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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008
AT THE MOVIES
'Strangers formulates scares, lacks originality
From the get-go, "The Strangers" is saddled with the weight of its genre. Movie-goers know how horror films tend to end, which makes writer-director Brian Bertino's duty quite a bit more difficult. Given the predictability of the film's plot and the inevitability of its events, Bertino does a stand-up job.
The film opens with a look-ahead scene that shines light on the dark and dreary crime scene created during the next 80 minutes. Bertino lends humanity to his protagonists by painting James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) as detached pieces in a relationship gone wrong.
The bitter lovers' dispute becomes the least of their worries as the movie progresses and masked intruders terrorize the couple at their remote country home. Speedman and Tyler,
who don't deliver much dialogue, offer believable performances.
Though "The Strangers" falls back on old tricks of the horror genre to trigger scares, it often succeeds because of the masterful use of music and camera angles. The film is Bertino's directorial debut, but he synchronizes the film's ambient score with the action with veteran precision.
"The Strangers" is more formulaic than it is revolutionary, but Bertino's deft work is enough to provide an unsettling experience.
Asher Fusco
BOOK REVIEW
'Long Way inspires
Rebel fighters ripped Sierra Leone apart during the 1990s, killing soldiers and civilians with unimaginable brutality.
Ishmael Beah watched the horror first-hand, serving as a child soldier for the army as recounted in "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier."
Coerced by his military superiors into drug use and rewarded for his lethalness, Beah was promoted in the ranks, and loyal to the war cause.
An intervention by UNICEF suddenly thrust Beah into a peaceful environment, but did little to stop the demons left by years of war.
Beah's memoir of the civil war in Sierra Leone is a riveting reminder of the evils of war, and its life-altering effect on everything it touches.
Beah's story is gut-wrenching and capable of making your skin crawl, as he details the slow deaths of civilians. His message is also uplifting, a reminder that an average person can overcome horrendous obstacles.
General admission tickets are on sale in the KU ticket offices: University Theatre, 864-3982; Lied Center, 864-ARTS; SUA Office, 864-7469; and online at www.kutheatre.com. Tickets are $12 for the public, $10 for all students, and $11 for senior citizens and KU faculty and staff. All major credit cards are accepted for phone and online orders.
MUSIC REVIEW
The University Theatre is partially funded by the KU Student Senate Activity Fee.
Robyn struts her sound
You've seen teen pop stars come and go, writing one-hit wonders then vanishing into the night. If they're lucky, they could generate enough scandal publicity long enough to drop another album and redeem themselves. But one wonders about teen pop star Robyn.
Robyn, who graced pop charts in 1997 with her hit, "Show Me Love," has now returned to beat the charts again. In her self-titled album, "Robyn," she introduces a funky, pop-electro sound. The songs are written and produced by her label, Konichiwa. Now, all grown up, the 28-year-old delivers confidence and attitude in "Konichiwa Bitches" and flaunts her uniqueness in "Who's
that Girl." She's stepped out of the norm and produced a new flavor that people can dance to with songs like "Cobrastyle" and "Bum Like You."
"Robyn" is an album people would enjoy. So in the words of Robyn's song, "Konichiwa Bitches," "check the scenario: I'm a bust your ear drum leave your head ringin with the ringa ding dong."
— Brieun Scott
》FOOD REVIEW
When I walked inside, I chose between a regular dish and a waffle cone dish. I went with the regular dish because I already planned to consume enough sugar to make pixie sticks jealous. Then nine softserve frozen yogurt pumps greeted me. As curious as peanut butter frozen yogurt made me, I could not resist the classic vanilla and chocolate swirl.
Option was the first word that came to my mind after visiting Yummy's Over the Top Frozen Yogurt. This is because Yummy's, 1119 Massachusetts St., gives its customers more options for how they want to build the perfect ice cream, excuse me, frozen yogurt sundae, than any other ice cream/ frozen yogurt shop in town.
Yummy's lives up to its tasty name
Next I moved down the counter to the sauce station, which featured nine different sauces. Call me boring, but I am not a guy who sees hot fudge and turns it down, although it was nice to know I could have chosen from raspberry sauce or melted marshmallows.
Finally, I arrived at the candy station. By candy, I mean 36 choices - ranging from classics like sprinkles and gummy worms to more unusual choices such as Cap'n Crunch. I yielded to my alltime favorite topping, crunched up Oreos, and decided to call it a sundae.
At Yummy's, customers pay 42 cents per ounce of sundae. This leaves the door open for customers to decide how much they want to pile on. People like me may want to stick to the basics, but others, like the kid in front of me, may want to see how a nine-flavor combo tastes.
Yummy's has the most options and is the pinnacle of frozen yogurt in Lawrence.
I skipped over the fruit and baked goods station, and I did appreciate the concept of brownie chunks and cheesecake bits as toppings.
Mike Nolan
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