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the reel deal by Sean O’Connell This is what happens when the guy who directed two “Home Alone” movies collaborates with the screenwriter of “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.” “I Love You, Beth Cooper” didn’t have to be so terrible. The first 10 minutes of the Chris Columbus-helmed comedy suggest a potential that’s squandered over the remaining 90 minutes. There’s an unanticipated sincerity in the opening salvo as socially awkward overachiever Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) decides, in his valedictorian speech, to confess a long-gestating love for self-absorbed head cheerleader, Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere). His speech doesn’t stop there. Denis encourages the school’s bully (Josh Emerson), brat (Marie Avgeropoulos) and closet gay (Jack Carpenter) to embrace their inner truths and live life without fears. His words move almost everybody, including Beth, who agrees to stop by Denis’ house for a graduation party. It’s the first of many adventures in the new couple’s predictably wild night. Those opening minutes linger with me, however. Columbus flirts with a subtle understanding of cinema’s coming-of-age genre, name-dropping “Risky Business” and casting the great Alan Ruck (of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) as Denis’ savvy suburban dad, who probably sowed a few wild oats in his day. While expectations climb, Larry Doyle’s poorly constructed and jaw-droppingly stupid script – an adaptation of his own novel – aims below the belt for vulgar, insipid jokes. “Beth Cooper” cherry-picks ideas from superior comedies – the rabid raccoon from “Harold & Kumar,” for example – and tweaks them just enough to remove their humor. The pretty Panettiere plays the Grade: H1/2 out of 4 MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking, drug references and brief violence Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust Genre: Comedy Studio: 20th Century Fox Sam Rockwell Movie critics (me, especially) waste too much breath complaining how today’s films lack originality, particularly during the dog days of summer when sequels battle with remakes and adaptations for an audience’s attention. “Moon,” refreshingly, is not more of the same. “Moon” offers something different. Duncan Jones manages an impressive feature-film debut, directing from his original story about a lonely astronaut ending a three-year stint at a sterile lunar headquarters. Sam (Sam Rockwell) harvests Helium 3, an energy source collected on the moon and transported in canisters to power our planet. For the most part, Sam’s alone, though he does converse with GERTY – a mechanical-armed robot voiced with unnerving detachment by Kevin Spacey that’s no doubt a direct descendent of Stanley Kubrick’s HAL 9000 or the automaton auto pilot in Pixar’s perfect “WALL-E.” Comparisons to “2001” or even Ridley Scott’s “Alien” aren’t far-fetched. Those films influenced Jones as he designed Sam’s isolated outpost, and the production team squeezes quality sets and costuming from what must have been a limited budget. Excellent composer Clint Mansell contributes to the “Moon” mood with another memorable score. And Rockwell mixes agitation and paranoia into a palatable cocktail when “Moon” suggests that Sam’s purpose in the station isn’t what we initially believed. Is Sam our generation’s Major Tom, the space traveler fleeing society’s bonds in David Bowie’s beloved rock treasures, “Space Oddity” and “Ashes to Ashes?” It’s possible, though another musical cue in “Moon” – Chesney Hawkes’ catchy ’90s anthem “The One and Only” – hints at the movie’s clever reveal. But the Bowie question isn’t out of left field. Jones is Bowie’s son, and “Moon” proves he inherited his father’s gift for storytelling, as well as his fascination with (and fear of) outer space’s solitude. q ‘I Love You, Beth Cooper’ same note throughout most of “Beth Cooper.” She has a come-hither stare in her arsenal, and jean shorts fit her like a glove. But Rust has to wonder what happened to his character. Denis goes from a bashful yet insightful guy to a mouth-breathing moron who gets run over by cars, humiliated at parties and can’t open champagne without taking a cork in the eye. ‘Moon’ Grade: HHH out of 4 MPAA Rating: R for language Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller Studio: Sony Pictures Classics Lauren London (left), Hayden Panettiere and Lauren Storm For a minute there, I believed “Beth Cooper” aspired to be an intelligent comedy that would nostalgically reference the upper-echelon installments of its chosen genre as it sought to blaze its own trails. It doesn’t. In truth, it’s a sophomoric rehash that’s aimed at teenagers who haven’t watched very many movies and, as a result, find such insulting schlock entertaining. q ‘Food, Inc.’ What’s the best antonym for “appetizing?” Because that’s the term I need to include in my “Food, Inc.” review. Robert Kenner’s (repulsive? nauseating?) documentary uses investigative-journalism techniques to pull back the curtain on the food industry and reveal “the truth about what you’re eating.” Of course, the director knows full well that once we’re enlightened about the mass production of meals, we won’t want to eat hamburgers, chicken, pork and such anymore. Kenner’s informative doc is an “Inconvenient Truth” for food, minus the droning Al Gore and a handful of PowerPoint slides. It doles out plenty of relevant facts regarding corporate control over nutritional products cultivated “from seed to supermarket,” as Kenner describes it. “Food, Inc.” chastises the influence Tyson and Perdue exert over Midwestern farmers to genetically alter cooped-up chickens and increase a reliance on cost-efficient corn products. It profiles Southern farmers (those who’ll talk, anyway) who’ve abandoned tobacco for chickens, and rips government policies that make Big Macs and potato chips cheaper than broccoli and carrots. And it gradually preaches a Grade: HHH out of 4 MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic material and disturbing images Cast: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser Genre: Documentary Studio: Magnolia Pictures shift to organic foods, even if healthier decisions made by Wal-Mart executives and suits at competing corporations are driven by economics. Kenner has made an educational film, but not one that’s easy to rally behind. He acknowledges that change requires monumental shifts at the top of the government pyramid. And he would have been better served balancing his cold, hard stats with more personalized stories that slice through the rhetoric. “Food, Inc.” hammers home its points when we hear from individual farmers fighting massive corporations for survival, or from the mother whose adolescent child died 12 days after contracting E. coli from a hamburger while on vacation. “Food, Inc.” confirmed several fears I had about today’s food industry. It taught me about “cheeseburger bills” and “veggie libel laws,” which exist to protect food manufacturers (to the detriment of Joe Public). It’s tough to swallow all of Kenner’s thesis in one sitting. But if you’re going, grab a bite before checking out this exposé, because you won’t want to eat anything immediately afterward. q HHHH - Instant Classic HHH - Worth Your $8 HH - Rental, At Best H - Bomb Tune in to WBTV News 3 every Friday morning during the 5 o’clock hour for Sean’s weekly movie review segment and read his reviews at www.matthewsminthillweekly.com. Page 20 • July 10-16, 2009 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com
ARBORETUM 12 8008 Providence Rd. 704-643-3456 Bruno (R) Fri. - Sun. (12:15 2:40) 4:50 7:30 10:00 I Love You Beth Cooper (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (11:45 2:10) 4:35 7:20 9:45 Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (PG) Fri. - Sun. (12:00 12:30 2:15 2:45) 4:30 5:00 7:15 7:45 9:40 10:10 Public Enemies (R) Fri. - Sun. (12:40) 4:00 7:10 10:20 My Sister’s Keeper (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (11:55 2:20) 4:55 7:25 9:55 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (11:50 12:20) 3:10 3:40 6:30 7:00 9:50 10:15 The Proposal (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (12:10 2:35) 5:05 7:35 10:05 Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 (R) Fri. - Sun. (12:45) 4:10 7:40 10:25 Hangover (R) Fri. - Sun. (12:50) 4:20 7:50 10:30 Up (PG) Fri. - Sun. (12:05 2:25) 4:45 7:05 9:30 CAROLINA PAVILION 22 South Blvd. (Off I-485 exit 65A) 704-643-4AMC Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PG) Tue Special 12:01 12:01 Wed & Thu 9:15 12:45 4:15 7:45 11:15 Bruno (R) Fri to Sun 10:30 12:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45 Mon & Tue 12:45 PM, 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45 Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (G) Wed Summer Movie Camp 10:00 CINEMARK 10 9508 Northeast Court 704-847-5245 Dance Flick PG-13 1:05pm 3:25pm 5:40pm 8:00pm 10:10pm Earth G 1:00pm 3:20pm 5:45pm 7:50pm 10:00pm Ghosts of Girlfriends Past PG-13 1:30pm 3:50pm 7:00pm 9:30pm Hannah Montana The Movie G 12:45pm 3:05pm 5:25pm 7:45pm 10:05pm Monsters vs. Aliens 2D PG 12:55pm 2:05pm 3:15pm 4:20pm 5:30pm 6:35pm 7:40pm 9:55pm Obsessed PG-13 1:50pm 4:30pm 7:20pm 9:50pm Race to Witch Mountain PG 12:50pm 3:10pm 5:35pm 7:55pm 10:15pm State of Play PG-13 9:35pm www.matthewsminthillweekly.com Times are subject to change. Please call the theater for up-to-the-minute information. X-Men Origins: Wolverine PG-13 1:15pm 