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Tag: IT

  • Loveland Magazine Celebrates Fall With Cassie’s Guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween Movies PART 2

    Loveland Magazine Celebrates Fall With Cassie’s Guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween Movies PART 2

     

    Loveland, Ohio – With Halloween just around the corner and Fall weather officially here scary movie marathons are in full swing! There is nothing better than a good scare to get you in the mood for the 31st! So you’re not sure what scary movies to add to your Halloween movie marathon? Well, you have come to the right place! Here is PART 2 of my guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween movies!

     

    5. Lights Out, 2016, directed by David F. Sandberg and produced by James Wan,     Lawrence Grey, and Eric Heisserer

    The title of this film is spooky in itself because during the season of Halloween who honestly likes the “lights out?” The film Lights Out is based on an evil entity in the form of a girl named Diana. Diana meets Sophie, played by Maria Bello when Sophie is a young girl and eventually Diana dies for reasons I don’t want to give away! Diana then attaches her insidious spirit to Sophie and makes it her sole mission to have Sophie all to herself…FOREVER! Sophie’s evil conduit (a demonic spirit that attaches itself to a person or object) then begins to haunt Sophie’s daughter Rebecca, played by Teresa Palmer, and Sophie’s son Martin, played by Gabriel Bateman. The most horrifying part of this film is that Diana can only be seen or cause harm when the lights are out! This supernatural horror film is of course produced by my FAVORITE, the legendary James Wan, which means this film definitely includes some terrifying scenes that will leave you keeping the lights on long after the film’s over! Lights Out is a film that is bound to make you jump out of your seat so don’t forget to secure your popcorn!

    4. It, 1990 (original), based on the Stephen King novel, directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and written by Tommy Lee Wallace and Lawrence D. Cohen, It: Chapter 1, 2017 (adaptation), directed by Andy Muschietti and produced by Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg and Barbara Muschietti

    I honestly don’t even know where to start when it comes to this film! Let’s just address now that It was responsible for most of the nightmares I had as a kid so when it was re-released in 2017 I was definitely excited to see the film, but not excited for the nightmares to start up again! The film It, which was based on a novel written by the infamous Stephen King, begins its terrifying tale in Derry, Maine in the 1960s where an evil murderous clown named Pennywise, begins to kidnap and kill the children of Derry. When Pennywise takes a young child named Georgie, he finds himself being challenged by 7 outcast kids, one of the kids being Georgie’s brother Billy,  that vow to do whatever they can to take Pennywise down for good. If being a murderous clown isn’t scary enough Pennywise can also transform himself into his “victim’s” worst fear causing the victim to succumb to Pennywise’s “light” (the film will explain what the light is) allowing Pennywise to take and keep the victim’s soul forever. This film has so many scenes that will not only make you close your eyes but also close your ears because of Pennywise’s chilling voice! The original It was the film I was first introduced to Pennywise, played by Tim Curry, and I can definitely say with confidence that I have never experienced a scarier clown in a film until It: Chapter 1, an adaptation of the original, was released in 2017. Bill Skarsgard was selected to play the role of Pennywise and to my pleasant surprise scared me just as much as Curry did in the original! The 2017 cast was also selected in a way that I thought worked just as well as the original cast. Fan favorites Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things, Sophia Lillis from Sharp Objects and Jeremy Ray Taylor from Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween all play roles in It: Chapter 1. A highly anticipated follow up to It: Chapter 1 was released in September of this year. I visited the theaters as soon as It: Chapter 2 was released and I must say director Andy Muschietti did a fantastic job transitioning the kid characters into adult characters. With Halloween just right around the corner, I don’t think there’s any better way to celebrate than by watching the entire It collection! You’ll float too….

