Rating: 5

Super Smash Bros. Brawl picks up where its predecessors left off: your favorite Nintendo characters jumping around familiar Nintendo places using their special moves to fling their enemies into the distance.

The gameplay has not changed appreciably. In fact, the controls are so similar that Brawl is not only backwards compatible with the Gamecube controller, but one might also be hard-pressed to find players who are willing to play with the Wii remote. I grant you that I am not the most skilled player of Super Smash Bros., but when I tried to play with the remote I found that the majority of the match was given over to asking which button did what. Sticking with the Gamecube controller is far easier for those who have played even a small amount of Melee.

The most eagerly anticipated aspect of Brawl is the new characters, some of whom have been favorites of video game fans for some time, and their inclusion seemed long overdue (I’m looking at you, Snake and Sonic). Other characters caused players to scratch their heads; R.O.B. (Robot Operating Buddy) seemed an odd choice to most, as R.O.B. isn’t from a video game, but actually a gaming peripheral from the ’80s.

Speaking of Brawl newbies, the majority of new characters have been blessed with almost godlike recovery; several can simply fly (Pit, R.O.B., Snake, MetaKnight), while others can leap tall buildings in a single bound (Sonic).

The most noticeable difference between Brawl and Melee: matches last longer. Most of the characters can withstand at least slightly higher percentages, recovery has been generally improved and many new moves are meant to cause more knock-back than damage.

Nintendo also did its best to correct some of the exploits that occurred in Melee: Wavedashing, a technique used by advanced players to speedily move across the stage while retaining the ability to use moves previously reserved for when the character was standing still, and L-canceling, an advanced move used to reduce recovery time, have both been removed.

However, some aspects of the game are rather lame; some in particular question whether the designers were high during certain portions of development.

Occasionally (in theory, one in 200 times) your character trips when dashing. This means he or she stops running and falls on his or her…tush. Not only does this leave the player open to attack, but it stops him or her from doing whatever he or she was trying to do. It doesn’t add to game play or balance the playing field. It just pisses people off.

Not all of Nintendo’s attention was focused on the multiplayer aspect, though. The game features an approximately six-hour single-player mode, dubbed Subspace Emissary, written by Kazushige Nojima, so it’s obviously high quality stuff. He’s credited with writing the plot for Final Fantasy VII.

Nintendo has not earned a perfect score on this game. Final Smashes, introduced in Brawl, are a character’s most powerful move, designed to have a huge impact when they occur. Not all Final Smashes are created equal, however. They run the gamut from woefully underpowered (Peach) to the best of the best (Sonic). Some of the Final Smashes are simply awful when compared to others, which leaves a sour taste in your mouth once you realize your favorite character has a really lame super move.

All in all, Brawl is a fan service game that’s really fun to boot. Most people who play Brawl will be willing to overlook its few flaws in order to play as a childhood hero. If only it had Knuckles.

-Richard Procter

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Sally, Woodstock, Shroeder, Linus and Lucy – do these names revive a feeling of childhood nostalgia? Starting tonight, Studio 301 will be giving everyone the chance to revisit those days by performing You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at the Wyatt Pavilion Theater on Old Davis Road.

The student theatre company will perform a series of musical vignettes best described as a day in the life of Charlie Brown, starring sophomore theater and communication major Matt Escarcega.

[Playing Charlie Brown] is only intimidating because he is such a lovable character that everyone grew up with, Escarcega said, who also does publicity for Studio 301. I want to make sure that I embody the character, bring it to life and make it as true as possible.

Studio 301 is a registered SPAC organization but behaves like a full-scale production company, said president Joe Ferreira, a senior dramatic arts major.

Studio 301 conducts itself as a club with elected officials, planned events, fundraising and weekly meetings. They hold open auditions for the productions that may include people outside of the organization and even non-students.

According to their mission statement, Studio 301 provides an opportunity for hands-on artistic and administrative experience, while supplementing the education of creative art students in a

professional, respectful and safe environment.

