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Show WeekendDiwnions Page 8 Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 NOU PLAUING 'Ghost Town is not your typical romantic comedy Too many romantic comedies are predictable and have over_.. i' „ t usedj storylines, but» "/~"i "Ghosti TTown"" .•-.,'«• isn't nnn one noff ilinn> them. "Ghost Town" is about an antisocial dentist who is reluctantly forced into helping people. Well, not people, per se, but ghosts. Bertram Pincus is the dentist, played ^ ^ ^ ^ « " ^ ^ ^ ™ by the actor Ricky Gervais (BBC's "The Office"). After Pincus dies for seven minutes during a colonoscopy, he soon learns he has the ability to speak to ghosts. Though it sounds kind of cool, there's one problem: ghosts can be obnoxiously needy. Who knew? The neediest ghost of them all is Frank (Greg Kinnear, "Little Miss Sunshine"). After successfully harassing the poor dentist, Frank agrees to Grade Aleave Pincus alone only if he helps break up his widow, Gwen (Tea Leoni, 'Ghost Town3 "Fun with Dick and Jane"), and her ^ ^ ^ ^ i ^ ^ ^ ^ fiancee, Richard (Billy Campbell, "Once and Again"). Thus the unavoidable romance storyline, Pincus falls in love with Gwen. Predictable, but that's sort of the point. This is a romance movie after all, isn't it? While "Ghost Town" may appear to be a romantic comedy on the surface, the truth is, it's so much more. If anything, I'd say the romance aspect is minor compared to everything else, And by everything else, I mean the theme of life and death. In this way, there is a meaningful message to be taken away. I'm not going to spoil anything, but this movie is deep. However, I admit the impact of the film is entirely up to the viewer. Not everyone is going to take away the same message I did. Nor are the underlying messages especially obvious. Moreover, at the risk of sounding girly, I did choke up a little 1 towards the end. Yes ladies, guys can get emotional at movies, n m i n RiaciHoc aft a too. I'm I'm nnlu only hhuman. Besides, itit'sc nnrn hard nnt not tr\ to get a litttp little tparv teary when this movie is just so beautifully crafted. But for those who are not looking for a tenderlove story, rest assured there's plenty of cynical and inappropriate humor to be found. That humor amazingly well by Gervais. Staff Writer is provided Every laugh is delivered in an Tim Russell almost effortless way, which isfittingfor the character and the story. 1 also love the fact that Gervais can create a joke out of the most minute details. It's very subtle, refreshing and effective. On the other hand, Tea Leoni doesn't do such a great job. Though her character is likeable, her acting is completely out of sync. At seemingly random moments, Leoni would laugh at something that really wasn't funny at all. She unin^^^gggg^^^^^ tentionally came across as being creepy at times. I hate to break it to you Leoni, but when you laugh at nothing, people tend to think you're crazy. Nevertheless, I'll have whatever she's having- sounds like a good time. Last but not least, Kinnear delivers a solid performance. The back and forth bickering between Kinnear and Gervais is hilarious. And his character embodies the same charm that made Kinnear so loveable in "Little Miss Sunshine." In the end, "Ghost Town" is original, thoughtful and funny. Sure, ghost movies have been done before - "Over Her Dead Body" even did the whole ghost romance thing - but none compare to "Ghost Town." So ladies, be sure to drag your guy to this movie, because despite past cringe worthy romantic comedies, this one is actually good. MarkSpeth -j freshman % music education tnn 1. Anchors Away- The Mormon Youth ". Symphony 2. You Give Love a Bad Name- Bon Jovi Reel Reviews 3. Tonight- West Side Story 4. Game Day- Jon Schmidt 'x^f':. ; V^J'v. 5. Jolly Roger- Independence Bav : 6. Enter Darth Maul- JohaWilliamsi Star Wars Episode I ; 7. Sandy- Grease \ 8. Crossroads-Jim Brickman /'^?9. Scarlet Ribbons-Michael Crawford /"MO. Somebody's Someone- Lonestar lack tueek The Statesman will find J one student listening to his or her ? Ipod and see xvhat is playing on their playlist. '%S¥^-^:': 4 Information compiled by C. Ann Jensen Yellowcard prepares to rock Logan By GREG BOYLES features senior writer In keeping with the trend of high-profile bands gracing the Cache Valley community, Utah State University will be playing host to Yellowcard who is scheduled to play Sept. 30 in the Spectrum. The multi-platinum poppunk band is being brought to Logan courtesy of Tom Atwood, co-owner of Pakt House