10 April 21, 2008
By KRIS AUMILLER
Staff Reporter
KRASOIB@PSU.EDU
George Clooney Renee Zellweger, I
Hour 54 Minutes
Why wouldn't
you want to see
a movie starring
the guy who was
People magazine's
sexiest man alive
two or three times?
Clooney is a great
actor and he isn't
just the star of this
movie, he directed
it too. Excited? You
should be.
Carter "The
Bullet" Rutherford
(John Krasinski,
"The Office") is
a young football
star at Princeton,
not too mention an American war
hero. Every Saturday in 1925, the
stadium is packed to watch him
light up the field. On the complete
opposite hand, Jimmy "Dodge"
Connelly is the best player for the
promising Duluth Bulldogs. Lexie
Littleton (Zellweger) is a reporter
for the Chicago Tribune that has
been offered with a rather interesting
story pertaining to "the Bullet's"
military background. Professional
football is a complete joke in 1925
In the first game in the movie, the
Bulldogs forfeit due to the fact that
the ball is stolen by kid and since
they don't have a second ball, they
lose. When Dodge discovers that
his team is flat broke, he decides to
make a big decision.. He proposes to
Rutherfo s agent Air he fore ,o his
801 l goes Posta
By JAMES COUCHE
Columnist
JTCSIOI@PSU.EDU
It is no secret that video games
turned into movies have never had
the greatest track record. At best,
they are amusingly mindless fun;
at their worst, they can torpedo the
game series they are based on. No
director has torpedoed more video
games with bad movies than Uwe
8011. Since the release of House
of the Dead in 2003, he has earned
the ire of every gamer on the planet
and his movies consistently fail
miserably at the box office; despite
this, he has maintained a successful
career ever since and shows no sign
of stopping.
Contrary to popular belief, 801 l
did not start his film career by
slaughtering video game properties
He studied film making at NYU
(though it is doubtful they would
readily admit it) and made several
Geek Corner: nerds come
By MATTHEW MAHONEY
Columnist
MLMSO39@PSU EDU
Avid fans come in all shapes and
sizes. You have sports fans that will
defend the honor of their favorite
teams with all possible vigor and
fervor, but it usually just involves
some mean looks, threats of
violence, and good ol' telling you
what's up.
There are fans of certain singers
and movie stars that follow the
every nuance of the famous
lifestyle by incessantly monitoring
blogs and magazines; all in search
of that elusive detail and clue on
how to live vicariously through
Hollywood.
Yes, there are even video game
fans. But how much of a fan are
you? Are you nerd enough to admit
senior season at Princeton and play
for a considerable amount of money
in order to save his team and his
league. When "the Bullet" agrees,
professional football starts to draw
national attention and big crowds just
like college football did before.
I really enjoyed
this movie. It
up. Krasinski
makes another
appearance
on the big screen and it looks like
he will continue to stay there.
Zellweger meshed well with both
of the actors (As she was supposed
to hence the love triangle). The
supporting cast all around was good
especially the "high school kid" that
they recruit.
-` }t ; fir,
RATING:
3 out 5. It was a good enjoyable
movie. Doesn't mean it was a stellar
Oscar deserving movie, but it was
good.
John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer; 1
Now, 36 Minutes (Extended Version
non-video game based movies
before acquiring the rights for
House of
the Dead
from Sega.
After
breaking
fans' hearts
with his
first game
translation,
801 l
followed
it up with
another
adaptation
-Alone in
the Dark.
For all
intents and
purposes, Alone in the Dark was
far superior to his previous effort;
of course that is like saying moldy
bread is better than rancid milk.
Since 2003, 801 l has churned out six
that you work at job where you
critique all things geek-ish and
write about it online? Maybe you
are nerd enough that after you are
done with your eight hour day you
manage to go home and work for
another few hours, without pay, to
post a podcast about a video game
review. Maybe you take the time
to make your own You Tube video
series doing retro gaming reviews.
I don't write this article for
nothing kids. I will admit and
cherish the fact that I am a Nerd
above all other nerds. I set my
mind to gathering up info about
anything geek like a doctoral
candidate to library archives. For
the amount of time I spend staying
tuned into geeker culture you'd
think I could at least produce a
decent paper in my classes. Alas,
I find my first hand research of
THE CAPITAL TIMES
reminded me a
little bit of "Bull
Durham" and if
you have been
reading long
enough, you
would know that
is my favorite
movie. Clooney
was dynamite
as a no-rule
grunt football
player who was
just a kid who
never grew
3 0 004 f V , 'W.
A scene from the video game inspired movie
Postal.