Each year, members of the club propose productions to put on for the upcoming year. After a vote, one or two productions are chosen. Director and senior dramatic arts major Stephanie Wilcox proposed the idea for this year’s musical.

I felt that one of the greatest advantages of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is its simplicity, Wilcox said, which was great for a group of students working on a budget and learning how to mount a full-stage production.

There are 12 cast members, 12 orchestra players and approximately 15 members of the production team collaborating to make the musical come to life. Working without the help of a faculty adviser has required tremendous amounts of teamwork and dedication from all people involved with the production. Monetary support has come from fundraising and the revenue from ticket sales.

We had the freedom to explore many areas without feeling overwhelmed by the text or story, Wilcox said.

Wilcox said her senior thesis works with exploring the relationship between adolescence and theater, which is heavily related to the production she is directing.

I think that the university can play a huge role in bringing theater not just to the campus, but also to the surrounding community, and Charlie Brown is a great start.

This year’s performance aims toward an audience of all ages, and Studio 301 has made special outreach efforts to students at schools all around Davis. They will also travel off-site to Families First and Shriners Children’s Hospital in Sacramento to perform.

The cast and crew of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown has been rehearsing quite often and a long time coming, Ferreira said. They rehearsed for about five weeks during winter quarter and returned early from spring break to complete construction of the set.

This year is Studio 301’s fourth consecutive season. Their past productions have included The complete works of Williams Shakespeare: Abridged and musicals The Last Five Years, Cabaret and Into the Woods.

I hope that the audience enjoys the show for what it is, Escarcega said. I want them to realize the set we built, all the fundraising and hard work all the people put into the show, to see what Studio 301 is.

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown opens today at 8 p.m. in Wyatt Pavilion Theatre and will be performed through April 13. Tickets are $9 for students and $14 for non-students, and are on sale now at Freeborn Hall’s ticket office. For more information, go to studio301productions.googlepages.com.

JUNE QUAN can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Nine Inch Nails

Ghosts I-IV

Self-Released

Rating: 5

Nine Inch Nails’ creative architect Trent Reznor consistently works to shake the norms of the music industry, whether it be through strategic resistance to the clutch of major record labels or an indirect jab at Fred Durst’s musical capability. Reznor has similarly worked to alter the direction of his own projects, and NIN’s seventh and latest release Ghosts I-IV, released Mar. 2, offers no evidence to the contrary.

Reznor’s style has developed ever since the angst-filled years of Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral, and Ghosts expresses a positive and mature shift to a new brand of experimental, minimal and predominately electronic industrial music. Ghosts is largely a conceptual album, consisting of 36 nameless instrumental tracks broken into four volumes and spanning a length of nearly two hours – a time that would surely bring miserable tears to a 21st century MTV loyalist.

Perhaps equally intriguing about this release is the somewhat revolutionary method in which it was released, similar to Radiohead’s pay-what-you-will digital release of In Rainbows last October. Sold as either a $5 digital download on the band’s website or through amazon.com’s MP3 download store, Ghosts is quite easily accessible and free of the usual record label complications.

Despite the sheer size of Ghosts, diversity is more than prevalent throughout the entire record, and each track varies from one to the next almost dramatically in terms of style, speed and even genre. Pulsing and syncopated industrial beats, as in 19 Ghosts III, contrast with the eerie major-minor shifts of 12 Ghosts II or the scratchy and hard-hitting 31 Ghosts IV. Simple and haunting piano melodies, reminiscent of Erik Satie or even Claude Debussy, are both stunning and thoughtfully brilliant additions to Reznor’s palette of styles and approaches.

One of the most impressive and notable features of the record, however, is the tendency of each track to meld together with the other tracks in a descriptive and poetic progression. Together, the tracks mimic a soundtrack or score to a thought or experience rather than an undemanding bundle of background music. As Reznor intended, every track successfully and powerfully conveys an image, and their sequential progression reflects a wide range of moods.

