My deadline once again looms. So I think I'll once again do an off-topic column.
Here are some quick hitters to check out if you want to see some quality films this weekend. I'll give a little variety, because watching a film always depends on your frame of mind. You can't always watch the art house mindbending films, in the same sense that you shouldn't continuously view empty blockbusters.
If you're in the mood to bring back your childhood, why not pick a classic kids film? I'm not talking about Disney princesses either. Instead why not turn to "The Princess Bride"? The fantastical tale about a man returning to his love after years apart is touching and adventurous. With sword fights, comedy and a little romance, you should easily fall for this '80s classic.
Better yet, when you find yourself feeling under the weather, check "Bride" out. It isn't about the love story anyway. The film touches on societies disconnect with older generations. A grandfather simply wants to read a tale of adventure and love to his sick grandson. This is the story outside of the swashbuckling for which everyone remembers this film. The film teaches us to pick up books rather than video game controllers to entertain ourselves.
If that isn't stirring up some nostalgia within, then I have to suggest my one of my favorite childhood flicks "The Sandlot." I know baseball season started last week, but I can't help myself. "The Sandlot" is a sports film for sure, but it is about much more than just the sport of baseball.
For a quick refresher, the film follows the new kid on the block, Scotty Smalls, as he tries to make friends over summer by playing baseball at the neighborhood sandlot. I can almost feel summer upon me, with lazy days spent playing catch with friends or going to the ballpark to watch a game. If only life was so simple nowadays. I wish my only worry was retrieving my dad's coveted Babe Ruth baseball from a killer dog. The film brings back a simpler time of the 1950s when that was all you would do during summer. Like all great sports films, though, the focus isn't on the sport. Here we witness and become a part of a great friendship between the main two characters.
But, what if you're not in the mood for those? Then lets turn to an R-rated action heist film. Guy Richie's "Snatch" may just be the answer for you. This film focuses around a stolen diamond and the London underworld. Brad Pitt even shows up as a Gypsy boxer with an unintelligible accent. The film is lush with stylized action, much in the same way "Sherlock Holmes" was last year. It is one of those films you just have to experience to feel the full effect.
So what about new offerings this weekend you ask? Muncie is getting two new features. The first is the remake "Death at a Funeral." The film stars Chris Rock, Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan, Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson and Zoe Saldana. According to IMDb.com the film is about family secrets being exposed at a family funeral. Doesn't sound terribly deep, yet it is one of the rare films that is a remake, not of a foreign language film, but of a British feature. The trailer looks rather flaccid with some stale performances by some of the actors, but the story actually doesn't seem entirely rubbish.
Now to the big film opening this weekend, turn to "Kick-Ass." The film's trailer is hilarious and looks like one fun ride. It does seem to be on the back of the superhero trend though. The story is about a high schooler who decides to become a superhero, without any skills or apparent training. He becomes an internet sensation through a YouTube video and finds himself in the spotlight.
But he isn't the first to become a super here, and several others reveal themselves to him throughout the movie. I can't wait for this one because it looks like fun without being overly unintelligent. The director, Matthew Vaughn, has made two other good films in "Stardust" and "Layer Cake." I think he will have his biggest success this weekend. On a side note, McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) plays the sidekick to "Kick-Ass."
Have a good weekend and find something that interests you. Get out there and have fun while the nice weather lasts.
Read More
AP: Biden's upcoming graduation speech roils Morehouse College, a center of Black politics and culture
By The Associated Press / YesterdayWhen he gives the commencement address at Morehouse College, President Joe Biden will have his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war at a center of Black politics and culture.
Indiana Capital Chronicle: Rokita warns Indiana college officials to guard against campus antisemitism
By Indiana Capital Chronicle / 2 days agoAttorney General Todd Rokita on Wednesday issued a warning to postsecondary officials: “Hateful antisemitic acts against Jewish students will not be tolerated.”
Battling Lupus: Ball State student shares his battle with an autoimmune disease
By Ball Bearings / 2 days agoThroughout my life, I would’ve never assumed that something “bad” would happen to me. Growing up generally healthy, the thought of being ill would’ve never crossed my radar, but sometimes life takes you in an unexpected direction.
