Review: Pride

By Emma Carroll

When I saw Pride last night I had one of those amazing movie experiences one wishes they had more often. The theater was not packed, but the audience was enthusiastic. It was one of those theater encounters that let me know - the world’s joy in going to the movie theater will never go away. Last night, my fellow viewers were swept up into the movie. Cheers erupted from the audience when the team was successful, like real cheers and applause, not just the random halfhearted clap here and a “WOO!” there. It was the real thing, like we were all actually at the swim meets. This is what makes going to the movies so wonderful. And when a movie can bring this out in its audience, its success is clear.

Terrence Howard in Lionsgates' Pride
Pride is the story of the life of Jim Ellis. He comes to Philadelphia looking for a job in teaching but his skin color prevents the respect that he deserves and ends up insulted and at the unemployment agency. He is sent by the city to close up the Philadelphia Department of Recreation building and while he is working, discovers the pool. As he begins to train local youths to swim and then to be a team, he struggles against racism and the city as they continue to threaten to close the building down. The whole time building to the typical decision-making meet at Baltimore State. Although the plot is a bit contrived, resembling that of similar sports movies (Remember the Titans comes to mind), it doesn’t seem to matter here. This is the true to life story of Jim Ellis and the movie works while not straying far from his real life
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In my opinion, Pride was definitely enjoyable and exhilarating. Some say swimming is not an exciting sport and therefore difficult to make exciting, but I disagree. I often find myself caught up in the Olympic swimming races. When you are eager for someone to win, anything can be nerve racking. The director of Pride, Sunu Gonera, made swimming an art. His camera angles, above and below the water, showed the beauty of these people “owning the water”. The intensity of the final sequence was made even more suspenseful by cutting back to the outside of the building where only faint sounds of the race could be heard.

I must say though, with all the thrill of the final quarter of the movie, it did start a little slow. But the excitement certainly builds as it moves. What keeps it going early on is the comedy. Bernie Mac plays the Head of Maintenance for the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (P.D.R.), and although he is a straight character in this movie, his lines definitely have a punch! I have not experienced Bernie Mac in many performances, and he plays this character well. I was very impressed by his breadth. I am intrigued by what else he can do! The kids on the swim team also provided some great comedic moments. They had some of the best lines in the show, and they delivered them like seasoned comedians.


Terrance Howard (Crash, Ray) plays Jim Ellis and he becomes the role. Howard is amazing and leads the cast with his brilliant performance.

Something that caught me a little off guard was some of the language. Many of the one liners seemed to be written in as if in today’s slang, which along with the colloquialisms made me wonder if they really spoke in the 70’s so similarly to people today.

As for the time period, one thing I can say for the costumes in this movie: I’m sure glad I didn’t live in the 70’s! But even with the tackiness of green paisley shirts the costumes were well done, perhaps a little over the top with the giant Afros and enormous earrings. Although, the main characters’ garb was a bit subtler.

I definitely have to give last night an A for the experience and a B for the movie. It was definitely one of those occasions that renew my faith. This is why I love movies.

Review: Blades of Glory

By Suzy Quinn

The only thing missing from Blades of Glory is a cameo from Tonya Harding. Other than that, I have no regrets for rendering myself devoted to this simple cinematic delight. At a mere hour and a half, it is more appetizer than entrée, but each of the 90 minutes is concentrated in parody and self-mockery. It’s indulgent with references to politics, celebrity, competition, and sexuality, but then again, so is capitalism. At the core of this movie, though, is sheer gluttonous hilarity, as packaged by the captivating duo of Will Ferrell and Jon Heder.

"Flash! He's a miracle!"

Blades tells the story of two top men’s single figure skaters, the defiant “Lone Wolf” Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and his rival, America’s favorite Good Boy Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder), who rely upon a skating federation loophole to revive their respective careers after the two erupt in a high-profile fight the same night they tie for the gold medal. They reluctantly join forces to enter the pair’s skating category, and their struggle to the top attracts as many doubters as admirers. The evil force of brother-sister team Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (real-life husband-wife team Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) set out to destroy their top opponents, and the action predictably culminates when they compete at the world championships.

