The Battalion
^ • April 22,
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in on Saturi
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! of College!:
3 Environmer.
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will team up:
elebration.
to 3 p.m. on
1 fields, parti:
70 booths, ei;i
s and shop tt
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:an engineers
is docked io
to Mobil Cor!.
696-C
student discot
, Night NewsEiC'
life Editor
Sports Editor
o Editor
ch, GHAI>HICSElJr i
phics Editor
imela Benson, El®'
r Pace, KendraS.^
;gins
larry, Kristina W
David Hall, |eit f
i; Pace Design® I*
fin, Phil Leone,P
V
axter, RobClaiM 1
, Elaine Mejia, 0"
& Kieran Walson
ly Angkriwan, A ff
Cory Willis h
y Holley, Jill MaJ 1
;, Ed Goodwin, h'
’ada, lames Vineyf
iy, Mandy Cater, ''
as A&M Universi:
of Journalism,
one: 845-3313; P
endorsement by 1 '
y, call 8 4 5-2696. f
in 015 ReedMctk
Jay. Fax; 845-26‘r
tuclenttopickupir
;r, $40 persdiocl '
r or American Ef
Friday during the’
re summer session
&M University.
aid Building, Te'F
MONDAY
April 22, 1996
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Disney adds excitement to Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach
Starring Paul Terry, Richard
Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon
Directed by HeniifJSelicic
■ ~ ■ Rated»ROte°>°«»»;_ -
:*** 1/2 Cout of Hire)
By James Francis
The Battalion
Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon star in James and the Giant Peach.
Disney has done it again
with yet another stop-anima
tion creation.
James and the Giant Peach
opens with a live-action (real
person) introduction of James
and his parents, who all reside
along a beach.
One day, James’ parents, who
planned to take their son to New
York, succumb to a horrific
tragedy, and James is sent to live
with his two evil aunts.
While surviving his Aunt Spik-
er and Aunt Sponge’s tirades,
James encounters a man with
what he claims to be magical,
green-glowing crocodile tongues.
The magical tongues escape; a
giant peach grows on a lifeless
tree, and the aunts claim the mir
acle to their fame.
On a night of heavy clean-up
duty, James removes a glob of the
peach to eat, and a large opening
forms, allowing him to crawl in.
Once inside, the stop-anima
tion has begun, and the audience
is introduced to Grasshopper, an
intellectual and learned violin
player; Earthworm, the comic
relief of the film; Spider, a
Parisian temptress with high
heels; Ladybug, the grand
mother figure; Centipede, a
Brooklyn ruffian with cigar in
mouth; and Gloworm, the light
of the peach.
It is these remarkable,
life-size creatures who bring
magic to the screen and allow
an adventure of grand magni
tude to unfold before the eyes
of the audience.
Traveling by way of the
peach, James and his new-
found friends take moviegoers on
a journey of side-bursting laugh
ter and free-spirited dramatics.
The voices behind the anima
tion all fit the appearance of the
characters and convey a good re
lationship on the screen.
With a bit of help from Tim
Burton, who has Beetlejuice un
der his wings, the animation is
cinematography at its best.
Visually stunning scenes of
the ocean, along with the inside
of the peach, glue all eyes to the
movie screen and promise there
will never be a dull moment.
The only fault of the film is the
ending, which takes the audience
back to live animation intermixed
with stop-animation.
Once back to the real people,
the ending becomes a bit cliche,
and it seems to speed up in order
to let the audience leave early.
However, those who have the
patience should stay until the
credits are finished with their run
because a brief after-movie addi
tion will be waiting.
Truth About Cats and Dogs portrays idealism
Mom Review:
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
Starring ianeane Garoffaio, U«na
Thurman and Ben Chaplin
Directed by Michael iehmanh
Rated PG-13
By Amy Uptmor
The Battalion
The Truth About Cats and Dogs reinforces
the belief that intelligent, charming women can
win over the tall, beautiful airheads of the
world, even if it takes some trickery to pull it off.
This modern-day, feminine adaptation of the
tale of Cyrano DeBergerac stars Janeane Garo-
falo as Abby, a veterinarian who hosts a call-in
radio show called “The Truth About Cats and
Dogs.” One day, Abby finds herself coaxing a
nervous caller named Brian (Ben Chaplin) into
dealing with a rambunctious dog he is having
to take pictures of.
Brian is so moved by Abby’s advice that he
ends up keeping the dog as a pet and asking
Abby out for a drink in gratitude. And since Bri
an has an incredible English accent, she decides
to give him a try — through another person.
Enter Noelle (Uma Thurman), Abby’s flaky
but beautiful neighbor. Abby’s insecurity about
her appearance forces her to give a description
of Noelle instead of herself for Brian to look for
at the bar. Since Noelle owes Abby a favor, she
agrees to participate in the charade.
When Brian sees Noelle (who is calling her
self Abby), he is overwhelmed that she is so
beautiful in person and so intelligent on the air.
From here, things get a little crazy. Noelle
(from left) Brian (Ben Chaplin) becomes involved with Abby (Janeane Garofalo) in The
Truth About Cats and Dogs.
meets Brian by day, and Abby talks to him on
the phone at night. Finally, the two realize they
both like Brian and that he must know the .
truth and pick which he wants more — beauty
or personality.
Director Michael Lehmann {Heathers)
does an excellent job of keeping the movie
cute without letting the life-swapping plot
get out of control.
And this movie is filled with captivating, 20-
something dialogue reminiscent of Singles and
Reality Bites, which can be credited to first
time screenwriter Audrey Wells.
The dialogue is carried off with excellent act
ing on the part of Garofalo, Thurman and
Chaplin. Thurman is never doubted as a dumb
blond, and few people doubt Abby will win the
man in the end, given Garofalo’s charm, wit
and, yes, beauty.
The idea behind The Truth About Cats and
Dogs is idealistic to say the least. But it does
give the dateless women of the world hope: in
ner beauty really can be more important than
appearance, if you can just find the right guy.
% %
NO Time for a
B^^HhinkHSBW
1 he Plaza Cafe serves a
weekday lunch buffet
that’ll satisfy your hunger,
your schedule,
and your budget!
Each weekday
we offer different
specialty entrees,
plus we have
our magnificent
Soup 8 Salad Bar.
Served Monday - Friday
11am-2pm
Lunch
Buffet
just
$4.95
soup a
Salad Bar
just
$3.95
jiliiili!
Wrllhiversity Dr ive East • College Station OfsiVpf
409.693.7500 1 IQ^O
In the College Station Hilton
4M & GO TUTORING
700 E. University Dr., Suite #108
Sunday
Apr-21-96
Monday
Apr-22-96
Tuesday
Apr-23-96
Wednesday! Thursday
Apr-24-96 | Apr-25-96
Aggie
Muster
7 pm
MATH 152
Review from
last week
5pm-7pm
MATH 151
Review from
last week
5pm-7pm
Tickets for all classes on
sale Sunday April 21 at
2:30 pm«
FINC 341
Part I
6pm-8pm
FIJS'C 341
Part II
6pm-8pm
Finals
FINC 341
Part HI
6pm-8pm
Tutoring
FINC 341
Part IV
6pm-8pm
MATH 152
Part I
7pm-10pm
MATH 152
Part II
7pm-10pm
MATH 152
Part HI
7pm-10pm
MEEN 329
Part I
3pm-5pm
MEEN 329
Part II
8pm-llpm
MEEN 329
Part HI
8pm-llpm
FINC 341
Part I
8pm-10pm
FINC 341
Part II
8pm-10pm
Finals
FINC 341
Part III
8pm-10pm
Tutoring
FINC 341
Part TV
8pm-10pm
MATH 151
Part I
lOpm-lam
MATH 151 I MATH 151
Part II Part III
lOpm-lam lOpm-lam
'po>i r 7ic&ct infayuHAtiA* caM "TTCIOIR (T46-TTT6).
pw
Page 3
Mrs. Winterbourne tells
heart-warming story
■ *
Connie Doyie (Ricki Lake) befriends Grace Winterbourne (Shirley
Maclaine) in Mrs. Winterbourne.
Movie Review
Mrs. Winterbourne
Starring Ricki Lake, Brendan
Fraser and Shirley MacLaine
Directed by Richard ftonjantin
' ' ■ Rated Pfl*33
Flaying at Hollywood 16
*** 1/2Contof five)
By Kristina Buffin
Teie Battalion
If you liked While You Were
Sleeping, Mrs. Winterbourne is
the movie for you.
Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake) is a
penniless 18-year-old who travels
to New York to find fame and for
tune. Unfortunately, she ends up
meeting the wrong man, Steve
DeCunzo (Loren Dean), and get
ting pregnant.
When Steve throws her out
onto the street, penniless and
seven months pregnant, Connie’s
only option is to go to a woman’s
shelter. But instead of getting on
the subway, she is pushed onto a
train heading for Boston.
On the train, she meets Hugh
Winterbourne (Brendan Fraser),
who pays for her train ticket and
offers to let her stay in his cabin
with him and his pregnant bride,
Patricia (Susan Haskell).
Midway to Boston, there is a
train wreck, and Hugh and Patri
cia are killed. But because Con
nie had tried on Patricia’s wed
ding band, authorities and the
Winterbourne family as
sume she is the daughter-
in-law they never met.
Connie has nowhere to
go, so she takes advantage
of Grace Winterbourne’s
(Shirley MacLaine) hospi
tality. But, unbeknownst to
Connie, Hugh has a twin
brother, Will.
From this point on, the
story revolves around
whether or not Connie will
tell the Winterbournes that
she is not Patricia.
I^ake does a fantastic job of
portraying the role of a woman
from a not-so-glamorous back
ground being thrust into an up
per-class lifestyle.
MacLaine does a great job
portraying the feisty mother
who bosses her sons around
and rules the house with a soft,
but iron hand.
Brendan Fraser, from Encino
Man and With Honors, does a
bang-up job portraying the dras
tically different brothers. He is
able to give life to Bill, who has
always been the responsible one
who never has any fun.
Based on the novel by Cornell
Woolrich, “I Married a Dead
Man,” Mrs. Winterbourne is
stereotyped as a feel-good type of
movie, and it does this without
coming off as too sappy or lovey-
dovey. It shows that a girl who
comes from a lesser background
can succeed, find love and live a
happy life.
MSC L.T. Jordan Institute
for International Awareness
TAIWAN:
A Nation in
the Balance
Kristie Wang
Center for '{ aiwan International
Relations. Washington D. C
7:00 pm
Tuesday. April 23
Rudder Tower 402
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