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DVD Review: Letters to Juliet

By Jenn Markham

and 13 Going on 30, strikes again with another

corny Hollywood chick flick, but one that I loved.
If you’re looking for something sweet to turn your brain
off to for a while, this is it. What sets Letters to Juliet apart
from the other fluff is being self-aware of how cheesy
it is. Throughout the movie, clichés and allusions to
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet are recognized and called
out by the actors as jokes.

Amanda Seyfried takes a large leap from her
stereotypical dumb blonde role in Mean Girls. She plays
the part of Sophie, a fact checker aspiring to be a writer.
She stumbles upon an opportunity to respond to letters, and
ultimately an adventure during a trip to romantic Verona.

Vanessa Redgrave plays the role of Claire, a mature
romantic who’s longing for her first love 50 years later.
She’s a charming character, and often acts as the wise voice
of reason. Ironically enough, she also played a role ina
version of Romeo and Juliet 20 years ago.

Christopher Egan plays Claire’s grandson who’s a
conceited and resentful Englishman. But of course, like
most love stories, his character evolves from one we hate in
the beginning to one we love in the end.

The pacing of the movie is fitting, especially considering
the wide timeline and flip-flop in setting. If you’re paying
attention to the background, the country sides, vineyard and
cobblestone streets are a gorgeous backdrop to add to the
cheese-factor.

My only criticism of the movie is the character of
Victor played by Gael Garcia Bernal. He’s portrayed as the
annoying, good-for-nothing boyfriend. The fact that he’s
overly irritating is a given, but his role in the movie seemed
repetitive. Of course he’s work obsessed and cares little
about his fiancé, but it’s so overplayed and overacted I felt
spoon-fed. The music fit the movie well. In every scene the
songs were appropriate and energetic.

Like every good love story, there’s a wedding, a first
kiss, and too many people with the same name. So ladies,
if you’re looking for a cute flick for girl’s night or one to
curl up to on the couch with your guy (because he owes you
one), this is it. Guys, need some brownie points? You don’t
even have to admit you liked it... but you will.

D== Gary Winick, who brought us Bride Wars

 

 

Bird.

Indie gaming reaches its apex with Minecraft

Craft yourself some free time and coffee before tackling this indie hit

By TK Kwon

Te Horton’s Iced Capps. Weekend naps.
Facebook. And now, Minecraft. What
do these seemingly random things have
in common? Addiction, I’m addicted to every
single one. When I first heard of Minecraft I
was told it was an open-world sandbox game
where you build things with blocks with that
make Nintendo DS games look godly. So I
did what most respectable gamers would do,
I scoffed and went back to playing games that
I actually found interesting. Nevertheless, my
friends persisted and insisted that it was a game
worth checking out, so to appease them, I did...
and found that the game was nothing I had
initially anticipated.
Developed initially as an in-browser game,
Minecraft was programmed and developed
by one man, Markus Persson. He developed
the game as a homage to titles like Dwarf
Fortress and Infiniminer, and didn’t think it
would generate the fan base and acclaim that
it has received so far. To game has become
so popular in fact, that PayPal had Persson’s
account suspended due to suspicious activity
caused by the massive influx in purchase
transactions where he, in a short period of time,
accumulated over €600,000 ($750,000 USD).
There are two versions of Minecraft: the
free Classic version and the paid Alpha (soon
to be Beta) version, available in both single and
multiplayer flavours. In the Classic version, you
spawn in a randomly generated terrain and are
equip with an assortment of infinite blocks. The
player is free to do whatever they please from

 

building giant castles, to making 32-bit sprites
from their favourite childhood games. The
Classic version is a great time killer, but the
Alpha is where the game truly makes its mark.
The Alpha starts off the same way that the
Classic does, but there’s one distinct difference,
your inventory is completely empty. You must
make your way to a tree and collect blocks
of logs, and from these logs, make blocks of
wood. These blocks of wood can then be used
to craft a work bench. From the work bench
you craft a wooden pickaxe in order to begin
mining. *Phew* But your jobs only just begun.
From here you must act quickly, for one of
the first environmental changes you’ll notice
is that the sun is beginning to set. When night
falls, monsters spawn, so quick decisions will
ensure your survival. As the game goes on,
players must learn how to effectively manage
their allotted daytime to mine, hunt, and collect
the necessary resources to craft secure housing,
food, and additional equipment. But alas, you
mustn’t fret, for survival is just the beginning.
From mining cobblestone to diamonds and
crafting sticks to railroad systems, the potential
of Minecraft is endless. With both single and
multiplayer, free and paid, there is something
for everyone. Minecraft is available online at
www.minecraft.net for only €9.95 (approx. $13
USD), but is scheduled to rise to €20.00 once
the Beta version rolls around. So take a leap of
faith and give the game a try, because this is
one indie hit you won’t want to miss.

5/5
ES 23 2 ES ES