As an occasional supporter of the Will Ferrell franchise, I was skeptical after my disappointment with the base humor of Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. It seemed even crasser than the other Ferrell flicks, but then again I am one of the only people (in the age bracket of 18-24) who has yet to see Old School. The trailers playing on TV imply a sort of homogeneity with the low-brow comedy genre, “just another one of those movies…”, but ultimately are wise not to reveal the most bankable lines and scenes. I can’t remember whether Anchorman’s promos alluded to its particular breed of comic brilliance, but trailers are supposed to be accessible by the general public. And everyone should want to see Blades of Glory.

If decapitation makes you nauseous, or if you experience genital-inflicted pain on vicarious levels, then Blades may be too much to handle. If you have not found the other films listed within the review amusing or entertaining, you probably will not enjoy it. Otherwise, Blades of Glory is a worthy addition to the line of films aimed at a Facebook-friendly, YouTube-using crowd who will undoubtedly exploit the film’s side-splitting sequences (note the scenes of team-training and fan worship). Will Ferrell’s performance is priceless; his shirtless antics are alive and well. A hairy chest has never been more satiable!

Another token Ferrell trait is the big emotional breakdown where Ferrell’s character becomes hysterically vulnerable, and Blades has a few of those times. Even the great size of Will is reason enough to approve of the casting choice as a figure skater. And yet, it is the casting of Jon Heder as Will’s bejeweled naïve adversary that ultimately grabs the audience. His innocence onscreen makes us want to care for him, much like I used to care for My Little Ponies. His comic timing rivals Ferrell’s; they are expertly matched, playing as though reunited brothers who were raised by a parent a piece, mother and father separated by their own political and social differences of opinion. The chemistry is unmistakable – indeed, men’s pair’s skating seems the only logical choice after we feel the thrill of their first triumphant routine together (it’s called “Fire and Ice”, get it?)

"Yes, I said mindbottleing. It's when my thoughts are like all caught up in a bottle and I can't get them out."

Ferrell and Heder embark on new territory, where neither player is greater than the other. They are equally outstanding, equally given screen-time and back-story, and equally hilarious. Without them, it would struggle to be considered a buddy flick, which is its ultimate asset. Even besides the comedy factor, Blades of Glory remains focused on the dynamic of friendship between these two seeming mismatches. It is a hopeful, life-affirming movie, but should probably be saved for viewers aged 13 and older.

The supporting cast dazzles with star-power from the worlds of television and figure skating. Poehler and Arnett provoke their share of laughs, too, taking incestuous humor and making it their own. Jenna Fischer (of The Office fame) plays their manager-sister who falls for Jimmy against the will of her siblings. Comedian Nick Swardson plays an obsessive fan whose tactics are nothing short of priceless. And there are a number of appearances by the best of skating past and present, Scott Hamilton being my personal favorite (though there are many to choose from). TV vets Craig T. Nelson, William Fichtner and William Daniels round out a solid secondary cast.

It is hard to watch this movie without comparing it to the past blockbusters of its leads, Anchorman and Napoleon Dynamite. This could end up being as successful as The 40 Year-Old Virgin or Dodgeball. There is little reason to believe it will have the cult following of Heder’s claim-to-fame, or Ferrell’s earlier film Zoolander. For what it is, though – a quick romp with contemporary slapstick genius – Blades of Glory does capture the dream.

New Transformers Posters

Paramount has released two new character posters for Michael Bay's Transformers. Simply enough, it's one for the Autobots and one for the Decepticons. "Protect" and "Defend" ...


Tranformers hits theaters on July 5th.

Review: Meet the Robinsons

By Emma Carroll

The funniest part about this movie for me was Tom Selleck. I’m not going to say more than that because it will ruin the joke. Granted, I love Tom Selleck (I always thought Monica should have married him and not Chandler) so it was that much more fun for me. Besides Tom Selleck, this movie had some good chuckles. Not very many all out laughs but it kept me smiling the whole way through. It reminded me a bit of a better version of Robots. It was not, unfortunately, as good as Toy Story. But that is because it was missing a lot of the adult humor that Toy Story provided. There were a few adult jokes, Tom Selleck for example, but this was much more a kids’ film. Nonetheless, I really liked it.


