If you want to see how the media will evolve in a changing world, the best place to see it is in a college newspaper office.

That’s the view of filmmaker Aaron Matthews, who tracked the staff of Penn State’s Daily Collegian through the 2004-05 academic year for his documentary, The Paper, Matthews shot around 350 hours of film for the 78-minute documentary, spending nearly every day of two semesters in the Collegian office in downtown State College, Pa.

The Paper is scheduled to premiere on PBS’ Independent Lens series on Tuesday, December 11. Please check your listings for the time in your area.

“One of the reasons I was interested in covering young people as journalists was that it offered a chance to look at the media in a new light. The New York Times wouldn’t have held the same interest for me. … Because they’re students learning, it forces viewers into the position of young student journalists,” he said.

“College journalists struggle with the media’s ethical questions for the first time in their lives. I just thought it would make for exciting cinema,” Matthews said.

As the Collegian staff dealt with ongoing issues that included criticism of their coverage of campus race-relations issues--one scene in the movie features a discussion between Editor James Young and a leader of Penn State’s Black Caucus who suggests that the student journalists hype up events (he mentions a press conference that was referred to as a “rally” in print) and doubt his accounts of racism on campus--and problems between the paper’s sports department and the Penn State sports information office, the editors spent the year struggling to cope with a circulation decline.

When I saw The Paper at a recent screening, the documentary was personal to me. I was one of the students who “majored in Collegian” while attending Penn State in the late 1980s. I still remember laying out news pages on dummy sheets and sending type, not completed pages designed on the computer, to the composition room. The people I was seeing on screen were just like me and the people I spent my school days with, albeit under a bit more pressure--a year at Penn State now tops $20,000, the long hours spent at the Collegian have inched upward, and the job market’s more uncertain. Even the knowledge that they’ll always see fellow students reading their work (or at least a paragraph or two before scanning for coupons) in the dining hall over breakfast isn’t as sure. When you’ve actually spent time in the shoes of the people in a documentary, the experience is fascinating and unsettling.

The circulation decline, which came in spite of increased Penn State enrollment and the availability of free copies throughout the campus, was the issue which weighed most heavily on the 2004-05 class. The student journalists were concerned with making the front page brighter with shorter reads, as you’d find in USA Today, and did experiments with the fly-on-the-wall experience of reality TV, in one case following a theater troupe through auditions to capture emotions and reactions. Despite some objection in the newsroom, the Collegian started a page covering sex and relationships. “They were desperate to try to turn things around,” Matthews said. None of these steps made much of a dent in those circulation numbers, though.

What did start to reverse the circulation decline was controversy. When the Collegian printed a letter to the editor condemning gay and lesbian students, it became an issue in itself, with gay and lesbian students protesting the newspaper and area radio and TV stations picking up the story. “This sequence is really about the media culture we’re living in, the way stories kind of reverberate. Suddenly, the newspaper finds itself the subject of the media. It’s a modern-day phenomenon,” Matthews said.

“The students were a little swept up in it when it first happened – it all happened so quickly,” he said. “They’re a little more media savvy that way; they’ve grown up with the twenty-four/seven news cycle. … That’s another part of the film: students struggling with what is news and how to cover it.”

Despite the extra pressure students and student journalists face today, the Collegian staffers Matthews met were optimistic about their future. “There were times when they--especially the editor-in-chief--take it really tough. He’s really sensitive--embattled--about the circulation issue,” Matthews said, “but they’re hopeful about their future--the future of writing for a living--and about their mission as journalists. They debated really tough issues--black-white relations, the lack of diversity in their newsroom, the lack of access to people in power. They weren’t resigned to it; they were really engaged in these issues.”

Matthews kept in touch with five of the students featured after the 2004-05 academic year. Two are still in journalism; Editor-in-Chief James Young worked as a police reporter after graduation, but has gone on to seek a graduate degree in urban planning.

How did Matthews choose his subjects? “I decided, probably the way journalists decide on their subjects. I looked at people who were willing to share their stories,” he said. “I looked at people who were dynamic and articulate--and thoughtful. They were also covering issues reflective of national media issues.”

How did the students featured react to the documentary? “One of my credos is that I show my films to all of the main characters involved first … They said pretty universally that this is an honest, accurate portrait of what went on,” Matthews said.

Although there’s one scene that shows the staff cracking open champagne bottles at an end-of-the-year celebration, Matthews didn’t follow the students outside the newsroom. Viewers won’t see much of the drinking and partying that many associate with campus life; that’s a choice of both Matthews and the students featured.

