Observing the all-star cast of the movie “Takers,” in theaters now, one would expect this film to be the blockbuster hit of the summer, right? Wrong. Though I am not one to give many spoilers, the film does have some pitfalls, in my opinion. My main qualm with “Takers” is that the movie seems to be a male version of 1996’s “Set if off,” featuring the all female cast of Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise. The main differences between the two movies include “Takers’” use of different camera angles, explosions and, well … boys.

At the beginning of the film, directed by John Luessenhop, “Takers” places the viewer in the middle of a bank heist. The accuracy and precision that the thieves use to “take” their loot leads many to believe that this is not the robbers’ first time — this is a group of seasoned professionals. The bank-robbing crew includes Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba), John Rahway (Paul Walker), A.J. (Hayden Christensen) and brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse Attica (Chris Brown) successfully completing their “latest heist and leading a life of luxury while planning their next job.” Ghost (Tip “T.I.” Harris), a former member of the team, is released from prison and convinces the group to take down an armored car carrying $20 million.

In the midst of the film, you have corrupted cops, druggy sisters and a character that is a double bad guy — not to mention Zoe Saldana’s character playing the “good” fiancé role to Ealy’s Jake. While Saldana’s usual performances exhibit her strong character, her portrayal of fiancé Rachel Jansen became background noise to the story at hand. Her demeanor was rather stiff and would have benefited from being part of the action.

While “Takers” is action-packed, the viewer does not have the same attachment to its characters as they would have in “Set it off;” the female gangsters of that film lived a hard life at the bottom of the totem pole and elicited compassion from the viewer, connecting the viewer to their situation. The film’s director, F. Gary Gray, portrayed a sense of pity and camaraderie between the women that could not be shaken by anything. In “Takers,” however, greed and power are thrust into the hands of the characters. The camaraderie is a bit shaky and the viewer never knows what to truly believe. Also, T.I.’s presence seems to overshadow the plot and the other characters. Although he is a local Atlanta rapper, perhaps someone more sinister should have been cast in the role. He did a great job, but an LA film doesn’t need Georgia.

Overall, “Takers” is a very raw film. While this PG-13 flick is great for mind-numbing action, moviegoers may want to wait until this film comes out on video.

The readings will showcase the works of SCAD Atlanta students Kerry Burke, Tamara Joyner and Allie Jemison.  SCAD also will be an exhibitor at the festival’s book market and street fair. SCAD admission representatives, writing professors, staff from SCAD’s Ivy Hall Writing Center and shopSCAD—a unique gallery store that exclusively features the artwork and designs of students, faculty, staff and alumni—will be on hand to provide information about SCAD and its academic programs.

Glenn Wallace explains the history of Ivy Hall as part of the lecture series.

Photograph courtesy of Dane Sponberg

Glenn Wallace, SCAD senior vice president for college resources and the visionary behind the SCAD Design Group, spoke on Sunday, August 15 to a packed house about Ivy Hall and its award-winning restoration by the university. The house is located on Ponce de Leon Ave., in midtown Atlanta. Vice President Wallace described the labor of love that is now the Writing Center for SCAD’s emerging young writers. “It’s about the students,” Wallace told the audience, which took up the top portion of the house as well as the downstairs foyer. “We want to this facility to be used for the next generations and beyond,” he elaborated.

The Peters family first built Ivy Hall in the 1880s and after their departure, the building was turned into a restaurant called The Mansion in the 1970s. The building has not only had many different owners, but has also experienced numerous fires in its long existence. The ivy-laced structure has been taken apart and put back together in some areas, but stands as monumentally beautiful as its original self.

Although the neighborhood surrounding Ivy Hall has become more urban and modern over the years, the house renovations have restored the building to nearly its original 1883 architecture. Some of the house’s original features include its fireplaces and glassed-in porch. The building’s modern conveniences are camouflaged in its historical façade and detailed characteristics. Vice President Wallace described the house as “the iPhone of its day, with cutting edge technology and leading ideas for the future …” with as much zest and zeal as the building had in its heyday. Students come to study, learn and write inside a beautiful work of art as well as a technologically up-to-date facility.

