The Mace & Crown

By: Lauren Grant

I can confidently say, without fear of being dramatic, that “The Eagle” was probably one of the most boring movies I have ever had to sit through. I’m usually into the whole old Roman/Greek/Trojan or any other kind of ancient empire war fighting movie thing, so it really shocked me when I found myself wishing it was over. It took forever to get to the point, which I thought I’d figured out after the first 15 or 20 minutes. To be more accurate, it took a little more than an hour to actually get to the main plot I was checking my watch constantly after the first 30 minutes.

“The Eagle,” starring Channing Tatum, who, let’s face it, hasn’t exactly ever delivered a stunning performance in anything yet, and Jamie Bell, an actor who I’ve never paid much attention to, tells the story of a young Roman solider and his slave who set out on a quest to restore the good name of the soldiers family. ]Of course, you don’t realize this until an hour painstakingly rolls by, and you’re already half asleep.

Before the plot comes into play, you do learn a small bit about just why Marcus Aquila (Tatum) has to restore the name of his family, and here it is, without one hour and 58 minutes of your life wasted: Marcus’s father was part of a division of the Roman Army called the Ninth Legion. The Ninth Legion set out on a mission to explore the unknown territory of northern Britain, and was never seen again. In their possession was the Eagle, which represented all of the triumphs of the Roman Empire. The reason for the legion’s disappearance was  due to their untimely demise at the hands of the Painted Seal People who massacred them and stole their most prized metal Eagle.

Thus is the reason why Marcus and his poor British slave Esca (Bell) venture into the unconquered lands of northern Britain. While I was waiting for this point in the movie to arrive, I deeply considered getting up to get a snack and then never coming back. It was filled with so much pointless fluff that it only had about an hour to tell the rest of the story, and even if you make it through that hour you’ve got nothing else to look forward to except the end and getting out of there. I would definitely not recommend this torture to any of my friends, but if you’ve got some enemies, here is a nice legal way to punish them without ending up in jail.

Photo Credit: daemonsmovies.com

By: Daniel Felarca

No matter what anyone says or thinks about the highly popular Justin Bieber and his music, be it hateful, amorous or just plain uninterested, it is an undeniable truth that this 16-year-old Canadian star has made quite an impact on the music industry, his debut album having been certified platinum in less than three months of release.

With songs that become anchored in a person’s mind whether they like it or not, Bieber is an admirable, but rare, example of someone who rose from a lowly following on the Internet to experiencing international fame and popularity. Produced by recording artist Usher and directed by Jon Chu “Step Up 2: The Streets” and “Step Up 3D”, Bieber’s biographical film, “Never Say Never”, chronicles this rise, proving in a very cliché albeit heartwarming fashion that anything is possible.

The world would be quite a different place without the shrieking, incomprehensible (and, in many cases, highly irritating) masses of prepubescent teens, all shouting at the top of their lungs their love for the latest craze, such as Twilight, the Jonas Brothers High School Musical, or Justin Bieber.

Despite having issues with crowd control in the past, in “Never Say Never”, Bieber is shown interacting positively with his fans, from serenading a randomly chosen girl at one of his concerts, to telling a young performer in his hometown that he used to play his guitar in the spot that she is standing. These interactions are interspersed throughout the film, and are sure to tug at the heartstrings of fans that already idolize Justin Bieber. These are the moments that make “Never Say Never” watchable.

However, the film is not without its shortcomings. A problem with “Never Say Never” is the fact that Bieber’s story is presented as something of an epic hero’s journey. His ascension to fame took numerous amounts of hard work and perseverance, but it is definitely nothing new.

The entire movie is disjointed, with old home videos and audition tapes scattered here and there, every now and then featuring a countdown to the day of Bieber’s big show in Madison Square Garden. The problem with this is that the show is teased so many times throughout the film, that by the time it ends with a grand finish, the viewer has already seen much of it and its impact is thusly lessened.

