Author Archives | Joe Murphy

Game of Thrones sets the stage for legendary season

Photo courtesy of HBO

Almost a full year after the bloody events of its fourth season finale, HBO’s epic fantasy phenomenon “Game of Thrones” returned to television this past week, and the death toll shows no sign of slowing. The fifth season premiere sees several story lines begin to collide, a rare occurrence on a show that boasts an ensemble cast spread out over seven fictional kingdoms and two continents. However, with these new characters and plot dynamics come new challenges for our heroes to face; “hero” being a lightly used word in this case, as the line between good and evil on the show has never been more blurred.

The episode begins with a flashback sequence set nearly three decades before the events of the show, something that “Thrones” has never done before and the contents of which certainly do not bode well for the future of a certain King’s Landing resident. Other events include the formation of a devout religious cult among the impoverished commoners of the capital, Tyrion fleeing across the sea after his double homicide of last season, Daenerys losing control of her dragon offspring while at the same time facing a terroristic threat within her own city and Jon trying to establish a peace between two violently stubborn kings.

As far as “Thrones” episodes go, this premiere is not the best hour of television in the show’s history. Essentially, it faces the same problem that many episodes before it have faced, in that it must juggle half a dozen separate story lines within the span of 50 minutes and as a result can only spend a sparse amount of time on each character, with a few action sequences thrown in for good measure. Not to mention the fact that, by the time the credits role, barely half the cast has been fully accounted for; such is the price that the show pays for having such a multi-faceted cast.

The content is as top-notch as ever, and the writing has only improved since the first season, but there is still the ever-present need for more. However, with the present convergence of several characters’ paths (or at least with their convergence in the very near future), this lack of sufficient screen time for certain fan favorites will hopefully be remedied.

As it stands, this first episode may not be so explosive in terms of action and Red Wedding-level plot twists, but it does succeed in moving characters into position for what is sure to be a game-changing season. If the show’s creators are to be believed, then “Thrones” is starting into its dénouement in terms of plot, and this sense of an ending approaching is certainly reflected in this latest season. Key characters have finally begun to show their true colors, while others have been obliterated from the show in the most violent ways possible, slowly forcing every story line into a bottleneck in the form of an ultimate battle between good, evil and the various forces in between that draws ever closer.

So it’s time to strap in fanboys and girls, because “Thrones” is preparing for its final sprint toward the finish, and author George R. R. Martin himself has stated that casualties along the way will be plentiful as well as surprising, both for those who have read the book series and those who have not. Amateur hour is over, and it’s time, as the proverbial saying goes, to nut up or shut up. The sex, violence and political intrigue that have molded the show have finally come to a head, and winter is just around the corner for the citizens of Westeros.

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Hi-Five Diner successfully replaces Villains

Photo courtesy of High-Five Diner

For those avid Atlanta diners who simply crave a sandwich named after a pop culture bad guy and will accept nothing short of that, the recent closure of the bar-cafe Villains on Peachtree Street certainly came as a shock, representing the downfall of Atlanta’s cultural dignity as we know it.

However, most people seem to welcome the Hi-Five Diner, the location’s new occupant, with open and hungry arms. The new venue, which advertises itself as a place for coffee, cocktails and diner food, manages to keep the same vibe as its predecessor, while spicing up the menu with a few new concoctions in both the food and drink departments.

Most likely due to its relatively new status on a street already populated with several prime restaurant choices, Hi-Five Diner still seems to have several tables open during the weekend dinner hours; for anyone looking for a reasonably uncrowded joint on a Sunday night, this redeeming quality should already be setting off a few favorable buzzers.

As for the actual food, the Diner specializes in breakfast, snacks, sandwiches and burgers, with soups and salads on the side for those feeling particularly peckish for the appetizer side of things.

However, for anyone who thinks that the solid side of the menu seems a little bit unsubstantial, the Diner really comes through with its drink choices. Hi-Five offers a wide range of coffees and teas, and for those patrons over 21,  a selection of beers, wines and signature cocktails for a reasonable price.

Based on this writer’s recommendation, the grilled cheese is the way to go as far as sandwiches go, and the fries on the side are nothing to shy away from either. The drinks are tasty as well, despite the slightly watered-down taste of the cocktails. All things considered, the Hi-Five Diner is a welcome addition to the Peachtree lineup, and hopefully will blossom successfully for years to come.

