Arts & entertainment
Page 8: The Sheridan Sun, Thursday, November 19, 2009
Blind Side an eye opener Lindsey Marshall Movies
Sackboy, the charming character in Little Big Planet.
PSP gamers can finally ‘hit the sack’ Ankush Sharma Gaming
Studio Cambridge and Media Molecule bring a world of fun to Sony’s Playstation Portable with Little Big Planet, a side-scrolling adventure with a touch of cuteness. Little Big Planet originally released for the Playstation 3 last year, was well received by many critics and gamers around the world. Now players will have a chance to take all the fun of the original with them on the go. Players take on the role of Sackboy, a beanbag person who must travel around the world, completing various levels in order to make his way to Tinsel Town. The simplicity of the twodimensional environment is enhanced by the game’s puppet-theatre feel. As your character moves through the levels, he will face many obstacles and challenges while collecting points. Climbing, jumping over lava and riding skateboards are just few of the things the character will do. The number of points players collect will determine the rewarding gifts at the end of each stage. These prizes can be various building materials and clothes to customize your little sack-buddy. The building materials can be used to create customizable levels offering almost endless gaming possibilities. This is one of the most exciting features brought down from the PS3 version. Players can also unlock various options on the menu screen by progressing through the game. One of these options is called My Moon, a place where gamers can go to create their own worlds with a helpful tutorial for those who have never played PS3 version. After players finish a level, they can share them with others around the globe by going online. They can also download creations by other players. However, the PSP version doesn’t support co-operative online gameplay, an important feature that is available on the PS3.
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson back on the big screen for their leading roles as Bella Swan and Edward Cullen as their love story progresses into a full-blown love triangle.
‘Twi-Hards’ descend on movie theatres Amber Bucaro Movies
Young women worldwide geared up for a night with their favourite Twilight cast members. Or, better yet, their fantasy boyfriends. Girls of every shape, size, race and age showed up as early as 9:30 a.m. to get the best seats in the house for a movie showing that wasn’t being seated until 11:30 p.m. Luckily for most it was a school night and 90 per cent of the TwiHard followers were asleep in bed waiting for the official New Moon opening on Friday night. Some were able to snag sneak peek tickets for the early 10 p.m. screening on Thursday night before the movie was actually released. Not that an early screening, or the fact that there were five other theatres playing the movie, made a difference. The lines were still as long as expected and packed with women so excited they could barely contain themselves at the AMC Courtney Park theatres in Mississauga. Not to mention all the boys dragged along
“
“I made sure I bought tickets as early as I could.”
by girlfriends and wives. “I knew most theatres would have a sneak peek of the movie so I made sure I bought tickets as early as I could,” said Hayleigh Sheppard of Mississauga. “Nothing was stopping me from coming to see it. I think we have all waited long enough and for those who are fans, I am sure they agree with me.” The Twilight Saga: Twilight last year raked in just under of $70 million in its opening weekend. Entertainment Weekly announced Twilight Saga: New Moon grossed more than $140.7 million in American and Canadian theatres alone, and more than $258.8 million worldwide in three days. It was named the third biggest three-day debut ever, after The Dark Knight and Spider Man 3. New Moon broke midnight screening records
around the world with $26.3 million and opening day records with $72.7 million on more than 8,500 screens and 4,024 different locations. As the movies get bigger, so does the franchise and its assorted paraphernalia. Young girls showed up at the theatre dressed in their “Team Edward” [Robert Pattinson] and “Team Jacob” [Taylor Lautner] shirts to show which side of the love story they are on. Now, not only can you buy t-shirts, you can purchase life-size cardboard cutouts of favourite characters and skins for your phones, laptops, gaming devices and MP3 players. “I actually went into Bluenotes the other day and picked up this ‘I heart Rob’ shirt for $15,” said Jessica Fehr, another Twi-Hard. “I needed something to wear to show my support in the Twilight Saga, and of course Robert Pattinson.” The third installment, Eclipse, will be released June 30, 2010, just in time for a summer blockbuster. No one knows how much the third movie will bring in, but it can only get bigger from here.
Depicting a remarkable and inspirational true story, The Blind Side follows the life of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), an African-American teen who comes from a broken home and achieves stardom with the help of a white southern conservative family. Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), and her husband Sean (Tim McGraw), who see great promise in Oher, take him under their wings to help him fulfil his whole self as a professional football player, on and off the field. The Tuohy family eventually adopts Oher, who is barely educated and lost in the world due to years of abandonment from his mother. Before long, he has his own room and his adoptive mother helps him learn how to study and buys him new clothes. This jump-starts his life when he is awarded a scholarship to a private Christian school and becomes eligible to play football, he later becomes the best offensive lineman in the country. Although this movie generalizes races, the true meaning behind it is what matters the most. The Blind Side is an uplifting and entertaining feel-good, fact-based sports drama. The Blind Side is emotionally honest and shows how unfair that kind of generalization can be. It provides an insightful and just view of racial and political realities in the contemporary American South. The Blind Side is not a story about race; rather it is true story about how a little bit of generosity can change the lives of those with an open heart.
Hollywood gives the gift of this season’s most anticipated blockbusters Rachelle Williamson Movies
It’s that time of year again, which means the arrival of eggnog, mall Santas and holiday blockbusters. Here’s the Sheridan Sun’s preview of what’s to come in the theatres this holiday season. Everybody’s Fine (Dec. 4) Every year, Frank’s three kids come home for the holidays. But when they all cancel without any explanation he sets out on a road trip to get some answers. Frank soon finds out his children’s lives are far from picture perfect. Everybody’s Fine stars Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. Ninja Assassin (Nov. 25) While bloody sword fights and roundhouse kicks don’t symbolize Yuletide cheer,
Ninja Assassin is sure to be a much-welcomed early Christmas gift to action flick fans. Raizo, played by Korean pop star Rain, is an unstoppable assassin that was trained by an underground society called the Ozuno Clan. When that same society kills his best friend, Raizo vows to avenge his friend’s death and take down the clan one by one. Produced by Joel Silver and The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix). Avatar (Dec. 18) In this 3-D animated film, Jake, a paralyzed marine, is able to walk again when he agrees to participate in an Avatar program. Sent to the peaceful moon Pandora, Jake integrates with the Na’vi and finds love amongst the ten feet tall blue humanoid race. When the military begins stripping Pandora of its resources, the Na’vi battle back and
Jake is forced to pick sides. Did You Hear About The Morgans? (Dec. 18) Sarah Jessica Parker hangs up her stilettos to star with Hugh Grant in a romantic comedy about an estranged couple that witness a murder and are pushed into the witness protection program. Trading New York City for rural Wyoming, can the slow pace save the Morgan’s crumbling marriage? Sherlock Holmes (Dec. 25) In this action-packed adventure drama, Sherlock Holmes and his trusted colleague Watson embark on a new challenge. Using brains and lethal brawn, they battle a new nemesis and uncover a plot that could destroy Britain. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams.