Ten Plot Holes in: The Hobbit

(Note: I don’t mean to say I don’t like any of the  movies I feature in “Plot Holes.” I LOVE most of these movies. I just like making fun of them even more.)

1. Where does Gandalf keep going? Every now and again, he'll disappear for days at a time, only to reappear again, expecting everyone to worship him like the quasi-Jesus he is. Sure, he may be doing something important, but why can't he tell anyone? He and Batman need to compare notes on awkwardly disappearing.

2. Why Bilbo? We have over a dozen battle-ready dwarves with combat experience, a wizard with unfathomable power... and Bilbo. Three feet tall, never been combat trained, didn't even KNOW Gandalf before the adventure... and yet apparently, he's the best choice to accompany them. Shouldn't they just bring another dwarf to steal the sword away from the dragon? Perhaps one named Bimboor. Or Stan.

3. The mountain trolls manage to steal almost all of the horses from right under the dwarves' noses. The EIGHT-FOOT-TALL, loud, obnoxious, smelly trolls? They're either ninjas, or all the dwarves have astigmatism.

4. "Come, my elfin subjects. Let's travel hundreds of miles with our entire army to the battle of the dwarves, stop right on the edge of a cliff... and then turn back around without helping them. What do you mean that makes no sense and we're compromising a potential alliance that would benefit us later? I need to make my point that... er... well, they're FAR too dirty and smelly to be associated with us. Truly I am a great king!"

5. Bilbo learns to swordfight in one day, then immediately goes on to face goblins and orcs with ease. I have serious doubts about the training one has to go through to become an orc warrior.

6. How did Gandalf sneak into the goblin's throne room? He appears right before the throne, passing several THOUSAND goblins on the way. Did none of them see him? Did he turn himself invisible? Sort of makes the One Ring a little useless...

7. Speaking of the One Ring, why did it take Gollum so long to realize it was missing. Is this the same Gollum who threw himself into a freaking VOLCANO to go after this thing? The same one who, apparently, hears the Ring TALKING to him? This Ring is his whole LIFE, and yet around half an hour goes by without him noticing he dropped it. Couldn't the Ring just have said: "Hey, weirdo! I'm in this midget's pocket!"

8. If Radagast is such a great wizard, with just as much power as Gandalf, why didn't he help later in the war against Sauron? Wouldn't the Lord of Nature have gotten a little peeved at all the trees being pulled up?

9. The party is under the leadership of Thorin Oakenshield, the world's greatest navigator, and will follow him anywhere. The same Thorin Oakenshield who managed to get lost twice on the way to Bilbo's house, which all of the other dwarves found with no problem in the slightest.

10. Giant eagles. Just, giant eagles. What, you had those things the entire time and you're walking to the Misty Mountain?!

http://www.scotscoop.com/29090

Ten Plot Holes in: Skyfall

(Note: I don’t mean to say I don’t like any of the  movies I feature in “Plot Holes.” I LOVE most of these movies. I just like making fun of them even more.)

(SPOILERS!)

1. A motorcycle can either slam into the side of a bridge or flip over the bridge. It can't do both.

2. How did Bond get to that island after being shot? He would've drowned after he hit the water from that height, providing the fall didn't already break every bone in his body.

3. M opens a spam email with the phrase "CLICK HERE TO WIN A PRIZE!" in the title. At this point, even a geriatric grandmother wouldn't do that. No one is that stupid.

4. Silva's plan relies on M16 relocating to the underground bunker after the attack, despite the fact that according to Bond, none of the agents even knew about it and it hasn't been used in years. Good things they didn't decide to, oh, hop over the the building next door.

5. An assassin slowly drills a hole in a window, aims a sniper rifle, and murders a man across the street. All the while Bond stands by and does absolutely nothing.

6. Armed assassins are coming to slaughter the head of M16, and the only warning she receives, despite being in a crowded room and surrounded by important personages, is a text message. Sent to her assistant. Which both ignore.

7. Why does every movie nowadays insist on keeping their captured bad guys in a glass prison with one inept guard? The guy's insane! At least put him in chains or something!

8. Bond takes M to his childhood home in the middle of nowhere, in order to hide her from Silva. That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is that he takes absolutely no agents along with him, has no backup, tells no one where they are going, and has no clear plan of what to do if Silva happens to come along with henchmen besides "run."

9. M and the groundskeeper escape into the dark night without a trace, then immediately turn on a flashlight and start waving it around. This woman is supposed to be in charge of every spy in England, yet she has the instincts of a lemming.

10. Silva's plan. Just, Silva's plan. Because any plan that involves getting captured for no reason other than hacking M16 from the inside (which he proved he could already do), having time and the means to escape, recruiting subway workers to assist him, detonating a moving train at the exact right moment, and knowing where your enemies childhood home is would have fallen apart if he made one, single mistake. Silva is smart, but he isn't God.

http://www.scotscoop.com/27947

Ten Plot Holes in: The Dark Knight Rises

(Note: I don't mean to say I don't like any of the  movies I feature in "Plot Holes." I LOVE most of these movies. I just like making fun of them even more.)

(SPOILERS!)

1. WHERE IS THE JOKER? The star of the last movie, the reason for Harvey Dent's demise, and quite possibly the most destructive force Gotham has ever seen. Vanished, in a puff of smoke. And don't say that Heath Ledger's unfortunate death (RIP, Heath) is the reason. That's the reason Heath Ledger isn't in this movie. Why isn't the Joker at least mentioned? Are we supposed to assume he died? Escaped? Wrapped himself up in a  chrysalis and hibernated for ten-odd years?

2. We're told that Bruce is missing the cartilage in one of his knees. That doesn't just happen. Alfred must have sneaked into his room in the middle of the night and slurped it out with a vacuum.

3. Who the heck is Miranda Tate? She wasn't in any of the previous movies, even in passing mention. She's never been established as a character, and her one motivation is to set up a nuclear reactor in the middle of Gotham for no reason. Does Bruce need a sign that says "I'm a villain" over everyone's head?

4. Who is Selena Kyle? "The Cat" has no motivation for anything she does other than getting a chance to clear her past. But what happened in her past? Why does she suddenly not want to be a thief? Why has she started thieving in the first place? And WHO is that blond woman she hangs around with? Who cares! We get Anne Hathaway in a catsuit, and that's good enough for us!

5. What is Alfred doing for the entire second and third act? He abandons Bruce and does... what, exactly? Or do all butlers go into cryostasis when they're not needed?

