MONTE©

Inside 1990s:
From
In Theaters Kathy Bates
Now
to Hannibal
Own it on Lector: Best
DVD Horror
Performances
Movie of the Decade
Reviews

The Need for

Special Effects
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 Table of Contents
Which is better for
foreign language
films, dubbing or
subtitles? p. 18

Entertainer of the Month:

Kristen Stewart p. 21
Movie Reviews p. 22

Coming Soon to Theaters p.23

Horror Performances of the ‘90s p. 7 On DVD p. 24

The Need
for
Special
Effects p. 5

1997, Titanic 1996, Independence Day

Monte Pictures was originally founded by Javier Serrano in San Diego, California on February 4, 2007. Monte
Pictures is the subject to the founder’s passion: to establish a film company. At this time, Monte Pictures
runs independently through monthly newsletters composed by the founder Javier Serrano and his editor-in-
chief Julia Wieczorek.

© 2009 Monte Pictures Newsletter. We acknowledge all photographs are subject to their original owners.
Monte Pictures was created to express, entertain and educate members of Monte Pictures the variety of
film selections available. We do not sell our newsletters nor accept donations of any kind; we are neither a
corporation nor non-profit organization. Questions or comments, please email your inquiries to:
montepictures@ymail.com.
Founder’s Message JAVIER SERRANO
FOUNDER

Plan for your life –

Don’t just let it happen
There is an element of truth that some people let life
happen to them. This statement is backed by the fact
that many people spend more time planning their
vacation than planning their life. The quest to
investigate this topic had great value but I feel its
terminology is incorrect. How do we plan a life?
Planning is a linear activity and life is full of twists, turns
and detours. We don't plan our lives as much as we
plan our day. Our day's plan is a result of a methodical
prioritizing of what is of value to us, with the
completion of the task as the end result.

My suggestion: We begin the process by identifying our journey. This journey is a process of
identifying who we are. For right brained thinkers, this is discovering our meaning and
purpose known as our personal mission. This is creative stuff requiring a search within the
heart and soul. Some ways to discover your mission is to ask someone to deliver your eulogy
at your funeral. What do you want the people at your funeral to hear about the way you spent
your life?

Nothing is ever accomplished without a solid plan. The things we have accomplished in life
whether it be the things we acquire or the things we desire all came to us because we had a
plan. Everything we have ever been or done was the result of a plan and putting that plan in
action. Think back for a moment on all of the significant and not so significant events of your
life. There may be a few events that were luck, but the majority of it comes from having a plan
and then going out there to accomplish it. If you want better things in your life, make a plan
on how to achieve it. You can be, do and have anything you want if you have a plan of how to
obtain it. Think it through, and put serious thought into what you want for your life and then
set your plan in motion. Soon you will have all the things you desire.

“You can be, do and have

anything you want if you have a
plan of how to obtain it.”
 julia wieczorek
Editor’s Message editor-in-chief

Have you ever wondered how to be the best? How to

be best at whatever it is you want to do, whatever you
want to accomplish? Well there are some steps that if
followed, can help anyone on their way to being the
best at what they do.

*Help others. This can be family, friends, neighbors,

strangers. Helping gives one a sense of worth and pride,
a selfless act can actually do wonders for the self. It also
creates a sense of responsibility in one’s actions.

*Listen. Listen to yourself, what are you really trying to

accomplish? Listen to others, other people are walking
and living encyclopedia’s of knowledge unique to the
individual. They can offer advice. You can offer advice
back, expanding cooperation between people.

*Give and take. Don’t always take from others, give in

return. Part of life is making lasting connections and
these must be maintained through being there for
others as they are for you.
*Remember things. Showing you care enough to remember something important to someone
else, and for your career or education, really shows you are dedicated to learning. It also
shows you actually do care.

*Spend time on the important things. Don’t forget there are other things outside of your own
little world, your own job and life. There are other people, activities and adventures that need
attention too. It is also important to spend time with yourself, time to relax.

*Don’t take anything too seriously. It is important to stay focused on accomplishing goals but
with any ambition, there are setbacks, and if you let these actually set you back then you are
just hurting yourself. Remember to see the more positive side of things before giving-up.

*Don’t give up. If you try your best, it shows, no matter what the outcome. Trying your best
leads to being the best.