A viewer’s enjoyment of “Never Say Never”, like any biography, depends directly upon their opinion of Justin Bieber’s work. Some may see this film as a fairly fascinating story of a little kid who struck gold, some may see it as an utterly fantastic experience and some may simply see it as even more fuel for their unrelenting hatred for this teenage heartthrob (though admittedly, it is hardly likely that someone who dislikes Justin Bieber would even think of watching a movie dedicated completely to his career). Whatever the case may be, this film, due to its specific focus, is difficult to recommend to anyone who is not a fan of Justin Bieber.

Photo Credit: i-moviechannel.com

No Just Go Away, Please

By: R Jay Molina

Adam Sandler’s latest Happy Madison Productions project, “Just Go with It,” is a reminder of a few things: Jennifer Aniston is still one of most beautiful actresses in the industry, Adam Sandler is taking advantage of the spoof joke from “Funny People,” and director Dennis Dugan is the oldest man child.

For those unfamiliar with the spoof joke from “Funny People,” it is an ongoing joke from that film that shows Adam Sandler’s character, who is also an actor, being known for making bad, cliché comedies. “Just Go with It” is the perfect example. In keeping with the usual jokes from other Adam Sandler comedies, “Just Go with It” has everything it needs; Poop jokes? Check. A bad running joke about a character? Check. The annoying sidekick? Check. A loose plot that goes too painfully unrealistic places? Check. Gorgeous women? Check!

Speaking of gorgeous women, who is Brooklyn Decker? She is a relatively new actress who is the main reason behind all the shenanigans in the film and she seems to have just come out of nowhere in the film industry. No complaints though, she is gorgeous. Also, why is Nicole Kidman in this film? Was she trying to do something light-hearted after the bleak yet brilliant “Rabbit Hole”? If that is the case, then she needs a new agent. She seemed drunk throughout all of her scenes, which, looking back on it, now makes sense. She did have a drink in her hand in all ofthem.

The so-called plot involves Adam Sandler as a plastic surgeon and playboy who uses a wedding ring to sleep with women. But after meeting a particular young woman, played by Decker, Sandler believes that she may be the one that he is ready to settle down with. This girl is 23 years old, still reads Seventeen magazine and loves showering to N’Sync. Interesting choice Mr. 44-year old Sandler! Enter Jennifer Aniston, Sandler’s very close friend and assistant in the film, who is asked to help Sandler’s character win over Decker.

There are a few things that work in the movie. From a creative standpoint the chemistry between Aniston and Sander is infectious. One cannot help but love seeing the two together. Their pairing is almost as genius as Drew Barrymore and Sandler in “The Wedding Singer” or “50 First Dates.” From a technical standpoint the cinematography is near perfect. But who honestly cares about the technical stuff? The money has been paid, the ticket is in hand, the theater darkens and an Adam Sandler movie begins.

For those who are familiar with his movies and actually enjoy them, they will like “Just Go with It.” It’s not “The Wedding Singer”, but it makes up for that “Zohan” movie. For those who just want to see Adam Sandler branch out, they will be disappointed. This is not “Funny People” and it is especially not “Punch Drunk Love.” For those on the fence, they will laugh at a couple of the jokes, but ultimately feel cheated. The ending is rushed, the characters are drawn out so thin that they just become part of a joke and nothing more, and the whole plot just feels unrealistic.

The movie desperately tries to be a train-wreck by shoving out all these insane situations that would make anyone’s head spin, but it just ends in the neatest way possible. That is lazy writing, and this is a lazy movie. Don’t go with it, if anything just rent it in a few months at your local Red Box for a dollar.

Photo Credit: comingsoon.net

By: R Jay Molina

It’s true. The film industry has so many awards ceremonies that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. The only ones that seem to matter are the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards (Oscars for short), though the Globes are more like the pre-game before the party. But why should we care?

