OUT THIS WEEK
DVDs
Fringe: The Complete First Season
Not rated
Scream
Triple Pack
Not rated
MUSIC
#1’s…And Then Some
Brooks & Dunn
Love Drunk
Boys Like Girls
GAMES
The Beatles: Rock Band
MTV Games Wii, Xbox 360, PS3
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Ignition Entertainment
Wii
TOP BOX OFFICE
1. The Final Destination 3D $12.4 million
2. All About Steve $11.2 million
3. Inglourious Basterds $10.4 million
4. Gamer $9 million
5. District 9 $7 million
6. Halloween II $5.6 million
7. Julie & Julia $5.2 million
8. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $5.1 million
9. The Time Traveler’s Wife $4.2 million
10. Extract $4.1 million
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‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’
Rated PG-13, 107 minutes
If you want to see a man move through time — mostly unclothed — with poor acting skills, watch this film.
The movie is confusing and unemotional, even during the most dramatic scenes. It starts when Clare (Rachel McAdams) springs into Henry’s (Eric Bana) life and tells him they’re in love and have been best friends for a long time — even though he doesn’t know who the heck she is.
As the movie progresses, the couple tries to make things work, even when Henry disappears and time travels.
Set in Chicago, the movie explores the city’s views. It shows downtown during the winter, as well as some recognizable streets and signs.
In this romance, most of the acting was done by McAdams. Bana’s character was a statue, showing no emotion. The couple’s troubles didn’t even make my eyes water — and I expected this movie to be a tear-jerker.
Other than Bana’s poor acting, it’s a decent love story about a struggling couple. By the end, I finally felt some feeling toward the characters. I just wish the movie caught my interest 90 minutes earlier.
— Iryna Ivanyshyn, Lane Tech
‘Hard Knocks’
Wednesdays, 9 p.m., HBO
As the NFL season begins Thursday, teams have put the finishing touches on their 53-man rosters. All those players who were so close to making the team may go forgotten and unnoticed now that the season is starting, except for those on one team.
Thanks to the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” players who attended the Cincinnati Bengals training camp have a good chance of being remembered. The new episodes include a backstage pass to a NFL training camp. The episodes are filled with rookie talent shows, players fighting for roster spots, team inside jokes and, of course, the one and only Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. For that reason, everyone should look for this season of “Hard Knocks” on DVD.
With Ochocinco lines such as “child, please” and “kiss the baby,” you’ll want to watch whenever you please.
The best part about the show is that you don’t even have to be a Bengals fan to enjoy it. If you simply enjoy football and want to see what really goes on behind the closed doors of training camp, there is no way you won’t love this season of “Hard Knocks.”
— Graham Harboe, Parker
‘Greek’
Mondays, 8 p.m., ABC Family
The goal of a cliffhanger ending is to make viewers want to come back. Last season “Greek” left viewers with unanswered questions. Fans everywhere were probably as angry as I was during the finale when suddenly the screen went black. Surely, the cliffhanger ending meant the next installment would be good.
However, the problem with cliffhangers is that many times, enjoyment comes from the anxiety of waiting. Fans can build up so much excitement that the episode might come as a disappointment. That’s how I felt after watching the season premiere of “Greek.”
Twenty minutes in, I regretted turning on the television. Although certain things were explained (Cappie did want to be with Casey!), it was just 60 minutes of endless talking. It was great to learn what happened to our beloved characters, but did the writers have to make it so boring?
The only exciting part was seeing Cappie in a ninja costume run up to security guards and yell, “Test tubes, not bunnies!”
Hopefully the rest of the season will make up for the lack of excitement in the premiere.
— Melissa L. Espana, Northside