6. How does everyone know Bruce is Batman? Bane knows. Miranda knows. Jack the Police Officer knows. Does everyone in Gotham secretly know and they're just too embarrassed to tell him to stop using that dumb voice?

7. Bane flies all the way out of the prison in the middle of nowhere... just to tell Bruce that he's leaving him in a prison in the middle of nowhere. What a mastermind.

8. Good thing punching someone in the back is a perfectly legitimate way of fixing a broken spine. Otherwise, Bruce would be completely paralyzed and his voice would be distinctly un-raspy.

9. "While I somehow managed to get back to Gotham, instead of going to stop Bane I will now spend hours lighting a building on fire in the vague shape of a bat. Gordon was right. I'm not the hero that Gotham wants."

10. What are we supposed to assume happens to Robin? Will he become Robin? Will he become the new Batman? You can't just throw a cop into a cave full of technology that only a genius can use and expect him to figure everything out on his own. The mot likely result was Robin getting overstimulated and curling into the fetal position on the floor.

http://www.scotscoop.com/27936

Django Unchained: A Review

It's not often that a movie comes along that is, as Julie Andrews once said, "practically perfect in every way," and while Django Unchained is not a flawless movie, one could easily place it in the top tiers of cinema.

Directed and written by acclaimed film mogul Quentin Tarantino, the story is a simple one of deceit and revenge. Django (Jamie Foxx), a recently freed slave, takes on the South itself in a brutal and visceral mission to rescue his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). He is assisted by dignified bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz), facing off against slave-owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and crooked house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).

Tarantino delivers another wonderful script- the dialogue is sharp and the story itself flows along wonderfully, managing to fill more than two hours without dragging. The cinematography is beautiful and stylized, bringing a flashiness to the gritty world of pre-Civil War America. It is, however, the actors that carry this piece along.

Foxx is magnificent as Django, displaying a cool solidarity in the face of horror. Likewise, DiCaprio's famous baby-face is all but absent; his role as 'Monsieur' Candie twists the actor into a psychotic, grinning monster. A snake in crushed velvet, assisted by a fantastic Jackson who nearly disappears into the role of Stephen, a traitorous house slave. However, it is Waltz as Schultz who carries the day, delivering a Golden Globe- winning performance that is at once hilarious and deeply human. The film is worth seeing for him alone.

The only real issue of the film may be its soundtrack; musical choices range from Spanish ballads to bass-heavy rap. Though the pieces usually make sense in context of the scene, at some points the songs are odd enough to momentarily distract one from the movie (a particularly memorable example involves a pounding hip-hip song blasting over an image of ten people walking in a field, not speaking to each other).

Additionally, this is not a film for the faint of heart. The language is foul, and gore abounds. In the span of one hour there are scenes of two men fist-fighting to the death, men getting attacked by dogs, branding, torture, shootouts, and even castration.

Django Unchained is nominated for several Academy Awards, and it earns them. See it, but be prepared to cover your eyes.

4.8/5 stars

http://www.scotscoop.com/25976

'Wallflower' brings laughter and tears

For fans of the best-selling book, the movie adaptation of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a fantastic version that is sure to make even the most stoic of seniors grow nostalgic. For those who haven't read it, the movie should still not be missed.

The story follows Charlie (played by an unbelievable Logan Lerman), an incoming freshman who has suffered from depression and painful shyness all throughout middle school. Upon entering high school, he is taken under the wing of two seniors: the music-savvy, philosophical Sam (Emma Watson, in her first role after Hermione) and the spontaneous, flamboyant Patrick (Ezra Miller- I'll be talking about him later).

They teach him about friendship, good music, and living life to the fullest. The storyline is satisfyingly complex and simultaneously depressing and uplifting, while the cinematography utilizes some very interesting shots (notably during one scene when Charlie is high on LSD). However, it's the acting that carries the movie along.

Lerman is the perfect choice to play Charlie - he's twitchy, introverted, and has a perfect balance of instability and desperation in his eyes. In other words, he's that one freshman that sits alone at a table during lunch and never speaks during class. It's a nice role, verging on greatness when Charlie begins having a mental breakdown (provoking some looks from Lerman that almost fry the film in the camera).

Watson, on the other hand, has obviously made a conscious effort to take long steps away from her role as Hermione and it works to an extent. She is satisfyingly adorable and American (trading her natural English accent for an American one), but falls flat at times.

The standout cast member is Miller, who takes on a challenge: playing a self-proclaimed "queer as a three-dollar bill" senior who has more underlying issues and snark than a sorority house. He is simply a joy to watch, from his snappy dialogue to moments of loud silence. He is easily the most interesting character, and the movie is worth seeing just because of his performance.

The film does suffer from what I like to call "Underdeveloped Minor Character Syndrome," with a few of Charlie's other friends falling flat. Additionally, the interesting roles of an English teacher (played by the always enjoyable Paul Rudd) and Charlie's older sister (Nina Dobrev) disappear into the mix. But overall, "Perks of Being a Wallflower" is an adorable, touching film that should not be missed (seniors, bring some tissues; those graduation scenes are pretty misty).

4.3/5 stars

http://www.scotscoop.com/22502

Distracted- A Satire

Oh my god, did you hear the news?! What do you mean, what news?! Didn’t you hear about that guy in Texas who shot all those kids on the school bus?!
Wait… maybe it was Virginia, not Texas. Which is the big one again? And I think he might have broken into the school, not a school BUS. Uh… geez, I can’t remember. I’ll pull up Google News, it was all over the place an hour ago.
Hang on, Google News is loading. Wait ’till you guys see this, I can’t even believe… Wait. Is that a video of a squirrel on water-skis?! That’s hysterical! Squirrels aren’t supposed to like water! And they’re certainly not supposed to posses the fine motor skills necessary to stand up on those little things! He’s being dragged behind a remote-controlled boat! Cuteness overload!
Wait. Wasn’t I supposed to be doing something…? Oh, that’s right. The shooter in… THERE’S A MAN IN NORTH CAROLINA WHO CAN FIT AN ENTIRE JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER IN HIS MOUTH. How is that possible?! How did the guy even figure that out?! Was he making a sandwich and thought to himself, “If only there was a way to eat all of this at once…”
And look at this! This guy in Tennessee fathered thirty children in fourteen years! They should make a reality show about him; I’d watch it all the time. Would you?
You guys don’t mind if I check my Facebook, do you? Didn’t think so… Ha! My ex-boyfriend just listed himself as “In a Relationship”, and I’m WAY prettier than her! Sucks for you, dude.
Twitter! I have to check what everyone’s up to… check out this tweet from Kim Kardashian: “Team work makes the dream work!!” She’s such an inspiration.
Lemme log onto to Tumblr and… what? What do you mean, I’m getting distracted? I’m not distracted! I know exactly what I was doing! Um… something about Texas! Yeah, I was looking up whether Virginia was bigger than Texas. Hang on, I’ll…
Wait, what school shooter? Was it on the news? I’ll pull up YouTube and check. What should I search? “School shooting Texas”?
Oh! Before I do, wanna see this one quick video? I found it like a month ago, and the quality isn’t that good, but the song is halfway decent. It reminds me of that song we listened to at the one restaurant. You know, the one that gives you your meal for free if you finish it? What was that place called again? Lemme Yelp it…
Oh, “Fast Fried Greasies”! Yeah, that was the bomb! That’s where you met that one cute guy who kinda looked like James Franco if you tilt your head and squint. I friended him on Facebook, you wanna stalk his profile?
Hey! HEY! Where are you going?
I swear, people these days are so easily distract- OH. EM. GEE. Did you know there was a school shooting in Texas?! Here, I’ll Google it…