“One aspect that appealed to me was that it was a chance to do a film that wasn’t Animal House or Girls Gone Wild. It shows a side of college life that’s real and exists, students who work hard and are committed. It’s kind of like a nerd college documentary. It’s a side of college life that we never get to see. College in America is portrayed as a wild, crazy place and there’s a large section of the population committed to working really hard and studying, putting out an earnest product,” he said.

Like the students he followed, Matthews is optimistic about the future of The Daily Collegian. “One difference on college campuses is that they’re more self-contained. News about a college, you can only really get from one source. When they report on the issues people care about – like the letter controversy – circulation does go up. People can still count on The Daily Collegian because it covers news you can only get in The Daily Collegian.”

Editor's Note: This misplaced theatrical pre-release review of the feature film EXILED was writtern by Judge Adam Arseneau back on July 1, 2007

The Charge
Brotherhood, honor, loyalty, assassination--which one is the strongest?

Opening Statement
As directors go, Johnnie To is hot these days. His work has been gaining more and more mainstream attention in North America, his films are in heavy rotation in festivals, and more and more critics are raving about his work. But lately, the man's been hitting home run after home run. His Triad crime films Election and Election 2 have been garnering rave reviews, recognized as some of his strongest work in years.

Now, Exiled, To's newest film completes the hat-trick as a sharp and stylish crime film, one that stays true to its Hong Kong action roots while bending genres like a contortionist.

Facts of the Case
The year is 1998. Like Hong Kong, the Chinese region of Macau is set to be transferred to the People's Republic of China in a few short months, and every person in Macau is desperately trying to make as much money as possible before the regime change.

In the midst of the chaos, Wo (Nick Cheung, Breaking News), a renegade Triad member tries to make a clean start with his wife and newborn baby in Macau, despite having been exiled from the region by his organization. This peace is shattered the moment that Fat (Lam Suet, Kung Fu Hustle) and Blaze (Anthony Wong, Infernal Affairs), two hitmen show up at the front door looking to take Wo out of the picture as punishment for abandoning his boss and then returning. Things complicate further when two additional hitmen, Cat (Roy Cheung, Infernal Affairs II) and Tai (Francis Ng, Infernal Affairs II) show up, coming to the rescue of Wo!

One thing their boss didn't take into consideration, however, is how all five men are good childhood friends. Business has suddenly become at odds with personal lives, and when the dust settles, the friends suddenly realize they need to answer some hard questions as to their own lives and futures in the Triad. Jaded and disillusioned, they find strength in numbers and prepare to set off on a reckless journey of wild abandon--a path running completely at odds with their old Triad boss!

The Evidence
Fans of Johnnie To's The Mission will no doubt see Exiled as a spiritual sequel of sorts; the film revisits many of the same themes of Triad brotherhood and loyalty as well as reuniting Hong Kong actors Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, and Simon Yam. They aren't really sequels, mind you; the characters they portray are not the same. Instead, Exiled feels like a jazz riff, a remix of similar devices and materials put forth fresh and linked thematically, rather than by plot. Director To enjoys making the rough-and-tumble high-octane Triad action films that put Hong Kong cinema on the map, adding dashes of comedy, adventure, romance, and slapstick to his work. He reaches across genres, tossing pinches into his cinematic cauldron like a mad scientist.

The steamy exotic locale of Macau is as unique, cosmopolitan, and multi-influenced as Exiled itself. For those not down with their geography, Macau is one of two special administrative regions of China, the other being Hong Kong. Settled by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it was the oldest European colony in China until 1999, when like its British brother, control of the tiny region was transferred to the People's Republic of China. Macau culture and heritage is a unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese traditions, foods, religions, architecture, and music--in short, the perfect place to set a Johnnie To film. After all, To is a filmmaker who blends numerous styles into his Hong Kong-style crime films, borrowing elements of comedy, romance, slapstick, satire, and social criticism into his work. What better place to set Exiled than in a country itself such a unique blend of various flavors and styles, cultures and influences?

Like a love letter to the genre itself, Exiled is a film enamored with the romanticism of the Hong Kong action film, of notions of brotherhood and allegiances, of honor amongst thieves even at the expense of one's life. The machismo, the brotherly love, the loyalty aspects are all ramped up to 11 in Exiled, almost to the point of self-parody, putting into play a fantastic scenario of loyalties and double-crossings that would put a Shakespearian tragedy to shame. Ironically, Exiled's best moments come in deflating the very expectations the film fetishizes. Where genre tradition insists a gunfight break out, the protagonists sit down and have a friendly meal together. Then at a totally unexpected moment, the bullets fly like lead raindrops. Where one expects tension and high drama, the film takes an almost exorbitant amount of time relaxing and stretching its legs, wandering through good-natured aimless banter and casual moments between characters. Then, suddenly, a whole bunch of people end up dead. Exiled loves having fun with its audience, so much so that all you can do is grin foolishly, hang on, and enjoy the ride. If such a thing even existed, Exiled could very well a shining example of postmodern Hong Kong action cinema.

