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2 THE MOVIES TEAM

JD Alfone JD Alfone is a freelancer for 2theadvocate.com.

Lauren Claret Lauren, 21, enjoys watching movies. Comedies, mysteries, love stories, you name it and she’ll watch it. Her only requirement is that the movie be entertaining She loves the humor in the Coen brothers' films and the theatrics in Fellini's. She subscribes to the idea that no actor is a bad actor, only miscast and that no story is a bad story, only bad direction.

Michael Farrar Michael J. Farrar appreciates a well told story whether it's in a film, book, podcast, magazine or overheard conversation. Some of his favorite films include: “Dances With Wolves,” “Amelie,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Rushmore,” “Cinema Paradiso,” “Brazil,” “Eve's Bayou,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” “Chinatown,” and 'The Royal Tenenbaums.” When he's not catching a movie to review, this LSU grad produces/hosts public radio music programs, lends his voice to commercials, and creates podcasts for business websites.

Joe Hischer jhischer@theadvocate.com Joe, 33, likes independent films and mockumentaries. Napoleon Dynamite, Hotel Rwanda and Life Aquatic are among his favorite new releases on DVD. Some of Joe’s favorite actors are Jean Reno and Russell Crowe, and he calls Gwyneth Paltrow his Hollywood girlfriend. Favorite directors include Michael Mann, Wes Anderson and Luc Besson. Joe will never give a sterling review to redundant plots or to any of the Police Academy movies.

Kevin McQuarn kmcquarn@theadvocate.com Kevin, 31, likes gangster, action, sci-fi, and animation films. A few of his favorite movies include "New Jack City", "The Goonies" and "Shrek." He admires both Steven Spielberg and John Singleton for their directing and business prowess. He also believes that Morgan Freeman is one of the best actors on the big screen today.  "I'm the everyday guy, and generally, I try to write my review from that standpoint,"

Ashley Merritt amerritt@theadvocate.com Ashley, 27, enjoys almost every genre of movie, except horror flicks. She can sit through a horror movie, but days later her imagination runs wild thinking about the film. Action and comedy are her favorite genres, and she loves all three "Indiana Jones," "The Goonies," and the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Favorite actresses include Maggie Smith, Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. Favorite actors are Alan Rickman and Ed Harris. Entertainment is her main goal at the movies and that doesn't always mean a blockbuster.

George Morris George Morris is a News Features staff writer.

Norris Ortolano Norris, 22, has a special taste for horror, war movies, and classics.  Some of his favorite films include “Roman Holiday,” all three “Evil Dead” movies, “Boyz in the Hood,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “MASH.”  He admires the directing of Eastwood and Tarantino, the acting of Poitier, Bill Murray, and Denzel Washington, the writings of Charlie Kaufman and Aaron Sorkin, and the unbelievable screen presence of Audrey Hepburn.  “I basically want people to know which movies are worth watching, whether they want quality entertainment or just plain fun.”

Patrick Rills Patrick, 26, loathes filmmakers who take an audience for granted and insists “The Fountain” was this generation’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” He likes to think he is selective rather than picky. He enjoys a variety of film from the edgy vision of Darren Aronofsky, the gritty story telling of David Fincher, and the endearing humanity of Cameron Crowe. Patrick reserves a special place in his heart for witty romantic comedies, intelligent action flicks, and seemingly disjointed comedies. His favorite movies are “Fight Club,” “Pi,” “Star Wars,” “The Matrix,” “Vanilla Sky,” and “High Fidelity.”

Erin Sanchez Erin, 21, loves kid movies such as "Bambi," "The Last Unicorn," and the "Shrek" movies. She prefers a movie that makes laughing easy without involving too much thinking. Aside from animated films, Erin likes romantic movies that do not revolve around romance-based plots such as "Chocolate" and "Groundhog Day." Even though action movies have begun to bore her, she has a keen interest in the classic "Indiana Jones" and "Terminator" films.

Rachel Shepard Rachel, 22, enjoys almost every type of movie, but is particularly fond of gangster, comedies, musicals, and old romance classics. Some of her favorites include “The Departed”, “Rocky”, “Anchorman”, “Roman Holiday”, and “Moulin Rouge.” Jimmy Stewart, Tom Hanks, and Ewan McGregor are a few of her favorite actors because of their ability to play any role well. She is partial to movies that are well written with originality, though she can appreciate any movie for what its worth.

Rachel Spear Rachel, 27, finds pleasure in just about any movie, but she has a special love for romantic comedies and dramas.  Some of her all-time favorites include "Love Story," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "10 Things I Hate About You."  She also has an admiration for actresses such as Reese Witherspoon and Meg Ryan.

John Starr John, 23, is a fan of almost every type of movie, but his favorites are comedies and adventures. He enjoys movies because they are an opportunity to escape into another world for a few hours. Vince Vaughn is his favorite actor, and he thinks that the actor can pull off any script. Some of his favorite movies include “Little Miss Sunshine”, “Old School, Saved!”, and “Superbad.” “I want to provide a different perspective on the movie watching experience.”

Brett Troxler btroxler@wbrz.com Brett, 29, is just a guy who likes movies. He avoids romantic comedies but enjoys When Harry Met Sally. He admires Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino and always recommends a movie that you have to watch twice, like Donnie Darko, Memento or Mulholland Drive. His favorite actors are Tom Cruise (sure he's nuts, but he makes good movies), Bill Murray,  Johnny Depp and Clive Owen; least favorite is Nicolas Cage. "I'm honest about what I think," Brett said. "I try to get to the point and not let my review drag on forever. I keep my plot outline simple as to not spoil the movie. And I crack the occasional joke."

Mike Wilson mwilson@theadvocate.com Mike, 31, says it’s okay to eat popcorn and be entertained because movies don’t have to change your life. He’ll watch almost any movie is he has the time and says his tatses range wildly depending on the quality of the film. He’s fond of the Godfather trilogy, Usual Suspects and Being John Malkovich. He is a big fan of Cinéma vérité and films like 'Salesman.' Favorite actors include Bill Murray, Harvey Keitel, Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank. Mike doesn’t believe in bad actors, he just thinks sometimes actors are miscast and that some directors can't really direct.

John Wirt jwirt@theadvocate.com John Wirt writes about movies and music for The Advocate. A native of Richmond, Va., he studied art and music at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. Wirt worked as a professional musician before being asked to write reviews for The Richmond Times-Dispatch. He has since written thousands of film and music pieces for The Times-Dispatch, The Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Advocate.

Associated Press Writers feedback@ap.org Movie writers Christy Lemire and David Germain lead a talented group of reviewers from the Associated Press who will appear on 2theadvocate.com time to time. 2theadvocate.com strives to offer Baton Rouge and South Louisiana the highest quality and most comprehensive movie content available. To this end we will supplement out local coverage with Associated Press content when necessary.