Our Take: 3/4 stars

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DramaTech prepares for killer opening night

SweenyPreview_Online

Rounding off their spring semester season, DramaTech is pulling out all the stops with their production of Stephen Sondheim’s dark and gritty musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The story, which revolves around a vengeful barber in 1800s England who develops a penchant for murdering his customers, is certainly controversial in terms of its violent subject matter; however, DramaTech has never been an organization to stray from controversy when artistic expression is on the line.

In the wake of opening night on Friday, Apr. 3, the Technique spoke with director Dustin Brown in regards to the pre-production of the show.

Technique: Is this DramaTech’s first production of “Sweeney Todd?” How does it compare to past productions in terms of scale?

Brown: While DramaTech has done several Stephen Sondheim plays throughout its 67 year history, this is the first time “Sweeney Todd” has been produced. As yet, there is no comparison for scale, but we think you’ll appreciate our imagining of this production.

Technique: The play itself is notoriously violent. Can audiences expect the traditional level of gore in DramaTech’s version?

Brown: We certainly haven’t shied away from gore in this production, it’s essential for the play to be violent. Audiences may be surprised though, we’ve avoided taking a literal and realistic approach to the violence — choosing instead to explore the more theatrical side of the play. But I believe we’ll meet expectations; the streets will run red.

Technique: What are some of the challenges you have faced so far in preparation for opening night?

Brown: Sondheim is a brilliant composer, but his music isn’t easy. He’s demanding of his soloists and his chorus, and to add to the challenge we are doing the play with just 14 actors and a five-piece orchestra. Everyone has to be at the top of their game. I’m incredibly proud of this cast and crew, every one of them has risen to the occasion. They’ve created a beautiful show.

Technique: How has the cast handled taking on a full-length musical?

Brown: The cast has done beautifully. Alli Lingenfelter, the music director, has done wonderful work leading these 14 talented actors to be a beautiful ensemble. The actors perform without any microphones, so everything the audience hears is their natural voice — and they sound splendid.

Technique: Is this version of “Sweeney Todd” a complete remake of the classic, or can viewers expect a few surprises come opening night?

Brown: The original play was an incredibly high tech broadway production in a proscenium house, we’re performing in a 100 seat black box. We had to create the streets and homes of London in a 14’ square, and the designers have accomplished something wonderful. I’ve just watched a full dress run of the show and it was incredibly exciting — the costumes are gorgeous, the lights are dazzling, the special effects stunning, the set and props are elegantly simple and the sound is magnificent.

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Art Crawl award winner discusses artistry

artcrawl_online

This past month, the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons has been dipped head to toe in the annual festival that is the Clough Art Crawl. Tech students from all majors and walks of life present their artistic masterpieces to the campus community, and some are awarded with actual honors in addition to general recognition.

This year, graduate student Sean Tamblyn took home Best in Show for his multimedia sculpture piece Test Pattern; in light of this recent win, the Technique was able to pose a few questions to Tamblyn regarding the methods and meanings behind his work.

Technique: First off, could you describe Test Pattern? What medium (or media) did you use in creating it?

Tamblyn: A stained glass panel, made using copper-foil technique, forms the screen in a thirteen-inch television. The pattern of the glass panel resembles color bars of a test-pattern standard, which was developed in the 1970s for adjusting video transmissions. Although most of the internal components of the television have been removed, the original rotary power switch still functions and is connected to a backlight for the glass panel.

Technique: What would you say the meaning is behind your piece, and what effect did you hope it would have on your audience?

Tamblyn: Following the analog to digital conversion for broadcast television, many older televisions were “obsolete” and discarded to make room for HDTVs with digital tuners. Also, my house was having problems with our cable provider and the customer service was very poor. Realizing that the cost of cable television easily exceeds $1000 per year, I cancelled our subscription and took up more constructive activities.

Test Pattern is intended to be a “conversation piece”—a television that can be on in the background while people are having conversations (not necessarily about the piece).

I hope that the audience will consider the time that they spend in front of televisions and other devices, and the cost of doing so.

Technique: Have you created art pieces like this in the past?

Tamblyn: Yes, I enjoy working with stained glass and finding unique ways to present it. It is a wonderful traditional art form, which should be applied beyond windows and lamp shades.

Technique: Coming from a Management background, what inspired you to enter the Art Crawl?

