PETER LUTCHKO
Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of aioforum.com.

The fourth installment of the “Final Destination” series was in 3D and promised to be the best to date. Foregoing the marginally impressive 3D effects, the film did little to make good on its promise.
In fact, it may just be the worst of the four leaving little anticipation for any more remakes, sequels, prequels and whatever other failed attempts the “Final Destination” franchise grinds out.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but the plot line in this film felt stale. The film centers on a car crash at a racetrack. Staying true to the storyline in the three previous films, a group of teens cheat death after one of them “sees” the crash before it actually happens. However, anyone that follows the series knows you can’t cheat death and live to tell the tale

I was a huge fan of the series. Key word… was. This time I left the theater feeling as if I wasted my money.

And one of the most disappointing aspects of the film was its deviation from visually captivating effects as seen in previous installments. The whole thrill of the “Final Destination” series was the special effects. However, in this movie they were horrible. The “special effects” seemed dull, unrealistic and a waste of 3D effects. Frankly, there was nothing suspenseful or exciting about it.
In films that preceded this installment, audiences could always count on a creative twist or edge-of-your-seat drama. Again, another let-down for diehard fans.

The movie was short at a mere 70 minutes and in turn probably too short to cover the depth of the unanswered subject matter in the films before.

In previous “Final Destination” films, the franchise was able to make rising stars into celebrities. Instead this film seems to be breeding a new line of B-movie actors with little talent and sense of character.

The film and the actors in the film reminded me of those straight-to-DVD films that you hear about, but can never quite bring yourself to rent. And rightfully so.

According to moviefone.com the team behind the creation of “Final Destination 2” was back for this film. In retrospect, they should have stuck with the crew from the third installment being that was the best of the series.

The one good thing about the movie was the 3D technology that was used in it. According to moviefone.com, the 3D effects used are “digital real 3D,” a highly technological advance that not many movies have. I’m usually not impressed by 3D movies and wasn’t even expecting much from that element going into the theatre but I was pleasantly surprised with the 3D effects.

It makes me wonder if the crew behind it spent so much time focusing on making sure the 3D was good that they lost the essence of making a good movie.

However, moviefone.com reports “The Final Destination” was number one at the box office on the opening weekend, beating out the remake of “Halloween II.” I wasn’t surprised by this because avid fans of the film like myself could finally experience the thrill of the franchise in 3D.

Hopefully the adaptation of the title from “Final Destination” to “The Final Destination” means that it will be the last one. I hope so because while I’d hate to see the a great series end on a bad note, I’d hate even more for them to defile the franchise even more with yet another nauseating sequel.

There is only one phrase to fittingly describe the highly anticipated “Last House on the Left,” and that is cruel and unusual punishment. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie because of all the advertising and media coverage it had gotten. I even anticipated the film to be sold out on opening night. After buying my tickets in advance, I discovered this strategy was in vain, as the movie was neither sold out nor close to becoming sold out.

My preconceived notions were misguided by Moviefone.com. The site claims that Wes Craven is the master of horror films and with him on board as producer the film, “Last House on the Left” was sure to be a hit. Moviefone.com also advertised that Wes Craven teamed up with Sean Cunningham to remake the movie because it was the original “Last House” that launched their successful directing careers. This heavy statement, however, does not hold up to the quality of the film. In fact, this remake was so poorly crafted that it could lead to the end of their careers. Claudia Puig of USA Today couldn’t have termed the movie any better when she referred to it as “torture porn.” And that is exactly what it was.

The movie starts off with an unnecessarily gruesome scene and it all goes downhill from there. We then turn to the arrival of the main character, Mari, and her family to their summer lake house. How cliche and terribly familiar.

We quickly learn that her older brother recently passed away and, as a result, her parents have been keeping her sheltered and under close watch ever since. Mari and her friend are soon in the hands of an escaped prisoner and his “crew,” leading to scenes of their rape and torture. The rape scene is ridiculously drawn out and unnecessary, leaving you cringing at the screen. I was about to walk out of the theatre during this scene. The prisoners leave the girl for dead and seek shelter.

The only problem here is Mari is not dead and they just sought shelter in her house with her parents. After she crawls home and her dad, who happens to be a doctor, mends her wounds, her parents learn what has happened. They immediately want revenge.

This is where another problem with the movie shows up. It becomes too unrealistic, as I don’t believe that a well-educated, stable-minded human being is going to be able to perform some of the torture that follows. And although it follows the gruesome treatment of their daughter, the torture that follows seems out of place, melodramatic and a far cry from realistic. In fact, they put their family and their daughter at further risk by keeping the psycho criminals in the summer home, all the while performing horrible acts of torture on them. My first priority would be making sure my daughter was going to live and making sure I would be there to care for her, not attacking some severely demented people.

The only good thing that happened besides the final ending is that you do finally get to see the tables turn. It’s not the typical murder and arrest film. Instead, you actually get to see the murderer become the victim and that was a great element. It gives the viewer a surprise and a sense of unknowing that you don’t usually get from other cookie-cutter horror films.

My recommendation is that, if you don’t like extremely unnecessary gruesome movies, do your stomach a favor and pass on this movie.

