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Pulse

  • Cruise's latest, 'Oblivion,' is forgettable

    Tom Cruise tries his hand at science fiction once again in “Oblivion,” a state most audiences will be in after seeing the film.

    The problem with this movie is it’s nothing new. Science fiction used to be a genre that could be counted on for a fresh and unique experience.

    With the increased accessibility of special effects and the popularity of the genre, audiences now are inundated with these films. The sad thing is where there once was quality and excitement, we now get a series of copycat themes and unoriginal stories.

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  • Dance, even if you don't know the steps

    From the stoop of middle age, I see kids dancing in the street. And they look ridiculous.

    Last weekend, I attended the wedding of my husband’s old friend. At the reception, I’d been bobbing my head and watching the dance floor, for a while. I was ready to dance but, wow, the people tearing up the dance floor were intimidating. The six people I knew at this wedding weren’t budging and it took a few songs to work up the nerve to join the dancing.

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  • '42': For the love of baseball, history

    People often incorrectly say sports have no true meaning in life. Tell that to Jackie Robinson and the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers.

    The film “42” chronicles Robinson’s step into Major League Baseball, from the first pitch to the history-making home run in the pennant race his rookie season.

    For those who don’t know much about baseball or history, Jackie Robinson broke segregation barriers when he stepped onto a major league field in 1947.

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  • Dumbdevices working just fine

    Not long ago I was shopping with my girlfriend, Rebecca Ricks, and I saw a sign advertising something for use with smartphones.

    “I guess we won’t be using that,” I told Rebecca. “We’ve got dumbphones.”

    It’s true. Comparatively, anyway.

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  • 'Jurassic Park' a classic that doesn't need 3-D

    As I type these words, I can’t believe they are true: “Jurassic Park” turns 20 this year. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since audiences first got a glimpse of the park and a technology that shaped future films.

    In 1993, Steven Spielberg brought Michael Crichton’s book to the big screen. It became a movie as colossal as the dinosaurs it featured.

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  • Enrich life with a sense of community

    Community is an identity that comes in various shapes and sizes.

    Recently, my life has been wrapped in various forms of community, beginning with family.

    Family is the first community you’re introduced to in life and it is true that tragedy can pull this group together more tightly than ever. Sometimes family even goes beyond bloodlines when friends become as close as your relatives.

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  • A dramatic expression of civic responsibility

    Some plays are entertaining and others are meant to inspire. Hardin County Playhouse hopes to do both with a production of “12 Angry Jurors.”

    The play takes place in one location: the jury room. The jury’s task is to decide the guilt or innocence of a murder suspect. During the voting, one man decides jurors need to look closer at evidence, which propels heated discussions and evidential theory throughout the rest of the play.

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  • This 'Joe' is average

    “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” should more aptly be titled “Average Joe.”
    Unless a sequel comes many years after it’s predecessor, it usually retains most of its cast. This is not the case with the new “G.I. Joe” flick. The characters and events differed so much it has the feel of its own stand-alone movie.

    The only real connecting point is Jonathan Pryce, who returns as the president and the bad guy disguised as the president, a plot point set up in the last film.

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  • Butler's back in action in 'Olympus Has Fallen'

    After a series of movies that didn’t rate very well at the box office or with the critics, there’s one thing to say about “Olympus Has Fallen”: Gerard Butler is back.

    The film is like “Die Hard” in the White House. It follows the “one man on the inside against the bad guys” formula to the letter. Yet, there are a few less cheesy one-liners than typically are found in this type of movie.

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  • The slightly mediocre 'Burt Wonderstone'

    What is advertised as incredible should more accurately be called slightly funny in Steve Carell’s latest film.

    The title role in “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is not much of a departure for Carell. If you’ve seen his character Michael Scott on television’s “The Office,” you’ve basically met Burt Wonderstone. He’s Scott with a spray tan, sequins and a velvet outfit performing magic — a little less Scranton, a little more Vegas.

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