The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 28, Ed. 1 Friday, May 15, 2009 Page: 10 of 24
twenty four pages : ill. ; page 19 x 15 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
arts&
The red carpet star shares his picks for this year's best and worst
LEFT TO RIGHT: TAKEN (PHOTO COURTESY 20TH CENTURY FOX), SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (PHOTO COURTESY FOX SEARCHLIGHT/WARNER BROS.). CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE (PHOTO COURTESY LIONSGATE)
By Faheem Ahmed
Thresher Staff
After sifting through piles of
homework, pesky presentations
and dreaded finals, the only thing
keeping me motivated is the prom-
ise of fresh non-Houston summer
air and the badass blockbuster
movies that come with it. But see-
ing as our 2008-'09 academic year
is finally coming to a close, I think
it is most appropriate to take a look
back at the movies released this
past year, from the films that were
visually stunning and emotionally
compelling to the films that should
have been thrown into the mouth of
Mount Doom.
Best Action: Taken
Taken is a purebred action movie
fashioned after traditional classics
like the Die Hard franchise and ev-
erything with Arnold Schwarzeneg-
ger in it. In other words, the film has
very little plot depth, but is injected
with high-adrenaline, heart-stop-
ping fight sequences from start to
finish. Liam Neeson stars as ex-CIA
agent Bryan Mills, whose daughter
gets abducted by sex traffickers in
Paris, leaving him only a 90-hour
window to find her. In summary,
Neeson spends the remainder of
the film on a rampage throughout
Europe, crushing bones, dislocat-
ing shoulders and beating the crap
out of everyone and everything that
stands in his path. ★ ★ ★ ★
Worst Action:
Crank 2: High Voltage
The only reason I was excited
about this movie was because the
critically-acclaimed original Crank
was so entertaining, fun and ab-
solutely ludicrous. The movie blew
away conventional story-telling
techniques and pretty much ig-
nored all rational thought. The se-
quel, starring Jason Statham (play-
ing Jason Statham as usual), picks
up right where the first flick left
off. After the first 30 minutes, how-
ever, the movie becomes weirdly
THE
WEEKLY
SCENE
As summer continues, be
sure to check out
www.artshound.com for
all the music, movies and
other art-related stuff hap-
pening in Houston.
psychedelic and makes absolutely
no sense, subjecting the loyal au-
dience to horribly disjointed se-
quences without any explanation.
Crank 2 completely fizzles out by
the end, leaving me with a terrible
taste in my mouth and wondering
why I didn't download a bootleg
copy off of the Internet. *
Best Horror:
My Bloody Valentine 3-D
First of all, the actual 3-D glass-
es don't look dorky at all and fit
quite comfortably. From the second
the opening credits rolled across
inches from my face, I was com-
pletely captivated. Bleeding hearts,
gouged eyeballs, splattered guts
and flying pickaxes soar into the
audience, much to our horror and
delight. Despite the fact My Bloody
Valentine essentially uses 3-D as a
gimmick to startle us, it completely
immerses the viewer into the film
and makes them feel part of the ac-
tion. if-k-ki
Worst Horror: The Unborn
The only thing they got right
about this movie was its title, be-
cause after a single viewing, I wish
it would just crawl back into its
cinematic womb and die. It really
should be re-released as a comedy
because it has plenty of hilarious
moments: A 'roided-out jock who
thinks he is a philosopher, Gary
Oldman as an animal horn-blowing
rabbi and of course, glory holes all
make this movie a steaming pile of,
well, you know what. *
Best Comedy:
I Love You, Man
This movie wins out of default,
due to the fact that this year had
seriously weak comedies. I Love
You, Man, to its credit, has a lot of
memorable dialogue ("Slappin the
bass, man!"), outrageously gross
TERMINATOR
What better way to prepare
for the upcoming blockbuster.
Terminator: Salvation, than by
watching the flick that started
it all? River Oaks Theatre's
Weekend Midnight Movie to-
night and tomorrow night is
none other than The Termi-
nator. The lights dim at 11:55
p.m. and general admission is
$950
River Oaks Theatre
2009 West Gray
WWW.LANDMARKTHEATRES.COM
scenes (projectile vomit comes to
mind) and a couple of outstanding
performances by supporting char-
acters such as the heart-achingly
beautiful Rashida Jones and Jon
Favreau, the director of Iron Man.
