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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1997)
The Battalion Tuesday ‘July 1, 1997 @ 0 ;rsof :cess was over [the T here were loud crashes and flashes of light. It was not the Fourth of July, and there were no fireworks. It was my 21st birthday, and a thunder storm was on its way. I always thought turning 21 would be a bright and boisterous occasion, but thunder and light- over the hill Student contemplates disadvantages of 21st birthday Columnist Rhonda Reinhart Junior journalism major ning are not what I had in mind. I should have expected it. As far back as I can re member, my birthday celebra tions have always included the typi cal colorful party ingredients, but none have been complete without dark clouds, flash flood watches and raincoat-clad party guests. My mother said that is what happens when you are born in the rainy season, and I guess I can accept that. On the other hand, I find it hard to accept the fact that my 21st birthday has come and gone, and all I got was a hangover, lower car insurance rates and the realization that at my next milestone birthday party people will be giving me black balloons and “over the hill” gag gifts. It does not really bother me that my carefree, youthful days are over; I have much more serious problems than that. First of all, there are certain people in this world, who I will refer to as “kids,” who insist on calling me ma’am. This ti tle does not make me feel respected. It makes me feel old. Someone should tell these kids that “ma’am” should be re served for mothers and teachers. Oh yeah, there are people my age who are mothers and teachers. Second, some radio stations play songs disc jockeys call “classic cuts.” What are they talking about? I re member these songs. I remember who sang these songs. Yes, I know 1987 was 10 years ago, but they make it sound like we might as well be listening to Chubby Checker and doing the Twist. Finally-and I hate to admit it-but there are times when I get more excit ed about getting ready to go to bed than getting ready to go out. Going to bed at a decent hour is a task not eas ily accomplished, especially when a decent hour gets earlier every year. Besides, getting into a 21-and-up club loses its excitement after the first time, but getting a full eight hours of sleep is something that can be appre ciated time and again. Don’t get me wrong. Turning 21 is not cause for breaking out the choco lates and Kleenex. It is just not all it is cracked up to be. Feeling old does not happen over night, but it is a process that evolves over a period of time and becomes more apparent on days like 21st birthdays. Things could be worse, however. At least I can still remember the clas sic cuts on the radio. As the aging cy cle progresses, a day will probably come when I will be able to say I have forgotten more songs than I can remember. This is another phrase I have heard my mother say, and that leads me to another point. The older I get, the more reason able my mother gets. Her logic makes more sense, her jokes are fun nier and we now enjoy doing most of the same things. Am I really getting old, or am I just growing up? My mom is not old, so how can I be old? Maybe age is not determined by a number. People always say “you’re only young once,” but they never say how long youth is supposed to last. Maybe it can last forever. Maybe my hair will never look like a football hel met. Maybe I will never drive 40 miles per hour in a55-mile-per-hour zone. Maybe I will never answer “How are you doing?” with a list of ailments that seems to grow daily. Maybe I will nev er get wrinkles. Maybe. Summer movies fit formula Expected ‘blockbusters’ are undeserving of the hype label' Columnist Wesley Brown Senior history major '0 ummer is not the movie critics’ favorite time of the year. Summer is the season of mass- marketed, big-budget ed, PG-13 ac tion movies withlotsof special effects awbfttty dia logue spoken by huge stars under the su pervision of (oipoijate di- ectors. It is lie season of McDonald’s Merchandising tie-ins. It is, at least ately, a season with a formula: (Dis- KyMovie) + (PG-13 Sci-Fi/Co me- )=Shopping Extravaganza Last year, the variables in this formula turned out to be The Hunchback of Notre Dame and dependence Day, respectively, this year there is no reason to believe that Hercules and Men In won’t do very well if for no leason other than they don’t be that much competition. Last weekend saw John Woo’s Pace-Off debut with an exceed ingly healthy $22.7 million do mestic box office take, just bare- lynudging out Hercules, now in ilssecond week. Due out later summer are Starship Troop ers, starring a lot of space bugs; and various other knicknacks, most of them sequels. Men In Black promises to be the blockbuster of the season. We know this, of course, because we see the commercials on TV all the time, and not because we have any evidence that the movie is going to be any good. We’re all going to go see it. Mil lions of us. And when we buy the ticket and walk into the theater, we do so with the relief that we are about to see what we’re sup posed to see this summer. Why? Because there isn’t anything better playing. To be sure, this is shaping up to be a particularly dry summer; even the advertisers seem to be going through the motions (notice how the critical praise quota- And when we buy the ticket and walk into the the ater, we do so with the relief that we are about to see what we’re supposed to see this summer.” tions in the commercial for Speed 2 are strangely unattributed — that’s because nobody ever actually had the energy to say “Speed 2 is the thrill ride of the summer!”) It is rare, however, that the sum mer rarely produces anything of note. Sure, we’ve gotten some good action flicks over the years: Die Hard and Terminator2: Judgement Day were summer blockbusters. The hotter months also regularly hock up sentimental or formulaic Oscar-winners like Forrest Gump or Braveheart. But when was the last time a really