Villains can shake us to our very souls, sometimes just with a gaze Artwork by Cody Anderson

What truly makes a villain scary? What is the one thing that makes us fear one villain more than another? The villains who truly stand out, the ones who haunt people’s darkest nightmares, have something about them that sets just about anyone on edge. It’s their disposition, their mannerisms, and the way they get to the victim. With every villain they have some special, evil skill; but there are the few who not only scar their victims physically, but emotionally as well.

There are three cliché types of villain. One type just goes straight for the blood and guts. Let’s call them the homicidal maniac or the HM for short. Then comes the hidden villain, the one who is not expected, the devil in disguise, the DID. Finally the victim could be faced with the most peculiar villain, the “cold-blooded killer,” the CBK. Those are the ones that come at the victim apathetically, who usually do so without showing anger, rage, or many other emotions.

The HM are the simplest type of villains. They are there for the blood, the guts, and the gore. There usually is no rhyme or reason to most of their killings other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There tends to be a generic back-story for these villains, usually showing a simple, and sometimes seemingly stupid cause for their murderous rampages. These villains give the audience a cheap thrill, but as for any real value behind their characters, it can be sorely disappointing.

The HM are all about the Blood Blood Blood Artwork by Cody Anderson

Next, in the look at all things sinister, is the devil in disguise.  The DID are the villains who have quirks. The audience usually either knows them from the start as the villain, or is shocked when the DID is revealed in one big sweeping conclusion. More often than not, this type of villain will be a child. This may be based on the idea that children hold something in them that is pure, so they are unexpected as the villain.  The story behind these types of villains usually involves either some supernatural force, or some horrible, mentally scarring event in their past. As the main villain of a film, it can be shocking for the viewer to accept the fact a child or someone of such innocence could commit such heinous acts. This type of villain is a disappointment as the main villain because of the fact that there is little excitement in the idea of the DID performing such acts.

Finally there is the cold-blooded killer. The CBKs are the ones who torture their victims. The CBKs stalk their prey, hunting down what means most to that person and crushes it. They take away all sense of security, any hope, and any thought of survival. They break into the minds of their victims and wreck their sanity, their will to live, and their dreams.  These villains do not have a constant story background besides the fact that they tend to be genius sociopaths. The stories range from some traumatizing event as a child to mental disorders to figments of the imagination. But as the main villain of a film, these villains truly excel because the fear they have grips people almost universally, not just based on some experiences or specific fears the audience may share.

But why does all this matter? Why should anyone care why one villain is better than another? Simple, if you want to have a film that goes down in history, if you want a film that everyone knows of, then you need to know how to create the villain to drive the story. Whether it’s the kind who cackles as the screen fades to black or the one who jumps out at the audience when the screen flashes, the villain should be the reason that the story moves. Without the villain, the hero is just a person who lives his/her life, without a purpose.

The CBK shatters the normal world, breaking the minds of their victims. Artwork by Cody Anderson

The traits that separate the different types of villain are used because of the ways they move the story forward, and the reasons of why the villain needs to be stopped. The homicidal maniac needs to be stopped for the blood bath to end, because the world within the story couldn’t survive with someone killing people without anything stopping him or her. The devil in disguise corrupts the world, destroying it from the inside. There’s a recurring theme here; we can’t have a broken world, inside or out, so the villain must be stopped. But then there is the cold-blooded killer. The reason that the hero rises up to stop them is because of how they twist the world, how the world becomes so distorted that the way it once was becomes as real as a dream.

That is what makes the cold-blooded killer the most interesting type of villain, because of the fact the CBKs twist the world, instead of destroying it. They do not just try and kill everyone. No, instead, they stalk their prey; learn its weaknesses, the things their prey depends on most. Then with a masterful stroke, the CBK takes it all away, either destroying the things the victim depends on most or turning them against the prey until there is no hope of returning to normal.

Maybe that is what makes the CBKs so brilliant, because of the fact that they not only take away everything that the victim holds near and dear, but they also twist the world so that it seems like nothing is safe. To kill somebody is horrible to start with, but what if the victim was being punished? The CBK often methodically takes away people the victim trusts, people they love and depend on. That way when the victims wake up each day, they now are running on less and less of what made them the person they once were, so that in the end even if the CBK is caught, if the CBK is defeated, the victim will never be the same. So, in the end, the villain is there to push the story forward, but are they going to resonate so deeply in not only the victim, but also the people watching it?

All Photos courtesy of Google images

A 50/50 chance of survival. That’s the odds cancer patient Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Inception) has. There are more things happening in the film though, taking the audience through a journey that is with both positive and negative. It’s filled with completely inappropriate jokes and tear jerking scenes.

