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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. Wow Open INTERNATIONAL ARTS FRAMES 100 Suite 1 • N. Houston Lake Rd. • Centerville. GA 478-971-1303 ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS Large Selection Over 350 Canvas/Frames BRING TIIS AD HID RECEIVE AlO% DISCOUNT - £{PSy£?L'4}Y'Sb Any_Other_Of[er_ _ 1 ii£'- wfc, 4 V ‘tßji ii HI if **w t *m**M v *' \ v ft £ JH W B * JHi I jgN piWPHL mmk ■ ,;'k • ~s|j t . ,|flr 1 * Universal Pictures 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 ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH Foil YOUR CAR INSURANCE? Cotton States offers several special discounts that could save you money on your car insurance. Discounts for safe drivers. Anti-theft devices. Safety features like airbags and automatic seat belts. Plus, savings for multi-car coverage and driver training. All from a company that has been providing dependable coverage and friendly, no-hassle service since 1941. Visit your local Cotton States agent today and find out how we can help you save money on your car insurance without sacrificing your coverage. wmlm States 37115 INSURANCE® Our Most Important Policy Is Trust.® 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 . x Apartment Homes Perry’s Best Kept Secret <§fyete C/f STew ofec wt. ► Beautiful 2 & 3 BR Apartment Homes ♦ Sparkling pool ♦ One Large 61 inch Screen TV! cpoc/oy G/?n G/fobmnfirienfi/ 1701 Macon Rd. • Perry, GA 31069 Jackie Whitley 1217-1 S. Houston Lake Road Warner Robins, GA 31088 (478) 988-7960 www.cottonstatesinsurance.com Jackie.Whitley@cottonstates.com 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. 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