Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/468256
20 UCW FEB. 25 - MARCH 3, 2015 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM I know I am in the minorit y here, but there was something about Project Almanac (106 min- utes) that was thought-provoking. It is getting compared (unfavorably) to Chronicle, probably because it also involves a group of teens med- dling with powerful forces and filming every- thing with a shaky-cam. In fact, I thought either the writers or director had to be the same (they weren't). A middle-class kid named David (Jonny Weston) gets into M.I.T. and immediately has a coronary when he finds out how much it costs to go to M.I.T. He settles down to complete some cheap communit y college credits that will nev- ertheless serve as a wonderful basis for pursu- ing a four-year degree … oh, wait. No he doesn't. Instead, he rummages through the attic, has angst because his Dad is dead, then discovers an old camera. The footage on the camera leads him to his father's secret-invention-in-progress, a time machine. The writers spent an awful lot of time writing dialogue to make the time machine seem legit. They really could have saved the time, because for the twent y minutes or so that it took to explain the technology, all I heard was "Science will happen because of Math and Batteries." Any way, after Math and Batteries have a time machine baby, David and his buddies (Allen Evangelista) and Quinn Goldberg (Sam Lerner) go back in time with girls who could easily have been replaced with sexy lampshades with no real plot impact. The crazy kids use the time machine to pass science tests, throw soda on bullies, win the lottery and prevent the release of X-Men: Last Stand. When they return, David takes off on his own excellent adventure, fixing himself up with one of the sexy lampshades (Sofia Black D'Elia). See, when you have a time machine it is com- pletely okay and in no way morally question- able to go back in time and use your knowledge to engineer a relationship with the woman of your dreams. Downside: rejoining the timeline after all the R-rated stuff has already happened. Another downside is sort-of-kind-of-accidentally causing the death of a bunch of people by med- dling with the fabric of the universe. Whoops. David does math on chalkboard until the chalkboard is covered with diagrams, then plans to fix his ill-considered screw up by committing another ill-considered screw-up. That works out well for everyone involved, except his sexy lamp- shade who is obliterated in the ensuing paradox. St yle aside, this approach to time travel is very MTV. If you read a lot of science-fiction (as I do) you already have a prett y good idea whether or not you enjoy the possibilities of time travel. For example, some people dream of Mart y McFly-ing their way through time to make their own moth- ers fall madly in love with them, or hitting the Paleolithic to step on every butterf ly in hopes of wiping out the human race. If you plan to watch the movie and then spend the next few hours torturing your friends by talking about paradox- es and other science-y stuff that is really beside the point, knock yourself out. I'll be over here in the cool kids' corner watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure for the tenth time. Now playing at Market Fair 15, Wynnsong 7, Carkmike 12 and Patriot 14. Time Heals All Plot Wounds Project Almanac (Rated PG-13) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. *Honored among the Top Doctors in America in LASIK, Cornea & Retina Restore a more Youthful, Alert, and Healthy look to your Eyes Call 910.484.2284 or visit our website at www.CapeFearEye.com to Learn More IN THE MORNING Weekdays 5:30AM to 10:00AM