1. By Chris Beeth
ccbeeth@csbsju.edu
“The Counselor” is appropri-
ately titled after the person you
will want to see upon finishing
this film.
Yes, I made a joke about
seeing a counselor after the
trauma induced by this medio-
cre movie. I know, pretty cheesy,
however it is leagues ahead of
some of the writing in this film.
Stylized violence and poor
dialogue woven together with a
sloppy narrative makes director
Ridley Scott and writer Cormac
McCarthy’s “The Counselor” a
surprisingly slipshod film.
Cast with top-notch talent,
including Brad Pitt, Cameron
Diaz, Javier Bardem, Penelope
Cruz, and protagonist Michael
Fassbender, the A-list actors star
in a tale of fear and greed in which
a lawyer (Fassbender) gets caught
up in the gritty world of drug-traf-
ficking.
There is not much more to
the plot, as most of the writ-
ing throughout the 117-minute
runtime dedicates itself to mean-
ingless and sometimes nonsensi-
cal sub-plots.
Whether it be Malkina (Diaz)
fulfilling a sexual conquest
with a car, not a typo, seriously,
sexual desire for a car, or Reiner’s
(Bardem) dream of owning an-
other back-alley nightclub, the
writing serves the audiences help-
ings of non-relevant side story
without fulfilling our appetite for
the main narrative.
Like a child, the audience is
forced to eat their vegetables
(sub-plots) before receiving their
dessert (main story).
However, when the main
plot does take center stage, the
film can be brilliant. Sadly these
instances are few and far between.
If the plot were to focus more on
the protagonist’s (Fassbender’s)
journey and consequences, it
would make a much more rich
and interesting film. Instead we
get two choppy acts, absent of any
contextualization, followed by a
pretty good final act.
The lack of contextualization for
characters’ actions and absence
of any explanation for charac-
ters’ motives leaves the audience
puzzled.
The acting in the movie is not
to blame, you can see the cast is
making the best of what they got,
but even acting veterans cannot
keep this film afloat.
Bogged down by the writing,
“The Counselor” proves writer
and American novelist Cormac
McCarthy, author of such criti-
cally acclaimed novels such as
“The Road” and “No Country for
Old Men,” should stick to what he
is good at: books, not screenplays.
Beyond the mediocre aspects of
the film, one thing stood out—the
aesthetics.
Taking place along the border
of Texas and Mexico, the film
stars some gorgeous locations.
One example being the lavish
tycoon-sized mansion, filled with
what you would expect from a
drug kingpin, Ferraris, girls… and
cheetahs? Plus, it gives Javier Bar-
dem, the man who has more crazy
haircuts then good films, another
chance to rock a new hairdo.
Being a fan of Ridley Scott
and the cast’s past works, I was
severely disappointed with this
film. It had a tremendous amount
of potential.
What we can learn is that even
with an experienced director,
phenomenal cast, and Pulitzer
Prize winning writer, a film can
still sadly bomb. I have hopes of a
potential director’s cut that could
extend the length of the film and
flesh out some of the story that
was absent in the original cut.
But until then, “The Counselor”
is a mediocre film that ultimately
feels like a sloppy rough draft for a
potentially great movie.
1.5 out of 5 stars
csbsjurecord.com • Page 5Nov. 1, 2013 • The Record
Growing
with Groen
PHOTOS FROM GOOGLE IMAGES
PrisonersM O V EMITEI
By Cody Groen
cjgroen@csbsju.edu
Chocolate. The word alone can
send readers craving the delecta-
ble indulgence. Fortunately, with
Halloween last night, it is quite
possible a plastic Jack-o’-Lantern
is near at hand sitting full of the
rich, bewitching candy.
But, as often happens, many
know of the food while few know
of the plant from which it rises.
Cacao (kah-cow) is the plant
from which chocolate is made and
it has won the affection of humans
for thousands of years.
Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is
a new world tree characterized
by its many dark, medium sized
trunks and fruit pods filled with
cocoa beans. Flowers, and later
fruit, are borne directly on both
the trunk and lower branches in
a form done by few plants called
cauliflory, making this plant look
strange. Furthermore, its pods will
never be dropped by the tree, even
though the tree needs to drop its
seeds to the ground to continue
the species. If no animal comes
along to remove the pod, they
will hang ‘forever,’ and the species
would die out. But cacao adapted
to protect against this: a sweet,
attracting pulp inside the bean
pod.
Being sweet, the pulp attracts
animals, but tastes nothing like
chocolate.
Let us rewind to between
2,000-2,500 years ago. Cacao is
growing wild from the Amazon
River basin to southern Mexico.
The indigenous peoples of the
area, maybe a Mayan Indian,
happens upon this absurd tree.
Wondering about the hanging
fruit, decides to pluck a pod off the
tree and open it. Inside is found
a white, sweet-tasting ‘goop’ in
which almond-like, bitter-ish
seeds are imbedded. It tastes good.
For a millennia indigenous
people used cacao fruit not for the
cocoa beans and chocolate bars,
but for the mushy, sweet pulp.
One day an indigenous person
happens upon a fruit with goop
that is just a bit overripe. It tastes
bad. Perhaps in frustration, she
or he throws the fruit – seeds
and all—into a fire. Suddenly,
those around the fire are hailed
by a sweet, luscious, bold scent
that sends waves of satisfaction
through the senses. And thus,
2000 years ago cacao is set upon
the path to Botanical Greatness.
In fact, the indigenous
peoples so enjoyed the concoctions
created with cacao and cocoa
beans that they started using the
beans as a form of currency. Soon
the cocoa drinks were prized by
only the wealthy and noble, last-
ing until 1875.
Like all other plants native to
the New World, cacao was not
known to Europeans until well
after 1492. But when Europe-
ans set foot in what is now Latin
America, they soon discovered
the tasty plant and created a solid,
slightly bitter treat high in flavo-
noids—the antioxidants which are
present in high quantities in dark
chocolate.
Much later, after the Industrial
Revolution and the inventions of
steam-power and large scale cocoa
bean grinders, chocolate was, at
last, financially accessible to those
living around the North Atlantic.
The year 1875 marked the
addition of sugar and milk to a
confection of cocoa butter, which
was folded to create milk choco-
late that could be purchased by
the average European or U.S. citi-
zen.
From bitter beans to sweet-
ened luxury to Halloween candy,
chocolate has come a long way.
Theobroma is the genus name for
cacao trees and means “Food of
the Gods.” Lucky for us, being
divine is no longer a prerequisite
to indulgence in this old delight.
Enjoy your chocolate.
Plot Aspects
• Writing is sloppy
• No contextualization and explana-
tion for characters’ motives
• Lack of focus on main plot
Similar films that are better:
• “Blow” directed by Ted Demme
• “No Country for Old Men” directed
by Coen Brothers
• “Scarface” directed by Brian De
Palma
Opening Weekend
Earnings: $7,842,930
Director: Ridley Scott
Runtime: 117 minutes
By Emily Thornton and Mad-
dy O’Brien
egthornton@csbsju.edu •
maobrien@csbsju.edu
“The Rocky Horror Picture
Show” is returning to CSB/SJU,
but this time PRiSM will take the
stage in co-sponsoring the event
with JEC.
On Friday night, the 1975 cult
classic will be shown on campus
for the first time in the last several
years.
PRiSM and JEC have a growing
relationship with co-sponsored
events such as the BarbeQueer.
Although JEC has shown “The
Rocky Horror Picture Show” in
previous years, this time they are
co-sponsoring with PRiSM in
hopes of promoting more diverse
events on campus. This event is
different from simply watching a
movie in that the audience must
literally engage in the film.
CSB junior Danielle Schlender
is the treasurer of PRiSM.
“When I was approached with
the idea of doing Rocky Horror, I
was ecstatic,” Schlender said.
The film follows newly engaged
Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet
(Susan Sarandon) as their car
breaks down during a storm and
they must seek refuge in a pecu-
liar castle. Chaos ensues, chaos
involving a lingerie-clad trans-
vestite host played
by Tim Curry and his blonde
creation, Rocky Horror.
The film includes a colorful cast
of characters including a maid
named Magenta, a groupie named
Columbia and a bunch of Transyl-
vanians.
“ T h e R o c k y H o r r o r
Picture Show” was originally a hit
London musical written by Rich-
ard O’Brien, who portrays the
handyman, Riff Raff, in the film.
When it was turned into a movie
in 1975, it bombed in the box
office, but became a cult classic.
This has led to hundreds of
midnight showings of the film
in the thirty-eight years since it
premiered. Because of this, Rocky
Horror holds the record for
the longest theatrical release in
history as it continues to play in
theaters across America.
Before those hundreds of show-
ings, Rocky Horror was shown
at Waverly Theatre in New York,
where audience members
actually threw props at the
screen and shouted out
lines. This started the
tradition of audience
participation in the
showing of the film.
“Personally, ‘The
Rocky Horror Picture
Show’ brings back fond
memories from
home
because a lot of my friends and I
are Rocky enthusiasts,” Schlender
said.
PRiSM members will be using
props and giving cues for when
certain lines are to be shouted.
Another part of the Rocky
Horror institution involves
audience members dressing up as
their favorite characters from the
movie. JEC and PRiSM invite
students to dress up for Friday’s
event.
“The audience members really
make the show fun, so the more
audience participation the better,”
Schlender said.
CSB senior Margaret Roesler
attended the show a couple of
years ago.
“It’s kinda weird, funny, and
interactive, so it’s perfect for
Halloween weekend,” Roesler
said.
T h i s c o m e d y h o r r o r
musical-turned film includes
musical numbers
written by O’Brien,
“ S c i e n c e
F i c t i o n /
D o u b l e
F e a t u r e ”
and “Sweet
Transves-
tite” are just
a few of
the
quirky songs students will hear.
Members of PRiSM will be
teaching the dance for one of
Rocky Horror’s most popular
songs, “The Time Warp,” before
the movie begins Friday night.
“It’s something everyone should
see,” CSB senior Nikki Orth said.
There will be popcorn provided
as well as a costume contest.
Students are encouraged to come
dressed as their favorite character
or in Halloween costumes.
“‘The Rocky Horror Picture
Show’ encompasses all of the
elements for a perfect Hallow-
een night. While the name might
sound scary, it is fun, strange,
engaging, active and the best time
you’ll ever have watching a movie,”
Schlender said.
“The Rocky Horror Picture
Show” will be shown at 9 p.m.
tonight in Pellegrene Auditorium,
SJU. The event is free and open to
all students.
If you go:
When: 9 p.m.
tonight
Where: Pellegrene
Auditorium, SJU
Cost: Free
JEC and PRiSM to co-sponsor Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight
Doing“TheTimeWarp”again
PHOTO FROM GOOGLE IMAGES