Must See Movies

Spiderman 3 (2007)



Director: Sam Raimi
Genre: action/adventure
Cast: Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spiderman), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane), James Franco (Harry Osborn/New Globin), Thomas Haden Church (Sandman) and Topher Grace (Venom)

Today I’m gonna talk about some sequels that came out these last couple of weeks. Firstly is Spiderman 3 which was released last May and, as predicted, it became a box office hit. In this third part Tobey Maguire comes back as Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst as spidy`s beloved. Also James Franco is playing Peter`s friend who now became the new green goblin to revenge his father`s death. But what about the villains? Well, every superhero movie has to have villains otherwise it would be extremely lame. If you think Doc Ock was cool you have seen nothing yet. Now Spiderman has to face not one, not two but three villains: The Goblin, Sandman and Venom.

Spiderman 3 fulfills your expectations, it is not a great movie but it accomplishes its purpose, ergo it entertains you. I must say it was below my expectations but still is the best of the three Spidermanmovies.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Director: Tim Story
Genre: Action/adventure
Cast: Iaon Gruffudd (Reed Richards/ Mr. Incredible), Jessica Alba (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm/The Thing), Julian McMahon (Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom) and Doug Jones (Silver Surfer)

This one was much better than the first one. Better story, better character development, way cooler special effects, awesome villain and of course Jessica Alba. The first movie was alright. Every first movie based on a superhero comic book has to introduce the characters and show how they become superheroes, etc. etc. so they become kind of slow; also the directors see themselves very restricted by the studios and basically do the film the studios want. The first movie for the studio, the next ones for the fans.

Like Spiderman 3, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is very entertaining and very funny. Also they have a kick ass villain like the Silver Surfer who is played by the same dude who played the pan and the pale man in Pan`s Labyrinth.. (A little bit of useless information). If you like these kind of flicks you won`t be disappointed, just sit back and enjoy it.

Here are some other sequels that are coming out:

Ocean`s 13: the first two were really good, definitely a “must see” of this winter.

Live Free or Die Hard: the fourth in the “Die Hard” series, starring Bruce Willis, what you can expect from this? A lot of blood, explosions, and the world wide known phrase: Yippie-kay-ya, motherf***er.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: the fifth out of seven Harry Potter films. Harry finally faces Voldermort.

Other movies you can`t miss are: The Bourne Ultimatum, Rush Hour 3, Evan Almighty, Hostel 2, Mr. Bean`s Holiday, Resident Evil Extinction and my two upcoming favorites, The Simpsons and The Transformers.

Also I must recommend you some TV series like Grey`s Anatomy, Smallville, CSI: Las Vegas, Lost, Prison Break and my personal favorite Heroes. And if you want to have a laugh, watch Two and a Half men, The Office, Scrubs and my personal favorite Seinfeld (reruns on Sony).

I must apologize. i know that this article is a little bit late, sorry. Occupational hazzards.

Welcome To The Jungle

People think that living in Iquique is wonderful and that it is the best city to live in. But let me tell you guys that I think quite differently. You might say I’m crazy, I probably am, but I would much rather live in a big metropolis like Santiago than in Iquique. I’d like to live in Santiago because of the variety of places you can visit and the artistic events in the city, and also because of the many downsides of living inIquque. Next, I`ll explain why living in Iquique sucks and moving to the capital city might be a good choice.

Santiago is a huge city with almost 6 millions inhabitants and it is considered one of the major cultural centers in Latin-American. In Santiago and in its surrounding areas you can find a wide range of places to visit where you can do many kinds of activities. Santiago has many historical and touristic spots such as Balmaceda and Armas square, La Alameda, San Cristobal hill, La Moneda, Cousiño Palace, The Municipal Theater, Central Market, and all the museums. We don`t have to forget Fantasilandia. The best thing we`ve ever had here is the Fisa. Near Santiago you have The Andes if you want to ski, Viña and Valpo if you want to go to the beach and other places really close to Santiago where you can hang out.