“If you want to be the best, you

must lose your mind…” ~ julia wieczorek
 The Need for Special Effects
By Javier Serrano But it is remorseful that most modern
films rely heavy upon the use of such
New technological feats have rapidly
effects to be successful. The focus is less
increased and enhanced the computer
on the skill of the actors, which majority of
technology in this modern digital age.
films was originally about: performances,
What I love about this modern day of
and more on the impression the film is
movie-making is films offer incredible visual
going to make on its viewers. Megan Fox
and realistic experience through the use of
and Shia Lebeouf, stars of both
special effects. For instance, Michael Bay’s
blockbuster films Transformers (2007) and
Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen
(2009) is an example of a recent film which
(2009), have lacked in their performances
totally relies on heavy destruction and a
in the films, but unlike others, which I can
space-age visual experience by special
care less for series, these stars are young
effects in order to reenact realization. Such
and attractive, so, of course, the film will
demands and requirements for the use of
generate more viewers from thirteen year
special effects are incredibly expensive and
olds. Another film example: Poseidon
often are too much to experience in the
(2006) relied on a lot of special effects and
theater, but it sure beats teens adrenaline
carefully time’s stunts to make it a rather
in their crave for more action and less
exciting movie but in the end, this was not
drama. Although, I am not a special effects
the work of the actors, and the ship was
kind of movie-goer; however, I do have to
simply unbelievable.
admit there have been many films I
enjoyed the use of special effects.
James Cameron’s Titanic

Not to spoil the ending, but I felt no grief when the

character died and could not relate or feel sympathy
because of the dilemmas they faced in the end. I
feel as though the actors are being made redundant
by this increase of technology; what they lack in skill
can simply be made up for in use of special effects
and most of the time, it is successful. Though, the
increased use of computer technology has
subsequently given rise to popularity of animated
films; a more advanced form of cartoon which
usually falls in the children’s or comedy genre.
While these films are usually the same high
standard of normal films, they put less demand on
the actors. Brilliant voice acting is obviously shown
off in films like these bit I believe acting is much
more authentic than voice acting; it is the
communication and expression of feelings and
emotions through the body language is what strikes
great performances. Therefore, I believe special
effects should be merely an addition and not the
focus. The consequence of the contrary is the
decrease on acting skill itself. I believe Titanic
(1997) is a prime example of flawless special effects.
Hence, films such as War of the Worlds rely heavily
on special effects and consequently, the storyline
can become hazy at times and often hard to follow
and characters are left undeveloped; we are not
completely convinced by what is happened.
1990s
Best Horror Performances
of a Lifetime
 ‘90
Kathy Bates in Misery
By julia wieczorek
Kathy Bates plays Annie Wilkes in the film
based on the Stephen King novel, Misery.
The film centers around Paul Sheldon
(played by James Caan), a best-selling
novelist who crashes his car during a
blizzard, and his number one fan: Annie
Wilkes. Annie rescues Paul and takes him to
her remote house in the woods where she
treats his injuries. He soon discovers the
once nurse is a little out of her mind, as her
reaction to his latest novel’s ending sets her
off in torturing the man physically and
mentally. She renders him incapable of
walking and chains him to a bed and
typewriter, where she forces him to re-
write his latest novel, completely
destroying his previous manuscript. Poor
Paul soon discovers he is not her first
victim.
Kathy Bates bring this psychotic fan
Annie to reality in a performance that is
haunting to Paul but also to all of us
who watch her. She goes from the
helpful good Samaritan, someone
anyone can trust, and turns it on the
person she respects most. The
performance shows us that we can be
manipulated at our weakest times by
those we put complete trust in. Kathy
never fails to astonish viewers with her
performances, getting truly deep into
her characters and with this one, she
becomes very terrifying even with that
sweet accent. She went on to win an
Academy Award for her deranged
character.

