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Preston Barta/ Film Critic

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Back in 2009, director Todd Phillips introduced audiences to the infamous “wolfpack” in “The Hangover,” the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time. Often vulgar and crude, the film nonetheless had a clever script with well-developed characters that we loved to be around and see get into trouble. But what started out as a luminous piece of comedy has now been stretched out into an unnecessary trilogy that lacks the keen sense of debauchery and creativity that made the original such a hit.

In “The Hangover Part III,” the filmmakers ditch the formula of a drunken bachelor party gone wrong. This time around we find Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) on the road to take Alan (Zach Galifianakis), who has been off of his meds, to get psychiatric treatment. However, the foursome get ambushed by Marshall (John Goodman), a crime boss who thinks that they can help locate $20 million in gold that Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) stole from him around the time that the original took place.

To no one’s surprise, Marshall takes Doug hostage until the trio can retrieve what is rightfully his. That sends the gang on wild goose chases around Mexico and back to Las Vegas, where the first film was set.

This third outing is not quite the misstep that the second was, but it’s nothing exceptional either. The filmmakers certainly deserve mad props for shaking up the formula and creating a new plot— even if that plot is slim and flimsy.

The film has its moments here and there, partly due to a handful of Galifianakis’ one-liners and childlike behavior. But the biggest blunder that this chapter makes is putting Galifianakis and Jeong at the forefront. These actors have comedic talent out the wazoo, but their outlandish characters are best taken in small doses, as they wear out their welcome and become extremely repetitive in nature.

“The Hangover Part III” is another letdown and should never have come to the silver screen. If filmgoers are looking for a heavy hand of good laughs, they won’t find it here.

“The Hangover Part III” opens today.

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Keith Dennis heard the sirens wailing from two miles out, patiently listening and waiting for his sister’s voice to reassure him she was alive. She was wrapped in blankets, padded by all of her pillows and huddled under a foam mattress topper. The wind screamed and windows shattered. He knew she was rain soaked, alone and in shock.

Dennis picked apart his sister’s life, one scrap at a time, and looked over as her neighbors did the same. The buckled brown wooden beams were piled across the bleak landscape for miles after one of the deadliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history destroyed homes and took lives.

At 2:56 p.m. Monday, 16 minutes after a tornado warning was issued for the area, an EF-5 twister ripped a 12-mile path across southern Oklahoma for 40 minutes, with winds peaking at 210 mph. The storm killed 24 people, seven of them children after two elementary schools collapsed – Plaza Towers in Moore, Okla. and Briarwood in Oklahoma City. More than 120 were injured and sent to local hospitals for treatment.

“I thought I was dead. I just kept telling him I loved him and hoped for the best,” Dennis’ 22-year-old sister Sarah Torrey said. “I just feel incredibly lucky to be alive. There are lots of people without loved ones. I’m glad to be here and all of my family’s safe.”

Torrey lives in Moore, Okla., a suburb 11 miles south of Oklahoma City hit the hardest by the deadly tornado. Some neighborhoods crumbled while others remained untouched, and 20 of the dead were from the city of 56,000. Monday’s tornado was eerily reminiscent of Moore’s infamous May 1999 storm, another EF-5 cyclone with 302 mph winds. The storm killed 42 people and traveled the same path as this year’s tornado.

This time, Dennis sat a mile south of the town, inching closer to his family, watching cars, homes, rain and hail get thrown in all directions. After the warning was issued, he immediately called Torrey to make sure she stayed safe. She didn’t pick up. He called six or seven times and when she finally answered, Dennis said it was too late to make it to a shelter. They mentally went through everything in her house that could protect her, and she wound up in the house’s center hallway with pillows, blankets, a foam mattress topper and her small dog.

“We had cell reception the whole time so I was able to talk her through it,” Dennis said. “Then she was able to verbally tell me on two or three occasions, ‘I can hear it, I’m starting to hear it.’ She said it’s getting closer, it’s getting louder, that she could hear it. And by then of course I could hear it on the phone.”

