By James Hartley Students should watch their heads this Halloween as the Harvester Theatre Company brings the Headless Horseman to campus in its rendition of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” “Sleepy Hollow” takes place in a small village in the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town. The tale depicts...

By Andrea Carrizales Eastfield kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 16 with a “Dieciseis” celebration of Mexican Independence Day at the Pleasant Grove campus. During October, the Office of Student Engagement and Retention is hosting a variety of events designed to celebrate Hispanic...

COMMENTARY By Aisha Davis Since its inception in 1988, the hardcore rap group N.W.A. was known for stirring controversy through shocking lyrics and bold antics. More than 20 years later, the group’s popularity has been renewed via its biopic “Straight Outta Compton.” Ice Cube, Eazy-E,...

By Andrea Carrizales This year’s common book, “The Maltese Falcon” written by Dashiell Hammett, promises an interesting plot, intriguing characters and a great read for book lovers. A charade at large, “The Maltese Falcon” will have its readers trying to discern the truth from the lies and connect...

By Doug Castillo Eastfield is taking a trip back in time to solve a somber mystery this academic year in its latest installment of its annual common book project. This year’s common book is “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett, a book ranked 56th on Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels...

By Brandon Wagner During September, original artworks of faculty and students decorate the Eastfield walls in the show “In Good Company,” open through Sept. 25 in the H and F-217 galleries. The show consists of a collection of photography, sculptures, sketches, paintings and more. The...

By James Hartley If you’re looking for possibly the most heart-pounding, action-packed flick of the year, “No Escape” is for you. Starring Owen Wilson and Lake Bell, the film excels at its purpose of edge-of-your-seat suspense and draws the moviegoer in to experience the struggle of the protagonists. With...

By J. Gomez It looks as if 20th Century Fox may have gotten the “Fantastic Four” formula right. This latest reboot doesn’t have any blockbuster star names weighing it down, and that’s a good thing. Characters such as young Reed Richards (Owen Judge), who later evolves into Mr. Fantastic,...

By James Hartley "Jurassic World" is the first true blockbuster of the year, but audiences who grew up with the original three films will find themselves sorely disappointed. The movie, though it pays homage to the original "Jurassic Park" throughout, holds very few of its original elements....

By James Hartley “Spy,” a star-vehicle for comedienne Melissa McCarthy, is sure to make some audience members laugh but also certain to make others cringe. Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is a CIA analyst working for agent Bradley Fine (June Law) and alongside Nancy Artingstall (Miranda Hart) from a basement...

By James Hartley Films are in a weird place right now. With social diversity so high and so many people looking for less conventional films that cater more to their individual tastes, independent filmmakers have more and more opportunities to expand and reach bigger audiences. But they don’t have...

Candid Campus The Literary and Fine Arts Festival filled the campus with music, dance and discussion of the arts during the week of April 20. Arts in Action featuring Jazz Under the Stars attracted 200 people, launched the Arts Collective, an umbrella for Eastfield’s visual and performing arts,...

Summer is here and another semester at Eastfield comes to an end. At The Et Cetera, we racked our brains thinking of the best ways to spend our summer vacation. Instead of burning in the Texas heat, why not relax, enjoy the cool A/C indoors and get hooked on some great TV shows? With services such as Netflix,...

By James Hartley Two years ago Mesquite native Craig Wayne Boyd hadn’t quite made a name for himself. That meant that his initials, “CWB,” on his guitar strap didn’t mean much to most people. On April 25, however, Boyd stood on a stage in Mesquite with that guitar strap, proudly showing...

“Dead Wake,” written by non-fiction narrative author Erik Larson, is a climatic delineation of the events that happened leading up to, during and after the Lusitania’s fate.   Larson was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1954 but grew up primarily in Freeport in Long Island, New York,...

Scenes from Eastfield's Cinco de Mayo celebration. Photos by Darnisha Cornelius  

MOVIE REVIEW By James Hartley “Avengers: Age of Ultron” has everyone’s attention, and for good reason. The film is exciting, fast-paced, well-developed and layered. Unlike “The Avengers,” the sequel delivers a fascinating story, better action and top-of-the-line effects. Most importantly,...

By James Hartley Writer and director Alex Garland (“28 Days Later”), known for his mind-stretching psychological thriller dramas, has come out with his latest project, “Ex Machina.” The film focuses on two programmers: Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson, “Harry Potter” and upcoming “Star Wars...

By James Hartley “While We’re Young” is a dramedy that isn’t funny. The film had a lot of potential but was handled poorly. It provides a different take on the worn-out story about a mid-life crisis. Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are a couple that is growing older when...

Since its release in October 2014, “Prince Lestat” has made waves in the literary world. “Prince Lestat” is the 11th installment in Anne Rice’s the “Vampire Chronicles,” the first new volume in the series in nearly a decade. “Prince Lestat” found its way onto The New York...

Facial hair is making its way back into fashion By J. Gomez Beards are back! Grizzled jaw lines are more and more the cultural norm as men young and old abandon their razors and ride the wave of the latest trend. Over the past few years the trend of beard wearing has resurged. Some say the hipster...

By James Hartley Rapper and songwriter Richard Preston Butler Jr., better known under his stage name Rico Love, released his first studio album “I Sin” last year after writing and producing songs for the likes of Beyonce, Usher, and many other celebrity artists. Love talked to Eastfield students...

Brunch is the sacred time of the week when you can enjoy classic leisure cocktails like mimosas and bloody marys from a carafe at 9 a.m. It’s also the only time of the week when your mom can’t scold you for consuming obnoxious pastries for breakfast. Finding the best brunch spot can be very...

By Andy Carrizales Directly beyond Ed Healy’s office door is a table piled high with books on music theory and famous composers. A full-body mirror rests against a wall and, apart from two chairs, the only other furniture in the room is a stand for music sheets. Although the room seems uninhabited,...

By Courtney Schwing “The Hunting Ground” begins with an array of young people anxiously looking at their computers and raiding their mailboxes. They celebrate with their families as they realize they have been accepted into their college of choice. A montage of freshman orientations follows,...

By James Hartley Alfred Hitchcock’s special brand of cinematography and storytelling is regarded with envy and admiration in the film world. Many have tried to imitate Hitchcock’s unique style with varying success. The classic suspense director’s personal favorite work, “Rear Window,”...