There’s a Chinese restaurant in York that has a 4 star rating – and for good reason.
Shangrila, which is about 35-40 minutes away from Penn Manor, “warrants the drive out there,” said Andrew Bachman of Washington Boro. “The service is great. The servers, while timid, were very fast at getting drinks and refills and very friendly.”
Right when you walk in there’s a warm welcoming from the host who greets you at the door and seats you right away.
“The service is great,” said Dale Laughman who lives in East Berlin. Zach Perecinsky of Delta agreed and added “the food is even better.”
Shangrila is clean and very well kept. It’s not like most Chinese restaurants, the color pops. There are a lot of reds, oranges and yellows; however, it is not overdone. It looks elegant and makes you very comfortable. It’s certainly better than sitting at little rickety tables you find at other Chinese restaurants that are primarily carryout.
“The restaurant itself is extremely clean and the decor is surprisingly posh for a restaurant. The atmosphere is great,” said Bachman.
The decorations add a nice touch to the restaurant. There are flowers and lamps everywhere. They also have pictures on the walls which add to the color and the surrounding area. The place is very cozy.
The food at Shangrila is amazing according to several local people who have tried it.
York Chinese restaurant, Shangrila, has been enticing customers from Lancaster to dine there. Photo by Kira Hess
“The food is awesome,” said Laughman.
The chicken fried rice, the Dragon and Phoenix, and the orange chicken are phenomenal. All the flavors flow through your mouth. The group favorites were definitely the orange chicken and the chicken fried rice.
While this Chinese restaurant is similar to others in many ways, there are many things about it that make it stand out in a crowd.
“Comparing it to other Chinese places is like comparing a McDonald’s burger to Five Guys. They’re relatively the same but astronomically different,” said Bachman
Overall the place is amazing, it’s a hidden little gem tucked away in a strip mall, very unassuming but once you go you’ll find yourself coming back again and again…
“I recommend it to all of my friends who enjoy Chinese food and often take them out there myself. I’ve yet to hear one person say they didn’t find the food to be the best Chinese food they’ve ever had,” said Bachman.
The latest installment in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean series is sure to send youngsters who anxiously awaited its arrival away happy, as well as older fans, too.
In the same fashion as its predecessors, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, showcases the more mature side of Disney imagination as its rating is PG-13.
Pirates does not disappoint, however, as it is full of action, comedy, and even glimpses of horror.
The only thing missing from the latest addition is most of the leading cast from the previous films.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie poster. Photo courtesy imdb
The beloved Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, is still the same old sly, up-to-no good pirate as before. Absent from the movie are Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann, key components to the first three films.
Director Rob Marshall does a nice job of filling their spaces by throwing into the mix an old, and possibly current, love interest of Sparrow’s, Angelica Malon, played by Penelope Cruz.
Cruz’s almost identical sister but three years her junior, Monica Cruz, played as a body double because Penelope was pregnant during filming.
Other new faces include Malon’s long-lost father, Blackbeared, played by Ian McShane. Captive missionary Philip Swift (Sam Claflin) is also introduced, as is the mermaid he falls in love with, Syrena, played by Spanish-French actress Astrid Berges-Frisbey, who makes her English-language debut.
Returnees include Sparrow’s father Captain Teague (Keith Richards), his former sailing confidant Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) and his old nemesis Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).
All in all, the plot structure of the film is well done.
Sparrow has a run-in with Angelica, who reveals herself as his impersonator after the two have a sword match in the back of a bar. Angelica leads him to the ruthless Blackbeard and his crew full of grotesque sailors.
The talk around the world is that a Fountain of Youth exists, thus there is fierce competition to reach it first and reap from its magic.
Because Blackbeard knows of Sparrow’s keen sailing and pirating expertise, he forces him to lead the way in an expedition to find the fountain.
A few escape attempts and a mermaid attack later, Blackbeard’s crew, under Sparrow’s direction, reach the fountain. There, they encounter Barbossa, who is under orders of the British monarchy, and the Spanish who wish to destroy the fountain.
A full-on fight occurs between the opposing forces but somehow in the middle of it all, Sparrow is able to take possession of the two chalices needed for the magic of the fountain to work.
Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) and Philip Swift (Sam Claflin). Photo courtesy novelasymas.com
It is learned that in order for a user to take advantage of the fountain’s powers, a mermaid’s tear must be in the gulp that the user swallows as well as the water of the fountain itself. A tear from the stubborn mermaid Syrena, who was abducted during the attack, was earlier obtained.
Both Blackbeard and Angelica are wounded in battle. Only one of them will be able to survive by the fountain’s powers.