Sarah Torrey carries out her belongings form her damaged house Tuesday afternoon in Moore, Okla. Torrey stayed protect by wrapping herself and her dog with a mattress in the hallway of her house. Thousands of survivors were left homeless the day after a massive tornado in Moore. The current death count is 24 people. Photo by James Coreas / Editor in Chief

As the mile-wide tornado descended on the house, Torrey put her phone on speaker and sat it next to her. She clutched her dog as the storm tore through her home. Dennis heard all the noises in the background and continued to talk to her, even though she wasn’t responding. When she came back on the line, Torrey was just taking deep breaths. Then it was all over.

“I just laid there with my dog in my arms and he told me to stay calm and talked me through it,” Torrey said. “Then I crawled out the window to try and find anyone that was trapped.”

Dennis watched the tornado cross I-35 and gave his sister the all clear to go outside.

A recent nursing school grad, Torrey felt compelled to find and help anyone she could, after determining she was fine. While she was checking on her neighbors, Dennis was trying to drive into her neighborhood to find his sister and assess the damage. It took more than an hour for them to reunite but he eventually found her at 10th and Telephone Streets, a major intersection in town. He jumped out of his truck, hugged her and they immediately went back to her house, which was in shambles.

“You feel like you’re shopping for your own stuff again,” Dennis said. “Our first intention was to get extremely valuable stuff like a computer and safe. Now we’re trying to figure out what’s left.”

While Torrey was able to salvage a few things like electronics, clothes and her grandmother’s jewelry box, others were not so lucky. Search and rescue wrapped up Tuesday night, more than 24 hours after the tornado struck, with the death toll stabilizing at 24. Initial reports had it at 91 with 70 children injured.

Moore resident and Air Force veteran Jonathan Barrow had lived in his house for five years with his wife and 2 1/2-year-old daughter when it was leveled by Monday’s tornado. Before he was able to alert officials of his and his family’s whereabouts, his home was marked with an “M,” which means those who live there are unaccounted for.
Barrow was performing surgery at Norman Regional Health Clinic when the storm hit. After the chaos subsided, he said he immediately began to treat walk-in patients.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Barrow said. “My wife lived through May 3 but she said it’s bigger than that was.”

A nearby bowling alley where Oklahoma Natural Gas employees would host their annual work party for the last five years was also demolished. Gas worker Dawnita Dumas walked through the rubble and drizzling rain, shocked by the damage and lamenting the loss of her company’s bonding site.

“I lived through all three tornadoes, including May 3, and I decided to stay in Moore,” Dumas said. “And I’m still going to stay in Moore. I’m more devastated by the kids than anything. This is definitely worse than anything.”

Nearly 48 hours after the tornado struck this close-knit community, the damage is clear, estimated at about $2 billion, according to the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

President Obama expressed his concerns for the people of Moore, and guaranteed aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

To help victims of Moore and others affected by the recent severe weather in north Texas, Red Cross is accepting donations. Churches in and around Moore were accepting donations of food and clothing, and groups in surrounding towns were organizing drives to collect basic necessities.

Serve Denton, a nonprofit in Denton, took donations all day Tuesday and will be sending relief packages to Moore. Contact them at servedenton.org.

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The vast diversity of cultures on the UNT tennis team has grown even more in recent months as the Mean Green has signed two freshmen – Alexis Thoma and Ana Sofia Cordero – to letters of intent.

Thoma, who is from Frisco, is the first American student-athlete to join the team since the 2009-2010 season.

“I feel like a better player when I’m out here training with everyone,” Thoma said. “I honestly don’t think I could have chosen a better team or another school.”

Head coach Sujay Lama said that the team signing players of Thoma’s caliber reflects how far the program has come in the last few years.

When Lama joined the team in 2006, UNT was ranked last in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mean Green has now won three SBC championships in the past four years, including back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

“When you finally get a top kid like Alexis, who is a top-ten kid in Texas, I think it gives credibility,” Lama said. “And really, I think it is the success we’ve had and the consistency of that success.”

With the addition of Thoma and Cordero, who is from Puerto Rico, the team features student-athletes from seven countries.

Lama and sophomore Danè Joubert, from South Africa, said the team’s diversity only improves the way players work together.

