Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 20, 2013

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, July 20, 2013 

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 


JASMINE’S CORNER

Book Reviews by Jasmine Kelsey Williams 

PACIFIC RIM

Review by: Sean Kayden 

Pacific Rim is big, bold, and incredibly fun to watch. It has an inherently light 
and airy feel to it as opposed to other summer blockbusters that have been 
dark, brooding, and cynical. It takes place in the not-so-distant future when 
Earth is under attack by Kaiju, enormous sea monsters which have emerged 
from a portal on the ocean floor. To battle the monsters, humanity unites to create the Jaegers, which 
are gigantic humanoid mechas. Two pilots, whose minds are joined by a neural bridge, control each 
mecha. One pilot takes over the left hemisphere of the brain and the other pilot, the right hemisphere. 
The film focuses on Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) a has-been Jaeger pilot called out of retirement 
and teamed with rookie pilot Mako Mori in a last resort attempt to defeat the Kaiju. What truly works 
in Pacific Rim is that it’s a very contained film with one true purpose. Unlike big blockbusters this 
summer that feel like one part of a trilogy, Pacific Rim is completely stand alone and ultimately a 
truly satisfying experience. Pacific Rim’s non-super serious 
approach unlike other summer duds is very refreshing to 
say the least. 

The film begins with everything actively going on with the 
Kaijus for quite some time. Earth was struck by numerous 
attacks until they banded together to create the mechas 
to fight off the monsters. While causalities are inevitable, 
the robots are still our greatest chance of survival. Charlie 
Hunnam’s character Becket is one of the best pilots of his 
time. What attributes to his super abilities is the fact he’s teamed up with his brother. Since the two 
siblings are minds are joined together to control to the robot, we know they have what is known as 
“drift compatibility.” This allow for each pilot to link up with the other’s mind. In this process, however, 
they get to see the other’s memories. When Becket is brought back several years after his botched 
mission by his commanding officer played by Idris Elba, he must reconnect with another pilot for the 
first time. However, the other pilot played by Rinko Kikuchi has her own demons to contend with. 
Now without going too much into a summary of the movie, not only is the film profoundly epic, 
but deeply human as well. It’s not just about robots and monsters going at it. Inside the robots are 
humans, just like you and me. And because of that, you feel the urge to cheer them on. The film, in my 
opinion, is more fascinating when we discover small things about each character. There’s not a whole 
lot of back-story, but you get a sense for each character as their memories are molded together when 
they link up with one another. There are a few scenes that are quite moving without being so heavy 
handed. Great human stories easily triumph pure action and chaos that’s displayed on screen just 
because it simply looks cool. While Pacific Rim doesn’t get delve too deep and occasionally touches 
upon cheesiness, it’s still wildly entertaining from start to finish. 

Director Guillermo del Toro and co-writer Travis Beacham have created this massive motion picture 
that not only serves as a entertaining sci-fi action film, but a movie where the humans, no matter who 
they are, where they come from, unite to take down a common enemy. In a way, Pacific Rim is kind 
of uplifting and shows that with teamwork, a common goal, and a purpose to accomplish something 
seemingly out of reach, human beings can achieve great things. With the combination of huge action 
sequences, a richly told narrative, and the better-than-your-average robot plot, Pacific Rim is a clear 
winner for summer’s best blockbuster. 

Grade: 4 out of 5

WHEN WILL MY GROWN-UP KID GROW UP? 

