THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Wednesday June 6, 2012
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 3
MIB III an improvement over the second installment by Laura Ciarolla copy editor
It’s been 10 long years, and the Men in Black have finally returned to silver screens. On May 25, the third installment of the “Men in Black” series was released to theaters, titled “Men in Black III.” Almost all of the original stars return, including (of course) Will Smith as Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones in the role of Agent K. However, a lot of new faces appear in the film, as well. Josh Brolin (“W.,” “No Country for Old Men”) stars as a young Agent K, and “The Flight of the Concord’s” Jemaine Clement takes on the role of this story’s villain, Boris the Animal. Emma Thompson (“Much Ado About Nothing,” “Nanny McPhee”) takes over for Rip Torn’s character, MIB chief Agent Zed, and Alice Eve (“She’s Out of My League”) plays the younger version of her character. The film begins with an introduction of the major antagonist, Boris the Animal. Clement does an excellent job portraying the savage alien, who returns to Earth seeking revenge against Agent K for shooting his arm off decades ago. Not only does he want revenge, though; Boris uncovers a way to travel back in time to prevent the incident from ever happening, thus preserving his arm and livelihood.
The next day Agent K has disappeared, and J is the only person with any memory of him after his “death” in the 1960s. At first, no one at the MIB headquarters takes him seriously, but after a threat of world destruction, new chief Agent O (Thompson) guides him in a quest to return his partner to his rightful place in time.
When he travels back in time, J disregards the rules against time-travel meddling and ends up teaming up with a young Agent K to save future K’s life. After all of the extraterrestrial phenomena he’s seen throughout the years – including giant cockroaches and an alien queen in the form of a supermodel – Agent J witnesses perhaps the rarest sight yet: a pleasant, almost carefree Agent K. Apparently, whatever catastrophic event that made K into the surly man he is today hasn’t yet happened, and audiences are presented with an almost completely different character. Other than looking strikingly similar to Jones’ character, Brolin presents K as a lighthearted, optimistic person – and even as a bit of a flirt. For fans who are familiar with Jones’ surly demeanor, the change is a laugh-out-loud funny juxtaposition to the K we’re all used to. Other than Brolin’s performance, there were a few
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Men in Black III, starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, opened in theaters May 25.
other noteworthy characters that really carried the movie. Even though he was only in it for maybe a collective 10 minutes, Bill Hader (“Saturday Night Live”) as Andy Warhol was easily one of my favorite parts of the movie. Hader plays an MIB agent who is undercover as “Andy Warhol,” and he is charged with maintaining an image and atmosphere
(aka The Factory) that attracts extraterrestrial beings – a hilarious way of explaining the eccentricities of real-life artist/celebrity Andy Warhol. I must admit, I didn’t find Smith as entertaining in the film as I expected. Maybe his character is worn out or he’s just lost some of his magic, but I found myself longing for the charisma he brought to
the first two movies. The only other major downside this movie had for me was the 3-D technology. I usually enjoy watching 3-D versions of movies in the theaters, but this is one of the only ones that ended up giving me a headache. A few of the scenes do look pretty cool, like when Smith is time traveling/ falling off of the Chrys-
ler Building in New York, but overall, the effects just aren’t worth it. If you’re a fan of “Men in Black,” give this movie a chance; it’s a lot of fun, and there are worse summer movies. At least it’s a lot better than “Men in Black II.”