Productions and USU student, and his partner Steven Garret. "For me being from Logan, I have a special interest in bringing bands here," Atwood said. "However, I'm really trying to cater to Cache Valley as a whole. Not just by bringing Yellowcard, but by drawing an audience from Orem, Salt Lake City and Southern Idaho to Logan." Atwood also brought Eve 6 to his home town last year and helped put on a battle of the bands for local talent which inevitably lit a fire under the music scene in the valley. And Yellowcard's presence couldn't be timelier. "That's why we're really excited about it because they haven't done a show since last spring. This is like a one and only show. In fact, they were recently talking about going away for a while so for Yellowcard fans, this is a huge deal," Atwood said. And any one who loves the band or acoustic music in general is going to hear Yellowcard in a way they've never heard them beforeentirely unplugged, Atwood said. Opening for Yellowcard will be alternative rock band Allred and special guest Jason Reeves, co-writer of the Colby Caillat Coco album. Both bands have a very relaxed style and will blend perfectly with headliner Yellowcard, Atwood said. This show will be the third Atwood has done in the past year. After the success of Eve 6 at the end of spring semester, the 24-year-old promoter stunned the industry by booking Second Hand Serenade who performed in June at Thanksgiving Point. "It was a hugely successful show. It was quadruple the biggest show the band has ever had live. They were stunned that they had such a loyal fan base here in Utah," he said. During that show and those previous Atwood was operating under the name Almeria Entertainment, which is a production company he established on his own. It wasn't until the Second Hand Serenade concert that Atwood and his partner Garret joined forces to begin another venture, Pakt House Productions. But booking bands and putting on successful shows isn't just something you wake up and do, Atwood said. Atwood, who is a junior at USU studying Spanish, said he has to research every band before he books them, and is constantly putting his money and reputation on the line. "Where I'm coming into this industry new, it's hard for me to get my foot in the door because I'm competing against other promoters that have relationships with these agents," he said. The first concert Atwood ever put on was Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, which he funded out of his own pocket. He and an organization on campus partnered together to bring the band out, but since he was only an armature promoter at the time he ended up losing $1,500. Since then however, Atwood has researched the art of concert promoting and worked toward building a resume that would continue to attract big names bands. In concert promoting, there are two main ways to go about business, Atwood said. One is being previously established and waiting for a band's agent to contact the promoter with information about a tour that's coming through. However the alternative, which is what all up-and-coming promoters go through, is much more difficult. "The other way to bring in a band if the agent is not con- tacting you is to pick the band, make sure they are available, contact the agent yourself, and pretty much sell yourself and your credibility to the agent, because a band like Yellowcard isn't going to do a show just anywhere," Atwood said. All of what Atwood had to learn to ensure his business thrives was done on his time, and his dime. "I do this because I'm passionate about it. It's something I love. This isn't something that I just decided to do one day. It has taken me a while to figure out how to bring in a band and make it attractive to them and make the show a success." Tickets for Yellowcard can be purchased online at www. smithtix.com or at any Smith ticket outlets. -greg. boyles@aggiemail. usu.edu I Got Caught Reading K. Spencer Hall Spencer Hall, an undeclared freshman, was caught reading The Utah Statesman in the John M. Huntsman School of Business foyer this past Wednesday. Spencer is from Layton, Utah, and a graduate from Northridge High. He is also a certified scuba diver, has traveled to the Phillipines, and loves the comics found in The Utah Statesman. Spencer wins an "I Got Caught Reading It!" T-shirt and is eligible for even bigger prizes! Thanks for reading, Spencer! /Statesman neddajufr&vK CkarUftte Rutte $8 \ twzaterfrmt HcftUfber $30 \ i vkortsjrmi Amerk^ut Eagle MO t i ntam education Tasqetr $10 Compiled by Debra Hawkins |