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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1996)
March 4,19% ^ BATTALION oor directing, subplots hurt Up Close & Personal JlfV I Justice (Robert Redford) as a desk Atwater become more and mo Aggielife Page 3 Mov/e Review . ............... Up Close & Personal Starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford Directed by Jon Avnet Rated PG-13 ^Playing at Hollywood 16 'e really small,; at’s college life it,” she said. said Howdy valuable experi- > them make de- ge in the future, y, a junior at igh School in she appreciated end experience, vanted to go to as my chance to eally like and to .udents perceive ley said, e also gained in- this weekend, ore about how l on,” she said, aditions at the >u feel like you :a of how classes idea of how we to get into here.” though she will ito other schools, 1 attend A&M. mols to have to going to be real- iichelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford star in Up Close & Personal. By Amy Uptmor The Battalion Up Close & Personal is the touching story of a small-town wanna-be jour nalist who makes it all the way to the position of network anchorwoman, thanks in no small part to her produc- er-turned-husband who showed her the way. If this movie sounds a bit cheesy, it is. Based loosely on the book “Golden Girl” by Alanna Nash, which chroni cles the life of reporter Jessica Sav- itch. Up Close & Personal follows the story of the fictitious journalist Sally, or “Tally,” Atwater’s (Michelle Pfeif fer) career in broadcast news. Atwater, with no experience (she makes a demo tape with false informa tion about her reporting experience), is hired by veteran reporter Warren Justice (Robert Redford) as a desk assistant. Atwater is soon given the chance to be a reporter for the TV station, with Justice coaching her, dressing her and cradling her every step of the way. Soon enough, she learns to stand on her own and is offered a job at a major-market station. The problem is her re lationship with Justice has developed into some thing she doesn’t want to leave behind. Nevertheless, she takes the offer, and Justice soon hops like a lovesick puppy onto the first plane to see her, and the two eventually marry. As soon as things seem to calm down in the two’s lives, Atwater is faced with the biggest story of her life and a possible promotion to a net work reporting position as a result of her work. It is at about this point that the movie begins to suddenly delve into so many subplots that following the plot becomes about as complicated as try ing to keep up with decapitated chick ens in a henhouse. Not that this isn’t a nice love and success story; but the life and times of Atwater become more and more far fetched as the subplots increase through this two hour-long movie. Both Pfeiffer and Redford put in outstanding performances in Up Close & Personal. "The life and times of Tally Atwater be come more and more far-fetched as the subplots increase through this two hour- long movie." Pfeiffer is pleasurable to watch as her character grows from a scared, young journalist to a woman in control of her life and career, The directing, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Director Jon Avnet {Fried Green Tomatoes) is blessed with a fairly well-written script, ala Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, but does lit tle to make the story flow. Nevertheless, I/p Close & Personal is a touching love story and an inspir ing chronicle of a reporter’s fantastic career, despite being a little rough around the edges. Unfortunately, there’s not much more than a cute love/success story to this movie. Star power does nothing to help weak plot in Before and After ersation Might News Editor- -f. Editor orts Editor Editor i, Graphics Editor ncs Editor lela Benson, Eleanot Pace, Danielle Pon- Wiggins irry, Kristina Bulfin, James Francis, Libe Alex Walters; Pace phanie Christopher, 'JER: Jody Holley (ter, Rob Clark, Erin Elaine Mejia, Chris ; !