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Movie Review

‘Journey 2’ sinks Verne’s isle in 3-D muck “Mysterious Island” is every bit the amusement park ride cloaked as a movie that the first “Journey” was. ■

By DAVID GERMAIN

D12 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Movies

AP Movie Writer

There’s little mystery about “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” This 3-D sort-of sequel wears its formula-for-dollars purpose with pride, delivering a dash of cinematic nonsense that represents Hollywood calculation at its shrewdest and most shameless. Aga i n p o k i n g Ju l e s Verne’s remains with a sharp stick, the producers of the 2008 hit “Journey to the Center of the Earth” present their second modern take on the 19th century fantasist’s wild stories. And “Mysterious Island” is every bit the amusement park ride cloaked as a movie that the first “Journey” was, the new flick stranding a misfit band of adventurers on Verne’s lost island of freakish creatures. What this one lacks by comparison is the relative novelty of digital 3-D, which was in its infancy for mainstream theatrical releases when “Journey to the Center of the Earth” came out. It also lacks the likable goof factor of Brendan Fraser, who starred in the first movie but isn’t back for the second. Dwayne Johnson steps in this time, and while he tries to yuck it up amid

Associated Press

In this image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, from left, Michael Caine and Luis Guzman are shown in a scene from “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” the nonstop action, he’s just not a goofball on the order of Fraser, who somehow can make extreme silliness palatable with that big, simpering grin of his. Johnson, on the other hand, merely simpers. “Journey 2” also features a change of directors, with Brad Peyton (“Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”) overseeing a collection of impressive but annoying visuals, serving up gimmicky 3-D that’s continually trying to poke things in your eye. Johnson stars as ex-Navy guy Hank, stepfather to troublesome teenager Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson, reprising his role from the first “Journey”). In its rushed and clunky opening minutes, “Journey

2” establishes that Sean’s a bad boy genius who resents his stepdad; bonds the two in a scene that shows Hank’s an OK guy and Sean’s not such a bad boy and not such a genius; sends them off to the South Pacific in search of Sean’s grandfather (M ichael Caine), who sent a cryptic transmission that he had found Verne’s supposedly fictional island; and lands them in the company of helicopter pilot Gabato (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful daughter, Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens), who ferry the visitors to the remote isle. Peyton and cousins Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn, who wrote the screenplay, waste no time giving the characters more than the barest cartoon personalities, al-

lowing the filmmakers to focus on the movie’s only reason to exist. And that’s purely as a thrill ride, the actors racing from a giant lizard, flying on monster bees while pursued by colossal hungry birds, rushing to escape an enormous electric eel. Size matters to the filmmakers here, which might be why they signed up Johnson, a co-producer as well as star, who strains for some laughs with an overdone gag about his massive pectoral muscles. The actors make an effort with the interminable repartee they’re given to mutter, but the presence of actors as good as Caine and Guzman only highlights how dreadful and dumb the banter is (“Journey 2”

will be preceded by a new Daffy Duck cartoon; that short didn’t play before a recent critics’ screening, but we’re betting its dialogue will be sharper than the main attraction’s). The 3-D images have improved greatly since the first “Journey,” but even more this time, the film-

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makers play a game of “made you flinch” with cheap shots of objects hurtling off the screen. Good for a giggle at a theme park attraction, good for some groans and grousing when paying a 3-D premium to park your carcass in a theater for 90 minutes. There’s promise of more, too, the movie hanging out the prospect of a “Journey 3” inspired by another of Verne’s sci-fi classics. The root of the franchise is kind of clever, updating Verne’s novels to our times by pretending they weren’t fantasies but chronicles of actual expeditions. And “Journey 2” has its heart in the right place as a family-friendly adventure that might interest some kids in checking out Verne’s books. If only the movie had the hint of a brain. “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG for some adventure action, and brief mild language. Running time: 94 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

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Entertainment in the heart of the midstate

Section D February 9, 2012

Inside: “Journey” falls flat with reviewer — D12

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Special Events

Theater

Music

• The Big Band Sound will perform from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 at the Carlisle Comfort Suites. Tickets are $30 per person, $50 per couple. Call 385-1933.

• Oyster Mill Playhouse will present “Angel Street,” a psychological thriller by Patrick Hamilton, at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 12, at its playhouse, 1001 Oyster Mill Road, Camp Hill. Opening night tickets are $16 and include a reception. All other performances are $14. Visit www.oystermill.com or call 737-6768.

• A Valentine Date Night Community Concert featuring Randy Simpson and Pete Einstein will be held 7-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at The Tree House, 1090 Franklin St., Carlisle. Admission, beverages and dessert are available by donation. Proceeds benefit SonPower Ministries and Randy Simpson Ministries. Call 249-6003.

• Lock and Key Events will hold a Singles Lock and Key Event Saturday, Feb. 11, at Champions Sports Bar in Highspire. Check-in begins at 7;15 p.m. Visit www.lockandkeyevents.com or call 645-9898. • The Metropolitan Area Dance Club will hold a dance 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the PA Dance Sport Ballroom, 585 E. Main St., Hummelstown. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Marino will provide music. Call 774-2171. • “Pillow Talk” will be shown at the Hershey Theatre at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12. General admission tickets are $7. Visit www.HersheyTheatre.com or call 534-3405.

• Dickinson College to host a poetry reading by Elyse Fenton at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 in the Stern Center, great room. The event is free. Visit clarkeforum.org or call 245-1875. • Pat’s Singles Dance Club will hold a dance from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Valencia Ballroom, York. 142 N. George St. Admission is $10. Visit http://NewSingles3.tripod.com or call 303-1969. • The International Fly Fishing Film Festival will be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Lancaster County Convetion Center in conjuction with the 2012 Fly Fishing Show. Admission is $15 or $10 advance purchase or with admission ot the Fly Fishing Show. Visit www. flyfishingshow.com or call (866)481-2393. • The Metropolitan Area Dance Club will hold a dance 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the PA Dance Sport Ballroom, 585 E. Main St., Hummelstown. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Call 774-2171. • Comedian Lewis Black will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the StrandCapitol Performing Arts Center, York. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9. Visit www.strandcapitol.org or call the box office at 846-1111. • “Stars on Ice” will be coming to the area at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 18, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Tickets are $25 and are available via www.ticketmaster.com or at the Giant Center Box Office. Special on-ice seating is also available upon request.

• Garrison Keillor is coming back to Harrisburg at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg. For tickets and information, visit www.whitakercenter.org or call 214-ARTS. • Joan Rivers will be performing at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at the Hershey Theatre. Tickets are $40-$65, or $95 for the show and a meet-and-greet. Visit www.hersheytheatre.com or www.ticketmaster.com or call 534-3405. • The Imagination Movers will bring their show “Rock-O-Matic” to the Hershey Theatre at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26. Tickets are $25.75-$45.75. Visit www. hersheytheatre.com or www.ticketmaster.com or call 534-3405.

• Theatre Harrisburg presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 4-19. There will also be shows at 4 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 4 and 18, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11. Performances are held at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, harrisburg. Tickets are $20-$33. Call 214-ARTS. • The Popcorn Hat Players will present “Hansel and Gretel” at 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 1 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 8-March 3, at Gamut Classic Theatre, third floor, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg. Tickets are $5-$8. Visit www. gamutplays.org or call 238-4111. • The Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg will present “Shakespeare in Hollywood” Feb. 10 through Feb. 26. Visit www.ltmonline.net or call 766-0535. • The Luhrs Center will present “Fiddler on the Roof” at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 14. Reserved tickets are $48, $43 and $35. Visit luhrscenter.com or call 477-7469. • The Gamut Theatre Group will present “First in Our Hearts” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 at Gamut Classic Theatre, 605 Strawberry Square, Harrisburg. Tickets are $12. Visit www.gamutplays.org. • The Tap Dancers Collective, a newly formed tap dancing group for current and former tap dancers, will meet Sundays at 5 p.m. at Nee Danse Company, 2040 Derry St., Harrisburg. The only cost is a shared fee to cover space rental. For more information, call Jerry Bowers at 697-2748. • Pennsylvania playwrights are encouraged to submit original, full-length scripts to York Little Theatre’s annual Pennsylvania Original Playwright Competition. Plays should be full-length, unproduced scripts by playwrights who are currently Pennsylvania residents. For more information about the competition, call 854-3894 or visit www.ylt.org.

