No Country For Old Men
Andrew Le, Chief Designer“No Country for Old Men” is an intense thriller with enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat. The acting, cinematography, writing and directing are all worthy of praise. Josh Brolin, starring as Llewelyn Moss, uses his wits to outsmart Javier Bardem, who plays a very convincing serial killer with a unique weapon of choice. Fans of closure, however, may not appreciate the ending. It should be clear from the tagline: There Are No Clean Getaways.
Knocked Up
Erin Kourkounis, News Editor
Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl star together in this romantic comedy in which a drunken one-night-stand between two polar opposites leads the characters into a situation they’d never
dreamed of. Finding herself pregnant, careerwoman Alison Scott decides to keep the baby.
Ben Stone, a stoner who makes a living off of a lawsuit settlement, decides he wants to be a part of his child’s life. It’s entertaining to watch a relationship transform from two people barely tolerating each other to accepting each other’s differences.
The film is captivating because it adds humor to an all too common real-life situation.
Mr. Brooks
Melissa Meador, Sports Editor
Kevin Costner makes a big return in this psychological thriller as a businessman with an addiction to murder. A strong supporting cast also highlights this film with William Hurt as Brooks’ mischievous alter ego, Demi Moore as an overly aggressive detective and Dane Cook, in a rare serious role, as the cunning Mr. Smith. The script is original and smart and keeps the audience guessing until the end, and dark comedic moments are added in at the perfect times.
Freedom Writers
Matt Watson, Opinion Editor
“Freedom Writers” may be a little cheesy, but nonetheless it is a true story. Many movies that deal with racial tension are set in the ’30s or ’60s and, of course, in Mississippi. Set in California, this film portrays racism in today’s time and in a place we might not always think about.
Charlie Wilson’s War
Nathan Gregory, Managing Editor
Tom Hanks gives another Oscar-worthy performance in this screenplay based on the U.S. congressman who led the largest ever CIA covert operation by raising money and using it to arm
Afghans with the ammunition they needed to fight Soviet air attacks. While probably not the best overall film of 2007, “Charlie Wilson’s War” certainly deserves to be somewhere in the
top 10 due to Hanks’ on-screen presence and Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s brilliant performance.
Perhaps Julia Roberts’ poor, wavering attempt at a strong Texas accent held this back a little, but the pacing is tight, and at a brisk 97 minutes, “Charlie Wilson’s War” certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. Avid moviegoers will have a tough
time denying this film’s many strengths.
3:10 to Yuma
Tyler Stewart, Editor in Chief
In “Yuma” viewers have the odd pleasure of watching Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, two actors with immense talent and completely different acting philosophies, take part in an unlikely
convergence busting at the seams with authentic chemistry.
From the get-go the movie was seemingly set to be either the subject of fodder or a sleeper hit, and it fortunately landed on the latter. Often inconsistent yet bestowed a gift by the casting gods, director James Mangold (“Cop Land”; “Girl, Interrupted”; “Walk the Line”; um … “Kate and Leopold”) brings his cast together for a gritty, deeply human movie with the potential to revive a genre that’s more American than Doritos. While not powerful enough to make viewers say “Clint who?” the film has been tragically overlooked by critics, and while “No Country for Old Men” is a hard film to top, “3:10 to Yuma” has earned its
place as one of the best films of the year.
The Bourne Ultimatum
C.J. LeMaster, Online Editor
The third and most thrilling chapter of Jason Bourne’s quest to find himself hit theaters and solidified itself as proof that sequels can capture the spirit of their predecessors. Unlike last year’s Shrek, Spider-Man or “Rush Hour” franchise releases (is the latter even considered a franchise?), the pacing and deliberate allusion to previous Bourne adventures remains an exhilarating experience. It also proved that “Ultimatum” was made to finish out the series, not simply to make a few million dollars. Though a bit predictable toward the end, the plot twists and constant explosions were only further heightened by Matt Damon’s believability as the past-stricken hitman with a conscience. My only regret about this 2-hour smorgasboard of action? I didn’t see it in theaters.
Grindhouse
David Breland, Entertainment Editor
In the early ’90s Quentin Tarantino reinvented the way movies are talked about, watched and even quoted with “Reservoir Dogs.” Following up with the iconic “Pulp Fiction,” Tarantino showed his mastery of non-linear plot. With “Grindhouse,”
Tarantino gives his ode to the grungry, scratched, plotless and low-budget action and horror flicks of the ’70s and ’80s. Many were turned off by the apparent lack of plot and direction to the
movie. Hardcore film fanatics were turned on by Tarantino’s and Robert Rodriguez’s use of camp in “Grindhouse.”
For myself, also a fan of the less than stellar movies the two mimic, it is one of the best features I have ever seen.
Tarantino’s role car chase flick “Death Proof” features amazing stunts that show what’s lacking in these days of computer-generated effects in almost all movies.
“Planet Terror” and “Death Proof,” along with the fake trailers in the intermission between the two, intentionally scratched print, “missing reels” and all around camp make these films solid gold.
The film also stands as a testament to two of the greatest directors and creative cinematic minds of our time. It’s just too bad the suits decided to force them apart on DVD.