cool stuff happens in the future. "Army of Two" for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 shows that the buddy genre is alive and well. Published by Electronic Arts (EA) and using the Unreal 3 Engine, this third-person shooter is a nice change from all the first-person shooters out there. The story is about two fictionalized military contractors who are more or less mercenaries and are given missions that take place in different parts of the world, spanning from the years 1993 to 2009. In an age of macho, testosterone-inducing shooters, this game seems to top them all. Throw in some swearing and over-the-top blood theatrics followed by air guitar antics, and guys might worship this game.
Still, it's a complex game that co-op fans will appreciate as one of the best multi-player games of its generation. Despite its cartoon action elements, "Army of Two" is more a thinking man's game. Those who play strategically will be rewarded with more money and glory. The game takes the basic idea of shooting alongside a friend and adds welcome complexity. What makes the game work is what's called the Aggro system. Essentially, the more attention you create for yourself, the more Aggro you have. This helps your partner become somewhat invisible and free to move about. Switching the Aggro back and forth between the partners helps you progress through levels.
Culture
Just Run Away, Please: Run, Fat Boy, Run never leaves the starting line
No, that's not your spin class.The funniest thing about this movie is its title. Other than that, the talents of Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton and Hank Azaria are totally wasted. It is corny from the second it starts, and the corn never stops. Fat Boy is schmaltzy, poorly written, not-so-well acted and just plain BORING! This movie is insidious and not in a good way. It is vapidly tedious to the hilt.
From the first minute, you know exactly how it will end. The main character Dennis (Pegg) leaves his pregnant girlfriend Libby (Newton) at the altar, literally running away. Cut to five years later and Dennis is out of shape, smokes a lot and has unexplained visitation rights to see his son. Enter Libby's new boyfriend Whit (Azaria) who's rich, successful and runs marathons. In order to win back his girlfriend, Dennis decides to run a marathon. Maybe this looked good on paper; on screen it's unbearable.
After the (Wind)fall: How MIT math nerds beat the House in 21
Kenny Rogers was a much better gambler.Greed and need fuel our hero's intoxication with Las Vegas. And director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) sets up a house of cards in the film adaptation of Ben Mezrich's best-selling book, Bringing Down the House, which follows the true-life adventure of several MIT braniacs - led by math whiz Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe) - as they rake in millions by outsmarting casinos.
Smarmy but brilliant MIT math professor, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) first recognizes Ben's aptitude for gaming when Ben gives an inspired answer to a challenging question during a class. Ben has been accepted to Harvard Medical School but needs to come up with cash for the $300,000 education. The powerful Professor Rosa lures Ben into a supposedly legal card-counting scheme with a group of gifted young math scholars. The result is a fortune made at the Vegas blackjack tables. At various intervals over a two-year period, they escape a drab, wintry-looking Boston to live like high-stakes rock stars in Sin City. Ben's original goal is to make just enough money to pay for Harvard and then stop. As fate would have it, greed and his own ego get the best of him. But, for a guy in the grip of temptation, Ben's understated character seems kind of flat.
Life in Murals: Dave Kinker puts his inspiration
A window onto the wall. You know David Kinker's work, even if you do not know David Kinker. You may have noticed the murals and sign paintings by this 19-year Central Oregon resident enlivening the likes of the Deschutes Brewery, McMenamins OId St. Francis School, and St. Charles Hospital, among many others. Or you may simply have noticed the way a seemingly unremarkable wall in a public place actually expanded the space, deepening its connection with the viewer.
Kinker grew up between Arizona and an area outside of Jackson, Wyoming. He has painted the Grand Canyon, but only on commission.
"Arizona is my history," he says, "but Bend is my home."
Let’s Brawl! : “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” finally makes its way to the Wii
It’s time to get smashed. Nintendo has heard the cries of gamers and released the highly anticipated "Super Smash Bros. Brawl." In collaboration with Japanese game makers Game Arts and Sora Ltd., Nintendo has come up with yet another reason to buy a Wii (if you can find one). This game features an updated roster, improved fighting system, a bucket load of more content than its Nintendo 64 and GameCube predecessors and a fully-fleshed out single-player mode with online play.