Tamblyn: I am currently in the MBA program, but I also finished undergrad from Tech (AE ‘06). During this time, I went on the summer study abroad trip “History of Art and Architecture in Italy.” I’m not entirely sure, but I think that it planted the seed for me to learn more about stained glass.

Regarding the Art Crawl, it’s a great event and I wanted to participate and support it. There is so much creativity on campus and I think that students need more venues to express it.

Technique: Test Pattern appears to have some electrical components in addition to its stained glass. Did you learn any of those techniques here at Tech?

Tamblyn: When I took the original components out of the television, I found that the rotary power switch is rated for 120v AC and therefore could easily be adapted for my backlight to the glass panel. This was a simple connection—similar to wiring any household lamp.

Technique: Do you see yourself producing more art in the future?

Tamblyn: Yes, especially since we are moving to Cincinnati after graduation. Cold winters and a house with a basement are ideal conditions for me to produce art.

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Solitary viewing of Clough Art Crawl may be preferable

Photo by Brenda Lin

The School of Architecture’s annual Tech Arts Festival was scheduled to take place from Feb. 18 until Mar. 7. With the inclement weather on Feb. 25 and 26, one of the main events had to be rescheduled; although the artwork itself was displayed as planned, the Clough Art Crawl opening was a week later than expected.

On Mar. 5, students, artists and student artists all gathered for three hours of art appreciation and performance. The event was structured so that every half hour was dedicated to a set of performers in a certain category. Several of these sets included poets reading their works to the audience; while this choice might have seemed like a good idea at first, it was ultimately detrimental to quite a few of the presented poems, because there is quite a large gap between being good at creating flowing words and being able to read those words from a podium. A few scribes managed to overcome this gap, and their spoken words glowed in the crowded space. One such orator was Marguerite Murrell, who spent her time on stage talking about paint, but still managed to be interesting and received a resounding round of applause upon finishing her recitation of the aptly named poem, “Paint.”

The other sets of performers included various other art forms, such as a saxophone player, folk music from various countries, a rock band featuring a violin and dancers. One of the more unique performances was Flow Tech, which was composed of a dance involving a hula hoop with flashing and changing lights. This performance was well-received, and helped draw a crowd toward the rest.

Since all of the musical and dance based performances took place on the second floor of Clough, drawing a crowd was a rather interesting feat. People lined up in a circle around the performers as would normally happen, but they also congregated on the bridges above, and leaned against the railings of each floor to look down on the performances. Viewers even lined the staggered staircases, but their odd placement did not diminish the pleasure the audience received from the performances.

Between performances, people happily perused the hallways of Clough, admiring the hanging artworks. Each floor was dedicated to a genre with the first floor being hand drawings. The second floor saw digital artwork, and the third was home to photography as well as the three dimensional pieces such as pottery and stained glass. Among the more notable works were two large origami flowers that William Hudson saw fit to name “Twins,” “Winter is Coming,” which is a stained-glass depiction of a wolf by Alexis Noel and a digitally created picture of the ocean and sky which Constance Perkins titled “Beneath the Surface.” There really is something for everyone hanging on the walls, and one merely needs to take the time to find it.

After the last poetry reading, there was an impromptu open mic that lasted long after the event had ended. While the open mic performers had agreed to the theme of love, their words were, on the whole, quite dark and depressing, and not the best way to end an evening. Even though the night came to a close, and the poets and musicians left the building quiet, the Art Crawl will continue for another few weeks as the hanging works and three dimensional crafts will be left out for viewing and contemplation until March 27. Waiting to view these pieces instead of attending the opening should be preferable to most due to the crowded noisy atmosphere created on the evening of March 5. Anyone who wished to view the hanging art in peace had to find a place out of the way enough to not annoy others while remaining close enough to get the full effect of the art, which is a fine place to be, but quite possibly unattainable. All things considered, the entire event was at the same time a huge success (for those performing or listening to the music) and a disaster (for those interested in the artwork that speaks for itself).

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Third entry in “Five Nights” marks series high

Photo courtesy of Scott Games

On Mar. 3, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 3,” the third entry in the hit indie-horror game series of the same name, was released to the surprise of every avid member of the video gaming industry.

