The Battalion
j \ I: ' w h |j i , I; ^
Page 3
Monday • March 31, 1997
he Devil's Own leaves
oo many loose ends
By Aaron Meier
The Battalion
n the new film The Devil’s Own,
old meets new in more ways
than one.
First, the film marks the
artoBrtching of two of Hollywood’s
jgest stars, Harrison Ford and
rod Pitt,who are talented men
pre. fftiintwo different generations.
liltureBSecond, the film pairs the old
Idde'Wji ld of Ireland with the new world
fninj'of New York City.
Id
locfJDespite these
lad. potentially inter-
|m a ;:||ing extremes,
|; lit, 'Devil’s Own
does little to
:o f«d the raw en-
^igf By of the new
iwilh the experi-
W wB 6 an d pa-
fcjMice of the old.
■The film's story centers around
B conflict in Northern Ireland. Pitt
Bys Frankie McGuire, a young
Bhman who witnessed the murder
Bis father, an Irish nationalist.
■Guire devotes his life to the Irish
’" {tejiablican Army and becomes one
ofjthe most hated terrorists of the
Bntish government.
Iln an attempt to strengthen the
jB, McGuire is sent to New York
Bpurchase anti-aircraft missiles,
Bich he hopes to smuggle back
. tolreland.
FP ft I While waiting in New York for the
Issiles, McGuire adopts the alias
CrvDevaney and lives with New York
|)Tom O’Meara, played by Ford,
lit | A dangerous situation erupts
|Lew vhenO'Meara disi'oveis McGuire’s
pet life, posing a dilemma for the
bight-arrow police sergeant.
- " | The teaming of Ford and Pitt of-
| 3fs a potential tour de force of acting
Rent, but only one-half of the team
delivers.
Pitt does an excellent job of giving
his murderous character a heart. In
spite of his merciless killing, Pitt
forces the viewer to feel compassion
for the crusading terroristhe por-
Eiys. In the scene in which O’Meara
inffonts McGuire, Pitt delivers a
leart-crushing performance that
iroves he is one of the most talented
actors of his generation.
Even Pitt’s accent is passable as
Irish. Although he tends to say “arse”
and “aye” too often, the accent is sol
id and believable.
The same cannot be said for Ford.
The veteran actor does not deliver the
acting goods in The Devil's Own.
In one scene, Ford’s character
is supposed to be incredibly
drunk. However, when he gets
home from the “traditional” night
of Irish binge drinking, he casual
ly emerges from
the car and de-
The Devil's Own
Starring Harrison Ford and
Brad Pitt
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Rated R
Playing at Hollywood 16
** I/2(out of five)
livers his lines,
as if sober.
The support
ing actors are
greatly under
used, and when
the movie ends,
an empty feeling
persists. Too often
in the film, plot threads are forgotten
or end too quickly and conveniendy.
O’Meara’s wife, played by Margaret
Colin, is simply shipped off-screen,
when things get too intense. His
partner (Ruben Blades) is quickly
killed off. Finally, McGuire’s love in
terest, hauntingly played by
Natascha McElhone, is forgotten
once she has served her purpose.
The film offers no closure to these
interesting sub-plots, making the
movie incomplete.
The story of The Devil’s Own is se
riously flawed. In order to get the mis
siles to Ireland, McGuire plans on
simply sailing across the Atlantic.
With no consideration given to cus
toms officials or the Coast Guard, the
writers envision McGuire sailing off
into the sunset. This is a totally unre
alistic plan for a man surrounded by
the cruelties of reality.
The conclusion of the film is ex
tremely disappointing. The movie sim
ply ends. With so many unresolved as
pects in the film, the ending is sudden,
abrupt and vastly unfulfilling.
The Devil’s Own could have been
a great movie. All the elements of
blockbusterdom are present —
bankable stars, an intriguing plot
and a killer soundtrack featuring Do
lores O’Riordan of the Cranberries —
but they do not come together to
Irrison Ford (far left) stars opposite Brad Pitt (far right) in The Devil's Own.