Sparrow, with possession of both chalices, has knowledge of which one contains Syrena’s tear and which does not.
Angelica is willing to sacrifice herself for her father, so she drinks the chalice believed to not contain the tear.
Sparrow always has a trick up his sleeve, however, as he knowingly gives Angelica the chalice with the tear.
Thus, she lives and her father perishes.
The movie ends with a cliffhanger as she reveals that she is pregnant with Sparrow’s child, so there’s no telling what craziness the next installment will entail.
Maybe a future Captain Jack is in the works, complete with his father’s witty, trouble-making spirit.
The beginning of the film was slow and could have picked up a bit so that it’s two hour, 17 mintue run time was reduced. The fun-filled action scenes and whimsical lines made up for it, however, and it definitely delivered.
Yes, you may be coming from a math final and a trip to the nurse to get some Advil for your headache, but here’s another equation for you:
The Hangover, plus a drug dealing monkey, minus Zach Galifianakis’ hair, plus a new tattoo, minus one-fifth of a human hand,equals the much anticipated sequel to the top grossing comedy of all time.
The Hangover Part II.
Stu (Helms) realizing the tattoo on his face is permanent. Photo from thehangoverquotes.com
When the clock struck midnight on Thursday, May 26, the wolfpack was officially at it again. This time, though, they really dug themselves into an even deeper hole.
Phil, played by Bradley Cooper, had a similar conversation with Tracy, wife of Justin Bartha’s character, Doug, who is played by Sarah Baresse, as in the first Hangover in the beginning of the second.
Phil: “Tracy, I’m sorry.”
Tracy: “Where the (heck) are you?”
Phil: (sigh) “It happened again.”
Tracy: “Don’t say that.”
Phil: “No, this time we really (messed) up.”
Tracy: “What the (heck) is wrong with you three?”
Phil: “So much ‘Trace,’ I don’t even know where to begin.”
Well, Phil, to help jog your memory, the night all begins around a campfire in Thailand where Stu, played by Ed Helms. With a couple bags of marshmallows, thanks to the regrettably invited Alan, played by Galifianakis, the wolfpack plus Teddy, Stu’s soon-to-be goody good brother-in-law who is played by Mason Lee, are just enjoying a few drinks and relaxing.
By the time the night was over, Alan got a haircut, Stu got a tattoo, Phil was sweaty…, Teddy lost a finger, they lost Teddy and they were visited by an old friend.
Ken Jeong, who played Mr. Chow in the first Hangover, was back and ready for round two: less furious and more profane, party-happy, making dirty jokes and using drugs. To think the real-life Jeong is actually a certified doctor is dumbfounding. Although he returned to the sequel, it didn’t take long for him to end up in an ice box with no heart rate due to OD-ing on cocaine.
Phil (Cooper) trying to realize what just happened the night before. Photo from thehangoverquotes.com
The waking up scene was similar to the first Hangover, with an additional cockroach.
Phil awakens, drenched in his own sweat, only to be greeted by Alan who tumbles off the bunk bed and lands on the floor with a big, “THUD!” They venture around the room – a room which they have no idea how or when they got in – and find, not a tiger, but Stu in the bathroom, facing the opposite way. A moan and a shift of the body later, Stu is faced with his new friend on the right side of his face: a tattoo similar to the one on boxer Mike Tyson.
“You’re going to freak out, but it’s going to be okay,” Phil said to him, not really helping the situation at all.
The tattoo is not the only new friend that the wolfpack met in that instance. A monkey with a Rolling Stones jacket on was also found in the vacant hotel room. After a scuffle on what is exactly under a blanket on the floor, it turns out to be Chow. The crowd was certainly pleased by the reappearance of the rather comfortable-with-his-body character.
There was one problem as they did a head count. Teddy was gone. The only evidence and remains from the scene was his finger still harnessed by his crimson Stanford University ring lying in a bucket of water.
Lots of “Oh my God!’s,” “What is going on?!’s” and “What the (bleep)!’s” occurred throughout the movie – for good reason.
After waking up, they take a wild ride on the find-what-the-heck-happened-last-night train, stopping at places like a police station, a monastery that Alan compares to “a P.F. Chang’s,” a club and ultimately ending up in a boat on dry ground, thanks to the great driving of “fat Jesus.”
Alan (Galifianakis). One minute he's an angry, marshmallow-spiking fiend, the next he's an innocent, bearded monkey-lover.
The Hangover Part II’s main course consisted of raunchiness, comedy, drugs, a side of nudity and Tiramike Tyson – clever, I know – for dessert, just like the first one. In fact, reviews around the internet and among students here at Penn Manor say that the sequel is just like part I, just in another location: Bangkok, Thailand.
