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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
By MATT SOERGEL
Morris News Service
TALLADEGA NIGHTS:
THE BALLAD OF RICKY
BOBBY (3 stars): Will
Ferrell’s a dim racing star
in a comedy that pokes
much fun at America’s
NASCAR- loving population.
Sloppy and not as funny as
Anchorman, but still plenty
of the absurdist humor that
goes with the territory when
you allow Ferrell to run all
over it in his big white bun
hugger undies. PG-13.
STEP UP (2 1/2 stars):
The stars are charming
(Channing Tatum, in partic
ular) and the dancing is pas
sionate and lively. Too bad
the story, set in a performing
arts high school, is just so-so.
Youngish audiences will get
the most from it. (Francine
King, the Times-Union).
PG-13.
THE DESCENT (4
stars): Nasty, pitiless and
seriously scary. Six women
make a literal and sym
bolic descent into darkness
when they venture into an
Appalachian cave where all
manner of horrors await.
This raw, low-budget British
chiller provides double shots
of what horror fans crave,
served straight-up, one after
the others. A serious R.
THE NIGHT LISTENER
(3 stars): Robin Williams
is a radio host who strikes
up a phone friendship with
a young listener, though
things are not as they seem.
It’s an eerie, short (82 min
utes) mystery without the
pumped-up scenes of a typi
cal thriller; instead, think of
it as a moody thriller for the
art-house set. R.
THE ANT BULLY (3
stars): There are many
imaginative visual jokes
packed into this fine, excit
ing children’s story about a
boy shrunk down to the size
of an ant. Rousing adventure
and narrow escapes await
him. Lessons are learned,
too - though they aren’t
crammed down our throats.
PG.
MONSTER HOUSE (3
stars): Three kids check out
the malignant and haunted
house across the road in this
computer-animated story.
Children with chills on their
mind should love it, though
it’s so scary it could send
others ducking under their
seats. PG.
LADY IN THE WATER
(2 stars): M. Night
Shyamalan’s newest is one
of the nuttiest movies you’ll
ever see, though it’s funnier
and more watchable than
you might think -- even as
the story, about a strange
woman from a parallel world,
spins way out of control. Has
a couple of horror jolts, but
it’s chiefly a mystical and
earnest fairy tale.
PG-13.
PIRATES OF THE
CARIBBEAN: DEAD
MAN’S CHEST (2 stars)
There’s one scene, featur
ing Johnny Depp as a giant
shish kebab, that’s a zesty
chunk of comic genius. The
rest of the movie? You do
get your money’s worth of
motley pirates, sea monsters
and duels, but it’s overdone
way too long, too frantic,
too dark and nowhere near
as charming or funny as that
wonderful first one. PG-13.
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In “Accepted” from left, Columbus Short, Maria Thayer, Justin Long, Blake Lively, Adam Herschman and Lewis
Black make up one happy college family.
These students get South
Harmom Institute of Technology
By MATT SOERGEL
Morris News Service
Accepted, an underdog
comedy about a bunch of
misfits who start their own
college, isn’t going to jump
to the top of your favorite
movie list if you’re a fan of
Animal House, Revenge of
the Nerds or Old School.
But it has some things
working for it, including
many offbeat one-liners, a
sunny, cruelty-free tone and
a pleasantly implausible
plot.
Accepted kicks off as Ohio
teenager Bartleby Gaines
(Justin Long) is rejected
by eight out of eight col
leges. He doesn’t want to
confess to his parents and
everyone else that he’s such
a reject. So he and some
fellow underachievers cre
ate a college of their own,
sprucing up an old mental
institution and dubbing it
Reel Releases
Films paint colorful lives of artists
By STEVEN UHLES
Morris News Service
For everyone, there are
a few special teachers who
continue to inspire and
enrich lives long after the
final bell.
Whether it’s a little extra
effort given in a problem
subject or encouraging
latent talents, the educators
who stay with us are profes
sional but passionate.
They understand that
although facts are found
in books, the extemporane
ous life lessons they might
offer are the bits of informa
tion that remain relevant
long after the square of the
hypotenuse has faded from
memory.
In honor of a new school
year, and the teachers who
helped me, a truly unmo
tivated student, I’d like to
pay tribute to some of my
At A Glance
Accepted
2 1/2 stars out of 4
Who’s it for? It’s not a
bad late summer comedy,
but probably an even better
bet when it’s out on video.
Credits: Starring Justin
Long, Jonah Hill and Lewis
Black. Directed by Steve
Pink.
Running time: 1 hour, 23
minutes.
Family guide: PG-13. A
little profanity, mild sexual
situations.