2:40pm 4:05pm 5:20pm 6:55pm 8:15pm 9:45pm CROWNPOINT 12 9630 Monroe Road 704-847-2024 Bruno (R) 10:30 12:35 2:55 5:15 7:40 9:55 12:15 Sean O’Connell The Hangover (R) 11:40 2:10 4:20 7:10 9:50 12:05 I Love You, Beth Cooper (PG-13) 11:55 2:25 4:55 7:20 9:45 12:10 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG) Noon 2:20 4:50 7:15 9:30 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D (PG) 10:30 12:40 2:55 5:20 7:45 10:00 12:10 My Sister’s Keeper (PG-13) 11:20 1:50 4:25 7:05 9:40 The Proposal (PG-13) 11:25 2:00 4:30 7:35 10:25 Public Enemies (R) 10:35 11:30 1:30 2:30 4:30 5:30 7:30 8:35 10:30 11:45 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PG-13) 11:00 12:30 1:00 2:15 3:50 4:10 5:25 7:00 7:25 8:45 10:10 10:35 11:55 DISCOVERY PLACE IMAX® DOME 301 N. Tryon Street 704-372-6261 Under the Sea Fri: 10, 11; Sat: 10, 11, 2:45, 3:45; Sun: 2:45, 3:45 What should you see? What can you skip? Review Don’t waste your money on another bad movie! Weekly movie critic Sean O’Connell sees everything for you, highlighting hidden gems and commenting on potential blockbusters!! But that’s not all. Watch Sean’s Reel Deal segment every Friday during the 5 a.m. hour on WBTV NEWS 3. Listen to him on WBT 1110 AM each Friday as he talks movies with Al Gardner and Stacey Simms during the 6 a.m. hour. And read his reviews each week, only in the Weekly! Lake NormanHerald Matthews-Mint Hill Union County Mountain Island University City Transformers 2 (PG13) Fri: 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Sat - Sun: noon, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15 STONECREST 7824 Rea Rd. 704-540-7575 Bruno (R) Fri. - Sat. (12:15 1:00 1:30 2:30 3:10) 3:40 4:45 5:20 5:45 7:00 7:30 8:00 9:10 9:40 10:10 11:15 11:50 12:15; Sun. (12:15 1:00 1:30 2:30 3:10) 3:40 4:45 5:20 5:45 7:00 7:30 8:00 9:10 9:40 10:10 I Love You Beth Cooper (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (12:00 2:45) 5:10 7:40 10:20 Kambakth Ishq (NR) Fri. - Sun. (1:15) 4:05 6:55 9:50 Public Enemies (R) Fri. - Sat. (12:10 12:50 1:35) 3:15 4:10 4:40 6:45 7:10 7:55 9:50 10:30 11:10; Sun. (12:10 12:50 1:35) 3:15 4:10 4:40 6:45 7:10 7:55 9:50 10:30 Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (PG) Fri. - Sun. (10:00 11:00 11:25 12:20 1:20 1:50 2:50) 3:50 4:20 5:30 6:15 6:50 7:50 8:40 9:20 10:15 Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs 3D (PG) Fri. - Sat. (9:30 11:55 2:20) 4:50 7:20 9:45 12:05; Sun. (9:30 11:55 2:20) 4:50 7:20 9:45 OC & DA: Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (PG-13) Fri. (12:05) 6:40; Sat. 3:20 9:55; Sun. (12:05) 9:55 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (PG-13) Fri. (10:30 12:35 1:40 3:20) 4:00 5:00 7:15 8:15 9:55 10:25 11:45; Sat. (10:30 12:05 12:35 1:40) 4:00 5:00 6:40 7:15 8:15 10:25 11:45; Sun. (10:30 12:35 1:40 3:20) 4:00 5:00 6:40 7:15 8:15 10:25 Imax: Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (PG-13) Fri. - Sat. 9:45 1:10 4:30 7:45 11:00; Sun. 9:45 1:10 4:30 7:45 Year One (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. 6:30 9:00 The Proposal (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (11:35 2:15) 4:55 7:25 10:00 Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 (R) Fri. - Sun. (11:15 2:25) 5:15 8:05 10:35 Hangover (R) Fri. - Sun. (11:55 2:40) 5:05 7:35 10:05 Up (PG) Fri. - Sun. (11:50 2:10) 4:35 7:05 9:30 Night At The Museum II (PG) Fri. - Sun. (12:40) 3:30 Star Trek (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (12:45) 3:35 6:35 9:35 UNION SQUARE 8 1911 Dickerson Blvd., Monroe 704-643-3456 Bruno (R) Fri. - Sun. (1245)300 515 730 945 Public Enemies (R) Fri. - Sun. (130)430 730 1030 Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (PG) Fri. - Sun. (1200 225)450 715 940 My Sister’s Keeper (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (1210 240)510 740 1010 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (1220 120)340 440 700 800 1015 The Proposal (PG-13) Fri. - Sun. (1225 255)525 750 1025 Hangover (R) Fri. - Sun. (1240)300 530 755 1020 Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • July 10-16, 2009 • Page 21
Page 1 and 2: Auto Matthews-Mint Hill Driving hom
Page 3 and 4: Community Rick Crider, James Helms/
Page 5 and 6: Kara Lopp/MMHW photo Community Rest
Page 7 and 8: , RANDYMARIONGMC.NET • 13701 STAT
Page 9 and 10: Community Janis Burris reflects on
Page 11 and 12: Editor’s note: This summer, Matth
Page 13 and 14: Rewarding work nets awards Weaving
Page 15 and 16: 7.10.09 Friday Mint Hill Arts exhib
Page 17 and 18: Patriots become Golden Bulls Recent
Page 19: Tim Steadman/MMHW photos C Corner u
Page 23 and 24: TM Service Directory Carolina newsp
Page 25 and 26: Classied Marketplace CIRCULATION OF
Page 27 and 28: Classied Marketplace CIRCULATION OF

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