My Review:
2 Stars (based on a 5 Star scale)

PETER LUTCHKO
Staff Writer

An American favorite, “American Idol” is undergoing many changes this season and not all of them are good. One of the changes is the elimination of the “Idol Gives Back” charity telethon event, according to MSNBC.com. This could be a very costly decision. In the past season, “Idol” was able to give a lot of money to good causes and promote a strong philanthropic awareness of a variety of causes. That is something that the American people like to see, especially during hard times. It wouldn’t be surprising if ratings drop as the show is supposed to be a reflection of the American people.

The biggest change to “Idol” this season is the addition of a new judge. According to americanidol.com, Kara DioGuardi sits alongside Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson as the part of panel of judges for this season.

According to the show’s Web site, executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz believes the change will be good, saying, “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers.”

DioGuardi definitely has the qualifications to be an “Idol” judge. The show’s Web site reports that she is one of the most sought after songwriters and producers in the industry. Her credentials do not end there. She co-owns Arthouse Entertainment and her songs have been recorded by many Grammy awarded artists.

She definitely has added some spice to the audition part of season eight. DioGuardi sets a more serious tone for the show and to contestants hoping to make it to Hollywood. She offers a Simon-like, professional block so that Randy and Paula can’t let an obviously no talent contestant make it through. She will have a sure affect on the talent that we see in Hollywood this season as one more vote can obviously affect the distribution of golden tickets.

“Idol” made several positive changes to their TV line up this season. MSNBC.com reported that there will be no more Thursday episodes this season, which is a good thing because it was often hard to follow with so many days on air.

However, some changes are more disputable and could doom the show. According to MSNBC.com, there will be more two-hour episodes than seen in previous seasons. This is definitely not a wise change. It might have something to do with the fact that watching two hours of played-out ballads and under-par singing really gets irritating and all too familiar.

Another dooming change is now there will be three weeks of audition rounds instead of the regular four, as MSNBC.com reported. This is another risky change because watching horrible singers make a fool of themselves on national TV is probably the most entertaining part and has been the perfect, traditional kick-off to the newest “Idol” season. It just seems wrong to shorten something so enjoyable.

And on top of shortening auditions, “Idol” will shorten the focus on bad singers in general. As a result, they have made the Hollywood weeks longer. This could prove to be a very costly move as the audition contestants are often more memorable and entertaining than the slew of carbon copy Hollywood-ers who can easily get lost in the mix. After auditions, audiences anxiously await the voting period.

One thing that producers brought back was the “wild card” round in which eliminated contestants can compete for one of the coveted top 12 spots. This is one of the few good ideas because it is always interesting to see if an eliminated contestant can outdo the rest.

Although time (and viewers) will tell if all of these risky changes will affect the show, “Idol” seems to eliminating themselves from the most important competition: ratings.

BY PETER LUTCHKO
STAFF WRITER

The new Broadway show “13” is sure to be the next big hit. The show is performed at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on West 45th Street.

“13” tells the story of a young Jewish boy, Evan, who is about to turn 13. As tradition requires, he is preparing for a huge milestone - his Bar Mitzvah. At the same time, his parents are in the middle of a messy divorce that forces him to move from his home, New York City, to the small town of Appleton, Indiana. He now has to hold his Bar Mitzvah in Appleton.

This is a huge conflict because his popularity and social acceptance rides on the ability to throw a successful party. The story follows all of the decisions that Evan must make. He must choose between his good friends that are not so popular and the cool kids that may not be as great as they appear. “13” has many themes revolving around the transition into a teenager, in which we all can relate.

PETER LUTCHKO
Staff Writer

Interestingly, “13,” though conventional in plot, proves to be unique in its execution. I have always enjoyed seeing a good Broadway show, but wondered why one had not been released that accurately portrays the lives and problems that contemporary teenagers face. However, “13” may be one of the first shows to successfully do just that. Young kids and teenagers will love the sense of humor and realness that the show presents. Adults will love the underlying jokes and parents of teenagers and pre-teens will definitely be able to see a hint of their children in the teenagers on stage.

According to the show’s Web site, “13″ is unique because it is the first show to hire an all-teenage cast. This unconventional move clearly benefitted the performance because it is precisely this that makes the show and the emotions that much more real. Even the band performing the musical numbers consisted of teenagers. I have never seen a group of such musically talented kids before. They managed to keep the audience captivated and involved during the duration of the entire show, which did not provide an intermission (also a rarity for a Broadway show). The cast had parents and children cheering together, something that was really great to see.

The cast consisted of both teens brand new to Broadway, as well as kids with a lot of experience. The performance was so interesting and very high-energy that an intermission only would have taken away from the stellar performance. The scenery gave the show a 3D feel, making audiences feel like they were there with the characters. All 16 musical numbers were powerful and helped build the show’s positive energy.

“13” is the only show I have ever seen that I would recommend people of all ages to see. “13” combines both the upbeat freshness of Disney’s “High School Musical” series with the themes and traditional musical nature of cult classic “Grease.” I encourage anyone that even remotely enjoyed either of those shows to see “13.” You should see this show while the original cast is still on Broadway because it is sure to be an everlasting hit.