http://www.scotscoop.com/20348

Audience laughs, gasps, and cheers for 'The Avengers'

With a snappy script, flawless casting, and outstanding special effects, it is no wonder that “The Avengers” has captured the attention of fans and critics alike.
The film follows a team of superheroes, thrown together by a secret organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to save the world from the wrath of one of the most evil beings in the universe: the God of Mischief, Loki.
Heading the group is Captain America (portrayed by heartthrob Chris Evans), a super-soldier from the forties who was frozen in ice for seventy years. Iron Man (the always-delightful Robert Downey Jr.) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth, whose biceps alone could carry the movie) stand at his side, assisted by Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo)- or, as he’s better known, The Hulk. Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) complete the team, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with many secrets between them.
The dialogue is quick and witty, with jokes flying right after intense action sequences or deep emotional moments. The entire movie is the best sort of rushed and jumbled, making the action and storyline seem natural rather than forced.
Robert Downey Jr. is by far the most enjoyable to watch, managing to convey deprecation, anger, and vulnerability while still maintaining his signature Tony Stark sarcasm. He bounces off the other cast member like he was born to do so, and no one is safe from his teasing (on more than one occasion, he tells Captain America that he “doesn’t look too bad for an old guy.”) Samuel L. Jackson is also a pleasure to watch, playing the team’s de facto commander Nick Fury. His stolid and stable personality provides a foil for the other cast members, making their jokes all that much more amusing.
All in all, “The Avengers” is one of the best movies of the year, and shouldn’t be missed by anyone. Just make sure to stay after the credits for not one, but TWO extra scenes. It’s worth it.
4.8 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/19938

'Mirror Mirror' too cheesy to succeed

It’s often that a movie comes along where a bad actor is put into a good role, but can’t carry the movie on their spindly shoulders. It’s even more often that a good actor is put into a bad role, and can’t save the movie from itself.
“Mirror Mirror”, unfortunately commits the second act, and then some. Even with a cast of well-known stars (Julia Roberts! Nathan Lane! Sean Bean!), the cheesy plot and many inconsistencies keep the movie jilted, and the audience bored.
The plot is basically “Snow White”- except that it isn’t. Not at all. There is literally no resemblance to the original work, except the main characters’ names. Snow isn’t a poor servant girl; she’s the heir to a large and formerly-prosperous kingdom. The seven dwarfs (who have been renamed with adorable monikers like “Grub” and “Chuck”) aren’t happy-go-lucky miners; they’re evil little thieves with Napoleon complexes. Perhaps the greatest change made was the Evil Queen, though it’s unlikely she can even be called “evil” anymore. Julia Roberts plays her with such earnestness and good humor that it’s hard not to root for her.
The matter isn’t helped by that fact that Snow herself is about as interesting as a stump. Newcomer Lily Collins (the daughter of Phil Collins, who performed the music for “Tarzan” and, therefore, has my ultimate respect) plays the titular character (Snow White, not the mirror) with the energy of a narcoleptic. Her acting is sweet at its best, and mind-numbingly bland at its worst. Everything she does, from sword fighting to giving impassioned speeches, causes the movie to come to screeching halt from the sheer lack of sympathy she elicits- and you know it’s a bad “Snow White” movie when the only people you really care about are the dwarfs.
This is not to say that “Mirror Mirror” is the worst movie ever made. Some of the dialogue is cheesy enough to elicit laughs, and Armie “The Pecs” Hammer is swoon-worthy enough to make his scenes watchable (it doesn’t hurt that he spends the majority of the movie shirtless).
All in all, however, “Mirror Mirror” is a ninety-minute trudge through a snow-covered magical kingdom. It’s best to just wait for “Snow White and the Huntsman” to arrive in theaters- even if you DO have to sit through Kristen Stewart’s blank face for an hour in order to do so.
2.0 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/19552

The Return of the Sequel

(On a personal note, this article is special to me; it's the only one I have that has been featured in both the Highlander and on Scot Scoop. Yippee.)

What Hollywood needs is a cold dose of the truth: too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I speak, of course, about movie sequels.

Now, this is not to say that all movie sequels should be ripped from the reels they were shot on and decimated in a fiery inferno. Oh, no. Not at all. Some sequels have gone on to be huge successes, both commercially and critically.

Take, for example, the recent “Sherlock Holmes” series. After the great acclaim of the first movie, the studio (and thankfully, the actors) decided to invest in a sequel: “A Game of Shadows.”

It has since received a general seal of approval, praised for exceeding the bar previously set by its predecessor. A high bar, for there really is nothing better than a shirtless Robert Downey, Jr.- unless it’s a shirtless Robert Downey, Jr. speaking in a British accent.

The sequel “Batman: The Dark Knight” had an added advantage of already having the whole “origin story” aspect out of the way, giving its writers room to explore new plotlines and characters. This led to the brilliance of Heath Ledger in the face-paint of the Joker, and quite possibly, one of the best superhero movies of the past decade.

In short: sequels sometimes work, and work well. That being said, the deciding factor for what constitutes the making of a sequel has been increasingly blurry in the past few years. Compiled here is a list of guidelines for when a movie deserves a sequel, and when it should be left alone.