“It’s hard for us to suit with all our differences,” Joubert said. “But in a way we make it a healthy environment, and we all boost each other in a positive way. We get along because of our attitude and staying positive together and motivating each other. Everyone has the same goals, so that makes it easier.”

Freshman Alexis Thoma practices her serve on Monday morning at the Waranch Tennis Complex. She is the first American player on the tennis team since the 2009-2010 season. Photo by Nicole Arnold/ Senior Staff Photographer.

Assistant coach Wade Zimmerman said that Cordero is an impact player who brings a lot of experience to the team. Cordero played for the Puerto Rican international Fed Cup team and in the International Tennis Federation junior circuit last year.

Familiar challenges lie ahead for the Mean Green as it transitions to Conference USA this year.

As of May 2, C-USA has four teams – No. 22 Rice University, the No. 27 University of Tulsa and No. 49 Tulane University – in the International Collegiate Tennis Association top 50. UNT is currently ranked No. 60.

Lama compared the task ahead of him to the task he faced when he joined the team in the Sun Belt.

“I do like that we have teams like Tulsa and Rice that are targets out there like a measuring stick,” he said.

The Mean Green intends to sign two more players before the fall season begins.

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New software may be applied in the registration system that will allow students to see all their schedule possibilities in a new visual form when registering for courses.

With the software titled Visual Schedule Builder, students can select classes they want to take and the program will show all the possible schedules for those choices. Students will also have the option to view virtual schedules based on preferences, such as favoring all morning or afternoon classes.

The vendor of the software presented the idea last month to the registrar, where various deans, advisors and students saw a demonstration of it. Business and technology systems associate Keitha Robertson said it left a good impression and that the university wishes to implement the feature as soon as possible.

“The feedback that we’ve been getting is that it’ll be an overall great product for the university and it’s something that students are wanting,” Robinson said. “They feel like it’ll be a huge improvement on the current class search process.”

The university will investigate other similar software before a decision is made, and will go through the contractual process when a verdict has been reached. The software may be put into place as soon as the upcoming fall semester.

The  focus is to apply the basic class search as soon as possible. Other features such as viewing previous schedules and highlighting where each course can fulfill a requirement in a student’s degree plan will hopefully be added in time for next spring.

SGA Vice President Justin Wood, who brought the idea to the university, said he began planning the presentation in mid-March after he got support from SGA on behalf of the student body. The CEO of the company presented the software to the university when he was a sophomore, and Wood saw an opportunity to bring up the idea again as vice president.

“We want it specifically customized for UNT, so they’re going to get back in touch with Visual Schedule Builder and tell them our customizations,” Wood said. “This is just the first step. They’re trying to get a road map going with the software.”

Philosophy junior Austin Cecil said that since he has to take his work schedule into account when selecting classes, this new feature could make it easier on him the next time he registers.

“I think being able to customize the class schedules is a great idea,” Cecil said. “With my job I need mornings off, so being able to select no mornings on the new format would very helpful to me in that situation.”

An online demo of the software can be seen on YouTube here.

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Visual arts senior Joe Robles stands quietly as the Air Force Song melody plays over the speakers in a Holiday Inn ballroom. He tepidly mumbles the words as the three other Air Force veterans in the crowd sing at the top of their lungs.

This is the first time in eight years Robles has worn his dress blues, and he does not have the same figure he had when he left boot camp 10 years ago. Robles gradually sings louder and louder, and by the end of the song, along with his fellow veterans, he loudly exclaims “Air Force!”

The Student Veterans Association of the University of North Texas hosted the first annual Veterans Ball on May 18 at the Holiday Inn in Denton. About 40 students, veterans, friends and family members gathered to honor the members of the Army, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy.

 Robles, who has attended UNT since January 2010, made it a priority to invite other UNT veterans to the ball despite not being part of the planning process.He spread the message via his Facebook account and by simply talking to other veterans one-on-one. According to the Student Veterans Center of UNT, more than 1,000 self-identified student veterans currently attend UNT.

 Robles served three tours overseas, and was stationed from August 2004 to April 2005 at Camp Doha in Kuwait, June 2006 to March 2007 at Camp Bucca in Iraq and from April 2012 to November 2012 at Thumrait Air Force Base in Oman.