‘91
Anthony Hopkins in
The Silence of the Lambs
By julia wieczorek
Anthony Hopkins’s Hannibal Lecter has
become iconic, as well as the psychological
thriller he is introduced in, The Silence of
the Lambs. A student named Clarice (Jodie
Foster) is sent to interview the once
psychiatrist, now mental-patient
cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal. Hannibal
grows impatient with Clarice, but
eventually helps her in her quest to find
another serial killer “Buffalo Bill”. They
begin making deals with each other, all
while being video-taped. Hannibal soon
discovers Clarice’s traumatic childhood and
uses it in exchange for giving her the
information she needs. Hannibal eventually
escapes jail and murders more in the
process. In the end he contacts Clarice once
more, asking her not to try to find him,
when she disagrees he simply tells her he is
having a friend for dinner, and stalks his old
doctor through town.
The Soloist
Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his
performance and there is no doubt as to
why. He was terrifying. Anyone portraying
someone with a mental disorder, and
someone with this severe of a case, has to
really focus on the character, if not it will
become un-realistic. Hannibal is just creepy,
and the way he is able to manipulate
Clarice shows how cunning he must have
been with his victims, who became his
food. Hopkins gave us a stunning
performance that left the audience sick and
enthralled. Without getting too gory, the
film was able to capture disgusting horror
and also one cold serial killer. Hopkins will
be remembered his role as this strange
cannibal.
 ‘92
Gary Oldman in Dracula
By julia wieczorek
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker, Dracula
Gary Oldman brings a truly amazing
depicts the escapades of the famous
performance as he depicts a man who
Transylvanian vampire. In the film version,
grows young again, and transforms from
Count Dracula, played by Gary Oldman, is
a human to a vampire. He shows all of
motivated by romance more so than he is by
Dracula’s different disguises and does it
blood. He uses the reason for biting others as
in a very charming way to top it off! He
a means of avenging the death of his wife in
has been known to be very diverse and
the 15th century. She committed suicide after
has most recently been seen playing
hearing he had died, a false report, and he
parts in several Harry Potter films as well
renounces God in anger of her eternal
as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
damnation. Dracula eventually comes to
Becoming Dracula, Oldman was able to
London to meet Mina Harker, played by
bring heart to the heartless in a subtle
Winona Ryder, who is the living image of his
intensity that is chilling to watch. Dracula
late wife. Anthony Hopkins plays the obsessed
is the main character, not quite the
vampire hunter Van Helsing, out to finish-off
villain, but not really the hero, in a tale
Dracula with all the other vampires. Other
that is meant to haunt and dazzle those
cast include: Keanu Reeves-Jonathan Harker,
that are swept into it.
and Tom Waits-bug-eating Renfield. Bram
Stoker's Dracula won three Academy Awards.
 ‘93
Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son
By julia wieczorek
In The Good Son, a woman dies of
cancer and her husband must leave on
a trip, so their young son Mark (Elijah
Wood) is left in the care of his aunt and
uncle. He is excited to be always
around his cousin Henry, played by
Macaulay Culkin, because he has
someone his age (8 years old) he can
play with. He soon discovers that Henry
enjoys more sinister activities, such as
causing car accidents, toppling
treehouses, killing animals and even
drowning his 3 year old brother (he
admits this to Mark). When Henry gets
jealous of Mark, whom no one believes
when he claims Henry is evil, Henry
attempts to murder his own younger
sister and then Mark himself.
Macaulay Culkin has proven himself as a
reputable child-actor time and time again,
in strings of family films he has starred in.
In The Good Son, we are simply scared of
him. He portrays this innocent young boy
with a loving family, but shows his darker
side in a way that is almost hard to
imagine such a young child can have. He
plays the part brilliantly and we really start
to believe he is evil, as well as a good
“actor” in the movie because his character
convinces his parents of his innocence.
Poor Mark is in a similar situation many of
us have seen ourselves in, warring
between doing the right thing and fitting-
in with our peers. Henry is down-right
cruel, and a movie-depiction of real-life
children who end up with serious mental
disorders and become sociopaths. Culkin
was able to pull it off horrifyingly.
 ‘94

