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Show 4 JI M PA N () G O S TIM E S November 17, 2010 - - ' - - The Casual Critic by Daryl Austin You can certainly expect big laughs from Will Ferrell both as a character and the movie's nar-rator, and Jonah Hill (Superbad) is a crack-u- p throughout as well as a news crew cameraman, but David Cross (Arrested Devel-opment) steals the show as sidekick, Minion. Megamind has everything you'd hope to find in an ani-mated family movie and more, but while the laughter is con-stant and expected, what takes you a bit by surprise is the depth and heart this movie has as well. Megamind will affect you in a mega way. Content: Rated PG for mild animated action-violen- and mild language. Other Opinions: 488 "Av-erage Joes" give Megamind a score of 7.9 out of 10 while 99 professional film critics give it an average score of 67 out of 100. Should you see it? Yes! Megamind is definitely worth taking the family to. Adults and children alike will love this film. For more reviews by The Casual Critic please visit www. casualcriticmovies.com perhero rivalry of good vs. evil. "The good" is a superhero known as Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt, Se7en), and "the bad" is a supervillain known as Megamind (voiced by Will Fer-rell, Anchorman). While their rivalry isn't epic in any way, it's certainly enough to give Me-gamind enough opportunities to show just how nasty he intends on being. Besides their rivalry, there are also many twists in the plot that make this movie origi-nal in most every way. Megamind has me wonder-ing two things: first, is there any role Will Ferrell is not funny in? And second, why are so many of the best films of this year ani-mated? It's as if Hollywood is replacing all of their best writers with special-effect- s technicians and so most all of the writing talent is going to the animation industry. Megamind is sure to be a mega hit "because it has ro-mance, action, true originality, but most of all it has countless moments of genuine hilarity. Casual Critic Score: 85 out of 10 Release Date: November 5, 2010 Rating: PG Length: 96 minutes Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family I really don't want to say much about the plot because I celebrate the rare occasion when a studio shows very little of the content of a movie in its' preview and leaves us surprised for the actual feature. The cen-tral plot though is the classic su- - rmnMn,)n "Extra Milers" Honored at Pleasant Grove High School os J li : ,A V-- i L v: V ill - - - - The "Extra Milers" for the month of November at Pleasant Grove High School are Russ Mayo and Ruth Dowling. Pholo courtesy of Timpanogos Times The "Extra Milers" for the month of November at Pleas-ant Grove High School are Russ Mayo and Ruth Dowling. Russ Mayo is a techi, teach-ing Radio, KPGR, Digital Me-dia, and TV Broadcasting at the high school. Mr. Mayo is a guy who is always there for anybody. He is an amazing artist. During his senior year at Pleas-ant Grove High School, the new Student Center was built. At that time the Student Center was an open court and then the school enclosed it, putting up a big bar-ricade during construction. It was so ugly that Russ painted a big Viking head on it to make it look better. Mr. Mayo is an athlete as well. In high school, he played basketball and participated in track. Russ was known for his ability to jump and dunking a basketball is one of his many talents. Russ is the assistant coach for the cross country team. He not only coaches them, but runs with them every day. He also coaches the boys tennis team. Fun, generous, kind, and great mentor are words that describe Mr. Mayo. He helps students at the high school as well as those who have graduated and moved on. The students ask him if he will be their advisor to their club because he doesn't know the word "NO". On senior night he doe's caricatures of the students and every banquet he does pic-tures with the kids. "Russ is amazing and PGHS is lucky to have him," stated Assistant Prin-cipal Kori Thomas. Ruth Dowling is in her sec-ond year of teaching at PGHS. She teaches Painting, Art Foun-dation, and Sculpture. She grad-uated from BYU in April 2009 and she and her husband, Drew, have a three and a half month old boy named Dustin. Ruth is originally from Columbus, Ohio, where she graduated from Dublin High School. She has two sisters and one brother. Ruth is a teacher, mentor, innovator, and friend. She works with all levels of students, espe-cially those who are strug-gling. She is a true profes-sional and looks for any opportunity to engage, not just teach kids. Mrs. Dowl-ing is envied by a veteran teacher at the school for her "Milers" continued on Page 5 "Veterans" continuedfrom Page 1 Following Bezzant's remarks, Mark Petersen sang A cappella "America The Beautiful". Towards the end of his performance, white doves were released into the air. people, by the people, and for the people must never perish from the earth for it is the last best hope of mankind. I salute all of you and all those who are not with us today. The years are taking their toll, but what can never be killed, and what must never be killed, and that is the spirit. The spirit that caused those patriots to say give me liberty or give me death." Festival of Trees Celebrates 40 Years y ijy A GIFT OF L O V E ' , ' i "U' v f 111! DKFN'S MIDIC.U tEM r a The Festival of Trees is organized by an volunteer board, which works throughout the year to orches-trate this four-da- y event. As-sisting Mrs. Austin are Shauna Kerr, Centerville; Marie Partridge, Kaysville; and Frances Mor-gan, Sandy. Every