From his own experience meeting veterans who served in Iraq, Robles said he feels that many are reluctant to acknowledge their military service.

 “I know some of them just don’t care,” Robles said. “And I know others are uncomfortable with talking about serving [in Iraq].”

 Robles said that discomfort with discussing service in Iraq is a result of how unpopular the Iraq war is with the American public.

Separate March 2013 polls from Rasmussen Reports and Gallup revealed that a slight majority of Americans see the Iraq war as a mistake: Rasmussen reported that 52 percent of Americans believe the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq, while Gallup reported that 53 percent hold the same view.

Tockie Hemphill, director of the Veterans Center of UNT, said she feels it is important for student veterans to take pride in their military service because of the personal sacrifices they each made by enlisting.

“Some came back and had to get readjusted to the friends and family they left,” Hemphill said via email. “Some came back very different from the way they left.”

Armstrong Ekpete, an Air Force veteran and mechanical and energy engineering junior, said he feels that student veterans should at least acknowledge their service in the military because it is a part of their lives.

“Regardless of what we may feel about the war, we always have to do our best to protect our constitution,” Ekpete said. “When I see people being free and expressing themselves, I know I did my job.”

 As the night winds down and the ballroom empties, Robles stares at the centerpiece of his table with a half smile on his face.

 “It turned out better than I expected at first,” he said.

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The third annual Global Discovery Workshop, organized by UNT, took place in Tartu, Estonia, for the first time this year and focused on energy efficient-buildings and communities.

Amanda Bennett, UNT global engagement coordinator, said the first workshop on material science in 2012 was based on alternative and renewable energy sources. With the success of that event, this year’s attendees got a more detailed perspective on energy efficiency.

“The participants expressed interest in evaluating the issue, but in a more specific way,” Bennett said. “We were looking more at energy efficiency and how communities can work with researchers and industry to promote energy-efficient communities and buildings.”

From May 19 to 22, six UNT faculty members collaborated with researchers and government officials from all over the world at the University of Tartu.

Bennett said the objective of the workshop was to bring together professionals interested in similar topics to discuss their research. The expectation was that it would lead to future dialogue and collaboration between cities and academia.

Another expected outcome is increased interest in developing a metric system to measure how efficient communities are.

“We hope that the discussions will lead to a discussion on how to develop a type of metric that can be applied by cities to measure energy efficiency and to show some of the benefits and the cost savings of when they start to transition to more energy-efficient communities,” Bennett said.

The past two years the workshop was led by UNT, which partnered with different departments and colleges on campus. Bennett said this year’s workshop is different because it was organized by four different entities including UNT, the city of Denton, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa and the University of Tartu.

“We’re trying to promote the internationalization of our research programs and that is one of the very important aspects we need as a national research university,” said Miguel Garcia-Rubio, associate dean for outreach and international relations in UNT’s College of Engineering. “That is what these global discovery workshops are intended for. First to promote research and research collaborations across international boundaries, and then to see what kind of joint partnerships come as a result of that.”

Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs will represent the city of Denton among a panel of other mayors and city officials from Brazil, Estonia and Germany to discuss their role in building energy-efficient communities.

“Hannover, Germany, is a leading city in Europe when it comes to building energy-efficient neighborhoods and communities,” Bennett said. “So we’ll also have the perspective coming from city leaders and city management about how they contribute.”

The city of Denton also contributed to the workshop by sponsoring the printing of programs and hosting a closing dinner for participants, Bennett said.

Denton is always committed to efforts aimed at creating green and sustainable practices, said Michelle Cunningham, business development officer for the city of Denton. The workshop is the opportunity for the city to do its part in “green” research.

“The Energy Efficient buildings and communities workshop offers participants a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful inter-disciplinary discussions,” Cunningham said.

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Microsoft made its return to the gaming platform battlefield in a 12 p.m. press conference earlier today in Redmond, Washington, unveiling details about the new Xbox One console that is expected to be released later this year.

“We’ve spent the last four years working on the next generation Xbox,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Can we take what you love and make it better?”

