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Friday, March 18, 2011

“Battle: Los Angeles: Review By Bawnian-Dexeus - MovieWeb”

“Battle: Los Angeles: Review By Bawnian-Dexeus - MovieWeb”


Battle: Los Angeles: Review By Bawnian-Dexeus - MovieWeb

Posted:

"The Marines are the worlds strongest military force on Earth, pitted against an enemy not of human origin."

Battle:Los Angeles is a 2011 military science fiction war film.

The film is directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, David Pham, Ramon Rodriguez and Bridget Moynahan.

Full Cast List:

Aaron Eckhart as USMC Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz

Rus Blackwell as Lt. Col. K.N. Ritchie

Michelle Rodriguez as USAF Technical Sergeant Elena Santos

Will Rothhaar as USMC Corporal Lee Imlay

Bridget Moynahan as Michele Martinez

Jim Parrack as USMC Lance Corporal Peter Kerns

Adetokumboh M'Cormack as US Navy Corpsman "Doc" Jilbril Adukwu

Nzinga Blake as Harmonie Adukwu

Michael Peña as Joe Rincon

Lucas Till as USMC Corporal Scott Grayston

Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Jr. as USMC Corporal Kevin Harris

Gino Anthony Pesi as USMC Corporal Nick Stavrou

Taylor Handley as USMC Lance Corporal Corey Simmons

James Hiroyuki Liao as USMC Lance Corporal Steven Mottola

Joey King as Kirsten

Aisha Tyler as General Samara Jennings

David Pham as USMC Corporal Bruce Bolo

Tisha Campbell-Martin as Maleria Evens

Noel Fisher as USMC Private First Class Shaun Lenihan

Lena Clark as News Repoter Brittnie Welles

Ramón Rodríguez as USMC 2nd Lieutenant William Martinez

Neil Brown Jr. as USMC Lance Corporal Richard Guerrero

Cory Hardrict as USMC Corporal Jason Lockett

Jesica Draké as Karina Turner

Gregory Weber as USMC Pilot

This movie greatly separates itself from many alien invasion films like War of the Worlds or Independence Day. It focuses more on the soldiers fighting for not just their survival or their countries, but for the entire planet. It is also based on a military scuffle that occurred on the skies of Los Angeles in 1942, taken from CBS's broadcasting. Some speculate that it was just a blimp, others say it was a UFO sighting. This isn't your average sci-fi battle. This is a war, much like WWI, WWII, The Iraq War, Cold War, Civil War, and the list goes on. It is more like a "what if?"; if ever we were in this situation.

The film sets itself 24 hours before the action takes place, where a handful of Marines are preparing themselves for what appears to be a meteor shower, in order to safely help the population if affected or harmed. It is only minutes later that they are activated on a higher scale of military action that goes far beyond evacuations or standard protective protocols. Earth is being invaded by extraterrestrials for its water supply, our most precious and natural resource to be used for means of fuel. The trailers speak for the story of the film: "they come to colonize and wipe out the indigenous population".

Aaron Eckhart plays the role of a USMC Staff Sergeant. His character, Michael Nantz carries a heavy burden from his past experience in war. You can easily guess his military rank went down, assuming he was a lieutenant leading the band of men that got killed in the crossfire. 24 hours before the invasion he plans to discharge and finish any training left for the next generation of soldiers. Only hours before the supposed meteor shower is he and every available soldier called in. Having portrayed with great talent on Two Face (The Dark Knight), I didn't see he acting talents to be wasted in this film. he stayed in complete character all the way, driving himself with everything that takes place in the plot of the movie, physically and mentally.

I particularly liked Noer Fisher's and Ramón Rodriguez's character portrayals as well. Ramón plays a lieutenant that has very little field experience. He gives a good vibe to his character, displaying proper emotion for what a soldier of his rank and fresh stardom might face if finding himself in the line of fire, freezing up, unable to make a move or give a command. And Fisher's character is that of a new recruit or fresh face among the ranks. The only actor I know to this day that can give that fear and emotion in his character. I personally wouldn't know ho two feel or react if I were by myself against an enemy looking out to kill me. He's got my vote.

