Nostalgia lifts Adventureland

By Vanessa Ho

When I heard that Adventureland was written and directed by Greg Mottola, the same guy that brought us Superbad, I went into the theatre with trepidation not wishing to see another gross-out teen movie but I couldn't have been more pleasantly wrong.

Based on Mottola's own experience of working a summer job at an amusement park, Adventureland is set in 1987 Pittsburg and centers on recent college graduate James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) who is forced to find work after his parent's financial woes find him cancelling his trip to Europe and derails is graduate school plans in New York City.

Finding that he isn't qualified for even manual labour, James ends up working as a carny for Adventureland and there he meets the oddball crew that include Josh (played quirkly by Martin Starr) and his bosses Bobby and Paulette (the always hilarious SNL vets Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig). He also meets Em (Kristen Stewart) and quickly falls for her. As well, he starts to hero-worship Connell (Ryan Reynolds), the amusement park's mechanic, who also happens to be having an affair with Em.

Adventureland isn't a teen comedy but a coming-of-age story. James does grow during his time at Adventureland and learns some things about him and life outside of college.

There is something mesmerizing about Stewart. Every time she is on screen, I can't take my eyes off her. Yes she is beautiful but she imbues Em with some world-weariness that goes beyond her age and displays good chemistry with Eisenberg and Reynolds.

While Eisenberg was effective in showing James struggles, to me, he seemed to be channeling Michael Cera from Superbad or even Juno every time he opened his mouth when speaking his lines.

The other thing missing is more Hader and Wiig. When they were on screen, I laughed and wished they had more screen time.

However, one of the most effective things Mottola did with Adventureland was that he actually brought me to the amusement park. I actually could picture myself going there and felt the summer heat and wind there. The place reminded me a lot of Playland here in Vancouver and even the time I worked at the PNE and wandering through Playland on my breaks. The 80's tinged soundtrack also helped with that nostalgia feel with Crowded House and Falco's Rock Me Amadeus but if I had to listen to that song like 20 times a day, I might want to kill myself too as the characters want to do in the film.

ER The Series Finale -My Retrospective

Last night, ER signed off for the final time after a glorious 15 year run. Now, I will admit that I haven't been watching the show for the last few years (I think since John Stamos joined the cast) but I decided to watch it this year because I knew it was going to be its last year. I think another reason why I stopped watching is that the writers were jerking around my recent favourite couple on ER -Neela and Ray.

But I did start watching the show from the very beginning -1994. ER does hold a somewhat special place in my heart because a life changing thing happened to me in its first season while I don't remember the exact episode that aired in November of that year but I remember watching the show while my personal drama was going on.

I faithfully watched ER since day one and my favourite episodes of all time is from season one and is entitled "Blizzard." What I love about this episode is pretty much how the orderly known as Bob, a woman from an Eastern European country who really was a cardiac surgeon, swoops in and cracks open a patient's chest and save's his life and afterwards becomes known as Dr. Bob.

One of the most horrifying moments for me is when Dr. Romano gets his arm cut off by the helicopter so unexpected and when they showed that moment again during the Retrospective, I screamed again.

One thing I didn't quite get closure on was the relationship with Neela and Ray. While I am pleased that she went to work in Louisiana to be with Ray, I really wanted some real confirmation like seeeing them be a couple instead of inferences such as Ray saying he brought this stuff for her office from home. And I read that they were going to write in Parminder Nagra's pregnancy into the show so I was hoping that she would show up in the finale at Carter's opening all pregnant with Ray and saying she is pregnant with Ray's child and not Dr, Brenner's (who I never liked as I saw him as a barrier to Neela-Ray).

Anyways, last nights finale was a great way to end the show. Like the whole season this year, this episode just seemed like a regular episode as with George Clooney's episode a couple of weeks ago. Nothing special, County General wasn't closing down with people being transferred, it wasn't a crazy dream or anything series finales are supposed to be.

The episode started off on the right foot. The opening credits came back. It really was one thing that bugged me during its last few seasons, why get rid of the opening credits -you had for what 13 season so you decide to get rid of it for its last two. It was annoying and when I saw it last night, I jumped for joy. It was great seeing all those names again: Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Alex Kingston, Sherry Stringfield, Eric LaSalle -all the old names. Plus the new ones like Angela Bassett, Parminder Nagra, John Stamos, Scott Grimes and Linda Cardenelli.

I did like the re-appearance of Thandie Newton's Kem to close out Dr. Carter's storyline with some hope for their marriage. More old faces appeared: Weaver, Lewis and Benton for Carter's opening of his new medical center to help those who can't afford the care like the homeless. I liked seeing those old faces but wouldn't have minded seeing Dr. Chen or Neela or Ray or Abby or Luka. I think the kid who played Dr. Benton's son last night was played by the same kid who played him as a child. I also liked the wink and nod to Dr. Benton and Corday's past relationship. And did you see Corday's rental "car."

Another thing I really liked was Alexis Bledel as Dr. Julia Wise (or as I kept on calling her Dr. Rory) and if ER lasted another season, I wouldn't have minded seeing her on TV again. I really liked how she handled a lot that was thrown at her from the man with HIV to the poor pregnant woman who gave birth to twin girls. During the retrospective they said that there will be moments from the pilot in the finale and I think this pregnant woman storyline while not in the pilot reflected one of ER's best episodes (Love's Labours Lost). But what came from the pilot and was shown last night was Lydia (a nurse we haven't seen in ages) calling Dr. Morris to wake up just as she did in the opening scenes of the pilot calling Dr. Greene (Anthony Edwards).

Speaking of Dr. Greene, I did love the re-appearance of Rachel, his daughter (Hallee Hirsh). I really loved how her character has changed and matured and is now a med student touring County as a potential place to work. I also loved that she gets along with Dr. Corday since I think she lives with her as she goes to Duke and Corday works at Duke. I teared up during the retrospective when they showed Dr. Greene's death. If you remember during that time Rachel was a real *itch and really unlikeable. I like to think that his death really effected her and that's why she decided to become a doctor.

I love the fact that Dr. Carter took her under his wing pretty much like how her father did with him and really loved the last scene when a major trauma was coming into the ER in the wee hours of the morning and Dr. Carter jumping in to help and turns to Rachel and said "Are you coming Dr. Greene?" I loved that. It was having Dr. Greene back. It was awesome.

As series finales go, I think it was one of the best. Nothing flashy. The only thing I could have done without was the repeat of the ER theme as the episode concluded.

I think the show ended when it needed to but the show will live on in repeats and DVD and its stamp can be seen in all the other hospital dramas that followed it or will follow it on TV too.