For those unaware readers, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” series places gamers in the role of a nightly security guard working for five nights at a Chuck-E-Cheese-style pizza place called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Unfortunately, the animatronic characters of the restaurant are a bit murderous. The first game had five animatronics, while the second game had 10. The player is unable to leave their office during each night, and their only defense are cameras and other small mechanisms, such as doors or a disguise, that differ depending on the game. The gameplay is simple, yet the game itself is decently difficult.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” follows its predecessors pretty well in that regard. The game’s story takes place 30 years after the last two games, and Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza has been shut down during that time. Some people have decided to convert the old location into a haunted house attraction in order to profit off the old legend. Instead of several animatronics trying to kill the main character, however, there is now only one. Further story details would be spoilers, since one of the biggest draws of the “Five Night’s at Freddy’s” series is the lore, which is cleverly hidden within each game and is the reason fans were so excited for the release of this latest one. That being said, the lore explored in this game, while enjoyable, is lackluster when compared to the other games since it lacks the sense of mystery. This lacking could be due to the fact that the game is supposed to be the end of the series, a fact that the creator has hinted at.

Despite the story not being as good as the first two games, however, the gameplay of this third installment seems to be much improved over its predecessors. One notable improvement is the camera system. In the last games, the cameras would end up not being used if the gamer played the game well enough; certain critics have expressed disappointment in this fact since the game makes the cameras seem like such a big deal. “Five Nights 3” fixes this problem by pretty much requiring the use of the cameras. Since there is only one animatronic, it is mandatory to keep track of him at all times, which is not always easy seeing as how he hides himself pretty well in each frame. The game also introduces a system failure mechanic where practical necessities such as cameras and audio shut down if used too much. Rebooting each system takes time and will make the gamer lose track of the killer animatronic. These mechanics are parts of what makes the game decently difficult.

However, the other reason the game is difficult is the fact it does not clearly explain how to not die. Yes, there are cameras, but seeing how there is no explicit way to prevent death (i.e. the door from the first game, or lights from the second game), “game overs” will happen often. Still, one of the fun things to do in “Five Nights” is to figure out the game mechanics, and while this game is no exception, its mechanics seem to be significantly more frustrating than in previous games.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s 3” is still a very enjoyable game despite any negative qualities associated with it. Its story is enjoyable despite its lack of mystery, and the gameplay is an improvement despite it being frustrating at times. The game does a good job of continuing the good aspects of the “Five Nights” series while also differentiating itself from its older brothers. Overall, it is safe to say that this game is the best entry of the three, and one of the better horror games out there now.

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DREAMERS land in Atlanta

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Self-proclaimed cosmic rock band DREAMERS might not be Top 40, but any avid pop fans with an ear for good tunes might want to keep an eye out for this up-and-comer. In the wake of the group’s March 8 performance at the Masquerade, the Technique got the chance to ask them a few questions about what exactly makes their dynamic work.

Technique: So when did you guys first form the band, and how has the journey been so far?

DREAMERS: DREAMERS was formed in early 2014 in a tiny corner of the Milky Way galaxy, on a fleck of blue dust caught on a star…

Chris and I (Nick) were in a band called Motive, which had to go the way of all things. We spent a long period in a cocoon reinventing ourselves and emerged as a bio-luminescent butterfly, complete with Nelson on bass and a ton of new songs. DREAMERS is the result of a deluge of work and a newfound creative freedom.

Technique: Could you describe your particular brand
of music?

DREAMERS: It’s difficult to put in a box, but if we had to, grunge-pop.

Technique: Who, if anyone, would you say has influenced your musical style the most?

DREAMERS: Lennon, the ‘90s, Radiohead, dreams, etc. We are influenced by so many things; everything we hear from the past and present really melts into what we’re writing.

Technique: “Wolves” seems to be getting some traction these days. Could you describe the thought process behind the song?

DREAMERS: It just felt like another song when we wrote it, but once it was recorded and mixed, it really came to life. It’s hard to pick what people will like most, so when we’re picking a single to release, we always bring people in to see what they like. The idea around the song is that other people can pull you into their world when you get close to them, and often in relationships, you pick up the other persons habits—be they good or bad.

Technique: Have you guys ever performed in Atlanta before, and if so, how was the experience?

DREAMERS: We’ve never performed in Atlanta, but we have heard great things from fellow bands. When you’re in a new city every night and you’re in and out, you get the cliff notes to the city—a general vibe—and we’re yet to not like a place. We have a feeling we’re going to love Atlanta.

Technique: As far as future plans go, what do you guys see yourselves accomplishing in the next few months or even years?