The story begins with Adam living an average yet happy life, with the exception of some back pains. However after an appointment with his doctor, Adam finds that he has cancer. The rest of the film consists of his dealing with the disease and trying to beat it. Through the struggle of cancer itself, Adam’s life begins to tear at the seems, with his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help) cheating on him, his mother (Angelica Huston, When In Rome) becoming overbearing, his best friend (Seth Rogan, Kung Fu Panda 2) using the disease to pick up women, and his therapist (Anna Kendrick, Scott Pilgrim Versus The World) being horribly inexperienced. After an unlikely course of events and a mental breakdown or two, everything turns out to be all right, well sort of.

Adam shaving his head to ignore the hair loss with chemo while his friend watches

This film has many quirks to it. The story, while following Hollywood’s trend of movies based off of true stories, is both predictable and original. The fact that it is predictable is because I could see some of the moments coming, such as him dating the therapist, or his survival of the surgery. But then come moments like him getting high with a few fellow cancer patients, or his therapist gives him a ride, and it turns into him cleaning out her car.

But then there are the lows he faces, such as finding out his girlfriend cheated on him, then having her come back to try and get back together with him. Or when one of his fellow cancer patients dies. These really drive home the seriousness behind the message.

As for the dialogue and character interaction, 50/50 has some of the best that has come out of Hollywood recently. The character reactions are believable, with the best friend breaking down when he first finds out about his Adam having cancer, the crude humor to ease the tension about the subject, and the breakdown in the car were all viable reactions to the situation. These character reactions only being a bit off with how calm Adam seems in some of the situations. But the fact that he does have that mental breakdown adds to his character and makes it more believable.

The best character reaction comes from the mother. While she does not appear in most of the movie, the parts where she is present her ability to pull off the emotional stress and the heart-felt moments really makes her character one that people can relate to, even if it is just seeing their own mother.

The movie poster

50/50 stands out in the fact that it is a dark comedy; a type of film that is not heard much about these days. Either you hear of the pure comedies, such as Bridesmaids or The Hangover, or just plain dark and serious films, like The Social Network or 127 Hours. The fact that 50/50 takes a swing at both the dark and the funny is risky. It can go over well, like it did with The King’s Speech, or have it turn out to just be all right, like it did with Funny People. While both films are both dark and funny, something about Funny People just falls apart. While 50/50 does share some aspects with Funny People, such as the fact both involve cancer patients and have Seth Rogan acting as the best friend, it takes more after The King’s Speech with the fact that it remains serious while managing to keep the lighter side in such a way that it does not invalidate the darker parts of the film.

Overall, does this film have Oscar potential? Not so much, there is some chance that it will, with the slim pickings of films for the Oscars that there seems to be this year, but there is still plenty of time for something more serious to come out. Is it worth the $10 to see it in theaters? Yes, it is. The film will bring people to see both sides that it is trying to present. The film brings plenty of laughs, plenty of tear-jerking moments and plenty of situations that leave the viewer content. There may be a plethora of movies out there but 50/50 should be seen at least once 100% of the time.

Rating : ★★★★★

Super 8

Super 8

It’s the end of the school year and a group of kids are looking forward to the summer ahead of them. While filming a little scene for a movie the kids are making, an accident occurs that will rock the small town in which the children live. With everything starting to disappear and the military snooping around, a band of kids must solve a problem in a way that adults would never think of.

This movie was the must-see movie of the year; the acting was some of the best I had seen in a long time. These aspiring actors, for many of whom this is their first big movie, created this sense of the events actually happening to them, giving the movie the feel of a documentary compared to a sci-fi film. The special effects were incredible, but did not overshadow the astounding performances. Overall just a fantastic movie.

Rating: ★★★★★

Captain America, The First Avenger

Captain America

A world at war needs a hero, and for the Americans it’s Captain America. He started off as a tiny, weak guy who was constantly rejected from the Army because of a bunch of health conditions. He was approached by a group of scientist, along with a group of other American men, to test out a new chemical concoction that would develop his qualities into those befitting to a “Super Solider.” When something goes wrong and he is the only one to receive the dose, he must use the newfound strength to save the world.

This movie was something that any comic book fan boy would fall in love with.  It contains explosions and fight scenes, while also containing some character growth. This movie has been following Hollywood’s latest trend of comic book series made into movies. The acting was a bit generic and there were some bad special effects, but all in all, it was a good movie.

Rating:★★★☆☆

Hangover Part II

The Hangover Part II

A bachelor party, cautiously held, leads to a wild night that none of them can remember. When our group of companions wakes up, they are faced with a challenge they have faced before: tracing their steps to figure out what happened the night before.

