“Snow White and the Huntsman” an Expensive Piece of Nothing
Jun 9th
“Expensive Piece of Nothing”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
Snow White and the Huntsman is the second movie about Snow White to come out in two months, and the title indicates that Hollywood is running out of variations on how to make each one different.
Instead, the filmmakers should be concerned about how to make each one better, because this one isn’t.
This time, the evil Queen is played by Charlize Theron, and she even gets a name, Ravenna.
The Huntsman is played by Chris Hemsworth, whom you will recognize as the actor playing Thor in some other action movies, but he doesn’t get a name, just a back story.
And the grownup Snow White is played by Kristen Stewart, whom you will recognize from a lot of other movies.
Once again, we see how it all began, and after Ravenna becomes the stepmother of young Snow White, Ravenna tells her, “I could never take your mother’s place.”
And once again, Snow White is placed in prison by the Queen, high up in the north tower of the castle.
My comment was “Boring!” even before the movie got one-third of the way through.
So, the variation this time is not that the Queen has the Huntsman take Snow White out into the woods to kill her, but Snow White escapes from the castle and the Queen has the Huntsman go into the woods to find Snow White and bring her back.
Now, Charlize Theron chews the scenery as Ravenna, the evil Queen, and that is not easy to do when the scenery is made out of stone walls.
By this time the movie has become a swords and sorcery story, and the woods contain all sorts of menacing things and even a monster.
Finally! About two-thirds of the way through, the dwarfs show up, but right away you notice that there is something strange about them, and the camera doesn’t stay on all of them long enough for you to count them.
Sure enough, you were right, and later in the story an explanation solves the mystery.
Another weird thing about the dwarfs, however, is that you get the nagging feeling that when they are shown in closeup, you think that you recognize the actors playing them, but those actors aren’t actual little people.
Snow White and the Huntsman is an expensive piece of a nothing movie.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
This Weekend in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and The Beaches: June 8 – 10
Jun 6th
Friday: June 8
ZZ Top; Gretchen Wilson and 3 Doors Down Concert
Legendary rockers ZZ Top will be joined by 
3 Doors Down and Grammy award-winning country artist, Gretchen Wilson at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, 1640 A1A in St. Augustine. Tickets range from $49.50 to $124.50. Concert begins at 6:30 p.m. .www.staugamphitheatre.com
Friday, Saturday & Sunday: June 8-10
My Big Fat Greek Food Festival
Presented by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, this festival will feature delicious Greek dinners such as lamb, souvlaki, gyros, Aegean chowder; Greek pastries and coffees; Greek wine tastings, music, kid’s activities and more. The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. On Saturday, enjoy “An Evening of Comedy with Basile” at 8 p.m. in the Michael C. Carlos Fellowship Hall. Tickets are $45 for adults and $35 for students under 18. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is located at 2940 CR 214, (West King Street just before the I-95 overpass) in St. Augustine. 904-829-0504www.holytrinitygoc.com .
Bingo, The Musical at Limelight Theatre
Musical comedy about Vern, Honey and Patsy who have driven through a terrible storm in the name of their weekly obsession. Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through July 1. All performances take place at the Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Avenue in St. Augustine. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $20 for students and military. For more information, call 904.825.1164 or visit www.limelight-theatre.org
Saturday: June 9
GTM Research Reserve 2nd Saturday Trail Hike
A GTM Research Reserve staff and/or volunteer led 1.5 mile walk that the entire family will enjoy. Meet at the Trailhead Pavilion at 8:30 a.m. Wear comfortable closed toe shoes. There is a $3 per vehicle parking fee. GTM Research Reserve Environmental Education Center, 505 Guana River Rd., Ponte Vedra Beach. 904-823-4500
National Parks Get Outdoors Day
Free admission to Castillo de San Marcos on Avenida Menendez, overlooking Matanzas Bay in historic St. Augustine. The Spanish fortress is the oldest masonry fortification in the U.S. Visitors can experience living history during Spanish Military cannon firings throughout the day. Admission is always free at Fort Matanzas, the 18th century Spanish fort that guarded the southern approach to St. Augustine, located south of St. Augustine at 8635 A1A. www.NPS.gov/casa and www.NPS.gov/FOMA
Saturday & Sunday: June 9-10
School’s Out Eco Tour!
