Movie sequels fail to please audiences this year
A dam H olmes
Staff Reporter
In the complex and
dysfunctional world that
is Hollywood, movies are
rolled out every single day,
as if the whole industry was
a factory distributing cheap
toys. And with almost every
seemingly successful film
that is available at a theater
near you, the creators decide
that a second attempt at the
original will increase profits
even more. Hence, the sequel
is created, an attempt to
give us the original and then
some. During the course of
2007, producers decided to
dump a whole collection of
sequels on movie patrons.
Six blockbuster sequels have
been released so far. With so
many sequels, who can keep
track of anything?
Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World's End- Release
date: December 4, 2007
have actually become...
respectable! In addition, the
term "pirate" seems to mean
nothing anymore, what with
a set of pirate laws that all of
them must follow. It was bad
enough with "parley."
Spider-Man 3- Release
date: Oct. 30
The third addition in the
famed Spider-Man series,
Peter Parker returns with a
whole new set of troubles.
A new criminal named Flint
Marko has gained sand
powers and decides to call
himself "Sandman." He goes
on a massive crime spree in
order to obtain money for his
sickly child. Coincidentally,
Peter has discovered from the
police that Marko is the man
who actually killed his uncle.
Peter becomes angry and
decides to go after Sandman.
only earn him the right of
becoming the third Roxbury
brother, complete with
matching wardrobe.
The Bourne Ultimatum-
Still showing in theaters
Matt Damon makes a
comeback as the amnesic,
rouge assassin, Jason Bourne.
Having lost his memory
in the first movie, and the
love of his life in the second,
Bourne only has one goal
this time: to discover who he
really is. The secret hidden
behind mysterious twists
and turns through the U.S.
government is all that is
keeping Jason from giving
up. His identity will not
come easy however. Bourne
will have to travel all over
K elsey S chrader
Entertainment Editor
From Maroon 5 to Korn, this
fall concert season is chalked
full of shows that no one can
afford to miss.
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The movie's special
effects are top notch. But
as is the case with Spider-
Man 3, there are to many
story lines, including a rum
shortage. However, all of
the characters seem to have
dropped their roles of the
:emporary pirate and
Maroon 5, Friday, Nov. 2,8
find tickets, Rose Quarter
At the same time, a black
goo creature, called the
Symbiote, has arrived from
outer space and conveniently
manages to find Peter. The
Symbiote attaches itself to
Peter, causing him to morph
into a black-suited Spidey.
But with an all new look
comes an all new personality.
Peter becomes arrogant, rude
and evil.
Other problems include
Peter's best friend Harry
Osborn becoming New
Goblin in order to kill him.
A new photographer named
Eddie Brock is trying to ruin
Peter's reputation, and later
becomes the bloodthirsty
Venom. And to top it off,
Peter's girlfriend, Mary Jane,
is having trouble holding
down a job.
This movie proves
that quality is better than
quantity. With three separate
villains and multiple story
lines, it's hard to concentrate
on what is going on at the
moment, considering you've
forgotten how the movie
got there in the first place.
Peter Parker just manages
to embarrass the audience
with his killer dance moves
and his bad boy attitude. His
attitude just proves why he
was a good guy in the first
place, and his dance moves
Bourne doesn't give up that
easily.
This movie is by far
the best sequel that has
hit theaters this year. The
movie manages to combine
interesting dialogues and
heart racing action scenes
into one spectacular flick.
The movie even includes
another intense car race that
will satisfy your thrill taste
buds even after you leave.
Overall, Hollywood
just seems to be repeating
themselves these days.
They seem to forget that
the second is not always as
good as the first. And with
the exception of the Bourne
Ultimatum, all these seem to
fail.
Portland attracts hot shows this season
Jack Sparrow, Will Turner,
and Elizabeth Swann return
as the infamous pirate trio in
the third film to the Pirates
of the Caribbean series. Jack
Sparrow died and is now
avy Jones' locker. Davy
Jones, also the captain of
the cursed ship, The Flying
Dutchman, is now under the
control of bureaucrat Lord
Cutler Beckett, who seeks
to take over all the seas and
exterminate all pirates.