Michelle Rodriguez. The lovely BAMF that every man loves in action films. While I must admit that reading her name in the cast sheet was a solid for me, I didn't quite like her performance. Obviously it was a good idea to have a female role in the movie as well as a female military personnel. Wouldn't want to have a problem with viewers, I mean, it ain't an Expendables film. Now, back why I didn't like her in this: because she reminded too much of her character in S.W.A.T. for some reason. It may not back up my reasoning. however it felt like she jumped from a cop to a soldier. Still, she fills in the military suit quite nicely.

This may sound like rant, but Ne-Yo? Really? Are you serious? Why? Is the music industry not cutting it anymore? Are all music artist trying for acting now?

Diving into the invaders, you really can't just call them aliens. They displayed proper and high level tactical means in the the art of war and rules of engagement. Like the American military or the any country's, they have their orders, they have their mission. They fought like any other force, only with at least several decades of improved technological weaponry. There's was also a great line where if the enemy was just as nervous and scared as the humans were in the war. It make you wonder.

The film is directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Some believe that the film used too much of the shaky-camera and may have caused some headaches to the audience or a few critics if not all of them. Even so, his intentions were to film it as a doc*mentary style. He got his inspiration from watching online videos of Marines fighting in the middle east. Personally, I loved it, and I don't dizzy easily. It gave a real, personal and genuine feel to it. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it was mine.

As for the visuals, thank GOD there was no use of 3D. it would have gone terribly wrong for the film and for the viewers. I adored their take on the space men and I found their physical design to be original and fresh. The special effects for the explosions, machines, and all the good stuff was top notch. Loved it. I will say that there is a scene where they try to figure out the enemy's anatomy, to find a weak point. Wasn't really necessary but, hey, wouldn't you want to know?

Brace yourself if you get dizzy easily. Overall, it was a great war film joined with the sci-fi genre. If there were to be a sequel, I wouldn't mind it at all. We might still crave for the aftermath.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

“Battle: Los Angeles, ooh-rah! - AZFamily” plus 1 more

“Battle: Los Angeles, ooh-rah! - AZFamily” plus 1 more


Battle: Los Angeles, ooh-rah! - AZFamily

Posted:

"Battle: Los Angeles" captures 3 & ½ Red Vines for being a great war movie with a sci-fi twist.

Okay, as alien invasion films go, not much has changed since the great B-movies of the 50's: invaders land, they want us dead. If you just go with that premise in mind and not anything else, you will not be let down by "Battle: Los Angeles." In fact you just might be mildly surprised.

Much like "District 9" was not about an alien invasion but more of a statement about apartheid and prejudice, "Battle: Los Angeles" is more a statement about war and the brotherhood of soldiers than it is about an alien invasion. 

What starts out as a meteor shower quickly turns into a full scale invasion of the world's targeted cities. Like "Restrepo" or "Hurt Locker", "Battle: Los Angeles" follows one Marine unit's deployment. Their mission is to rescue stranded civilians and get them to a safe zone before the military bombs the west coast. All this while the invaders are wiping out everything in their path. 

What's going on in the rest of the country and the world is only mildly hinted at in brief news reports. It's interesting but like I said this is one unit's story. With the perennial hand held camera, we are just shell shocked flies on the wall of their fearless, impassioned efforts.

Aaron Eckhart stars as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, a Marine with one foot out the door until he gets sent in on this mission. He is suffering from the emotional wounds of his last deployment and under a cloud of suspicion because men under his command died. Michelle Rodriguez, the only other really recognizable name or face, stars as TSgt. Elena Santos. Is it any surprise that she plays a tough as nails broad with deadly aim? No, but I was surprised that she wasn't a witch, too. That seems to be par for the course for any character she plays. 

As you can tell from these two characters, all of them seem to fall in the 'stock soldier' category. But Rodriquez and most particularly, Eckhart really excelled in their parts.
I totally bought them as soldiers and as people in this unbelievably doomed situation.

That is what impressed me the most about "Battle: Los Angeles." The fight scenes were executed with as much precision as the best war movies to date. Gritty, bloody, with no mercy, they were exciting and made what is basically a re-telling of "War of the Worlds" very real.

I confess I have passed on a lot of movies this year but for me, this has been the most overall satisfying movie of the year. I was hoping I would enjoy this movie and "Battle: Los Angeles" did not disappoint. I loved it!