In this sequel to the original blockbuster comedy, The Hangover Part II starts to leave audiences hanging. The jokes are still there, along with some new ones, keeping audiences laughing, but it is missing something that the first Hangover gave to the viewer. However, it was still good, worth seeing at least once.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

30 Minutes or Less:

30 Minutes or Less

A flamethrower, a couple of bombs, a car chase and crash, a pen gun and pizza is what the audience can expect when people go to see 30 Minutes or Less. While the movie does not prove to be shown in 30 minutes, it still is worth the time. The characters in this movie spend their time bickering and creating laughs to go around.

The acting is good, even though there is not a wide range of emotions needed. Though made to be a comedy, the movie does become serious for certain parts. The movie is worth the trip to the theaters, and the time to watch it is nothing.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

X-Men First Class

X-Men First Class

With mutant powers appearing all over the place while nuclear war is threatening to hit the world, the X-men save the world…again. From hairy feet to sonic screams, X-Men First Class shows us all how it is done.

The acting in this movie gave the characters some depth, the special effects blew the audience away, and the fight scenes had people on the edge of their seats. While some of the dramatic and supposedly heart wrenching scenes did not hit their full potential, the movie still was worth the view.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Green Lantern

Green Lantern

A flash of green energy, saving the falling helicopter from crashing into the surrounding crowd is what is expected of the Green Lantern. But beyond that there is little action present. Over-playing ideas in a plot that has more wholes than Swiss cheese. The characters are transparent and the idea is bland.

This movie spends too much time on character development. There is almost no action. The acting was terrible. The movie was a waste of time, film, and money. There is no reason to go see. The movie industry promoted this movie, and then it completely let people down. Do not go see this movie. Let us all hope that there is not a sequel.

Rating:★☆☆☆☆

Artwork by Ed Gloor

As an ardent supporter of the small town singer/songwriter Chase Coy, I was counting down the days until April 12th for the release of his new acoustic rock album Indiana Sun.  Chase was promoting his album as being more upbeat than any of his previous albums, which excited me because it would help him appeal to a bigger demographic of listeners.  I was also pleased to find out that some of the songs included on the album were ones I heard live at his concert in June.  He sounded just as good recorded as he does in person.

The album is similar to his former ones in the sense that Coy always expresses his true feelings, good or bad, about life and love.  For example, I Fell in Love Once talks about the feeling of lost love and of not wanting to get hurt by love once again.  On a happier note however, his songs Angel and Fixing Me are about the joyful feeling that love is and, of course,  as upbeat as promised.  The underlying theme beneath every song is optimism.  Even though love is lost, love can always be found again.  Coy even states that the effect he wants the album to have on listeners is that there is always a silver lining. He says, “I always try to maintain a sense of optimism and hope in my music, and try to write about things in a positive light even if they’re not necessarily the happiest, most upbeat tunes.”

After touring all over the country for his previous album Picturesque, Coy realized his love for his home in Indiana. The song Indiana Sun is upbeat and expressive of hometown pride. Lyrics like, “I’ve been waiting just to be back home again and feel the Indiana sun shine on my skin,” give his listeners a sense of pride in their roots, no matter where they may be from.

In Coy’s monthly newsletter to his loyal fans, he talks about how much he has changed over the past year and how that shows in his album. He said, “I think the songs just come across as a bit more mature than my previous albums. I really tried to vary them too, as far as the production went, and I think that shows in the recordings.”  Well, I would have to agree with the artist.  While his last album consisted of softer, slow songs, he’s added some faster songs, sounding more like the style of Jason Mraz.  However, as far as Coy is concerned, he doesn’t think that his style of music has changed.  “I don’t think I strayed from my sound so much as developed it into something a little more varied and interesting. There are definitely songs on this album that could’ve come straight off Picturesque, but there are upbeat ones to break that up and give more interest to the album,” said Coy.

While critics may not like the new upbeat tunes he’s added, diehard fans like me applaud Chase Coy.  It doesn’t change my primary reason for liking him: his voice.  He still has the smooth, soft Chase Coy voice I fell in love with two years ago.  His lyrics are still full of meaning and his guitar skills are still top-notch.  If anything, adding more upbeat songs will just expand his fan base.

The only problem I had with the album was the fact that the song Princess ended so abruptly.  The duration of the song is a mere 43 seconds. It just seems unfinished, which is not the Chase Coy I’m used to.  I wanted him to go deeper like in his other songs. I heard him perform that song live last year, and when I saw it was listed on his new album I assumed he had finished it.  I was disappointed when I realized that it still was not finished.