Start the summer out right by getting the kids on the water and off the couch! Explore the productive waters of St. Augustine on the 1.5-hour boat tour and learn about dolphin behavior, beautiful wading birds and more. The 11am and 1pm departures get the kids moving and give you the chance to enjoy lunch downtown. Call (904) 377-7245 for reservations or visit www.staugustineecotours.com for more information.
C Ford Riley Exhibit
A new exhibit of original paintings by C Ford Riley will open this weekend at the Worley Faver Gallery, 11A Aviles Street, St. Augustine. Riley is well-known for his landscapes and wildlife paintings, many of which grace art galleries throughout the county. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (by appointment Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). 904-304-2310 or http://faverpottery.com
Sunday: June 10
Twilight Sail
Bring your weekend to a pleasant, relaxing conclusion with a twilight sail aboard the beautiful Schooner Freedom. The schooner will depart the St. Augustine City Marina at 8:45 p.m. and return at 10 p.m. This sailing adventure Includes complimentary drinks and live guitar music performed by Alex Barron. Tickets are $35 per person. Make your reservation by calling 904-810-1010.www.schoonerfreedom.com
Source: Visitors and Convention Bureau
Flagler College faculty-led trip to Costa Rica
Jun 5th
This summer, the Flagler College Latin American 
Studies department offered a faculty-led trip to Costa Rica for students looking for a deeper immersion experience in their major.
Studies department offered a faculty-led trip to Costa Rica for students looking for a deeper immersion experience in their major.
The following is an update on the program from Flagler student Adam Krell who is currently on location with fellow classmates Ana Chambers, Diane Cassidy, Matt Garber, Elijah Hayes, Adrienne Gonzalez, and Stephanie Sweeting.
The program is led by Assistant Professor Agnieszka Johnson.
It is not every day you get on a plane to travel to a different country for five weeks. Upon arriving in the beautiful country of Costa Rica, we were greeted by our host families at the airport, who speak no English. From that point on, it has been non-stop Spanish speaking for all of us. It is truly a rewarding experience watching not only myself, but also my friends grow in the language and culture.
Intercultura School of Languages here in Costa Rica strives to provide full Spanish immersion for students so we can fully develop the skills and techniques required for learning a second language. From the intensive Spanish courses and the homestay experience with our Tico (Costa Rican) family, we are building the confidence needed to speak in Spanish.
Each day we wake up early with the sun and eat breakfast with our host families. We converse about what we have planned and make our way to the school. Spanish class starts at 8:30 a.m. sharp each morning and lasts until 12:30 p.m. with two fifteen minute breaks. After taking an hour to walk around and eat lunch, we either have a Costa Rican cooking class or dance class followed by another class taught by our faculty leader, Professor Aggie Johnson. During the cooking classes, we have learned how to cook several local dishes, like Patacones (smashed plantains that are fried, like chips) with guacamole and beans, biscochos (a Costa Rican corn cookie), and empanadas, all while learning our way around the kitchen speaking Spanish. During our Latin dance class, we learn one of three styles of dance: merengue, salsa or bachata. As we move our hips to the beat, we have fun dancing with each other and a variety of other students who also are attending Intercultura.
Our other class, with Professor Johnson, is a Spanish literature course that will eventually end with each of us writing and reading our own short stories. This class is more challenging, as we come to class and discuss a short story completely in Spanish each day. After class, we head home to eat dinner with our host families and talk about our days. It’s non-stop Spanish speaking until we go to bed.
As we are ending our third week here in Heredia, a suburb of the country’s capital of San José, we have experienced many different adventures. From seeing an active volcano, Póas, 
visiting a waterfall garden, taking a tour of the coffee plantation Doka (a local company near Heredia), to taking weekend trips to San José, we are not missing out on anything that Costa Rica has to offer.
In the next two weeks we are going white-water rafting on Mount Chirripó, the highest peak in Costa Rica, and making our way to Playa Sámara for a week. There, we will spend the week with another homestay family and attend classes right on the beach. When the week ends, we will make our way back to Heredia for one night and fly back to the United States on June 11.
As the Ticos say here in Costa Rica, ¡Pura Vida! (which translates to “pure life”)
Source: Flagler College