Unless you’re a film enthusiast, the Oscars ceremony or any awards show is about as important as Oprah’s family secrets. You just don’t care. However if you are a film enthusiast, you watch the ceremony with the hopes that your favorite film from the previous year is acknowledged. Die-hard fans of James Cameron’s “Avatar” were in complete shock that the sci-fi “Pocahontas” didn’t win for Best Picture. I wasn’t.

But I digress. With the Oscar nominations finally made public there can be endless debates, finger-pointing and exclamations of your predictions for who will win in all the categories. Since there are two dozen categories, I’m going to narrow it down to the ones that really matter: Best Actress and Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role and Best Motion Picture.

It was a treat for me to see that all the women nominated for Best Supporting Actress were from independent movies. There’s Amy Adams for “The Fighter”, Helena Bonham Carter for “The King’s Speech”, Melissa Leo for “The Fighter,” Hailee Steinfield for “True Grit”, and Jacki Weaver for “Animal Kingdom”. Melissa Leo has my vote for winning. “The Fighter” has been the talk of the town lately, and she’s already won a Golden Globe. So it’s only natural that she wins an Oscar.

For Best Supporting Actor there’s Christian Bale for “The Fighter”, John Hawkes for “Winter’s Bone”, Jeremy Renner for “The Town,” Mark Ruffalo for “The Kids Are All Right”, and Geoffrey Rush for “The King’s Speech”. Before I saw “The King’s Speech,” I was behind Christian Bale for winning. Now, I’m not so sure. Geoffrey Rush’s performance in “Speech” was just as perfect as Bale’s performance in “Fighter”. But I’m going to stick with Bale, seeing as how he’s the favorite right now and the man really does deserve an Oscar. Rush already has an Oscar under his belt.

In the Best Actress category, Natalie Portman for “Black Swan” leads with a Golden Globe for Drama already on her shelf, and Annette Bening is right next to her for “The Kids Are All Right” with a Golden Globe for Comedy. Other women in the category include Nicole Kidman for “Rabbit Hole”, Jennifer Lawrence for “Winter’s Bone”, and Michelle Williams for “Blue Valentine”. Portman owns most of the award ceremonies this season, so it’s a safe bet that she will win an Oscar. Much like Christian Bale, Portman is overdue for one.

For Best Actor I hope, no, I firmly believe that James Franco will win for “127 Hours.” I mean let’s be serious here. An actor who can pull off a gig on “General Hospital”, play a pothead to a tee be the only redeeming character in one of the worst superhero movies of the past decade and masterfully portray a man who is faced with hacking his own arm off to survive from a slow death deserves and Oscar! If he doesn’t win I will go to Hollywood and hunt down the Academy for robbing this man of something that he clearly deserves! In case you’re curious, the other nominees are Javier Bardem for “Biutiful”, Jeff “the Dude” Bridges for “True Grit”, Jesse Eisenberg for “The Social Network”, and Colin Firth for “The King’s Speech”. Firth is my second choice for Best Actor. His portrayal of King George VI was just inspiring.

Finally for Best Motion Picture of the Year we have ten films that are nominated; “127 Hours,” “Black Swan”, “The Fighter”, “Inception”, “The Kids Are All Right”, “The King’s Speech”, “The Social Network”, “Toy Story 3”, “True Grit”, and “Winter’s Bone”. Narrowing the list down to the films most likely to win, “The Fighter”, “The Social Network”, “The King’s Speech”, and “127 Hours”.

The film that I think will win is “The Social Network.” The Academy will most likely pick a film that either speaks about a generation, or inspires them to do something inspiring. “The Social Network” has been the biggest surprise to come out of Hollywood because everyone thought, “Why would a movie about Facebook be interesting?” But the movie has proved to be an effective courtroom drama (outside of a courtroom) that not only speaks about a generation, but also shows an honest breakdown of communication, friendship and trust. It also helps that the screenplay by Aaron Sorkin contains some of the sharpest dialogue I have heard in a movie in a long time.