Gamers and fans of the "Smash Bros." games who are worried about too much change in this game can rest assured; the game you loved on the 64 and GameCube is very much back but with a polished facelift and a lot more layers. The game looks and sounds like its predecessors, and yet it provides a completely different visual and audio experience.
Cross-country Music: A small tale of connection
Personally, I think the uniforms are definitely working."Once, not long ago," says the text at the start of Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit, "a small Egyptian police band arrived in Israel. Not many remember this. It was not that important."
The dry introduction sets the tone for Kolirin's bittersweet, thoughtful film: Sure, it wasn't that important - unless it happened to you. In subdued, gentle scenes, through careful performances and wonderful casting, against unusual skylines, Kolirin weaves a gently observant story about the things beyond physical borders and boundaries that set people apart or bring them together.
The blue-uniformed band that arrives in Israel is Egypt's Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, led by Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai), a serious, order-loving man who's feeling the pressure of possible budget cuts that would lead to the dissolution of his orchestra. When no one meets the band at the airport, Tewfiq is certain they can manage on their own and thereby help prove their worth. But juggling Hebrew, Arabic and English while asking for directions proves more than just awkward.
Fear the Reaper: Doomsday carries the banner
Chick power busting loose in DoomsdayDoomsday is overkill road-kill at its finest.
A bastard offspring of classics and cult favorites like Road Warrior, Dawn of the Dead, The Warriors, 28 Days Later, Escape from New York, and Gladiator, Doomsday is the brainchild of Neil Marshall the director of Dog Soldiers and the Descent.
From the beginning, this film is laugh-riot-gangbusters. No shortage of guns blazing, bayonets thrusting, tanks zooming, blood spurting, guts spewing, chopped-off limbs flying, virus-infected zombies puking, heads rolling and stuff exploding. And that's just the first five minutes. Eventually you get the "why-things-got-so-bad" prelude: A deadly virus (codename "Reaper") infected the populace of Glasgow and a huge quarantine wall was built, sealing off the populace regardless of infection-all are doomed to remain and die.
Hoop, There it is: A night in the Bend hooping scene
Mollie Hogan knows how to hoop it up with the best of them.A passing train blocks the sunset, momentarily dimming the Mountain
Comfort Warehouse, but the rhythm of the train can't compete with the
tribal beats emanating from a small stereo system. Twenty-eight bodies
fill the warehouse with spinning hoops gyrating around their waists.
Some of the Hoopers (don't call them HulaHoopers-that's patented by
Wham-O…think "disc golf" versus Frisbee) move with ballet grace, some
channel a funky hand jive, some are as sensual as belly dancers, and a
few are still looking for a groove. They've been hooping spontaneously
for the last five minutes, starting to shed layers, dewy faces grinning.
The Best Movie You Shouldn’t See: Funny Games is vile done right
Smells like a bit of ultra violence. I have warned people not to see this movie. Funny Games is one of the
most disturbing films ever made, destined to stay with you for days if
not weeks. My pleas of "avoid at all costs" have inadvertently sparked
curiosity and interest in the film, which is good because people should
see this movie. And that's director Michael Haneke’s intention with
this shot-by-shot remake of his provocative and frightening German film
of the same name. His original intention was to expose the mind-numbing
violence that permeates our mainstream films, in doing so he makes us
completely aware of what we're watching and feeling. Rather than
desensitizing-it’s OVER-sensitizing. The result is a relentless mental
overload that will stick with you. Just try to shake off the creepiness…
Sweet and SOUR: Director Nathan Gray uses skateboards to cross political boundaries
They rip on the gaza strip. Bend's own Nathan Gray created a unique way of promoting peace in the
Middle East. He and co-producers Sean Scerritt and Sudip Peterson,
drawing on what they describe as "dynamic acts of peace and unity,"
have created SOUR 4 Peace in the Middle East, a film that crosses
borders with nine top Israeli and Jordanian skate boarders. In a recent
conversation with Scerritt, he said the theme that sparked the idea
behind the film is "doing what you love with people you're not supposed
to like."