★ ★ ★ i
Worst Comedy: Knowing
Yeah okay, this is technically
a sci-fi action thriller, but you
could've fooled me. Nicolas Cage
continues his craptastic film ram-
page, where he destroys the charac-
ter he portrays while continuing to
sport hilarious hair-do's. Knowing
has plenty of funny moments, but
then you remember that this isn't
supposed to be a comedy. ★
Best Drama:
Slumdog Millionaire
Jai Hooo\ How could I not give
this movie my endless love? It's the
year of the Indian, baby! The end-
ing dance sequence catapulted me
onto the Red Carpet where I person-
ally got to meet the Oscar-sweeping
cast and director. The film spans the
timeless emotions of hate, love and
fate, while analyzing the mysteries
of life. Also, the movie stars my fu-
ture wife, Freida Pinto. ★★★★■*
Worst Drama:
Bangkok Dangerous
Again, I'm placing a terrible Ni-
colas Cage movie in a category that
most people might not agree with.
But if you actually took two hours
out of your day (which I don't rec-
ommend) to watch this cinematic
failure, then you will find your
experience incredibly depressing,
just like most dramas that come out
these days. ★
Well, there you have it: my fa-
vorite and most-hated movies of
2008-'09. It's been quite a year in
Osee REVIEW, page 11
HAPPY DAYS
"Heeyyyyyy!" The Fonz and
crew return in Theatre Under
the Stars' Happy Days — A New
l-
Musical now until May 24th.
Based on the popular TV series,
old folks are guaranteed to have
a rollicking good time while
their kids ask what the heck a
jukebox is. Tickets start at $32,
check the site for times.
HobbyCenter, Sarofim hall
860 Bag by
' tf/WW.TUTS.COM
A Word With Your Wardrobe:
Dressing for Rejection
Dear seniors (or, should I say,
graduates): This one's written
all for you.
Here at Rice, you've been given a
lot of yes's: Clubs, grants, letters of
recommendation, parking fee waiv-
ers, friends and even boys. Granted,
there may have been some minor
obstacles along the way, but in the
end, those sweet words of approval
were always within reach.
Deanne Nguyen
But out there in that not-so-
friendly, not-so-loving world, you
know you're going to be given a lot
of no's. In fact, they're just passing
them out: That bank won't give you
a loan because of your credit, that
company you've been so dedicated
to is "letting you go," that one girl
at the club is just so not into your
schmoozing tonight.
Things aren't going to be easy,
and it's going to sting, but you know
what? You've got to plow through
that feeling: it's only hindering you
from saving the world. But how can
you do it so instantaneously? Well,
I know one surefire thing that does
the trick: dressing to the nines in
your best "Take that, world!" outfit.
Here's how to dress for the occasion
of rejection.
Curve Appeal
Girls, you know how it is.
There's a boyfriend or a prospec-
tive in your eye, but when you get
to know him, he turns out to be
exactly everything you don't want.
What's more, he's not showing any
signs of interest. What you need
right now is a bit of power in the
form of appearing unattainable,
the kind that will show him what
he's missing.
Nothing gets the imagination
rolling more than emphasizing or
creating the illusion of an hour-
glass figure with a head turning,
form-fitted dress. This by no means
implies that you should start wear-
ing low-cut shirts or shorter hems.
I recommend staying around knee
length. Although it may be on the
conservative side, it allows for a
number of playful necklines or
even a deep back plunge while
remaining perfectly classy. Just
choose your best color and work it.
Alternatively, if you're more body
conscious, the easiest way would be
to simply cinch your waist. Try pen-
cil skirts, feminine-cut trench coats,
or the tried-and-true wrap dress. As
for accessories, go for minimalism
and opt for only one type — eithei
earrings or a necklace, not both
since the focus is on you and your
God-given graces. And heels are a
must — no exceptions. How else are
you going to make an impact wher-
ever you step?
Ultimately, choosing sweet or
sexy is entirely up to you, but re-
member that it's all about showing
off what you've got. Of course, there
is the in-between option of androg-
ynous menswear or the rock'n'roll
appeal of a hard-ass, don't-take-
crap-from-anyone look.
But trust me: Leave those styles
to your music this time. That is at
ej see fashion, page 14
I
0
For her, the form-fitted, knee-
length dress combined with
heels is a winning outfit.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Michel, Casey. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 96, No. 28, Ed. 1 Friday, May 15, 2009, newspaper, May 15, 2009; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443193/m1/10/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.