The visual imagery conveyed by this soundtrack style is no accident; Reznor has publicly stated his intent through a youtube.com video discussing the openness of interpretation of the album. Available with the download is a 40-page digital booklet adorned with images for each track, including scenes of wildlife and images of Reznor’s wire-threaded recording studio. Listeners are even invited to portray the tracks of Ghosts as they personally perceive them via an on-going YouTube video contest.

Enjoy Ghosts as a thoughtful journey and creative experience, and apply as much or as little thought to the tracks as necessary.

Give these tracks a listen:

14 Ghosts II

24 Ghosts III

For fans of: Trentemøller, Explosions in the Sky, Aphex Twin

-Justin Ho

It’s the start of a new quarter, and spring is in the air. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming; a new season is upon us. Why not take the chance to capture the spirit of spring with a hyphy show right on campus?

The ASUCD Entertainment Council is presenting a show featuring Bay Area hip-hop group The Federation. The show is free and will take place Friday on the Quad at noon. In the case of rain, the show will be moved to Freeborn Hall.

For anyone who has lived in northern California over the past couple of years, the hyphy subgenre of hip-hop has established itself as a Bay Area mainstay. Rapper Stressmatic of the Federation described the appeal of hyphy music.

It has a certain sound, he said. It’s not New York style, it’s not down south. It’s the Bay Area sound.

Though hyphy has been around in the Bay Area since the nineties, its widespread recognition started around four years ago with artists such as Mac Dre, Keak da Sneak and E-40 – leaders of what was dubbed the hyphy movement.

It’s been a good number years into the hyphy movement, yet the origins of the phrase are still debatable. Frequently asked questions include: Who first coined the term? (According to many websites, it was Bay Area rapper Keak da Sneak). Another common query is the etymology of the word hyphy – is it a play on the word hyperactive? Stressmatic best summed it up in his description of hyphy music.

It’s just high energy music, Stressmatic said. I would say it’s the rap version of heavy metal.

Like many hip-hop cultures, hyphy has formed a unique dialect of its own, spawning some unusual phrases that have made their way into the everyday slang in northern California. Going dumb, getting stupid, thizz – these idioms reflect the sly humor of the hyphy culture and its playful nature.

Marked by a heavy bass and up-tempo rhythm, hyphy has also become a dance club and house party favorite.

It’s a representation of the Bay Area party culture, said mechanical engineering senior Aaron Lee. It’s something that isn’t mainstream.

According to senior communication major Barbara Dizon, hyphy music is an instant crowd pleaser. Dizon is a member of dance group MK Modern, who has used hyphy tracks such as E-40’s Tell Me When To Go in past performances.

The whole point of performance is the audience, so you want to incorporate songs that the audience will enjoy, Dizon said. Hyphy music gets the crowd going. Everyone dances and sings along. It makes us perform better.

Though there has been debate about the permanence of hyphy. Many have touted it as a trend that has long been played out, but a closer look at some releases from hyphy artists might prove otherwise. Music producer Rick Rock, who is regarded as one of the primary engineers of the hyphy sound, has also worked with artists such as Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. Other Bay Area rappers have also gotten in touch with more mainstream rap artists. In their latest album It’s Whateva, The Federation collaborated with Snoop Dogg and former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.

Despite any dispute of hyphy’s place in the larger genre, it has undeniably brought more attention to Bay Area hip-hop. Other cities outside of the Bay Area have also embraced the movement over the years, including Davis.

It’s just the natural way it goes, said junior technocultural studies major Ben Johnson, general manager at the campus radio station KDVS 90.3 FM. There are a lot of people in one place, a large population with a lot of diversity – it’s going to spawn artistic creativity.

Benny Ho, a junior civil engineering major, said in an e-mail interview that the expansion of Bay Area hip-hop was a positive thing.

I am from Oakland, and it’s good to see that the Bay is spreading around, Ho said. Music stays in the blood, so wherever we go, we’re going to spread the music undoubtedly.