A preview of this movie was provided to me by the studio but it in no way effects my unbiased review.

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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid"-Inspired Island, "Wimpy Wonderland," Debuts on Poptropica, Virtual World for Kids - Consumer Electronics Net

Posted:

 

March 15, 2011 --

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 15, 2011

Fans of the bestselling "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series can now join all their favorite characters on a snow day adventure with today's Early Access launch of Poptropica's new "Wimpy Wonderland Island ." As a special bonus, Poptropica members who log in and play "Wimpy Wonderland" during March will get an exclusive Gold Card, "Paper Boy" or "Paper Girl," which they can use to turn their Poptropican into lined paper like in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series. This exclusive members-only item will also allow kids to turn other Poptropicans into lined paper boys or girls.

"I'm thrilled to be bringing the two parts of my life together: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Poptropica," said Jeff Kinney, author of the bestselling series and Poptropica creator. "For the first time ever, kids will get to interact with Greg Heffley and his family and friends in a virtual world. I've created an original storyline for the island, and I'm hoping fans of the series will enjoy experiencing the characters in a whole new way."

Players who visit "Wimpy Wonderland" will discover a snow day in which everyone's enjoying a day off from school - except for "Wimpy Kid" hero Greg Heffley, whose little brother Manny is missing. As they follow Manny's trail and solve the mystery of his disappearance, players will tussle with the Whirly Street kids, fend off cantankerous senior citizens and even venture within arm's length of Fregley.


"Jeff's 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' is a huge hit in print and on the big screen, and I am confident that Greg will now be at his wimpy best online at Poptropica," said Jess M. Brallier, publisher of Poptropica. "Kids will delight in having Wimpy Kid and Poptropica together in an inventive and surprising experience."

Poptropica Membership gives kids Early Access to new Islands, so they can be among the first to play and complete the newest Islands. Membership also gives kids unlimited use of all costumes and Gold Cards in the Poptropica Store, allowing them to customize their Poptropicans by choosing from their favorite costumes, special abilities and effects - electrifying their Poptropican, creating a meteor shower, spraying silly stream, and much more.

Parents can buy a Poptropica Membership for their kids in one-month, three-month or six-month increments. In addition, prepaid Poptropica Game Cards , redeemable for Membership to the site or Credits to use in the Poptropica Store, can be purchased at select retailers, such as Target and Best Buy.

Late last year, the rapidly growing virtual world for kids ranked Number 5 in the Hot Video Games Category of the 2010 Google Zeitgeist. It was the only kids' gaming site in the top five on the list of the year's most searched-for video games. The robust gaming platform offers countless hours of safe, secure, online fun to as many as 10 million kids each month.

Kids can stay up to date on news about upcoming new Islands and other exciting developments in the world of Poptropica on the official blog at http://blog.poptropica.com/.

About Poptropica (http://www.poptropica.com)
Poptropica is a virtual world in which kids explore and play in complete safety. Every month, millions of kids from around the world are entertained and informed by Poptropica's engaging quests, stories and games. Kids create a "Poptropican" character to travel the many Islands of Poptropica and use gaming literacy to enjoy a narrative that is often rooted in factual history. Problem-solving skills are honed as kids discover and solve mysteries unique to each Island.

There are always new areas to explore in this ever-expanding world where kids can collect objects, read digital books and comics and compete in head-to-head competition. Parents can always trust that their children are playing - and learning - in a safe online environment. Poptropica is published by Family Education Network, a part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the education, services and technology company. Pearson's other primary operations include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

# # #

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/online-virtual-world/wimpy-wonderland-games/prweb5157554.htm.

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

“Battle: Los Angeles’: No surprises but plenty of thrills | 2½ stars - Kansas City Star”

“Battle: Los Angeles’: No surprises but plenty of thrills | 2½ stars - Kansas City Star”


Battle: Los Angeles’: No surprises but plenty of thrills | 2½ stars - Kansas City Star

Posted:

By ROBERT W. BUTLER

The Kansas City Star

COLUMBIA PICTURES

After San Francisco and San Diego fold, Los Angeles becomes the last human stronghold on the West Coast.