The press conference started with a focus on new features. Xbox One will allow voice and gesture commands, use facial recognition software and include the Xbox Kinect peripheral, instead of requiring a separate purchase. Xbox One further integrates gaming consoles with television, allowing the user to seamlessly switch between television, gaming, music or the internet.

Three operating systems will help the Xbox One easily switch back and forth between different entertainment applications. Other technical specifications include eight gigabytes of RAM, a Blu-ray drive, 500 gigabytes of onboard hard drive space, and even technology that can detect the user’s heartbeat.

According to The Verge, Microsoft’s Xbox One will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games, because the new system is based on a “different core.”

On the gaming front, Microsoft projects the launch of 15 new games in Xbox One’s first year. Although eight are brand new games, Xbox franchise favorites such as Halo, Call of Duty, FIFA and Madden will be along for the ride.

The Xbox One announcement comes two months after Sony announced its plans for the Playstation 4. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s next generation console, the Wii U, launched last November.

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For an FAQ list, visit Tornadoes 101

Tornado Warning: means a tornado has been spotted in the area and to take shelter immediately. Tornado sirens will go off. Taking shelter means getting to the lowest level possible, avoiding windows and finding a secure place like a bathroom or closet to bunker down in. Bring pillows/blankets/mattresses if you can. If you are in a car, there are many risky variables. Read here for in-depth information.

Tornado Watch: conditions are favorable for severe weather and tornadoes are possible. Stay updated with interactive radar maps and the National Weather Service.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning: strong winds, rain, thunder and lightning, hail possible. These advisories can quickly escalate into a tornado.

Flash Flood Warning: flash floods usually happen with six hours of severe rainfall and storms, and happen when storms are moving slow. Water collects and rises quickly, which means it’s difficult to drive, streams can overflow and guessing the depth of water can be difficult.

Things to have with you if severe weather is a possibility:

-battery powered radio

-flashlight

-bottled water

-blankets

-charged phone

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At 2:56 p.m. Monday, one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history tore through Oklahoma City and nearby suburbs, killing 24 people and injuring 145. Moore, a city of about 56,000 people and 10 miles south of Oklahoma City, was hardest hit after the mile-wide tornado crushed Plaza Towers Elementary School where children were trapped in the rubble for hours.

Oklahoma City medical examiner, Amy Elliott, said 70 of the 145 total injured were children and seven of those died. Briarwood Elementary School, which borders Moore, was also destroyed and the building’s roof ripped off. Elliott said initial injured and death counts were inaccurate due to double counting victims. Monday night reports were altered from 91 deaths to 24 confirmed as of this morning.

Victims were being treated at Integris Southwest Medical Center and Oklahoma University Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Students at the University of Oklahoma also reached out on Twitter and opened their doors to those affected. Moore is less than 10 miles north of the university in Norman, Okla.

Keli Pirtle, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla., said the tornado was on the ground for 40 minutes and traveled 12 miles. She also said data suggested the twister registered as a Category 4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which measures tornadoes’ intensity on a scale of 0 to 5.

Yesterday’s storms were some of the strongest in recent history in the area, producing the most violent tornado since May 1999 when winds up to 302 m.p.h. were recorded and the EF-5 storm killed 42 people. Weather reports showed similar paths between the two deadly tornadoes, both crushing the city of Moore along the way.

Severe weather is common this time of year in the region, as well as in north central Texas. A tornado watch spawned by the Oklahoma City storms was in effect until 10 p.m. for counties along the Oklahoma and Texas border, as well as Clay, Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Denton, Palo Pinto, Jack, Wise, Parker and Tarrant counties. Montague county officials reported a brief tornado on the ground and severe weather continued in Cooke County for much of Monday evening. Both counties are northwest of Denton.

Hamilton and Comanche counties, about 85 miles southwest of Fort Worth, saw damage from another set of storms, and a brief tornado and intermittent cloud rotations were spotted in Hamilton County.

Strong winds ranging from 55 m.p.h. up to 70 m.p.h. were reported, along with up to baseball size hail, throughout the night. No fatalities were reported but there was damage in Montague, Cooke, Hamilton and Comanche counties.

Last week, a tornado ripped through Granbury, Texas, where six people were killed and dozens injured.

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