I can’t blame them for making basically the same movie because, well, it worked the first time so why not do it again?
This is what made the first one successful and will surely do the same for the second: a toast followed by a crazy night, waking up with animals made more for the jungle than a hotel room, not remembering what they did, where they did it and with whom they did it with, losing a friend, going to search for the friend, then finally rushing to a wedding with [hopefully (watch and find out)] the correct number of people and ending off with another highlight reel of R-rated photos while the credits role and Flo Rida serenades you with his rapping.
You can thank Stu for inviting Alan and who, as a result, gets drugged for a second time and leads them to a very eventful day attempting to grasp the fact that this night actually happened… again.
Cars, fast driving, girls, guns, fighting and two giant sweaty guys.
That’s the basics of the new movie Fast Five, and the previous standards of the movies in the Fast and Furious series.
The new movie was released on Friday, April 29th and featured the stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock). That weekend, Fast Five sold over $80 million in tickets according to rottentomoatoes.com.
The movie begins with Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto trying to escape the law by running across the border. It’s a classic action packed movie with the “bad” guys running from the cops. While in Brazil, they are on their last ‘job’ before they can break free and disappear forever. They assemble their team of elites to bring down a corrupt business owner in the local area. They plan on stealing over $100 million and splitting it between the group and then buying their freedom. Their plan is slightly interrupted when the federal agent Luke Hobbs(Dwayne Johnson) is sent in with his task team to bring in Brian and Dom.
The Fast Five movie poster from boomtron.com
The movie continues on with lots of gunfire and fast cars along with one big fight scene between Dom and Luke. The two giant guys plow each other through walls and glass with the fight leading to near death.
Overall I thought Fast Five was a good movie and would agree with the rating of 7.9 from imbd.com (internet movie database). There were a lot of well done action scenes in the movie, but one thing this movie lacked was the amount of cars in it.
The Fast and Furious movies have all been based around cars and racing, but this ones theme was more similar to Gone In 60 Seconds, with ‘do the last job and disappear forever’. I wished there would have been more racing in the movie and more about cars like the previous movies.
The movie was definitely worth seeing. It may be two hours long, but it’s well worth sitting in the theater that long. One thing I would recommend that I wasn’t able to do was see the movie in IMAX. I saw the movie on the regular screen and wished I would’ve seen it on the larger IMAX experience.
Fast Five was a good intense action packed movie and I would recommend you to see it in theaters if you are attached to the Fast and Furious series, you like action packed movies, or just simply like watching cars.
Fact: Black Ops sold more copies then any other Call Of Duty game before it. Another fact: the latest map pack is the greatest map pack ever for the Call Of Duty franchise.
Poster for First Strike. Photo courtesy of Call Of Duty Wiki.com
On February 1, the new map pack First Strike was released for the Xbox 360 and many people have been more than happy with the results.
In this map pack, five new maps have been added. Four normal multi-player maps, Berlin Wall, Kowloon, Stadium and Discovery are in the pack. The maps bring a new feel for plays as there are things that make each map different.
First there’s Stadium which is the new version of Nuke Town with added changes. It’s a medium-sized map which takes place in New York.
Then there’s Discovery which one of the biggest map for Black Ops, and is the hardest.
But not to Penn Manor freshman Eric Shetrompf who says, “Discovery is a big map but it isn’t that hard to move around. You want to look out for the ice bridge.”
The ice bridge is one of the new features that this map has where there’s a bridge made out of ice that can be blown up.
Kowloon is next and this map is based off the mission in Black Ops’ campaign called “Numbers.” This map is full of hidden places and is the best map for all game types. In fact Shetromphf has even more to share about this map.
“There’s a lot of places to hide and lot of campers which makes it hard to move around when you first play the map,” Shetromphf said.
Also in this map, there’s two zip lines which let players move around the map with ease but when you do this you can’t defend yourself or attack anyone until you’re on the other side.
“I’ve died when I used it a few times and I’ve killed (those) who have used it,” said Shetrompf.
Now for the Berlin Wall, which if you don’t know what that’s based on, you must have failed history. This map is in Germany. This map is made for snipers because there’s a lot of long-range places and camping spots just for long-range fighting. But the worst thing about is the No-man’s land which has auto turrets that will shoot and kill anyone in it. But its a great way to go across the map so if you want to press your luck to get to the other side-good luck.
Last, the best thing about this map pack is the zombies map called Ascension.
