Now Rating: ‘The Invention of Lying’

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

Mark Bellison has a power no one in his world can even fathom. He has the ability to lie.

“The Invention of Lying” is a story about a man who lives in a reality where people do not understand the concept of lying. Everyone speaks the truth, even when it is hurtful to others, and does not seem to understand why they should sometimes not say what is on their minds.

The movie has a few sad moments, which are quickly overrun with comedic relief, making you wonder why they bothered scripting a serious moment in the first place. The characters are engaging, somewhat na’ve and leave the viewer wanting more personality.

Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a man down on his luck and not very good at his job. There are no prospects in the romance department because he is not a good-looking guy.

His love interest in the movie, Anna (Jennifer Garner), refuses to give Bellison a chance even though he has a good personality. She feels that since Bellison is not a strong genetic match, one of the things she is looking for in her marriage, they could never work out.

Bellison does not have many friends because a lot of his neighbors and fellow workers see him and automatically label him a loser.

The first lie told by Bellison happens when he is asked a question and instead of giving the true answer, answers with what he would like it to be. Since there are no repercussions from the initial lie, Bellison goes on to experiment with his newfound abilities and discovers no one else in the world has any idea he is not being truthful.

The movie follows Bellison as he climbs up the ladder to fame and fortune because of his ability to lie. As more and more people begin to believe that what he says is gospel, Bellison finds he is still not happy because he does not want to lie to get the woman he loves.

The movie is full of subtle allusions to biblical references, like using “the man in the sky” when referring to God and using old pizza boxes in the same manner as Moses and the Ten Commandments. It also shows what the world would be without propaganda.

It is a little hard to suspend disbelief while watching this movie, as one does when watching something with aliens or talking animals in it.

There are no advertisements proclaiming why one is better than the other, or politicians using lies to find their way into office. Movies consist of people reading stories from history instead of actors portraying different characters conjured from the imagination of writers.

The characters in the movie freely speak their mind, which is amusing at times, but there is a lack of imagination. The conversation is witty and sarcastic, but in a subtle way, making it hard to understand at various points in the movie.

Gervais delivers his lines with a dry humor, but not as well as some of his co-stars. Garner’s character portrays an innocence that is a little insulting to women because, even though she is a strong businesswoman, she is not able to stand up for herself and give her own thoughts and opinions.

“The Invention of Lying” is an easy laugh that does not require much brainpower to follow along. The trailers did not promise much, so it was not as disappointing as expected.

City Museum isn’t just for kids

by Rachel Carlson, Alestle A&E Editor

Rachel Carlson

Ever since I came to SIUE, all I’ve heard about is the St. Louis City Museum. Over the years, most of my friends have taken a trip to St. Louis and come back saying how much fun it was. Each time I wondered when I would get to spend some time at this larger than life-sized playground.

This past weekend I finally got to experience the wonder that is the City Museum.

Set inside an old shoe company building, the City Museum is anything but your traditional museum. Between 600,000 square feet and multiple floors, the areas and objects to climb, touch and slide down are endless.

Whether you prefer a treehouse setting, under the sea or an abandoned airplane, you’ll find something to entertain yourself no matter your age.

Families — or, as in my case, college student — can run amuck through the City Museum without feeling out of place. There’s a section with tiny tunnels to wriggle through, an indoor ball pit for toddlers, a seven-story slide for everyone and a bar in case mom and dad need a break. Brand new this summer was the addition of a four-story ferris wheel to the roof of the museum and a 76-foot long pencil set inside the indoor skateless park.

My adventure on Friday took me into caves, an aquarium and a very scary climb to the top of a metal cage.  I’d say my first time at the City Museum was a success and I can’t wait to go back again.

MTV sure isn’t what it used to be

Derrick Hawkins

by Derrick Hawkins, Alestle photographer

Everyone knows about MTV now, but most people don’t know how much it has changed.