• Cheryl Wheeler will perform 8-10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. Third St., Harrisburg. Tickets are $25 or $30. Visit www.midtownscholar.com or call 236-1680. • True North Brass will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Hostetter Chapel at Messiah College. Tickets are $23. Visit www.messiah.edu/culturalseries or call 691-6036. • Dickinson College faculty will perfrom solo works by Bach and Lau at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 at the First Lutheran Church, Carlisle. The concert is free. Call 2451568. • Gary McCarren and the Blues to Rock will perform at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at Carlisle Ribbon Mill, 320 E. Louther St., Carlisle. Call 422-7017. Cost is $20, BYOB. • Carlisle Musical Arts Club will present its monthly program at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Carlisle YWCA on G Street. • The 16th Annual Millennium Music Conference and Showcase will be held Feb. 17 and 18 at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center, Camp Hill. Visit www. musicconference.net. • Beck & Benedict Hardware Music Theatre will present a concert of blue grass music featuring Iron Ridge Bluegrass Band and Salem Bottom Boys Bluegrass Band at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, 118 Walnut St., Waynesboro. Cost is $13, children under 12 are free. Call 762-4711 or visit www.beck-benedicthardware.com • Dickinson College faculty will present “Tyvie/music: Music for Horn, Electronics and Visual Multimedia,” at 7 p.m. Saturday Feb. 18 at Rubendall Recital Hall, Weiss Center for the Arts, West High Street. The concert is free. Call 248-1568. • The Susquehanna Folk Music Society presents a concert of unique acoustic music from Sweden, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, 925 S. George St., York. The cost is $20 general admission, $16 for members and $10 for students. Visit www.sfmsfolk.org or call 763-5744. • Cantate Carlisle is holding auditions for interested singers of all voice parts. Call 245-0144 or visit www. cantatecarlisle.org for more information or to request an audition time.

Event information can be submitted via email to frontdoor@cumberlink.com, by mail, 457 E. North St., Carlisle, PA 17013 or by fax at 243-3121. For more information, visit www.cumberlink.com/entertainment

The Artist (PG-13) Thu.-Thu. 10:55 a.m., 1:15, 3:50, 6:50, 9:05 Beauty and the Beast 3D (G) Thu. 11 a.m., 1, 3 Big Miracle (PG) Thu. 11:35 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:10, 9:35, Fri.-Thu. 11:35 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:05, 9:30 Chronicle (PG-13) Thu. 11:25 a.m., 1:25, 3:25, 5:25, 7:40, 10:05, Fri.-Thu. 11:25 a.m., 1:25, 3:25, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55 Contraband (R) Thu. 5, 7:30, 10, Fri.-Thu. 4:25, 9:35 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (PG-13) Thu. 10:55 a.m., 1:30, 4:10, 6:55, 9:40, Fri.Thu. 10:55 a.m., 4:15, 6:55 The Grey (R) Thu. 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:15, 9:55, Fri.-Thu. 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:10, 9:55 The Iron Lady (PG-13) Thu. 11:15 a.m., 1:45, 4:10, 6:45, 9:10, Fri.-Thu. 11:10 a.m., 1:45, 4:10, 6:40, 9 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 12:15, 2:45, 5:05, 7:30, 9:45 Man on a Ledge (PG-13) Thu. 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:45, 10:10 One for the Money (PG-13) Thu. 11:55 a.m., 2:10, 4:25, 7:25, 9:40, Fri.-Thu. 11:55 a.m., 2:10, 7:25 Red Tails (PG-13) Thu. 10:50 a.m., 1:35, 4:20, 7:05, 9:50, Fri.Thu. 1:35, 9:40 Safe House (R) Fri.-Thu. 11 a.m., 1:30, 4, 7, 9:50 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 11:30 a.m., 2:40, 6:45, 9:45 This Means War (PG-13) Tue. (Feb. 14)-Thu. 10:55 a.m., 1:05, 3:20, 5:35, 7:50, 10:05 Underworld: Awakening 3D (R) Thu. 11:10 a.m., 1:10, 3:15, 5:20, 7:50, 10 The Vow (PG-13) Fri.-Thu. 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 4:45, 7:20, 9:50 Woman in Black (PG-13) Thu. 12:25, 2:40, 4:55, 7:20, 9:45, Fri.-Thu. 12:25, 2:35, 4:55, 7:15, 9:30

Flagship Cinemas Big Miracle (PG) Thu.-Thu. 12:55, 3:40, 6:50, 9:30 Chronicle (PG-13) Thu. 12:35, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:55, Fri.-Thu. 12:35, 2:55, 5:10, 7:25, 9:55 The Descendants (R) Thu.-Thu. 1:05, 3:45, 7:05, 9:45

Continued next column

Flagship continued Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (PG-13) Thu. 12:30, 3:20, 6:45, 9:35 The Grey (R) Thu. 1, 3:35, 7, 9:40 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 Man on a Ledge (PG-13) Thu. 12:50, 3:15, 7:10, 10 Safe House (R) Fri.-Thu. 1, 3:35, 7, 9:35 Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 12:30, 3:25, 6:45, 9:40 Underworld: Awakening 3D (R) Thu. 12:45, 3:10, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50 The Vow (PG-13) Fri.-Thu. 12:50, 3:15, 7:10, 10 Woman in Black (PG-13) Thu.-Thu. 12:40, 3:05, 5:25, 7:45, 10:05

Great Escape Beauty and the Beast 3D (G) Thu. 11:40 a.m., 1:55, 4:15 Big Miracle (PG) Thu. 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2, 3, 4:30, 5:30, 7, 9:30, Fri.-Thu. 11:35 a.m., 2:05, 4:35, 7:05, 9:35 Chronicle (PG-13) Thu.-Thu. 12:10, 2:35, 4:55, 7:20, 9:40 Contraband (R) Thu. 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:20, Fri.-Thu. 7:45, 10:20 The Descendants (R) Thu. 12:25, 3:50, 6:45, 9:25 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (PG-13) Thu. 12:35, 7:05 Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (R) Thu. 8 The Grey (R) Thu. 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10, Fri.-Thu. 12:35, 4:15, 7:25, 10:10 The Iron Lady (PG-13) Thu. 11:35 a.m., 2, 4:25, 6:50, 9:15 Joyful Noise (PG-13) Thu. 3:55, 10 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 2D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 12:20, 2:45, 5 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 11:30 a.m., 1:45, 4:10, 7:10, 9:30 Man on a Ledge (PG-13) Thu. 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:15, Fri.-Thu. 3:50, 9:15 One for the Money (PG-13) Thu. 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:10, 9:45, Fri.-Thu. 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:15, 9:45

Continued next column

Great Escape continued

Regal Harrisburg

Red Tails (PG-13) Thu. 12:40, 4, 7:15, 10:05, Fri.-Thu. 12:30, 3:40, 6:30, 9:20 Safe House (R) Fri.-Thu. 11:40 a.m., 12:40, 2:25, 3:45, 5:15, 6:50, 7:50, 9:25, 10:25 Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 12:45, 4, 7, 10 This Means War (PG-13) Tue. (Feb. 14) 7:20 Underworld: Awakening 3D (R) Thu.-Thu. 12, 2:15, 4:40, 7:35, 9:50 The Vow (PG-13) Fri.-Thu. 11:50 a.m., 12:50, 2:40, 5:05, 6:40, 7:30, 9:55 Woman in Black (PG-13) Thu. 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:10, 6:40, 7:40, 9:10, 10, Fri.-Thu. 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:20, 7:40, 10