The Marines kick some alien keister in "Battle: Los Angeles," a sci-fi/combat flick that dishes big booms and even louder clichés.

Aaron Eckhart is Michael Nantz, a staff sergeant still dealing with the loss of most of his squad in Afghanistan. He's turned in his retirement papers, but — wouldn't you know it? — before they're processed alien invaders arrive under cover of a meteor shower.

The invaders' ships land in the oceans off the world's biggest cities, and soon the waves are disgorging armored troops. In no time at all, the gangly, big-headed baddies hold the California coastline.

Nantz, hurriedly reassigned to a new unit, is sent on a mission to rescue civilians trapped behind enemy lines. He and his troops had best step on it, because in three hours a scheduled air strike will turn Santa Monica into dust.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and written by Christopher Bertolini, "Battle: Los Angeles" is a block-by-block, street-by-street combat film like "Black Hawk Down"… except that here the enemy has superior technology. The Marines, though, are better shots.

Along the way Nantz and his men become the protectors of some civilians (Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan, a couple of kids) and take in a woman warrior ("Avatar's" Michelle Rodriguez … who else?) sent to locate the alien control center responsible for unmanned aerial drones.

The film has been shot almost entirely with handheld cameras, and the combination of wobbly images and state-of-the-art f/x is thoroughly convincing.

Emotionally "Battle: Los Angeles" is utterly predictable, but Eckhart's thoughtful machismo provides a reliable anchor.

Big, bright, noisy, empty escapism.


'BATTLE: LOS ANGELES' ★★ 1/2
Rated PG-13

Time: 1:56

Contact Robert W. Butler at bbutler@kcstar.com and 816-234-4760.

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

“Film Review: Battle : Los Angeles - andPOP”

“Film Review: Battle : Los Angeles - andPOP”


Film Review: Battle : Los Angeles - andPOP

Posted:

Inevitably every year, a film regarding a worldwide alien invasion or the apocalypse surfaces. Sometimes they're done well and sometimes they're so atrocious that their failure is almost ironically apocalyptic.

Fortunately for Battle: Los Angeles director, Jonathan Liebesman, his film didn't hit on the Richter scale of bad. However, let's just say it's not good either.

The film follows your classic alien invasion premise: some unknown extraterrestrial force has touched down, this time in the form of a giant meteor shower, then you've got to get your army together, who are clearly untrained for this type of combat. After all the initial chaos and destruction the story has gone from global to local as the film focuses on several main characters and their fight for survival. Battle: Los Angeles centers on a group of marines who are sent to rescue civilians trapped in a Santa Monica police station. The catch? They only have three hours to save the civilians and make it to a controlled safety zone because in only three hours time, the army is going to level all of Santa Monica with bombs. The storyline seems like a suspenseful videogame.

Enter Aaron Eckhart, Sergeant Michael Nance. After being dismissed from the marines just hours before the attack, he is forced to become the head of the operation. Nance is plagued with guilt from a failed mission in the middle east where he lost some of his men. The other marines are wary of him as a leader because of this. Shortly after the extraterrestrial meteor shower all hell breaks loose as thousands of gray figures appear in the distance. Up close the gray figures,aliens, seem to be half machine half creature. They are pretty disappointing when compared to the classic alien from Alien or even the extraterrestrials in District 9. This film is less about the aliens and more about blowing shit up in the vein of Michael Bay.

What follows is a series of cliches and one liners often comparing Nance to the cavalier, John Wayne. The story is intact with a pregnant woman, stubborn marines, children in enemy lines, courageous civilians, and tough girl Michelle Rodriguez. Liebesman did try to be unique by creating a kind of docudrama. Nearly the entire film is shot on a handheld camera. Automatically the image of Cloverfield comes to mind, but it's not very similar. The film is far more sophisticated technically as it contains a plethora of aerial shots that show the destruction of Los Angeles. It's a pity that the characterizations are lacking and the lovestory is nonexistent.

In the end, the acting is subpar, but the film has its thrilling moments. There doesn't seem to be any political subtext but of course, this could be argued. Basically what we have here is a two hour long, guns blazing battle scene.