In 1981 an idea came to television about a network that only played music. It was going to be radio brought to life. At the time, MTV wanted to target the youth and the new music of the time.

But over the years, MTV has lost its core idea to spoiled teenagers, and wannabe A-Listers. Reality TV has become a bacteria that spreads on TV networks, and MTV jumped on the board. Granted, MTV was probably the first network to start the trend with shows like ‘The Real World” “Road Rules” and “Singled Out,” but now it’s a little out of control. MTV rarely plays music videos. The last good music video program the network had was “Total Request Live,” which only played about 20 seconds of a video, but it was a video.

MTV used to be the place where music artists wanted to get their big break. MTV is single-handedly responsible for great music icons like Madonna, Duran Duran ,and the biggest pop icon ever,  the late Michael Jackson. But now all you see are rich girls on  shows like “The Hills”  and “The City,” having drama over what Gucci purse to go along with their Prada stilettos and where to eat sushi at.

Everyone wants that 15 minutes. I know I would love it, but  MTV lost its core values of what their own name means, “music television.” MTV needs get rid off some of the scripted reality shows and bring back the music video.

Kanye West’s outbursts can have serious consequences

by Sean Roberts, Alestle photographer

Sean Roberts

Yo, Kanye, I’m gonna let you finish but Michael Jackson was one of the worst addicts of all time!

After his outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards, rapper Kanye West’s personality has come into the limelight—a very negative light. What he did was unacceptable- regardless of Taylor Swift’s singing abilities.

However, according to the New York Post , West may have been drinking before the show, and photos surfaced of him on the red carpet with a bottle of alcohol in his hand.  It’s not the first time he’s been accused of drunken outbursts. According to MTV News, he had another disturbance in 2006 about not winning best video for his song, “Touch the Sky”. He claimed to have had a “little sippy sippy” before the event.

One has to wonder how much alcohol played a part in all of his outbursts. I would wager that it’s at least likely that alcohol played a large part in some of his outbursts. He even admits it.

Could Kanye be dependent on alcohol, or does he just like to have a too much of a good time? Alcohol abuse occurs when someone consumes alcohol despite knowing continued consumption can cause significant problems. West continues to drink, presumably heavily, even after him crashing an award show in 2006.

Society always looks the other way when a celebrity has a serious addiction—that is, until he or she die. We all turned away from Michael Jackson and his problems until he died—the his doctor charged with his death.

Before West becomes another celebrity who goes before his time, he should seek treatment for whatever is causing these outbursts, before things get much more serious.

High school comedy full of “Glee”

by Sarah Jacobson, Alestle Reporter

I didn’t need another TV show. I gave up all other television viewing in order to make time to watch “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Heroes,” and “House” religiously. Somehow, I also managed to acquire the guilty pleasure of watching VH1’s “Tool Academy” as well. My schedule was full.

However, my three favorite series are still a week away from their premieres, and “Tool Academy” took the week off. So when my roommate suggested we watch “Glee” Wednesday night, I agreed.

Another high school comedy. It can’t be that great, I thought. Two “Glee” episodes later, I was full of glee.

The series follows a high school glee club coach (played by Matthew Morrison) as he tries to save the group from the extermination threatened if the group doesn’t place in the regional competition. Interspersed among scenes of the struggling club and its members’ interesting relationships are entertaining glee performances. The soundtrack of both old and new music is one of my favorite parts of this show (the other being the originality of its script and filming).

The show also touches on popular topics including love, homosexuality, drugs, and sex but not in a way that consumes the content of the show turning it into one of televisions many high school soap operas. The show is light-hearted and pleasant to watch, and it has a unique sense of humor I thoroughly enjoyed.

I didn’t need another show, but “Glee”  is too good to pass up. It gives me a lot of laughs and a continuous smile. It’s a unique form of entertainment brilliantly combining comedy, drama, and musical performances.s

You don’t need another show, but after watching “Glee” you will have one. Catch “Glee” online at http://www.fox.com/glee or at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox.