By Tori Kock and Jessica Brandt

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of US Magazine

If you’re looking for a family movie that will touch your heart and give you a good laugh, go to your nearest theatre and check out Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. The film is based on Dr. Seuss’ children’s book of the same name, and is the second film adaptation of the book after the 1972 animated television special. With stars like Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms and Taylor Swift, there’s no way this movie can’t impress its audience!

Ted lives in “Thneed-Ville”, a walled city that is completely artificial, excluding the citizens. When Ted’s crush, Audrey, wishes to see a real tree, he sets off on a quest to talk to the Once-ler. Ted escapes the city’s boundary into the contaminated, empty wasteland where the Once-ler lives to hear the story of the trees and how the Once-ler met the Lorax. As the Once-ler is reliving his past, he realizes the last message the Lorax gave him, “Unless,” and gives Ted a gift that could change the city forever. But when Ted runs into trouble with the city’s greedy mayor, he must choose between giving up, or risking it all to make the city a better place.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is the fourth film based on one of Dr. Seuss’ books, and was also Illumination Entertainment’s first film presented in IMAX 3D. The film was the third Dr. Seuss feature film released by Universal, following How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax was released on March 2, which would have been the 108th birthday of Seuss. The Lorax received mixed to positive reviews from critics because it’s “betraying” the original message of the book. The movie has grossed $278,993,435 worldwide so far and will be earning much more.

Dr. Seuss knows how to put a smile on a person’s face, and Illumination Entertainment brought his story to life on the big screen in 3D. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a great film that leaves the audience feeling giddy, and it reaches out to all ages! Head out and see the flick; you won’t regret it!

By Tori Kock and Jessie Hauff

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of iFindSermons.com

After four years of enduring the same daily rituals, senior students can’t wait to receive their diploma. Senior year has flown by and seniors are either anxious to escape or aching to stay. High school holds many memories and experiences that students will never forget.

Every senior is eventually bound to experience the phenomenon called senioritis. Some students jump the gun and graduate early; others stay to enjoy their last year of high school. The question is: why? Why scramble to figure out your life plan? We’re still teenagers, and we still have to plan everything out. Some of the seniors are planning to attend college in the fall; others are choosing to wait to attend college for specific reasons. It’s hard for seniors to balance high school, a job, applying to numerous colleges, trying to get scholarships and attempting to be a normal teenager. For some, all of that could be easy; for others, it may seem like a stressful nightmare.

Some seniors are happy with how their life throughout the years of school went. Senior Harley Bauman is very happy with how everything turned out. “Knowing that I’m a senior is the ultimate highlight of my last year in high school. I’m pretty satisfied with the way everything went throughout the years; I wouldn’t change anything about my life in high school. I’ve worked hard to graduate, and I plan on attending the School of Mines and Technology. I’ve already started taking a few college classes, so I’m already ahead. I just hope that my hard work pays off in the long run.”

On the other hand, some students have regrets about high school. Senior Katie Stahl regrets leaving her friends behind for two years. “I left West Central to attend Roosevelt for my freshman and sophomore year. I met new friends there, but I regret leaving. I started experiencing senioritis second semester; I’m excited to graduate. This year, I started talking to classmates that I never thought I would talk to. Hanging out with my friends has been the highlight of my senior year. They’ve made this year one of the best years in high school for me, and I hope we all keep in touch. As for my future, I don’t know where the road will take me yet. I don’t know exactly what I want to do as a career yet, but I’m thinking about business. I’m torn between two colleges to attend: South Dakota State University or the University of Sioux Falls.”

The last year of high school has flashed before our eyes, and soon enough it will be May 19. We think it will be extremely different when August comes around, and we won’t be walking through the doors of West Central again. Maybe we’ll all secretly miss West Central, or maybe we’ll leave the school we grew up attending along with the classmates we grew up with, without a care in the world. Even though we’re graduating and moving on to another journey, we will always be Trojans.

By Tori Kock and Kiley Luke

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Online Movies Hut

Fans fell in love with the first movie of the series,Twilight, and the beginning of the end finally released to theaters on Nov. 18. The stars of Breaking Dawn seem to be on top of the world because of this film’s glory.

Kristen Stewert and Robert Pattinson return to the big screen as Bella and Edward to tie the knot with their eternal love. On the night of their wedding, Bella is happy to see her old “wolf” friend Jacob Black, who is outraged that Bella and Edward are going to complete their marriage on their honeymoon. When Jacob gets angry, his wolf pack hold him back from attacking Edward, and the newlywed couple proceeds to their honeymoon. But when a romantic night turns into an unwanted and supposedly impossible pregnancy, Bella’s life is put in danger from the “demon” inside of her.

The film surprisingly received negative reviews from critics. The website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 27 percent of critics gave the film a positive review, and the film is said to be “slow and joyless.” However, fans gave a lot of positive feedback.  A Brandon Valley junior said he was surprised. “I haven’t seen any of the other movies before this one, but Breaking Dawn was a really good movie.” A couple that attended the film gave it a thumbs-up! “This was the best one so far! It had its funny and touching moments that added to the experience. We can’t wait to see part two!”

The film earned $30.3 million in midnight showings, and it remained as the No. 1 film in the United States and Canada for two weeks. Since Breaking Dawn is such a big production, the film is split into two parts and are scheduled to be released almost one year apart.  Breaking Dawn Part Two is scheduled to release on Nov. 16, 2012.