Loving and Understanding Your Emerging Adult 

By Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D. & Elizabeth Fishel

This next choice as we approach the middle of July is a personal 
recommendation of mine, as this will not just prove an interesting 
read, but one that provides insight, enlightenment, and critical 
thinking as well. Another factor that can add to its appeal is 
that this selection is not just a personal recommendation, but 
one that is beneficial to both parents and young adults such 
as me. “When Will My Grown-Up Kid Grow Up? Loving and 
Understanding Your Emerging Adult” by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett 
and Elizabeth Fishel is long in title but rich in details as these 
two authors delve into the reasons and mindset of today’s young 
adults and why it may seem longer for them to “grow up”. The 
tone here is not meant to be harsh or condescending, but rather 
to open up the minds of both young adults and parents, and 
to present the different experiences and perspectives of parents 
who have children within 18 to 29 years of age. Each of these 
unique experiences are meant to provide stories and examples 
of those have children who do not just fall into this age range, 
but are still learning to stand on their own feet and learning 
to navigate their pathway in the adult world. Arnett and Fishel 
provide encouragement and understanding, as well as similarities and differences to why it can 
appear that today’s young adults may not seem as eager as previous generations to jump right into 
the adult world. Arnett and Fishel explore five different features of emerging adulthood such as 
identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between, and a sense of possibilities, while 
also establishing the three areas where young adults may fall into: the launch period, exploring, 
and finally landing. These main areas present the reasoning why many young adults of today take 
longer to find their footing and even then may experience setbacks, panic or disappointment 
when things may not go as planned, or even the unexpected “boomerang” effect when a young 
adult comes to move back in. However, with enlightenment and understanding, both parents 
and their young adult children can learn that they will be able to find their way, as long there 
is structure, guidance, and acknowledging that not all will be perfect but that their young adult 
children will take time and eventually learn to find their own way. Copyrighted in 2013 and 
receiving praise from various critics, “When Will My Grown-Up Kid Grow Up?” is a wonderful 
guidebook for parents and their adult kids alike who are learning to find their own way and the 
learning experiences that come with it. 

http://cornerbookstorenyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/When_Will_My_Grown_Up_Kid_Grow_Up_-_2D_Jacket.jpg
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Written by: Travis Beacham and 
Guillermo del Toro

Rated: PG-13 for sequences 
of intense sci-fi action and violence 
throughout, and brief language 

Release Date: July 12th, 2013


YOU LIKE ME, YOU 
REALLY LIKE ME! 

WAIT A MINUTE…WAS 
THAT A TRICK QUESTION?

By Christina Hamlett

No matter how accomplished someone is at designing 
landscapes, selling cupcakes or writing novels, common 
sense has an unfortunate way of flying out the window 
whenever the press comes calling with a request for 
an interview. For those unaccustomed to being in 
the media spotlight, there’s a tendency to embrace a 
predisposed view that every reporter will be (1) their 
new best friend or (2) their worst enemy. 

To err in either extreme not only impacts the comfort 
level of both parties but also colors the quality – and 
quantity - of content imparted. In my years as a freelance 
journalist, I’ve had no shortage of interviewees who 
giddily hug me upon first introduction, blather on 
about their last vacation, or tearfully confide they had 
terrible childhoods that no amount of therapy can remedy. I was even asked once if I could pick 
up a latte for a female bank executive on my way to our meeting 
because she hadn’t had time for breakfast. (Apparently she had 
already decided that such are the favors one asks of potential 
BFFs.) On the flip side, I’ve had just as many interviewees who 
- when asked why they went into the cupcake business – folded 
their arms, squirmed in their chairs, squinted their eyes and 
responded defensively, “Why do you want to know?”

The fact of the matter is that unless you’ve pilfered squillions 
from the company coffers or bulldozed the habitat of endangered 
muskrats to expand your parking lot, the media only wants one 
thing in a feature profile or advertorial: to get great stories from 
individuals who have not only positioned themselves as experts 
in topical, consumer-interest subjects but who can also provide 
entertaining, well-focused, informative, inspirational and/or 
memorable segments with a strong takeaway value for the media 
outlet’s core audience. 

If you adhere to that approach in your professional relationships 
with the press, you’ll soon become the media darling who gets 
invited back time and again…and at absolutely no advertising 
cost to your business.

******

Author Bio: Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author, 
ghostwriter, media expert and professional script consultant (which means that she gets to stop a lot 
of really bad movies from coming to theaters near you). Her credits to date include 30 books, 152 stage 
plays, 5 optioned feature films, and squillions of articles and interviews that appear in trade publications 
throughout the world. Her latest release, Media Magnetism: How to Attract the Favorable Publicity You 
Want and Deserve, is targeted to authors, artists, entrepreneurs, nonprofits and business owners that 
want to learn how to work more effectively with today’s media. Learn more at www.mediamagnetism.
org.