One: The movie has to set itself up for a sequel. This may very well be the most important rule of all, as it effectively determines whether the sequel will succeed. Series like “Harry Potter” or “The Hunger Games” are obviously predetermined to have at least one sequel, but stories like the “Bourne” trilogy have still managed to succeed in stretching a storyline across a few movies.

Basically, if a movie can stand alone as its own story, it should ostensibly stay that way. Conversely, if a movie ends in a dramatic cliffhanger, leaving vital questions unanswered, a sequel should be made before the rabid fans begin breaking down the doors of the studio.

Two: PAY ATTENTION TO THE SUBJECT MATTER. No matter how much a movie makes in the box-office, or how many questions were left unanswered, the critical approval the movie receives should be a large factor in deciding whether a “Part 2″ is in our future. A movie that is universally approved should have higher priority than one that is universally panned.

Three: The sequel should be noticeably different than its predecessor. An audience comes back to see a sequel because they enjoyed the characters and the premise. They don’t come back for the same movie over again.

Consider “The Hangover.” The first was an achievement in comedy- situational humor at its best. The second was a carbon copy of the first, to the point where it literally feels like the entire movie was simply picked up and dropped in the middle of Thailand. There is a certain virtue in giving people what they want, but not in ignoring any and all aspect of creativity.

Four: not all movies need sequels. Remember “Bridesmaids”? That hysterical R-rated comedy that showed the world that Kristen Wiig is a comedic goddess, and that Melissa McCarthy can play more than just the sweet, heavy girl? Writer and main actress Wiig has put her foot down, and refused to write a sequel.

Will this decision ruin the popularity of the movie? Will it destroy the careers of the main actors? Was it made to spite the directors, the producers, and the fans themselves? No, no, and no again. The reason Wiig has refused a sequel is that the movie is done. There is no need for a follow-up, no need for further adventures of the Bridesmaids.

Sequels can be fun, but it’s important to decide if one is necessary before signing a contract for “Part 2.”

http://www.scotscoop.com/19303

'Titans' provides less wrath than expected

Despite brilliant special effects and the occasional moment of clarity from the supporting cast, “Wrath of the Titans” provided about as much lasting entertainment for the audience as a paddle-ball, yet utilized many more explosions to make its mark.
The story picks up ten years after its 2010 predecessor left off: Perseus (Sam Worthington), legendary son of Zeus, has moved into a quiet fishing village with his son, Helius. The first ten minutes is devoted to quiet scenes of the family fishing, going to school, and sleeping peacefully in a lovely little shack.
The next ten minutes is devoted to Zeus telling Perseus that the Titan lord Kronos is rising from his prison in Tartarus, intent on destroying the world in an explosion of fire, brimstone, and other equally bad things. Then the entire village is burned to the ground by a Chimera, which is killed by Perseus through self-combustion. Quite a jump, no?
This entails the entire problem of the movie: the entire film feels as though it was pulled together at the last minute, and comprised of scenes that didn’t make it into the 2010 film. The pace is jilted, comprising of lengthy, dramatic action sequences so long and drawn out that any scene NOT filled with blood and fire becomes boring in under a minute. The dialogue is wooden, and every so often a phrase is uttered that would never have been said in real ancient Greece. Whether it’s Perseus making a pun about “hanging in there”, or even his son referring to him as “Dad”, the audience is brought out of the scene too often to ever get fully involved in the story.
The cast is bearable (highlights include Toby Kebbell as Agenor, the son of Posideon, and the always-charming Bill Nighy as Hephaestus), but it’s hard to enjoy a movie when the protagonist is about as exciting to watch as a plank of wood with a face painted on it. Sam Worthington makes even the loudest and most manic fight scenes seem like a chore, trudging through the set as though it’s a pain to even ACT in the movie, let alone carry it. Liam Neeson is less enjoyable this go-round as Zeus, but still manages to retain some dignity despite walking around in an armored skirt for ninety minutes- more than you could say for the average actor.
This is not to say that “Wrath” is a TERRIBLE movie- the special effects are mind-blowing, and every so often the audience starts to enjoy itself. It accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish: an ancient Greek epic with more explosions and screaming than a monster-truck rally. The problem is that it aimed so low to begin with that even if it hit the mark, it never goes beyond just a decent movie. Nothing to be gained from seeing it; nothing to be lost from missing it.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/18994

Audience jumps for '21 Jump Street'

Arguably one of the best things to come out of the eighties, the classic buddy-cop show “21 Jump Street” has been adapted into a buddy-cop movie, and despite a few pacing problems and a script that would fill the world’s biggest swear jar, the overall review was a positive one.
The story centers on Officers Schmidt and Jenko, two recent graduates who have been sequestered to a low-end job as park guards. But their mundane existence is thrown for an explosion-ridden 360 as soon as they are reassigned to an undercover program- mainly because they are, as their Captain elegantly puts it, “Justin-Beiber, Miley-Cyrus lookin’ guys.” The boys train to become narcs in a local high school, posing as students in order to bust a growing drug ring. However, a glitch in the computer system forces brainy Shmidt (played by a cheerfuly self-deprecating Jonah Hill) to pose as a popular jock, and meathead Jenko (portrayedwith surprising dexterity and depth by Channing Tatum) to pose as a science geek.
A cliched premise? Of course it is. It’s adapted from an eighties television show, for crying out loud- the era that invented cliches. But the best part of this movie is that at no point does the audience say, “Oh, this is so predictable.” “Jump St.” is a crazy joyride from start to finish.
Improbably, Hil and Tatum are a perfect comedy team. Hill has a sarcastic, almost dark sense of humor that is counteracted beautifully by Tatum’s blank-faced innocence. What’s more, both of the actors manage to make their characters into actual PEOPLE- they grow, they change, and you can actually see them doing so. Schmidt gets to experience the popular road he never had in high school, and Hill retains the aura of wonderment and disbelief almost to the point where you’re cooing over him. Jenko learns science, and indeed one of the best parts of the movie is watching Channing Tatum morph into a geek (light-saber sound-effects and all). Notable in the supporting cast is Dave Franco (yes, James Franco’s little brother), who plays the role of the crunchy-granola hippie drug dealer with just the right balance of cool and weird- maybe leaning a bit to the weird side.
The script is punchy and laugh-out-loud funny in places, though they use jokes about male genitalia so often it gets to be a little mundane. The pacing is also a little off towards the beginning, with the directors trying to establish the relationship between Schmidt and Jenko in as little time as possible. Neither, however, detract from the story.
All in all, from the hilarious cast to a few cameos you’ll never see coming, “21 Jump Street” should not be missed.
4.2 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/18474