Meet the Robinsons is about a young inventor, Lewis, played by both Daniel Hansen (Stewart Little 2) and Jordan Fry (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Lewis also happens to be an orphan who has never seen his mother. He has trouble getting adopted because of his faulty inventions and crazy ideas. One day he becomes determined to build a machine, called a Memory Scanner, that can search your memory for things you have forgotten. He brings his machine to a science fair where he bumps into a boy who tells him to watch out for Bowler Hat Guy. While Lewis isn’t paying attention, Bowler Hat Guy breaks his invention. Distraught, Lewis runs home to simmer over his failure. The strange boy, Wilbur (Wesley Singerman), finds him and tells Lewis that he has come from the future, but he can’t give Lewis very much detail on why.

To prove his point he takes Lewis into the future, where his time machine breaks and they are stuck there until Lewis can fix it. While there Lewis slowly discovers more and more about Wilbur’s family, the Robinsons.

Meanwhile, Bowler Hat Guy tries to pass Lewis’ Memory Scanner off as his own but finds that he needs Lewis to succeed, so he follows the two boys into the future to kidnap Lewis and craziness ensues.

The time travel theme of this movie was great and the writers’ vision of the future was incredibly imaginative. It was supposed to be about 30 years from now though, so I couldn’t really believe that most of the crazy contraptions could really be developed in that near of a future or ever; but then again it’s an animated fantasy flick! The story was excellent and very entertaining.


I saw Meet the Robinsons in Disney’s new 3D animation. This was probably what I liked least about the movie. Those glasses hurt my eyes! And if I took them off the movie was all blurry which also hurt. I couldn’t decide which was worse. In the end I just watched it in 3D, which wasn’t as impressive as I would have expected. The coolest advantage of the 3D was when they were inside the bubble of the car roof. The distortion and color reflections on the glass made it look as if you were actually in the bubble with them. It was very intricate work. The animation was really well done too. I’m not an expert in computer animation by any means, but I couldn’t believe how real some of the objects looked, like the chrome on the time machine.

Discounting my sore eyes, I left the theater with a big grin on my face. I highly recommend Meet the Robinsons. It is not a movie that is necessarily for adults, but adults will certainly enjoy it, especially if they are a child at heart. It’s a great family movie; there is something for everyone. I give it an A-.

Review: Shooter

Mark Wahlberg Shoots it Up – Again…

By Emma Carroll

Mark Wahlberg seems to like the gun related movies. We have Four Brothers, The Departed and now we have Shooter directed by Antoine Fuqua (and as rumor may have it, next up: G.I. Joe!). So three positive things about this movie: 1. The conspiracy/espionage in the first half is an exciting cup of tea; 2. The cinematography is something out of a movie of a much grander scale; 3. Mark Wahlberg has a great body. Ok so that last one isn’t really a huge positive but I had to scramble cause sadly I couldn’t think of another. It’s also not something that’s going to matter if you’re a guy, but if you’re a guy you’ll probably love all of the guns and explosions. If you’re a girl, guns and explosions – enh, not so much. And that, as it so happens, is my review of this movie “enh”, with a little “so-so” hand wave.

I was actually disappointed, considering the first half of the movie took off with a great story, and a kind of Enemy of the State theme. Unfortunately, by the second half it turned into a “violence for violence’s sake” take on justice and the theme turned into “America is corrupt and Republicans are dirty, rotten, money hungry tyrants”. In short, very “anti-American.”

Mark stars as Bob Lee Swaggart, A US Marine sniper who is left to die with his spotter in enemy territory. His spotter is shot by fire from a helicopter, which Mr. Wahlberg then proceeds to take down. After this loss, he retires from the military and runs away to the mid western mountains to nurse his feelings of betrayal by the government and hide from the rest of mankind. His only friend is a dog, who so loyally brings him beer from inside the fridge after a long day’s work.

Three years later, who should show up but Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover), a man who has been searching for Swaggart to plan and stop an assassination on the President of the United States. That in itself sounds a little fishy: “Plan an assassination so we know how to stop it”, but nevertheless, Bob Lee joins up to help save the president. As it so happens, my fishiness instinct paid off. Turns out it was all a set up. Johnson’s intention was to assassinate the Archbishop of Ethiopia and easily frame the rogue military man, Swaggart. Double-crossed, wounded, and on the run, Swaggart heads to the home of his spotter’s widow, Sarah, played by Kate Mara. She binds his wounds and helps him onto the next step in his plan to get his life back.