Robert Englund in Although the film can be somewhat hard

New Nightmare to follow, unless you know the characters

and understand the long chain of
By julia wieczorek previous films, it turns the traditional
Robert Englund is one of my favorite “slasher-movie” we love into reality, at
actors because of his portrayal of one of least for one of the first stars and the
my all-time favorite movie characters: filmmakers. Robert Englund once again
Freddy Krueger. In New Nightmare, the plays the twisted undead child-murderer
7th film in the Nightmare on Elm Street who haunts children and teens in their
franchise, Freddy Krueger has been dreams. His voice and facial expressions,
possessed by a demonic force seeking under the burned flesh of his face, and
entry into the real world. The film takes not to mention the way he taps his claws,
place in the “real world” in which Freddy add to Freddy’s character in a way that
Krueger is simply a character in the creeps his viewers out so much they have
Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Heather their own nightmares. Wes Craven has
Langenkamp, who plays Nancy in mentioned his inspiration for Freddy
previous Nightmare on Elm Street’s, is came from a string of unsolved-deaths
being followed by strange occurrences while sleeping, in which the people
and discovers she must play the part of complained of suffering nightmares. He
Nancy, once again, for Wes Craven’s used inspiration from his own fear of a
latest film within a film, in order to defeat local homeless man and bullies at school,
the new real-life Freddy. She also must as well as his cat (for the clawed-glove) to
seek help from Robert Englund, playing come-up with a unique character that
himself as well as the new demonic truly haunts our dreams.
Freddy Krueger, in her conquest.
 ‘95
Nicole Kidman in To Die For
By julia wieczorek
To Die For is based on a novel, based on
a story, about a woman named
Suzanne, played by Nicole Kidman, who
is determined to become a TV
newscaster no matter the costs to
attain it. She is limited intellectually
and talent-wise, but that doesn’t stop
her ruthlessness. She convinces some
teens she is doing a story on, to kill her
husband, in which they are arrested
for. One of the teens is able to record
Suzanne's plot but she is acquitted due
to the way the police handled the
investigation. When her husbands
Mafia father finds out what Suzanne
had done, he has someone murder her
and bury her under her favorite lake,
only to be skated over by her dead-
husband’s sister when it freezes over.
Nicole Kidman’s Suzanne knows exactly
what she wants and is willing to do just
about anything to get it! She makes up
for whatever she lacks, in cold
determination and diabolical wiles. As
she pursues her goal with relentless
focus, she believes she is forced to
destroy anything and anyone that may
stand in her way, regardless of the
ultimate cost or means necessary. In a
twist, the teen who recorded her
murder plan was the one who ends up
becoming the star on TV. Kidman plays
diabolical well, and mixed with her
beauty, her character becomes that
much more of an interesting
antagonist.

Fairuza Balk in The Craft
By julia wieczorek
Teen drama meets witchcraft in the
film, The Craft. When the 16 year old
troubled teen Sarah, played by Robin
Tunney, moves to a new town to start
fresh, she befriends an interesting
group of girls. Faruiza Balk plays Nancy,
the head of the group. What Sarah
doesn’t realize, until it’s too late, is the
girls are witches that practice black
magic. She is the link that completes
their coven and when she decides she
wants out, it is too late. The power
Nancy wields over people and nature
causes her to spin out of control and
torture, attempting to murder Sarah.
Her defeat is by Sarah herself, because
Sarah is a natural and more powerful
witch.
‘96
Faruiza Balk plays the evil and all-
powerful teen witch to a point we
really believe in her character and fear
it. Her character comes from a troubled
past and uses that anger and jealousy
to fuse with her power and skill at
casting spells. Balk literally transforms
her character on screen in front of our
eyes, from that of a slightly rebellious-
Catholic school girl to a full on crazed-
dark witch, dressing and acting
different as the film goes on. At the
end she is screaming, her own voice
cracking in rage and power and the last
Nancy is seen on screen is muttering to
herself in a mental hospital. Seeing a
young teen transform the way Balk was
able to, can be very disturbing.
‘97
Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate
The Devil’s Advocate centers on one
fantastic lawyer named Kevin (Keanu
Reeves) who has yet to lose a case. He
knows a certain client is guilty of his
crime, but causes him to get-off “not
guilty” anyway. Later he is approached
by recruits to a prestigious New York
law firm, headed by John Milton (Al
Pacino). After he wins his first case he
starts to spend more time at work and
less with his wife. When those that are
angry with Kevin suddenly start dying,
after he complains about them to John,
he begins to suspect something isn’t
right. Through events that leave him
saddened and angry, Kevin runs to his
boss, only to learn John is not only a
powerful lawyer, he is Satan himself,
and Kevin is his son.
By julia wieczorek
Al Pacino delights his audience with
memorable performances and this is
just one of them. He plays the part of
an all-powerful lawyer, and devil, very
well. His character is sly, evil and
greedy, manipulating others to get
what he wants. What would you think
if your boss told you he was the Devil?
Let alone you were the son of the
Devil? Pacino almost becomes comical
in his fits of rage, screaming while the
theatrics blaze behind him, but he is
still scary in that way that makes one
want to shudder at his overall
hatefulness.