In this new zombie map you’re in a Russian space station where a man’s voice says, “Hurry the mechanism must not be damaged. You must repair the mechanism and hurry, she is coming!”
This is just the beginning for him because if you do the Node puzzle you get a surprise – but you going to have to find that out for your self.
This map is the biggest and hardest map for the C.O.D. series yet. But don’t take my word for it.
Listen to what Shetrompf has to say about this map, “It’s the best zombies by far…. It’s so intense and there’s so much stuff in it that you really need some team work or else you’re dead.”
You start off in one room and you have to earn points by killing zombies and unlocking more and more doors and weapons. The point of it all is to to survive to the highest round that you can. And there’s new things like new perks weapons Easter eggs and zombies.
Now the map pack First Strike is out for PS3.
Nothing has changed from the Xbox version.
Anthony Fulginiti has the map pack for the PS3 and he says that, “It’s easy to get used to… when I first got it I went to Stadium and I learned the map quick and I got a good score in the end.”
So for PS3 users, the multi-player experience is a bit easier for them.
As for the zombies experience he says that, “It not as good as I thought it would be, the monkeys are easy to beat and the zombies are smarter than the normal zombies, but not that much.”
The results are in and First Strike made records as the most downloaded map pack in C.O.D. history.
So it must be good and at a good price. But if you’re a Wii user as of right now the Wii gets no map pack but keep your hopes up because there is a new patch coming.
As half of the student body enters the auditorium for assembly A, there’s a buzz throughout the hallways. The musical preview can be an exciting time for students. It’s a break from classes, and the cast always puts on an exceptional show.
The cast gives a warm goodbye in the hallways to the pleased playgoers. Photo by Connor Hughes.
As principle Eric Howe attempts to seat the hectic students, I sit back with my camera anxiously.
The stage manager, Cheyenne Zuck and assistant stage manager Sarah Zerfoss introduce the cast. They were clearly nervous for the words they had to say. After they left the stage, the orchestra started to play.
They played, and played and played.
It went from a feeling of anxiousness to a bit awkward quickly. After about five minutes of just music and murmurs from the crowd, I was already thinking something went wrong. But then, the curtains finally opened and out came the cast.
Then the stars came on. Matt Noll conducts the train as Cody Goldberg, Tim Deubler, Brian Buckius, Jesse Graham, Joe Gordon, Jared Bonawitz, and Nick Charles ride along and sing a very interesting first scene. It must have taken perfect timing to execute the quick change of pitch from all of the cast members.
I take out my camera and snap my first picture, it comes out dark and blurry. I snap another and the flash goes off… everyone within a 20-foot radius turns around with judging eyes. When I realize I can’t hide the fact that it was me who created the giant distraction, I sheepishly say “sorry” and give up on taking pictures for the time being.
Hailey Fafel and Jill Wiley in a heart-wrenching scene. Photo by Connor Hughes.
When the next scene begins with Tim Deubler taking the stage, all eyes were on him. He grabbed the attention and didn’t let it go until he was completely off the stage.
Where did the little kids come from? Elementary schools in Penn Manor apparently. They sure are recruiting young.
Although, the kids were in the perfect spot, they were almost prepared as well as the high school students.
Miss Teen Pennsylvania, Jill Wiley, did an exceptional job as always with her Disney-quality voice. Penn Manor has been watching her for four years now and she never ceases to amaze. Along with Hailey Fafel, who plays Amaryllis, the aspired pianist who has a crush on someone who is afraid to speak a word to her, the singing was exceptional.
Overall the crew did a great job. The choreography lead by Donovan Hoffer was executed perfectly. The plot didn’t draw my attention much, though, and the non-existent cliffhanger at the end didn’t help. Maybe the full version of the play will draw audiences into the story line.
To see the cast in action with the prolonged version of “The Music Man”, the dates are March 4, 5 and 11, 12.
Paper Towns by John Green is a new addition to Penn Manor High School library. The book received the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2009 and reached number five on the New York Times best seller list.
The story is centered around the lives of a group of seniors specifically Quentin Jacobsen, the narrator who weaves an adventurous tale of longing and curiosity.
Paper Towns a new book in the Penn Manor library.
Quentin’s long-time neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, who he is secretly madly in love with, takes him on a one-night adventure throughout their hometown, Orlando. This encounter draws Quentin even closer to the rather distant Margo. However the next day, Margo disappears.
Her disappearance isn’t out of character. She has disappeared before and always leaves clues. Her disappearance leads Quentin and his friends on a very difficult scavenger hunt.
The book is mostly Quentin’s view of Margo and how his opinion of her morphs throughout the book with every clue he finds.