Santiago is full of cultural activities and events everywhere you go. There are lots of theaters and plays you can go to, tons movie theaters and flicks to choose from, and thousands of musical performances. This may be one of the main reasons why I like Santiago: the music. The best and famous music performers go to Santiago. For example, last August one of my favorite bands nowadays, The Magic Numbers, played in Santiago. They are not very well known and there wasn`t much publicity about the gig so I found out a few days before and I didn`t have the chance to go. Lily Allen, Coldplay, and Dolores O`riordan (former lead singer of The Cranberries) also performed in Santiago and because we`re so far freaking away I couldn`t go.

Don`t get me wrong, Iquique is a great city but it`s just not for me. It has its good things like the weather, the weather, and the weather, but I feel that I need more than just weather. Iquique is really small and has few places to go, we are isolated from everything, the nearest city is about 500 kilometers away, and, of course, the dirtiness of Iquique is a major issue. We cannot pretend to be a touristic city if we are as dirty as we can possibly be. I might sound kind of harsh but that is because I love my city, but we have to work hard to make it better.

If I got the chance to move to Santiago I wouldn`t think twice and I`d move there right away. There are too many things to do and too many places to go in Santiago that I think I would be busy all year long and I would never get bored. About the weather, I’ll figure something out; I’m sure I can find some cheap coats for the winter and a pair of nice shorts for the summer. As my friend Darwin once said: It`s all about the survival of the fittest.

By Mr. War

Why it is a good idea to live in Iquique

It is normal to hear people talking on the news or on the radio about how dirty and poorly organized Iquique is. I agree that those facts are undeniably true. However, we should also try to keep in mind that Iquique is world renowned and widely visited by thousands of tourists every year. Advantages such as the size of the city, its wonderful climate, and the great variety of places it has are all reasons why I consider Iquique a great place to live.

First of all, the size of the city is a great advantage for any person living in Iquique and for tourists visiting the place for the first time. Iquique is one of the few cities in Chile that allows citizens to move from one place to another in a couple of minutes without having to drive a car or wait for a taxi. In fact, a lot of young people prefer walking or riding a bicycle because in that way they get exercise, save money, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. This great advantage also makes it possible for families to practice a more communal way of life because they are able to see each other not only during the morning or at night, but also during lunch time which is something unheard of for most families living in big cities.

Moreover, the climate of the city is a great advantage. People visiting Iquique don’t need to worry about what to wear or if they have to bring special clothing because this city is located in the north of Chile, so it never rains and winters are not extremely cold either. In fact, some people love swimming during the winter season because the water is not freezing like in other cities where certain sports such as surfing are only practiced during summer. This excellent weather also allows people to go out on a cold night and meet with friends in outdoor restaurants or pubs simply because the excellent weather conditions allow it.

Having attractive places to visit all day long is certainly another advantage. During the day people may have the chance to walk along Baquedano Street which was recently inaugurated and is full of excellent restaurants and small stores. Other places, such as the Municipal Theater and the Regional Museum are open every day and are frequently visited by tourists interested in knowing more about our culture and history. Going to Zofri is also a good choice. People usually spend a long time buying delicious chocolates, sampling perfumes, or pricing electrical devices which are tax free. At night people can decide whether to go to a restaurant, a pub, or a discotheque to eat delicious food and listen to good music. The Casino is open all day long and is one of the most visited places in our city because it has a great variety of games and a complete bar which offers a huge selection of drinks. Young people also have the chance to decide where to go. “Sala Murano” and “Kamikaze” are the two most important discos in Iquique, widely visited by teenagers who love dancing. Pubs and bars are another great choice especially for those who prefer a more relaxed place.

I understand that living in a clean and organized city is a great benefit. However, having the possibility to live in a manageable city with excellent weather throughout the whole year and with interesting places to visit all day long is much more important than anything else. As a college student, I admire the people who move to a bigger city to study and live, but as years go by I have realized that I am also proud of my decision because I know that I would never have had all these advantages if I had gone to live in another place.

By Rose Marie Kuschel R.

Quillota

SEPTEMBER 18TH IN MY CITY.