Meanwhile young FBI agent Nick Memphis (Michael Pena – World Trade Center), who was the last person to speak to Swaggart before his disappearance, is thinking things are pretty fishy too. Swaggart gets in touch with him and they are able to track down Johnson. Here’s were the suspense turns to explosions and shooting. The entire second half of this movie is Swaggart hunting down everyone related to a much larger conspiracy, including a US Senator from Montana.

After a two vs. many battle, resulting in an explosion and the exposition of Johnson’s scheme the movie just went down hill. Despite some beautiful photography in the snow swept mountains there wasn’t much left in the movie besides hunt ‘em down and shoot ‘em up. The love subplot between Swaggart and Sarah isn’t even developed any further. Not even a gratuitous sex scene. I’m surprised that an action flick would forego a gratuitous sex scene! I thought it was standard. I guess that’s something to say for the movie. The producers thought they could sell it on guns and action alone, that it wouldn’t be quite right to sleep with his best man’s girl, and they didn’t need the sex appeal. Bully for them!

When it comes down to it, this movie had some potential. If only it hadn’t been two halves that didn’t quite fit together. But then again, Shooter was meant to be a guy’s film so they might have something different to say about it. I definitely recommend it for the male crowd. But guys, don’t bring your dates to this movie - you won’t get another!

Review: Starter for 10

By Emma Carroll

Let me tell you something about myself. I love movies. Love ‘em. I love going to a theater and having reality suspended for a couple of hours. Especially when it’s an edge of your seat flick that’s got you clambering for the next moment. Or when the theater’s packed with people laughing their heads off at even the silliest jokes. That’s what going to the movies is all about. It’s hard for me to sit in the darkness and not enjoy something. Although it does happen - there have been some really awful ones out there, terrible experiences. But what I am getting at is that it’s difficult for me not to enjoy a movie. I can always find something in a film that I like. So if you’re looking for someone to give you a review on a movie that will tell you whether or not it’s a fun way to let your self kick back and relax for a couple of hours surrounded by other moviegoers than I’m your girl! Now on to the real review….

Based on the novel A Question of Attraction by David Nicholls, Starter for 10 takes place in 1985 and follows the trials of a college freshman in true John Hughes style. In fact, it’s merely Brit version of a John Hughes film, post high school graduation; even Rebecca Hall (The Prestige) as Rebecca, resembles Molly Ringwald. That being said, this is by no means a bad thing. Sixteen Candles is a fabulous movie, and rather than make a mockery of John Hughes classics, director Tom Vaughn pays homage to the legendary. The one thing that could have been making a jab at today’s culture was the appearance of the opposing quiz team. They came on to the screen, and I could swear that they were mocking Harry Potter. Each of the members was in a long black cloak, they were all wearing matching uniforms with neckties and the team captain even had round spectacles on. It certainly got a lot of knowing laughs from the audience!



Starter for 10 stars James McAvoy (Narnia) as Brian, alongside other Brits in the story of a young man who, reflecting on people who are clever without really trying, decides he is “not one of those people!” But he wants to be clever so he throws himself into books, especially when his father passes away. His father always valued knowledge above all else and loved quiz shows. So Brian goes off to college and Bristol University and decides to join the University Challenge team, headed up by the hilarious Benedict Cumberbatch’s Patrick. Meanwhile, he becomes involved with two girls, one of whom he loves, the other loves him. His homebound friends worry about him becoming a wanker, while their futures aren’t looking very bright.

Two movies in two days, and both of them featuring Benedict Cumberbatch – in Amazing Grace as William Pitt and in Starter For 10 as Patrick. Odd, considering his presence in American films is close to nil and I’d never seen him in anything before Tuesday; but, I must confess, both of these films were imports from the UK. Truly more interesting however, is that he was the scene stealing character in at least one.