'Ghost Rider' fizzles out

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” provides the audience with about as much enjoyable entertainment as hitting oneself in the face with a brick for ninety minutes, and is considerably more painful to sit through.
Nicolas Cage (unfortunately) reprises his role as antihero Johnny Blaze, a man possessed by a mythical demon called “The Rider.” This demon presents itself whenever evil is around, and is apparently the equivalent of the Devil’s bounty hunter. In any case, someone should sic a bounty hunter on Cage himself, who puts forth probably his worst performance to date. While presumably trying to seem edgy and volatile, he comes off as a manic-depressive who skipped the last few rounds of his medication and lit himself on fire- except a manic-depressive would have put more life and realism into this role than Cage. No line was delivered with even an ounce of believability, and Cage’s facial expressions are less possessed-man-trying-to-get-by and more confused-monkey-armed-with-a-flamethrower.
The film’s plot (if there ever was one to begin with) is overshadowed by an apparent need for CGI-flames and cheesy dialogue, but the basic idea is that Blaze is coerced into escorting a woman and her son across Eastern Europe to get them to a monastery for protection. Why? Well, apparently, the boy is devil spawn- LITERALLY the son of Satan. Why is Blaze going through all of this trouble? According to his friend Moreau the Alcoholic Monk (yes, you read that right), the monks at the monastery know how to get Johnny the one thing he wants more than anything else: they can rid him of his curse. How? Well, the director apparently didn’t feel the need to answer that question, and instead chose to spend time answering more important ones like, “How many awkward camera angles can we put in one scene without making the audience upchuck into their popcorn?” or, “Is five straight minutes too long to show Cage driving a motorcycle whilst laughing maniacally?”
The supporting cast do their best to dance around the fact that the lead actor is a functioning schizophrenic, and do so with varying degrees of success. Johnny Whitworth plays Blaze’s nemesis Ray Carrigan, and seems to relish the fact that he gets to play the heartless bad guy (or maybe it’s just that he knows he’s the most attractive actor in the movie. Seriously. This guy makes Cage look like a senile gorilla. Well, even more than he already does). Idris Elba plays Moreau the Alcoholic Monk, who spends his time drinking, making pithy comments, and providing the copious amounts of religious background that keeps the movie on its non-existent legs. He’s also French… for no conceivable reason, due to the fact that no one else in this movie is.
Fergus Riordan does a decent job at portraying Danny (the above-mentioned devil spawn), though his role consists mainly of running, looking meaningfully at someone, and getting his hair tousled by Cage. Violante Placido fills the gap of Helpless Love Interest, who in this case is named Nadya. She’s Danny’s mother, though she shows about as much maternal instinct as a salmon (Oh, you want to sit my thirteen-year-old son on the handlebars of your motorcycle, drive on the wrong side of the road, and pop a wheelie? Just make sure that neither of you are wearing helmets!). It doesn’t help that the chemistry between her and Cage makes “Twilight” look like the love story of the century.
Overall, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” is good for only one thing: unintentional humor. Whether it’s overly-cheesy dialogue (“Did we win?” “HELL yeah.” Geddit? ‘Cause he’s from hell?) or simply one of the many miscellaneous stupid moments (The Devil’s name is Roarke. ROARKE. Why not a more threatening name, like Jimmy, or Sparkles Fantastic?), the audience spends a majority of the 95 minutes trying to conceal their laughter, just in case someone else in the theater is taking this garbage seriously.
Avoid “Ghost Rider: SoV” at all costs, unless you’re in the mood to laugh at someone else’s expense. And even then, you can always just take a look at the poor people watching the movie itself, because odds are that doing so is more difficult than anything Johnny Blaze is currently dealing with.
1 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/18062

'Chronicle' a visual and mental delight

It’s not very often that a movie comes along that is just as enjoyable visually as it is psychologically. “Chronicle” exploded into theaters February 3, and manages to strike a perfect balance between being cerebral, violent, and deliciously frightening.
This eye-popper “chronicles” (get it?) the lives of three high school students who are suddenly endowed with telekinetic powers. A tired precept? Perhaps. But this is no cliched “student-to-superhero” story. The three boys use their powers for fun and personal gain, reveling in their newfound abilities to move objects with their minds, share an empathetic bond with each other, and even fly. However, when one member of the group begins using his powers with a darker purpose, the boys’ paradise turns into something closer to hell than the Garden of Eden. “Chronicle” is a disturbing look at the effects of a harmful environment on a person’s psyche, and how quickly limitless power turns into limitless corruption.
The film is displayed with a technique that most have labeled tired and out-of-date: it is seen through the perspective of various hand-held recording devices, from cell phone cameras to security footage. The primary source is the hand-held camera the boys use to document their adventures, making the film appear like a home-movie. This first-person method of filming has been used copiously in the past (see “The Blaire Witch Project” and “Cloverfield”) with varying degrees of success. At its worst, this method is nauseating and confusing, with jerky movements and loud screaming serving as a substitute for plot and dialogue. In this case, however, the method is used to communicate a sense of eerie realism to the story. Paired with amazing special effects and believable dialogue (most of which I could imagine my friends saying), “Chronicle” begins to feel less like a movie and more like a documentary- which only increases the sobering effect it has on the audience.
The movie itself starts out very slowly, and the first ten minutes almost drag. Once the boys develop their powers, the tempo starts to purr, and most of the movie flies by pleasantly. Then, towards the end, the plot begins to tumble out of control- in the best way possible. Everything seems to fall apart at once, and the film becomes a cerebral horror movie that is both visually stunning and profoundly terrifying.
The star of this film is undoubtably Dane DeHaan, who stars as the film’s deeply disturbed focus, Andrew. Having been emotionally and physically abused his entire life, Andrew clings to the newfound freedom his powers give him- and begins to feel as though his gifts make him entitled to take out a little revenge on the people who have been repressing him for so long. DeHaan, an actor fresh to the silver screen, switches disturbingly from placidly unperturbed to demonically insane in a matter of minutes. His facial expressions and actions are extreme, making you sympathetic at one moment and scared for your life at the next. During the climax of the movie, he becomes a terrifying and angry demigod that shocks the audience into a horrifed submission. Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan shine as his fellow supermen Matt and Steve, who desperately try to keep their downward-spiralling friend under control. All play their roles with an impressive amount of realism.
From start to finish, “Chronicle” is a masterpiece of cinema, though the easily squeamish should probably stay away from the theater.
4.75 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/17568