The extremely recognizable cast of action staples hammers their roles home with precision, having polished and perfected the art in dozens of earlier films.

The cinematography is stylish, exerting both restraint and excess throughout the film as needed. The color scheme, a muted shade of reds and browns highlights the exotic locale, with gunfights often taking place in heavy shadow and grainy bullet time. Hong Kong cinema can be hit-or-miss in the audio/video presentation, but Exiled looks smart on the big screen, with well-translated subtitles.

The Rebuttal Witnesses
With so much style and homage and eroticizing of Hong Kong clichés, common sense gets left behind before the credits even start. Exiled doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense from a traditional narrative standpoint--a reoccurring theme in To's work--and might drive more literal minds to frustration. This is a film where you check your coat and common sense at the door. Don't worry; they'll be waiting for you when the credits roll.

Closing Statement
When I attended the Toronto Film Festival screening of Exiled last year, To got a standing ovation from the audience, and with good reason. Sharp and polished, Exiled is a joyous ride from start to finish, blending comedy, drama, and action cliches together with deft precision and effortless exuberance.

Exiled opens in New York in August. Keep an eye out for it in your theaters.

The Verdict
This is Johnnie To's best work in years. Not guilty.

EDITOR: jstewart
TITLE: Exiled
JUDGE: aarseneau
OPENING DATE: 2007-08-24
STUDIO: Magnolia Pictures

SCALES OF JUSTICE
VIDEO: 87
AUDIO: 85
ACTING: 89
STORY: 85
JUDGMENT: 89

RUN TIME: 110 min
RELEASE YEAR: 2006
MPAA RATING: R

ACCOMPLICES:
IMDB

Who knew that a decades-old arcade coin-op could provoke such a firestorm of emotion and competition in grown men?! Why, me! That's who! As a hopeless--and hapless--fan of video games and having grown up in the inferno of fierce rivalry spawned by such games as Street Fighter II and NBA Jam, I totally relate to the ruthless, dog-eat-dog environment of competitive video game play.

The hombres in Seth Gordon's fantastic documentary, however, are out for more than bragging rights--what video game legend and hot sauce slinger Billy Mitchell and Washington-based junior high teacher Steve Wiebe seek is immortality.

Mitchell is clearly set up as the bad guy (a point he contends of course) and Wiebe the upstart challenger. The challenge? The all-time highest score on Donkey Kong, The stakes? Geek adoration.

There are so many bizarre moments in this film, from the attempted psych-outs by Billy's faithful when Steve goes for the record to the live-score-versus-taped-score debate to the trespassing on Steve's property to analyze the arcade board in his garage (!).

Just zany, yet, the film succeeds not only because of this compelling surrealistic drama, but the fact there are actual emotions involved in all of this. Sure it's "only" Donkey Kong, but that doesn't mean its hurts any less to lose.

Video game fans will eat this up but nobody should miss this King.

So the live action Ben 10 movie debuted just before Thanksgiving weekend on Cartoon Network, and I figured I’d share my thoughts on it, since it’s because of this site that I’ve become a Ben 10 junkie. And you know what? I enjoyed it.

Those who were expecting something along the lines of a Spider-Man 2 or Batman Begins from this movie might be disappointed. It is what it is – a low-budget made-for-cable movie. If you look at it in that context, then it’s pretty good. It’s certainly far more entertaining than those flaccid flicks the Sci-fi Channel coughs up every Saturday.

As the movie begins, Ben, his cousin Gwen, and his grandfather Max have finally concluded their summer vacation cross country road trip, although no one questions why it took about four years. Anyway, Ben spent the summer using a device called the Omnitrix to transform into any one of 10 different aliens, which he used to save the world from evil. But now he’s got to face an even bigger challenge – the first day of school.

The pressure is on Ben to be just an ordinary kid instead of going hero and fighting monsters every five minutes, and he’s finding it hard to adjust. He’ll soon be back into action, though, because a new baddie named Eon has shown up in town. He has a connection to both the Omnitrix and to the secret organization Max once worked for. Eon’s power to manipulate time, however, might mean he’s too much for Ben to handle.

The pyrotechnics and mass destruction seen on any given episode of the TV series isn’t quite the same here. The creators made the most of what they had, saving the big special effects shots for a handful of scenes. I have to admit, Ben’s alien forms, now in three-dimensional, CGI do look pretty good, if still a little cartoony. It’s too bad we don’t see all of Ben’s aliens, but the ones we do see are impressive.

