The Rice Thresher, Vol. 99, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 16, 2011 Page: 10 of 16
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10 A&E
the Rice Thresher
Friday. September 16,2011
Contagion: a
medical thriller
sure to go viral
by Kensey King
Thresher Staff
One act of physical contact is all it takes to
catch the deadly virus in Steven Soderbergh's
(Ocean's Eleven) new drama, Contagion.
Soderbergh's vision of the world as it reacts
to a raging epidemic is incredibly frightening,
not because it features gory, graphic death
scenes but because it realistically captures
our fear of the unknown. Due to its phenome-
nal cast, well-developed plot and ability to in-
still a real fear into its audience, this film is a
must-see.
Getting wired with Professor B at Red Bull's Battle
Contagion
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow,
Jude Law
Rated: PG-13
Released: Sept. 9
After two days of the disease's emergence,
Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow, Country
Strong) travels back to America from a com-
pany function in Hong Kong to her husband,
Mitch (Matt Damon, The Adjustment Bureau),
and son, Clark. Immediately, she starts to
show severe symptoms and is rushed to the
hospital, to no avail. Her death is attributed
to the new disease, later named MEV-i. Un-
like most illnesses, MEV-i spreads from just
one touch, and kills so quickly that treatment
is impossible. The disease gains the attention
of Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne, The
Matrix), who works for the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, who commissions
Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet, Revolutionary
Road) to track its spread, and Dr. Ally Hextall
(Jennifer Ehle, The King's Speech) to figure
out exactly where it came from and how to
cure it. More complications arise as the dis-
ease causes worldwide panic, as everyone is
told to avoid all human contact and freelance
blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law, Sherlock
Holmes) posts that he has found a cure.
The movie jumps between the lives of six
different individuals ah^cted by MEV-i. Due
to this smart plot structure, the movie never
crowns one true protagonist, allowing the
entire cast to shine. Gwyneth Paltrow and
Matt Damon have great on-screen chemistry
and manage to connect with the audience
from the very beginning. Kate Winslet and
Laurence Fishburne also deliver in this film,
proving that they are still as talented as ever.
While Jude Law is mostly associated with ro-
mantic comedies, Law's character in Conta-
gion is all about business. Law successfully
captures the spirit of the intellectual hippie
who is unapologetically bold and balances it
with his natural charm, allowing for his char-
acter to have poise and likability. Making for
the perfect humble hero, Jennifer Ehle shines
in her role with grace and maturity. The sup-
porting cast, which has too many established
actors to credit, also adds to the quality of the
film and proves that Contagion owes much of
its excellence to its all-star cast.
Along with the cast, Contagion is success-
ful in its perspective of a worldwide epidemic
by staying grounded and not going too Hol-
lywood over-the-top. The film is easily the
best developed drama in 2011 so far. Captur-
ing every emotion from sadness to horror to
love, Contagion will make you realize why
the fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of
them all.
by Ellen Liu
Thresher Editorial Staff
Houston's Red Bull EmSee, an invitation-only
freestyle rap battle, <. rew in over 800 audience
members on Thursday, Sept. 8 for a free night
of rapid-fire lyrics and equally amazing competi-
tion. Most of the attendees were local rap lovers,
but some were oblivious first-timers like myself.
The Red Bull EmSee is a national rap battle,
and Houston is only one of eight cities that hosts
a semifinal round. The battle was hosted by rap-
per Bun B, known at Rice for his Religion and
Hip-Hop class, and featured three local rap art-
ists as judges - hip-hop producer and emcee Al-
chemist, hip-hop sensation Trae Tha Truth and
Houston's own Chopped and Screwed pioneer
E.S.G. The eight competitors from all around
Texas sported similarly interesting and esoteric
names: Phranchyze, O.N.E., Playdough, G-Ba-
by, Hoodstar Chantz, Mad One, Go Hard Jetson
and MC Kane.
They paired up and battled head-to-head,
with the judge-selected victor of each match
advancing to the next challenge. After three
rounds, Phranchyze emerged victorious for
the second year in a row, earning the chance
to face the other regional winners in Atlanta
in November for the chance to record at the
Red Bull Studio with a headlining producer of
their choice.
The format of the Red Bull EmSee competi-
tion was its most impressive aspect. Rather than
giving participants an open stage and free rein,
the EmSee challenged them with constraints.
During the first round, competitors had to mem-
orize a series of pictures and incorporate them
into a minute of opponent-destroying verses,
and in the second, the pictures were replaced
with random words ranging from "Texas Rang-
er" to "minimize." The style of these challenges,
along with the confrontational nature of each
battle, tested each rapper's versatility and flex-
ibility in the face of hostility that was literally in
their faces.
The mixed success of each contestant was
determined by the reactions of the crowd, mak-
ing the entire concert an interactive experience.
When the last round, between Phranchyze and
Hoodstar Chantz, closed with a climactic tie-
breaker, the crowd decided the verdict by boo-
ing the loser down. Each round proved more
enjoyable than the last, and by the end, the au-
dience left feeling that the winner's victory was
well-deserved.
Between each round of competition, the
three judges performed their most popular
songs, which provided an exciting intermission
for many of the audience members who knew
the lyrics by heart. For someone unfamiliar with
the rap genre, I did not find the breaks as enjoy-
able but understood the exhilaration of those
who did.
As an overall concert amateur, I went to the
Red Bull EmSee expecting to spend the night in
an obscure, overheated room listening to rappers
insult each other with equally obscure, over-
heated lyrics. Instead, the EmSee presented an
K
ELLEN LIU/THRESHER
The crowd cheers for local rapper
E.S.G. at Warehouse live last Thursday.
innovative demonstration of originality, rivalry
and fraternity that spoke to rap enthusiasts and
ingenues alike. No matter who ultimately won
the battle, it is certain that the Red Bull EmSee
gives wings not only to its participants but to the
genre of rap as a whole.
Hello
Petno
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Rutenberg, Josh. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 99, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, September 16, 2011, newspaper, September 16, 2011; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398526/m1/10/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.