Inou Rie in Ringu
By julia wieczorek
Ringu is about Asakawa (the aunt of a
teen victim) who is a reporter that
begins researching a weird video, said
to be cursed, she falls into the world of
one strange child: Sadako, played by
Inou Rie. She watches the video, but
when eventually her son watches it,
she only has 7 days to discover the key
to save him (and herself) from the
curse. Following clues from the tape
itself, Asawaka discovers the girls past
and frees her body from a well she was
thrown into years before. Her
unfortunate ex-husband discovers too
late that it wasn’t “freeing” the body
that saved Asawaka and her son, it was
copying the video and showing to
someone else that did. Thus the curse
never ends.
‘98
Ringu may have spawned nightmares
for many people, possibly because the
faces of terror the dead victims in the
movie take-on are quite simply,
disgusting. Inou Rie portrays the ghost
of Sadako, but really encompasses a
popular Japanese ghost, with white
clothing and long dark hair that covers
the face. Although she has no major
role in the film, her vengeful ghost
character’s stiff movements as she
crawls out of the TV and shuffles her
way towards her next victim, make the
viewer’s own skin crawl. Her stunning
silent horror spawned numerous copies
of this “type of ghost” in films and of
course, numerous American versions of
these films as well.

Eihi Shiina in Audition
By julia wieczorek
Audtion is one of those movies that
starts out ordinary enough, and pulls
the viewer into a twisted tale that
becomes more and more twisted until
it finishes with a gory ending. A lonely
executive of a company, Aoyama, sits-
in on auditions for actresses of a non-
existent film his producer friend sets-
up. He is intrigued by one young
woman, Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), and
asks her on a date. What he doesn’t
see on the other end of the line is her
tied-up victim in her dark room. The
movie climaxes with the sweet young
woman using rubber gloves and
doctor’s instruments to torture
Aoyama in a painfully long “home
surgery”.
‘99
Eihi Shiina portrays the innocent and
naïve young woman beautifully, and
the evil sadist eerily. Her character
takes her odd but nice exterior
personality and creates a façade that
others are captivated by. What makes it
more unnerving is the smile she
plasters on her face while using a
needle to torture her victim, and the
odd way she hovers over him. The film
creates an atmosphere of horror by
using little music in critical points. Once
again an actor, in this case Shiina, plays
a part that is contradictory in front of
our eyes, and that just makes things all
the more terrifying.
 Which is better for foreign language films, dubbing or subtitles?
By Javier Serrano Most times while audiences are in the
As a lover of languages and cultures, I am
appalled by people who refuse to watch foreign
language movies just because they are subtitled.
The actor’s voice is the most vital importance
and the emotions that he or she conveys cannot
be conveyed by a person reading a voice-over.
Actors invest a lot of time and energy into
preparing for a performing their roles and every
emotion comes from inside them. Theses
emotions can’t be duplicated and added after
the fact. Every actor is unique, and their unique
voices help them to shape the characters they
play and bring that role to life. When it all
comes together, the audience can become lost
in the action and the characters become real to
them. I have never liked dubbed movies.
Watching subtitled movies from all over the
world has made me more culturally enriched. I
immediately recognize people speaking
languages like Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese
when I walk down the street. However, as I am
dubbing, majority of people would rather watch
a film that is dubbed than subtitles. The main
importance of watching a movie in my opinion is
to be entertained and be educated. The idea to
sit back and watch a movie should be mindless
effort to some people. Though, it is supposed to
allow the viewers the opportunity to unwind
and relieve stress, and enlighten the individual,
right? In my opinion, subtitles are not at enough
contrast to the background of what is going on
the screen. To most people, sometimes the
entire works and letters blend in with screen
shot so much that they are difficult to read.
middle of trying to decipher a certain work,
the new subtitle is put on the screen, which
you will often see people concentrating too
hard for a movie or squinting at every
recognizable word. Again, movie dubbing
however has many drawbacks. Often, the
emotion in the voices of the actors is not
portrayed quite the same as the original
version. Most times the intonation of
emotion is not the same either in the
performances. Many actors are recognized
by their distinct voice you are hearing does
not match up with the mouth movement.
Another point to bring up is that often many
words or important phrases are lost in the
translation. This means that you are getting
a brief broader statement many times
instead of the poignant one in the original
version. Hence, movies with subtitles are
not much of a step about the original talkies
when the motion picture industry first
started nearly a century ago. During those
silent films the words were projected on to
the screen while instrumental music played
appropriately coordinated with what
emotion the actors were portraying. Often
the music was loud and annoying too.