< Kieran Watson ' Angkriwan, Amy lory Willis & Evan JeLuca, Jody Holley, hn Lemons, Jennifer I & Chris Yung , Mandy Cater, Am- ; A&M University in )f Journalism, ne: 845-3313; Fax; endorsement by The call 845-2696. For i 01 5 Reed McDon- ly. Fax: 845-2678. idem to pick up a sin- , $40 per school yeaf or American Express, riday during the fall ■ summer sessions - M University, Id Building, Texas - Movie Review * Before and After Starring Meryl Streep, Liam Neesc and Edward Furlong Directed by Rarret Schroeder „ Rated PG-13 J|WaPSgalPdM0akMall Si ** 1^2(out of five) Sf lames Francis Ihe Battalion If ever a movie has been force-fed to its audience, it would be Before and After. Edward Furlong portrays Jacob Ejati, a teen-ager accused of murder ing: his girlfriend. Itisthe same old story of small-town, Iddle America where something goes wrong and shocks the town. Suddenly, long-time friends do not want to be seen with you and finding new jieople who will stand by you is impossible. Jacob’s parents, Dr. Carolyn and Ben Ryan (Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson), struggle to come to terms with whether or not their beloved son has committed such a crime. Through their trouble with Ja cob, the film changes direction from the story of a mysterious murder to a battle between truth and lies in the courtroom. Director Rarret Schroeder’s mind must have been cloudy when he thought about keeping the audience in suspense or revealing just enough to keep moviegoers interested. There is no surprise ending because Jacob tells his parents and the audi ence the entire story somewhere in the middle of the movie. After that, there is no point to con tinue watching the denouement of the plot, which is solid but a repeat of every Sunday-night TV movie. Streep comes across as her usual whispy-voiced, weak character who has to find strength in herself by the end of the movie. The audience is not shown enough of her life as a doctor to be convinced of her coming home tired. In the end, Streep should look back to her performance in The House of Spirits as a reminder of the acting she can deliver. Neeson, whose character is a success ful welding artist, looks more in tune to his starring role in Ethan Fromme. He resembles an old mountain man with mood swings unfit for such a dra matic attempt of a film. Although his performance of a fa ther trying to do whatever he can to keep his son out of prison is steady, it is too static. To put icing on the cake, Furlong intends of conveying the emotions of a remorseful teenager to the audience. By mouthing only two words in the first hour of the movie, one can tell Furlong is a far cry from the embodiment of drama. Once again, his acting reeks of Ter minator 2: Judgment Day, with whin ing and over-dramatic tears. As a made-for-television movie, maybe Before and After would find individuals willing to sit through and endure bad performances by able actors. Flat dramatic scenes reaching for emo tions that were not there is the premise and the demise of Before and After. Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson and Edward Furlong star in the drama, Before and After. Let Talk For information call or visit Monday-F riday 707 Texas Ave. Suite 303 Bldg. C Ets sh aS econd l! n9ua9e 696-6583 Conversational - 3 English Classes H For student, staff, family • Beginning, inter mediate, advanced • Small group lessons 707 Texas Ave Visitor Parking Full! Next week Texas A&M University plays host to the annual conference for the Texas Water Utilities Association. This is a very large event and all visitor parking around the Rudder/MSC Complex will be reserved from Monday through Wednesday, March 4-6. This includes all of the University Center Garage visitor parking and part of PA 48. Commuter students who normally park in this area may use their parking permits to ride the off-cam pus shuttle buses during this time at no charge. Other parking options include PA 63 and PA 103 adjacent to Olsen Field. rj C n ■ w r/^ $ General Class Meeting Mon. March 4 7:00 p.m. in 601 Rudder □ □ CONTACT LENSES fror Bausch & Lomb Daily or Extended Wear, Tinted & Toric (for astigmatism) available h 1 Q00 i 1 O TOTAL COST. .INCLUDES EYE EXAM, FREE CARE KIT, AND TWO PAIR OF STANDARD DW/EW WEAR SOFT CONTACT LENSES. 149 00 TOTAL COST.. .INCLUDES EYE EXAM, FREE CARE KIT, AND FOUR PAIR OF STANDARD DW/EW SOFT CONTACT LENSES. SAME DAY DELIVERY ON MOST LENSES. Call 846-0377 for Appointment CHARLES C. SCHROEPPEL, O.D., PC. DOCTOR OF OPTOMETRY 505 University Dr. East, Suite 101 College Station, TX 77840 4 Blocks East of Texas Ave. & University Dr. Intersection VISA On-Campus Residents Your signature is requested at Contract Renewal Options: Renew your contract Mali change Room change Transfer to the Corps Co-op Student Teaching Study Abroad All on-campus residents must renew their Intern contracts dr cancel their housing for the Graduate March 4&5 7-10 p.m. in your residence hall Fall 1996 - Spring 1997 academic year. Cancel
