by Caroline Page 3L and Garen Aliksanian, 3L

Best Drama

Hands down, my favorite drama (and movie in general) of all time is “Braveheart.” Now mind you, this is before Mel Gibson had his infamous drunk rant and tarnished his reputation. The story follows the people of Scotland in the 14^th century in their mission to gain freedom from England, under the rule of King Edward I (“Longshanks”). This is a great date movie, too, because while there is plenty of drama and action for the guys, there is a very powerful romance that inspires the main character of William Wallace in his fight. The movie powerfully illustrates the age-old underdog story and keeps you invested in the characters throughout. As the film comes to an end and Wallace yells “Mercy!” in the most powerful scene of the movie, you may need some tissues nearby. If you are in the mood for a truly powerful story, pop this one in the DVD player and enjoy!

Best Comedy

There are so many comedies to choose from that it’s really hard to pick the “best.” When I think of a movie that makes me laugh every time I watch it, one of my favorites has to be “Role Models.” The comedic chemistry between Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd is absolutely hilarious. Rudd plays the bitter, cynical, “I hate the world” character perfectly and his sarcastic comments keep you laughing throughout the film. Scott’s interaction with child actor Bobb’e J. Thompson is equally hysterical, to the point that you forget this little kid is only 10 years old. “McLovin” himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, plays the nerdy kid once again, offering a perfect comedic match to Rudd’s character. To round out the cast is the always funny Jane Lynch, who keeps the insults and awkward laughs coming all movie long. If you’re in the mood to laugh, this is my “best” choice!

Best Horror

This is a hard category for me to rank because I feel like most “horror movies” are just stupid and anything but scary. I mean seriously, do you remember the hype for “The Blair Witch Project”? I wanted a refund of my ticket money 10 minutes into the mess. If I think of all the horror films I’ve seen, the one that sticks out in my mind is “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I realize there are numerous versions of this movie, but the one I found the most “scary” would be the 1994 version entitled “The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre” starring then-unknown Renee Zellwegger and Matthew McConaughey. The creepiness of McConaughey’s character and the Leatherface mask really freaked me out. Then the story in general was scary because it reminds you how many crazy people there really are in this world that enjoy torturing and killing innocent people just for fun. This horror film will keep you on the edge of your seat and force you to keep one eye open when you go to bed!

Best Drama

I have to give this title to none other than the many award-winning “Forrest Gump.” The film follows the story of a ‘simpleton’ whose life is full of great adventures, great accomplishment, and great happiness, but also with great hardships and great sorrow. The story is told as a narrative, and the audience lives all the most intimate moments of Forrest’s life in such vivid detail. This film is my favorite drama because it’s a feel good movie that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, and it doesn’t hurt that it has gifted us with a chain of shrimp restaurants, Bubba Gump Shrimp, and more catchphrases than we can shake a stick at.

Best Comedy

My favorite comedy of all time has to be the 1992 cult classic, “Brain Donors.” Well, at least it’s a classic to me. This whacky flick follows a lawyer, a taxi driver, and a handyman as they team up and convince a rich widow that they would be the perfect match to run her ballet company, all in hopes of making their millions. Of course the three know nothing about ballet, or about business, which leads to about an hour and a half of pure hilarity. This film is heavy on the slapstick comedy, which I think people need every once in a while.

Best Horror

Now this one is tough. There are so few horror movies that are truly scary. Therefore I’ll go with the always fun, yet still somewhat scary, “Freddy v. Jason.” Any movie that mixes in horror legends Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees with a cast of twenty-somethings is bound to be great. This film is also known as Kelly Rowland’s big break onto the Silver Screen, unless we count her appearance as Girl #2 in 1999’s “Beverly Hood.” Overall, the film provides us with the suspense that scary movies thrive on, the back story of two of the greatest horror films franchises ever, and comedic relief placed appropriately throughout.