Movie Sequels and Remakes: Is Hollywood out of ideas?
By Javier Serrano
Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is a well-
crafted crime-thriller that sees Scorsese return
to the cinematic heights he once scaled with
GoodFellas. Set in the murky underworld of
the Boston-Irish Mafia, the film is a remake of
recent Hong Kong crime-thriller Infernal Affairs.
As such, it’s the latest entry in a long line of
Asian to American remakes, which, for all their
individual merits, represents perhaps the most
cynical side of Hollywood film production.
Over recent years, Japanese horror films
illuminated across the globe with such films as
Ringu (The Ring), Dark Water and Ju-on: The
Grudge, have provided fresh material for
Hollywood to plunder greatly. Despite being
freely available, in their original forms, on both
sides of the world, these movie collectives, also
known as, “Foreign Film” has hindered their
circulation in all but the most enthusiastic film
clubs and academic-film circles. The major
American studios, however, are not about to
miss out on the opportunity, and as a result all
three of the titles I’ve mentioned have been
remade in the United States, with The Ring and
The Grudge spawning the originality from the
Japanese origins.
Naomi Watts in The Ring
Hollywood has an uneasy relationship with
originality. The major studios in the United
States tend to operate best when a problem can
be solved by throwing money at it, which is
great when creating a summer blockbuster
where adrenaline will keep the popcorn-
audience entertained. Over the past few years,
the well of originality in Hollywood has become
particularly dry, with studios falling back on big-
screen versions of class TV shows, hoping to
cash-in on the fan-bases, whilst never
underestimating the help of big-name stars.
Think of Drew Barrymore, Lucy Lu and Cameron
Diaz in Charlie’s Angels, Nicole Kidman and Will
Ferrell in Bewitched, Sean William Scott and
Johnny Knoxville in the Dukes of Hazard, are you
getting my drift? Remakes are as effective an
exercise in risk-reduction, although studios have
for some time now been raiding their archives.
For examples, The Poseidon Adventure, The
Omen, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The
Amityville Horror, to name but four, have all hit
theaters across the nation in the past five years.
Like Steven Spielberg’s remake of War of the
Worlds stemmed from his lifelong enthusiasm
for the story.
 Then, Halloween 1978; Now, Halloween 2008

His version turned into an effective modern invasion-thriller, and has interpreted as the
director’s response, to the events of 9/11. Another example, Peter Jackson, director of the
Lord of the Rings’ trilogies, wanted to remake his childhood ambition King Kong, the film that
inspired to become a filmmaker. The biggest problem deals with some of the remakes,
adaptations and sequels that come out each year. While it is true that there are many different
remakes of films that become popular the big problem is that a remake of a classic film will
generally not be as memorable or as good as the original. The new version of The Day the
Earth Stood Still is completely different from the original class and is rather forgettable. Of
course there are some good ideas out there in Hollywood.

Then, Jenny & Juno 2005 (South Korean); Now, Juno 2007 (Canadian)

What I found to be humorous, people assumed Diablo Cody’s, Juno was her original idea, on
the contrary, her idea was original in the American sense, but the film’s plot is loosely based
on South Korean film Jenny and Juno. However, I will provide one film that I believe was one
of Hollywood’s best original films, 2008, WALL-E because the concept was so unique, witty
and charming. Many other films that have unique ideals like The Wrestler and Burn After
Reading showed up on many of those same lists too because they were very different from
Hollywood’s same old movies. Look how big comic books-turned-movies have done for
Hollywood?
Entertainer of the Month
Kristen Stewart