Friday’s show will be the second hip-hop show the Entertainment Council has put on this year.

I know that hip-hop has been something that’s been underrepresented on campus and people want to see, said Entertainment Council director Emilia Varshavsky. We’re trying to explore different genres. The Federation is a good balance between mainstream and underground.

The Federation is a Fairfield-based hip-hop group that formed in 1998. The group consists of Stressmatic, Goldie Gold and Doonie Baby. Their free performance will be Friday at noon at the Quad. For more information on the group, visit federationmusic.net.

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Those turned off by the lack of interesting, thought-provoking films in theaters these days may now have found a place of refuge. The fifth annual Davis Film Festival kicks off at 7:30 p.m. today at Varsity Theatre with the screening of acclaimed documentary and multiple film festival award-winner Moving Midway.

Continuing Friday and Saturday at Veterans Memorial Theatre, this year’s festival features films on topics including art, music, war and human rights. Included in the lineup are short works and feature-length pieces by filmmakers from all around the country.

Festival director Judith Plank created the annual event in 2003 after she decided that Davis, like many other small communities around the nation, needed an all-encompassing film festival for the entire city – not just UC Davis. Plank is pleased at how much the event has grown in scope and popularity over the years.

It takes a while for people in a community to expect annual events like this every year, and I think we have almost gotten to that point now, she said. I’m amazed – there’s a lot more community involvement every year. I just hope one day we’ll be as big as Mill Valley.

According to film studies professor Jaimey Fisher, small, community-based film festivals have become an important avenue for marketing independent films that would normally have little chance of being distributed widely. Plus, smaller communities get a chance to see films they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, he said.

Film festivals have become a well-established part of the supply chain for small films, Fisher said. This creates word-of-mouth publicity about a film without an extensive campaign.

The following are some provided synopses that highlight the variety that will take the screen at this year’s festival.

Moving Midway – Godfrey Cheshire (98 min.)tonight

The film chronicles the resettlement of renowned Southern film critic Godfrey Cheshire’s family from noisy, sprawling Raliegh, N.C. to the ancestral home of their extended family – the quiet, mysterious Midway Plantation. He uses this event to analyze the Southern plantation in American history and culture, including its influence on areas such as music, movies and race relations.

The Traveler – William Olsson (60 min.), Friday

When confronted by his longtime girlfriend who tells him that he is unable to love and is more dead than alive, Albin’s life falls apart. He gets fired from his job at a bank and cannot push himself to take the final exam for a prestigious M.B.A. degree. Albin flees home in desperation and ends up at a seedy hostel in former East Berlin.

Pirate Radio USA –Jeff Pearson (85 min.), Friday

According to their website, the film is a feature length digital documentary about the underground world of illegal radio in America, where people play what they want and say what they want – unless the FCC catches them…

Saturday afternoon will feature shorts only. A few of these include:

A Day Like Any Other – Alex Kravitz (7 min.)

Kravitz, a Davis High School junior and aspiring film director, originally wrote and directed this in response to a call for submissions to a youtube.com video competition. Based on a 14-year-old girl and her mildly mentally challenged 16-year-old brother after the death of their mother, the film explores family dynamics in less-than-optimal circumstances.

68° and Clear – Dawn Westlake (15 min.)

Taking place in L.A., where it is always 68 degrees and clear, this film shows how an 11-year-old African American mugger saves the life of a middle-aged suicidal white woman.

Two films will be screened on Saturday night:

(c-pic)

Listen to Iran’s People: A Call for Peace – Margot Smith (30 min.)

This was filmed in Iran during March 2007, an particularly unstable political time. The video chronicles the filmmaker’s trip and the thoughts of people on the street – students, professors and imams – who all expressed to the United States a wish for peace.

(c-pic)

For the Bible tells me so – Daniel Karslake (99 min.)