Meanwhile, Will and
Elizabeth have formed an
alliance with recently revived
Captain Barbosa, and have
embarked on a mission to
rescue Jack. In order to do
this, they must track down
the Nine Pirate Lords of the
Sea, including the ruthless
Sao Feng, to help unite
against Beckett and Jones in
one pirate battle to decide the
fate of pirates for eternity.
the globe, from Moscow to
London. In addition, corrupt
government officials have
sent lethal assassins after
him, determined to silence
him before he can learn
anything. However, Jason
I have yet to meet someone
that doesn’t enjoy Maroon
5. They are pretty much the
epitome of the perfect band:
great pop music, sing-a-long
lyrics, and an incredibly good-
looking lead singer for the la
dies. Tickets will be expensive
now, since they're pretty much
already sold out, but if you're
some kind of Maroon
5 junkie (like me!)
then Ebay is your
friend. Repeat after
me: it is worth it, it is
worth it...
Say Anything/Hel-
logoodbye, Wednesday,
Oct. 17, 7 p.m., $20, Crystal
Ballroom
If you are into the whole
Power Pop / Alternative scene
that is popular these days,
this is definitely some kind
of music miracle. Both Say
Anything and Heliogoodbye
started around 2001, but really
became popular a few years
ago when the big Alternative
Rock boom erupted. The tick
ets are relatively cheap, as con
cert tickets go, and the bands
reportedly preform incredibly.
A great performance + catchy
music + the Crystal Ballroom
= an event that could be the
highlight of the fall season.
Boys Like Girls, Saturday,
O ct 27, 7:30 p.m., $15, Rose-
land Theater
If you have been living
under a rock all summer, you
might not know that Boys
Like Girls is the new band
that everyone is listening to.
Their hit song this summer, "The
Great Escape," has taken over
the radio waves, iPods, and the
whole music world in general.
Anyway, they're a great band
out of Boston, Mas. that might
be single-handedly bringing
back "pop" as a respected genre
of music. If you liked the whole
Panic! At The Disco trend, this
is kind of a more kid-friendly
version of that. Plus, again,
cheap tickets! Score!!!
Jim Gaffigan,
Friday, Nov.
2,7 p.m.
$36,
Ar-
1 e n e
Schnitzer
Concert Hall
Jim Gaffigan might
just be my favorite comic
of all time, and if you have not
heard his Hot Pocket routine,
than you have not lived (it is
definitely on youtube.com). So
when I discovered he is com
ing to Portland in November,
I jumped in my car and pur
chased tickets immediately.
For all of you that have no clue
what I'm talking about, Gaffigan
is a very pale, very balding
comedian that's appeared on
Comedy Central and Late Night
with Conan O'Brien, and you’ve
seen him in the TBS show, "My
Boys." His act is totally worth
the ticket fee (plus all the extra
fees Ticketm aster seem s to
pump into the total cost) and
I can promise you will be in
stitches the whole time. Hope
to see you there!
Korn, Sunday, O ct 28, 8
p.m., $37-$45, Rose Quarter
I wont lie, I don't listen to
Korn on a daily basis, but I do
know that Korn is one of the
longest-lasting metal bands
and that they’re coming to
the Rose Quarter; which is
kind of a big deal. This band
out of Bakersfield, Calf, is
credited with creating and
popularizing the nu metal
genre. Anyw ay, for all you
metal junkies, or anyone else
that enjoys the headbang-
fest, this is definitely
your show.
Dashboard Con
fessional, Satur
day, Oct. 20, 8
p. m. , about
$70-$90, Crys
tal Ballroom
Who came up with
the stereotype that Dash
board Confessional is for
people that hate their life and
are sad all the time? Whoever
they are, they are seriously
mistaken. I happen to love
DC, and I'm a very happy
person. You can blame this
on the fact that I'm a chick
and chicks love stuff like
D ashboard C onfessional,
or you could blame it on
the amazing poetic lyrics
and soothing, simple guitar.
The latter is more accurate,
although I will admit that
the majority of this audi
ence will be of the female
gender. However, don't let
that keep you from going,
it doesn't matter who you
are or where you are from;
Dashboard Confessional is
a great band with frickiri
sweet music.
So there you have it,
Portland's fall line-up of
h ead lin in g co n certs and
shows. However, there are
definitely other bands com
ing, like Chris Cornel (the
lead singer from A u d io
slave), She Wiants Revenge,
Tech N9ne, and Interpol.