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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1996)
The Battalion :lass TUESDAY |une 11,1996 GGIE Solid as a Rock By David Winder The Battalion ieBattaii<» Twister had action but no I Dr Roi^ - Mission: Impossible had ac tion but a confusing plot. The Rock has action, a plot, Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, mak- mg it the best action-thriller siDce the original Die Hard. Brig. Gen. Francis Hummel |(Ed Harris) is tired of being is moder s CreW ed around by the U.S. gov- tolerant ernmen t. He has continually ie had i i 08 t men in covert military oper- e. He iiations and petitioned the gov- t consid ernment to honor them. :ourt th After being continuously de- the paraied by the government, Hum- Republimel decides to take action. ! debate. Hummel and his commandos his presi capture Alcatraz Island—“The iry 1995Rock” along with a group of mmitte'tourists, to grab the govern- “It was i men t’ 8 attention and SlOO mil- njoyed i lion ransom, comes i ey said i vision t Just in case the government chooses to ignore them, rock ets loaded with VX gas, the most lethal gas in the world, are set to destroy the San Francisco Bay area. Enter FBI chemi cal expert Stanley Goodspeed (Cage), and federal prisoner Patrick Mason (Connery). Good- speed is needed to disarm the rockets, while Mason, the only man to ever escape from Alca traz, is needed to get a Navy SEAL unit on the island. From there, it’s kill or be killed. That’s it. That’s the whole plot. No special effects being played over and over. No asking your neighbor every five min utes who the bad guys are now. The Rock is just action-filled fun, thanks to the performances Starving Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage Ed Harris *1* of Connery and Cage. Connery depicts Mason as a loose-cannon James Bond. He is suave but a little crazy after be ing locked up for the last 30 years for stealing U.S. govern ment secrets. Mason knows who killed John F. Kennedy and whether aliens really landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Goodspeed is a FBI agent who would rather be listening to The Beatles than doing any thing else. He doesn’t even carry a gun. So when he’s told he has to go to Alcatraz to disarm the lethal rockets, he’s not exactly willing. In fact, he pukes his guts out like he has been on a drinking binge for a month. Harris is excellent as the gen eral who truly believes killing over a million people is justified by what the government has done to him. His men died with honor, and he wants the world to know about it. The scene in which Harris and Connery appear together shows there can be excellent acting in an action-thriller. Watch out Arnold, Sly and Jean- Claude. Neither Connery, Cage nor Harris will be nominated for Academy Awards for their work on The Rock. They should get an award for making one entertaining film. Watch out Arnold, Sly and Jean- Claude. Page 3 FBI chemical expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and federal prisoner Patrick Mason (Sean Connery) enter Alcatraz Island to stop Brig Gen. Francis Hummel (Ed Harris) from destroying the San Francisco Bay Area. Strong performances drive Once Upon a Time By James Francis The Battalion The life experience of African Americans living in the South, during the time of segregation, has been a subject of filmmakers. There has not been a movie since The Color Purple that embodies the spirit and soul of the African-American family in such detail. Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored is a touching fami ly drama which spans 16 years of a young boy’s life. The film begins in 1946 in the Mississippi Delta, where a fe male field hand lies between the rows of unpicked cotton prepar ing to give birth. In her frightened state, Ma Ponk (Phylisha Rashad) rushes to her aid and assists in the baby’s delivery. A boy is born and this begins the story of his life in what is la beled ‘Col- o r e d Town.’ The film evolves into a magnificent tale of southern living for African Americans when ‘White Only’ and ‘Colored’ signs adorned bathroom doors and water fountains—when working in cotton fields was the only way to make money and families were often split apart. There were numerous other situations African Americans faced then, but the film does not spend a lot of screen-time wast ing away audience interest on subjects which have been pro filed time and time again. The film does touch on one of these situations when the Ku Klux Klan makes its way into a neighboring town, but the audience is never brought Onc& Upon A Time When We Wem Colored Starring Phyfisha Rashad and Isaac Directed by Tim Reid back into any Klan activities. Many movies suffer from not venturing into the various themes and subplots, but Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored uses themes and sub plots to strengthen its hold. One hearty stronghold ac credited to the film is the award-caliber performance de livered by Phylisha Rashad. Her role deals with the common complexities of life involving the young boy she helped deliv er, her own son and mother, and finding her inner strength. More commonly known for her portrayal of Claire Huxtable on the TV series The Cosby Show, Rashad gives a dramatic perfor mance stronger than any other commercially-known actress. Along with great perfor mances, the backdrop of a film is becoming more important these days. Although there are no high- tension action se quences, the cam- e r a works magic . of five) with au thentic scenery. Classic c i n e - matogra- phy depicts billowy-white cotton fields, comparative views of dirt and paved roads and the overall essence of small-town life in the South. Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored features excel lent direction, moving perfor- jtaances and believable cine matography that is not overly exaggerated. It is a film, unlike others, .showing Black and White op position. It focuses on African- American evolution as a peo ple, no different from other culture, and Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored harbors a unique strength that makes each individual special. i 5 :re rt JO- 3b- Llt n ild m ill ly n, it Id is t. ?7 or CraftMasters’ Matt, % 1857 Briarcrest Drive • Bryan / Over 180 Booths of Handcrafted Items ; thru ced 9 ft rental >hop ved 141 I gible its • Ceramics • Needlecraft • Stained Glass • Baby Items • Floral Arrangements Jewelry Woodcrafts Porcelain Dolls Collectibles Aggie Items Wearable Art Reel - In Our Father’s Day Gear! Local - Out of Town - Out of State Artists Booths Available For Rental Mon.- Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Stop by and get that perfect gift for any occasion. 776-0870 SPEAKERS COMMISSION Applications in Student ! Government Office Deadline June 14 Travel Around The State & Nation. 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