    3. Insidious, 2010, directed by James Wan, produced by Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, Oren Peli and written by Leigh Whannell

    If you haven’t seen this supernatural horror film you are definitely missing out! Insidious does not follow the typical scary movie mold as it actually introduces another dimension to the viewer called “The Further.” In the film married couple Josh and Renai, played by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, move into a new home with their young sons Dalton and Foster. Shortly after moving in their son Dalton falls into a mysterious coma that no one can figure out the cause of until demonologist Elise Rainier comes into the picture! After Renai starts to experience some of the most terrifying paranormal activity, including seeing a red-face demon hovering over Dalton, she realizes there is more to what’s happening to her son then meets the eye! This film packs in so many scares that going to bed right after watching I’ll admit probably isn’t the best idea considering Insidious primarily focuses on the idea of astral projection, which many believe is something that people have experienced in dream-like states. Though Insidious is now a film franchise as the film itself has been followed by Insidious: Chapter 2, Insidious: Chapter 3, and Insidious: The Last Key the magic of the very first film of the series cannot be denied! One of my favorite film directors, James Wan, and one of my favorite producers, Jason Blum, teamed up to create this film and if you know anything about either one of these talented individuals you know that they are experts when it comes to giving viewers scares. Again this film isn’t necessarily based on Halloween but it is definitely a fantastic post trick or treating film choice!

    2. The Conjuring, 2013, directed by James Wan, produced by Tony DeRosa-Grund, Peter Safran and Rob Cowan and written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes

    If you were able to handle all the movies on my list so far without any nightmares congratulations I am very happy you have made it this far! The film I am about to suggest you watch is by far one of the scariest supernatural horror movies I have ever seen. The Conjuring is based on a real paranormal case that the legendary paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren took on in Rhode Island in 1971. There’s nothing that makes a film more appealing, especially in the horror movie genre than sharing with the viewer that what they are watching is based on a true story, and The Conjuring is just that! The real Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are now passed, took on over 10,000 paranormal cases over their very long careers as paranormal investigators. The Conjuring film follows Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, as they get pulled into the mysterious demonic occurrences that are happening, according to the Perroni family, in their Rhode Island farmhouse. What Lorraine ends up finding to be attached to the family and farmhouse is beyond what she ever expected! This film literally has it all; great acting, great story development, great visionary moments and the scare tactics well they are off the charts! I will warn you that this movie may not be for children as it is rated R and has quite a few REALLY scary moments! Adults beware you are definitely in for a scare with The Conjuring!

    1. Hereditary, 2018, directed and written by Ari Aster, and produced by Kevin Frakes, Lars Knudsen, and Buddy Patrick

    You know the feeling when you see a film for the first time and after it has finished all you can do is sit there in utter shock and silence? That’s exactly how I felt after I saw Hereditary for the first time. This supernatural psychological horror-drama takes place in Utah where Annie and her husband Peter, played by Toni Collette and Gabriel Bryne, along with their kids Steve and Charlie, played by Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro, discover that a demon by the name of Paimon is haunting them due to Annie’s estranged mother’s death. Though the film’s plot seems quite typical the film itself is anything but typical! I will attest that some of the scenes in this film are quite horrifying and will probably stick with you in your dreams, but hey isn’t that what enjoying a great horror film is all about?! Finding this film maybe a little difficult as it was originally released at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival as somewhat of an “underground indie horror film,” but of course I did my research and I found that you can purchase this film at most stores, amazon prime video, google play and YouTube. Hereditary is number 1 on my list for a reason and that’s mainly because out of all the millions of horror movies I’ve seen not many scenes can compare to the visual horror that is displayed in this film! This horror movie is one that should be saved for Halloween night after the kids go to bed!

    Thank you Loveland Magazine readers for tuning in to my Top 10 Best Halloween Movies Part 1 and Part 2! We hope everyone has a spooky yet safe HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Scare ya later!

    Read Part 1 of my Guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween Movies!

    Loveland Magazine Celebrates Fall With Cassie’s Guide to the Top 10…

     

     

  • Loveland Magazine Celebrates Fall With Cassie’s Guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween Movies PART 1

    Loveland Magazine Celebrates Fall With Cassie’s Guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween Movies PART 1

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – With Fall officially in the air it’s hard not to start thinking about carving pumpkins, the beautiful leaves changing colors, enjoying a delicious caramel apple, or tuning in to your FAVORITE Halloween movie! For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed watching scary movies. When I was young I first fell in love with Halloween and all things scary when my mom first introduced to me the 1987 vampire cult classic, Lost Boys directed by Joel Schumacher. At the time Lost Boys was on tape opposed to DVD so you can say I definitely wore that tape out! From the eerie makeup and costumes to the “jump out of your seat” moments to the bizarre camera angles and music, Lost Boys hooked me on the horror genre! From there on out any time my parents gave me the option of what movie I wanted to rent from Blockbuster Video (please tell me everyone reading remembers what Blockbuster is?!) I 100 percent of the time chose a horror movie! Something about being scared just intrigued me. 

