21

By Nathan Young

Gambling is one of the few ways to quickly generate a large sum of money. Unfortunately, there are even fewer ways to quickly lose money.

Find a way to guarantee victory, however, and you can find yourself rolling in cash. That is the jumping off point for '21', which is adapted from Ben Mezrich's bestselling nonfiction book 'Bringing Down The House'. The film is both entertaining and well-done, and is certainly worthy of a 'thumbs up'.

The story follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess of 'Across The Universe') as he struggles to come up with the money he needs to go to Harvard Medical School. A student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he stumbles across a group of students who count cards at Las Vegas blackjack tables on weekends. Under the tutelage of professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), the students team up to beat the system and stockpile cash.

Ben is one of Mickey's students and catches the professor's eye after an impressive mathematical display in class. Ben is reluctant to sign up until team member Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), a co-ed he has admired from afar, makes a convincing plea to join them. What follows is a master's class in deceit, greed and excess.

Screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb create a tightly woven script for director Robert Luketic. Luketic, more known for helming romantic comedies ('Legally Blonde', 'Win A Date With Tad Hamilton' and 'Monster-In-Law'), seamlessly transitions into the dramatic genre.

Whether it's the budding romance between Ben and Jill or a hilarious reference to the card counting by Dustin Hoffman's character in 'Rainman', the film finds a nice balance of dramatic and comedic elements, with a dash of mystery and suspense thrown in. The film, shot entirely on location, is also aided by the wonderful work of cinematographer Russell Carpenter. The opening scene of Ben riding his bike through Boston to get to school is awe-inspiring, as are the many shots of the pageantry and pomp of Las Vegas.

Not to be outdone by the magnificent off-camera work, the cast shines as well. Sturgess deftly handles Ben's progression from a shy overachiever into a person convinced of his own invincibility. Bosworth continues her pattern of fine work as Jill, even lending a Julia Roberts vibe to the proceedings during a flirtatious scene with Ben at a nightclub. Laurence Fishburne is perfectly cast as Cole Williams, the casino security person who won't rest until he catches and punishes Ben.

Spacey offers another piece of evidence that he is one of the finest actors alive. Mickey is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Spacey strikes the perfect balance. A scene where he removes a member from the team for erratic behavior reminds everyone why he gets paid the big bucks.

This movie succeeds on every level. It refuses to be just another good film based on a true story. It rises above it's potential limitations to tell a compelling story in an entertaining way.

10,000 B.C.

Wilsford's Review

Thumb: Down

Notable Characters:
Steven Strait – D’Leh
Camilla Belle – Evolet
Cliff Curtis – Tic Tic

Plot (contains spoilers):
We find ourselves somewhere in the snowy mountains close Egypt with a primitive tribe of woolly mammoth hunters. A group of warriors on horses come in and raid their settlement and run off with a beautiful woman, Evolet. Her one true love D’Leh sets off determined to get her back. Eldest hunter, Tic Tic, knowing what dangers lie ahead, commits himself to travel with D’Leh on this epic journey. Along the way they catch up to the warriors but are unable to complete their quest due to the presence of prehistoric beasts. They meet other African tribes who join them in their quest to take down the Egyptian empire. Once they arrive to the city, they convince the slaves to join their army and we watch as the Egyptian city burns and love birds are reunited.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:
· The story was lame and not exciting.
· If you are going to have characters speak English, please don’t make them have an accent that focuses on mumbling. I couldn’t understand half of what they main characters were saying.
· The dialogue seemed like it was written by high-school kids. Then again maybe that was purposeful because they did want to portray primitive beings.
· If you are excited to see the saber tooth tiger because of the two scenes in the preview, be prepared because that is all you see.

Reasons why I liked it:
· Visually it was great. The woolly mammoths, saber tooth tiger, and the Egyptian city were wonderful to watch.
· I got to see Jim Haslett, the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, with his family. I didn’t talk to him because I get nervous in those situations, but it was nice to see him about.

Final Notes: I apologize for my lack of effort with the Plot. This movie was so bad I could not muster up the strength for quality recapping. This was a bad movie, please don’t encourage Hollywood to make such crap by paying to see this.