This week's movie is Gladiator (2000) starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Jaclyn has seen this movie, but Alisha has not, so we are going to highlight it as a preview for her. The inspiration for this came from our World Civ class, as we are currently discussion the ancient Roman Empire.wishkah6 (IMDB user) declares, "Very rarely a film meshes together as finely as Gladiator. Its vivid action, superb writing, breathtaking acting, moving cinematography, and flawless score all amalgamate into a zenith of film making."
Mark Halverson, of the Sacramento News & Review, says, "Scott triumphantly transports us back to the Roman Empire circa 180 A.D. with a painter’s eye for detail, a proven talent for manufacturing exotic realities ... and a sweet tooth for utter spectacle."Urban Cinefile Critics announce, "Epic cinema is back."
Jules Brenner, of Cinema Signals, said, "There's careful thought evident in suggesting what can only be conjectured. If you're going to enjoy this entertainment, don't be overly preoccupied with historical accuracy."Christopher Smith, of the Bangor Daily News, says, "Beefcake! Blood! Body slams! Boring! Boring? Well, not quite, but at 150 minutes, Gladiator isn't entirely the thrilling, action-packed Roman epic some fans of the genre were expecting."
Family: Jaclyn's family came to visit today! Great fun :) They came for a few days to see the IWU/Taylor basketball games this weekend. While they were here, they also took Jaclyn to Meijer for some groceries, ate at Baldwin (their favorite college cafeteria), and saw FNL ...
FNL: Friday Night Live is a play off NBC's long running sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live. Students from IWU write and perform various comedic sketches for a live audience two nights in a row once a semester. This years FNL started with Pirates and our favorite News segment. There were some sketches we couldn't quite understand ... one was a song about Bowman and the other was a sketch about caterpillars from France and Scotland? The best sketch of the night involved our favorite Winnie the Pooh and their real adventures in the Hundred Acre Woods ... emphasizing Pooh's honey addiction!
Friends: Alisha spent part of the evening celebrating her friend Amanda's birthday, before joining the rest of the gang at FNL. Aubrey and Matt joined Jaclyn and her Family, to play games such as Disney Princess UNO and Monopoly Deal.
Uncomfortable: Sitting on the floor for 2 hours before FNL was not a very comforting experience. It paid off in the end though because we got seats near the front!
Unique: Jaclyn did not work on the show Crossroads this week on account of her family being in town. Alisha kept her posted to the goings on at the TV Station while she was missing.
Nick Pitera: Alisha's new YouTube singer obsession! His vocal range is fantastic and he can sing both the alto an soprano parts of a song. You should look him up. Our favorite song is A Whole New World.
Nothing else: Mostly we thought of words the started with F on this Friday in history. But since "F Words" probably was not a good title or theme for our post, the other letters of the word FUN started to be spelled out. However, most of the excited parts of Friday were all the Fantastic things that start with F ... Family, Friends, and FNL!