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Summer fashion is here and more stylish than ever by christina Gutierrez a&e writer
Despite the erratic change in weather, bathing suit season is upon us. Don’t give in to your urge to wear rain boots and sweatshirts or grab a pint of ice cream and watch a sad movie. Instead, pop in the P90X and get ready to flaunt your body in this season’s hottest beach wear. Just because bathing suits are made of only one or two pieces, there are countless ways to make your own personal style shine. If you’re trying to capture the attention of the hottie across the beach, one of this year’s hottest trends will work for you. A brightly colored bathing is perfect for highlighting a great tan and long hours in the gym. Neon colors like hot pink, lime green and laser yellow are all really hot this year. Pastel colors are also great for showing off bronzed skin. Shades like lilac and mint green are popular choices, as well. If you’re looking for something a little different, try a fun pattern or fabric. Despite the social stigmas, animal prints can be very classy. Prints like zebra and leopard can be great in fun colors like pink or blue. Multicolored
animal prints can be found in almost all of this year’s summer catalogs. Another one of this year’s hottest trends is crocheted items. Everything from dresses to shorts, black to red, can be found this year in a crocheted pattern. Luckily, bathing suits are no exception. These knit items, however, are not your grandma’s crochets. They are perfect in a nude color for an earthy feel but are designed for full coverage with strategic linings. Like crocheted bikinis, many previously popular summer looks are back with a vengeance this year. Vintage looks like ’50s style, highwaisted and belted bathing suits in a polka-dotted print are an impressive way to make a chic fashion statement on the beach or by the pool this summer. These vintage styles are especially flattering on curvy girls. The high waist is a great way to emphasize a feminine figure by drawing attention to the smallest part. Likewise, one-piece bathing suits are no longer only web for your mothers. These sleek silhouettes are great for any Models demonstrate the latest summer swim wear during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. style and body type. Whichever bathing suit look you choose to sport on more accessories. est swimsuit. And although semble, the best accessory for will be a sparkling smile and the sand, remember that with Huge sun hats and glasses wedges, beach bags and a your bathing suit this season confident summer swagger. less clothing leaves room for will spruce up even the plain- sun tan can enhance an en-
US ends funding for Pakistan’s ‘Sesame Street’ KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. has terminated funding for a $20 million project to develop a Pakistani version of “Sesame Street” in response to alleged corruption by the local puppet theater working on the initiative, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The organization in question is the Rafi Peer Theater Workshop, a group based in the city of Lahore that jointly developed the show with Sesame Workshop, the creator of the American series. The show, which includes Elmo and a host of new Pakistani characters, first aired at the end of last year and was supposed to run for at least three seasons. The U.S. hoped it would improve education in a country where one-third of primary school-age children are not in class. It was also meant to increase tolerance at a time when the influence of radical views is growing. The U.S. cut off funding for the project and launched an investigation after receiving what it deemed to be credible allegations of fraud and abuse on a telephone hotline set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development in Pakistan, said U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner. “So rather than to continue to throw good money after bad, we thought it was prudent to cut off this program and wait for the results of the investigation,” Toner told reporters in Washington. A total of $6.7 million had been spent on the show so far out of a total of $20 million that was planned, he said.
The U.S. did not provide details about the alleged corruption. The Pakistan Today newspaper reported Tuesday that the graft included using the U.S. money to pay off old debts and awarding lucrative contracts to relatives, citing unnamed sources close to the project. Faizaan Peerzada, the chief operating officer of Rafi Peer and one of several family members who run the organization, denied the corruption allegations. He claimed the U.S. ended its participation because of the lack of additional available funds. “Rafi Peer is proud of its association with the project and of the quality of children’s educational television programming created within Pakistan as a result,” the group said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. If the corruption allegations prove true, it would be an embarrassment for the multibillion-dollar U.S. aid program in Pakistan, which some analysts have criticized for lacking focus and not achieving results. Rafi Peer plans to seek alternative sources of funding to continue producing the local version of “Sesame Street,” which is called “Sim Sim Hamara,” or “Our Sim Sim.” The original goal was to reach 3 million children, 1 million of whom are out of school. The show is led by a vivacious 6-yearold girl named Rani who loves cricket and traditional Pakistani music. Her sidekick, Munna, is a 5-year-old boy obsessed with
numbers and banging away on Pakistani bongo drums, or tabla. Other new characters include Baily, a kindly donkey who loves to sing, and Haseen O Jameel, a vain crocodile who lives at the bottom of a well. The action revolves around a mock-up of a Pakistani town, complete with houses, a school and Baaji’s dhaba, a small shop and restaurant found in many places in the country. The town also includes a large Banyan tree, known as the wisdom tree in South Asia, in the shade of which the children often play. Each episode is based around a word and a number, like the U.S. version, and tackles general themes like friendship, respect and valuing diversity. This last theme is particularly important in Pakistan, where Islamist extremists often target minority religious sects and others who disagree with their views. The American version of “Sesame Street” first aired in 1969, and the U.S. government has worked with the company since then to produce shows in about 20 foreign countries, including Muslim nations like Bangladesh and Indonesia. Sesame Workshop, the creator of the American series, said it was dismayed to hear about the corruption allegations against Rafi Peer and noted that it received separate funding from USAID for its work on the Pakistani show. “It is our hope that the achievements of Sim Sim Hamara, and the gains we have made in the lives of children in Pakistan, will carry on,” it said in a statement.
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