Every year, when September arrives it is time to return to my city, Quillota, located in the fifth region of Chile, near to Viña del Mar. People in Iquique ask me why do I leave when September arrives, and the answer is always the same: because September in Quillota is funner than in Iquique. I´m writing this to explain to people the reasons why I always return there. I return to Quillota because of El Eden Park, the games we play in the city, and because my family is there.
First of all Quillota is both a city and a country side where you have every kind of nature that a citizen needs. For example you can go to El Edén Park, a really popular place there. You have to pay to enter and this Park has all the things that a camp site has, for example, it has tables and barbecues, and you go there with some friends or your own family and barbecue while children play, running all over the Park. This Park also has electricity where people can take their own radios and play some Cuecas and start to dance while the barbecue is prepared. Also, you can rent a horse and ride along the park.
The second reason why I return to Quillota is the popular games. You can buy a “Volantin” which is really cheap, it costs about $200 pesos. Children love Volantin, I think is the most popular game in Chile when September arrives. Also in Quillota, but more specifically in Hijuelas, every year they have Rodeos. I love to go there because my mother has to go every year because it is a tradition for her so I always go with her. In the country side of my lovely city people also play antique games like “La Rayuela”, “Trompo”, “Palo encebado”, “Carrera en saco”, etc. Those are games that people used to play there and they have so much fun playing them.
The last and the most important reason why I always return there it is because there is the city where my family and friends live. With them I can go out to “Ramadas” and we can drink popular drinks like “terremoto”, “chicha”, “linterna con 4 pilas”, and “Vino con chirimoya”. Also in “Ramadas” you can eat “Anticuchos”, “Empanadas”, “Pan amasado”, and “Choripan”, etc.
When September ends and I have to go back to Iquique, I remember all the good memories that I had in my city: the barbecues, the Volantin, Cuecas, and all those elements that make me feel happy when I return to Iquique and can explain how it was there. It makes me feel happy and the only thing that I have to do is wait for the next September and return to Quillota for more fun with my family.

The different Styles in Chilean Teens

Nowadays teens in Chile are constructing their personalities through technology, the media and physical appearance to attract the attention of their parents and the rest of the world.
First of all, what happens with the adolescents of our society and their different styles I think the major problem today is at Chilean teens live practically alone due that parents who, have to leave thier homes to go to their jobs and sometimes teens don´t understand why they are living alone all time. For this reason they search for love in things like, movies, cartoons, games and other friends.
I became interested in this topic because, in our society, everyday new styles of clothes, accessories, new hairstyles and tattoos show up and other things. I think that the different styles are sometimes good but in some case they are very special and too extreme. For example, here there are some of the styles adopted in Chile emos, darketos, boys, visual, pokemos, grungucheros, rastas, jipitecas, pandrosos, cholos, Bullyings, comiqueros, gays, punks, flaytes, skin heads, hackers, rude, goticos, and more and more. Surely some styles could be bad or good for the adolescents.
The issue is that some of these styles affect the relationships with their families, friends and other people. Sometimes some young children have bad behavior in school because they think that nobody understands their styles and life, but they don´t look around them and they don´ t think about why people have a bad opinion about their styles. In some cases, like the emos, the groups are very nice and calm and they believe in the love of all that is good. But on other side are the skin heads and they are bad groups of adolescents because they cause damage to innocent people.
The most important aspect of my essay is that people pay attention to why teens are rebels and why they choose, create, and adopt different styles without thinking of the consequence. Who is responsables? The easy access to the techonology, parents, friends, schools.

True Solidarity

We live in a society where a person is more valued for what he or she has than by what that person can give to others. Nowadays it is more important to have material things, to buy high priced objects to make you a better person. Where has the sense of solidarity gone? You can have tons of things but are you really happy like that? Wouldn’t it make you feel better to give a piece of what you have to the ones who need it the most?

Last week, with great pain, I saw the program Contacto. The program told the story of fraud behind the Niño Agredido Corporation. Every month the institution received millions of pesos in donations to supposedly help children who live in extreme poverty. Of course, this money was never given to these poor little children; this money went directly to the pockets of shameless people that saw an easy way to profit.

Years of deception and fraud to kind hearted people finally ended after the investigation of the program Contacto. Why? Is everything allowed to earn easy money? Even to smash children’s dreams. What is going on with the people of this country? Do we only care about anyone else but ourselves?

This kind of shameless thing just makes people not trust anyone and not give their money out of good will to help those in need. On the other side the volunteers that give their time and effort to help these unprofitable institutions feel anger and deception because they cannot do anything to stop it.