2 Hours)
Ok, I'm a sucker for the latest brand
of comedy movies out there. You've
all seen the commercials: "From
the guys who brought you the 40-
Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and
Superbad." Also, I'll see anything
with Will Ferrell. Now, when I saw
a preview with Ferrell's sidekick
(Reilly) and it had that tagline on it
can't miss right?
Dewey Cox (Reilly, "Talladega
Nights") grew up in the humble
town of Springberry, Alabama in the
shadow of his older brother Nate.
In his father's eyes, Nate was the
perfect child. While playing one day,
Dewey accidentally cuts Nate in half
with a machete and kills him. In his
father's rage, he simply states, "The
wrong kid died." At age 14, Cox
plays the song, "Take my Hand" at a
high school talent show and starts a
riot. He is cast out by his family for
playing the "Devil's music" and is on
his own, with his new girlfriend that
he had just met at the performance,
at age 14. Dewey gets a job at a
nightclub sweeping floors waiting
for his chance to play. One night, the
lead singer is incapacitated. So, since
Dr knr di of the sin—
game based movies and has at least
three more on the way.
/ •
, 1!
audiences for not understanding
his genius, and even taken shots at
filmmakers like Steven Spielberg
and Peter Jackson. Many things
can be said about 801 l but never
the social interactions amongst
garners of the online world wide
community to be an invaluable
asset to the continued evolution of
the human social order.
In a nutshell, I know some rabid
fans out there
"Still Gaming" is a video series
done by a man known as Lee. His
videos online are little more than
a series of still photos set to voice
over narration. Not exactly what
we would call videos, but none
the less, entertaining. His show
consists of reviewing anything
retro in gaming. The lower the
amount of bits, the better.
Lee, known on You Tube
as SashNein, has over 2,000
subscribers. Beyond that his videos
have been featured on places like
ScrewAttack.com, and gained even
more exposure.
songs, he performs the exact same
show and record producers take him
instead of the band's singer. Cox was
on his way to stardom with a shot
that he didn't earn.
I remember that there was a
preview for this movie on every
commercial break on TV from
August until its release on December
21, 2007. It got hammered at the box
office due to a bad release date. That
will happen when you bring a movie
out on the same day as the USA
favorite "National Treasure: Book
of Secrets." Regardless, Reilly was
unbelievably funny and everyone
that you could think to be in a
"Judd Apatow movie (If that means
anything to you)" was in it. By the
way, when you do see this movie,
because I just assume that everyone
sees all the movies that I tell them
to, enjoy the part with the Beatles
and the actors who are playing the
legendary Beatles.
in a work accidem
and Plainview talc(
the man's orphanet
child as his own.
He begins a much
larger enterprise with the boy, whom
he names H.W. (Dillon Freasier), as
his partner. By 1911 he has become
one of the most successful oil men in
California. Plainview is approached
by a young man named Paul Sunday
(Paul Dano, "Little Miss Sunshine")
who sells him an oil lead located
on his family's property in Little
BLOOD Boston, California. Plainview and
Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, 2 H.W. travel there under the guise
Hours, 38 Minutes of hunting quail and discover oil
Look at that, I picked out another seeping to the surface due to a
Oscar related movie. Shocking, recent earthquake. Plainview then
but who wouldn't want to see the attempts to buy the property without
guy who won Best Actor? Ok, so telling Paul's father, Abel (David
maybe it's just me. Leave me alone. Willis, "The Good German"), of
I wanted to go see it when it first the oil, but Paul's twin brother, Eli
came out but it was a limited release (also Dano), knows of the oil and
in theatres, so, I couldn't. Then, I raises the price to $lO,OOO, which
wanted to see.itabout a month ago he intends to put into the founding
and a glorioikukap Astoinikelthat74w,7rAvi reeds own thurgh. Pl , 44l,vieW PAY§' •-•
~` )U?d,
4 out of 5. A lot of funny and a lot
of extra humor if you are paying
attention to his age, and even more if
you have seen "Walk the Line."
call him boring. Recently, he chose
to release his next film base on the
video game Postal on the same
weekend that Indiana Jones and the
City of the Crystal Skull will be
released. In interviews, 801 l truly
seems to believe that Postal will
perform well up against Indiana
Jones and even claims that it is a
movie that America "needs to see."
he is not
butchering
beloved
video game
he has
effectively
Despite his many critical and
commercial failures, 801 l has
proven to be very resilient. For years
he was able to finance his films
by abusing a German tax loophole
that covered film investors for their
entire investment even if the film
failed. The German government
recently closed the loophole but it
was not enough to stop 801 l who
continued to find funding and make
movies. Gamers were recently
given a glimmer of hope to stop him
once and for all. 801 l stated in an
interview that if 1 million people
become
a media
sensation
He has
stepped into
the boxing
ring with
his critics,
publicly
chastised
in many shapes and sizes
I've managed to meet Lee
personally, and in addition to being
a fan of games he's also a fan of the
gaming culture. He's an individual
that has learned what it means to
help out his fellow nerds. Rather
than reach into a fallen comrade's
pockets and take his GP along with
some XP, Lee dedicated a video
to fundraise for a gaming friend's
sudden surgery bill.
