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August 3, 2011
 
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4 The Sun, Wednesday, August 3, 2011 At the Movies Aliens attack the Old West in an average shoot out By lan Black Special to The Sun Combining two separate genres into a single film isn't a totally fresh concept in Holly- wood. Not that it's an exceed- ingly common practice, but we have seen it before. The great thing about a film with the title "Cowboys and Aliens" is you pretty much know what you' re getting right off the bat. This is a textbook alien in- vasion film, the only difference is that it's set in the old west, so we have the elements era west- em as well. This film has been generating quite a bit of buzz over this past year, and a lot of people were really excited to see how it turned out. In the end, I imagine people will be pleased at the outcome, though maybe not as pleased as they could have been. The film opens with our pro- tagonist, Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), waking up in a field with no memory of who he is or where he's been. The only clue is a metal device strapped to his wrist. After effortlessly dispatching a group ofruttians who tried to take advantage of his weakened state, he makes his way into town. After a brief altercation with the son of a wealthy local rancher, the sheriff realizes that Lonergan is a wanted criminal, and promptly arrests him. Before Lonergan can be carted out of town, however, the titular aliens attack and cap- lure many of the people living there. Lonergan frees himself and manages to shoot down one of the ships with the device on his arm. The remaining townsfolk decide to form a posse to go after the aliens, led by the rancher Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), and Lonergan gets dragged along, as the only one who can defeat the creatures effectively. If you boil it down to basics, "Cowboys and Aliens" is pretty much exactly what it says it will be. It's a fun summer action movie featuring both cowboys and aliens. The two sides fight and we get staples of both west- eros and science fiction. There's nothing disagreeable about it at all. The plot is interesting, the characters are likeable and the action is fast paced and well handled. Clichrs abound, and probably very little will come as a surprise. But it's one of those films where that doesn't matter very much. Visually, director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) has created stunning western vistas that mash-up beautifully with alien aircraft. But somewhere in this great idea, there just feels like there should have been more. You care about the characters, but not very much. With screenwriters Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtz- man (Lost, Star Trek) helming this screenplay, hopes were very high for a stunning expe- rience. But the end result is decidedly average. Now, even though this is an entertaining film, there's no denying that many who were looking forward to this one may end up feeling like it's a bit more simplistic than they would have thought. This movie could have benefited from more comedy. I realize that the goal was to make this film a bit more serious and not a "Men in Black" styled decent into wackiness, but films that are mostly drama can still be funny. Take a look at "Seren- ity," another film that blended sci-fi and westems. Now there was a film that could do both drama and comedy. In the end, "Cow- boys and Aliens" comes off like it is trying to take the whole thing a little too seri- ously, when it could have had more fun with the concept. Critics are being a little a harsh on this film, if you ask me. While I certainly admit it could have been even bet- ter than it was, and that there were certainly some missed opportunities, I still think the overall product is still worthwhile. The plot is in- triguing, it has a fabulous score by Harry Gregson Williams and the film is just all around entertaining. It certainly beats going to "The Smurfs." How anyone could think that was a good idea is beyond my compre- hension. Grade: B Entertainment Value: 8.5 Off the Shelf .00aventulce and ,amazem0000:nt m the science of waves By Courtney Terry Special to The Sun Adventure and amazement in the science of waves. I have a confession to make: I couldn't read this book before bed. As much as I enjoyed Susan Casey's The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean, the one and only time I did read it before dozing off, I had horrific tsunami related nightmares that had me waking up in a cold sweat at 2 a.rn. That in itself should be a good recommendation for a fascinating book about one of the great unknowns of our natural world, giant waves. I probably should have known better than to read this book. Tsunamis and other freakishly large ocean occurrences top my list of fears, but like i many people, I get great satisfaction in confronting my fear, even in literary form. Casey's narrative is fast paced, and her approach to the mystery of giant waves is creative. She begins with her experience big wave surfing with Hawaiian legend Laird Hamilton. Casey describes the ex- citement and the adventure involved with "dropping in" via Jet Ski on 60-foot-and- larger waves in some of the more danger- ous surfing spots in the world. She does so with thrilling storytelling that almost had me skimming pages in order to find out what happened. Interspersed between the narratives of the surfers' exploits are chapters dedicated to the science and destructive history of big waves. A few chapters involve a trip to the North Sef with the oceanographers who were witness to 100 foot waves. Another recounts the aftermath of the 1964 tsunami of Crescent City, Cali- fornia and the amazing destruction of the 1720-foot wave that swept through Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958. Yet another chapter describes the experience of a British shipping insurer and their long history with vessels lost at sea. Casey's account of her search for knowledge is eerie, exciting and informational, often in the same literary gasp. No questions are necessarily answered in the terms of how and why giant waves happen, but that is also Casey's point. Some things in nature aren't meant to be explained, after all. The Wave reinforces the feelings of respect, awe, and in my case, nightmare-inducing terror that we feel when faced with nature's deadly wonders. Aesthetics AirHeating Auto Parts Auto Repair Auto Repair Auto Repair NEW Shellac 2 week manicure Susan Jones only $24.So SUSAN JONES AESTHETICS 503-843-3338 144 E. Main St. • Sheridan Mon. - Sat. By App't. 00allas Heating & Sheet Metal, Inc. 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