By ANDREW 'DICKIE' SCOTT
film reviewer
ABS2O3@PSU.EDU
Thank You For
Smoking
ita&.Yisuia.&ado ‘*oos> •
At first glance, this film would
seem to appeal to movie watchers
of the smoking persuasion, or at
least a satire of those opposed to
smoking. Actually, yeah, that’s
what this movie is about.
It’s a satiric comedy on the
prudish views of the non-smoking
population and how manipulative
both sides of the argument can be.
Nick Naylor, chief spokesman for
Big Tobacco, plays devil’s advocate
for the mass production and sale
of cigarettes. The whole movie
revolves around this man’s amazing
ability to make people believe the
unbelievable. In his own words,
“...argued correctly, you’ll never
lose and argument.”
Before the title credits even
finished I was hooked on this movie
simply because of the music: a
1950’s folk beat talking about how
much the singer hates cigarettes
though admitting to smoking
himself. The film itself is just a
constant contradiction of itself
t-.r- >* >f i: ■ t
Dragon Ball
By OLIVER EISLER
Staff Reporter
OPESOOO@PSU.EDU
After two decades of sub par
games which relied solely on how
recognizable the title was, there
is a Dragon Ball game worthy of
your money. For those unfamiliar
with the franchise, the story of
Dragon Ball follows the life of
Son Goku, a monkey-tailed boy
loosely based on the traditional
Chinese folk tale Journey to the West,
from his life and adventures as a child
all the way up to being a grandfather.
During his life, he fights many
battles and eventually becomes
the strongest martial artist in the
universe (in Dragon Ball GT). He
is not without help, however:- the
comic boasts a large ensemble cast
of martial artist heroes and villains
which provide the conflict that drives
the story.
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never really condoning the use of
cigarettes but never condemning
it either.
The general theme for the film is
the manipulation of argument. On
both sides, contenders are bringing
their best game to either defend or
destroy the cigarette industry, as
well as, firearms and alcohol.
Nick Naylor is a single father who
sees his son on the weekends and
travels across the country defending
cigarettes and tobacco products.
From the get-go, Naylor is faced
with the formidable odds of a
daytime television show audience
and an array of guests, generally
lead spokespeople of respective
anti-smoking organizations, as
well as al5 year-old boy named
“Cancer Boy.” It’s so unbelievable
that it makes it hilarious when
Naylor turns this “lion’s den” into
his own play ground by simply
playing the crowd with a few
choice words and stunning smile.
His greatest opposition comes
from Vermont Senator Finisterre
whose main political platform is
opposed to cigarettes in all aspects
of society: from youth smoking to
classic films.
Naylor must also watch himself
around a beautiful reporter, Heather
Holloway, played by Katie Holmes,
as well as the American public
and their fanatic opposition to
Naylor and his occupation. He must
confront these hurdles all while
trying to teach his son important
life lessons in a way that may seem
irresponsible but does prove to
bring father and son together.
As the film goes on, it is hilarious
to see Naylor verbally throw
down with so-called “experts” and
“victims” and end up turning the
tables and coming out smelling
like roses. Though this “hero of
the people” is on top for most of
the movie, an untimely course of
events loses it all for him, and he
no longer has the protection of the
big tobacco conglomerates, his
Z: Budokal Tenkalchi 2, an amazing experience for gamers
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
2, the latest Dragon Ball videogame
from Atari, features one hundred
and thirty different characters, each
with their own moves and
special abilities.
Although it doesn’t have
everyone, it has more than enough
characters to satisfy virtually
any fan of the series, even
featuring characters from the
various films that accompanied
the series.
The first aspect of the game that
strikes the gamer is its visual
impact. The characters are so
vivid that they make the actual
anime look deprived in comparison.
As opposed to previous games, in
which any character could trigger
a very limited array of scenarios
within certain stages, the environment
in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
2 is highly interactive.
SUGAR RUSH
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relationship, or his friends.
He falls into state of depression
which looks to be his demise
and has no chance of coming
back from. Then, the very son
that Naylor had been molding in
his image makes a convincing
argument that sways him from the
edge and brings him back into the
fight alone against unprecedented
opposition, but stronger
than before.