good movie came out in the summer? Joel and Ethan Coen’s master piece Fargo came out in March of 1996. Independence Day came out that July, and made quite a bit more money. Pulp Fiction was hands-down the best movie of 1994 — and was released in October. It was beaten out at the box office and the Oscars by that timeless lesson in the virtue of ignorance, Forrest Gump, which was as summery as they come. Martin Scorcese swept away the conventions of the American gangster film when in September of 1990 he gave us Goodfellas, probably the best crime movie ever made. What was packing them into theaters that July? Ghost. Of course, when it comes down to it, everybody wants to make at least a little money, and nobody wants to go toe to toe with Disney. It’s probably as shrewd a marketing strategy to release a film like Fargo in the spring as it is to release Indepen dence Day on the Fourth of July. But when Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones come busting through the door next weekend, don’t expect any surprises. By the way, I found out the ending to that movie. Wanna hear what it is? The good guys win. CRoSerts recfeems nerseff in ivecJcfinry comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding Starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney and Cameron Diaz Directed by P.J. Hogan Rated PG-13 Playing at Hollywood 16 ★★★ (out of five) By Jenny Vrnak The Battalion I n the generally funny, occasionally awkward My Best Friend’s Wedding, Julia Roberts returns to the form that movie-going audiences love. She laughs uproariously, smiles almost constantly and tosses her flowing red hair. It is her best perfor mance since playing the hooker with a heart of gold in PrettyWoman. This time around, Roberts is playing Julianne Pot ter, a Manhattan food critic who adores recognition. Julianne’s near-perfect life suddenly gets turned upside down when her long-time friend, Mike O’Neal (Der mot Mulroney), calls to tell her he is engaged. It seems that a few years ago, when Mike and Ju lianne were in college, they made a promise to marry each other if neither of them had tied the knot before they turned 28. With her 28th birthday approaching, not to mention Mike’s wedding day, Julianne realizes she has loved him all along and just did not realize it. So Julianne jets off to Chicago, determined to stop the wedding and win back Mike. There is just one problem — Mike’s fiancee, Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz). She is beautiful, wealthy and overly sweet. Julianne mistakenly believes fooling Kim my will be an easy task. Directed by P.J. Hogan, director of the sleeper hit Muriel’s Wedding, the movie is enjoyable because Ju lianne will go to any length to get what she wants. Hogan often relies on obvious gags to elicit laughs, such as Julianne falling flat on the floor, but most of the jokes are wonderfully light and offbeat. This movie is Ms. Roberts’ return to form, after flops such as Mary Reilly and Something to Talk About threat ened to cut short her career. Roberts is funny and sin cere, but, at the same time, she is also very devious. She never lets the audience forget that Julianne is trying to destroy her friend’s wedding. Diaz spends most of the film trying to act sweet and lovable. The audience may begin to wonder if she even has a backbone or if she is just exceptionally slow and too trusting. Diaz also has annoying habits of squeal ing a lot and hugging everyone around her, but even tually she manages to make Kimmy respectable. Mulroney does not bring much to the role of Mike O’Neal. He spends the majority of the movie trying to keep up with Roberts and Diaz and ends up con stantly looking confused. The most hilarious role belongs to Rupert Everett, who plays Julianne’s homosexual confidante and edi tor. Every scene Everett is in generates big laughs. He manages to bring freshness and hilarity to a role that could have easily become cliche. My Best Friend’s Weddingis not perfect—there are slow periods that tend to drag on, but it is an overall winner. In a summer overloaded with big action block busters, this movie is a breath of fresh air that makes the audience happy they came. r Julia Roberts stars as Cameron Diaz' maid of honor. ^taste °f suwcwtTX This Week at the MSC Tues. 1st, 8:30pm MSC Film Society: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Rudder 601 Wed. 2nd, Noon-lpm MSC Town Hall: Listening Party-free CDs! Rec Center Pool (A&M l.D. Required) free admission to all events! Your Student Union 845-1515 College Station Part-time Hardware Positions Universal Computer Systems, Inc. is looking for candidates for the following positions at our College Station computer facility. Operating hours of the facility are 6a.m.-10p.m., Monday through Friday and 8a.m.-10p.m. Saturday. A candidate must be able to work at least 15 hours Monday-Friday and have completed at least one semester of college. Data Entry - The College Station Repair facility handles computer repair for all our clients nation-wide and repairs more than 60,000 pieces of equipment per year. Persons working the data entry positions are responsible for maintaining data for more than 2000 parts both shipped from and received at the facility. Cleaning and Reclamation - Persons involved in cleaning and reclamation must maintain upkeep of all equipment received and shipped from the facility. Involves disassembly of equip ment, upkeep of pieces, and reassembly of equipment. Technician - Technicians will learn aspects of using an oscilloscope and multi-meters to trouble shoot and repair dysfunctional hardware. Each individual will be trained thoroughly in the repair of one particular piece of equipment including CRTs, terminals, keyboards, PCs, mainframes, con trollers, modems, and others. Parts Inventory - Responsible for maintaining inventory of more than 2000 parts that the facility may handle at any one time. To apply please call our Recruiting Department. EOE Universal Computer Systems, Inc. 1-409-846-1213 http://www.ucs-systems.com