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UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Best Bets for August 24

“Super Bad” Trailer

Sex, Suds and Rock n’…Disco?Sleeper hit Superbad is a foul-mouthed, super-good ode to teen sex comediesPhillip Valys Entertainment Writer

With impeccable comedic timing and a rambling stream-of-consciousness dialogue blend, Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) deliver the yuks in yet another throwback to sex-starved teen comedies, Superbad.

On the cusp of high school graduation, the hapless, potty-mouthed duo spout everything from expletive-laden dick jokes to their declaration to liquor up ‘n bed dream-girl classmates Becca (Martha MacIsaac) and Jules (Emma Stone). Scenes are wedged with tension throughout as both mull over departing for separate colleges.

Midway through, the film chronicles the “odyssey” to score said suds with a fake ID. The film crescendos during Seth and Evan’s upstairs-bedroom shenanigans with the two chicks they’ve successfully managed to convert into drunken, hiccupy sex machines.

Seth and Evan’s geeky third wheel Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) pads the subplot. His egregious fake-ID name, “McLovin,” lands him in the backseat of a police cruiser alongside two trigger-happy beat cops (Bill Hader, Seth Rogen). The inept pair ‘o coppers are more content to shoot their glock nines at stop signs and swallow beers at the local tavern than to, say, uphold the law. Hilarity, as they say, ensues.

Although producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) swapped the director credit with Greg Mottola this go-round, Superbad‘s super-rowdy screenplay was actually a respooling of a script originally penned by Seth Rogen and longtime friend Evan Goldberg years ago.

Sporting a funkalicious disco soundtrack just begging for the label of “timeless comedy,” Superbad suavely captures that classic teenage desperation to uncork the floodgates choking back raging hormones and sexual libido. Schwing!

“The Invasion” Trailer

Pod People Unite!In Sci-fi thriller The Invasion , aliens snatch bodies, spread anti-war activismPhillip Valys Entertainment Writer

A space shuttle crashes to earth in this umpteenth Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake, spreading a cellular virus that turns marital partners, metropolitan newspaper vendors and cab drivers alike into monotone, stone-faced pod people.

The Invasion also infuses a slightly heavy-handed but relevant social allegory about suicide bombings and America’s Iraqi involvement. Gee, that’s user-friendly.

German import director Oliver Hirschbiegel crafts a tension-taut thriller about a psychiatrist, Carol (the omnipresent Nicole Kidman), whose husband nicks his finger on the debris of the shuttle crash, transforms and “infects” others via human bodily fluids.

You know, like hocking fat loogies into unsuspecting victims’ mouths, or gushing projectile vomit so viscous even Linda Blair would blush.

Pod people sporting soulless porcelain stares multiply like bunnies ’round Carol and fellow physician Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig, Casino Royale‘s Bond, James Bond), as the pair prowl the nameless metropolis for a vaccine that might “cure” the ailing public.

Adapted from a 1955 Jack Finney novel, The Invasion doesn’t capture the same Communist paranoia as its 1956 predecessor that emerged during the equally visceral 1978 remake. But, it’s brimming with enough pulse-pounding, heart-jolting surprise twists that you won’t be sorry for forking over that seven buck-fifty.

Kidman and Craig deliver solid acting performances, but the real meat ‘n potato is a sleekly choreographed chase sequence that finds Carol barreling down a deserted street while shaking off two dozen pod people clinging to the car hood.

Review: Bioshock (**** out of ****)By Daniel Alexander Nigro Contributor

I could sum up my review about Bioshock by merely saying, “Holy shit, this is awesome!” Unfortunately, the editors wanted some more meat in this review. So, I will do my best.

Bioshock is an anticipated first-person shooter with some RPG elements in it that is in stores now. The plotline involves the players’ descent into the underwater city of Rapture, where something has gone horribly wrong, and it’s up to you to make things right.

The weapons are at your disposal, including: standard first-person shooter fare-like pistols, shotguns and machine guns. But, the most interesting weapons are the plasmids, which are genetic modifications that enable you to do things like throw fire at your enemies, make enemies fight each other, and turn the security cameras into your friends. The control helps to put everything to use easily, with a logical layout, good aiming and a one-button touch to cycle through weapons and plasmids.

What makes Bioshock so great? One word: atmosphere. The graphics and artwork help to convey the sense that you’re in an underwater utopia gone bad. It also has the help of greatly detailed character models, realistic effects for fire and water, and lighting that enhances the mood. The sound adds to this with grunts, screams, creepy music and great voice work.

I seriously can’t recommend this game enough. Go ahead and buy Bioshock; you won’t regret it.

Bioshock$50 (PC), $60 (Xbox 360)Xbox 360 and Windows XP/Vista

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