Sarah SpohnA&E Editor

Johnny Knoxville is known for his porta-potty pranks and downright dumb shenanigans. Nat-urally, when I saw the preview for Jackasss Bad Grandpa starring Knoxville, I was intrigued.

I took my seat in the theater and braced myself for what would probably be one too many F-bombs and a full frontal shot. To my surprise, I was given an ironically uplifting movie, starring Knoxville, a seem-ingly seasoned actor.

In no way was I expect-ing to feel anything during the movie, except sidesplit-ting laughter. To my sur-prise, I genuinely related with the characters, their

thoughts on love, friend-ship, camaraderie and good times.

The flick focuses on an 86-year-old man, Irving Zisman, and his grandson, Billy. Irvings hot mess of a daughter (think tramp stamp, tight jeans and sloppy eyeliner) goes to jail and drops her kid off with Zisman.

The pair is then thrown into a cross country road trip with the final destina-tion of dropping Billy off at his dads. Also quite a win-ner, the boys father (think Kid Rock wife beater, long hair and cheap cigs) only agrees to pick up the boy so he can get $600 a month.

The road to freedom (rid-ding the newly widowed Zisman of his 8-year-old grandson) doesnt come without twists, turns and tukus as Irving says.

Along the way, the two have run-ins with funeral home directors, strippers, child beauty pageant con-testants, bikers and count-less unaware, unenthused

small-town citizens. Considering past Jack-

ass efforts, I was expecting a montage of disorderly footage of stupid pranks and stunts, disclaimers and

bleeps. However, this had a plot. Knoxvilles acting chops were refreshing, and Im not talking about The Ringer.

He was believable as a

grumpy old man, as was he believable during the tender bonding moments between him and his grandson, newcomer Jack-son Nicholl.

Tender moments aside, there are a few cringe-worthy scenes Im still unfortunately re-playing in my mind. Hint: One in-cludes a pants zipper and a vending machine, and an-other includes an all-male strip club and an excited 80-year-old man.

The most memorable scene might just be when the pair enters Billy into the girls beauty pageant.

Cue the stripper pole and Warrants Cherry Pie song.

Bottom line: If you want a good laugh and a cute, little heartwarming mo-ment, Bad Grandpa is a good bet.

Jeremy KohnStaff Writer

The Loft in Lansing became a gathering of all different ages, races and cultures Nov. 1.

Many came together to celebrate one of hip-hops underground legends: Talib Kweli.

Before Kweli took the stage, two local open-ing acts performed. The first opening act went by the name of L-Soul. L-Souls music remind-ed me of a throwback homage to such hip-hop acts as Pharcyde and a Tribe Called Quest.

The second opening act went by the name of James Gardin. Complete with an onstage band, Gardin brought a eclectic blend of hip-hop, mixing alternative, funk and soul into his unique brand of hip-hop.

After much anticipation, the DJ Hi-Tek an-nounced Kweli to the stage. Kweli brought such poise and presence to his performance. Kweli wasted no time blazing through songs off of his latest CD Prisoner of Conscience, including Hu-man Mic, Turnt up and Rocket Ships.

Older fans of Kweli were given a treat as the Brooklyn MC played songs from the super group Blackstar. Kweli got the crowd going

by playing Definition and Redefinition. He even chose a member in the crowd to sing the chorus.

Some of my favorite moments came when Kweli showed his free-styling prowess; he even rapped over the Beatles Eleanor Rigby.

I have seen Kweli freestyle before, but noth-ing is like watching it live. Its like poetry in mo-tion. If you love hip-hop music or even music that has a positive message behind it, I highly recommend you see Kweli live.

Nov. 11 - 24, 2013www.lcc.edu/lookout

A&E10

Nathan Wilson Editor In Chief

I cant remember the last time Ive been so captivated by a video game as when I was playing Beyond: Two Souls.

Developed by Quantic Dreams Studios (creators of Heavy Rain), Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive drama that revolves around a girl named Jodie, voice acted by Ellen Page.

Jodie discovers early on she has an unexplainable connec-tion to a poltergeist-like en-

tity named Aiden. Due to this strange ability, she is moni-tored and heavily controlled by the Department of Paranormal Activity, and she is eventually recruited as a CIA operative.

You jump from one phase of Jodies life to the next, and not necessarily in any sequential order.

The control interface is dif-ferent in the sense the analog stick is the primary method of interaction. Time will slow down during portions of the game such as combat to briefly allow you to react.

When you are in control of

the entity Aiden, you have the ability to freely move through walls, move objects, possess humans and strangle your en-emies, all while unseen.

The most common com-plaint Ive heard about Beyond: Two Souls is that its different; its too cinematic, it strays be-yond the boundaries of genres, and it feels inconsistent due to the episodic storytelling.

Beyond: Two Souls definitely isnt for everyone, but if you arent afraid of a new gaming experience that relies heavily on story and emotion, I encour-age you to give it a try.

This weeks puzzle is sponsored by:

King Crossword

NCG Eastwood Cinemas

Showtimes and info available at:www.NCGmovies.com

or (517) 316-9100

2500 Showtime Dr.Lansing, MI 48912

Beyond blends film, gaming

Kweli astounds at Loft

Photo from raptr.com

Photo by Jeremy Kohn

Jackasss Bad Grandpa stars Johnny Knoxville as Irving Zisman, an 86-year-old man who is assigned to take his 8-year-old son Billy to his father in North Carolina.

Hip-hop artist Talib Kweli performs songs from his CD Prisoner of Conscience at The Loft in Lansing Nov. 1.

Bad Grandpa is surprisingly good