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Friday, March 11, 2011

“'Battle: LA' is a decent action war flick, but don't look for a broader social message - Great Falls Tribune” plus 1 more

“'Battle: LA' is a decent action war flick, but don't look for a broader social message - Great Falls Tribune” plus 1 more


'Battle: LA' is a decent action war flick, but don't look for a broader social message - Great Falls Tribune

Posted:

War is hell. And so is alien invasion.

That's the long and short of "Battle: Los Angeles," a distillation of grunt's eye-view, war-movie cliches with nasty, insect-like extraterrestrials standing in for every enemy the Marines have ever faced.

Yet, despite the plot predictability, the boiler-plate "I'm not gonna leave you behind!" dialog, and stretching too close to two hours, "Battle: Los Angeles" builds enough suspenseful tension — especially in its first half — to take it out of contention for the worst LA-gets-leveled splatter-rama to make it to the big screen. "2012" and "Independence Day" are still duking it out for those honors.

Aaron Eckhart is Michael Nantz, a staff sergeant stationed in Southern California who's just days shy from early retirement after a particularly grueling overseas assignment in which several of his men were killed. But, wouldn't you just know it, he can't put his uniform away just yet because that strange meteor shower over L.A.? Turns out it's the first wave of a brutal alien attack.

Nantz and his unit are tasked with rescuing a group of civilians trapped in an abandoned police station behind enemy lines in Santa Monica. They've got three hours to get them out, as that's when the Air Force plans to turn the beachfront city into a bombed-out wasteland.

Of course, his Marines might as well be from Hollywood Rent-a-Soldier. There's the nervous newbie (Noel Fisher, "The Pacific"), the traumatized and stressed-out (Jim Parrack, "True Blood"), the husband-to-be (singer Ne-Yo) who has so much to live for, and a book-smart second lieutenant (Ramon Rodriguez, "The Wire") who — say it with me now — has no idea what real combat is like.

Still, for all of that, the chaotic claustrophobia and the shaky-cam verite realism — despite perhaps summoning the occasional flashback from "Cloverfield" — are effective, especially when the audience doesn't yet know what the aliens look like or what they want. They're just this malevolent force intent on wiping our DNA off the face of the planet.

Eckhart displays the requisite square-jawed G.I. Joe ruggedness and the film generally looks good. Director Jonathan Liebesman ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning"), working from a script by Christopher Bertolini, does a pretty good job of destroying faux L.A. (it was actually shot in Louisiana, but "Battle: Baton Rouge" probably wouldn't have the same global marketing appeal).

Leibesman avoids the usual shots of iconic structures being turned to ash and instead makes the entire landscape a nightmare of twisted overpasses and smoky horizons.

But as more is revealed and one battle blurs into another, "Battle: Los Angeles" becomes less engaging and less of a movie and more of a first-person shooter game with better acting.

Anyone looking for the broader social implications of, say, "District 9" (which shares some visual similarities to "Battle: Los Angeles") or even "Space: Above and Beyond" — the short-lived, '90s Fox series about Marines in combat against faceless, insect-like aliens — is bound to be disappointed.

None of that may matter, though. The door, wide enough to let through a mothership full of angry aliens, is left open for a sequel.

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Dan's Review: Battle Los Angeles - ABC 4

Posted:

Battle: Los Angeles (Sony Pictures)

Rated PG-13 for sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, and for language.

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo, Michael Peña, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Cory Hardrict, Gino Anthony Pesi, James Hiroyuki Liao, Noel Fisher, Adetokumboh M'Cormack, Bryce Cass, Neil Brown Jr., Taylor Handley, Joey King, Lucas Till, Kenneth Brown Jr., Jadin Gould, Joe Chrest, E. Roger Mitchell, Rus Blackwell, Susie Abromeit, Brandi Coleman, Elizabeth Keener, Jessica Heap.

Written by Christopher Bertolini.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

GRADE: B+

REVIEW:

What would the world do without the American military? Not only do our men and women in uniform have to invade a bunch of countries to keep the peace, they have to be the last line of defense against extraterrestrials, as well - at least that's what the movies teach us. From Independence Day's story of a but-kicking U.S. president piloting a fighter jet into battle, to the saga of the mechanical Transformers, it's clear that no alien force can match wits with a few good American men and women who are always able to overcome superior technology, anatomy and numbers to kick a little E.T. butt.

