“Hex” sure to put you to sleep

By Jennifer Sparkman

“Jonah Hex” opens up with Hex, played by Josh Brolin, narrating his fate. It’s the story of being a fugitive from the law, but appearing as the hero to common folks. DC Comics made the choice of continuing a comic book feeling to it as the opening narration. It was an interesting effect for the fans, but it didn’t seem necessary. It almost abstracted from the story as a cheap way not to really film the action.

Director Jimmy Hayward focused on single shot and two shot sets in order to set up dramatic action. It was effective, but not justified. The editing was clean and efficient, but the shots could’ve been more cohesively put together. The audience don’t need to see every single action a character does. Natural sound was a common theme throughout the movie. The director made the choice of only using subtle realistic sound, until conflict arose to excite the audience.

Brolin displays discomfort and what he’s thinking, the use of voiceover isn’t needed. Brolin is the most convincing out of the cast because he doesn’t give anything away with his acting. 

Megan Fox plays the seductive damsel in distress, but only serves as a means to move the plot forward. Brolin comes to save her as the knight in shining armor. Typical good versus bad in this cowboy tale.

This movie had a lot of flashbacks in order to let the audience know how the past has influenced the future, which slowed down the pace of the film. If there was such a need for the flashbacks, then there should be a whole movie dedicated to it.

If the flashbacks were meant to be representational of a memory to enhance the element of Jonah telling his story it wasn’t done effectively. These were used just so whatever event was happening could be justified.

At least Josh Brolin’s acting is superior to the writing.

“Jonah Hex” is rated PG-13, has a runtime of 81 minutes and is playing at Trademark Cinemas Victory Square Stadium 9 at 12:30 p.m., 2:40 p.m., 4:50 p.m., 7:40 p.m. and 9:40 p.m.

Contact Jennifer Sparkman.

This is not your mother’s roller rink

By Amber Fricke

Cars fill the Supergoose Sports Complex on the evening of May 22, opening night for the Savannah Derby Devils – the city’s roller derby team. Women in short skirts and boots with fishnet stockings direct drivers to park down the street at the Kroger.

People take their tailgating here seriously, just like they would at a Jaguars or Braves game with beer coolers and lawn chairs. It’s a puny parking lot that can’t really hold the breadth of the fan base.

When the sign reads that the gates open at 5 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m., and hell is unleashed at 7 p.m., they aren’t kidding. Get there early or be prepared to walk.

If you thought roller derby died in the ‘70s, don’t feel bad–you probably just didn’t see it coming back like bell-bottom jeans and disco. But, the 2009 movie produced by Drew Barrymore, “Whip It!” re-introduced this underground sporting phenomenon to an unsuspecting and curious crowd of mainstream, suburbanite moviegoers.

The film stars Ellen Page (“Juno”) as an awkward indie-rock teenager who comes into her own on a roller rink in Austin where she learns the art of full-contact roller racing against other women.

A whispy Ellen Page wasn’t present at the Supergoose on May 22, when the Derby Devils took on Greenville Urge, and that’s probably a good thing. Page’s seventeen-year-old character couldn’t cut it with these women. They’d eat her alive.

Before the game, the arena feels more like a strange hybrid of a rock concert and family fair than a sporting event. Fans dress in black and red, some with Derby Devil tee shirts and others covered in face paint. Music blares from the overhead speakers as people crowd the bleachers and set up lawn chairs around the rink. In the far corner of the arena sits a bouncy house full of jumping and cheering children.

Minutes before the game, players roll onto the rink as the announcer calls the lineup with names like Fear Abby, Rhymes with Death, Chick Norris and No Mercy Jersey. Uniforms are devised from tight tank tops, tiny shorts and leggings. One glance at these women and you know you’re not at your Momma’s roller rink.

If you don’t know what you’re looking at, roller derby can seem like a free for all race with women throwing elbows and knocking each other onto the ground. In actuality, derby is a pretty organized game.

Here’s how it works: the game is divided into two 30-minute periods containing as many jams as time allows. Jams are two-minute races where each team has five players on the rink – for a total of 10. Of the 10, eight are blockers (four from each team) and two (one from each team) are jammers. Jammers score the points.