Agneepath (NR) Thu. 8:10 Beauty and the Beast 3D (G) Thu. 1:40, 4:20, 6:40 Big Miracle (PG) Thu. 1:50, 4:30, 7:20, 9:50, Fri.-Thu. 1:10, 4:10, 6:50, 9:20 Chronicle (PG-13) Thu. 2:50, 5:10, 7:40, 10, Fri.-Thu. 2, 4:20, 7, 9:40 Contraband (R) Thu. 4:45, 10:05 The Descendants (R) Thu. 1:10, 3:50, 6:45, 9:25, Fri.-Thu. 1:05, 3:45, 6:45, 9:30 Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (NR) Fri.-Thu. 2:50, 5:30, 8:10, 10:45 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (PG-13) Thu. 1:05, 4, 6:50, 9:45, Fri.-Thu. 1:20, 4:15, 7:05, 10:05 The Grey (R) Thu. 1, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10, Fri.-Thu. 1:50, 4:30, 7:10, 10:10 Haywire (R) Thu. 2:30, 7:45 Hugo (PG) Thu. 2:10, 5 The Iron Lady (PG-13) Thu. 1, 3:40, 6:30, 9:20 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 2D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 5:10 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 2:30, 7:30, 9:50 Man on a Ledge (PG-13) Thu. 1:30, 4:15, 7:15, 9:40 The Metropolitan Opera: Gotterdammerung (NR) Sat. 12 One for the Money (PG-13) Thu. 2:20, 4:40, 7:10, 9:30, Fri.-Thu. 1:30, 4, 6:30, 9:10 Red Tails (PG-13) Thu. 1:20, 4:10, 7, 9:55, Fri.-Thu. 1, 3:50, 6:40, 9:45 Safe House (R) Fri.-Thu. 2:20, 5, 7:50, 10:30 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (PG13) Thu. 9:10 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D (PG) Fri.-Thu. 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:40 This Means War (PG-13) Tue. (Feb.14) 7 Underworld Awakening 3D (R) Thu. 2:45, 5:30, 8, 10:20, Fri.-Thu. 2:45, 5:15, 7:55, 10:15 The Vow (PG-13) Fri.-Thu. 2:10, 4:50, 7:20, 10:10 Woman in Black (PG-13) Thu. 2:40, 5:20, 7:50, 10:30, Fri.-Thu. 2:40, 5:20, 8, 10:20

Regal Carlisle Commons 8 Big Miracle (PG) Thu. 2:10, 4:40, 7:10, Fri.-Sun. 1:40, 4:20, 6:50, 9:30, Mon.-Thu. 1:40, 4:20, 6:50 Chronicle (PG-13) Thu. 2:25, 5, 7:50, Fri. 2:40, 5:10, 7:50, 10:15, Sat.-Sun. 12:30, 2:40, 5:10, 7:50, 10:15, Mon.-Thu. 2:40, 5:10, 7:50 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (PG-13) Thu. 4, 7 The Grey (R) Thu. 1:45, 4:50, 7:40, Fri.-Sun. 2, 4:40, 7:40, 10:20, Mon.-Thu. 2, 4:40, 7:40 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 2D (PG) Fri. 5, Sat.-Thu. 2:30 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG) Fri. 2:30, 7:20, 9:40, Sat.-Sun. 12:10, 5, 7:20, 9:40, Mon.-Thu. 5, 7:20 Man on a Ledge (PG-13) Thu. 2:40, 5:10, 8 One for the Money (PG-13) Thu. 2, 4:15, 7:30, Fri. 2:20, 4:50, 7:10, 9:50, Sat.-Sun. 12:05, 2:20, 4:50, 7:10, 9:50, Mon.-Thu. 2:20, 4:50, 7:10 Red Tails (PG-13) Thu. 1:30, 4:30, 7:20 Safe House (R) Fri. 1:50, 4, 7, 10, Sat.-Sun. 1:50, 4:30, 7:30, 10:10, Mon.-Thu. 1:50, 4:30, 7:30 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D (PG) Fri.-Sun. 1:05, 4, 7, 10, Mon.-Thu. 1:05, 4, 7 This Means War (PG-13) Tue. (Feb. 14) 7:50 Underworld: Awakening 3D (R) Thu. 1:30, 4:30, 7:20 The Vow (PG-13) Fri.-Thu. 11:50 a.m., 12:50, 2:40, 5:05, 6:40, 7:30, 9:55

Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

• Ballroom dance lessons will be offered Mondays, March 19-April 23, in Grove Theatre at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center at Shippensburg University. Three sessions will be offered: beginner from 5:30-6:30 p.m., advanced from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and third timers from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Classes are taught by Frank Hancock. Cost is $35 per person; you do not need to be in a couple to register. Registration is open now by calling the box office at 477-SHOW.

• Open Stage of Harrisburg presents “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Feb. 3-25 at the theater, 223 Walnut St., Harrisburg. Visit www.openstagehbg. com or call 232-OPEN.

Cinema Center of Camp Hill

Movies

Out & About

• An Evening with Spike Lee at 8 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Luhrs Center, Shippensburg University. Tickets are $20. Visit www.luhrscenter.com or call 477-7469.

D2 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Now showing

D11 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Out & About

pect and beat to a pulp a man who had the misfortune of colliding with Brown’s cruiser. That incident is caught on camera and replayed on the evening news, sparking protests and an investigation. “This used to be a glorious soldiers’ department,” sneers Brown to a mixedrace female officer. “And now it’s ... you.” N ice guy, right? At home, we see a softer, complicated side. Brown has two ex-wives (Cynthia Nixon and Anne Heche, both looking lost) who are sisters and neighbors, with whom he has a teenage daughter (Brie Larson) and a younger daughter

(Sammy Boyarsky). It’s an incredulous arrangement and we can only be glad, for basic clarity, when the younger girl sweetly asks her father if she’s inbred. (He laughs and tells her she isn’t and that she’s “native.”) The bizarre domestic situation aside, Brown’s fa ce ge n u i n e ly g l ows around his daughters, surely his only possible pathway to salvation. But Brown is in a selfdestructive tailspin: acting out violently, desperate for departmental cover (Ned Beatty plays a sinister LAPD retiree) and picking up women easily. He approaches one (Robin Wright) at a bar by com-

Movie ratings Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: G — General audiences. All ages admitted. PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children. R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.

menting on her “litigator eyes.” Their relationship forms as one based on mutual self-loathing, and Wright is captivating in

every moment. How does he live with himself? Quite self-assuredly, actually. The most interesting quality