This documentary attempts to reconcile homosexuality and Biblical scripture. Tough questions are posed: Does God really condemn loving homosexual relationships? Is the Bible an excuse to hate?

Tickets for one showing are $10, and a $35 pass includes admission to all of the festival’s events. All tickets can be purchased online at davisfilmfest.org or at Armadillo Music on F Street.

LAYOUT: Sidebar, Daily Schedule

Thursday 7:30 p.m. – doors open 7 p.m.

Moving Midway – Godfrey Cheshire (98 min.)

9 p.m. Q & A with the filmmakers

Friday 7:30 – doors open 6 p.m.

Fundraiser for KDRT 101.5 FM

Torn Asunder – Bob Barancik (5 min.)

Pirate Radio USA – Jeff Pearson (85 min.)

Intermission

7 Minutes – Shannon O’Rourke (10 min.)

The Traveler – William Olsson (60 min.)

Saturday afternoon: Shorts begin 12:30 p.m. – Doors Open 12 p.m.

A Day Like Any Other– Alex Kravitz (7 min.)

Primates of Uganda and Rwanda – Fred Heiman (40 min.)

68° and Clear – Dawn Westlake (15 min.)

Soldiers of Sisyphus – Bob Barancik (5 min.)

Lanesplitting – Chet Patterson (5 min.)

Islands at Risk – Na Maka o ka Aina (30 min.)

Intermission

Diary of Niclas Gheiler – George Aguilar (32 min.)

Worlds Within Worlds – Marlene Sinicki (5 min.)

Leftovers – Chelsea Walton (2 min.)

A Trip to Prague – Neil Ira Needleman (5 min.)

Maybe Baby – Shannon O’Rourke (60 min.)

The Davis Film Festival Party 4 to 6 p.m. at the Davis Art Center. Will include food, drink and music.

Saturday 7:30 p.m. – Doors Open 7p.m.

Listen to Iran’s People: A Call for Peace – Margot Smith (30 min.)

Intermission

For the Bible tells me so – Daniel Karslake (99 min.)

SONIA PARECADAN can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Counting Crows

Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

Geffen Record

Rating: 4

After a six-year-long disappearance, Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz seems ready to take on the musical world with the band’s first full-length release since Hard Candy.

Aptly titled Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, the release is cleverly divided according to the soul-searching late-night forays and early-morning regrets that usually compose the weekend. The first six tracks are predominantly up-tempo tunes while the final eight consist of softer, introspective rock ballads. However, despite this attempt at an even distribution of Duritz’s signature unthreatening wail, the first half of the CD outshines the latter and ultimately generates its strongest tracks.

Perhaps this is mostly owing to the influence of Gil Norton, who produced the Saturday Nights section of the album as well as the band’s well-received 1996 release, Recovering the Satellites. Songs like !492 and Hanging Tree have recognizable traces of the band’s roots with a sound reminiscent of Satellites and the calculatedly messy guitar riffs to match.

Though the apologetic ballad You Can’t Count on Me is the Crows’ first single off of Saturday Nights, the wiser choice could’ve arguably been Cowboys, the last track from the album’s first half. The song is lyrically rich, with Duritz’s trademark self-deprecation as he sings, This is a list of what I should’ve been, but I’m not/ This is a list of the things I should’ve seen/ But I’m not seeing. Overall, the track is a satisfying mix of the melancholy undertones and boisterous guitar solos that Crows fans have been missing for the past six years.

With the danceable Shrek 2 sing-along Accidentally in Love as one of their few musical interjections after Hard Candy, I’m reluctant to call Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings a successful comeback. The first half stands strongest, and I’m inclined to believe that more Norton-produced tracks would do the album more justice. Then again, there’s nothing wrong with a Sunday morning ballad, and the Counting Crows at least know how to do it right.

-Jayne Wilson

Give these tracks a listen:

Hanging Tree

Cowboy

LIVE MUSIC

Pilipino Time ’08: Time to Get Happy!

