Fun in the Tampa sun

During the fall and spring semesters, it can be easy for students to get trapped in a routine of classes, projects, homework and studying. However, during the summer the mood on campus tends to be more relaxed, and students get an opportunity to step away from the normal routine and explore what Tampa has to offer off campus.

‘Gatsby’ soundtrack surpasses movie

Though Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel remains up for debate, the soundtrack produced by Jay-Z is topping charts. 

‘Great Gatsby’ film less than great

Anyone who has seen any of Baz Luhrmann’s previous films knows he tells his stories with an extravagant, theatrical style. “The Great Gatsby” is no exception. This fact alone is why Luhrmann is the perfect directorial fit for this elaborate, idealistic love story full of decadence and excess.

'Incredible Burt Wonderstone' fails to cast spell

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is not very incredible, but thanks to ample comedic talent, it’s nicely executed. 

'Safe Haven' makes Sparks fizzle

The first thought that came to mind walking out of the theater was, “Oh my God, I just paid $10 to watch a Lifetime movie.”

‘Zero Dark Thirty” worthy of Best Picture

When I saw the previews for “Zero Dark Thirty” this holiday season, I admittedly wrote it off as another military style action movie that was more bullets than brains. In hindsight, I was way off of the mark. If anything can be said of Kathryn Bigelow’s second opus, it’s that you will leave the movie 

Golden Globe Awards pave way for Oscar season

  The Golden Globes are often seen as the ceremony to whet the public’s appetite for the Oscars. The 70th ceremony on Sunday night had many of the predictable winners. Best Supporting Actor in Motion Picture: Christopher Waltz, “Django Unch

Books to movies: the latest flicks

Movie releases this season are full of the familiar book-to-movie titles, and this winter’s picks offer moviegoers a wide variety of films to choose from. The Oracle looks at a few recent and upcoming releases.

‘Breaking Dawn Part 2’: A not-so-shocking conclusion

One of the most important things to remember when going to see a “Twilight” movie is that it will neither be breathtaking, or completely terrible.

‘Lincoln’ offers more than history lesson

Set during the fragile time of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, dynamically played by Daniel Day-Lewis, is elected by the people for a second term even as the Civil War rages on.

Charming film has ‘Silver Linings’

“Silver Linings Playbook” has an optimistic feel to it as audiences watch how an unlikely friendship can help characters grow.

Pitch perfect adds musical talent to comedy

Pitch Perfect, the new film about an all-female a cappella group trying to hit the big time, is easygoing and filled with fun musical moments that make it sophisticated rather than cheesy.

‘Moonrise Kingdom’ represents Anderson at his finest

Wes Anderson, director of idiosyncratic films such as “Rushmore” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” has created what is perhaps the best film of his career.

'Ted' brings predictable humor, unexpected tender moments

Led by overwhelmingly negative reviews for Adam Sandler's “That's My Boy,” which received a 23 percent “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, fans looking for laughs have been disappointed. Fortunately for those fans, “Ted” finishes closer to the laughs of “21 Jump Street” than the disappointment of “That's My Boy.”

Despite scattered script, ‘Prometheus’ proves visually stunning

Ridley Scott, director of groundbreaking films such as “Bladerunner” and “Alien” completely missed the mark with the release of his latest film.

‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ is edgy but fragmented

Commercial director Rupert Sanders’ big-screen directorial debut is a surreal rehashing of the Grimm Brothers’ classic tale, with its eerie imagery,expert character development, and underlying feminism. “Snow White and the Huntsman” frightens and hypnotizes its audience with stunning cinematography but gets pulled down by the weight of fragmentation between scenes.

‘The Five-Year Engagement’ is a charming but overlong romantic comedy 

Only a year ago, producer Judd Apatow and fellow comedian Kristen Wiig turned a remarkable ensemble cast and crew into the hilarious “Bridesmaids,” setting a standard for many of the raunchy comedies to come afterward.

Foreign favorites of the Sarasota Film Festival

Sunday marked the end of the 14th annual Sarasota Film Festival, which brought several countries together in cinematic competition. Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev’s “Elena” and Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos’ “Alps” both took home awards. In a short but memorable visit to the Sarasota Film Festival, Scene and Heard takes a look at two of the festival’s foreign films.