In Battle Los Angeles, the alien horde arrives in what appears to be a meteor shower, but it doesn't take long for the smart people to figure out they're not meteors. Despite efforts to evacuate all the major cities of the world, the critters begin annihilating all the humans. Enter America's military heroes, and one particular group of U.S. Marines led by Staff Sgt. Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego. Nantz is a career soldier haunted by his most recent military action in the middle east where he lost some of his men. Other marines in Nantz's unit are dealing with their own problems and and family issues.

When the aliens invade, Nantz and his men are given the assignment of rescuing some civilians who are trapped at a police station near the front lines (Santa Monica). Nantz's platoon, under the command of a greenhorn lieutenant (Ramon Rodriguez) soon finds out they are in way over their heads, but do their best to get the handful of people to safety. Along the way, Nantz and the Marines learn a few things about the anatomy of aliens, which look like some sort of large bugs with embedded weaponry inside them. The rescue hits more than a few snags as the aliens kick the Marines' around, but Nantz formulates a hypothesis along the way that will eventually lead a discovery of the extraterrestrials' vulnerability. The platoon also picks up a few stragglers from other military units, including a tough Air Force recon sergeant named Santos (Michelle Rodriguez).

Will Nantz and a few grunts take down the millions of invaders using only a few small arms and pure Leatherneck moxie?

Besides the predictable ending and worn-out premise, Battle Los Angeles is a pretty fun movie that moves along fast with plenty of mindless action. Sure, it's bogged down with boatloads of patriotic military speeches and corny dialogue, but that doesn't wreck the 'shoot-em up' ride. There are also plenty of technological absurdities, like surviving a large C4 explosion's concussion from 15 feet away, but who cares? Testosterone must be served, and Battle Los Angeles is a smorgasbord of gung-ho action and heroism that should please anyone who loves their country, and a good first-person shooter video game.

There are other deficiencies in Battle Los Angeles, like an unintentionally funny scene where Nantz and a civilian veterinarian (Bridget Moynahan) dig into an injured alien's body looking for it's heart, or brain, or whatever makes it tick so they can know how to kill it, resembling some sort of sick version of the electronic board game Operation. There are also several improbable moments of drama in which the main characters resolve their deep psychological war wounds with a few battle field speeches and a few seconds of glory. It would have also been better if the movie showed the demise of the L.A. Lakers, but that's just the Jazz fan in me talking.

Again, who cares?

Battle Los Angeles isn't Citizen Kane, but a mindless, fun, action movie that guys will love - because sometimes you just gotta blow stuff up.

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

“'Battle: Los Angeles' is too long, too predictable - Deseret News”

“'Battle: Los Angeles' is too long, too predictable - Deseret News”


'Battle: Los Angeles' is too long, too predictable - Deseret News

Posted:

Published: Thursday, March 10, 2011 3:43 p.m. MST

Cary Darlingr, McClatchy Newspapers

"BATTLE: LOS ANGELES" — ★★1/2 — Aaron Eckhart, Ne-Yo, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez; PG-13 (sustained and intense sequences of war violence and destruction, strong language ); in general release

War is hell. And so is alien invasion.

That's the long and short of "Battle: Los Angeles," a distillation of grunt's eye-view, war-movie cliches with nasty, insect-like extraterrestrials standing in for every enemy the Marines have ever faced.

Yet, despite the plot predictability, the boiler-plate "I'm not gonna leave you behind!" dialog, and stretching too close to two hours, "Battle: Los Angeles" builds enough suspenseful tension — especially in its first half — to take it out of contention for the worst LA-gets-leveled splatter-rama to make it to the big screen. "2012" and "Independence Day" are still duking it out for those honors.

Aaron Eckhart is Michael Nantz, a staff sergeant stationed in Southern California who's just days shy from early retirement after a particularly grueling overseas assignment in which several of his men were killed. But, wouldn't you just know it, he can't put his uniform away just yet because that strange meteor shower over L.A.? Turns out it's the first wave of a brutal alien attack.