• Jim Guard’s “A Retrospective” will be on display through March 9 at the Schmucker Art Gallery at Gettysburg College, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg. Visit www.gettysburg.edu/gallery or call 337-6080. • Cindy Haden Baker’s “White Pass and Yukon Railroad, Lake Bennett, Alaska” will be on display through May 24 at the Franklin County Area Development Corporation, Chambersburg. Visit www.councilofthearts.net or call 264-6883. • “Earth, Water, Fire, Glaze,” pottery and ceramics exhibition on display through Feb. 24 at the SHAPE Gallery, Shippensburg. Visit www.shapeart.org or call 532-2559. • Nancy Stawitz will display her mixed media works throughout the month of February in the Charley Krone Gallery at New Cumberland Public Library, 1 Benjamin Plaza. Call 774-7820. • Mechanicsburg artist Patty Toth will display her exhibition “Grandeur of Yosemite” through March 7 at the Perry County Council of the Arts Gallery, 1 S. Second St., Newport. An opening reception will be held 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. Visit www.perrycountyarts.org or call 567-7023. • “Art is an entree, not a dessert” will be on display Feb. 12 through July 15 at the DOSHI Gallery at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. • Therese Zemlin will display her artwork through March 9 in the Aughinbaugh Art Gallery at Messiah College’s Climenhaga Fine Arts Center. There will be an artist’s talk and reception at 4:15 p.m. Feb. 10 in the gallery. • The “La Soiree Bleu” Fundraiser will be held Saturday, Feb. 11, at the home of Ann Hoffer. Cost is $50 per person, which includes cocktails, hors d-euvres, music and a gift. Sponsored by the Carlisle Arts Learning Center. Visit www.carlislearts.org. • “Mechanicsburg – A Look at Bygone Days” will be on display Feb. 11-May 26 at the Mechanicsburg Museum Association, 2 W. Strawberry Alley, Mechanicsburg. This exhibit features artifacts and photographs of Mechanicsburg’s bygone days of business and industry. Free and open to the public. Visit www. mechanicsburgmuseum.org or call 697-6088. • “Three Visions,” a juried photographer exhibit featuring Jeb Boyd, Mike Knowlton and John Wright, will be on display through Saturday, Feb. 11, at the gallery at the Carlisle Arts Learning Center, 19 N. Hanover St., Carlisle. Call 249-6973. • “The Blue,” a CALC member exhibit, will run Feb.17-March 17 at Carlisle Arts Learning Center, 19 N. Hanover St., Carlisle. An opening reception will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. Two pieces of artowrk allowed per member; cost is $10 per piece. Prizes will be awarded by jurror Anthony Wolking, visiting professor of art at Dickinson College. visit www.carlislearts.org. • The Council for the Arts of Chambersburg will display photography by local artists in an exhibit entitled “Picture This” through Feb. 17 at its 159 S. Main St. location. Photographers include Chuck Armstrong, Denise Dockey, Kristin Pixler and Bill Stoler. Call 264-6883.

Alibis Eatery and Spirits 10 N. Pitt St. Carlisle, 243-4151 www.alibispirits.com Thursday, Feb. 9: DJ, 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10: Band Night with Funky Fontana, 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11: DJ, 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 Wii and Yuengs and Wings Tuesday, Feb. 14: team trivia 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14: open mic 8 p.m.

NIGHTLIFE | D9

Highlights from performing arts centers in the area. “Fiddler on the Roof” is coming to the Luhrs Center in Shippensburg Valentine’s Day.

THEATRE | D6-7

Appalachian Brewing Company

“Shakespeare in Hollywood” opens at the Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg tomorrow, launching the 2012 production season. Also, the Theatre Development Fund plans to offer several autism-friendly broadway shows.

50 N. Cameron St. Harrisburg, 221-1080 www.abcbrew.com Friday, Feb. 10: Moutain road(CD release party) with guests JT & The Mild Heat 9 p.m. no cover Saturday, Feb. 11: The Jellybricks (CD release party) with guest Julian Fist 9 p.m. $7 cover Wednesday, Feb. 15: The Great White Caps, 8 pm. no cover / Central PA @ Tweetup 7 p.m., no cover

BOOKS | D4-5

Review of “Hunger Games,” “Going Solo” and “The Lady in Gold.”

Gullifty’s Underground 1104 Carlisle Road Camp Hill, 761-6692 www.gulliftys.net Friday, Feb. 10: Jeffrey Gaines, doors open at 8 p.m., show at 10 p.m. advance tickets $11 Saturday, Feb. 11: Alternative Education, doors open at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. tickets $7

MOVIES | D10-12

Reviews of upcoming film releases. “Journey 2” gets a lukewarm review while Woody Harrelson give a “crazy eyed” performance in “Rampart.” Also, see a list of movies opening this weekend in area theaters on D11.

Holly Inn 31 S. Baltimore Ave. Mt. Holly Springs, 486-3823 www.hollyinn.com Tuesday, Feb. 14: Valentine’s Dinner Celebration

Market Cross Pub & Brewery 113 N. Hanover St. Carlisle, 258-1234 ‘Journey 2’ sinks Verne’s isle in 3-D muck www.marketcrosspub.com Friday, Feb. 10: Troegs Night, 5 to 7 p.m., The Willy’s, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11: Seldom Said No, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14: Pint Night TBA Thursday, Feb. 16: Open jame with Gary Brown 8 - 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17: Internation Guinness Toast 11 p.m. Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

Associated Press

In this image released by Millennium Entertainment, Woody Harrelson is shown in a scene from “Rampart.”

Art

Local music clubs are setting high standards in the community. Also, the iTunes Top 10 lists.

Movie Review

“Mysterious island” is every bit the amusement park ride cloaked as a movie that the first “Journey” was. O

By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

Stage on Herr

There’s little mystery about “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” This 3-D sort-of sequel wears its formula-for-dollars purpose with pride, delivering a dash of cinematic nonsense that represents Hollywood calculation at its shrewdest and most shameless. Aga i n p o k i n g Ju l e s Verne’s remains with a sharp stick, the producers of the 2008 hit “Journey to the Center of the Earth” present their second modern take on the 19th century fantasist’s wild stories. And “Mysterious Island” is every bit the amusement park ride cloaked as a movie that the first “Journey” was, the new flick stranding a misfit band of adventurers on Verne’s lost island of freakish creatures. What this one lacks by comparison is the relative novelty of digital 3-D, which was in its infancy for mainstream theatrical releases when “Journey to the Center of the Earth” came out. It also lacks the likable goof factor of Brendan Fraser, who starred in the first movie but isn’t back for the second. Dwayne Johnson steps in this time, and while he tries to yuck it up amid

makers play a game of “made you flinch” with cheap shots of objects hurtling off the screen. Good for a giggle at a theme park attraction, good for some groans and grousing when paying a 3-D premium to park your carcass in a theater for 90 minutes. There’s promise of more, too, the movie hanging out the prospect of a “Journey 3” inspired by another of Verne’s sci-fi classics. The root of the franchise is kind of clever, updating Verne’s novels to our times by pretending they weren’t fantasies but chronicles of actual expeditions. And “Journey 2” has its heart in the right place as a family-friendly adventure that might interest some kids in checking out Verne’s books. If only the movie had the Associated Press hint of a brain. In this image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, from left, Michael Caine and Luis Guzman are shown in “Journey 2: The Mysa scene from “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” terious Island,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG for the nonstop action, he’s 2” establishes that Sean’s lowing the filmmakers to will be preceded by a new some adventure action, and just not a goofball on the a bad boy genius who re- focus on the movie’s only Daffy Duck cartoon; that brief mild language. Runorder of Fraser, who some- sents his stepdad; bonds reason to exist. And that’s short didn’t play before a ning time: 94 minutes. One how can make extreme sil- the two in a scene that purely as a thrill ride, the recent critics’ screening, and a half stars out of four. liness palatable with that shows Hank’s an OK guy actors racing from a giant but we’re betting its diabig, simpering grin of his. and Sean’s not such a bad lizard, flying on monster logue will be sharper than Johnson, on the other hand, boy and not such a genius; bees while pursued by co- the main attraction’s). merely simpers. sends them off to the South lossal hungry birds, rushThe 3-D images have The view “Journey 2” also fea- Pacific in search of Sean’s ing to escape an enormous improved greatly since the is beautiful tures a change of directors, g ran d fat h e r ( M i c h ae l electric eel. first “Journey,” but even with Brad Peyton (“Cats & Caine), who sent a cryptic Size matters to the film- more this time, the filmfrom here. Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty transmission that he had makers here, which might Window Treatments Galore”) overseeing a col- found Verne’s supposedly be why they signed up By lection of impressive but fictional island; and lands Johnson, a co-producer as Richard L. annoying visuals, serving them in the company of he- well as star, who strains for Raudabaugh up gimmicky 3-D that’s licopter pilot Gabato (Luis some laughs with an overInterior Decorating continually trying to poke Guzman) and his beautiful done gag about his massive Interior Shutters things in your eye. daughter, Kailani (Vanessa pectoral muscles. Sales and Installation Johnson stars as ex-Navy Hudgens), who ferry the The actors make an efguy Hank, stepfather to visitors to the remote isle. fort with the interminable troublesome teenager Sean Peyton and cousins Brian repartee they’re given to Anderson (Josh Hutcher- Gunn and Mark Gunn, who mutter, but the presence of son, reprising his role from wrote the screenplay, waste actors as good as Caine and the first “Journey”). no time giving the charac- Guzman only highlights 41 W. Pomfret St. Carlisle, PA In its rushed and clunky ters more than the barest how dreadful and dumb Cumberlink.com 243-5076 opening minutes, “Journey cartoon personalities, al- the banter is (“Journey 2”