■BBMBBBBBBBBBBMBBBBBBBBBBMBM
South Harmon Institute of
Technology (the movie gets
many jokes out of its acro
nym).
The only “grown-up”
around is Lewis Black, who
does some of his Daily Show
style rants as a shoe sales
man talked into becoming
favorite cinematic scholars:
BLACKBOARD
JUNGLE (1955)
The job of educator is
thankless. This sentiment
is played as heightened
melodrama in this classic
tale of student/teacher con
frontations.
It doesn’t paint the rosi
est portrait of the American
education system, but is an
interesting look at a teach
er (Glenn Ford) struggling
within the halls and walls of
academia.
TO SIR, WITH
LOVE (1967)
Though the plot seems
hackneyed -- a teacher
inspires a class of neglect
ed and forgotten students
there are a few twists
that keep this one interest
ing. Sidney Poitier plays
LIFESTYLE
“dean” of South Harmon.
The imaginary South
Harmon comes complete
with a spiffy Web site to
fool the folks. Of course the
Web site - which claims
that “acceptance is just one
click away”-- also fools doz
ens of fellow rejects, who
show up on opening day of
classes expecting to see a
real college.
Everyone improvises,
though, and soon a cur
riculum of student-directed
courses is formed, includ
ing classes such as Slacking
101, Rocking Our Faces
Off, Skateboarding and,
my favorite, Taking a
Walk and Thinking About
Stuff. Much of the intel
lectual fervor takes place
around the swimming pool
and skateboard ramp. All
that attracts the suspicious
attention of the blond frat
boys from snooty Harmon
College, just up the road.
an American educator in an
East London school.
His performance and
the difficult trans-Atlantic
transition elevate his class
and the film itself.
GOODBYE MR.
CHIPS (1969)
Although the argument
might be made for the 1939
original starring Robert
Donat, I have a soft spot for
this silly, sentimental musi
cal version.
After all, it’s hard to
beat Peter O’ Toole as the
very English educator Mr.
Chips, but it’s also difficult
to resist the charms of a
traditionally English story
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That leads to perhaps a bit
too much actual plot, which
tends to get in the way of
some of the amiable, PG-13
rifling that’s going on.
As Bartleby, Long (one of
the guys in the Apple com
puter commercials) stands
in for a young John Cusack
~ he has a similiar wry,
smart unflappability. (Not
coincidentally, first-time
director Steve Pink is a
high-school buddy of John
Cusack, a collaborator on
Cusack’s High Fidelity and
Grosse Pointe Blank.)
Long is also given some
appealingly warped side
kicks to work with, most
notably scene-stealing
Jonah Hill, who’s called
upon to play a picked
on, chubby friend named
Sherman. With a good bit of
intelligence working behind
his eyeglasses, he’s able to
make even that tired role
seem fresh.
striving to be relevant in
the Swinging ‘6os .
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2006
Web Watch
By RICH RAY
Morris News Service
Lime.com
Interested in connect
ing with others who want
to improve their lives, -
homes and environment?
With the slogan “healthy
living with a twist,” the
site serves as a community
where you can post com- 1
ments, ask questions and
interact with others who
share your values, dreams
and questions. You’ll find
content that focuses on
environment andsustain
ability, personal growth,
alternative health, health
ful foods and business
ethics. Access blogß, video
and social networking
areas plus read inspira
tional items from leading
experts, authors and pop •
culture icons, www.lime.
com
Health and
teens
Get quick answers to
common questions about
health issues and diseases
facing teens at this Virtual
Pediatric Hospital offer
ing. University of lowa
Health Care pediatricians
address a range of top
ics from acne, depression
and obesity to eating dis
orders, substance abuse,
stress and sexually-trans
mitted diseases, to name
afew. www.virtualpediat
richospital.org/pStients/
cqqa/teen/index.shtml
HomeTips.com
With the goal of pro
viding free expert advice
for your home, site cre
ators here offer a wealth
of help, advice and do
it-yourself tips for home
improvement, remodeling
houses, home repair, dec
orating and much more.
Find helpful articles for
everything from kitchen
appliances, bathroom fix
tures and plumbing to
decks and patios, yard
and garden care. www.
hometips.com
Rollyo
This site enables you to
create (or “roll”) your own
custom search engines.
Select news sources, enter
tainment offerings or any
sites you want to include
and Rollyo works to deliv
er the results you’re look
ing for. For example, you
can customize Rollyo to
sift through amazon.com,
eßay and other commer
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uct you’re looking for. You
may also want to explore
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that have been created by
others, www.rollyo.com
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