The blockers line up ahead of the jammers and start skating first. On the second whistle, the jammers take off and try to fight their way through the pack. The jammers’ job is to score points by making it past all of the opposing team’s blockers and getting to the front of the pack. One point is awarded for each player on the opposing team the jammer passes after making it around the rink once.

The Derby Devils squash the Greenville Urge, 107 to 71. They remain undefeated.

Roller derby is a fast moving game with an average of ten jams getting packed into a single period. The players are fast, tough and not afraid to fall. Impressed by the “no crying in baseball” rule? That’s nothing compared to the lack of tears in roller derby.

In the first period, three players wipe out into the suicide seating section along the rink floor, and multiple others fall along the course. Picture a NASCAR multicar pile-up, but with women instead of Formula One race cars. Players’ thighs turn the crimson of their painted faces. Bruises are just part of the uniform.

At half time the Devils lead the Urge, 77 to 27. The buzzer sounds and an in-house band plays hard-rock originals, while the “Derby Jeerleaders” take the rink and entertain the crowd.

Players use the intermission to hydrate and visit their families in the stands. Rhymes with Death, a second year player with the Savannah Derby Devils, skates to the bleachers and steals a kiss from her three-year-old daughter, Sophie.

“I love being a Devil,” says Rhymes with Death. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Her husband John agrees with the “lots of work” part.  “Sometimes I see this little one more than I see my old lady,” he says, motioning toward Sophie.

But when asked if he likes being a derby husband, his answer is supportive. “It’s fun to watch. We come out to every home game.”

The Savannah Derby Devils have been around since January 2006 and belong to the Women’s Flat Track Association. Like most teams involved in the sport, the Devils have seen a sharp rise in popularity in the past few years. The first home game of the 2010 season saw a record attendance of over 700 people.

The Savannah Derby Devils are comprised of approximately 20 players and five Jeerleaders who consider themselves more like family than a sports team.

But it’s not all fame and glory for these roller racers – being a derby girl is hard work.

Cherry Buster, a Derby Devil who joined the team after participating in the 2009 Roller Girl Boot Camp, works the merchandise table.

“It’s a huge time commitment,” she says. “Being a Devil is more than going to practices and playing in games–we set up for games, run the booths, fund raise…you name it.”

Even with all the time and effort, Cherry Buster doesn’t regret joining the team for a second. “My only regret is that I didn’t join sooner.”

Roller Girl Boot Camp is an invitation for women 18 years and older of all skill levels to come out and learn about roller derby. This 2010 camp started June 6, and more than 95 women signed up to learn how to block, jam, hip butt and elbow their ways around a rink balanced on wheels. They celebrated the end of camp with a party at B&B’s.

At the end of camp, the team invited 10 to 20 campers to practice with the team until the open audition tryouts on June 30.

“If you have any desire to tryout for the team, you really need to be at boot camp,” says Cherry Buster. “But even if you don’t want to play, it’s worth it to come out and have some fun.”

Boot camp, however, is not a pre-requisite.  If you think you are scrappy enough to roll with the Derby Devils, you’re welcome to lace up your skates. Just bring knee pads.

The next home game takes place on Sept. 18, and will feature the Fresh Meat Scrimmage with the newly acquired players from the June 30 tryouts. Tickets are available in advance online.

Online workshops aim to make SCAD libraries more accessible

By Anna Geannopoulus

Beginning next week, the Jen Library will offer online workshops on time management, research survival and advanced research techniques through SCAD Connect. The goal is to help students harness the full power of the library’s resources. Because the classes are offered online, they are free to any SCAD student regardless of campus location or e-learning status.

To participate, students just need to navigate to the appropriate hyperlink, provided below, at the proper time.

“We really want to make the library’s resources accessible and easy to use.  We know that they can be confusing at first but we want people to know that we are here to help,” said Jen Library Resource Librarian, Heather Koopmans.

Despite being online, all three classes are set up in an interactive way.  Each class will have a person teaching on the other side of the web at the posted login times.

“There are lots of question and answer sections and some slides but it’s definitely not like an online PowerPoint. It is much more interactive,” explained Koopmans.