    My love for scary movies has only gotten stronger as time has passed and with Halloween quickly approaching we at Loveland Magazine deemed it necessary to release a top 10 best Halloween movie list! I know there are many, many, many top 10 Halloween movie lists out there so I wanted to steer clear of the “traditional” list and let you the readers in on my personal top 10 Halloween movies list! This list will not just include movies based on Halloween but will also include those movies that send a tingle up your spine! So grab a handful of candy corn, cozy up on your favorite chair and get prepared to be let in on Cassie’s Guide to the Top 10 Best Halloween Movies PART 1!

    1. The Shining, 1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Stephen King

    Well, how can you not start a Halloween movie list without a classic Stephen King film adaptation! Nearly 40 years later and this film still gives horror movie fanatics the chills, including myself! I’m one of those movie watchers that 9 times out of 10 has read the novel before seeing the film based on the novel so of course, the fact that The Shining so closely matches the novel written by the legendary Stephen King makes it even more appealing. This film takes place in a creepy historic hotel that was built on an Indian burial ground in the Colorado Rockies. The main character, Jack, played by Jack Nicholson, takes his family as he has accepted the position as the offseason caretaker to stay in the haunted hotel for the winter. Jack’s son Danny, played by Danny Llyod, has telepathic abilities referred to as “the shining,” which ends up allowing Danny to see into the hotel’s haunting past! For those who have not experienced this haunting novel adaptation, this is a MUST see classic that is guaranteed to get you in the Halloween spirit!

    1. The Strangers, 2008, written and directed by Bryan Bertino

    Typically I am pretty aware of all horror movie film releases but for some reason, The Strangers, I didn’t discover until a few years after it was released. This film shocked me in more ways than one especially when I read it was based on The Manson family Tate murders, The Keddie Cabin Murders, and a series of break-ins that occurred in director, Bryan Bertino’s neighborhood as a child. How creepy is that? The Strangers, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, is a slasher movie that begins at a vacation home that both Kristen and James (Tyler and Speedman) are staying the night after attending a wedding. An hour or so into their stay the couple is visited by a family of 3 all wearing eerie masks and from there is where the terror begins! The masked criminals begin to toy and terrorize the innocent couple as the couple tries to find an escape route. This film is a little bit more on the intense side in regards to horror movies as it does include some gore and violence so I recommend this one for adults only! If you are searching for a Halloween movie that doesn’t follow the traditional “horror” movie pattern check out The Strangers!

    1. Halloweentown, 1998, directed by Duwayne Dunham and written by Paul Bernbaum, Jon Cooksey and Ali Matheson

    Ok, everyone, this Halloween movie is for the kids….and of course, the adults will admit they love it as well! Halloweentown, a Disney Channel Original film starring Kimberly Brown, Debbie Reynolds, and Judith Hoag, takes you into a world where it’s Halloween all year round! I mean seriously what could be better than that? The movie begins in the human world where Marnie (Kimberly Brown) eventually comes to realize her family may have a little more of the Halloween “magic” than most families! Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), Marnie’s grandmother, wants so badly for Marnie and her sister Sophie to carry on the family tradition, but Aggie’s daughter, Gwen, wants her family to have a life that is normal as possible, and that means WITHOUT magic! Marnie sneaks out of her house and takes a journey to “Halloweentown,” a place where it’s always Halloween and the place her grandma raised her mother. This film takes you on a Halloween adventure you will find yourself wanting to experience traditionally every Halloween! If you have a hard time getting into the Fall/Halloween spirit Halloweentown will be sure to do the trick….or treat!

    1. Halloween, 1978, directed by John Carpenter and written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, REMAKE-2007, directed and written by Rob Zombie, REMAKE-2018, directed and written by David Gordon Green

    You can’t have a Halloween movie list without including John Carpenter’s Halloween! This film paved the way for one of my favorite horror movie genres, serial killer slasher movies, and yes according to Netflix this is a real movie genre! If you haven’t seen the original Halloween, this movie stars one of the most iconic scream queens, Jamie Lee Curtis. Halloween is based on the notorious serial killer, Micheal Myers, who, as a child, is placed in a sanitarium for murdering his sister. 15 years after the initial murder Micheal escapes the sanitarium for one last night of Halloween terror…or so we thought! Although this movie was made in the late 70’s it still packs all the Halloween scares one needs to get ready for the big holiday!

