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The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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Does Pitch Perfect 3 Hit the High Note?

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By Claire Jenkins

 

Pitch Perfect 3, otherwise known as the “Last Call, Pitches,” was quite a sinking ship. Whether it be about the over-the-top storyline with strange side stories, or about the song choices in the movie itself, there were many complaints.

The Pitch Perfect franchise is known as a female-driven feel-good comedy movie that puts emphasis on the strength of women and friendship. The first two movies had fulfilling and heartwarming storylines about how Anna Kendrick, as Beca the lead character, helped to push forward and create everlasting friendships. They were feel-good movies that showed the power of friendship, determination, and love. The movies were not focused so much on romantic relationships, although Beca did have a boyfriend for a small amount of time.

In the third movie, everyone went in with high hopes of experiencing yet again the female powerhouse comedy that had such great reviews before. Instead, this time the movie had an outrageous storyline for Rebel Wilson’s character, affectionately deemed Fat Amy, that came out of nowhere. The movie had outrageous actions, explosions, and awkward will-they/won’t-they romance. They threw in a love interest for Brittany Snow’s character, Chloe, that simply did not fit the theme that friendship and sticking together was the most important thing.

Many fans were upset due to the constant teasing of a possible romance between the beloved Beca and her best friend Chloe. The trailers and social media accounts for Pitch Perfect 3 constantly flashed pictures or videos of Brittany Snow and Anna Kendrick in possible romantic situations that never came true in the movie. This is known as “queerbaiting,” and it is a common problem in many movies or TV shows where they throw around the idea of putting two characters of the same sex together simply for more views. They use characters’ sexualities as a way to gain attention, and often don’t properly portray the LGBTQ+ community.

Despite all of the obvious problems in the movies, the actresses make up for it with their talent and charm that so many love. Pitch Perfect 3 was not as well written as the two previous movies, but it was still a heartwarming comedy underneath.

 

Editor: Brennan Nick

Why An iPhone (or any expensive smartphone) Is Worth The Price

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BY Luke Langlois — guy with opinion

 

Apple’s newest phones, the iPhone X and the iPhone 8, were unveiled to the public at their 2017 presentation in September. The new “flagship” device, the X, has sparked a plethora of design nitpicking, debating, or just plain old praise.

 

The one complaint that people tend to agree upon is that the four digit price tag of $1,000 is just too high. Pair this with any Apple Care programs, any other irresistible pieces of tech, and the day-to-day costs of life on Earth, and you’ve got a noticeable absence of money in your bank account.

 

This raises a question for everyone who loves their smartphone: just how much am I going to have to shell out for my new phone every couple of years? Will the prices continue to rise? These are all valid questions. But, my humble opinion is that people have just become spoiled.

 

I don’t mean to call people spoiled as in children who whine and cry; people maybe have just forgotten (or never have lived in) the time before the lightweight and portable phone. If you think your phone is in your pocket, you reach for it and it’s not there, it is worrying to say the least. Our phones are such an amazing luxury. We have all of the world’s information, games, entertainment, connections, productivity, and notes available in our purses or pockets. Not only the functionality of the devices are incredible. The technology in these devices are FANTASTIC.

 

No, I’m not saying you need to shell out for the latest Apple or Samsung product. It will still be difficult to spend so much money on these phones now and in the future. Nevertheless, remembering the ridiculous amount of function and power these devices give you might help make the decision easier.

 

 

Editor: Shelby Armor

It’s Coffee Time: A Review of Java with a Splash of Politics

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By Peter Kadel, Consumer of Caffeine

Recently, I found out about the Black Rifle Coffee Company, a veteran-run-and-owned coffee-roasting operation based out of Utah. Their beans come from South and Central America. The company is owned by Evan Hafer, a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who has been working on his coffee-roasting skills for the past ten years. The company advertises itself as “the world’s premium conservative coffee company.” The BRCC roasts its coffee in small batches. The coffee is made to order. This means that the coffee isn’t made until you order it on their website. Thus, BRCC’s coffee takes a little longer to reach you due to the 2-3 day roasting period. Additionally, shipping takes about 7-10 days, but that is at the lowest cost for shipping. If you are willing to dole out the extra money, it can get there in two days.

BRCC carries a decent variety of coffee with 17 different blends that come in 1 of 4 roast types: light, medium, dark, and extra dark. The available textures are ground or whole bean.

I have tried two of the available blends. The first one was a medium-roast blend called the Fit to Fight blend which has an excellent aroma and decent taste. The coffee was delivered quickly. The blend tasted good. Usually I need to sweeten coffee in addition to adding heavy cream, but with the Fit to Fight Blend and with the Black Buffalo Blend–the second blend I’ve tried–I enjoyed the flavor of the coffee by itself. All it needed was a little cream. Even after I accidentally left the grounds out in the open air for a week, the Black Buffalo Blend kept its rich and full flavor and has not let me down yet. The Fit to Fight Blend had one incident where it began to taste sour as I was drinking it, but I’ve only had that issue once (but that might have been the cream).