DREAMERS: Touring and more touring. We love life on the road and really getting a chance to interact with our supporters on a cosmic level. We also have an album, “This Album Does Not Exist,” that will come out late summer, more videos, and hopefully things continue to grow as they’ve been. Then, we’ll get on to building a utopian society on the moon with the latest advances in technology and philosophy. And then, eventually, all the energy in the universe will spread out and slowly wind down through a process called entropy, and all will be still and silent, forever.

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School of Music hosts annual inventive competition

Photo courtesy of GT Communications

On Feb. 20, Tech’s School of Music hosted the 2015 Margaret A. Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. Since 2009, this annual musical competition has graced Tech’s campus with strange and intriguing new instruments, for the competition has not only been a performance as most musical competitions mundanely are, but also has incorporated design; contenders have made their own instruments for their eight-minute performance.

The idea behind this competition is mostly the advancement of the musical arts. Each participant creates a novel instrument and demonstrates the breadth of its musical integrity through their performance, and the finalists are rewarded with a chance to perform before the public at the finale. This year’s finale included many ingenious, if bizarre, entries. Each of the nine finalists were obviously passionate about their creations as well as music in general.

Despite the lackluster announcements in between shows, the night was still enjoyable, and seeing unusual instruments at work was a nice treat. The evening’s musical endeavors started off with PushPull. This instrument and performance was akin to an accordion, but the innovation was centered more on technology. The accordion-like instrument was more flexible and had lights whose colors reflected the mood of the music currently being emitted from the speakers. From here, the competition departed from any known instruments as Johnathan Sparks took the stage with Nomis. His design was reminiscent of an electronic Simon Says game. To the audience’s entertainment, Sparks tapped a rhythm onto a wheel, locked the rhythm in, and then, as it played in the background, added another repeating part to his music.

Each new instrument was stranger than the last, and the audience felt a sense of discovery as a new musician or group of musicians took the stage to show off their invention.

Later in the competition, Bruno Verbrugghe used the same concept as Spark’s Nomis for his Dualo Du-Touch, but instead of a wheel and light towers, his was strapped around his waist, making for a rather strange posture. Invoking memories of a Teletubbies special, Verbrugghe played his instrument with gusto, adding in strange moves that could generously be termed dancing. The audience found this showmanship endearing and applauded him with an enthusiasm equal to his own.

Perhaps the strangest instrument was Edward Potokar’s Magnetic Percussion Tower. This instrument was composed of two tripod towers, taller than Potaker, made of unfinished wood. Each tower had a turntable and as he added magnets and glasses to the turntables, they hit against strings, wires and pendulums, creating a cacophony of tinkering. His performance was a tad frightening as the lofty towers were none too stable, wobbling every time Potaker added or removed an item. Even so, he received a generous round of applause as he switched off the turntables and the tinkling of glasses came to an end.

After the performances where finished, the audience was asked to vote on who should be awarded Best Performance (Johnathan Sparks), Most Unusual Instrument (Magnetic Percussion Tower), and Best Instrument (Nomis) while the judges decided who should win the overall prize. Before the judges decided, but after voting was closed, audience members were encouraged to explore the entries in the Student Design Challenge, an offshoot of the main competition. These instruments were interesting to investigate (one even included most of a bicycle as an integral part of the instrument), and their inventors were eager to explain their workings

In all, the competition was a rather enjoyable concert, showcasing a rarely seen yet all the more interesting part of Tech’s artistic community.

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South Asian music festival returns to Tech

Photo courtesy of Aarohi

Tech is home to a wide range of students from a variety of backgrounds and cultures stretching across the world, and when these students are not too busy cramming for the big test on Monday, they are pretty stellar at expressing themselves creatively. Never has this fact been more evident than with Khayaal, the annual South Asian music festival that is coming back to Tech on Feb. 21. The festival celebrates several aspects of South Asian culture in a way that cannot be seen anywhere else on campus; recently, the Technique managed to score an interview with the current Khayaal directing board.

Technique: What cultures are represented at Khayaal?

Khayaal Board: Khayaal aims to spread awareness of South Asian classical music and art. This encompasses the traditions of the Indian subcontinent, including the modern day countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal. South Asian classical music is one of the oldest and richest musical traditions in the world.

Technique: How did Khayaal first get started at Tech, and how has it fared each year since?