By far, the most impressive character was Cumberbatch. After seeing him in Amazing Grace, where he faded into the background (due more to the undeveloped character than his acting) I was surprised to see him in such a different and refreshing role, which really displayed his range. As Patrick he had some of the funniest moments in the film, outshining all of the other characters. However, as romantic comedies go, the main characters of Starter certainly carried more of the dramatic aspect of the film, while the peripheral characters were left to keep the audience giggling. This technique is very reminiscent of John Hughes’ pictures where Molly Ringwald played the straight character and the nerds bouncing around her brought out the laughs.

The story was very smooth and upbeat until around the middle things slowed down a bit. It hit that typical low point about an hour in, before it starts to pick up again for the climax. But the ending wiped all of that away. When they reach the quiz show things really picked up.

The soundtrack was quite charming, bringing you right back to 1985 with a more Britonized bunch of classic hits, including the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry” in the opening credits.

The costumes were right on, I really got the feeling that I was watching a movie that was actually made 20 years ago. It even had the fuzzy visual quality the movies from the 80’s tend to have.

All in all, this movie was great for a date, great for people who love British comedies and great if you just want to step into a time machine to 1985. I give it a B-

Review: Reno 911: Miami

by Penina Wiesman

Reno 911: Miami may be even funnier to a person under the influence of alcohol or some other narcotic. But then again, this movie is the ultimate brain vacation all on its own, so save those substances for a rainy day.

Based on the popular Comedy Central show, Reno 911: Miami transplants the show's lovable(?) cast from their home base (Reno, you moron) to Miami, where they continue their Like-Cops!-Only-Incompetent adventures. The film consists of a silly story that loosely supports (not unlike Lieutenant Jim Dangle's scary thong) a series of unrelated comic episodes. Arriving in Miami to participate in the American Police Convention, the team is charged with the safety of the city after terrorists attack the convention center with a bioagent, infecting everyone except them. It is wise not to pay much attention to the plot, as the movie really has nothing to do with it.


Reno's parade of escapades (and some sexcapades) are all ludicrous, moronic, and utterly absurd. At the same time, however, each chapter inflicts a brand of agonizing laughter that is somewhat unanticipated (if the trailer is any indication), yet welcome. There are too many belly laughs to list here, nor would I presume to take away from anyone else's experience by doing so. Instead, I think it is sufficient to say that between the dead animals, the gallery of masturbation, and more ass cracks than should ever be displayed on one screen, I enjoyed myself, even if I left the theater with a few less brain cells.

Although the acting is hardly something one thinks about when watching a movie of this, um, caliber, it must be mentioned that our heroes are extraordinarily adept at portraying, as the Sheriff of Aspen notes, “the dumbest group of people I ever met that weren't legally retarded.” The stupidity of these officers is so incredible that it is impossible for them to have ever existed outside of an intermediate care facility or mental institution. Miraculously, however, all the Reno 911 actors are able to bring these characters to life, making audiences nationwide believe they actually are dimwitted, insane, or both. Especially noteworthy is Kerry Kenny-Silver as Deputy Trudy Wiegel, a mentally disturbed officer, and Thomas Lennon as Lieutenant Jim Dangle, the group's less than ambiguously gay leader in hot pants. The movie is also peppered with cameos, including Danny DeVito (also executive producer), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and David Koechner, to name a few.

To expect anything more than Reno 911: Miami gives is just as absurd as the movie itself. In the realm of stupid comedy, Reno is no amateur. There are high levels of both stupidity and comedy at work here, sucking shrieks of laughter from the audience like a vacuum cleaner. In the end, however, the presence of a story that was a giant step away from anything that might actually be called a plot, disqualifies Reno from competing with even the silliest Will Ferrell or Rob Schneider movie. Die hard Reno 911 and idiotic comedy fans might contradict me, saying that the [lack of coherent] plot makes no difference. If so, then there is nothing separating this movie from an episode of Saturday Night Live except laughs, nudity, and an extra half hour.

Reno 911: Miami is probably the first movie I've seen whose trailer doesn't give away the entire movie. Of course, there's not much in this movie to give away, so I'd recommend waiting for the DVD. Either way, prepare to take a break from reality with some dim-witted fun. Just put your brain in the freezer first.