That little 43 second complaint aside, I recommend the album to anyone.  It’s relaxing enough to help me unwind after a long day, but not so much that it will put me to sleep.  This album has given me a soft reminder as to why I love music – especially Chase Coy’s music – so much.
★★★★☆

Artwork by Ed Gloor

The latest addition to the Scream saga, Scream 4, hit the theatres with a new approach to entertain its audience: a little bit of screaming and a whole lot of parody. This being the fourth Scream movie that Gale Riley (Courtney Cox Cougar Town 2009), Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell Scream 3 2000), and Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette Eight Legged Freaks 2002), star in, I felt that there would be a recurring theme to be observed in this “new” horror flick.

To spice up the mood, instead of taking the same-old formula of the previous Scream movies too seriously, the producers decided to make Scream 4 a parody of itself, very similar to Scary Movie (2000), a parody of the original Scream. With characters such as two horror movie geeks, Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin Twelve 2010) and Robbie Mercer (Eric Knudson Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 2010), making fun of the generic plot, this made the movie a little more on the cheesy side of horror: the hot blonde always dies first, the killer constantly asking “what’s your favorite scary movie?” and that there is always a party where the killer makes his big killing debut, with the partiers.

Overall the movie did not excite me; at least not entirely. There were the occasional jumps I would get from the typical horror flick ‘pop-out’, where Ghostface would kill someone unexpectedly, but not once throughout the movie did I actually feel nervous or scared. One would expect a movie saga to progressively get better; the Scream saga has progressively gotten more pathetic.

The first time I watched the original Scream, there was an element of fear and seriousness; a scene from Scream 4 involves the town becoming frightened by dolls of Ghostface being draped from light posts, during the daytime. That to me is an utter disappointment.

Once the movie revealed the killers, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts The Art of Getting By 2011) and video geek Charlie Walker, there was an interesting twist in the plot: the movie turned from cheesy horror to psychotic envy. This involved Jill purposely hurting herself by ramming into walls and ripping hair off her scalp, all in an attempt to frame her boyfriend, Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella Twelve 2010), as the killer. There was no real suspense like other horror movies, or any true fright.  Along with the parody going on in the movie, there was an element of oddity in this almost twisted horror-flick. Only a whack-job character like Jill Roberts would kill all her friends and bring herself to near death just for the attention. What kind of killer had the producers made in Scream 4? A jealous, psychotic, high school girl killer. I saw this as merely entertaining, but definitely not frightening in any sense.

If I were to label the genre into which the new Scream movie falls, it would be satirical horror. The way it followed the typical horror movie formula proved to disappointment to me, because my expectations were for a new plot and plenty of fright. If anyone is interested in viewing Scream 4, I highly suggest waiting until it’s shown on TV; wasting $10.50 is not worth the cheesy “new” horror flick.
★★☆☆☆

Image Courtesy of Google

The fifth entry in the Fast and the Furious saga continues its trend of cutting words from the title and allure from the plot. Although, it should be obvious that seeing Fast Five for the story is akin to watching A Clockwork Orange for its comedy. While it doesn’t have much of a plot, the action scenes are perfect. Throughout Fast Five My senses were joyously bombarded during every chase and fight scene, which seemed to occur within at least ten minutes of the previous one.

The usual characters, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel, Fast and Furious), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker, Takers), and Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster, Chuck) are back behind the wheel. Fast Five begins with Dom on a convoy to prison to serve a 25-year sentence. Naturally, Brian and Mia rescue him in a driving sequence that culminates in a large bus flipping onto its side and barrel-rolling its way through the air, eventually coming to a hard landing. This scene, like all of the other action in this movie, was very well shot. The camera wasn’t too close to get lost in the action or too far away to make the crash look like toy cars in the hands of little children.

After freeing Dom, Mia and Brian go to Rio De Janeiro to hide from the US Government. Due to unexplained circumstances, Dom isn’t there yet. They meet up with Dom’s brother, with whom Brian doesn’t get along. He tells them about a “job” that could help them; moving some cars. Since Brian and Mia need the money, and this job appears to be safe to do, they take it. Knowing that this is a Fast and the Furious movie, nothing is ever this easy.

Dom and Mia move cars off a train using strong winches attached to a flatbed vehicle designed for off-road work that drives next to the train car. Somehow, Dom shows up with the crew taking these cars. According to a plan that isn’t explained, Mia takes a Ford GT40 to a private garage and leaves Brian and Dom to fight off two henchmen who got wise. Long story short, the car has a list of addresses stored in the memory chip of the fancy touch screen stereo. These are houses owned by the man who runs the city, a wealthy and corrupt businessman named Reyes. Reyes doesn’t trust anyone with his money, so he keeps it as cash in these houses stored all over the city.