The book is named Paper Towns after a term used to define fake towns printed on maps to find publisher that merely copy other people maps.
This book is very well written and highly recommended.
It’s something that can help people make up even over a fight. It’s a great place to go to with family or that classic first date.
Yes, the one thing everybody loves!
Movies.
With the changing of the year, new movies will surface to (hopefully) dazzle, amaze and astound us.
The internet has played a key role in shedding light on this year’s feature films, at least the ones students in Penn Manor will probably want to see.
First on the list, The Green Hornet. In this movie Seth Rogen plays Britt Reid, the main character, son and heir to Los Angeles’ largest newspaper fortune. He is a rich and spoiled man without a care in the world and has never worked a day in his life. When his father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) dies, Britt then meets a man, Kato (Jay Chou). They realize that they have the money and power to do something worthwhile with their lives and make James Reid proud. The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Michael Pena, Adam Sandler and Kwon Sang-Woo. It will be released on January 14.
The third movie in the Big Mommas series is the movie called Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is also set to debut in 2011. This moviestarsMartin Lawrence, Brandon T. Jackson, Jessica Lucas, Faizon Love, Emily Rios and Portia Doubleday. Malcolm, Martin Lawrence’s character, and his 17 year old nephew, Trent, go undercover to an all girl’s school after Trent claims to have seen a murder at the school. Malcolm disguises himself as Big Momma and Trent as Charmaine. This movie, coming out Feb. 18, is sure to generate some laughs.
Last but not least, there’s a Scream 4, the fourth in the horror series. After 11 years of silence, a new Scream comes out to make us shiver. The movie picks up right where Scream 3 left off and brings the return of the three main characters. However, a new killer arrives to finish the work of Roman and Billy, characters from the previous Scream movies. This thriller comes to theaters April 15.
The comedy by Mark Twain is playing on November 19 and 20 starting at 7:30 in the Penn Manor High School auditorium.
The play “Is he dead?” is about an artist who is deep in debt to a usurer, which is another name for a loan-shark. The artist is unable to sell his artwork so he and his friends come up with a plan to fake his death in order to drive up the price value of his paintings. The play covers the entire scheme and all the crazy complications.
The lead role is played by senior Cody Goldberg, who plays a male and female role in the play.
Cody Goldberg
“I have a lot of respect for Cody, doing this,” said Melissa Mintzer, assistant director of the play. “I give him a lot of props for learning all of those lines and costumes.”
Crews have been working three hours a day, four days a week, since the second week of school.
The cast is made up of 15 students, there are 25 crew members and 4 adults.
The director of the play is Carol Shellenberger, a retired English teacher at Penn Manor. Assistant director is Melissa Mintzer, Tech director is Mark Dennis, and Rebecca Cotich is in charge of costumes.
How do you speak an English line with a French or German accent, when you were born and raised in America?
“Students will have to try and speak in a different accent when, maybe, they have never even studied that language before,” said Mintzer.
Mark Twain is one of the best humorous play writers that ever lived, so the school has much anticipation.
The play is roughly 2-2 1/2 hours long and is brand new, it has never been done before.
“We hope to inspire other schools to do the play in their high schools,” said Mintzer.
The play is extremely funny and the characters have to do crazy, abnormal things.
But the worst part is that, for some reason, not as many people are coming out to the shows that should.
“My least favorite part is trying to get more people to support and come see the shows,” said Mintzer. “They are always extremely good but people don’t always know that.”
This year’s play is going to be a fun and humorous one that everyone will enjoy.
Tyler Perry’s movie rendition of “For Colored Girls” is a star-packed drama that is far from his usual string of comedies. The story is based on twenty people, each of whom represents a character in every one of the twenty poems throughout the movie. The poems represent struggles colored woman in particular have to face on a day-to-day basis.
Photo credited to cdn.sparkart.net
Kimberly Elise, Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Anika Nonie Rose, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Whoopie Goldberg, Macy Gray, Michael Ealy, Omari Hardwick, Richard Lawson, Hill Harper, Khalil Khan, Rayna Tharani, Jaycee Williams, and Thomas Jessup are just some of the characters who portray stories of rape, murder, promiscuity, and physical/verbal abuse.
The 2 hr and 14 min. movie has its sure of heart stopping moments and doesn’t let up on the dramatic experiences that happen throughout. “For Colored Girls” was originally a screenplay by Ntozake Shange turned Broadway play in the 70’s. The full name of the play was “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” is directed towards young woman of color who face the same problems in real life.
The movie sheds a light on many different problems and constantly sends the same message Shange made in her play.
