DELTA KAPPA ALPHA of

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY  

Editors In Chief  

Zach Ewell  

Emma Williams  

                   

 This past fall semester was all about establishing precedent. Our founding year was done, and we began

this academic year by chartering and officially becoming the Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Alpha. After that the focus shifted to establishing precedent. Everything we did this semester, we will repeat next semester and in the Fall next year. We had great blocks to build off from our first year, but we also had a clean slate with which we could do whatever we wanted. The toughest task isn't coming up with the greatest idea for a production, it isn't getting the most amount people to come to a workshop, it isn't making sure an event runs smoothly. The toughest task is doing something in the first place. After getting over that initial roadblock, everything becomes easier. Building from that can lead to greater things. We set great precedent this semester. We have weekly film screenings jokingly named "DKA

n'Chill". We held wonderful workshops like the lighting seminar and the DIY Steadicam. We put on the greatest haunted house that American's campus has ever seen. And we'll continue all these things next semester and next year. There is so much more that we can do for next semester. We'll continue with the staples we had last spring semester like the Oscars Party, the Film Festival, and White Carnation. But we'll also build upon that. Going forward, we can do so much more in film production. Giving opportunities to our members to participate in filmmaking will be one of our main goals. Building on our own philanthropy efforts and expanding our presence on AU's campus are another two big ways that we can build upon the success of the past one and a half years. A lot was completed this Fall semester that we can be proud of. We did many things for the first time that we'll continue in the future. Now it's onto the Spring. Now we'll shift our focus to working towards improving on what we've done right, fixing the things we need to, and trying new ideas we've never done before.                    

Letter From The President

                     

         

                     

On the dark and spooky night of October 29, Nu Chapter transformed the roof of American University’s School of Communication into a small but effective haunted house. Although free to attend, tickets were sold for prize baskets to raise money for DKA’s sponsored charity, SeriousFun Children’s Network. With help from local theater troop AU Players, the DeKAs were able to bring over 300 members of the AU community out for the event.

Mckinley’s Mansion

       

             

 

                           

                           

This year, semi-formal was held at Johnny Pistolas in Adams Morgan! DeKAs and their dates got to dance to a group-picked playlist while chowing down on the restaurant’s delicious tacos.

Semi-formal

Photos by Ginell Turner

   

   

   

                   

 

Movies on the Roof

For two nights in September Nu Chapter held free movie screenings for the AU public. The events were held on the roof of McKinley and featured free food. In addition to the screening DeKAs sold tickets for a raffle to support DKA’s sponsored charity, SeriousFun Children’s Network. The two films featured were the films Chef, and the documentary Food.

Here are some great Netflix movie recommendations for the cinephile in all of us! We tried to pick movies you may not have already seen, so let us know what you thought of them on Facebook or Twitter! Force Majeure - Sweden’s 2014 entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, this film tells the story of a family on vacation in a French ski resort, and the ways in which an avalanche affects their relationships with one another. In Bruges - This pitch black comedy from writer/director Martin McDonagh follows two hitmen who are forced to take a vacation to Bruges, Belgium after a job goes awry. Things spiral quickly out of control from there.

Short Term 12 - Before her acclaimed performance in Room, Brie Larson starred in this intimate, heart-breaking film about a young woman working in a group home for troubled teenagers.

Fish Tank - In this film, writer/director Andrea Arnold follows a teenage girl from East London as she attempts to fit in with her surroundings and pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer. Along the way, she gets mixed up with her mother’s boyfriend (Michael Fassbender). Frida - This film, from director Julie Taymor, chronicles the life of painter Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) from her early days growing up in Mexico to her relationships with Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina) and Leon Trotsky (Geoffrey Rush).

We Are The Best! - This thoroughly delightful film follows three young girls in 1982 Stockholm who try to start their own punk band. Adorableness ensues.  

             

Best Movies on Netflix

 By Batol Bashri

There’s always danger in adding to a series already loved by so many. Having solidified itself in culture as an undeniable modern classic, the Rocky film series has managed to captivate audiences for nearly forty years now with the underdog tale of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) as he makes his way into boxing history. Technically the seventh of the Rocky series, Creed follows the story of Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of boxing superstar, Apollo Creed. Through his underdog journey, Creed is out to prove that he’s worth something to not only the boxing world, but to himself. Despite his father’s untimely death in the ring, Donnie has a hunger to fight and love for the sport that makes his character one to root for. The film begins with Donnie being adopted from a Juvenile Detention Center by Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), his father’s widow. Although in adulthood Donnie has a promising career in finance, with boxing in his blood, he fights on the side and eventually quits his day job to pursue his passion. Realizing that his self-taught fighting skills aren’t enough to bring him success,

he moves from LA to Philadelphia to seek out the help of Rocky Balboa, his father’s once boxing opponent turned close friend. Although it takes a bit of convincing him out of his retirement from the boxing world, Rocky is eventually moved by the potential of Apollo’s son and agrees to train him. For the remainder of the film, much to the typical Rocky fashion, the pair work towards a fight with the arrogant and morally questionable, boxing champion, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew.)

Director Ryan Coogler offers a fresh perspective on a chronicle of films that carries such fond familiarity to so many of its viewers by successfully playing with elements that are classic and familiar to the Rocky style, while providing a fresh perspective that translates to a film that people across the spectrum of Rocky familiarity can enjoy. Throughout the film, Stallone and

Box Office Review: Creed

Jordan offer captivating performances with an on-screen relationship that is proves to be familial and feel beyond authentic given the context of their relationship, which only elevates the feelings of memory and tradition that the Rocky genre has carved out for itself in history. The writing manages to consistently call upon moments iconic to past Rockys while being careful enough to not alienate viewers who may not be familiar with the previous films. The provision of context in the dialogue of characters also effectively fills in the gaps of narrative for those less acquainted viewers without distracting from Creed’s purpose as an individual film. Creed’s cinematography, led by Maryse Alberti manages to orchestrate shots in an out of the ring that elevate the film’s drama, striking the viewer at just the right moments, all while being careful not to detract from the film’s narrative. The film’s final fight scene between Donnie and opponent, Ricky Conlan, is done in a single shot that truly elevates the emotion and power of the fight, truly showing off the grit and pain that goes into the sport. Given the variety of possible directions that the writers and director could have taken, it very easily could have flopped by simply being more of the same. However, Creed proves to be a successful in its own right as well as a part of the series as a whole.