The funny thing about this movie
is that, despite the title, occupation,
and whole argument, there is not
one cigarette lit on film. For all
the talk and effort in saying that
smoking is “cool,” “safe,” and
“popular” not one person takes
a single puff of smoke. It is my
opinion that the real moral of the
story is not to defend smoking but
rather to defend an individual’s
right to make a choice in their life.
Rather than following the herd,
the film pushes people to listen to
all sides of an argument and make
their own educated decision.
A good website to check out is
www.dhmo.org, the creator of
the website informed people of a
devastating component of cancer.
A common substance found in all
cancers and most matter on earth:
Dihydrogen Monoxide...
Freakin’ water!
As a result of this website, a
group of people even traveled to
Washington D.C. to fight for the
regulation and protection from
this “cancer causing” contaminant.
These are the kind of people that,
“Thank You for Smoking” was
made for.
Well filmed, acted, and told, this
film is a direct to DVD release
definitely worth watching whether
you’re a smoker or not.
A scene from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
to be capable of destroying an
entire planet with one finger, gets
swatted across the screen by an
U
D
I give this film 4 out of 5 nuts
0000
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
2 does away with inconsistencies
in power, such as when a character
such as Frieza, who is supposed
CANDY
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SKITTLES
NOWANDLATERS
REESES
CUPCAKE
V
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BROWNIE
COOKIE
SUGAR
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MUSKATEERS
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MILKYWAY
MILKSHAKE
ICECREAM
ICING
MALLOWMARS
RUNTS
TAFFY
X-MEN 3: The Last
Stand
As a fan of the first two X-men
films, l questioned 20th Century
Fox in their decision to push X-
men 3: The Last Stand without
director Bryan Singer. Instead,
Singer took on another comic book
film, Superman Returns, and X 3
was helmed by Brett Ratner. It
probably would have been better
for everyone, especially the fans,
if these directors were switched.
Singer directed the original X-men
films masterfully, focusing the
plot on the issues, not the powers
involved. The real conflict between
the characters and questionable
morality really made the franchise
a success. The super powers just
added to the excitement. For those
people that really enjoyed the first
two movies, X 3 is not going to sit
very well.
Brett Ratner simply made another
Hollywood movie based on a comic
book. There are amazing special
effects and spectacular fight scenes
very similar to that of comic books
and a loose plot tying it all together.
The original cast all reprised their
roles but compared to the work
they’ve already done, it is clear how
much the characters have changed
with little explanation. Some
overgrown reptile. At the same
time, the agility of certain weaker
characters makes them usable
in combat,
The sound is flawless
and contains new
renditions of familiar
songs, and the character
voices are taken straight
from the series. It is yet
to be seen if the same
quality of voice acting
will be applied to the
US release.
The play control and
responsiveness in this
game are near perfect,
which is a refreshing
from
departure
previous installments
The only problem
vast complexity
of the control system. Although the
in-game tutorial does help, the roster
ACROSS
2. First date Queen
5. Campus ode to the lion
6. Lqigh Hurst encourages women to
feel these
THE CAPITAL TIMES
characters have become far too
timid while others have developed
a very abrasive personality, leaving
a bad taste in fans of the originals.
Granted X 3 is supposed to be the
last of the franchise, Ratner and the
writers went a little overboard in
‘tying loose ends’ in the story. In
order to bring it to a close with this
film, the story was run into a brick
wall. Key characters are killed off
and important conflicts are resolved
almost overnight, and there’s not a
second thought. It’s as if someone
took the ‘boo-boo’ of prejudice and
social strife, kissed it, put Neosporin
and a band-aid on it, and sent you
back out to play.
Again, it’s definitely a different
type of movie yet still entertaining.
