First Chips writing contest

This is the first edition of the Chips Writing Competition, which will become a regular feature. A question was presented in English classes to students, who wrote their answers and submitted them to Chips for judgment by our staff of trained professionals. From the vast pool of entries, we have picked a winner and three runners-up based on style, content and effectiveness of language use. Winners and runners-up can come to room 165 either 5A or 5B lunch any time this week to pick up their prizes. Be sure to check back in the future for upcoming contests and winners.

Question: What was your favorite movie from the past year, and why?

Winner:

Musaddiq Awan
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is the best movie of this past year. The film adaptation of Tolkien's masterpiece conclusion to The Lord of the Rings provides a moving image of friendship, war, the battle of good versus evil and love. As the Ringbearer (Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins) struggles through Mordor along with his trusted friend, Samwise Gamgee and a corrupted soul, Gollum, his only strength is put to the test against the Ring of Power. The true companionship between Frodo and Sam is evident in the numerous tear-jerking scenes depicting the struggle.

In addition to this touching storyline, Return of the King uses brilliant computer graphics imaging in addition to wonderful dialogue to depict the battle of Pellenor Fields, the centerpiece of the movie. The other six major characters – Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin – prove their worth. At the end of the movie two touching scenes wrap up the trilogy. The first scene is when Aragorn, the new king of Gondor, tells the hobbits –four small characters – of their worth. The second of these scenes is the closing scene when Frodo parts his way from the other three hobbits. The sheer emotion seen within their friendship provides the fitting end to a movie not just about war, but really a story of companionship.

Runners-up:

Sarah Robinson
If there was one major slight in last year's entertainment world, it lay in the fact that Pirates of the Caribbean was not nominated for an Oscar. This masterpiece was the equivalent to a book one can't stop reading – Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley suck viewers in and firmly keep them hostage for an hour and a half of roguish bliss.

Yes, pirating scumbags and malicious marauders may be overdone in the film industry, but Pirates of the Caribbean brought this questionably moral lifestyle to a refreshingly original apex without deviating too far from the necessities of classic lore. The beautiful kidnapped maiden is of course present, but she comes with an extra helping of spunk. Johnny Depp, our swoon-worthy pirate captain, boldly checks off all the pirate requisites, and adds plenty of his own flash. Pirates of the Caribbean sweeps us back to our own fanciful childhoods and makes us want to stay there but plays off our current intellect as well. The movie covers all the bases we want it to and also adds its own sweeping flair.

Alan Bateman
Explosions. Car chases. Hot women. And big guns. What else could a guy want in a movie? A plot? Ha! HAHAHA! Last year, Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines delivered all that. And not just your normal car chase, oh no, but a pack of emergency vehicles doing their best to run down a pet-hospital van while a deadpan cyborg kicks them around like they were toys. And, of course, a body count high enough to keep a barbarian such as myself entertained. Hey, it's cheap thrills, but it's still thrills.

Seun Fatusin
My favorite movie was The Ring, because I love scary movies and this one is at the top of the list. The movie was able to make grown men run out of the theater, women shriek and throw popcorn and teenagers want to sleep with their parents at night. The Ring would have you covering your eyes with your hands but peeking through, waiting to see what happens next. The special effects were so good you would feel like you were being sucked into the screen. The actors played their parts down to a "T." What had me and my friends going is that the little girl in the movie played her part so well. I would say that that movie was a job well done.