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Life & Arts

Choose wisely: violence or fantasy

by ROBYN MORROW 
The Daily Cougar

Horror and gore seem to have taken center stage at the movies lately with the release of The Hitcher and the thriller Primeval. But have no fear, filmmakers have offered a reprieve from all things violent with the release of the family-friendly Arthur and the Invisibles and Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima.

Producers of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror bring The Hitcher, a remake of a 1986 horror film of the same name. Sophia Bush of One Tree Hill and Zachary Knighton play Grace Andrews and Jim Halsey, a college couple who are tortured by hitchhiker John Ryder (Sean Bean).

On the way to their Spring Break destination, Andrews and Halsey encounter Ryder, who implicates them in a slaying. Although the couple is able to fight off Ryder initially, he continues to follow them as they try to escape New Mexico police. Some people never learn to avoid hitchhikers.

For those viewers looking for a little more gore, check out Primeval, the story of a news team that travels to South Africa to capture a 25-foot crocodile. While in South Africa, though, the team is targeted for death by a warlord in the area. News producer Tim Freeman (Dominic Purcell), cameraman Steven Johnson (Orlando Jones) and their team bite off a little more than they can chew in this film inspired by a true story.

On the lighter side, Arthur and the Invisibles follows Arthur (Freddie Highmore) on his journey to save his grandmother's house from being purchased by a real estate developer. Arthur figures he can use his grandfather's hidden treasure to secure his grandmother's home. Arthur must travel to the "other side" to the land of the Minimoys, where he meets and befriends those who can help him find his grandfather's treasure.

For the history buffs, check out Letters from Iwo Jima, Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood's look at what a group of Japanese soldiers experienced while fighting for their lives during World War II.

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