A lot of new and long-awaited
characters are introduced including
Juggernaut. A problem with
introducing this and more mutants
was that no single character had
a lot of screen time to show off
their powers, with the exception of
possibly Juggernaut. It seems that
they were going for quantity over
quality in showing more mutants
and their powers. Casting for the
new mutants was hit-and-miss for
the most part. Kelsey Grammer,
television’s Fraser, was perfect for
Beast. Well spoken and articulate,
Grammer gave the character a
sophisticated intellect that Beast is
known for. The costume and make
up work made the mutation of a
muscular blue-furred man-animal
quite believable. The Juggernaut,
played by Vinnie Jones ( Snatch,
Gone in 60 Seconds, Lock Stock,
and Two Smoking Barrels) was good
in appearance but took a nose dive
when he spoke. The intimidating,
massive, gruff, and chiseled
physique was almost negated by
the comical English accent of
Jones. Despite the humor in hearing
Juggernaut speak in an accent, Jones
did delivered a line from a hysterical
web clip from the X-men cartoon
series. In which a voice-dubbed
of moves can be overwhelming at
first glance. Given time, they will
become second nature.
There are three modes in Dragon
Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2:
Adventure, Ultimate Battle and
Versus, all of which offer a very
unique experience for the gamer.
The difficulty of each mode can be
adjustedby choosing from three levels
of difficulty, as well as by equipping
various equipment to further
regulate difficulty. The higher the
difficulty one beats the game on,
the greater the reward. There are
certain secrets that can only be
unlocked while playing on
hard-difficulty.
Adventure mode provides an
unprecedented amount of story, from
the very beginning of the Dragon
Balt Z series to the end of the Dragon
Ball GT series. Adventure mode is
filled with integrated storylines and
It’s All Inside
tor away, but not the dentist
13. Wildlife-loving senator
14. Devastating component of
cigarettes
15. Early bird professor
October 23, 2006
cut-scenes which will make any
Ultimate Battle mode lets one choose
a course and fight various opponents
in a tournament-like setting, and
Versus mode allows a gamer to
challenge his friends (who can
import settings from their own
memory cards).
Due to v arious modes and numerous
characters, this game can keep
even the most av id game busy for
months. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
Tenkaichi 2 has a satisfying blend
of fan-service and quality gaming
that transcends the label of ‘anime
based game’ and actually makes a
great showing as a lighting game,
which raises the bar on what
fighting games should include.
Easy to learn, difficult to master,
and madly addictive. Dragon
Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 has
it all.
Juggernaut withstood constant
attacks, batting away opponents like
flies exclaiming, “Don’t you know
who 1 am? I’m the
Juggernaut, bitch!”
The action in the film makes up ftir
what it lacked in plot and character
development. A battle sequence in
the danger room tested the young
Iceman, Shadow Kat, Colossus,
and Rogue’s ability to work as a
team in battle and a final showdown
between humans and mutants really
got the blood pumping to see the all
out use of mutant pow ers. Smaller
conflicts between Wolverine and
Juggernaut, Pyro and Iceman, and
most of all Phoenix and Professor
Xavier were just as impressive and
showed the full extent of w hat these
characters could do.
The DVD itself doesn’t really offer
too much in bonus features. The
obligatory' director commentary
and some deleted scenes show a
little insight into the production and
alternate plot lines but nothing too
impressive. If you saw this film in
the theaters and left before the end
of the credits, you can fast forward
to a scene you might have missed.
That scene and the actual end of the
film nod towards another sequel, but
I’m not getting my hopes up. All the
news I’ve heard has said that there
should be Wolverine and Magneto
spin offs but no more X-men films.
So, if you don’t know much about
the X-men series, whether it be
comic books, cartoons, or the other
movies and just want to see a lot of
comic style action, you’ll probably
enjoy this one. If you’re expecting
something like the first two films
you’re going to be disappointed but
not entirely turned off to it. Take X-
Men 3: The Last Stand for what it’s
worth and have a good time.
1 give this film 3 out of 5 nuts.
000 3
fan’s day.
DOWN
1. White spots in a picture, ac-
cording to Zaffis
3. Pumpkin throwing medieval
weapon
4. Advanced student program
7. Stacks Market point of pride
8. Greek organization of broth-
10. Seafaring burglar
11. Reserved for the next drunk
driving victim
12. Last year. 10. 441 dollars
were spent updating this
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