Friday, 7 p.m., $10 in advance and $12 at the door

Performance Arts Theatre, Davis High School

As far as I know, people of all races may attend this Pilipino-intensive performance, and I promise that all will enjoy it! Expect the best from the hip-hop dance squad MK Modern and song by the MK Choir. Other performers include Anak, High Notes and Leejay Abucayan. This event benefits the Pilipino Outreach and Retention Coalition for Education.

Relay for Life Benefit Concert

Today, 8 p.m., $3-5

Delta of Venus

Running is one way to fight cancer, and rocking out is another. The benefit show features music by student acts Unit Panic, Startropics (fresh jubilance blaring out the Caldecott Tunnel) and Sex Funk & Danger. The show will be opened up with standup from Birdstrikers Alison Fields and Gregory Gaye, as well as music spun by DJ Josh Krey.

Manacle, Planets, O Lucky Man!, Buildings Breeding

Friday, 8 p.m.

Old Firehouse

I have to say that although I am a loyal Buildings Breeding fan, I have one tiny unfulfilled dream – seeing them play the Sparklehorse cover! At Friday’s indie-poppin’ show, will y’all do me a favor and chant Piano Fire in between every song during their set? And a side note: fans of SWIMS, Tera Melos or Minus the Bear will thoroughly enjoy Manacle’s mathy, finger-taptastic set!

Kouta & the Red Barn Roots Band

Friday, 8 p.m.

Delta of Venus

Rooted in music from long ago, this local ensemble will bring a ’60s psychedelic, accordion-filled flavor to the wooden, art-embellished walls of the DOV. And very importantly, this show is free, so you can waste most of your money on drinks!

The Federation

Friday, noon

The Quad

What is hyphy? They’re from the Bay Area, so does that mean they are hyphy? Hopefully I get my questions answered at this Entertainment Council noon Quad show or by reading the story on the front page!

Diego’s Umbrella, 40 Watt Hype

Friday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

The G Street Pub

Can hype be measured in units of power? If so, this Latin/hip-hop group out of Fresno exerts 40 Jules of energy a second. Hopefully this scientific mindf*ck will lure you into the darkened depths of G Street tomorrow evening.

The Suga Shack feat. Semilla, The Friendly Creatures, Fu!Shang and the Jalapeño Chocolates

Saturday

Delta of Venus

Two free nights at the DOV sound like a particularly wonderful weekend in my opinion – especially when each evening’s performances are so vastly different. Saturday’s lineup includes live music from soul and funk bands as well as live poetry. By the sounds of these band names, this get-together will be bundles of fun!

Dead Western, Ora Cogan, Gabriel Saloman and Aja Rose Duo, Joseph Davancens

Sunday, 8 p.m., $4

Delta of Venus

Well, you’re most likely wondering who the heck all these people are. I don’t have answers, but I can confirm this show projects darkness and tranquility of folk song.

Drew Danburry, Sterling Riot, TBA

Sunday, 8 p.m., $4

Old Firehouse

Quirkiness is in store for those who come out of their studying caves for a short time Sunday evening. Folk punk meets sex rock from local openers Sterling Riot to SoCal’s Drew Danburry. And as promised, the show coordinators will be offering you chocolate soymilk if you come early enough. I advise that you provide the cookies.

GALLERY

American Folk Art Exhibition

Saturday, 7 p.m.

John Natsoulas Center

Festive, crafty and telling of our colorful history, American folk art is a genre that everyone can understand and appreciate. This exhibit surveys and thoroughly explores the realm of experiment and untrained artistry, drawing from inner necessity and daily occurrences.

POETRY

Cornered: Joe Wenderoth

Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

The Book Collector in Sacramento

He holds it down in Davis, but does this quirky professor have the balls to bring his tragic poetry to Sacramento? The answer is yes.

MONDAVI / THEATRE

The Eroica Effect

Friday, 8 p.m., $65 for non-students and $32.50 for students

Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Andrew Manze will give a pre-performance lecture on Beethoven’s Eroicasymphony before he conducts the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra into full-out performance of both Beethoven and Brahms pieces.