268 Herr St. Harrisburg, 441-7506 www.harrisburgarts.com Wednesday, Feb. 8: Open mic hosted by Mike Banks, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10: The Dirty Sweets “The Bump and Grind”, 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11: Suzi Brown and Dana Alexandra’s Birthday Show featuring Christie Lenee, 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12: Soul Comedy Event- One Night Stand with TuRae Monday, Feb. 13: Broke Ass Monday, karaoke with Giovanni, 9 p.m.

Air Quality Updates.

AALIVE

EntErtainmEnt in thE hEart of thE midstatE

Inside: “Journey” falls flat with reviewer — D12

Shakespeare invades Hollywood

Play based on movie opens at Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg Friday

www.cumberlink.com

The Sentinel www.cumberlink.com

Section D February 9, 2012

On the cover: Stephanie Via playing Olivia Darnell and Josh Lebo playing Oberon during rehearsals of “Shakespeare in Hollywood” play at the Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg. — D7

Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

The crazy eyes and idiosyncratic drawl of Woody Harrelson are enough to carry the dirty cop study “Rampart,” but even such powers as those can’t make engaging this weary L.A. noir. Without Harrelson’s inherent intrigue, the heavy-handed provocations of “Rampart” would be difficult to suffer. But Harrelson’s intense and committed performance keeps Oren Moverman’s film moving, even while the grim and overdone story wallows affectedly. Among the dirty cops of movies — Harvey Keitel in “Bad Lieutenant,” Denzel Washington in “Training Day” — Harrelson’s LAPD officer Dave Brown is particularly ugly. He’s nicknamed “Date Rape Dave,” a moniker he came by from killing a serial date rapist years ago. The name may hint of Brown’s most decent side (a protector of women) but it also serves as a frightening warning. “Rampart” is set in 1999 Los Angeles and its title refers to a notoriously scandal-plagued police division. The film, which Moverman wrote with crime novel writer James Ellroy (“L.A. Confidential”), doesn’t try to analyze what led to a corrupt division, but rather the specific formation of a badge-wearing monster. “ H ow d o we s o l ve a p ro b l e m l i ke Dave Brown?” asks police attorney Joan Confrey (Sigourney Weaver). By then, we’ve already seen Brown lament “Rodn ey K i n g wa n n a b e s,” abuse a handcuffed sus-

of Brown is how hyperliterate he is. He might curse all manner of citizens as “scum,” but, when confronted by superiors or lawyers (Steve Buscemi makes a cameo as one), he responds with a torrent of dubious legalese and moral equivocation. He shrouds his behavior in a labyrinth of caginess, defending himself as a Vietnam vet and a true-blue of the old guard. This is Moverman’s second stab at direction following 2009’s “The Messenger,” which also fitted the famously liberal Harrelson in a uniform (as a soldier whose duty is to inform the families of the fallen). W i t h c i n e m a to g ra pher Bobby Bukowski, Moverman’s jerky, handheld camera keeps LA always in the background. The first shot is a profile of Brown driving, smoking and stoic behind sunglasses, while Los Angeles passes behind as mere backdrop. The protests over his beating, we never see, just hear. Harrelson dominates the picture, but the story of Brown’s unraveling feels increasingly unrealistic and uninteresting while it circles around ideas established in the first half hour. Instead of leading toward understanding, “Rampart” remains a dirty cop caricature, more a complaint than a story. “Rampart,” a Millennium Entertainment release, is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content and some violence. Running time: 108 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

MUSIC |D8-9

Movies

AP Entertainment Writer

Inside

A look at local nightlife

D12 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

Movies

By JAKE COYLE

The Scene

Out & About

D10 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Harrelson rages in weary LA noir ‘Rampart’

A guide to area events

D3 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Movie Review

Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

Literature

(kicked up 1,000 notches). As Susan Dominus wrote in a New York Times review on Collins’ trilogy, “‘Battle Royale’ is a more deliberate study of adolescence, its coming-of-age savageries and posturings.”

Book turned movie has resemblance to “Battle Royale.” ■

By Matthew McLaughlin Sentinel Reporter mmclaughlin @cumberlink.com

In a little over a month (March 23 to be exact) “The Hunger Games” will hit theaters, and as is usually the case, I decided I needed to check out Suzanne Collins’ young adult trilogy before seeing any film adaptations. Let me first say, the last time I reviewed a young adult trilogy I tackled all three books. I will not be doing that this time.

Games vs. Battle

Holding to humanity

Photo illustration

The cover of “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. before getting too deep into my review. My personal opinion is, I don’t care. I personally can believe Collins could have, as she claims, come up with the idea independently of “Battle Royale” (corrupt governments wanting to throw their weight around, death matches and fights for survival are nothing new),

but, even if she didn’t, I am grateful to have it told again in a different way and for different reasons. In “Battle Royale” a single high school class is selected to fight to the death. The teens know one another and the way they interact with, turn on or help one another seems to be metaphor for the social life of teens

If “Battle Royale” is a violent and bloody metaphor for every teen’s social experience, “The Hunger Games” is about the struggle between maintaining one’s humanity and survival. Protagonist Katniss Everdeen as well as many other participants in the games fumble through a morally grey area, until at the end... well you’ll have to read the book to see how Katniss deals with the inevitable end to every Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a sharp and cleanly written book. At no point did Collins fumble with a scene, a bit of dialogue or a description of her dystopian world, as sometimes will happen, taking the reader out of the story for a moment. I was enthralled and engrossed from page one on. In fact, I never stopped reading until I was done, which was unfortunate since I started the book at around 11 p.m. It was not in the least bit

Book Review

Author tells tale of famed Bloch-Bauer portrait BY JONATHAN LOPEZ

For The Associated Press

“The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt’s Masterpiece, ‘Portrait of Adele