'Contraband' provides more confusion than entertainment

With far too little character development and far too many plot points, the newly-released “Contraband” leaves much to be desired.
It tells the story of Chris Farraday, a family man who lives a peaceful life in New Orleans with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he enjoys drinking, swearing profusely, and engaging in illegal trafficking of various not-so-nice goods into American borders. In other words, he’s just the kind of person you would want to have over for dinner. Though attempting to “go straight” and give up smuggling once and for all, he soon finds himself roped back into the game when his brother-in-law Andy runs into trouble during a smugling job and loses a whole bunch of money for a mobster.
Chris is forced to call together a crack-squad of professional theives in order to pull off one last heist and steal back enough money to save Andy from imminent death-by-hitmen. Chris galavants over to Columbia, while his wife and kids are brutally threatened and injured by various mobsters who have varying degrees of intrest in whether Chris comes back with the dough.
Unfortunately, this movie is doomed from the start. Little to no character development is given, and I still don’t know the names of Chris’ A-Team. One of them was named Olaf, but I had to resort to calling the other three “Cheeky Black Man”, “Squirelly Whiny Teenager”, and “Skinny Paranoid White Guy”.
Chris’ wife is given literally no backstory, and even Chris is granted with the bare bones of a ruined childhood and a profuse amount of witty comments. He’s more like the crude outline of a character than a real person, and due to this it’s hard to care about his plight at all.
Furthermore, the plot of the move is so convoluted that merely saying it’s a “heist movie” doesn’t even scratch the surface. “Mission Impossible” is a heist movie; “Ocean’s Eleven” is a heist movie. “Contraband” is a “heist-spy-romance-action-thriller-plot-twisty-scary movie.”
There are probably a few more genres in there as well. Overall, “Contraband” isn’t sure WHAT it wants to be, and thus ruins any chance we have of commiting to a storyline. As soon as you have the plot figured out, a new character is introduced, or so-and-so turns out to be evil, or Chris brings up a random friend/aquaintance/enemy/hairdresser of his that we are expected to remember and care about.
All of these reasons, along with far too many obvious plot gimicks and cheesy dialogue that is peppered with too many “f-bombs” to even be legal, make “Contraband” both confusing and unamusing.
1.5 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/17022

'Mission: Impossible' enjoyable, but not flawless

Ethan Hunt and his team are back again in the fourth installment of the widely-renowned “Mission Impossible” series: “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” The movie offers some immensely enjoyable action sequences and plenty of gasp-worthy plot twists, but breaks no ground in the “action movie” department.
The same fall-back formula (that has practically been rendered cliche by years of over-use) is once again utilized: a super-duper-you-simply-wouldn’t-BELIEVE-how-bad bad guy has a seemingly foolproof plan to destroy the world, yet seems to posses no real concrete reason as to WHY he wants to do so. In this case, the baddie is the nuke-happy madman “Cobalt” (played by the astonishingly underwhelming Michael Nyqvist), who believes that blowing up a good ninety percent of the world is just what the planet needs for a return to ecological balance… or something. In all honesty, they probably spend five whole minutes summarizing Cobalt’s plot, and I’m pretty sure Nyqvist gets about twenty lines of dialogue in the whole movie. His role is less of an actual part, and more of a metaphor for global annihilation. All the audience is expected to understand is that if this guy succeeds, the Earth is going bye-bye.
The crack team assembled to stop him is led by none other than super-spy himself, Ethan Hunt, played once again by Tom Cruise. Cruise renews the role with enough conviction to make his actions believable, yet for some reason the entire part comes off as shockingly one-dimensional. It is understandable in a way; Ethan Hunt is meant to be the strong-silent type, the ultimate super-spy with more gadgets and martial arts knowledge than the offspring of James Bond and Chuck Norris. The problem is, this aspect of the character overrides every ounce of character development and humanity the role could have. In other words, when Hunt blows up a building or free-jumps out of a sky scraper, you are completely invested. But when he starts having a emotional breakdown or announces a feeling of doubt, you shake your head in derision. You simply can’t believe that Hunt is, or ever WOULD be in trouble, or that he doesn’t know what to do. This in itself compromises the ability to enjoy this movie; all sense of suspense is wiped out by the desire to see who Ethan Hunt is going to punch next.
Cruise’s ensemble plays their part with so much joy and panache that it almost renders Ethan Hunt as a background character; you end up wanting to see the minor characters more than him. Paula Patton is in her element as a butt-kicking female spy whose thirst for revenge is almost as intriguing as her ability to look totally attractive at all times (even when- no, ESPECIALLY when covered in blood). Jeremy Renner’s skeptical analyst with more than a few skeletons in the closet is, by far, a more interesting character than Hunt; the more layers you get to see of his character, the more you want to know.
Simon Pegg, however, is in a class all his own. His newly-promoted tech wizard Benji is a blend of quirky humor and snappy dialogue, which provides the perfectly-timed comic relief of the movie. It is, however, his facial expressions that win the part. Every so often he gets a deliciously surprised look on his face, a mixture of disbelief and complete and utter joy. “Look at me! Look at us!”, his face screams. “We’re jumping into this moving train! WOW! LOOK AT HIM! He just jumped out the window! Can you BELIEVE this is happening?” This almost child-like expression crops up at the most unbelievable moments of the movie, and that is what makes his character so wonderful. By being new on the scene, he is able to represent the audience’s view of the current plan: shocked out of his mind that it’s happening, yet at the same time totally pleased that it actually worked.
Besides Pegg, the actual filming itself is the most enjoyable part. The film was shot partially in IMAX, and the result is an uncanny ability to make ridiculous stunts seem completely real. When Ethan Hunt dives out of a window of a skyscraper and swings around it at top speed, that is what you see. At no point do you say, “There’s the harness,” or “There’s the safety net,” or “That’s a stuntman.” The illusion is never ruined, and as a result, when Ethan starts to fall to his death or starts to lose his grip on the rope, the audience lets out a collective gasp and flinches violently. When the camera makes a sweeping arc around a large drop-off, they practically get vertigo. The IMAX film puts the watcher in the scene- no matter if they’re afraid of heights.
In it’s entirety, “Ghost Protocol” is an enjoyable action movie that contains just enough humor and excitement to keep it from getting bogged down by predictable story lines and unconvincing acting. The ending leaves you with no sense of disappointment- you are not sad it is over. However, the one emotion you do walk away with is impatience for the next sequel, and that in itself is an achievement.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/16358