The young actors playing Ben and Gwen, Graham Phillips and Haley Ramm, do an OK job. At times, it feels as if they’re merely reciting their lines, but each of them does have a moment to shine. Lending the acting a little more credibility are some notable performers, including Lee “Six Million Dollar Man” Majors, Robert “holographic doctor” Picardo, and Beth “used to be on The Daily Show” Littleford. As Eon, Christien Anholt spends most of the movie with his face partially obscured under his costume, but he sneers and snarls just as good as any cartoon villain.

I looked this movie up online after watching it and, ouch, a lot of folks on the internet really hated it. Some of their concerns – such as not seeing all of Ben’s aliens during the runtime, or replacing Richard Horvitz with some other voice actor for fan-favorite character Greymatter – might be valid, but others struck me as out of line. Do the sets and the alien tech look plastic and/or cardboard-ish? Yes, they do, but this is a lighthearted kids’ adventure movie, not serious science fiction, so I’m more than cool with the B-movie look of it all. Yes, the kid actors are a little wooden in their line delivery, but come on, they’re kids. Yes, the villain doesn’t radiate menace the way Ben’s number one baddie Vilgax does, but bringing Vilgax to live action would probably have required a Transformers-like budget.

The fans should be delighted that this movie exists. Just think about how easy it would have been for Hollywood to “re-imagine” this series for live action. Writers and producers could have chucked the characters’ origins and history, replacing them with dumber ideas and trampling all over what people enjoy about the show. Instead, we get a live action movie that goes right along with the show’s continuity. It’s a real treat for those who watch the show and it’s a lot of fun for everyone else.

The first annual "Zombiefest" was held in Pittsburgh this weekend at the Monroeville Expo Mart. Holding such an event in Pittsburgh just seems fitting; after all, the city is the background for every George Romero zombie movie (even when he chooses to film in Toronto... I'm looking at you, Land of the Dead). The event is connected with the world's largest "zombie walk," which is becoming a yearly ritual in the 'Burgh. While I wasn't there to do the walk, I did check out the exhibit hall, sit in on some panel discussions, and meet some of the actors from the Romero films.

The Expo Mart is just across the parking lot from the famed Monroeville Mall, the true star of Romero's 1978 Dawn of the Dead. The giant hall had a smattering of booths selling all sorts of zombie-wares, from old movie posters to crafts themed after the undead. The majority of folks in attendance were decked out in zombie make-up and costumes: there were zombie soldiers, clowns, sailors, pimps, and bikers. Making things more interesting was the fact that most people staying in "zombie character" while they shuffled about buying things and getting autographs. That's the kind of dedication I can get behind.

Aside from wanting to bask in the glory of all this zombie stuff, we also wanted to come to the convention to see horror author Michael A. Arnzen (who was also a professor of mine in college). Arnzen is a Bram Stoker-winning horror writer who was there as part of the Raw Dog Screaming Press booth. There were plenty of other authors in attendance, all of which participated on panels throughout the day. Each of the panels featuring writers reading excerpts from their published works, and then fielding questions from the audience. Most of the questions were actually pretty good and addressed serious topics like referencing popular culture and censorship in horror fiction. The panels were very interesting, when they weren't being interrupted by a gruff zombie voice making announcements over the P.A. system.

The main attraction of the entire event was Max Brooks, author of the instant bestseller World War Z. While I wasn't able to see the man, he did give a presentation on zombies and signed autographs for the hoards of zombie walkers Sunday afternoon. His novel, which is an oral chronicle of a future zombie outbreak, was optioned to be a movie before it was even published.

I did get to see a question and answer panel with various cast members from the first three Romero zombie films. Included on the panel were members from in the original Night of the Living Dead: Bill Hinzman (aka "Zombie #1"), George Kosana (the sheriff), Russell Streiner (Johnny), Judith O'Dea (Barbara), and Kyra Schon (that weird little girl in the basement); Dawn of the Dead: Scott H. Reiniger (Roger), David Emge (Flyboy), and Leonard Lies (machete zombie); and Day of the Dead: Jarlath Conroy (William) and Joe Pilato (Capt. Rhodes). Oh yeah, and Conrad Brooks was there, who was in The Beast of Yucca Flats and Plan 9 From Outer Space. I'm not sure why he was here.

Overall, it was a cool convention, even if it was sort of small. Hopefully in years to come, this annual event will grow to include more than just the original canon of Romero films, and hopefully attract the attention of bigger names in the zombie world (really, how can you have a "zombie convention" in Pittsburgh without George Romero himself?).

Be on the look-out for Romero's new "Dead" film, Diary of the Dead which debuted in Toronto and seems to be getting some pretty strong online buzz.