Kato: The crime-fighting king Rogen left green with envy By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor ne of the things that I like most Or Seth Rogen as an actor is, regardless how doofy, lazy, or reprehensible a character he plays on screen, he still manages to come across as the “good guy” or at the very least, not a complete tool. I can only imagine Rogen was aware of this and wanted to buck the trend when he co-wrote the screenplay to The Green Hornet, along with long- time comedy partner Evan Goldberg, and penned himself as the party boy millionaire Britt Reid: an unlikeable and egotistical asshat. The son of big-time newspaper publisher James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), Britt’s life of excess and waste quickly becomes derailed when tragedy strikes and he’s forced to step up to the plate and run the last independent voice of Los Angeles, The Daily Sentinel. Lashing out, and firing all of his housekeeping staff in the process, Britt unwittingly finds a companion in his father’s genius mechanic, coffee brew master, and secret-karate-guru, Kato (Taiwanese superstar, Jay Chou.) After a night of drinking, an incident involving the head of a bronze statue, and an encounter with a ragtag group of inner-city muggers, Britt and Kato take up the life of crime fighters (posing as villains) in the guise of © The Green Hornet and sidekick. Wackiness ensues. True to the 1930s radio drama, and the television series and comics that followed, or not, the story and character of Britt Reid played a key role in my overall disinterest in the already cliché story of corruption and Mafioso organized crime. Thankfully, for as much as Rogen’s frustratingly douchey leading man act continually left me unimpressed, Chou’s portrayal of soft- spoken badass Kato represented, hopefully intentionally, as a notable contrast and general highpoint in this two-hour-long (faux) superhero affair. With much of the comedy coming at the expense of Kato, who is humorously only referred to as The Green Hornet’s “sidekick” (even though he does all of the work himself), he carries the weight of walking-punch line with relative ease. Starring a too-old-to-be-playing-a- sexy-secretary Cameron Diaz as crime buff Lenore Case and the playfully groan worthy Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) as the struggling to remain relevant, but ultimately misguided, crime lord Benjamin Chudnofsky, there’s enough going on to distract yourself from getting overly critical or taking things too seriously. Sit back, tune out, turn off, and enjoy. Given the upcoming flood of superhero movies set to takeover in the year to come, The Green Hornet isn’t the best, but it most certainly won’t be the worst. 3/5 OO By.Angela Espinoza, Arts Reviewer liking them, and The Green Hornet is no exception. The film is indeed a fun ride, but I found myself having to shut my brain off in order to fully enjoy it. In hindsight, there wasn’t any particular reason to even see the trailer; few, if any films, find redemption after a yearlong delay. The delay can be mostly attributed to the attempt at integrating 3D into the already completed film. There’s almost an air of wonder when a movie that (supposedly) cost $120 million to make has 3D effects I could slap together right now, free of charge. On the plus side, the few moments with Real-D make the picture so crisp and clear, it’s almost beautiful — albeit temporarily. Another reason Green Hornet made for an awkward watch was the bad dialogue. For every line that adds something, there are about a dozen that don’t. The once intimidating Christoph Waltz finds his talents literally wasted as the villain, Chudnofsky —a role originally written for Nicolas Cage. Waltz is arguably the best actor in this film, and seeing him withered down to ‘accented bad guy’ is just depressing. At no point do any of the leads really shine, and often what could be great moments have cheap jokes practically dubbed over them. Then there are the action sequences, [i= avoid bad movies for fear of All buzz and no stringer which are actually quite awesome. The ridiculousness of the final chase is probably the best part of the film. The destructive gadgets built into the Green Hornet’s (Seth Rogen) car, The Black Beauty, never ceased to be entertaining. But even in that likable aspect, you can’t have your entire two-hour film rely on what probably came to be 45 minutes to an hour of car chasing, karate moves, and gizmos. Rogen teamed up again with Evan Goldberg to write the screenplay. Not surprising, but for the two to collaborate on a “super hero” movie, you have to wonder where all their bright-eyed potential went. Were it not for French director, Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)), I don’t think the film would’ ve even survived. There’s no reason one shouldn’t see The Green Hornet; despite its technical issues, it’s definitely a fun action movie. But if you’re looking for the Seth Rogen from two or three years ago, you’re not going to find him here. 2/5 a Top 10 most anticipated games of 2011 By Angela Espinoza, Arts Reviewer ell, it’s been a fun, albeit short journey, but here we are. This is the final week of our 2011 game round up, and it’s here that I’ll be listing the top 10 most anticipated video games of the year. If you see any of your personal favourites missing, there’s a fairly good chance they were mentioned in the top 20 or 30 lists. 10. Crysis 2 (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) It’s been three years since the events of Crysis, and New York has been evacuated. Moving from the jungle to the city, it’s our job to clear out the alien infestation once and for all. 9. The Last Guardian (PS3) Team Ico returns with this action- adventure about a boy and a giant creature named Trico. It’s the player’s job to work with Trico and solve puzzles as they escape from a supposed fortress. Last Guardian is a spiritual successor to Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005), and is set to have similar game 8 play elements. 8. Star Wars: The Old Republic (Windows) It’s a Star Wars MMORPG developed by BioWare... my Schwartz could not be any more twisted. 7. Mass Effect 3 (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) MS3 is lower obviously because MS2 was so recent. But one can’t deny a good series, and sadly, this will be the end of the trilogy. This is our last chance to save Earth, and what do you know, it should be just in time for the holidays. 6. Deus Ex 3: Human Revolution (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) A prequel to Deus Ex (2000), human augmentations have yet to reach the levels featured in the previous games. Using biomechanical augmentations, you play as Adam Jensen, who after a freak accident must discover the conspiracy Sarif Industries has been hiding. 5. Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360) The third instalment of the series will be continuing the story of the last two games, and will apparently be answering all the questions leading up to this point. With the inclusion of four-player co-op modes, GoW3 is looking to be a major purchase in the fall. 4. Batman: Arkham City (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) The Joker (Mark Hamill’s final portrayal) has taken over ‘Arkham City,’ a mass prison system. Despite better judgment, Batman must enter the city in order to regain control. Unlike Arkham Asylum (2009), Arkham City will feature a new co-op mode, but its details are slim for now. 3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) Set 200 years after Oblivion (2006), the land of Skyrim is in great danger after their king is assassinated. With the addition of a new skill called ‘Dragon Shouts,’ Skyrim is expected to outdo its predecessor. 2. Duke Nukem Forever (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t been said over the last decade. Against all odds, Gearbox Software if finally making Duke Nukem Forever happen. All we can do now is wait for May, and finally chew that last piece of bubblegum. 1. Portal 2 (Windows, Mac Os X, Xbox 360, PS3) The mere taste of Portal (2007) was greater than that of any cake man will ever craft. It simply wasn’t enough, and the fact that Portal 2 even exists is, well, the icing on that cake. There’s a lot riding on Valve and they know it. No matter what happens, we’re all ready for Portal 2, and it’s going to be great. Honourable Mention: Dead Space 2 (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3) DSz2 has beaten expectations, with the survival horror elements being considered better than the original. It’ll be out this week, and if its ad campaign hasn’t hooked you, than perhaps you’re not man enough to enter space. There you have it, my personal selections for the top 30 games of the year. Hope you enjoyed the list and even if you didn’t, let us know why!