In 2002, at the age of 12, Kristen

Stewart starred in her first major
Hollywood film in Panic Room
alongside Academy Award winners
Jodie Foster and Forrest Whitaker.
Born to a script supervisor
Australian mother and a stage-
manager and television producer
American father, Kristen Stewart
starred in several leading roles like
2004, Speak and 2007, In the Land
of Women, and her most critically
acclaimed performance as Bella
Swan in Stephanie Meyer’s
Twilight.
reviews movie
Pan’s Labyrinth (El
Laberinto del Fauno)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro
2006
In this Spanish-language twisted
fantasy film, a young girl, Ofelia
(Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant
mother go to live with her
mother’s new husband, a captain
who lives in the woods during
post-Civil Way Spain in 1944. Ofelia
loves books, mainly fairy tales and
after seeing an insect she believes
him to be a fairy. The fairy takes
her down a maze into a labyrinth,
where Pan the faun dwells. Pan
tells her she is a fallen princess and
must complete tasks to come back
to her father’s kingdom. Ofelia gets
into trouble trying to complete her
tasks and meets extraordinary
creatures, some of which are
terrifying. Ofelia’s fails at saving
her mother’s life and upon her last
task to spill the blood of her
innocent newborn brother, she
refuses Pan and is left to suffer the
consequences of not completing
her tasks. This film is visually
stunning and the story captivating.
It is also so very heart wrenching
bringing viewers to tears, it
deserves the title of dark fairy tale.
By julia wieczorek
Edward Lady in the Water
Scissorhands Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
Dir. Tim Burton 2006
1990 An apartment building’s caretaker
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are a named Cleveland (Paul Giamatti),
great pair and in this earlier who lives in a cottage next to the
fantasy film by Burton, Depp plays pool of the complex, starts to
Edward, a young man who was suspect there is someone
created by a scientist who lived on swimming in the pool after hours.
a dark castle atop the highest He questions the residents of the
mountain of a small suburb. The building, all of whom had different
scientist dies before he can backgrounds and comical quirks.
complete Edward, leaving his When he injures himself, he wakes
hands for last Edward is now stuck up to find he has been saved by a
with the scissors he was originally young woman (Bryce Dallas
in place with. A local Avon Howard) named Story. He soon
saleslady discovers Edward and falls into her tale of her people
takes him in with her family. He that live in water, Narfs. When he
quickly falls in love with her tries to send her back home, she
daughter Kim (Winona Ryder) and explains it’s not as easy as it looks,
becomes a hit with the neighbors and there are beasts all around
designing hedges and cutting their them that can only be seen by
hair in outlandish styles. Everyone looking certain ways. It is up to
falls in love with him, until a local Cleveland to gather the tenants in
teen blames him for a crime, and a mission to protect Story during
Edward has to deal with something the one night she is to be rescued
he has never felt before, rejection. and brought back home. But their
He spirals out of control and is grave mistakes leave her so injured
soon feared by all the neighbors. that it may be too late. This dark
This dark fairy tale is all about self- fantasy/thriller is innovative and
discovery and isolation. Tim touching in that it brings all types
Burton’s take on suburbia is weird of people together with one
and funny, and the film reflects common goal, and forces the main
that nicely. character to open up to others.
TheatersComing Soon
Inglorious Basterds
Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Opens August 21, 2009
In the first year of the German
occupation of France, Shosanna,
played by Melanie Laurent,
witnesses the execution of her
family at the hand of Nazi Colonel
Hans Landa, played by Christopher
Waltz, which he won a Best Actor
award at this year’s Cannes Film
Festival. Shosanna narrowly
escapes and flees to Paris where
she forges a new identity as the
owner and operator of a film
theater. Elsewhere in Europe,
Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt)
organizes a group of Jewish
American soldiers to perform
swift, shocking acts of retribution.
Later known in the film to their
enemy as “the basterds,” Raine’s
squad joins German actress and
undercover agent Bridget (Diane
Kruger) on a mission to take down
the leaders of the Third Reich.
Tarantino’s re-imagining,
otherwise, remake of the 1978
Italian film, takes many risks which
pays off. It is definitely not for
everyone, but there are plenty
who will enjoy the cinematic