Bloch-Bauer’” (Knopf), by Anne-Marie O’Connor: In 1907, when Austrian artist Gustav Klimt painted his famed portrait of the Viennese socialite Adele BlochBauer, he could not have

known that the sophisticated world inhabited by the sitter’s wealthy Jewish family would be destroyed by the Nazi takeover of the country in 1938. Adele’s heirs fled to Switzerland —

their business interests in tatters and their art collection, including the portrait, confiscated by Hitler’s

natural light & natural ice $

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• See Review, D5

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Top Songs 1. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” Kelly Clarkson 2. “Set Fire to the Rain,” ADELE 3.“Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj),” Nicki Minaj, David Guetta 4. “Rack City,” Tyga 5. “Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars),” Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg 6. “Give Me All Your Luvin’ (feat. Nicki Minaj, M.I.A.),” Madonna 7. “Good Feeling,” Flo Rida 8. “Smooth Criminal (Glee Cast Version) (feat. 2CELLOS (Sulic & Hauser)),” Glee Cast 9. “Ass Back Home (feat. Nean Hitch),” Gym Class Heroes 10. “Domino,” Jessie J Top Albums 1. “MDNA,” Madonna 2. “Born to Die,” Lana Del Rey 3. “21,” ADELE 4. “Celebration,” Madonna 5. “Take Care,” Drake 6. “Making Mirrors,” Gotye 7. “Old Ideas,” Leonard Cohen 8. “Stronger,” Kelly Clarkson 9. “Bangarang,” Skrillex 10. “Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack),” Various Artists Top Paid iPhone Apps 1. Where’s My Water? (Disney) 2. Tank Hero (Clapfoot Inc.) 3. Scramble With Friends (Zynga) 4. Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick Studios) 5. Angry Birds (Clickgamer.com) 6. Real Steel (Jump Games Pvt.Ltd.) 7. Cut the Rope (Chillingo Ltd) 8. WhatsApp Messenger (WhatsApp Inc.) 9. Angry Birds Seasons (Rovio Mobile Ltd.) 10. NFL Kicker! (Full Fat)

Top Free iPhone Apps: 1. Temple Run (Imangi Studios, LLC) 2. Ski On Neon (Esoteric Development) 3. Contract Killer: Zombies (Glu Games Inc.) 4. Fluff Friends Rescue (SGN) 5. Scramble With Friends Free (Zynga) 6. iMob 2 (Addmired, Inc.) 7. Where’s My Water? Free (Disney) 8. Card Ace: Casino (Self Aware Games) 9. Pet Town (Booyah, Inc.) 10. Tom’s Love Letters (Out Fit 7 Ltd.) Top Paid iPad Apps: 1. Where’s My Water? (Disney) 2. Kingdom Rush (Armor Games Inc.) 3. Paper Monsters (Crescent Moon Games) 4. Pages (Apple) 5. Notability (Ginger Labs) 6. Pin to Pinterest (VoyagerApps.com) 7. Angry Birds Seasons HD (Rovio Mobile Ltd.) 8. Words With Friends HD (Zynga) 9. Scramble With Friends (Zynga) 10. NFL Kicker! HD (Full Fat) Top Free iPad Apps 1. Temple Run (Imangi Studios, LLC) 2. Tom’s Love Letters (Out Fit 7 Ltd.) 3. Where’s My Water? Free (Disney) 4. Disneyland Explorer (Disney) 5. Skype for iPad (Skype Software S.a.r.l) 6. iBooks (Apple) 7. iTunes U (Apple) 8. Facebook (Facebook, Inc.) 9. Baseball Superstars 2012 (GAMEVIL Inc.) 10. Scramble With Friends Free (Zynga)

Highlights from area performing centers By Lisa Clarke Sentinel Correspondent Frontdoor@cumberlink.com

Nightlifers in the Harrisburg area have plenty to choose from when it comes to live music venues. But the local scene also offers several large performing arts centers within driving distance. Whether you’re looking for a pre-Valentine treat or a pair of tickets to give your sweetie, there are plenty of options for a special night out.

Luhrs Center The H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center at Shippensburg University offers a wide range of cultural programming including full-scale Broadway performances, symphonies, dance troupes and internationally-known speakers. On Valentine’s Day, the center presents the Tony award winning musical, “Fiddler on The Roof” as it embarks on its North American tour. Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, the beloved musical is among Broadway’s best known, and features a score that includes “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were A Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” The current production stars veteran John Preece in the role of patriarch Tevye, marking his tenth appearance in the national tour of the show. The show takes place at 7:30 at the Center, located at 1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, Tickets are $35$48 and are available by calling 477-SHOW or online at

The Luhrs Center in Shippensburg will present ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ on Valentine’s Day. www.luhrscenter.com. A special valentine’s reception will be held following the performance that includes desserts and beverages. Tickets for the 9:45 p.m. reception are $20 each. It is not necessary to attend the performance to participate in the reception.

Strand-Capitol Downtown York is home to The Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center, a five-building complex that includes two historic theaters. The Capitol Theatre was built in 1906 as a one-level dance hall and the Strand Theatre opened in 1925 primarily for vaudeville and silent movies. These days, the center hosts a range of shows from rock and classical music concerts to musicals and stand-up comedy as well as cinematic offerings. On Saturday, Feb. 11, warm up to the melodic sounds of South African traditional

music with internationally renowned ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo. First introduced to America on Paul Simon’s Graceland album, the group has since garnered critical acclaim and a devoted following of fans, and have performed with such artists as Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Dolly Parton and Ben Harper. The performance includes the synchronized dance moves of the Zulu tradition, as well as beautiful, inspiring music that intends to “spread the message of peace, love and harmony all over the world.” The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Strand Theater, 50 N. George St., York. Tickets are $30, $35, $40, and are available by calling 8461111 or visit www.strandcapitol.org.

theatre with full production capabilities offering touring shows, concerts and cultural, community and educational events. This month, look for a unique variety show “Pop Goes the Rock,” featuring spectacular feats performed to a live soundtrack of recent chart huts such as Like a Prayer, Beautiful and Jump. The brainchild of Neil Goldberg, creator of the Broadway hit Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy and founder of the troupe, the show includes a combination of theatrical performance, visual artistry and costumes along with musicians, singers and dancers. Pop Goes the Rock by Cirque Dreams will appear at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Tickets are $42 and $56. The Pullo Center is located at Pullo Center 1031 Edgecomb Ave., York. The Pullo Family Perform- For tickets and informaing Arts Center at Penn State tion, visit www.pullocenter. York features a 1,016-seat yk.psu.edu or call 505-8900.

Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

The basic premise of “The Hunger Games” is simple (and awesome). In a dystopian future North America is ruled by the Capitol, where people don’t want for anything and advanced technology is freely available. But, as I said, this is a dystopia, so unfortunately life isn’t that great for everyone under the Capitol’s rule. In the twelve outlying districts many live in poverty and are forced to harvest resources like coal and food for the people of

Capitol. Then there are the annual Hunger Games as well. Because the districts once rebelled against the Capitol, each year two children between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected from each district (but not the Capitol of course) to fight in the Hunger Games, in which the 24 children are thrown into the wilderness and forced to fight to the death on national television. For the Capitol it’s entertainment, but it’s also a powerful message to prevent further insurrections. Awesome, no? It is, but it’s not really the first time someone has written a book or made a movie about teens being forced to fight to the death by a dystopian society as a means to discourage rebellion. Collins has been flamed (that’s internet slang for bashed) in the blogosphere for sharing her basic premise with the 1999 Japanese novel “Battle Royale” and the subsequent film adaptation made in 2000. I only mention this because I want to weigh in on the subject, as someone who loves “Battle Royale,”

an unfortunate reading experience though, and what really earned my admiration and devotion to this book were the characters. While Collins definitely created an admirable world as a setting for her trilogy, it is her talents for characterization and unique, complex characters that bring that world to life. Somewhere in the middle of “The Hunger Games” I realized I could see Katniss so clearly in my mind I knew I had to read the rest of the trilogy before seeing “The Hunger Games” film. I didn’t want such perfect harmony of characterization and my imagination ruined by an actress’ face and performance (no offense to actress Jennifer Lawrence). “The Hunger Games” has everything one could want from a novel, action, suspense, philosophical themes and even romance. This isn’t “Twilight” though my friends (and I can say that ladies because I read it and gave it its fair shake). What conflicted teen girl romance is included in the pages of “The Hunger Games” won’t insult you, and Katniss Everdeen is a woman of action if there ever was one.