On the hunt for Dom and his crew is Luke Hobbs, a U.S. Agent out to get them played by an unusually intimidating Dwane ‘The Rock’ Johnson (The Other Guys). That pits The Rock against Vin Diesel, causing some sort of paradox where two equally tough guys are forced to act cool and in charge all in one movie. All laws of cinema aside, Hobbs makes a good hunter: Nothing stops him from catching his prey.

Reyes wants his Ford GT40 and its data back, so he sent his men to kill who stole the car and get it back. After narrowly escaping from Reyes’ henchmen, Dom wants revenge, so he cooks up a brilliant plan to rob Reyes. Dom is after all of Reyes’ money, which adds up to around $100 billion, and he assembles his old crew. Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges reprises his role as Tej, and uses some special skills other than signaling the ‘go’ flag as he did in previous Fast and Furious movies. Five other characters that had roles in the previous films show up for roll call and help Dom rob Reyes.

At this point viewers may have noticed a similarity here, a ghost of another movie in the background. Breaking someone out of jail, assembling ‘the old team,’ and robbing someone’s money from a safe all ring bells that had been rung before. Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels shared these elements, but wait! Fast Five has cars, so it must be…The Italian Job! Pretty close, except for a couple of differences. These guys are professional drivers who want revenge on a personal level.

After the money in one of the houses is burned, Reyes has it all moved to a vault in a police station. After replicating the layout of the parking garage, the drivers see that the cameras in there will always catch them. So, like any thief would do, they scrap the plan of sneaking into the station and formulate a new one. Using an armored car, they smash through the wall of the vault room. Then two matte black, Dodge Chargers tether themselves to the safe and yank it out of the police station. They take it with them on a rampage on the way out of Rio, smashing pursuing cop cars, nearby buildings, medians, and parked cars in one of the most awesome and ridiculous chases in movie history.

Fast Five is full of action, and that’s not a bad thing. The plot is stable, but intense chases and vehicular carnage more than make up for the lack of a moving story. The action is nearly nonstop, and only slows down for the story to try to catch up. The tense moments of the film were during the chases as opposed to plot-related moments, and I’m okay with that. Fast Five will take viewers on a thrilling ride in the passenger seat, complete with crashes, chases, and fights.

★★★★☆

Photo by Hanna Kazlouskaya, artwork by Haden Johnson

Video killed the radio star; we know that.  And now the Internet sensation is consuming traditional video methods in a violent tornado of downloads and web orders.

Many of us recall a time when our parents would tell us stories of archaic record players, 8-track cassettes, and landline phone calls.  They would reminisce while recalling how amazing the changes that have taken place in their world have been.  There was a time where none of us could imagine how technology and the times could even advance; DVD’s, Blu-Rays, bookstore chains… it couldn’t get any more advanced than that, right? The brave new world we live in is changing whether we’re ready for it or not.

I recall a time when, if I wanted to watch a DVD or play a new game, I would take a trip to the neighborhood Blockbuster video store previously located on Hampden and Tamarac at Tamarac Square’s mini mall.  This trip had its pros and cons, but was more often than not worthwhile because of the experience and satisfaction experienced when getting your hands on a Friday night movie.  Blockbuster’s immense library of new and old releases available at retail price and at the rental price of 10 to 13 dollars, as well as hefty late fees and some overpriced releases gave customers something to complain about, giving leeway for the takeover of Netflix.

Through the faults of Blockbuster, Netflix was able to satisfy people looking for a cheaper alternative.  The sensation took the population by storm, quickly gaining revenue through the membership deals offered to users.  This service is entirely electronic and can also be ordered by mail; yet another reason to keep home video owners satisfied.  The fact that people didn’t even have to leave their houses to find something good to watch was appealing to the masses.  On Demand, Red Box, and other quick pay-per-view options have been popping up on the scene replacing the stores of which we once made use.  The digital age is upon us and making quick work of the archaic methods we used to use to rent movies.

Despite all the advantages Netflix has, there are still many gripes users have with the Internet streaming phenomenon.  Technology, being the flawed and calculated system it is, has its share of problems that often make it more frustrating than going to the video store.  There have been a few instances with glitching and freezing for network users, and occasional crashes, that prevent thousands from watching their digital media. There are some things for which the digital age just won’t be able to compensate.

Still, Netflix has led the charge for several new methods of digital entertainment; E-books are in the process of replacing Borders bookstores, iTunes has been dominating over the record store industry.  These alternatives are all optional but with the majority of people falling in line under the throne of electronics, it seems that it won’t be long before people won’t have a choice and we’ll see a large-scale conversion from real material possessions to less tactile digital archives.

A twist in the plot of a movie is like a magician’s final act: it’s never mentioned until the very end, and it defines the entire performance, good or bad.

There are an alarming number of movies that use a plot twist as a selling point. The Saw series, though they are a guilty pleasure of mine, are chief among the offenders. When a sudden plot twist is advertised, or is the focal point of a movie, it is an almost sure sign that the film has nothing worthwhile to stand on besides a hastily constructed twist. A truly effective plot twist is coincidental to the climax, and either comes completely out of left field, or leads the viewer down the wrong path completely. Movies like Fight Club, Lucky Number Slevin, Citizen Kane, and Psycho are masters of the suspenseful twist, but there are very few modern movies that can adequately pull it off. Director Jaume Collet-Serra’s new thriller Unknown, however, passes the test with flying colors.

Unknown is the definition of a successful thriller, able to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats until the last credits roll. With Liam Neeson (The A-Team) as protagonist Dr. Martin Harris, I was sure I was going to enjoy the film. I was worried that it would be too similar to Neeson’s earlier butt-kicking escapade Taken (Pierre Morel, 2008), but I was satisfied to find that it was not. Taken is a great movie, full of anxiety and adrenaline, but there are only so many bad guys Neeson can take down before it gets a little stale. Unlike Taken, Unknown focuses more on the mysteries and suspense of the plot rather than gunfire and fistfights.

The movie begins with Dr. Martin Harris and his wife Elizabeth (January Jones, Mad Men) as they fly into Berlin for a biotechnology conference. After arriving at the hotel, Martin realizes he left a briefcase behind at the airport. While his wife checks in, Martin jumps in a cab to retrieve it. Thanks to an unsecure cargo truck losing its payload in the middle of traffic, Martin Harris gets an icy bath in a river as his cab careens off a bridge.

Martin wakes up in a hospital four days later, devoid of most of his memory. He remembers he’s in Berlin for a reason, and when a newscast about the conference is shown on the TV in his room, it all comes flooding back to him. He panics that his wife is alone in a foreign country, and he seems puzzled at the fact that no one has come looking for him. After convincing the doctor to allow him to leave, he rushes to the hotel, where a posh dinner is being held. He spots his wife and makes his way over to her, but this woman claims she doesn’t know who he is. In fact, there’s suddenly another Dr. Martin Harris who appears to challenge him. Hotel security “escorts” Martin out, and he returns to the hospital, confused and upset.

Normally in a film it’s easy to stand behind the main character, but I actually wondered to myself if Neeson’s character, Martin, was completely sane. Even though I – as a viewer – had watched as all of the events Martin took to be truth occurred, I wasn’t sure exactly what to believe. I couldn’t tell if this was a paranoid hallucination induced by Martin’s coma, or just the director playing a game with my head.

There’s a particular scene that really got that feeling across: when Martin is walking down an abandoned hallway to get to the tram station, a man appears behind him, walking quickly. As Martin begins to speed up, so does the man. Eventually they both break out into a full-on sprint, Martin makes it onto a train just as the doors close, and refuses to let the man in, though it certainly appears he was merely trying to catch his train. It’s a sign of good storytelling when one truly isn’t sure about how the protagonist perceives the world.

Yet my questioning of Martin’s sanity was answered as Martin returned to the hospital he woke up in. Just when Martin lets his guard down, the same man that he snubbed on the train appears in the hospital and calmly snaps the attending nurse’s neck. From that point on, the movie shifts into gear and accelerates into a exciting mystery behind the man who is Martin Harris. Martin enlists the help of a private detective (Bruno Ganz, Downfall) and tracks down the taxi driver Gina, (Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds) who saved his life. It’s revealed that she’s an illegal immigrant from Bosnia who was trying to make a few bucks on the side when she borrowed a friend’s taxi. Together the three try to put the pieces together, and stop the devious men trying to kill them.

Now the truth of Martin Harris, as well as his wife and his assailants, is too intricately woven into the remainder of the story to continue with my synopsis, but I can assure the reader that when the conspiracy is revealed, it isn’t what’s expected in the slightest. Not only does the story throw a curveball, but it leads the viewer down the completely wrong path.  Few movies can do this well, but Unknown pulls it off flawlessly.