By Timothy Sutton, 1L

Going to the movie theater is an American cultural past time. For some, the act is a semi-spiritual pilgrimage ritually observed more frequently than attendance at mass or temple. Many of us went to the movie theater for our very first date. At that age, some of us even had our parents purchase the tickets. So how can we choose the “best theater,” where we spend $15 and 90 minutes paying homage to the stars of the big screen? After reviewing numerous online editorials, blogs, and trashy celebrity rag tags, I came up with a general guideline for ranking the top two theaters for SW students. The rankings are based on a set of criteria listed in order of most heavily weighted in importance, to icing on the cake. Here is my list: Distance from school, price of ticket, visual and audio quality, demographics, and parking accessibility.

(1) Pacific ArcLight Hollywood, “The Dome.”

Hands down, this is the most exciting movie experience in Los Angeles. The Dome is conveniently located 4.5 miles from campus, which is about a 10-minute drive up Rossmore Avenue. Tickets range from $12 at “non-peak,” hours to $14.50 on weekends. The gigantic 32-feet-high and 82-feet-wide dome is the largest movie screen in Los Angeles. The Dome has been renovated with more than 40 computer-enhanced surround sound speakers and state-of-the-art digital image projectors. The historic loge seating accommodates more than 800 guests and creates a distinct hum of excitement on the opening night of a blockbuster film release. Moviegoers select their seating location similar to the electronic reservation system of an airliner. This unique feature tends to filter out the casual movie watchers, who are likely to make lewd or disruptive comments during an Oscar-winning performance, and attracts more serious movie aficionados. A multi-level parking structure sits just behind the theater and is accessible at all hours of the day for a nominal parking fee. The icing on the cake at the ArcLight Hollywood is the well-dressed 30-somethings enjoying a snack and a cocktail at the Café bar. This lounge element really distinguishes the ArcLight as a mature viewer’s destination.

(2) AMC Century City 15

Eight and a half miles west down Wilshire Boulevard, you can find this hidden gem at the Westfield Century City Mall. I am a personal fan of AMC theaters because of their awesome Moviewatchers Rewards Membership. Every qualifying ticket purchase earns you points, which can be redeemed like CVS bucks, for discounts or even free movie tickets! About every 10 purchased tickets will earn you one for free. Movie Gold Passes can be purchased from Sam’s Club or Costco for $7 a ticket and have no restrictions on date, time or showing. Full-price tickets range from $12 to $13, depending on your choice of self-service or teller- assisted payment options. Stadium-style seating here is the real deal, with plush red seats that recline and a cup holder in each arm rest. Oh, the little luxuries we hold so dear. The sound system is THX digital madness that melts your ears during car chases and battlefield scenes. The digital projection is flawless, and the overall experience is very “black box,” serious cinema. It is not out of the ordinary to sit next to a celebrity – Creative Artists Agency is across the street – but this theater will fill up quickly on weekends. The crowd is Beverly Hills High School Musical meets Octo-mom, but somehow it feels California dreamy. The staff here is not particularly friendly, but parking is uber-convenient with the upgraded red-light/green-light, parking space indicators, which help you quickly locate open stalls just before the credits roll. Not that you’re ever late!

Our Experts Tell Us Which Movies We Will Enjoy And Who Best to Enjoy Them With

“He’s Just Not That Into You”
This much anticipated star-studded date movie is very appropriate for Valentine’s Day, but is also a great flick for all those single ladies on the big day. Justin Long’s character tells it like it is, which is very refreshing. It’s nice to have a movie that isn’t completely lovey-dovey, and where everything isn’t perfect all the time. If he isn’t calling you, he’s not interested; it’s that easy. The movie offers insight into every facet of modern relationships and leaves you with a good feeling.  Read the full story

As the economy continues to dwindle, many people are looking for ways to budget their money and cut out unnecessary costs. One cost that usually does not get cut, however, is entertainment. Read the full story

The Women

This is most definitely a chick flick for one very good reason: there are NO MEN in the entire film, not even any male extras. It was actually quite creepy, like some weird science-fiction movie where all the men in the world disappeared. While most women could only dream of such a world, after a while it just became weird. I wanted to see a man! They talked about men the entire movie, given that the main storyline was Meg Ryan’s character’s husband cheating on her with Eva Mendes, yet we never saw him. Debra Messing’s character was exactly that - a mess. Jada Pinkett Smith had her moments, but I think they went a little overboard on the lesbian thing. We get it, she likes women. Ryan looked better than she’s looked in years and helped keep the movie going. Overall, I would say it was a decent film. There was some good comedy here and there, but it seemed to lag at times. In a year in which “Sex and the City” came out setting the bar very high, this film just seemed to fall short.