Ti West talks ‘The Innkeepers,’ the supernatural and leaving horror

It’s not often that horror films are widely acclaimed by critics. They’re often dismissed as disposable works with characters produced solely for dying violently, but director Ti West has proven an exception to that rule.

‘The Raid: Redemption’ offers brawny action thrills from abroad

It’s hard to recall the last time a great action film was released stateside to both critical acclaim and commercial success. While “The Raid: Redemption” hasn’t exactly received the sort of box office bounty of a “Die Hard” film, it did well enough to expand from limited release and earn critical accolades.

‘The Cabin in the Woods’ stands with the very horror movies it subverts

“The Cabin in the Woods” is a film that isn’t fearful of turning the many tropes of horror films on their heads, all while joining in on the ghoulish fun.

‘God Bless America’ is a flawed but interesting black comedy

Once one of the most popular stand-up comedians of the ’80s, Bobcat Goldthwait in his later years has become a promising filmmaker, making comedies out of controversial topics.

Putting to rest the anxieties and superstitions accompanying Friday the 13th

While students may be starting this week off with high hopes for the upcoming weekend, some may be a little anxious to make it Friday. In 2012, we don’t just have one, but three days where Friday falls on the 13th.

Steven Spielberg applies his classic storytelling skills to the middling “War Horse”

First a popular young adult novel before being turned into an imaginative stage play by British playwright Nick Stafford, the film “War Horse” proves to be a visually splendid but dry adaptation.

Criterion Corner: ‘David Lean Directs Noel Coward’

One of cinema’s greatest pairings, British playwright Noel Coward and “Lawrence of Arabia” filmmaker David Lean, forged a partnership to create several films that would provide high-brow entertainment for the masses.

‘The Hunger Games’ hits the mark and lives up to the hype

America’s stomach has been growling for a film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ young adult publishing phenomenon “The Hunger Games,” and the well-crafted film incarnation is sure to satisfy

Catching up with cinematic comedies

Last week saw the opening of several notable comedies — cop comedy “21 Jump Street,” telenovella parody “Casa de mi Padre,” and existential comedy “Jeff, Who Lives at Home.”

New Releases & Criterion Corner

While each Tuesday typically brings a flurry of new releases to DVD and Blu-ray, this week and last week have been particularly outstanding in terms of quality.

Jason Segel and Mark Duplass discuss ‘Who Lives at Home’

‘John Carter’ finds himself on Mars but makes it hard to care

John Carter, the hero of the classic pulp novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, has finally made the leap from page to screen nearly a century since his first trip to Mars was published. Sadly, the results are just as stale and yellowed as the pages of a first edition copy would be.

Andrew Stanton and Taylor Kitsch travel to Mars with ‘John Carter’

When choosing a director to take on a big-budget, sci-fi adventure film based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' story "A Princess of Mars," one might imagine Disney would've looked to  James Cameron or even Michael Bay.

‘A Separation’ brings all the elements together for an amazing film

Though "A Separation" has just reached the Tampa Bay area, riding off its recent Oscar win for Best Foreign Language Film, any moviegoers catching it now will be seeing, arguably, the best film of last year.

'Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie' heads too far into the absurd to garner laughs

There's a recent trend in comedic features that pits impish, directionless adult men against major obstacles in their lives, with the film requiring these individuals to reform their ways all within the span of 90 minutes.

The winners and missed opportunities of the 84th annual Academy Awards

The night of the Academy Awards is typically one to celebrate glitz, glamour and all things cinema.

'Wanderlust' is an enjoyable comedic diversion

Writer-director David Wain's latest film "Wanderlust" offers his typical blend of oddball humor and borderline antagonizing comedic antics in a film that pokes and prods its audience's funny bone in mostly the right ways.

How we’ve scene it: ‘Cain’ vs. ‘Cain’

Production difficulties and clashes with film studios are not a rare event on Hollywood productions — "Scarface" director Brian De Palma can certainly attest to that.