Unknown is a solid thriller, with a driving storyline and spectacular settings, but I’m sad to report that the acting is mediocre. Liam Neeson is superb, as per usual, and Diane Kruger provides a sturdy supporting role. However, while Kruger excels at giving her characters life, Gina isn’t much of a character to breathe life into. There’s a subplot in which Gina and Martin start to fall for each other, but it feels forced, as Neeson could easily pass for her father. Besides Bruno Ganz as Detective Jürgen, there just aren’t any memorable characters. This isn’t the fault of the actors, however, as it seems to me that the writers were too concentrated on the overall plot to give the characters any more depth than cardboard cutouts.

Regardless, I enjoyed Unknown. It was nice to take a break from action movies with the basic plot where Good Guy is wronged by Bad Guy and lots of guns are fired; or conspiracy movies where everyone is a traitor in some way or another. Though there isn’t anything spectacular about Unknown, it draws the viewer in with the mysterious storyline. Perhaps that was the goal, for how can something remain unknown if it leaves a memorable impression?

★★★★☆

Artwork by Hayden Johnson

This past weekend, the alien invasion flick Battle: Los Angeles finally hit theatres with a resounding U.S. Marines “ooh-rah!” The film delivered plenty of action and suspense, but ultimately failed as a result of bad writing with predictable clichés.

Battle: Los Angeles follows a platoon of marines in its tour of Santa Monica and Los Angeles.  Unlike most war movies the platoon of American soldiers is engaging in combat with nefarious foes from outer space rather than terrorists or Nazis for a change.  The Marines are sent on a mission to rescue a group of civilians holed up in a Santa Monica police station.  Of the fairly large cast of Marines in the platoon, very few of them have brief moments of introduction in an attempt to create a captivating back story.  While this development is necessary, it’s clear that the main focus of the director Jonathan Liebesman wasn’t to capture the emotions of the diverse cast, but to dazzle viewers with special effects and shaky camera movements that place the audience directly into the action.

There are many interesting characters but they become nothing more than clichéd templates that aren’t any more endearing than the alien drones they’re fighting.  There’s the inexperienced lieutenant who is in over his head and the traumatized sergeant who was two days from retirement and reluctantly called back to duty, the wise-cracking joker, and, of course, the helpless romantic who only wants to survive to see his newlywed other half again.  These characters work together well despite the fears and distractions that are on their mind.

The crimson-chinned actor, (Aaron Eckhart, The Dark Knight) plays Staff Sergeant Michal Nantz who reluctantly becomes the de-facto leader of the platoon when Lieutenant William Martinez (played by Ramon Rodriguez, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) becomes mentally unstable and crumbles under the pressure of keeping his men alive.  Eckhart has the deepest role of the crew, displaying layers of emotion, going off into John Wayne heroics when he is in the heat of the action, and spitting out numerous and hackneyed inspirational speeches to his men throughout.  The bad writing is compensated for by some good acting from leads like Eckhart and his co-stars who work with what they have.

The best thing about the movie has to be the special effects and the building suspense before the action begins.  The camera angles generate a sense of claustrophobia that build up tension until the big bang.  The close-ups on the marines’ faces schizophrenically pan from one to another as they creep through a fog-filled LA neighborhood trying to avoid the aliens.  Liebesman is a veteran horror film director so he is at his best when directing these scenes.  When the action actually starts, the effects for the aliens and their weapons are both realistic and frightening.  It’s hard to enjoy this, however, when the camera never pans out to see the scope of the action at a different angle.

Because of the lack of a good plot the film suffers from prolonged emotional interludes in the action, and as such, there is never really a good spot for the movie to end.  This makes the pacing of the movie awkward. Audiences might be peeking at their watches or phones to see when the movie will end during downtime and repetitive action sequences.

Battle: Los Angeles is a film that I personally enjoyed because I was fully prepared for some good, dumb fun.  Fortunately that’s what I got with just a little bit extra in terms of acting and suspense.  This is no District 9 or War of the Worlds; there is no profound message or heart wrenching drama.

Artwork by Mia Nogueira

The catchy musical numbers and the adorable characters have made Disney movies the favorites of people young and old.  While asking people what someone’s favorite Disney movie is, it’s difficult to get a straight answer. Answers are often, “There are so many good ones,” or “You want me to pick just one?”  This is evidence that Disney will always be a part of children’s hearts for years to come.  Here is a list of the top ten animated Disney movies, in my opinion.

10. Wall-E
This Pixar animated movie set in the future shows the life of a cute little robot trying to survive on the now trash-filled planet, Earth.  He meets a sleek, female robot who was sent to prove that life on Earth is still sustainable and Wall-E can’t help but fall in love with EVE since the only glimpse he has to the past life on Earth is show tunes he watches on an old television.  EVE and Wall-E end up having to save the people of Earth from becoming obese and lazy while trying to maintain a friendship as well.  This movie is a message to society that we cannot allow ourselves to become lazy and dirty like the makers believe will ruin the planet in the near future.