Overall, the Black Rifle Coffee Company produces quality coffee that has the same effects on me as every other coffee I’ve had–virtually none. However, that doesn’t mean the coffee won’t offer the caffeinated kick most coffee lovers need to get through their day. While some people may be hesitant to support a company with strong political views, BRCC is not the only coffee company to have a political bias; Starbucks is a nationally recognized coffee chain that has often taken a political stance on various issues, rather than remaining neutral. For years, Starbucks has supported same-sex marriage legislation. And, in February 2017, Starbucks offered to hire 10,000 refugees in reaction to recent immigration legislation. The BRCC, in response to Starbucks, stated it wants to hire “veterans instead of refugees.” It should be noted that Starbucks also has a 10,000-veteran hiring initiative. The fact of the matter is, you’re voting with your wallet when businesses get political. You don’t have to buy their product. But, do note, BRCC makes some great coffee!

 

 

Referenced:

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-trump-supporters-boycott-starbucks-2017-2

https://www.snopes.com/politics/sexuality/starbucks.asp

Editor: Charles Schnell

Sellout

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By Guest Writer and Music Enthusiast Holden Hartle*

 

What is a sellout? This is a word thrown around quite often in the music world. If an artist or band changes their style of music, they are immediately labelled a sellout. Bands like Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, and Weezer have often received the insult. Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Weezer, even wrote a song about being a sellout entitled “Back to the Shack” (great song, highly recommended). But that can’t be right. What if an artist wants to change their style simply because their interests have changed? According to most people in the Youtube comments, fans don’t care whatsoever.

In the music world, a sellout is attributed to someone who changes their style of music, for the purpose of making more money. Taylor Swift is a prime example of this. I realize I am making some very unpopular claims, but just stay with me. Taylor Swift started off as the sweet, innocent country girl, who wrote songs with her acoustic guitar and sang like an angel. Songs like “Our Song,” “Mean,” and “Sparks Fly” got into the heart of every twelve-year-old girl in America. But then she made a huge change. In October of 2012, Taylor Swift released the album Red. This album hinted at a change to pop music, with songs like “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “22,” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” Then in 2014, Taylor Swift finally announced that she made the switch to pop with her album 1989, featuring songs like “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood,” and “Shake It Off.” Now she has an album set to release on November 10, 2017, entitled Reputation, featuring “… Ready For It,” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”

So, down to the real question, why? Why would she make this sort of change? Well, in every interview I could find on her (which is way more than I wanted to watch), she doesn’t really answer the question. She always finds some way to swerve around the question. This leads us to assume that she did it solely for the money. She saw the money she could make doing pop, and the dollar bill signs started flashing in her eyes. If you compare the sales of 1989 and all of her other albums, 1989 crushes any other album by a staggering 3,000,000 total albums.

So, in essence, this is what the music community calls a “sellout.” It is an insult that means you dropped the sound of your roots in order to make more money. The problem with this insult is that it applies to too many bands who do not deserve it. Who do you think is a sellout?

 

Editor: A.J. Patencio

*The above is the sole opinion of Guest Writer Holden Hartle and does not represent the views of thebirdonfire.org editorial board (in other words, Claire disagrees).

Writing Down the Bones–A Review of an Essential Writing Guide

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Author, poet, and painter Natalie Goldberg

By Charles Schnell

Are you having trouble writing a novel? How about a poem? A play? Perhaps, one of the essays Ms. Zachik, Mr. Griffin, or Dr. Carr has ordered? Don’t worry; Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones is just what you need.  This roughly 200-page book is essentially a guidance counselor for writers. Goldberg has written a practical, anti-textbook that tells you what you want to know and inspires you to write. She details various stages of a writer’s mind in development, ranging from philosophical advice (how to tackle doubt), to practical, simple words of wisdom (don’t think and don’t wait — write).

Goldberg applies her spiritual wisdom to the physical world. When reading the book, it’s almost as if she is there in person, teaching you. And, it’s not as if the book is very long. She says what she wants to say, tells the stories she wants to tell, and does it quickly. Each chapter is about two pages.

A few of my favorite chapters are “A Meal You Love,” “Doubt is Torture,” and “Don’t Tell, but Show.” The first is all about detail and making your words come alive on the page. The second, “Doubt is Torture,” is about what might be the biggest struggle of all artists–DOUBT. Doubt can stem from many things: fear, past failures, or lack of money. Goldberg understands this very well: “Every other month I am ready to quit writing….These thoughts are torture….Doubt is torture….It is a constant test of perseverance.” In this chapter, Goldberg shows how you’re not the only dreamer who doubts. You can overcome. Finally, in the chapter “Don’t Tell, but Show,” Goldberg explains why showing feelings through actions, rather than just stating, is deeper and more real than simply telling, and gives her advice on how to show. Her advice has proven to be really useful.

Of course, all of the chapters in this book are helpful and contain much advice that I cannot simply state in this review. To be honest, you’ll probably learn more from reading this book than taking some writing workshops (although, both are recommended). The book could even function as a refreshing daily meditation on writing, to be read over and over, chapter by chapter.

This and much more is why I appreciate this book, and I highly suggest it for anyone who needs help and is stuck in a seemingly permanent writer’s block (remember, it is not permanent), whether that block be in writing a short story, an English essay, or even a book review for your weekly post on thebirdonfire.org….

 

Editor: Claire Jenkins

 

Goldberg is also an accomplished professional painter.