they make a hodgepodge group. The apartment becomes known as “L’Auberge Espagnole” (literally “the Spanish Inn”), which is French slang for a place void of rules or cultural norms. As can be expected of a group of traveling twenty-somethings in one of Europe’s most happen ing cities, they turn the apart ment into a place of chaotic ex perimentation, where they test their ideas on love, life and future hopes. Amidst the partying, Xavier carries on relationships with three different women including his girlfriend from home, played by “Amelie" star Audrey Tautou. Yet despite his confused and ri otous experiences, he ultimately shares a bond with his varied roommates and returns home a changed person. Klapisch explained in a press release that he strove for origi nality with his characters. “I didn’t want to make caricatures of any European culture,” he said. Instead of developing roles and then finding actors to fill them, he said, “The plot of the film seemed to arise out of the people I met.” Klapisch noted that he was accus tomed to working “in the opposite way,” usually “creating charac ters and then seeking out actors to embody them.” The film was inspired and way.” Through the movie’s main shaped by the city it unfolds in, character, 25-year-old Xavier, he Barcelona. The jumble of cultures said that he attempted to present and individuals in “L’Auberge those uncertainties “in a light and Espagnole” stems from the expe- comic way.” riences and stories, the memories “L’Auberge Espagnole” has be and images related to him by the come a box office smash in France people he met while developing and earned numerous awards at the screenplay. international film festivals, in Klapisch noted that the film ul- eluding five Cesar (the French timately captures what he believes equivalent of an Oscar) nomina are common anxieties: “The tone tions. of the movie expresses the confu- “L’Auberge Espagnole” plays sion of that time when you are 25 tonight at the Nickelodeon years old and you’re not really Theatre, 937 Main St. Showtimes sure what you want to do with are 7 and 9:20 p.m. your life, who to fall in love with, if you should be going to college or learning about life in some other lnitfa ii i f i fypPffffMMj PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK “L’Auberge Espagnole" uses diverse characters to portray the common anxieties Involved In loving, living and growing up.