Khayaal Board: Khayaal debuted in November of 2013 as Khayaal 2013. Khayaal is now in its second year, with Khayaal 2015 taking place Feb. 21. Khayaal 2013 had an audience of about 100 people, of which about half were Georgia Tech students. This year, we project that the audience size will double, with a greater proportion of Georgia Tech students.

Technique: What is the typical structure of Khayaal each year (i.e. who plays what and how many people perform)?

Khayaal Board: The first half of the festival consists of six performances by youth or student musicians. These artists audition several months before and are reviewed and scored by a panel of professional South Asian classical music instructors in the area. Generally, these are Georgia Tech students, both undergraduates and graduates, along with a few young professionals and older high school students.

The second half consists of two performances by professional artists, invited specifically for Khayaal. These two performances are of the two prominent styles of South Asian classical music: Hindustani music, from North India, and Carnatic music, from South India. Between the two halves is a short intermission.

Technique: Could you describe the process behind preparing for the event each year?

Khayaal Board: Planning typically begins several months before the event. In our first year, we had a team of five people, each in charge of a different area. This year, we opened applications and ended up with a board of 18 people divided into four teams. Common tasks include securing a date and venue, setting up auditions, seeking sponsorships, developing a marketing strategy, publicity and several others, similar to any other campus event. The process has been extremely rewarding for us, as it enables us to spread awareness for a fantastic art form while meeting truly talented musicians.

Technique: Does the event consist of just music, or are there other forms of art or entertainment involved?

Khayaal Board: Since Khayaal is a music festival, the focus is on spreading awareness of the music. However, this year, we will feature a collection art and design work of different South Asian classical instruments on display throughout the event.

Technique: Apart from the main event coming up this month, what do you guys do throughout the year to stay active?

Khayaal Board: Aarohi as a student organization, like Khayaal, aims to promote South Asian classical music and art. While Khayaal is definitely our biggest event, Aarohi in the past has co-organized concerts for famous visiting musicians and smaller South Asian classical themed events. This coming year, we plan to organize smaller events in addition to Khayaal and are currently planning for a concert in late March/early April.

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Project Almanac falls into predictability

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

At first glance, Project Almanac, produced by Michael Bay (Transformers), seems like it would a very interesting, thought-provoking movie about time travel. It is not.

Project Almanac is a found-footage film released on Jan. 30 that follows a group of teenagers who find blueprints to a time travel device in the basement of David (Jonny Weston, Chasing Mavericks), the main character. They end up using the time machine for typical things teenagers would use it for, such as winning the lottery, becoming more popular and cheating on a chemistry exam.

Ultimately, these were some of the best parts of the movie. It accurately portrayed what any person would do with a time machine because most people would use the time machine to better themselves without trying to be too harmful to the world around them. These scenes would be worth watching again.

Despite the value of a realistic take on the situation, however, the filmmakers were possibly too realistic towards the end. These small segments in which the characters act frivolously do not build up to anything substantial. The second half of the film is boring and slow paced, and the ending is lackluster and underwhelming, as the characters never feel as if they learned anything. While similar reactions may happen in real life, it does not make for an intriguing movie.

The characters do not help either. Despite having five main characters, the film does not allot enough time to develop a connection between any of them. The characters are cardboard stereotypes with no depth to them. David is the awkward, nerdy kid; his one friend is the horny gamer; his other friend is another nerdy guy. David’s sister just holds the camera during the whole movie so she is barely seen, and David’s love interest is the token attractive female. While there are relatable moments between the characters that viewers may appreciate, the characters themselves just serve as a way to show off the time machine.

In addition to the movie’s lack of character development, it also seemed too convenient that teenagers are able to build a time machine. The kids come across as super-geniuses and inherently know how to build the time machine. Details like these are essential when a viewer is trying to immerse themselves in a film. The time travel theme also starts to get too complicated later on in the film. Unforeseen consequences have the teenagers fighting for what may be their very existence when they break the rules of time travel. Point being, it diverges a bit from traditional time travel conventions.

Overall, Project Almanac is predictable and lacks even the most remote effort to comply with scientific theorem. While segments of the teenagers time travels are engaging, the story is simply too thin, the characters are too boring and the plot conveniences are a little too prevalent. If only time travel was possible, it would be better put to use by sending back the screenwriters, newcomers Andrew Stark and Jason Pagan, to rewrite the screenplay.

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