Now, I’m going to settle things with the die-hard “Inception” fans who think I’m wrong and believe that “Inception” should win. First, I love “Inception” and found it to be the best summer blockbuster since “The Dark Knight”. Second, that’s all it really is; a summer blockbuster. Even director Christopher Nolan acknowledges this. Third, the Academy is known for rejecting Sci-Fi movies from winning Best Picture. Take “Star Wars,” “District 9”, “Avatar”, and “E.T”. for example. It’s just the way it is.

Those are my predictions. What are yours?

Photo Credit: prairiehomevoices.com

By: R Jay Molina

When one thinks of Italy, things such as romance and beautiful artistry comes to mind. However director Mikael Hafstrom has a different view. With the help of his cinematographer, Ben Davis, composer Alex Heffes and Sir Anthony Hopkins, Hafstrom creates a subtly creepy and thought-provoking film. Those wanting shock value and something to see with friends on a Friday night will be disappointed though.

“The Rite” is a film that one has to experience alone. It tests ones faith and brings up the notion that if you believe in God, you must believe in the devil. There cannot be one or the other. Colin O’Donoghue plays Michael Kovak, who represents the ordinary man conflicted with his faith and wanting the answers that cannot seem to be answered. He is a skeptic that the audience can relate to. It is suggested that he go to Rome to renew his faith, to become an exorcist, in order for him to see the truth that he has doubted all along. Once he arrives, Kovak begins his lessons in exorcism, which consist of nothing more than history classes about different demons and different encounters shown via video.

It is not until he is referred to Father Lucas that Kovak’s skepticism is tested. Father Lucas is brilliantly portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, whose performance mirrors his days as Hannibal Lector. He proves that growing old does not mean he is out of the game. From his introduction in the movie, right up until his last shot, Hopkins solidifies the creepy atmosphere that Heffes started with the score and Davis continued with the cinematography.

The other actors, including O’Donoghue and Alice Braga from “I Am Legend,” bring honesty to their roles and keep the story moving. One of the other notable performances comes from newcomer Marta Gastini as Rosaria. She plays a pregnant teenager who is the subject of the exorcisms. She effortlessly brings the most shocking parts of the movie to the table and has the greatest impact on Father Lucas. After the first exorcism, which was pretty low-key for what audiences are used to seeing in movies, Kovak is still a skeptic, but Father Lucas states that there is more going on inside the person and the ritual than just spinning heads. That does not stop the film from showing physicality during the exorcism scenes. It just tones it down to a more realistic approach.

Again, “The Rite” proved to be effectively creepy and thought-provoking. It felt as though every aspect of the production was used equally, from the production design to the music score, to bring something fresh and interesting for the new year. It does not try to beat films like “The Exorcist” or “The Omen”, but it secures its place and pays homage to the old school days of horror films where the phrase “less is more” seems appropriate. Whether the events of the story are true or not (Hafstrom claims that they are), “The Rite” is a solid matinee that will satisfy those waiting for more to come this year.

Photo Credit: movie-soundtube.blogspot.com

By: Ethan Shaw

With winter slowly leaving us behind, the beginning of summer action flicks is in full swing starting with Michel Gondry’s “The Green Hornet”.  Opening last week on Jan. 14 the film stars Seth Rogen as playboy Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet and Jay Chou as his faithful partner Kato.  Viewers will be surprised to see a powerhouse roster of supporting actors from Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmos and Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz playing the primary antagonist “Chudnofsky”. Despite the impressive cast and advanced special effects, the films drops in the most important aspect: plot.

Based off the 1930’s serial radio program, subsequent comics and television series, “The Green Hornet” is about millionaire playboy Britt Reid, who decides to face off against the underbelly of Los Angeles criminal element after the death of his father.  Does this sound familiar?  But unlike a certain caped crusader, Reid’s father, James (Wilkinson), isn’t killed by some random thug, but by an allergic reaction to a bee sting.  Yes, that’s right, a bee sting. The real kicker of the tale is that most, if not everyone, who were close to the famous newspaper publisher despised him, most notably his own son!

