Reviews

It's Zooey… I mean Jess. Zooey Deschanel plays Jess in the new fun sitcom New Girl.

"Adorkable" has become the new catchphrase to describe this show and the character of Jess. And oddly enough it fits. New

Girl is the story of Jess (Deschanel) a girl who just dumped her boyfriend and is trying to find a new place to live. She finds an apartment on Craig's list and the tenants are 3 guys. They vote on her living with them because her best friend is a model and they don't want to hurt Jess's feelings.

Over the course of the first show you see a sort of feeling of regret in the guy's eyes when she begins living with them. Because of Jess's break up she constantly watches Dirty Dancing and cries and the guys can't take it anymore. They have a talk with her, get her back on her feet and after, you begin to see a real friendship grow between Jess and her men.

Jess is a very spunky, fun, shy and outgoing girl who feels the need to sing almost everything. She is a girl who is so adorably cute that you can't help but like her despite her annoying flaws. And who better to play that role but Zooey Deschanel. We've seen Deschanel play different parts of Zooey and many of her films including, Our Idiot Brother, 500 Days of Summer and Yes, Man. Her coy but sarcastic way of speaking keeps the script interesting but Deschanels bug eyes are always fun to watch because you know exactly what she will say next and laugh before she even says anything. Jess will be Jess and there is no stopping it.

To like the show you have to love the character of Jess and if you don't you will have issue watching it. The problem with her character is no matter how "adorkable" she may be, she's annoying. She's lovable but she's annoying. If you can't see past the annoying you won't enjoy the sitcom.

The men playing her accepting tenants are hilarious and perfectly casted. Max Greenfield plays Schmidt, a want to be ladies' man that can't help but sound like a douchebag. He tries so hard to be somebody who's not him that it comes off very arrogant but the outrageous things he says will make you laugh out loud. At some point in the show I expect his character to evolve because of Jess's presence. Jake Johnson is Nick, the sweet trying to get over his relationship that ended 6 months ago. He's a mellow kind of a guy who would be perfect for Jess. He's the most likable guy living in that apartment and the type of guy you hope would have your back. I'm sure that a relationship will form between him and Jess because what would be a show without a little drama. Lastly, we have Damon Wayans Jr. following in his family's comedic footsteps playing Coach, a personal trainer who has no idea how to talk to women as his response to a woman crying is "Stop it". This group of men is so different from one another; it makes it fun just to watch how the all interact.

The show has a great cast and a great writing team. I was skeptical at first about watching this show because I thought it was going to be Zooey Deschanel trying hard to be funny and it's not. It's an ensemble cast working together to bring us a great show about friendship and its hilarious while being cute. It's a fun show to watch and I'm glad I finally did.

New Girl, you have found yourself a new follower.

There are movies out there that introduce us to a reality we live in that we never knew existed. This is not one of them.

George Clooney's fourth directorial feature tells the story of an idealistic young man who experiences the inner workings of a democratic presidential campaign and is taught firsthand what "dirty politics" are all about. Based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, we are shown the ugly truth behind his profession. The problem with this movie is it forgets that we aren't blind to what politics are all about, especially in a climate where these conflicts are front page news.

Clooney plays presidential hopeful Governor Mike Morris, currently located in Ohio where he is in the middle of a presidential primary. He wouldn't be who he is without his team of staffers lead by his no-nonsense campaign manager, Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his intelligent press spokesman, Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling). During the campaign they have to deal with the opposing democratic candidate Senator Pullman as well as his own team, which includes Paul Giamatti as the slick campaign manager, Tom Duffy. The fight between both candidates is admittedly realistic as we see the extents some will go to win.

The heavyweight casting is the movie's saving grace. Gosling, Clooney, Hoffman, Giamatti, the underused Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood put on expert displays of the variety of personalities involved in a political campaign. It's the script written by Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon that fails to thrill the audience. The film begins with the honest truth behind a campaign but slowly becomes rather commonplace. The movie begins to become sour when a predictable twist has a melodramatic turn and makes a mockery of real issues.

In an effort to be more "realistic," the plot failed to be engaging. I came to be shocked and have my imagination about corruption and greed expanded to the limits. Instead, I found only an overuse of political rhetoric which seemed more appropriate for a prime time news station. Clooney made a movie in which the character we are supposed to identify with is too naïve to see what's right in front of him. In our current politically-charged environment, he failed to recognize that the majority of us are not blind to the obvious corruption of our state. If the film had been more substantial about the conflict between ideals and reality, it would have produced meaningful and active entertainment.

The true star of this movie is Ryan Gosling, yet again giving a brilliant performance and proving that he is the next big thing. On the outside his character radiates charisma and confidence, swaying reporters to believe what he sells about Morris because he is a true believer in everything that his candidate stands for. Every situation and emotional exchange Clooney threw at him, he executed with excellence.

Clooney, likewise, is the perfect fit to play Morris. It has always been apparent that he has the wit and charm of a born politician. When Morris speaks you are inclined to listen. You can't stop because what he has to say is so intriguing. What he speaks are the true lines of a politician; saying what they need to say to smooth talk voters and at the same time acting behind the scenes to keep the worst parts of their lives from being revealed.

But the strongest part of the cast lies in the battle to win between Hoffman and Giamatti. Hoffman's character stands for loyalty and how that is the only thing that matters in life, while his opposing campaign manager believes in finding any way possible to weaken the other team. Both actors give powerful performances as this is no real stretch for them. Their part in the movie was to portray the different sides to politics, and both with opposite personalities and views did their part very well.

The two supporting woman consist of Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. In a small role Tomei shines as a news reporter whose idea of a friend is someone who can give her a story. Tomei plays her character very well, presenting a woman who is extremely persuasive in her action to find a story and do everything she can to publish it, even if it means blackmail. Evan Rachel Wood plays the young intern to the Morris campaign whose importance may be a cover for something else. Wood is an actress with many talents and the character she is given doesn't allow her to display those talents until one pinnacle moment. Both actresses do a wonderful job but won't find their names on the nomination ballot when the Oscars come around.

The Ides of March doesn't live up to its hype and is only worth watching for its incredible cast of actors. I have come to find this movie will go one of two ways; some will find it an honest masterpiece about politics and the world we live in or will find it a dull political narrative about the "shocking" world of manipulation, cover ups and scams that isn't actually so shocking. This movie will either be forgotten when Oscar season comes around or be one of the numerous nominees up for Best Picture. If I had it my way this movie would not be up for contention, allowing more deserving films of 2011 to be recognized.

In the end, the movie left me disappointed. My advice to you is to enter the film with no expectations of being blown away by the story, but if you're interested in keeping up with valued actors it's mostly worth it.

Anna Belickis www.awardscircuit.com