“This is about the students and how we can use great things to restore the building … but if it doesn’t have the life continuance [for students and beyond], then it doesn’t matter. It’s about the next life afterwards and what we will do [to continue to grow],” Wallace stated. Echoing his message, Albert Cuspin-Annkah, a third year interior design student, stated that the building’s architecture “inspires” him and that he is “amazed at how they pulled everything together.” The awe of the students and other guests at the lecture demonstrates how far Ivy Hall has come and how the facility can continue to be a beneficial learning environment for generations to come.

Rocking into theaters with a level of anticipation second only to the legions of screaming girls for the Twilight saga, the comic-to-film adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series “Scott Pilgrim” is here. Following a whirlwind fan-courting press tour (including events here in Atlanta) and a successful visit to San Diegos’s Comic-Con comic and science fiction convention, the newest film by “Shaun of the Dead” director Edgar Wright certainly feels big. Some fans may have read the entire series (I haven’t read past book one), but does the movie stand up to its tagline? Is “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” an “epic of epic epicness?”

For the uninitiated, our hero is Scott Pilgrim, a nebbish 22-year-old loser (played by none other than eternal nebbish loser Michael Cera) who is in a band and currently dates a 17-year-old girl, which he is teased about by everyone around him. He soon meets the swoon-worthy Ramona Flowers at a party, weasels her into a date and impresses her with his band. However, there is a catch. In order to go out with Ramona, Scott must face her seven evil exes and defeat them, in an entirely serious video-game-laden sense of the term, to win her heart.

As faithful to its source material as last year’s “Watchmen” adaptation, “Scott Pilgrim” goes to great lengths to preserve the look, feel and words of the graphic novels. A recent YouTube mash-up where a fan recreated the movie’s trailer from scans of the original comic pages is not far off from the movie’s final product. The film’s unique visual style is complete with on-screen onomatopoeia, split-screen panels and even some actual O’Malley artwork.

“Scott Pilgrim” is the first movie that is truly and unabashedly for the Millennial Generation — the 18 to 30-year-olds who grew up playing video games, consuming pop culture and surfing the Internet, all while putting off adulthood as long as possible. This is the film’s greatest strength as well as its weakness. From the minute the Universal Pictures logo and theme appears pixilated and scored to 8-bit music, the viewer is made aware that the entire movie is one giant paean to gaming and pop culture riffs. Each evil boyfriend is a “boss” in an elaborate video game, even exploding into coins upon defeat. Pixilated weaponry appears from nowhere. The clever and well-executed sound design is laced with gaming references, emoticons, on-screen indicators, even laugh tracks and sound bites from a certain 90s sitcom.

While the sheer amount of Generation Y ephemera makes watching “Scott Pilgrim” a joy for the college crowd, the film can also be brought down by that same crowd’s Internet-addled attention span. In an effort to squeeze six volumes of content into a two-hour movie, Wright must blaze through the plot at breakneck speed. This Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Direction makes any character attachment extremely difficult for the audience, much less introductory plot comprehension, unless you are a devotee to the comic book series. There are massive amounts of paper-thin characters to know and a ream of shallow plot lines to cover in order to make the fan boys happy. Yet, like a movie whose Adderall finally kicks in, the plot begins to focus during the latter half and becomes more comprehensive and enjoyable until the final battle with Jason Schwartzman’s Gideon in an epic four-person melee of fun.

If you have not guessed by now, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is not your typical movie. While entertaining and hilarious, the movie is very much for under-40 audience. Anyone who fits this description will probably eat up the movie as a love letter to the Nintendo generation. “Scott Pilgrim” probably won’t bring in the masses, forever consigned to cult-hit status, but will likely be a dorm room staple in the years to come. At the very least, it earns this movie an extra life.