X-Strike Studios, a small
independent film company based
out of Buffalo, NY, has been in
the business of making full-length
live-action movies for five years
now. (A small disclaimer, I'm also
their intern. So now back to the
regularly scheduled shameless
self-promotion.) This small group
of hardcore garners has been
dedicating their time and money
to making parodies of some of the
ITS 441$
ith new movie
time. So, I finally just bought it and
now I can watch it whenever I want
and I did.
The story opens in 1898 with
prospector Daniel Plainview (Daniel
Day-Lewis, "Gangs of New York")
accidentally discovering crude oil
deposits in one of his silver claims
After having a roc:
which confirms
the presence of
oil, Plainview
begins extraction
operations,
eventually refining
his extraction
techniques with
self-designed
drilling and rigging
equipment. One ol
his workers is kill
sign a petition asking him to stop
making movies then he will give
up film making forever. In classic
Uwe 801 l fashion, he I
he wanted a petition
making movies claii
wants to see 1 milli(
list as well.
Regardless of whet
petition can stop him.
several movies in thi
including an adaptat
person-shooter Far
the trailer, the film vl
adheres to the game
not to the point that
Brothers strayed froi.
material. Audiences ca.
firmly B-grade movie tiiktirprairi
mo v i e poster
dead action scenes and aep e g t ancl
by C-list actors. In addition, Postal
will see a theatrical release soon
and American audiences can finally
see Boll's "genius" in full bloom.
The film has been described as 90
community's favorite games.
This is another group of people
that I know personally. One of their
top concerns, in addition to having
the company make some money,
is the idea of how do their videos
affect the gaming community.
While I wouldn't recommend
their movies to anyone under the
age of 17 the creative element is
there, and the loyalty to the games
is there.
Maybe you do have a younger
cousin, or some other relative that
would like to see some creative
video game based comedy/action.
Then head over to pbc-productions
com and check out their series,
"The New Adventures of Captain
S". This series is more along the
PG-13 scale and brings character,
Chad Belmont, directly into video
land to save the digital world from
him $5,000 up front and promises
the other $5,000 as a donation to the
church. Plainview leases the drilling
rights of surrounding ranches, with
the exception of one, owned by Mr.
Bandy (Hans Howes, "Seabiscuit"),
whom Plainview brushes off when
Bandy demands that Plainview
him - ►nally to discuss his
property. With the
money from his
land, Eli founds
his own church,
the Church of the
Third Revelation,
and styles himself
as a faith healer. The
hole hits a large oil
reservoir, but the
well blows out and
catches fire. H.W.
loses his hearing in
the blast. When Eli
comes to the derrick
to request the money
Plainview owes
him, Plainview
violently attacks and belittles him,
patronizing him for being unable to
heal his son. Humiliated, Eli returns
to his father's house, where he beats
the older man for selling the family's
land at a greatly undervalued price.
So, that was a lot of plot "tease,"
but aren't you intrigued now?
Not too mention the fact that the
first 30 minutes has no dialogue.
Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano
are fantastic going back and forth
belittling each other until the final
climax at the end. I don't really know
what else to say here other than it is a
great movie.
RATING:
,
\ .„+
,Jtiago see it, it's the balls
minutes of offensive toilette humor
and political incorrectness (two Al
Qaeda highjackers arguing about
. ..gins await them in the
tents before flying into
Jassy this film is not;
for 8011..
certain destruction at the hands of
the evil Game Genie.
This series has been applauded as
one that parents can actually invite
their children to watch.
PBC is also actively involved in
the gaming community and seeks
to provide the image that not all
garners are loud mouths that like to
swear incessantly at the TV.
While most of us may never get
to this level of fandom in any of
our hobbies we can always take
pride in the fact that no matter what
hobby it is we enjoy it will always
keep us from getting papers,
projects, homework, and anything
else of importance, from being
done on time. Now if you are still
reading this you are obviously not
fan enough, and need to get back to
fragging noObs. I've already spent
too long away.