    For the more modernized horror movies fanatics, Rob Zombie released a reimagined version of Halloween in 2007, that included the gore that the original didn’t mainly because in the 70’s the special effects we have access to now weren’t available yet. This remake focuses in on the childhood of Micheal Myers, played by Tyler Mane, what lead up to the murder of his sister, played by Scout Taylor-Compton, and Myer’s relationship with his mother, played by Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon Zombie.

    There, of course, was another Halloween reboot released in 2018 where Jamie Lee Curtis reenters into the Halloween franchise as her original 1978 character, Laurie Strode. This 2018 reboot, directed and written by David Gordon Green, is set 40 years after the Micheal Myers murders. Curtis in this installment of the Halloween series prepares herself and her family to take down Micheal Myers one last time! Thus far there have been 11 Halloween films added into the series and there are 2 more installments that are in the works set to release in 2020, Halloween Kills, and 2021, Halloween Ends. If you are a true Halloween fanatic I highly recommend browsing your calendar for a weekend where you can binge-watch the entire Halloween series…with your pumpkin spice latte in hand of course!

    1. Hocus Pocus, 1993, directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Neil Cuthbert, Mick Garris, and David Kirschner

    Nothing represents Halloween better than the Sanderson Sisters and if you don’t know who they are Hocus Pocus needs to be added to your Halloween watch list immediately! Hocus Pocus originally did not get the views Disney expected when it was released in 1993, making only 16.5 million at the box office. Now this fantasy comedy horror drama (yes it actually is all these genres) is considered by many, including myself, one of the best movies to watch around Halloween time! If you haven’t yet experienced the film, it takes place in Salem, Massachusetts where an ancient threesome of witches are brought back from the dead by Max Dennison, played by Omri Katz, a teenage boy who just moved to Salem with his family. Once the Sanderson Sisters, played by the legendary Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, are brought back to life they make it their mission to steal all the souls of the youth in Salem..oh and did I mention there is a black cat named Binx that talks?! If you like magic and you like Halloween you HAVE to see Hocus Pocus!

    Stay tuned for PART 2 of my guide to the top 10 best Halloween Movies where I will let you the Loveland Magazine readers in on my top 5 best Halloween movies! Believe me, you won’t want to miss number 1!


  • Loveland High School seniors Emily Kiehl and Radu Vasilescu receive $3,000 grant

    Loveland High School seniors Emily Kiehl and Radu Vasilescu receive $3,000 grant

    The CEI Foundation awards grant to teens’ project using virtual reality to treat eye disorder

    Blue Ash, Ohio – The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation, the charitable foundation of Cincinnati Eye Institute, has awarded two seniors at Loveland High School a grant of $3,000. The Foundation’s Research Committee, chaired by Robert Sisk, M.D., made this IGNITE grant to fund an innovative treatment for children with amblyopia, also known as lazy eye. This grant will fund additional computer equipment that will allow children to use virtual reality glasses to play games while strengthening eye muscles.

    Emily Kiehl and Radu Vasilescu came up with the idea to use Oculus Rift virtual reality technology to simulate patching one’s eye and playing games filled with perspective and optical depth perspective on the eye needing therapy.

    Kiehl, who was born with amblyopia and was successfully treated for the condition, sees this as a potential treatment method. “Using the VR headset, we believe that children can force their brain to start using both eyes evenly,” Kiehl said.

    “By surpassing 40 plus college-level teams with our high school prototype, we proved our project is worthwhile and has recognized potential.” – Radu Vasilescu

    Kiehl and Vasilescu built a prototype of this design at the University of Cincinnati event “Revolution UC,” a 24-hour, team-based project development competition and won the first place prize awarded by a panel of IT professionals. They invested the winnings from this prize into development of the project.

    “By surpassing 40 plus college-level teams with our high school prototype, we proved our project is worthwhile and has recognized potential,” added Vasilescu.