9. Lady and the Tramp
A classic tale of a seemingly impossible romance, Lady and the Tramp includes memorable scenes and lessons for all viewers.  When the pampered Cocker Spaniel, Lady, meets the mutt from the wrong side of town, Tramp, she learns that life on the streets is no easy life for dogs. Tramp and Lady help each other learn about the other’s lifestyle and embark on many adventures and spaghetti dinners before falling in puppy love. The cute, lesson-filled movie is sure to satisfy everyone’s cinematic cravings.

8. Finding Nemo
The unforgettable characters and colorful scenery of Finding Nemo has made this film a favorite since 2003.  When the cute little clownfish Nemo gets caught by a deep-sea diver from Australia, his dad Marlin must go on a search for him. He picks up the forgetful, friendly blue fish Dory along the way.  It’s a heartwarming story that shows the love of a father and son and the importance of determination.

7. Mulan
The heroic tale of Mulan is cultural as well as humorous.  Mulan has to fight many battles not only with herself but with outer forces, such as her trainer and eventually, the Huns, who wish to invade China. This story is the ultimate example of girl power. Mulan has to honor her family, save the country and, in the end, she even gets the boy.  The blending of Chinese culture, comedy and conflicts makes this warrior princess a fierce competitor in my eyes.

6. Cinderella
Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. It has been retold and written in many different ways over the years.  I believe that Disney’s film does the best job at telling this classic fairy tale.  It sticks to the moral of the story and doesn’t get too cruel like the modernized versions that make Cinderella tug at your heart strings. The way the musical numbers and the helpful critter friends intertwine to show the desperation of Cinderella is truly a masterpiece.

5. Up
This heartwarming movie is a newer Pixar production that has a twinge of sadness to it.  Unlike most Disney/Pixar films, Up isn’t all laughs and good times. I even got a little bit teary eyed at the beginning of the movie when the main character, Carl, becomes a widower after years of marriage to Ellie.  The beginning scenes show how the two met, fell in love, and supported each other throughout life’s hardships.  Carl becomes disheartened after Ellie passes away and when the city demands that he moves out of his house he begins his scheme to outsmart the city officials. With a house full of balloons and a surprise visitor, Russell, Carl decides to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to South America. If I had to choose one word to describe this flick it would be “endearing.”  The characters and the storyline touch the hearts of viewers young and old.  You feel for the adorable character Russell, with the absentee father and for the cute elderly man who dedicates his life and heart to his wife even after her passing.

4. Aladdin
No matter how old I get, Aladdin will always be one of my go-to films for every movie marathon I have.  It’s a classic that teaches that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.  Aladdin is viewed as a street rat and a thief but when he discovers a magic lamp with a genie who will grant him three wishes, he realizes his true desire to be with the Princess of Agrabah, Jasmine.  The two of them discover the blending of their separate worlds is an adventure of its own. Fighting the villain, Jafar, however is their biggest struggle. In the end, Aladdin and Jasmine are able to change the law and marry each other to combine their lifestyles to make “a whole new world” for each other.

3. Beauty and the Beast
One of my personal favorites, Beauty and the Beast is the only Disney princess movie in which the princess isn’t shallow enough to fall for a prince simply because of his looks or his wealth. Belle has to look beyond the Beast’s frightening appearance and get to know the man he is inside.  The Beast on the other hand, has to learn to control his temper as well as learn to love someone more than himself. The memorable songs and beautiful scenery compliment the lovable characters who only want the best for the Beast. The movie helps to show that true love is blind and that in the end, the good guy always wins.

2. Toy Story
Although the two follow up movies to Toy Story are fun cinematic adventures, they cannot top the original film.  Any story where toys come to life when no one is looking is bound to be a hit with children, but it’s the witty comments that make the movie fun for adults to watch, as well. Jealousy, unity and acceptance are themes included in the film that make it wholesome for kids and a great escape from the realities of life.

1. The Lion King
The Lion King tops my list of Disney’s animated films. The upbeat songs and exotic animals make this film a family favorite.  Simba just can’t wait to be king of the jungle like his father, but little does he know there is much to learn about being king. With the help of his friends, Zazu, Nala and the worry-free Timon and Pumbaa duo, Simba must learn the way of the jungle.  With trickery and envy exuding from the villain Scar,  Simba has to overcome his extreme guilt after years of exile and complete “The Circle of Life.”