experience. Grade: A -
By Javier Serrano
Halloween II
Dir. Rob Zombie
Opens August 28, 2009
I really have nothing positive to say
about this film. However, I will
provide a short synopsis for you.
The film picks up right where the
first film left off, Laurie is taken to
the hospital after supposedly killing
the man who was responsible for
the deaths of several people in the
town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
However, her stay at Haddonfield
General becomes very brief when a
very much alive Michael Myers
appears once more. Michael
disappears, and Laurie survives the
infamous Halloween massacres, but
is still haunted by it years later.
Laurie struggles to come to terms
with her dark past. But the
supposedly dead Michael has other
plans, and as the anniversary of his
massacre approaches, he returns to
Haddonfield once more, with a
family reunion planned that Laurie
will never forget. Have you noticed
Michael Myers is too tall. Well,
casting a former wrestler to play
Michael Myers is just so not
convincing. Grade: D +
World’s Greatest
Dad
Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait
Opens August 21, 2009
Oscar winner and comedian
Robin Williams plays a high
school English teacher Lance
Clayton, a well-meaning but
incompetent parent to 15-
year-old Kyle, played by Daryl
Sabara, starred in the film Spy
Kids as Juni, who’s a rude,
fouled-mouth moron. When
Kyle dies accidently during
auto-erotic asphyxiation,
Lance rearranges the body to
make it look like a suicide and
pens an eloquent note, all to
give his son a little dignity at
the end of his life. Goldthwait
spends nearly half of the film
establishing Kyle as the
world’s worst son, so it’s a
relief to actually see him
parish. After that, Williams is
admirably understated as
Lance, and does a good job
conveying the mix pride and
self-loathing that drives his
actions. Overall, the film has
its annoyance and funny
moments. Robin Williams at
his best, of course. Grade: B
 On DVD
Two Lovers The Last House on the Left
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Sara
Vanessa Shaw, 2008 Paxton, 2009
In this tale of love and yearning,
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Leonard
Kraditor, a man who has returned
to his parents’ home in Brooklyn.
It’s apparent from the start that
Leonard is struggling with
emotional and psychiatric issues
and his mother, played by Isabella
Rosselini, is worried about him;
he’s recovering from a recent
failed relationship . Eventually, he
meets Sandra, through his parents
dry-cleaning business. In a
moment fraught with potential
humiliation, Leonard sits with
Sandra in his childhood bedroom
and shows her his photographs;
her quiet enthusiasm somehow
makes everything more
comfortable. Leonard shows his
affection to Sandra, but then he
meets Michelle, played by
Gwyneth Paltrow, his neighbor
who lives in the same building.
Superb performances from all
three. A tragic loss for Joaquin
Phoenix as this is his last film
performance. Grade: A
By Javier Serrano
The difference between this
version from director Daniel
Illiades and Wes Craven 1972 The
Last House on the Left is the
budget. We don’t need much
reminding when it comes to the
remake, an affair which turns into
a brutally straightforward rape-
revenge suspense film. Wes
Craven’s original masterpiece had
a very low budget which the score
played majority of the suspense.
Nearly three decades later, the
craft of this film is more fluent in
terms of filmmaking. But the set-
up remains the same: a gang of
criminals abduct two teenage girls
and drag them into the woods,
where one, played by Sara Paxton,
is raped. The major innovation is
that she survives, crawling back to
the home of her parents, played by
Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter,
who have unwittingly offered their
daughter’s attacker a bed for the
night. Overall, a suspenseful film
but lacks in performances.
Grade: C
Revolutionary Road
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate
Winslet, 2008
Without doubt Kate Winslet’s
Oscar winning performance in
The Reader was a deserving
one. However, I preferred her
to win the Oscar in this
performance in Revolutionary
Road, which she was directed
by her Academy Award
winning husband Sam
Mendes. In 1955, a young
couple the Wheelers, Frank,
(Leonardo DiCaprio) and his
wife, April (Kate Winslet)
settle into suburbia but
dream of reclaiming lives as
free spirits. The adaptation of
Richard Yates’ novel is
understandably trumpeted as
a high-class affair. Most
appealingly it reunites Titanic
romantics Leo DiCaprio and
Kate Winslet, But people
keen to reaffirm the
transforming power of love
may experience the desire to
slash their wrist after their
bleak drama, which defiance
turns into tragedy. Grade: A +