Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

1/26/09 2:34 PM

Nick Grever | The News Record It seems that the Underworld series is trying desperately to establish itself as the campy, cult action series of the 2000s. Considering the third film of the series, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, was just released (a prequel this time), another nail may have been pried from the coffin: You just can’t keep a good vampire down. Let it be said up front: If you did not enjoy the first two Underworld movies, don’t bother seeing this one; it’s more of the same. Trade in twin pistols for swords and vinyl cat suits with corsets for chain mail with more corsets, and you basically have the same formula. Even the characters are recycled (it is a prequel after all). So if you enjoyed the stylized fight scenes, hints of nudity and generally gothy...

Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavilion

1/26/09 2:30 PM

Eric Ransbottom | Bearcast Animal Collective’s recent release of Merriweather Post Pavilion [Domino] has not come without controversy. Following the release of a subpar EP effort, Water Curses, and a supposed leak of tracks off the new album by fellow animalia musicians Grizzly Bear, the anticipation for this album has been unbearable. Avey Tare and the gang, as always, deliver. The album ebbs and flows with the ease of a knife through butter, or maybe even a “Lion In A Coma.’ Named after a Columbia, Md. musical venue designed by Frank Gehry, Merriweather Post Pavilion is Animal Collective’s third full-length effort in 5 years. The album is reaffirming for fans who sensed a rift within the band when both Avey Tare and Panda Bear released solo albums, Pullhair...

My Bloody Valentine

1/26/09 2:24 PM

Adam Sievering | The News Record Can anyone remember the last mainstream horror movie that offered something fresh? Was it The Devil’s Rejects, which flip-flopped the cat and mouse game so that the band of psychopathic murderers was the ones being hunted? Was it Freddy vs. Jason, which pinned two slasher icons against one another? Aside from these films, and maybe a few other exceptions, the horror genre has maintained a painfully consistent formula since the 1970s that is defined by shallow plots, terrible acting, a slew of graphic (and oftentimes innovative) kill scenes, and enough topless blondes to satisfy that guy in the back of the theater who’s wearing a Misfits t-shirt and laughs every time someone is decapitated. My Bloody Valentine, released last Thursday,...

Gran Torino

1/11/09 4:58 PM

Alex Roettgers | The News Record No one could have imagined that Clint Eastwood would direct a dark comedy, but he most definitely pulled it off with his new award-buzzing film: Gran Torino. There are enough stereotypes and racial slurs to ensure controversy, however, they are somehow in good taste. They are not said for cheap laughs or shock value, but to make Walt Kowalski a believable, stubborn, racist, lonely, old man. The plot is simple: Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) hates everybody, but loves his 1972 Gran Torino. This is no murder mystery like Mystic River or tear jerker like The Changeling; just a man who growls when he speaks and looks as if he is constantly staring into the sun. The film begins with the Kowalski family at the funeral for Walt’s wife. Walt stands...

Marley and Me

1/11/09 4:53 PM

Kristy Conlin | The News Record So, what can be said about the film adaptation of one of the most beloved books in recent history? Marley and Me has no surprise ending, is completely predictable, probably won’t win any awards and is sappy and emotionally manipulative. But all that still doesn’t mean the average movie-goer won’t enjoy it or that it isn’t worth spending your hard-earned $9 on. After all, anyone with a heart, anyone who has ever had a pet, will laugh and cry at the plight of newspaper columnist John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and his wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston), who believe they are raising the world’s worst dog. Wait, doesn’t everyone who is raising a puppy think that? Only the coldest hearted of dog haters wouldn’t find some...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

1/11/09 4:51 PM

Sean Peters | The News Record “This story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain’s to the effect that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end.”  -F. Scott Fitzgerald on his short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” from Tales of the Jazz Age. I didn’t know much about the film adaptation of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Having reread the short story once since back in high school, I had only a foggy recollection of Benjamin Button, who was born a white haired geriatric and died a Gerber baby. The film follows Benjamin’s life as he experiences the grief and perseverance of an outcast his entire life. The setting changes from the 1860s to one generation...

Guns N' Roses | Chinese Democracy

1/11/09 4:47 PM

Adam Sievering | The News Record The gods of rock and roll smiled on us last Sunday when the new Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy, hit the shelves after more than a decade of controversy and rumor. The album that skeptics considered doomed to exist only on Internet discussion boards is finally available at the cost of $13 million in studio fees, drastic changes in the band’s lineup and several lawsuits. Even more shocking than the album’s unexpected release, the 14 tracks that fans have devoutly waited for serve as a glowing testament that the Guns N’ Roses legacy is far from over. Let’s face it: The odds of creating a satisfactory album after a 15-year dry spell were against the band, or should I say Axl Rose, who is the only remaining...

Ludacris | Theater of the Mind

1/11/09 4:45 PM

Keith Jenkins | The News Record Seen any good movies lately? Well, on Monday, Nov. 24, Ludacris returned with his latest cinematic release, Theater of the Mind. OK, so Theater of the Mind isn’t a film, it’s the sixth major solo release (seventh overall, including 2000’s independently released Incognegro) from hip-hop artist Ludacris, but according to the Atlanta representative, the album is “not only music, it’s a movie.” Inspired by his newfound love for acting and success in Hollywood, Ludacris has made each song on Theater of the Mind sound as a big as a feature film. Ludacris, who changes his name to Chris Bridges when he hits the big screen, has appeared in such films as 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hustle & Flow, Fred Claus, Max Payne and...

Synechdoche, New York

1/11/09 4:41 PM

Ben Dudley | The News Record My job as a reviewer is to give you a clear enough picture of a movie so that you, the reader and potential viewer, can tell whether it’s the kind of movie you’d go see.  Simple enough.  Hopefully, the review also speaks to your sensibilities and you can tell whether or not you’d find the film well done. Those are the only two things a review can do and I’m not totally sure if it’s possible to actually do either in a short newspaper review of Synecdoche, New York.  That idea right there might speak to your sensibilities, though.  The film is a cerebral, self-conscious blend of reality and absurdities that rewards attention and analysis. It’s safe to say that, if you’re not prepared to...

Tomb Raider: Underworld

1/11/09 4:38 PM

Meg Groves | The News Record For those of you with fond memories of exploring Croft Manor for hours on end in Tomb Raider 2, beware. The opening tutorial will have you outrunning time as Croft Manor burns to the ground around you. The eighth installment of the franchise, Underworld, picks up right where Tomb Raider: Legend left off in 2006. Steeped in Arthurian folklore, Lara sets off to find the mythical city of Avalon, where her father believes her mother is alive and well. Here it makes a slight alteration to the main storyline. Originally, Lara’s mother died in a plane crash in the Himalayan Mountains. Underworld assumes only that she disappeared. Tomb Raider has always required a healthy ability to suspend disbelief. After all, who has ever really met a billionaire...