Compiled by The Associated Press

Out & About

D4 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

‘Hunger Games’ hard to put down

iTunes Top 10

Nightlfe

D9 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Book Review

Get all of your entertainment news online at www.cumberlink.com

Book Review

Local clubs set high standards in community

Solo living book challenges family life

With the Carlisle area strategically located within a few hours’ drive of New York City, Philadelphia and the Baltimore/Washington area, we have many opportunities to hear the talent out of these cities. Many members of the Harrisburg Symphony are based in one of these metropolitan areas, and they bring their talents regularly into our area. The

H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center in Shippensburg and the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg bring nationally and internationally known artists to our area. The level of musicianship is high and should inspire us to do more. Music programs should set high standards. Private music teachers should have high standards. Audi-

ence members must have high standards. If we all combined and agreed to share this high standard,

what would happen? Local clubs like the Carlisle Musical Arts Club and The Wednesday Club of Harrisburg are examples of this kind of cooperative standard. The clubs provide scholarships to students to continue music study and they give free or low cost, high quality recitals and concerts for the benefit of the community.

Locally based musicians have many reasons for playing. It’s a hobby, a passion or a learning experience. We learn and listen to each other without judgment. Enjoying music to a higher standard can be as simple as spending 15 minutes more with your instrument a day or attending one more local concert a month. Make your time count by invest-

ing in our musicians and our community’s pool of talent. The Carlisle Musical Arts Club will present its February program at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the YWCA in Carlisle. Performers include flutist Lori Elliott, a flute quartet, soprano Libby Moyer, pianists Joan Boytim and Donna Houser, and a woodwind trio. Admission is free.

By RYAN PEARSON

AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES — A whiteboard hangs on the wall of the tiny Hollywood studio used by the Smeezingtons, Bruno Mars’ production and songwriting team. It’s filled with doodles, including a picture of Alf and a joking note that producer-engineer Ari Levine “hangs out with Jamaican drug lords on the reg.” Mars, just back from a tour, plinks away at a newly-purchased Korg keyboard while Levine and singersongwriter Philip Lawrence perch on couches. Levine’s dog Rambo snores noisily on the floor. This is the Smeezingtons’ moment of calm after storming up pop charts for the past two years. “What I just went through the past year, I’ve never done before in my life. Everything: Interviews, on television, we’ve toured everywhere,” Mars says, shaking his head. “I’m excited for round two.”

Associated Press

Philip Lawrence, left, Ari Levine, center, and Bruno Mars of the songwriting and production team The Smeezingtons, pose for a portrait at their recording studio in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. The first round was a doozy: Mars has six nominations at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, including one for album of the year for the worldwide best-seller “Doo-Wops and Hooligans.” The Smeezingtons were behind not just Mars’ “It Will

Rain” and “Grenade” but also some of the last two years’ catchiest hits, from “Billionaire” to “Nothin’ on You” to “(Expletive) You” to “Lighters.” While Mars, also nominated for multiple Grammys last year for his hit-

making contributions, is in the spotlight, it’s also the Smeezingtons time to shine. The trio is nominated in the producer of the year category for their hits with Mars, but also Lil Wayne and the Far East Movement. Mars, who has been per-

forming music since he was a toddler, approaches success with a disarming blend of flippancy and exacting, perfectionist craftsmanship. The 26-year-old jokes with a wide smile that he and Lawrence will walk the Grammys red carpet in matching ruffled pale blue suits, a la “Dumb and Dumber”: “I’ll be the belle of the ball,” he exclaims. In response, Levine earnestly pulls out his phone with an image of a male fashion model in a welltailored ensemble, saying he hopes to don something similar for the awards show. This prompts loud laughter from Lawrence and Mars. “You’re serious?!” Mars howls. The trio was brought together by Lawrence, a 27year-old who plays some keyboards and now backs up Mars at performances. He had been working with Mars and Levine separately without success before they all joined together at Levine’s unassuming studio. Levine, 26, contributed his equip-

ment and expertise in drum programming, sampling and other electronic sounds that dominate airwaves. “Ari turned out to be the secret ingredient to what me and Phil were doing,” Mars said. “I’m used to live stuff. So you give me a studio with a bunch of live instruments, I can do it. But radio’s not playing that stuff.” The Smeezingtons clicked and began by churning out songs for other artists. They produced 11 top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, funneling lessons learned through label meetings and early hits into Mars’ solo work, which took off in 2010 with the sweet, driving No. 1 single “Just The Way You Are.” Mars was suddenly in the pop spotlight, with well-received performances at last year’s Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards and even a “Sesame Street” appearance. Levine says he isn’t recognized in public but is happy to see Mars lose his anonymity.

For The Associated Press

“Going Solo” (The Penguin Press), by Eric Klinenberg: Living in families, though traditional and almost universal on this evolving planet, is experiencing an unplanned but effective attack, according to a new book. Author Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology at New York University, sees lessons to be learned. He sums them up in his subtitle: “The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.” What good is living alone? Isolate yourself from all your friends? No

wife? No husband? No mother? And all that laundry to do? Babies? Maybe, later. Henry David Thoreau tried it in the mid-1800s, when he was still in his twenties. The result was “Walden,” a book about living alone in the woods — a high point in American literature. “I never found the companion so companionable as solitude,” he wrote. One of four siblings himself, he died unmarried, at 44. Biographers record one proposal — rejected — to a young woman. He built his cottage within walking distance of his family in Concord, Mass.,

Associated Press

and the pubs he and his friends frequented. It was on property of his mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of whose best known works is an essay called “Self-Reliance.” Thoreau’s mother visited often, bearing home-

cooked meals. In 1950, about 4 million Americans were living solo. A half-century later, the number had risen to 31 million, with women outnumbering men 17 million to 14 million — figures that have had

“Our cultural preference for living autonomously is a key reason why today more than 11 million elderly Americans and 72 million Europeans live alone,” he writes, “and why in the coming decades many millions more will do so.” Though the short book is largely concerned with the United States, it devotes 10 vivid pages to solutions innovated in Sweden. Back in the 1930s social planner and Nobel Peace Prize winner Alva Myrdal opened a “collective house.” It had 57 units for single women and single mothers, with a communal kitchen, a nursery and small elevator service to each unit for meal deliveries. “Solitude, once we learn how to use it, does more than restore our personal energy,” Klinenberg concludes, “it also sparks new ideas about how we might better live together.”

Review • Continued from D4 minions. As Washington Post journalist AnneMarie O’Connor relates in her painstakingly researched history of the case, it would take 68 years and a massive legal fight before descendants succeeded in reclaiming the art from the Austrian government. The bureaucratic stonewalling and politically motivated bad faith they encountered added insult to the tragedy of the Holocaust. But through the tireless efforts of figures including American attorney E. Randol Schoenberg, who spearheaded the recovery effort, justice was eventually done. O’Connor’s narrative is enriched by extensive interviews and a remark-

able trove of family correspondence. “The Lady in Gold” paints a vivid picture of Vienna’s prewar Jewish intelligentsia, the artistic career of Klimt, the horrifying rise of Nazism and the complexities of international law and art restitution. Visitors to New York’s Neue Galerie, where the Bloch-Bauer portrait has been on display since its purchase by billionaire Ronald Lauder for a record $135 million in 2006, will be familiar with the sparkling, seductive image. But O’Connor’s fascinating tale of beauty, terror, loss and remembrance reveals a deeper truth beneath the golden surface. --Jonathan Lopez is editor-at-large of Art & Antiques.

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D8 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Bruno Mars heads back to Grammys with Smeezingtons

By CARL HARTMAN

In this book cover image released by The Penguin Press, “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone,” by Eric Klinenberg, is shown.

little public attention. Between those two dates another book appeared that may become a sort of landmark: Helen Gurley Brown’s “Sex and the Single Girl.” Klinenberg quotes her on the new young woman: “She is engaging because she lives by her wits. She is not a parasite, a dependent, a scrounger, a sponger or a bum. She is a giver, not a taker, a winner and not a loser.” Klinenberg also collects interviews with older people who choose independent living rather than available alternatives as long as they can, though their stories are necessarily sadder than those of young people. Most Americans, Europeans and rising numbers elsewhere, he argues, measure satisfaction with life in terms of independence, integrity and self-respect.