Anoushka Shankar

Saturday, 8 p.m., $39 for non-students and $19.50 for students

Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

She’s the elegant and talented daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar, following in his footsteps. Come experience a sampling of her Grammy-nominated collection Rise, which captures both the traditional and contemporary aspects of the family trade.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Friday through Sunday

Wyatt Pavilion Theatre

A play about Charlie Brown? Good grief! More information on this musical can be in the article about Studio 301.

Cats

Sunday, 7 p.m., $55

Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Yeah, it’s really the frisky feline musical scurrying its way into the land of allergies, Davis in the springtime. Kleenex not provided.

AT THE MOVIES

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Opens Friday at the Varsity Theatre

Now here’s a movie you can take your mother to if she’s coming to visit this weekend – a tale of an adorably dressed London governess finding a new life in a new acquaintance – American singer and actress Delysia Lafosse. Grab an ice lolly and stick it through this film for your mum.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Monday only at 7:30 p.m. at the Varsity Theatre

It’s the story of heartbreak we all know and love, and it includes some babelicious actors to drool over. Check Entertainment Council’s Facebook Group for more information.

Editor’s Picks:

Relay for Life Benefit Concert

Today at Delta of Venus

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Monday at the Varsity

21

Directed by Robert Luketic

Rating: 2

Perhaps you’ve seen the tantalizing trailers – dangerous action, clever counting and an evil Kevin Spacey in the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas. Sounds exciting, right? Too bad 21 was nothing like the movie the marketing team pretended it would be.

21 follows the plight of MIT star student and goody two-shoes Campbell (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe), who, after receiving his acceptance letter to Harvard Medical School, finds that he is unable to pay for the school’s high tuition fees. Luckily, Campbell manages to impress his professor Mickey Rosa (Spacey) in his non-linear equations class and is recruited by Rosa to join his blackjack team. Using a system of counting cards, verbal codes and secret sign language, the team is able to strategically win gobs of money from the casinos – so much, that it’s only a matter of time until they are caught by the menacing loss prevention specialist Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne).

The film masquerades as a sexy casino movie like Ocean’s Eleven, but at heart, it’s a poorly written teen movie like The Perfect Score, complete with awkward protagonist, school angst and obligatory sex scenes. And despite the inherent high stakes of the plot, the movie is mostly non-threatening and quite simply, boring.

Director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) just doesn’t know how to create tension. The movie takes forever and a day to finally finish its setup, and once the team actually even gets to Vegas, the repetitive game play wears the premise thin. The film would have been infinitely more interesting if Luketic bothered to spend more than five seconds with the actual mathematical method behind the winning (and apparently, inaccurately represented) madness.

And while glossing over the math can be attributed to Hollywood dumbing it down for America, the characters themselves are also sorely neglected and are never fleshed out. And let’s not even talk about the unbelievable finale that could only be producers pandering to the naive idealism of teenagers hoping to breeze by any academic or financial hardships.

Working against its favor, 21 also suffers the frequent film affliction some call Hollywoodization. While marketed as inspired by a true story, the movie itself was very loosely based on the novel Bringing Down the House, which in turn was based on the happenings of the actual MIT blackjack team. Several differences in the movie adaptation include the lack of a villainous teacher and a noble cause like financing Harvard Med. However, the most controversial departure from the source material is that the film’s main protagonists, all cast as Caucasian, were all Asian in real life.

Though the production team does have two Asian supporting characters in the film behind Spacey, Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Jacob Pitts, their roles are minimal. They are so dismissively and stereotypically handled, they may as well have not been in the film at all – for example, in almost every scene Choi (Aaron Yoo) is in, he is seen stealing something because he’s so cheap.

So, unless you like clichés, stereotypes and being able to predict everything that can and will happen in a movie, don’t watch 21. You’re cute, Jim Sturgess, but not that cute.

-Christine Vu