Workshop 1: Time Management, slated for 4 p.m. June 27, and 3 p.m. June 28, will help students who want to break out of the vicious cycle of procrastination.

Workshop 2: Research 101 provides an introductory course to the library’s many resources and search engines. Research 101 will be held July 11 at 1 p.m. and July 12 at 8 p.m.

Workshop 3: Advanced Research Techniques expands on Research 101 and helps students who are already familiar with these tools learn even more. The workshop will take place July 18 at 3 p.m., and July 19 at 8 p.m.

If workshop times conflict with a student’s schedule, the library staff is more than eager to help you succeed.  Contact Heather Koopmans for any questions or suggestions you may have.

Contact Anna Geannopoulos.

Mr. Muck Page 9

By Tom Rogers

Contact Tom Rogers.

Armond White Vs. Buzz Lightyear

By Tom Rogers

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Sex, drugs and Jonah Hill

By Katelan Cunningham

It’s not summer at the cinema without a comedy produced by Judd Apatow. This summer, Jonah Hill plays Aaron: a over-worked 20-something talent scout trying to make it in L.A. He works at Pinnacle Records under the demeaning Sergio, played by Sean “P.Diddy” Combs.

Aaron has an idea for the company to host a comeback tour for rocker Aldous Snow (played by Russel Brand). Aaron’s breakout assignment is to get Snow from London to L.A. in one piece and on time for the first performance at the Greek Theatre.
But Aldous Snow is no poser rock star. He is a lot of sex, does a lot of drugs and plays a lot of rock and roll. For Aaron, these are the instruments for chaos.

Judd Apatow has become something of a familiar name in comedy these past 6 years. While he’s been on the scene longer than that as one of the writers of “Freaks and Geeks,” his brand of comedy has extended from generational classics like “Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Superbad,” “Knocked Up,” “The 40-Year Old Virgin” and most recently, “Get Him to the Greek.”
While he does seem to favor a recurring crew of actors, (Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Will Farrell and Steve Carrell), you are guaranteed a different story and ultimately, a comedy with some heart and integrity.

It’s a balance of smart comedy and a little guilty, can’t-help-but-laugh humor.

What makes “Get Him to the Greek” such a success is the focus on two characters. It’s two guys’ quest from London to L.A.: trials, tribulations and detours. We know them and none of the characters are half-hearted or penciled in. The character arc is not sacrificed for the outrageous comedy.

Jonah Hill came out of nowhere 6 years ago in “I Heart Huckabees,” and hasn’t laid off since. He’s evolved from the high school kid trying to score in “Superbad” to an adult assigned to get a rockstar to L.A.  Jonah Hill’s career is impressive, and he doesn’t show any sign of slowing down soon.

Even the performance by the peripheral characters played by P.Diddy, Rose Byrne and Elisabeth Moss are not thrown in haphazardly. As expected from the man who produced “Pineapple Express,” situations get to be over-the-top, but characters are always grounded in reality.

P.Diddy is the biggest surprise in the movie. I expected a cameo or guest appearance. A punch line at the beginning in a kind of “P.Diddy as himself role,” and maybe some tie-in at the end. While he does play a music industry big shot, his character is more extreme than we’ve seen him. He’s actually acting, and he’s a riot.

“Get Him to the Greek” gives you a laugh you expect from any movie with Apatow’s name on it and Jonah Hill on the poster. From the subtle underhanded punch line to the in your face fast ball of hilarity, every joke was well-timed and momentum never lagged.

“Get Him to the Greek” is rated R and is playing at Trademark Cinemas Victory Square Stadium 9 at 1:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:20 p.m. and 9:40 p.m.

Running time: 2 hours

Contact Katelan Cunningham.

15 years of infinity and beyond

By Jennifer Sparkman

“Toy Story 3″ ends the coming-of-age saga of Andy, who, in this installment, goes off to college and leaves the bunch of toys that love him. The experience of watching “Toy Story” in 2D was riveting and emotional.

I don’t think there would’ve been any difference if I watched it in 3D. The past two films told a tale of adventure and the love of family, this one solidifies in the same themes. And with the technology of today, human rendering has come to perfection. In the first Toy Story film Andy’s mother wasn’t shown because people didn’t have an organic look to them. Now it’s possible to create the impossible.

