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(04/27/11 6:00am)
Adapting a novel to the screen is a tricky business. It's very easy
to lose the magic in translation. That's why I was surprised to
find that the screen adaptation of Sara Gruen's ""Water for
Elephants"" was as strong and enjoyable as it was. I haven't read
the novel, so I can't speak to the quality of the adaptation, but I
can say the film will satisfy anyone who's looking for a
conventional romantic fairy tale. The film settles for a safe,
uninteresting ending, but it's forgivable because an adequate
amount of charm and mysticism are present throughout the rest of
the story.
(04/17/11 6:00am)
Gov. Scott Walker is no longer the most controversial Wisconsin
politician. If your political interests ever drift outside of
Badgerland, then you've probably been reading about Rep. Paul Ryan,
R-Wis., who is at the frontline of the deficit debate in
Washington. This blue-eyed wonder boy is leading the GOP's charge
with his ""Roadmap to the Future,"" and it's starting to get under
Obama's skin.
(04/11/11 6:00am)
Sometimes when judging a piece of art, you have to put effort above
actual success. Joe Wright's new film ""Hanna"" doesn't work most
of the time. However, it's admirable that it's aiming for something
special and going at it with full force. You combine that with the
few scenes that do work very well and you've actually got a movie
worth seeing.
(03/28/11 6:00am)
Lena Dunham. Make sure you remember that name because she's going
to be big. When I say big, I mean in a big fish in a little pond
kind of way. Dunham is the writer, director and lead actress in her
new film ""Tiny Furniture,"" and as I walked out of the showing, I
realized I've never been more excited about the future of a
specific filmmaker.
(03/06/11 6:00am)
There's something very charming about a film that gets it just
right. Miguel Arteta's new film ""Cedar Rapids"" gets it all right.
It successfully creates characters we can laugh with, as opposed to
laugh at. It surrounds its main character with a pitch perfect cast
and a fully realized environment. Most importantly, it stays true
to itself in classic good-hearted Midwestern spirit. Oh yeah, and
it's hilarious.
(02/25/11 6:00am)
With the 2011 Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, Daily Cardinal
senior film critics Riley Beggin and Mike Kujak, along with arts
editor Todd Stevens, provide their predictions for who will go home
with the little gold men, who got unjustly snubbed and how the
horse race stacks up.
(02/24/11 6:00am)
Last Tuesday night in Madison, a 21-year-old woman was attacked
after leaving her appointment at Planned Parenthood. A stranger
allegedly put her in a choke hold and said, ""You better watch what
you do.""
(02/22/11 6:00am)
""Barney's Version"" is the saddest comedy you'll see all year.
It's a film for old people, it has no likeable characters and it
drifts along a stretched out narrative that will probably bore most
viewers. So why in the hell am I recommending that you go out and
see this film? Well, in short, it's a matter of perspective.
(02/18/11 6:00am)
There's something dangerously special about the craft of the short
film. Like a short story, the entire film has to be air tight and
not a single frame can be wasted or misused. All five of the films
in this year's ""Best Animated Short"" category at the Oscars have
their own unique and lovable vision.
(02/06/11 6:00am)
Ambiguity in a legal ruling can be troublesome. In some cases, some
pretty unpredictable and immature actions occur while trying to
establish the constitutionality of a certain court ruling. For
example, when U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson of Florida found one
small mandate of the Affordable Health Care Act unconstitutional,
there are many different ways to interpret his ruling.
(02/04/11 6:00am)
The voice of new media is a powerful one. Of course, everyone in
Madison knows this. A recent survey conducted by klout.com ranked
UW-Madison as the second most influential college on Twitter. We
use our digital voice to cheer on the Badgers or perhaps yell at
Gov. Scott Walker.
(01/30/11 6:00am)
Every once in awhile the Sundance Film Festival will send us
Badgers a special cinematic treat. Madison is lucky enough to have
a Sundance Cinema located at Hilldale Mall, which means the
festival will usually give us a special screening of one of the
festival's highlights. This year's film is none other than the
winner of the festival's U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury
Prize, ""Like Crazy"". Director Drake Doremus' new film is full of
fresh talent and it one of the most honest portrayals of young love
in recent memory.
(01/26/11 6:00am)
I usually have a bit of sympathy for America's political punching
bags. Sometimes frustration with modern politics can lead to unfair
accusations of political figures. And while slanderous comments
toward political talking heads are not always justified, there is
one particular politician who deserves no sympathy.
(01/19/11 6:00am)
The beginning of a new year is a good time to be a bit more
optimistic. There are a lot of big changes coming to Washington in
the near future, and these next few weeks should give us some idea
of where our government is heading in the next two years.
(01/18/11 6:00am)
""The Green Hornet"" has just enough talent to keep its mediocre
script floating. It might not deliver all the laughs of a typical
Seth Rogen project, or all the impressive action sequences of your
average superhero flick, but director Michel Gondry's latest
project is an ambitious hybrid of the two genres that delivers just
enough kung-fu, exploding buildings and drunken superhero banter to
make the film worth seeing.
(12/20/10 6:00am)
(11/22/10 6:00am)
This Saturday, President Barack Obama used his final press
conference before leaving the NATO summit to cement his intention
to have the United States remain in Afghanistan until at least
2014. This announcement was disturbing for several reasons and
confirms the sad truth that, even though the war in Afghanistan is
a lost cause, politicians will continue the exploit our soldiers
for political or economical gain.
(11/16/10 6:00am)
Why did we need this movie? After last year's ""The Taking Pelham
123,"" did director Tony Scott need to prove to us again that he
can't make an entertaining train movie? Did Denzel Washington need
to cement his recent career in mediocrity with his second film for
Scott? Did Chris Pine need to kill the positive buzz surrounding
his latest performance as Captain Kirk in ""Star Trek""? Scott's
latest film ""Unstoppable"" is uninteresting, unpleasant and
unfortunate.
(11/14/10 6:00am)
Can you hear the fat lady singing, my fellow Badgers? She's singing
about the Democrats preparing to abandon another fight in
Washington D.C. During the current lame-duck legislative session,
Democrats are silently jumping ship on the LGBT initiative of
repealing the ""Don't Ask, Don't Tell"" policy that bars gays and
lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces.
(09/22/09 6:00am)
Students nationwide are organizing events Wednesday to raise
awareness of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors
Act. The DREAM Act is a federal immigration reform bill that, if
passed, would create a path to legalization through a two-year
college education or two years of military service for undocumented
youth.