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Author also collects interviews with older people who choose independent living rather than available alternatives as long as they can. ■

D5 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

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Theatre

More autism-friendly shows planned for Broadway

Play based on film based on play at LTM

Theatre plans to offer specially designed matinee showings of “Mary Poppins” and “The Lion King.” ■

BY MARK KENNEDY AP Drama Writer

Victoria Bailey

Funds’s executive Director

Associated Press stay only for part of the

“The Lion King” marquee is displayed at The Minskoff Theatre are seen in New York. A nonprofit group is planning two autism-friendly performances of Broadway’s “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins” for families with children diagnosed with the disorder. The Theatre Development Fund, an organization focused on providing access to live theater, announced Tuesday its plan to offer specially designed matinee showings of “Mary Poppins.” the opening number, on steam blasts and on Mufasa’s roar at the Elephant Graveyard. Actors walking in the aisles were kept, to the delight of the audience. The Fund, which has consulted an advisory

panel of experts in the field of autism, has also made itself available to consult with other theaters attempting their ow n a u t i s m - f r i e n d ly performances. It also publishes a downloadable guide telling chil-

dren with autism what to expect during the show, including what ushers do and what to do during a curtain call. Organizers learned some lessons after the initial performance, including that some families can

show and that there’s a need to warn theatergoers about any props or set design that might move over the seats. Converting bathrooms for unisex use also will be attempted this time to accommodate children and their parents. The team has learned how to make “The Lion King” accommodating to those with the developmental disorder and now they must tackle “Mary Poppins.” “We’re working with that creative team to figure out where the tweaks need to be in the performance,” Bailey said. “You have to listen really carefully. You have to provide the service and let the people who know the expertise help you.”

food. movies. entertainment. sports. parenting.

“Shakespeare in Hollywood,” the opening 2012 production of Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg, will run Feb. 10 - 26. ■

By Barbara Trainin Blank Sentinel correspondent frontdoor@cumberlink.com

The daughter of a Rockette, Chris Krahulec grew up on musicals. She appeared in her first straight play in college, in a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Now Krahulec is directing a play based on Shakespeare’s beloved comedy— or, actually, on the making of the 1934 Warner Brothers film version of it. The only movie ever directed by Max Reinhardt, the famed stage director who came to Hollywood to escape Nazism, it had what some considered an unlikely cast that included James Cagney, Dick Powell and Joe E. Brown. “Shakespeare in Hollywood,” the opening 2012 production of Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg, was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Its author, Ken Ludwig, formerly penned “Lend Me a Tenor” and other works in which the theater itself is a star. Winner of the 2004 Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play of the Year, “Shakespeare in Hollywood” has a quirky premise— What if (as actually happened) the

Nancy Zimmerman/Special to the Sentinel

Above: Stephen Hensel (left) and Amber Stout (right) during rehearsal for the “Shakespeare in Hollywood” play at the Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg. Right: Shephanie Via playing Olivia Darnell during rehearsals for Shakespeare in Hollywood. actors portraying the immortals Puck and Oberon in the movie are indisposed, and the characters from the Bard’s comedy turn up on the set because of a faulty spell and end up portraying themselves? What if, along with the film’s stars, the immortals encounter such notables as Groucho Marx visiting the set, blonde bombshells, the four Warner Brothers, and gossip columnist Louella Parsons? And the immortals, true to form, can’t help weaving magic into the actors’ lives? Mayhem might begin to describe the results. “It might be called ‘Midsummer Night’s Nightmare,’ “ laughs Josh Lebo,

the Fairy King Oberon— a character he calls both “compassionate and charismatic as well as a powerhungry jerk.” Part of the mayhem is Olivia, with whom Oberon becomes “smitten.” “She’s a typical Midwest girl from Iowa,” says Stephanie Via, playing the role. “She wants to be in the movies and worked hard to get the role of Puck, but got Hermia instead.” For his part, Oberon becomes torn between “wanting to go home and not wanting to leave,” says Lebo. “He also has a supernatural wife back home, Tatania.” For her part, Olivia is “intrigued” by someone who

clearly isn’t local, says Via. Aside from all the mortalimmortal complications, Will Hays (of the Hays Production Code— portrayed by Ira Rappaport) wants to make changes to the script. “This is her first big break, and Hays is standing in the way of the picture getting made,” she adds. Oberon’s decision to return home is hastened when he and Puck, a mischievous sprite, start to fade. What doesn’t fade, according to Krahulec, is the humor. “Ludwig is one of my favorites,” says the director. “There are a lot of inside jokes, and the play is fast paced and hilarious.”

In Focus “Shakespeare in Hollywood” runs Feb. 10-26 at Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg, 915 S. York St. Tickets for opening night are $16 and include admission to the post-show reception. Tickets to all other performances are $14. For reservations, call 766-0535 or visit: www.ltmonline.net.

In “Midsummer Night’s and Jamie Lewis as Lydia, Dream,” the supernaturals a bombshell. poke fun of the mortals visiting their forest. Here, in a reversal, the supernaturals try to figure out the strange world they’ve fallen upon. But certain elements remain— Oberon tries to help some of the mortals and “is really falling in human love,” WIN Krahulec says. Also in the cast are Amber Stout as Puck; Jeff McNelly as Reinhardt;

WIN WIN WIN

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N EW YO R K — Two more autism-friendly performances of Broadway musicals will be offered this spring and fall following the success last year of the first showing of a Broadway show specially altered for those diagnosed with the disorder. The Theatre Development Fund, a nonprofit organization focused on providing access to live theater, said Tuesday it plans to offer specially designed matinee showings of “Mary Poppins” on April 29 and “The Lion King” on Sept. 30. The move comes after the Fund got enthusiastic feedback from grateful families when it launched a pilot effort in October with an autism-friendly showing of “The Lion King.” “It went so much better than any of us had hoped,” said Victoria Bailey, the Fund’s executive director. “The value of being able to go to the theater as a family with kids on the autism spectrum and their siblings in an environment that felt safe was huge.” Autism disorders strike one in 100 children, according to U.S. government estimates. Children with the diagnosis are often sensitive to loud noises and harsh lights and find it difficult to sit still or remain quiet. Autism spectrum disorders

include both severe and relatively mild symptoms. After news of the initial performance of “The Lion King,” about 1,500 people expressed interest in additional shows, organizers said. “It says to me that there is an enormous pentup desire for this,” Bailey said. “There’s a huge need.” The Fund, which has bought out both theaters for the special dates, will offer tickets at discount prices from its website. It said the “Mary Poppins” performance at the 1,797-seat New Amsterdam Theatre is nearly sold out and tickets to the performance of “The Lion King” at the 1,677-seat Minskoff Theatre will go on sale in late spring. Both shows, presented by Disney Theatrical Productions, will be slightly altered to make those with autism more comfortable, including cutting jarring sounds and strobe lights. Quiet areas with beanbag chairs and coloring books, staffed by autism experts, also will be created inside the theater for those who might feel overwhelmed. To accommodate the special audience, experts identified several moments in “The Lion King” when the sound or lights needed to be toned down, but none was more than 30 percent softened. There were seven changes in all, including the volume adjusted down in

“It went so much better than any of us had hoped. The value of being able to go to the theater as a family with kids on the autism spectrum and their siblings in an environment that felt safe was huge.”

Theatre

D6 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012

Theatre

D7 — The Sentinel, Carlisle, Pa. Thursday, February 9, 2012