penny raised by the Festival of Trees helps children at Primary Children's Medical Center. Last year alone, Pri-mary Children's expended over $14.3 million to ensure that ev-ery child received medical care regardless of ability to pay. Celebrate the Holiday Sea-son and the love our communi-ty has for children by attending the Festival of Trees! The Fes-tival runs Wednesday, Decem-ber 1 through Saturday, Decem-ber 4, at the South Towne Expo Center, 9575 South State Street in Sandy, Utah, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are: $5adults; $4seniors; and $3children age 11 and under. Children younger than 2 years of age are free of charge. Discount tickets are available at Zions Bank locations for: $4adults; $2.50children. Wednesday, December , is "Family Day," allowing six immediate family members to attend for $15. If you are interested in volunteering, go to their web-site at www.festivaloftreesu-tah.org- . This year the Festival will feature more than 800 trees, each with its own unique style: ornate, trendy, whimsical, creative, humorous, and senti-mental. The Festival of Trees cel-ebrates its 40th birthday this year, but there's nothing "over-the-hil- l" about Utah's favor-ite Holiday tradition. Today, as one of the world's largest indoor displays of decorated Christmas Trees, the Festival embraces its Ruby Anniversary through the passion embodied by thousands of volunteers who organize and orchestrate the Festival in order to raise funds for children at Primary Chil-dren's Medical Center. The Festival of Trees ushers in the Holiday Sea-son Wednesday, December 1 through Saturday, December 4, at the South Towne Expo Cen-ter. Every penny raised bene-fits Primary Children's Medical Center. Since 1971, over $24 mil-lion has been raised for children at Primary Children's through the Festival of Trees. The event's success is propelled by the passion and support of com-munity and volunteers. From its humble beginnings of 60 trees displayed in a gymnasium, the Festival has grown to span 220,000 square feet of display space at the South Towne Expo Center. More than 90,000 peo-ple visit the Festival each year as they come to see over 1 ,000 displays of imaginatively deco-rated Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces, gingerbread cre-ations, backyard playhouses, and quilts. In addition, there are activities for children and entertainment for the entire family. This year the Festival will feature more than 800' trees, each with its own unique style: ornate, trendy, whimsical, cre-ative, humorous, and sentimen-tal. Every tree is decorated and donated by individuals, fami-lies, businesses, church groups, and community organizations. In addition to exhibiting a dis-tinct personality, each tree also has a unique story behind its creation. This year, a tree will honor the hope and healing Pri-mary Children's Medical Cen-ter has provided for Bridgette Johnson and her par-ents Kelly and Jeff of Lindon, Utah. Only a few days after her birth, Bridgette was close to death. Her digestive organs were in distress. Bridgette was transported to Primary Chil-dren's by ambulance and was diagnosed with Hirschsprung Disease, a rare medical abnor-mality affecting the intestines. Bridgette's nerve cells did not function properly. She could not process food, and she was dangerously dehydrated. Her body began to turn septic. Bridgette spent two weeks at Primary Children's and under-went open-abdomin- al surgery. A year later, she had additional surgery to remove her entire large intestine and part of her small intestine. Today, Bridgette's con-dition requires a special diet and care. However, her par-ents are certain she will lead a fairly normal life, thanks to the treatment she received at Pri-mary Children's Medical Cen-ter. Kelly Johnson said, "We wanted to donate a tree to the Festival in Bridgette's honor to celebrate the fact that Primary Children's saved our daughter's life." Mrs. Johnson is naming her tree "Sugar and Spice" to recognize both the sweet and the sting that represents her first two years of parenthood. This year, the Festival of Trees will offer a limited edi-tion cookbook, "Celebrating 40 years of Festival - Recipes from the Heart." The book fea-tures recipes submitted by Fes-tival friends and volunteers. In addition, those who attend the event will enjoy favorite Festi-val features such as fudge, di-vinity, scones, and sweet rolls to satisfy any appetite. Holiday entertainment is found on two stages, and the Gift Boutique offers handmade items for the perfect gift. The Festival offers some-thing for the entire family, par-ticularly children. Santa will be available at Santa Land to hear each child's wish and pose for photos. Kids Korner has creative activities for the young at heart, such as arts and crafts, face painting, and the opportu-nity to experience being inside a giant bubble. The Small Fry Shop carries items priced for a child's budget. "The real excitement of the Festival's 40th anniversary is celebrating our community," said Robyn Austin, Festival of Trees Executive Board Chair-woman. "We are celebrating the 'Gift of Love' given to children at Primary Children's Medical Center from all who have decorated, donated, and attended the Festival for the past 40 years." 7 , ' i ii f j. ' r ! ' ; 7 V i lis ' ,r ; - i f I s;r:h:i i .' ' !"' i la "u REFINANCE TODAY! Why wait any longer to take advantage of the historic rates! I I I 4b I !H l,7 LENDING L" ' the future of finance. 7 7 Call Now! 801 --427-71 1 1 1 J or email john glen stevens jstevensenglending. com "I willpersonally help you with your home loan needs, " |