The good deeds don’t catch anyone’s attention and what is even worse is that the bad things overshadow the goodness of what some people do. Where is our sense of solidarity? Once in a while everybody needs help from others and not only in the form of money. Ask yourself are you really happy with what you have? Wouldn’t it be better to give away something of what you have and maybe what you don’t really need. Do not stop believing there are still people of kind heart that don’t need to receive anything in return for what they eagerly give to the ones who need it the most.

Claudia Castro

Own Patriotic Week news letter

In the next two weeks we will celebrate another anniversary of own Chilean Independence. many people are so glad because this activity will last for about five days, so people can rest for a long time.

Many families from Arica to Punta Arenas are organizing their weekend celebration, which isn’t unnoticed this year, because the Chilean congress also approved next Monday September 17th as a holiday, so this means that we will have approximately five days to eat, drink and celebrate the anniversary of our independence. On the other hand, Patriotic families celebrate from the 1st day of September. They use to put the chilean flag on the facade of their homes, also they start to listen to Chilean folkloré like “la cueca”, and from the last days of August begin to plan some their celebration: how many pounds of meat they need, how many empanadas they will cook, and how many litres of “chicha” they will need (Chicha: A chilean drink makes with grapes). Within each of these families, there are the little children which begin to play with the “trompo”, “emboque”, and of course, they go fly kites, These games are so fun that adults also join children’s entertaiment.

In addition, among the Chilean people there are the “Fonderos”, who organized everything the whole year in their “Fondas” (Fondas: A stand where people sell chicha, empanadas, and so on) for the Independence Day, They along with their whole family, become zombies because they work all day long without sleeping, They are just worried about selling their foods and giving excellent service to their customers so the customers leave the “fondas” so satisfied with full stomachs and wishing to come back to this nice and fonda.

Many people are so happy for this holiday week because they will rest and will return to their activities with enthusiasm, but I ask myself; can people rest? They must have in mind the following: To organize this celebration takes almost 3 days; some people have to borrow a loan at the bank in order to buy everything they need; these activities give people a little headache; another problem is going to the supermarket the same day of celebration, so this place is crowded with thousands of people and they have to wait more than 1 hour in a line beside the check-out counter, Then, when finally they buy everything and go to the supermarket parking they have another problem, because the parking is full of cars that want to enter and exist, so people have to wait more time and from that moment chileans are angry and start to wir that this holiday week would pass faster.

I think for many people their days of “rest” will be full of a lot of stress, in addittionm some people will go bankrupt this month, But don’t worry about it, because we aren’t the only ones who will be in this situation, all of our country will have these same problems, so relax and enjoy this Independence day.

DISTURBING NOISES

When I say that weekends are meant for resting and sleeping it is because I think that I deserve it, due to my job as a singer. If I want to spend my weekend doing nothing, there is nothing more perturbing than hearing disturbing noises in my resting place, especially if these come from noisy neighbors, nasty vehicles or my charming family.

My neighbors are one in a million. Throughout entire weekends they have noisy parties that last long periods of time. I do not complain about the parties; my complaint is about the loud noises that they produce, because they sing all night long, shout and make lots of noise, not only during the night, but also during the rest of the day.

With respect to the vehicles, and I refer to racing cars, they do not respect the peace of our lives due to the continuous and annoying noises of motors on the street, without mentioning their horns or loud music speakers. Unfortunately, authorities don’t have any plan to control this situation and of course, the problem still persists.

On the other hand is my “glorious” family. Personally I have a noisy family, and this situation makes me crazy, because their annoying noises don´t allow me to rest in an appropriate way due to my job, especially on Sundays. Their routine begins early in the morning, cleaning and singing -things like mothers and wives do- and I do not complain about that; the problem is that I just want to rest a couple of hours more, but the noise is so disturbing that I have to wake up and join the rest.

Well, this is my life, and considering these factors, I think weekends are made not only to rest, but to lie down wherever you want, even though most of the mentioned factors don´t allow you to. Most of these factors, like nasty neighbors, noisy cars and your own family will continue making their own loud and disturbing noise.

Carlos Tarifeño Rojas