The toys are back at it, when a simple mistake winds the crew up in a children’s day care, instead of a box in the attic. The story has great humor and timing, with gags and stunts moving the action along. Every character had its own ending, which went with the story and had a lesson to be learned from it.

Director Lee Unkrich truly uses Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s performances to drive the movie’s passion and heart. Unkrich, with writers John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, are well known in the animation world. Stanton is known for writing for that lovable robot WALL-E, a little fish named Nemo, furry blue Sullivan and the story of “Toy Story 2.”

Now, he joins Unkrich and Lasseter in conveying a well known cast of characters as they delve into yet another adventure around the neighborhood. The character arcs of Woody and Buzz are fine tuned, and each have a journey away and beyond the galaxy and it couldn’t of happened with this writing trio.

Nostalgia, from the creators of “Toy Story,” tell a memorable good bye as Andy outgrows his toys. This story tells the importance of childhood and why fostering young people to be wild with imagination.

From directing “Monsters, Inc.” and “Cars,” Unkrich has been a part of the Pixar family for a long while. Both of those animated films were a box office hit, with thousands of toys, t-shirts and juice cups made thereafter. “Toy Story 3″ will follow suit, already opening with critical success with reviewers and audiences.

Watch this movie and you will be amazed and proud that you’ve been able to grow up with this series. This movie is an outstanding example of what animation is today in Hollywood. It made me tear up in public and, as a movie reviewer, that doesn’t happen very often.

“Toy Story 3″ is playing in 3D at Trademark Cinemas Victory Square Stadium 9 at 12 p.m., 2:20 p.m., 4:40 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Rated: G

Contact Jennifer Sparkman.

Mr. Muck Page 8

By Tom Rogers

Contact Tom Rogers.

“The A-Team” is exactly what you expect

By Christopher Smith

In 1983, American television introduced our parents to “The A-Team”: a small ex-military group working as good samaritan mercenaries for anyone who needed help.

Thirty years later, “Smokin’ Aces” director Joe Carnahan reinterprets that premise in the new “The A-Team” movie and the result is a pretty fun summer flick.

The movie is all about fun. It is not meant to be deep or thought-provoking and I doubt anyone expects it to be. It’s about watching four guys shooting off one-liners as they attempt to fly a tank that is plummeting to the ground. It’s about beating the bad guys, getting the girl and watching an elaborate plan work out (or sometimes not). In fact, its when the movie pretends to be more than cotton candy that it drags on and gets boring.

The spirit of the show was about fun family entertainment, but the depth of the show’s premise was never meant to echo the complexity of the A-Team’s plans. The original A-Team, consisting of Hannibal, B.A. Baracus, Faceman and Murdock used their special skill set to simply helped people in need.

It’s the same story with the movie.  However, because this is an origin story, they spend more time helping themselves by clearing their name rather than giving back to the community.

This film has also been brought up to contemporary standards of what we expect in an action movie. More violence, more killing, and more over-the-top antics. Some might not appreciate that, since the TV show was known for making a point about non-lethal violence. In fact, the movie goes out of its way to make the opposite point about killing being justified. However, this is the A-Team.

Neither the show nor the movie is a place for a philosophical talk on whether killing is justified.

Casting was also tricky. Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper are actors and they know it. They have no problem fitting the roles of Hannibal and Faceman respectively. Even Sharlto Copley of “District 9” delivers as half-crazy Murdock. However, don’t expect Quinton Jackson to fill the shoes of Mr. T. Who could, really? Don’ tpity him though (yes, I went there), because he works out some pretty comical moments.

Overall, you will get what you pay for: 2 hours of witty lines and over-the-top action that makes for a good summer movie. You probably won’t want to see it twice and there are some forced moments of trying to be serious and introspective, but most of the time its about the ride. When its fun, its fun. When its not, its boring. But the fun-not ratio definitely lands in the fun category and is worth the price of admission.

“The A-Team” is showing at Trademark Cinemas Victory Square Stadium 9 at 1:10 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Contact Christopher Smith.

NASA No More!

By Tom Rogers

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