After his father’s death, Reid is immediately put in charge of his father’s fictional newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, as well as all employees involved with his family.  One such employee is martial arts expert, genius mechanic and exceptional coffee maker Kato.  The film gives little to no explanation as to Kato’s back story or how he came about his talents, opting for the audience to just go with it.  Upon their first meeting, the two decide to go on a drunken adventure that involves vandalism, saving a couple from a gang and destroying a police car.

The duo, upon a whim, decide to become superheroes. From on, the story goes from ridiculous to really bad. Fans of the 1966-1967 television series starring Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato will be sorely disappointed when it comes to the fight scenes.  With his American debut, Lee as Kato opened American audiences to real martial arts, and created an entire genre of entertainment with his amazing feats of athleticism. This Kato however, somehow has the ability to slow down time and can perform impossible superhuman feats that leave die hard “Hornet” fans feeling nothing else but cheated.

It’s almost astounding that Seth Rogen helped write this project, seeing how his past films have kept up with modern mind-sets and humor.  Christoph Waltz who if you remember, played four language speaking Colonel Hans Landa, aka the “Jew Hunter,” in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” was obviously only involved for the paycheck.  That being said, his performance was still the most entertaining because his character at least had motivation for what he was doing, where as everyone else in the film clearly did not.

If you like flashy special effects and senseless mass mayhem, than I advise that you rent this film when released in stores.  However, if you enjoy a good story with at least some form of reasoning for the characters, than I recommend save your money and wait for when it’s televised.

By: Elizabeth Bowry

Usually the most important part of the Golden Globes, like any award show, is who is wearing what, what movie is going to win the award for Best Movie and which actor is going to win Best Actor. This year however, the Golden Globes involved a little more than Versace and Natalie Portman.

The 2011 Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais had his second run as the host of the notable award show, but he will not be asked again due to the controversy that some of his jokes sparked. In his opening monologue, Gervais said, “Let’s see how far I can go this time,” giving the audience a warning that his jokes may strike a chord. His jokes, though, received more groans than laughs at the award show.

Gervais began a slew of jokes against the Association by other winners of the award including Christian Bale ,against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) saying that they only nominated “The Tourist” so that the members could hang out with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. But Gervais’s joke crossed a line when he said that the HFPA also took bribes during the interviews of the nominees.

The HFPA was not the only victim of the host’s lackluster jokes. Many A-list celebrities were under attack, including Angelina Jolie, Tim Allen, the cast of Sex and the City and Robert Downey Jr., as well as third-world adoptions and cosmetic surgery. “But it must be good because it’s nominated, so shut up, OK? And I’d like to crush this ridiculous rumor that the only reason “The Tourist” was nominated was so that the foreign press of could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That was not the only reason; they also accepted bribes,” was one of the jokes that Gervais said about Depp and Jolie’s movie “The Tourist” which, was the butt of many jokes.

However, the joke was not just centered on Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie also brought up the lawsuit that is being placed against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for taking bribes for member’s votes for certain movies and actors. A former publicist sued the Golden Globe Hollywood Foreign Press Association for accepting bribes from studio executives in exchange for support of a certain film with nominations and wins. “The Tourist” was included in the list of movies that bribes were given for. The Association though, claims that this publicist is “completely without merit.”

Though the critics and celebrities were insulted and a supposed rift was created, Gervais said that some of the claims were speculated, which he wrote about in his blog, “Why do people have to embellish? They’re allowed to say they hated it. They’re allowed to say they didn’t find it funny, that it was tasteless, over the top, or whatever. But why do they speculate and make stuff up?” Ricky Gervais has also said that he is not concerned about being asked back or not, and that he does not care if he is or not. All of his criticism is virtually just white noise to the actor.

Not all celebrities were insulted by Gervais’s jokes though. Andrew Garfield star of  “The Social Network” , which won four awards at the award show   said, “He’s been terribly nasty and horribly rude and I think he’s genius.” “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart was offended in a completely different way and said “[I’m] offended that a comedian could be that funny at an awards show.”