Men, don’t watch this movie. You would think a movie called “The Women” would have a few more attractive women. I’ll agree that Eva Mendes is a stunner, but she’s hardly in the film, and most of the time she looks uncomfortable on screen - probably because the rest of the cast, mostly older women, are giving her the evil eye. The plot of the movie is as forgettable as most of the talent - many of whom haven’t been relevant since the last century: yes, I’m talking to you, Meg Ryan. So guys, I don’t care who asks you - your girlfriend, your fiancé, your wife, your mother, or your Aunt Sue visiting from Nebraska … just say no. If they give you the puppy eyes, just put on some heavily tinted sunglasses and listen to your iPod full blast (preferably not while driving).

Vicky Christina Barcelona

I would rate this movie a date movie. For the women, there is Javier Bardem. Need I say more? Not only is he very appealing to look at, but his accent is to die for. He plays a free spirit who oozes confidence and sexuality, and he plays it well. What woman doesn’t want a sexy foreign man to walk up to her table and ask her to fly away with him for a weekend of lovemaking … check please! While the women fawn over Javier, the men have their share of eye candy as well. Not only does the film star Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz, there is a much-talked-about scene in which the two characters make out. If that is not reason enough for a guy to see this film, then I don’t know what is. As for the storyline, this movie is a typical Woody Allen film. It’s quirky and a little risqué at times, and of course, the ending will leave you thinking “WTF?” But it wouldn’t be an Allen film if it ended any differently. Overall, it is a good film that is a nice change from the same old “boy meets girl, they fall in love, live happily ever after” date movie.

I’m going to go ahead and call this a date movie. Not so much because I like the movie, but because I enjoy saying “Barthelona” with the Castilian accent (warning; saying “Barthelona” is sexy, but can be habit forming. I’m trying to quit, but it’s not easy - there must be a patch or some gum that releases small doses of “Barthelona” to help ease the process. …) Anyway, the movie is about two girls who go to Barcelona and have their lives turned upside-down by the strangely appealing Javier Bardem. (I don’t get what women see in his cavemen-esque looks and unintelligible accent). I think men can relate to this film because it validates our notions that women just don’t know what they want. Oh yeah, Penelope Cruz is in there too somewhere - she’s always kissing, cussing, or shooting a gun. The ending was terrible - but that’s to be expected with Woody Allen.

The Dark Knight

For those of you who have yet to see this film, you’re in luck, because it is going to be in the theaters for quite some time. However ladies, I’m going to vote this one a movie for the dudes. Of course, the movie has some very nice looking men, which we would all enjoy watching, especially Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, but looks alone are not enough. Given that it is a Batman movie, there is obviously a lot of action and an abundance of special effects. Most action movies that fall into the date movie category have a love story to keep the ladies interested. While on the onset you would think this movie has an enticing love story between Batman and Rachel, you could not be more wrong. The whole movie we are led to believe that Batman secretly loves Rachel, but given the choice to save her life or Harvey Dent, who does he choose? Dent … seriously? Where’s the love Batman? How does the hero let the girl die? He most definitely earned the title “Dark Knight” for that one. Dudes could care less about the mushy love stuff, so this movie is perfect for them.

Now here is a movie for the boys. Batman rocks, and we all know it. True, he isn’t my favorite superhero, being that he has no actual powers - and don’t go saying that makes him even cooler because it doesn’t. We all know that if he could switch with Superman, he would do it in a flash; though he would also probably switch with Flash in a flash … but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, the movie is full of action and some really great acting, especially by Heath Ledger. I’m still not the biggest fan of Christian Bale as Batman - he always sounds like he needs a glass of water when he’s wearing that suit - but I’ve grown to tolerate him. Anyway the plot is quite good, and I don’t mind the whole Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character dying thing … mostly because I’m sick of producers replacing actors and pretending they are the same person. (Katie Holmes isn’t Maggie Gyllenhaal … no matter how much she wishes otherwise).

Written by Garen Alikisanian, 2L and Caroline Page, 2L