BRUNCH (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

DINNER (5 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.)

Fried fish

White rice

Green beans

Stir-fried tofu

SATURDAY, August 21

BRUNCH (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

Brunch

DINNER (5 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Chicken and broccoli

Broccoli

Vegetable lo mein

White rice

SUNDAY, August 22

BRUNCH (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

Brunch

DINNER (5 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Chicken pot pie

Vegetarian pot pie

Garlic bread

Steamed carrots

MONDAY, August 23

Hot Bar  

LUNCH (10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.)            

Curried chicken

Curried tofu

White rice

Cabbage

DINNER (4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Sweet and sour meatballs

Macaroni and cheese

Sweet and sour tofu

Green beans

TUESDAY, August 24

Hot Bar

LUNCH (10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Chicken Alfredo

Pasta

Garlic bread

Mixed vegetables

DINNER (4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Fried chicken

Mashed potatoes

Fried tofu

Mixed vegetables

WEDNESDAY, August 25

Hot Bar

LUNCH (10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.)

Beef tacos

Vegetarian tacos

Rice

Refried beans

Corn

DINNER (4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Pasta with meat sauce

Marinara sauce

Garlic bread

Mixed vegetables

THURSDAY, August 26

Hot Bar  

LUNCH (10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Baked lemon pepper chicken

Rice pilaf

Corn on the cob

Carrots

DINNER (4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Beef ravioli

Cheese ravioli

Garlic bread

Mixed vegetables

SUMMER DINING HOURS

Monday – Friday
7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
4:30 – 8 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
5 – 6:45 p.m.

~ ESPRESSO BAR HOURS ~

Monday – Thursday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday – Sunday
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

First, groom and fill in your eyebrows with an eyebrow powder such as Milani Brow Fix Eye Brow Powder Kit in Medium.

Next, prime your eyelids with Laura Mercier Eye Basics to create a canvas for your eye shadow that won’t crease. Use a concealer brush with tapered, synthetic bristles, such as eye crème brush #31 by BECCA, to apply. Laura Mercier Eye Basics come in a wide variety of colors to match your skin tone.

With a wide, flat brush, such as Sonia Kashuk’s medium eye shadow brush, apply the base color all over the lid. The eye shadow I am using is called Serenity by LORAC.

Using a long, tapered brush, such as the #30 double-ended brush by Stila, apply a bronze eye shadow to the outer corners and crease of the eye, such as Stila eye shadow pan in Copper.

Apply the turquoise highlight eye shadow, such as Stila eye shadow pan in Mystic, to the inner eye corner using the short end of the #30 brush.

Using the same brush, apply another highlight eye shadow, such as Persuasion eye shadow by LORAC, to the brow bone.

Line your eyes with a liquid brown liner, such as Prestige Black Brown liquid liner.

Use a brown pencil liner to define the outer lower lashes. Here, I use ULTA’s Kohl Eye Liner Pencil in Deep Brown.

Coat lashes with black mascara. My favorite is L’Oreal Telescopic mascara in Blackest Black.

Now that I have finished my eyes, I will move on to cheeks and lips.

Apply a neutral, bronzy blush to your cheekbones. My favorite blush is Lust to Love by Too Faced Cosmetics.

You may apply a bronzer next, if you want a more bronzed look. My picks are Laguna Bronzing Powder by NARS and Caribbean in a Compact bronzer in Sun Bunny by Too Faced Cosmetics.

Next, line and fill in your lips with a neutral lip pencil, such as ULTA’s Contour Lip Liner Pencil in Flesh.

Apply a bronzy pink lip gloss all over your lips. I am using Too Faced Couture’s Whipped Lip Luxe in Bustier.

Here is the completed summer make-up look!

Enjoy an afternoon pool party or a night on the town with this versatile look!

The make-up products used in this tutorial can be found at Sephora, ULTA and Target retailers.