'Game of Shadows' proves to be enlightening

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” which barreled into theaters Dec. 16, is both a smart and thrilling movie that will captivate and entertain moviegoers everywhere.
In this long-awaited sequel to the 2009 film “Sherlock Holmes,” The Great Detective and The Good Doctor face off against their most dangerous adversary yet Moriarty, a mad genius whose brilliance and knack for thinking three steps ahead may just be enough to outsmart the greatest detective who ever lived.
The entire cast is a joy to watch. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his ornery companion Dr. Watson, and play the roles with contagious energy and more than a little panache. They manage to convey the complicated relationship between the two men brilliantly, making the audience laugh and gasp in turn.
New on the scene is the dangerously brilliant Professor Moriarty, who posseses all of Holmes’ intelligence, along with a frightening amount of ruthlessness. Jared Harris plays him to perfection, portraying him with emotion that ranges from cooly confident to bloodthirsty to completely insane, while still managing to keep him believable.
The minor characters are nothing if not even more captivating. Noomi Rapace is quietly captivating as the gypsy fortune-teller Sim, and Stephen Fry is hysterical as Mycroft, Sherlock’s older, and notably less dignified, brother.
The dialogue is witty and interesting, and the musical score, written by Hans Zimmer, is amazing in itself. The movie itself spans for 128 minutes, but manages to keep itself fast-paced. The plot never lags, and you never get the feeling that a scene could have been left out. Indeed, you’d only be confused if they had. The complex, twisting plot is so wildly interconnected that deleting any scene would leave a gaping plot hole.
The only negative thing to be said about the film is that it may be just a bit too complex. About halfway in, one starts to lose track of who’s on Holmes’ side, who’s on the run, who’s trying to kill so-and-so, etc. However, Holmes himself “recaps” the case to Watson and Sim, covering what they know so far, and saving the audience a lot of head-scratching.
No word yet if there is another Sherlock Holmes movie in the works, but if the quality of the series continues on its current path, then good times are in store for the occupants of 221B Baker Street.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

http://www.scotscoop.com/16087

#OccupyCarlmont

A new mini-trend has cropped up on Twitter. This trend is one that may be dangerous. One that may very well change how this school is run. One that inspires anarchy and justice in the humdrum lives of Carlmont’s students. One that, curiously, has only appeared in Journalism students’ Twitter pages.
Occupy Carlmont.
What is Occupy Carlmont, you say? That is a very good question.
Occupy Carlmont is new. Occupy Carlmont is fresh. Occupy Carlmont is unique. Occupy Carlmont is revolutionary. Occupy Carlmont is a whole lot of words that sound good, yet really mean nothing at all.
Because, in reality, Occupy Carlmont is nonexistent.
Occupy Carlmont is nothing more than an inside joke, started by none other than Journalism II student, Virginia O’Callahan. There is not currently any sort of protest, sit-in, hunger strike, or shower strike planned.
“But, wait!”, you may shout. “I know certain things that I may wish to protest about! Things that happen at this school! Things that I want to scream angrily through a bullhorn, then gripe about whilst sitting in a freezing tent with a bunch of hobos who either share my point of view, or simply want some of my canned soup!”
Sorry. There’s no real opportunity to do so.
Yep, no secret base of operation miles below the new gym, only reachable by prying up twenty floorboards with a large piece of pipe, then scaling down using about a hundred PE shirts tied together, followed by crawling through a few feet of concrete tunnel before coming upon a burly guard named Philip who will only allow you to enter if you utter the password “butternut squash.”
No plan labeled “Operation Minty Hippo”, during which we will hold an unnamed teacher’s third cousins’ cat hostage until the School Board agrees to Taco Bell Tuesdays.
No ultra-super-if-you’re-reading-this-it’s-too-late tattoos that have a big “OC” conjoined in a swirly style, with a large emblem of a Scotsman wearing a Zorro costume in the background that we display proudly on our clavicle.
Occupy Carlmont doesn’t not exist. Understand? Good.
So, if you happen to be walking by room T-67 (where is T-67? Wouldn’t you like to know.) and hear what sounds like revelry, madness, and general anarchy within it’s fuschia-colored walls, and you feel the need to join in… well, there’s TECHNICALLY nothing to join, is there?
We thought not.
Welcome the the Movement.