    Kiehl and Vasilescu previously built a computer from scrap parts and a loaned graphics card. The computers will enable them to expand their research into the effectiveness of this approach.

    Kiehl and Vasilescu presented the idea to The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation and were awarded a $3,000 grant which they will use to purchase two high-powered computers needed to run the program. The students previously built a computer from scrap parts and a loaned graphics card. The computers will enable them to expand their research into the effectiveness of this approach.

    “We are happy to award Emily and Radu an IGNITE grant for their forward-thinking and entrepreneurial approach to help children born with amblyopia.” – Patrick Ward

    “We are happy to award Emily and Radu an IGNITE grant for their forward-thinking and entrepreneurial approach to help children born with amblyopia,” said Patrick Ward, president of The Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation. “We support efforts for new treatments to help eye disorders, and know that this project has the ability to help many young children.”

    The team is hoping to involve students in the Loveland School District, as well as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in their project to help them test out the technology.

    Both Kiehl and Vasilescu will graduate from Loveland High School this spring and will pursue computer science degrees; Kiehl will attend the University of Cincinnati and Vasilescu will attend Duke University.

    Watch this video where Emily and Radu explain their invention and talk about what it does.

    Also read this story about Emily Kiehl and Radu Vasilescu:

    Loveland High School seniors Emily Kiehl and Radu Vasilescu receive $3,000 grant

    Wildflower House — where women & girls bloom!

  • Loveland schools, University of Cincinnati partnership announced with formal signing ceremony

    Loveland schools, University of Cincinnati partnership announced with formal signing ceremony

    (First row, L to R:) Loveland High School (LHS) Teacher Phil Marchal, Loveland Interim Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse, University of Cincinnati (UC) Director of School of Information Technology (IT) Dr. Hazem Said, LHS Principal Peggy Johnson; (Second row, L to R:) Patrick Keyser, Sogeti USA, Loveland Board of Education President Art Jarvis, Loveland Board of Education Vice President Dr. Kathryn Lorenz, Loveland Board of Education Member Eileen Washburn, Loveland Director of Secondary Programs Andrea Conner, UC Graduate Coordinator and Project Manager School of IT Lauren Kirgis

    Pathway program will be ready for fall 2018

    Loveland, Ohio – With cameras rolling to capture the significant moment, Loveland Interim Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse and University of Cincinnati (UC) Director of School of Information Technology Dr. Hazem Said made formal the new partnership between the educational institutions that will equip the Loveland City School District to offer college-level Information Technology (IT) course work to high school students. The formal signing ceremony took place just before the State of Schools Open House Thursday, Feb. 22, at Loveland High School.

    “This partnership places Loveland students in a unique position for advanced learning opportunities that will qualify for college credit – a win for our families both academically and financially with the ever increasing student-loan debt that UC is sensitive to,” said Dr. Crouse. “We are simply thrilled to sit at the table with a school as premier as UC.”

    “The UC Information Technology Early College program is a unique and innovative program that will enable Loveland students to complete the first year of the UC BSIT program in high school,” said Dr. Said. “Those who receive a C or above will receive automatic admission to the BSIT program to study Software Development, Cybersecurity, Networking/Systems and Game Development & Simulation. We are excited to work with the leaders at Loveland City Schools to make this program available to Loveland parents and students.”  

    The partnership with UC creates an Information Technology (IT) Academic Pathway for Loveland High School (LHS) students, and is part of the district’s strategic plan to bring Academic Pathways to Loveland students beginning in middle school. LHS students will have access to post-secondary IT coursework starting in ninth grade. LHS students will have the ability to earn college credit through the College Credit Plus (CCP) program, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

    “Ultimately this partnership enables LHS students taking these courses to earn a masters degree through UC with only four years of college; it includes the courses they take through their senior year of high school plus four years of college,” explained Loveland Director of Secondary Programs Andrea Conner. “It also provides our Tiger students with the opportunity to apply for paid co-ops related to their course work the summer following their senior year.”

    Along with having the IT Pathway ready for fall of 2018, the district has clearly defined Academic Pathways for careers in: Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communication; Business Management and Administration; Health Science; and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – with the phase-in of additional pathways in the 2018-2019 school year.

    Start the New Year Right

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