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Show AggieDiversions Page 6 Friday, Oct. 14, 2011 Jackman and Goyo 'steel' the show "Real Steel" will knock your socks off with a heavy-metal sucker punch. The year is 2020. The boxing game has evolved. The crowds want more brutality and more carnage, so now robots fight each other. Charlie (Hugh Jackman) is a shadow of his former self, as an underdog boxer who now tries to make money fighting robots. He is first seen driving to a fair to employ his robot Ambush in a fight with a nonmechanical bull. After the fight, Charlie is notified of the death of his ex-girlfriend and his duty to show up at a hearing to determine the future of his 11-year old son Max (Dakota Goyo), whom he has never met. He relinquishes custody to Max's aunt and uncle with the condition he takes care of Max for three months. Charlie quickly learns his son is a smart kid. Max speaks Japanese, has a knowledge of the history of robot boxing and is an effective video game player. Max cons his way into going to an underground robot boxing match where Charlie's pride lost the match and his robot. While looking for parts to construct a replacement robot, Max slips off the edge of a cliff but is saved by a protruding robot arm and Charlie. Max discovers an entire robot attached to the arm and decides he wants to get the robot trained for combat. This is a pivotal point in the movie, as Charlie and Max begin to build a solid relationship and train a fighting robot named Atom. Atom's special ability is his shadow mode, a mode used for instant programming and response that doesn't have to wait for commands from a controller or voice. That ability helps Atom develop his skills and gives a level of humanity to his mechanical heart as he learns from Charlie. "Real Steel" is a hard hitting movie with enough father-son drama to round out the rough edges. It also gives perspective into the world of combat sports. Although "Real Steel" is a science-fiction movie, it portrays a believable near future. Nerds and geeks will appreciate the technology seen in the day-to-day life and that of the robots even though that technology Is there to set the stage, not to tell the story. The history of robot boxing is discussed throughout the movie. It's informative but not overbearing. It allows the audience to get pulled into the reality of the story while still being able to enjoy the action and excitement. Jackman, who needs no introduction, is excellent as a father establishing a relationship with his son. The tenderness and weakness of being a first-time parent is apparent in his acting. As in the "X-Men" movies, he discards his Australian accent for an American one. Twelve-year-old Goyo really steals the show as Charlie's brilliant son Max. If you're a fanatic of the summer blockbuster "Thor," you may recognize him as Young Thor. Goyo is a relatively new actor, who I predict will continue to grow in popularity. Keven Durand, instantly noticeable from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," is also a former boxer and continued antagonist to Jackman's Charlie. Durand and Jackman's past from "Wolverine" give the boxing banter an extra comedic edge for those who noticed the inside joke. Director Shawn Levy, who previously directed "Date Night" and the "Night at the Museum" movies, effectively applies his skills to an action film with father-son bonding. He ensured a well-crafted movie with plenty of subtle story elements, such as the parallels between Charlie and Atom, that bound the movie together like a tightly woven basket. The soundtrack is made up of a selection of hip-hop and rap with a touch of melancholy alternative. It's great music to get pumped up to as the stage is set for action. The score, composed by Danny Elfman, helped set the mood for the tender moments. Although the situations have been seen before in other movies and stories, "Real Steel" is still a show worth your money. The true no-holds-barred fights will draw you in, and you will join the crowd in cheering on the fighters to the championship. — Spencer Palmer is a graduate student working toward an MBA with a recent bachelor's in mechanical engineering. He enjoys watching all sorts of movies. Email him at spencerpalmer@aggiemaiLusu.edu . 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The audience seemed to ing movie, but it was different." enjoy it." — Jordan Perkes, sophomore, civil engineering —Lynn Walker, senior, environmental engineering • 4 11I • 15. I .•••• ROBOTS AND FAMILY are the main themes in Dreamworks' new film "Real Steel." Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo star as a father-and-son team who fix a broken-down robot for the futuristic boxing games. Formosa too hot for comfort I go into any dining experience with a reasonable amount of skepticism coupled with guarded optimism. I've worked in enough restaurants to know that not all of them are good, but some of them can be hidden gems. My most recent restaurant exhibition led me to Formosa Chinese Restaurant, just off Main Street in downtown Logan. I'm always in the market for a good place to get those Chinese-American comfort food classics. When I first walked into the restaurant I saw a few occupied tables, which was reassuring. It led me to think, "OK, I'm not here alone, that's a good thing." A visibly American woman greeted me and took me to a booth. As I sat down, I told her it was my first time dining at Formosa, to which she responded, "That's good." She then placed my menu on the table and walked away. Just before she was out of sight, I asked her if she was my server, she affirmed, and so I asked her for a Dr Pepper. The person who brought my drink wasn't the same woman I ordered it from. A man who appeared to be Chinese was the next person to arrive at my table, and he came bearing the beverage. He seemed very eager to please, but I was confused. I think he was confused, too. The woman who greeted and seated me said she would be taking care of me, and when she eventually joined the foray, I asked which of the two it would be. They each asked the other who wanted to do it. I felt like a nuisance after the woman said, "I don't care." OK, time out. For all you budding servers out there in restaurant world, I have a small bit of advice. Don't ever — regardless of how you mean it — say "I don't care," if your co-worker asks you to wait on somebody. Essentially, the wrong person or restaurant reviewer could take this to mean you don't care about them as a patron. Once I finally knew who I should direct my food-related questions to, I began to ask about the menu. Usually when I tell a server it's my first time eating where they work, I hope to hear about the signature dishes, or the recipes that set that restaurant apart from the millions of others in the world. Instead, I had to drag it out of my server. With a college-student's budget in mind, I was looking for the most bang for the buck. I eventually ordered a combo for $7.95 that included a whole mess of if I felt like a nuisance after the woman said, 'I don't care.'" — D. Whitney Smith, restaurant reviewer Chinese-American favorites: beef egg foo young, chicken lo mein, ham fried rice, an "eggroll" — actually a spring roll — and, of course, the token fortune cookie. I was also served a simple salad with a secret recipe house dressing. The dressing was one of the tastiest things I had. It had hints of ginger and a nutty soy or miso flavor. To my surprise, my entree arrived in two or three minutes, and it was surface-of-the-sun hot. Good ChineseAmerican cuisine usually takes much longer to prepare. When my order shows up at the table before I'm done with my salad it usually leads me to wonder if it was prepared fresh and to order. Lava hot in two minutes usually raises a red flag. Unfortunately, it was hard for me to taste most of the food because it was so hot. In comparison to a lot of the other Chinese food I've eaten, Formosa didn't do much to impress me. However, the beef egg foo young — an all-time favorite — was different from others that I've had. It tasted like it had tempura batter in it, which gave it a rich, cake-like flavor and texture. After I was done eating, my server told me Formosa has a traditional Chinese food menu, apart from the regular menu. She said this one had more exotic choices such as squid and more shrimp entrees. Had I known this earlier, I would've ordered from it, because chances are this is the food the cooks eat. In other words, that's the good stuff. I give Formosa Chinese Restaurant a B minus. I wasn't initially impressed with the service, and I question the freshness and quality of what I ordered. I will, however, give the place another chance to win me over. Since I broke my own rule and didn't eat what the server recommended, I'll have to heed her advice next time. And in her defense, toward the end of my dinner she began to take interest in talking to me and insuring satisfaction. Also, for the price I got plenty of food — even ended up taking some of it home with me. — D. Whitney Smith is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Utah five years ago. After 11 years' experience waiting tables at a total of 23 restaurants, he decided to hang up his server apron and enroll at USU. Have suggestions for a restaurant to review? Email him at dan.whitney.smith@aggiemail.usu.edu. sysnreen MOS SINDISLISAM. Online, too, at www.utahstatesman.com |