http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23occupycarlmont

http://www.scotscoop.com/14593

Twilight: Abridged

WARNING: If you are an easily offended Twilight fan, look away now. Because I don’t want any death threats.
In case your head has been shoved into some sand, or you’ve been residing under a boulder somewhere, you should probably know that the penultimate Twilight movie is coming out shortly. “Breaking Dawn Part 1″ will arrive into theaters tomorrow. I hope you all know just how pumped I am.
Yippee.
For all you poor, uninformed students out there who have never heard of the Twilight series, I will kindly summarize all the previous movies for you, so that you too may go and view the masterpiece that “Breaking Dawn Part 1″ is sure to be.
I’d say “SPOILER ALERT,” but considering that everyone and their mother already knows what happens (or simply doesn’t care), I’ll skip it.
“Twilight” is about a whiny teenaged girl with only one facial expression. This, the fact that her mother has shipped her off to live with her father (who redefines the word “oblivious”) in Forks, Washington, and the horrible idea that people actually seem to enjoy her company and wish to (say it ain’t so!) talk to her on a regular basis is seemingly enough to give Blandy McWhinerson an excuse to prattle on for at least half of the movie about how difficult her life is.
Then, her tragically pleasant existence is turned upside down and mugged for it’s lunch money. In short: she meets the vampire. An uncomfortably gorgeous, immortal, nice-smelling demigod whose hair defies gravity and who lives off a steady diet of elk blood and glitter.
Upon meeting Blandy, Demigod realizes his purpose in life: to stalk her mercilessly, yet pull away when she tries to make any sort of physical and emotional contact whatsoever.
Then, for reasons I’m still not entirely sure of (it involved some sort of car accident…? A walk on the beach…?), Blandy gets the idea in her head that perhaps this emaciated boy who somehow still manages to have the strength of a few dozen professional wrestlers and whose voice never rises above a sensual whisper might not be ENTIRELY human. So, going to consult the always-accurate internet, she comes to the conclusion that Demigod is a VAMPIRE.
Anyone else see that coming from a mile away? I mean, the shock is kind of lessened when you put the big secret on the back cover of the BOOK, for crying out loud…
But I digress.
Anyway, Blandy confronts Demigod about this enormous, shocking (not really) secret, and he fesses up. Then, he tells her that she is his one true love and he is deeply in love with her and yadda, yadda, yadda.
The rest of the movie is spent trying to avoid another vampire whose sole purpose in life is to turn Blandy into Meow-Mix, with Demigod and his family of fabulous superheroes saving her life at every turn (with the exception of one scene, where for some completely random and weird reason, they play a game of baseball. Apparently, when you’re seven hundred years old and eat squirrels as a midnight snack, you can still enjoy America’s pastime).
On to “New Moon”.
Blandy goes to her birthday party, and manages to impale herself on a piece of ribbon. Seriously. The girl is walking Band-Aid commercial. The scent of angst-ridden blood proves too much for one member of the vampire family, who tries to eat her. Demigod tries to save her life by throwing her full-speed into a piano covered with glass. Makes perfect sense to me.
Demigod blames himself for Blandy’s various injuries (which makes sense. Everything but the inexplicable ribbon attack was totally his fault). So logically, he decides that if he leaves Blandy all alone in the middle of a wolf-infested forest, she’ll be safer than with him here.
Way to go, man. Why not just cover her with barbecue sauce while you’re at it?
Blandy finds her way home without being eaten by some creepy-crawly thing. The rest of the movie is spent with her doing four things:
1. Weeping inconsolably about her missing boyfriend, and being an all-around sad-sack.
2. Hanging out with her childhood friend (who is now a muscly werewolf), who continually tries to convince her that she is better off being with him, and not said missing boyfriend.
3. Doing things that are completely stupid and dangerous, in order to see visions of her missing boyfriend. (I did not make this up. This actually happens. And it is never really explained, either. Much like the rest of the things in these movies. But I digress.)
4. Going to Italy in order to find and save said missing boyfriend from being torn apart by a murderous crowd of sparkly-vampire haters.
Then, one of the big-daddy vampires tells Demigod that Blandy must become a vampire in a year, or… something bad will happen, I guess.
“Eclipse”:
A group of vampires fights the group of werewolves that happen to coincidentally live across the road from Demigod and his family. This movie really had nothing to do with either of the previous ones. It really only exists to give Demigod and Wolfy the Childhood Friend lots of opportunities to fight over Blandy (who STILL has no redeemable qualities whatsoever).
Demigod also proposes to Blandy a few dozen times, who continually begs him to… well, do stuff I’m not technically allowed to say on this site.
She finally agrees, the GOOD vampires win (shocker), and we FINALLY arrive at the last movie of the series.
Now opening is “Breaking Dawn”: In which Blandy and Demigod are wed.
Then, during their honeymoon, they find out that Blandy’s eggo is preggo with Demigods baby. (Don’t even get me STARTED on all the physical impossibilities this involves.) The resulting fetus is apparently extremely offensive to both the pack of shirtless werewolves, and to the big-daddy vampires back in Italy. So both wage war on Blandy, Demigod, and all they know and love.
Will Blandy’s baby be killed by werewolves? Will it be destroyed by Italian vampires? More importantly, will I start caring?
“Breaking Dawn Part 1″ comes out November 18, but don’t even bother trying to buy a ticket. They’ve been sold out for MONTHS, now.
Because apparently, people pay money to go see this in theaters.
Go figure.

http://www.scotscoop.com/14169

Believe it or Not!

26. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.26. The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
25. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than
left-handed people do.
24. Its impossible to smoke oneself to death with weed. You won’t be
able to retain enough motor control and consciousness to do so after
such a large amount.
23. Uncle Phil, from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, did the voice of
Shredder in the TMNT cartoon.
22. Every drop of seawater contains approximately 1 billion gold atoms.
21. The US national anthem actually has three verses, but everyone
just knows the first one.
20. During World War II, IBM built the computers the Nazis used to
manage their death/concentration camps.
19. The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier
than the weight of the human population.
18. The deadliest war in history excluding World War II was a civil
war in China in the 1850s in which the rebels were led by a man who
thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ.
17. Just about 3 people are born every second, and about 1.3333 people
die every second. The result is about a 2 and 2/3 net increase of
people every second. Almost 10 people more live on this Earth now,
than before you finished reading this.
16. Happy Birthday (the song) is copyrighted.
15. The number of people alive on earth right now is higher than the
number of all the people that have died. Ever.
14. The average American consumes 1.2 pounds of spider eggs a year and
eat 2.5 pounds of insect parts a year.
13. The Kamp Krusty episode of the Simpson’s was originally meant to
be made as the Simpsons movie.
12. Men can breastfeed babies.
11. There is a rare condition called Exploding Head Syndrome which
you’ve probably never heard of.
10. Scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to
human beings and animals than to other plants.
9. In some (maybe all) Asian countries, the family name is written
first and the individual name written second (opposite of the America
method). That’s why Asian athletes like Yao Ming and Ichiro Suzuki
have Yao and Ichiro written on their jerseys. Those are their family
names and in America their names are written Ming Yao and Suzuki
Ichiro.
8. Abe Lincoln bought 50 cents worth of cocaine in 1860
7. A German World War II submarine was sunk due to malfunction of the toilet.
6. Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States.
Long Beach, WA.
5. The largest living thing on the face of the Earth is a mushroom
underground in Oregon, it measures three and a half miles in diameter.
4. The town of Los Angeles, California, was originally named El Pueblo
la Nuestra Senora de Reina de los Angeles de la Porciuncula.
3. 9 out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
This isn’t true; Joseph Swan did.
2. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the
tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found
edible.
1. The Population of the world can live within the state boundaries of Texas.

http://www.scotscoop.com/13148

Did You Know?: Celebrity Edition

LL Cool J’s name is short for “Ladies Love Cool James”

Justin Timberlake’s half-eaten French Toast sold for over $3,000 on e-Bay

Harrison Ford has a breed of spider named after him

Keanu Reeves is afraid of the dark

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team

Brad Pitt has been smoking since sixth grade

Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly-button

Alfred Einstein never wore a single pair of socks

Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were roommates at Harvard

Sean Connery wore a toupee in every James Bond movies he was in

Sandra Bullock has broken her nose on the set of two different movies

While filming “The Titanic”, James Cameron kept a razor blade taped to the side of his computer. Under it was the message, “Use only if the film sucks”.

http://www.scotscoop.com/11962