Nantz and his unit are tasked with rescuing a group of civilians trapped in an abandoned police station behind enemy lines in Santa Monica. They've got three hours to get them out, as that's when the Air Force plans to turn the beachfront city into a bombed-out wasteland.

Of course, his Marines might as well be from Hollywood Rent-a-Soldier. There's the nervous newbie (Noel Fisher, "The Pacific"), the traumatized and stressed-out (Jim Parrack, "True Blood"), the husband-to-be (singer Ne-Yo) who has so much to live for, and a book-smart second lieutenant (Ramon Rodriguez, "The Wire") who — say it with me now — has no idea what real combat is like.

Still, for all of that, the chaotic claustrophobia and the shaky-cam verite realism — despite perhaps summoning the occasional flashback from "Cloverfield" — are effective, especially when the audience doesn't yet know what the aliens look like or what they want. They're just this malevolent force intent on wiping our DNA off the face of the planet.

Eckhart displays the requisite square-jawed G.I. Joe ruggedness and the film generally looks good. Director Jonathan Liebesman ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning"), working from a script by Christopher Bertolini, does a pretty good job of destroying faux L.A. (it was actually shot in Louisiana, but "Battle: Baton Rouge" probably wouldn't have the same global marketing appeal).

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Thursday, March 3, 2011

“Meteorite Clue Opens Window into Solar System Evolution - msnbc.com”

“Meteorite Clue Opens Window into Solar System Evolution - msnbc.com”


Meteorite Clue Opens Window into Solar System Evolution - msnbc.com

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The dust grains that eventually coalesced into our solar system's planets bounced around like pinballs over vast distances nearly 4.6 billion years ago, a new meteorite study suggests.

Scientists studying a tiny chunk of a meteorite say it likely formed close to the sun, was ejected near today's asteroid belt, and then returned to the scorching inner reaches thereafter. The results should help astronomers better understand the early days of our solar system, and could shed light on planet-formation processes in general, researchers said.

"This has implications for how our solar system and possibly other solar systems formed and how they evolved," the study's lead author, Justin Simon, of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement. "There are a number of astrophysical models that attempt to explain the dynamics of planet formation in a protoplanetary disk, but they all have to explain the signature we find in this meteorite."

Studying a cosmic pea

Simon and his colleagues investigated a pea-size piece of the Allende meteorite, a hunk of space rock that crash-landed in Mexico in 1969. The bit they looked at is what's known as a calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion, or CAI. CAI's often get fused into larger meteorite pieces such as Allende. [ Spectacular Leonid Meteor Shower Photos ]

Scientists believe CAI's were among the first solids to condense from the swirl of gas and dust as the planets were forming, so studying them can yield clues about our solar system's early days, researchers said.

The team studied the composition of a 4.57 billion-year-old inclusion in detail with a tiny probe, measuring the concentrations of two different oxygen isotopes in the space rock's various layers. Isotopes are versions of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons in their atomic nuclei.

The concentrations of these two isotopes — oxygen-16 and oxygen-17 — varied from place to place while the solar system was forming. So by analyzing their relative abundances in the different parts of the CAI, the team was able to learn a great deal about its travels — which turned out to be extensive.

"If you were this grain, you formed near the protosun, then likely moved outward to a planet-forming environment, and then back toward the inner solar system or perhaps out of the plane of the disk," Simon said. "Of course, you ended up as part of a meteorite, presumably in the asteroid belt, before you broke up and hit the Earth."

The team reports its results in tomorrow's (March 4) issue of the journal Science.

Understanding our solar system's youth

The Allende meteorite findings are consistent with some theories about how dust grains formed and moved about in our solar system's infancy, eventually seeding the formation of planets, researchers said.

One of these theories depicts the early protoplanetary disk as a sort of washing machine, with the sun's powerful magnetic fields churning up gas and dust and spreading the stuff far and wide. Heated-up grains from near the sun and cooler dust from farther out were eventually incorporated into asteroids and planets, the theory goes.

"There are problems with the details of this model, but it is a useful framework for trying to understand how material originally formed near the sun can end up out in the asteroid belt," said study co-author Ian Hutcheon, of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif.

The team hopes to crack open and study more meteorite inclusions to help determine whether the Allende sample is unique, or if its jet-setting youth is typical, researchers said.

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