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Video Fun House: '21' fun enough, but doesn't hit jackpot

August 14, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

The Herald-Dispatch

Video Fun House film fans Jean Tarbett Hardiman and John Gillispie disagree on "21," rated PG-13 and starring Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth. Jean liked it, and John was under-whelmed.

JOHN: Did you ever think that national TV programs would be dedicated to showing people play card games?

JEAN: Are they?

JOHN: Yeah. The popularity of poker, especially Texas Hold 'Em, seems to be on the increase. And recently The Game Show Network launched a new show called "Catch 21," which centers around the popular game of blackjack.

JEAN: Well, if you can follow it, it is pretty entertaining, at least in the DVD we reviewed this week, "21." It turns playing cards into an adventure.

JOHN: Jim Sturgess stars as Ben, an MIT student who longs to go to Harvard Medical School, but is a little short of the money he needs to pay for it.

JEAN: And by "little short," he means $300,000 short.

JOHN: So, when a professor named Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) notices Ben's bright brain and invites him to become part of an elite club of people who count cards and take trips to Vegas to practice their skills, he eventually gives in to them.

JEAN: Spacey's character says repeatedly that counting cards is not illegal. I don't know if that's true, but the casinos sure don't appreciate it. In "21," the casinos have hired men who hang out in a dark room and watch video surveillance of gamblers to keep an eye out for cheaters. These are not friendly men.

JOHN: The characters you are talking about get so upset they beat people up. Laurence Fishburne plays one of those guys, named Cole Williams.

JEAN: He's quite scary in this, especially when he ties somebody to a chair in the basement and puts on his rings. Kevin Spacey is really good, too. He's likable as a teacher, but he's all business when it comes to his secret card-counting club. And Sturgess is likable as the lead, who seems like a good guy, reluctant to count cards as a way to afford medical school but then giving in because he sees no other choice. Actually, he probably changes his mind for a girl on the card-counting team, played by the gorgeous Kate Bosworth.

JOHN: "21" is an enjoyable movie, if not a great one, and Ben ends up dumping his nerdy but amusing friends Cam (Sam Golzari) and Miles (Josh Gad) for his new friends and their lives in the fast lane of Vegas.

JEAN: That's a shame because his friends are pretty funny. It would have been nice to see more of them in this movie. But overall, I liked it. Good actors, interesting story with a main character you could sympathize with. My only problem is that Kate Bosworth's character wasn't very consistent -- first she was like a devil's advocate, getting him to join, and then she becomes sweet all of a sudden, like, "Don't count cards. You could get hurt!"

JOHN: I thought, as a whole, "21" was too predictable. But it does show how Ben learns life's tougher lessons about friendship, loyalty and greed.

JEAN: I liked the adventure. But I tell you what -- I really have no desire to gamble in Vegas myself because losing tons of money would tick me off, and if I tried to count cards like they do, my head would probably explode.

JOHN: That wouldn't be good. They probably wouldn't ask you back.

JEAN: I know. I guess I'll just have to go see the Celine Dion-type shows. Barry Manilow. The tiger guys. Cirque du Soleil.

JOHN: I guess that's another way to lose your money.

Jean Tarbett Hardiman is a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch. John Gillispie is the public relations director for the Huntington Museum of Art. Contact the writer at jeant@herald-dispatch.com.

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Dining

GOOD EATS: Rocco's Ristorante serves up Italian faves

November 27, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

CEREDO -- Rocco's Ristorante has been a favorite of the Tri-State since 1977. The restaurant continues to serve delicious Italian meals, which have attracted people from miles around.

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In this image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Kate Bosworth, left, and Jim Sturgess are shown in a scene from "21".

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In this image released by Sony Pictures, actors, from left, Jim Sturgess, Jacob Pitts, Liza Lapira, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey are shown in a scene from the film, "21".

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