Walter Mitty is a pushover, run of the mill guy who lives his life not standing

out of the crowd. He goes to work everyday on the same train. He goes to his dark office in the basement and clocks out at 5. He does everything for his mom and sister and takes zero risk in life. This is the character introduced to audiences in the first ten minutes of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”

But, what the audience soon learns is that Walter, played by Ben Stiller, at least on a subconscious level, yearns for adventure. He has a crush on his co-worker Cheryl Melhoff, played by Kristen Wiig, and tries to “wink” at

her on eharmony.com. When his winks do not work, Walter embarks on his first imaginary reality as he jumps from a subway platform, into a third story window, and rescues Cheryl’s dog before the building explodes from a gas leak.

This is only a delusion though, as the scene flashes to reality and Walter walks into work amid a crisis. His company, the magazine “Life” is going under new management and cuts are being made. Cue Adam Scott, the tyrannical new boss and Walter’s job is on the line.

The only thing that can save him is getting a print, exposure 25, said to be the essence of life itself, from photographer Sean O’Connell, played by Sean Penn, to the new boss to be used as the last cover of the ending magazine.

Mitty goes through a few more inner super

hero-fighting alternatives to reality as he realizes exposure 25 was not in the group of items sent to him by O’Connell and proceeds to get fired because of it.

The movie then takes on the true secret of Walter Mitty, as he begins a journey that redefines his life to find the exposure.

In my opinion, it was a movie who’s subtleness was one of it’s strong points that really made the most impact. The change from imagination to reality is minute, but huge as you see Mitty grow as a person.

The overall message of the movie is that it is not just some movie that came out on Christmas for everyone to go see when all the turkey was eaten (exactly what we did, by the way). But, very different from that, it was thought provoking.

It was far from the typical Ben Stiller character and really made the viewer reflect on what the “essence of life” really was. What really is important? Money, material things, the corner office- No, “The Secret Life of Walker Mitty” shows that the even the simplest, most defiant act of just following what you want to do can make all the difference. Even if it just starts with a “wink” to your co-worker crush on eharmony or actually jumping into the raging Atlantic Ocean from a helicopter, if it is what you truly want, there is really nothing stopping you.

Find out the secret for yourself and go see “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” in theatres now.

by STEPHANIE WALLACEcopy editor

It is the start of a new semester, and although reading may not seem like the top thing on

the to do list if it is not forced upon you via your professor, I personally turn to books to take some stress off me, or just to relax and get lost in a world an author has created.

Over the Christmas break, I discovered an author who really got me with her books. In fact, I read three of them in a month’s time, she was that awesome.

Her name is Jojo Moyes and with books like “The Last Letter from Your Lover,” “Me Before You,” and “The Girl You Left Behind,” the old cliché of not judging a book by it’s cover prevails-literally.

By reading the back cover for a synopsis of the novel, you will only get a glimpse of the book. There are no spoilers here and, from what I found out, the back of the book only tells you the beginning of the story. In order to fully grasp the story and get all the turns and “dun, dun, dun” moments, you need to read it till the end. Do not fret about this though, as you will not be able to put any of them down.

“The Last Letter from Your Lover” Set over a span of a woman’s lifetime, the

novel begins with the main character, Jennifer Stirling, waking up in a hospital bed and not able to remember a single thing of her life. This is where the book breaks from stereotypical amnesia stories, set in the 60’s, etiquette prevails and Jennifer goes home with the man she pieces together is her husband, and smiles through the confusion of everyday life. The story turns from there as it flashes between characters and goes back in time to unravel the months before her accident through a series of letter Jennifer finds, signed by another man, “B.” Then it abruptly ends and goes to the year 2003 where a reporter, Ellie, uncovers the old

letters and starts a search into what happened to the lovers.

“Me Before You”Controversial in form, this novel is set

around an issue that has been stuck in medical ethics for decades-euthanasia, and whether it is right, or not. Set in England, Louisa Clark is an out of work young girl on the lookout for a job in her little, dead end town. She comes across an aid for a home health aide to a paraplegic man and goes for the interview. She is so outspoken, she gets hired on the spot and begins the journey of tending to Will Tryanor’s needs. Only, there is a secret hidden behind the amount of time put on her employment term and in the course of six months, she goes through life experiences that change the way she views the people around her and her life.

“The Girl You Left Behind”Beginning in pre-World War I era France,

Sophie Lefevre, is left to run a hotel in a town that has fallen under German rule. When a new Kommandant comes into town and sees a portrait of Sophie her, now soldier, husband painted, he becomes smitten. This leads to trouble as small favors go very noticed in the small town where the majority of the population is starving and getting little to no rations of food. The story progresses to a huge climax before it stops and flashes to 100 years later when Liv Halston, who herself is going through huge personal changes, comes into a legal battle over the very portrait of Sophie that now hangs in her bedroom. The story of what happened to the girl in the painting leads Liv on a journey through trials and tribulations that put her courage on the line.

There is a central theme to all the novels by Moyes, and although they are all romantic, love story themes, they also are just as entertaining in their other aspects of history, law, and human experiences. They are worth picking up. You just might be surprised at how truly multi-dimensional they really are.

by STEPHANIE WALLACEcopy editor

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images courtesy of FLICKR.COM

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01.23.2014