Working together for
Literacy
Rosa Garza, a senior international studies and Spanish major, tutors Ricardo Gomez at the Workforce Center. Gomez is learning to read and write English.
Students, other area volunteers teach adults to read and write
By Melissa Price
The Battalion
F dsatr sdftjoar asr malkals jasekr ablb goursr
johrmadz cljamdfjald amldgaur.
This is what a newspaper may look like
to an illiterate person.
The problem of illiteracy, or the inability to
read or write, continues to persist in the United
States. Texas has one of the worst literacy levels
and one of the lowest budgets for literacy edu
cation in the nation.
Ray George, executive director for Literacy
Volunteers of America-Brazos Valley, said one in
four adults in Texas is illiterate. One in three
adults in the Brazos Valley cannot read or write.
The Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) began
a national literacy program about 30 years ago,
to combat the problem of illiteracy.
George said the Brazos Valley branch of vol
unteers, which opened in 1984, strives to educate
illiterate adults in Bryan-College Station.
He said the definition of literacy has changed
dramatically over the years.
“In colonial times, if you could sign your
name, you were considered literate,” George
said. “As technology and job requirements have
changed from a rural farming life to an industri
al setting, requirements have changed for what
skills a person needs for a job.”
George said the program is fortunate to
have an abundance of volunteers, many of
whom are Texas A&M students, who dedicate
their time to helping illiterate adults. He said
volunteering with adults who cannot read or
write is a rewardipg experience for the tutor
and the student.
A&M students involved with Aggie Literacy
Volunteers, a campus organiza
tion dedicated to promoting
adult literacy, tutor A&M em
ployees at least two hours a week.
Andria Hunt, president of
Aggie Literacy Volunteers and a
junior biomedical science ma
jor, said everyone should be
concerned with the issue of
adult literacy.
“If we say that the children are
our future, we need adults who
are educated or who have been
through these experiences to
help mold our children into the
leaders of tomorrow,” Hunt said.
George said many illiterate adults are embar
rassed that they are unable to read or write.
“It’s like being on the playground and no one
picking you to be on their team,” he said. “It does
“(Illiteracy is)
like being on the
playground and
no one picking
you out to be on
their team.”
Ray George
executive director
Literacy Volunteers of
America-Brazos Valley
a real job on their self-esteem — these people
just assume they’re not as bright.”
Maston Ray Orr, a 46-year-old volunteer
who is still learning how to read and write,
said he has dealt with being illiterate his en
tire life. Orr said his seventh-grade teacher,
who used to put him in a closet because he
could not read or write, treated him as an
outcast. He said his illiteracy actually
stemmed from his dyslexia, a
reading impairment.
“The teachers in the early ’60s
didn’t know what I had — they
thought I was retarded and I had
a speech problem,” Orr said. “The
other children would make fun of
me, and when I did ask questions,
the teachers felt like I was getting
smart with them.”
After a job injury left him dis
abled in 1989 and he was unable
to find employment, Orr decid
ed it was time to seek help and
began attending tutoring ses
sions at LVA. Orr said he is now
on a fourth- or fifth-grade reading level, and he
continues to practice every day.
See Illiteracy, Page 4
Jfju
MSC Variety Show 4r
on sale TODAY
$ 8.00
at Rudder Box Office
Tickets sale quickly so get yours today!
For information call 845-1515
Think you may be pregnant?
FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL
PREGNANCY TESTS
Educational Information for an Informed Decision
Post Abortion counseling also available
Call for an appointment
846 1097
Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Service
3620 E 29th Street,
Bryan
fXrjSriAfJmJi?
2T rv rT ^ rS r5
• Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working
days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities.
1997-98
Student Organization Funding
$$$
Applications now available in Student Finance
Center (217 MSC) or Student Activities (163 Koldus)
for 1997-98 Student Organization Funding.
Applications due Friday April 4 by 5pm
Informational meetings:
March 25 1 pm 144 Koldus
April 1 2 pm 301 Rudder
April 2 7 pm 226 MSC
Visit our Web site
http://stuact.tamu.edu/stuorgs/sofrequest/
for more information