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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1998)
The Battalion Jednesday ’January 21, 1998 Aggielife wake up...” Forget Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights at the Golden Globes, British actor Rupert Everett has dominated critics awards in this category — and it is well deserved. He stole the scene from Roberts'm My Best Friend’s Wedding. A classic performance from an overnight success that was ten years in the making. • Best Director — James Cameron crafted Titanic from the ground up and deserves a lit tle gold statue to memorialize it. He poured his heart and soul, and the hearts and souls of Uni versal and 20th Century Fox into a film that does deliver more bang for the buck. And if they don’t give it to him, he can al ways make his own. eck and Matt Damon co-wrote the Golden Globe Award-winning screenplay to the film, Good Will Hunting. The film also stars Minnie Driver and Robin Wiluams. Aaron's Top Ten Movies of 1997 B Aaron 1 Meier staff writer 1. LA. Confidential— Moviemaking at its finest. A screenplay worth killing for, a di rector good enough to make Kim Basinger look like a real actress and an actual plot that makes the audience think. 2. As Good As It Gets—An ac tor’s masterpiece. There is not a poor performance in this movie. Helen Hunt is simultaneously stunning beautiful and morosely plain. Jack Nicholson is well on his way to pulling a third Oscar as obsessive-compulsive romance writer. Director and o-Screenwriter James L. Brooks lets the words of the reenplay come to life with feeling and emotion wor- y o! the film’s name. 3| Titanic— Despite its record budget and near v cold running time, this movie pleased both critics id budiences this year. The only drawback was a □open script written by James Cameron. After seeing three times, I still get choked up at the end. hChasingAmy— Director/screenwriter Kevin nith grows out of the hilarious but somewhat juvenile um< >r of Clerks and Mallrats to actually explore gen- ine human emotions. As the lesbian who comes out of ic closet as being straight, Joey Lauren Adams’ perfor- lanbe extends beyond her sugary raspy voice giving e to a one of the best characters of the year. 5. In The Company of Men — Finally, a black come- r worth seeing. While this movie did not get much me- a hype in general release, Men is a movie worth catch- g on video. The vicious story of two men who are on a ission to break the heart of a deaf woman, this movie ocks, startles and amazes even the most jaded chau- list. 6. Good Will Hunting—A flash of the talent young Dlly wood is producing. Matt Damon and Ban Affleck rite a rewarding and heart-quaking script of friend- ip and fear. Traditionally alternative director, Gus Van ntldelivers an easily digestible movie mainstream au- enfces want to see. 7. Contact— Finally, a thinking person’s action ovie. Simultaneously exciting and subtle, Contact ks questions of faith and religion that a ’90s audience ould ask itself. Jodie Foster proves once again that she the premiere actress of American cinema. 8. The Full Monty— It isn’t too often that overweight ale strippers can earn over $100 million, but this ovie makes it possible. A original and hilarious script that makes going to the movies fun. 9. My Best Friend’s Wedding—Julia Roberts dyed her hair red again and became America’s Sweetheart... again. 10. Ulee's Gold—A heart-felt picture that has given Peter Fonda the respect of his Hollywood peers. Five or So Worst Movies 1. Breakdown — Supposedly a Hitchcock-esque film? Hitchcock was actually exciting. 2. Batman and Robin —While George Clooney filled into the Batsuit nicely, director Joel Schumacher turned this latest and unfortunately, not the last install ment of the Dark Knight series into a really bad acid trip at a disco. 3. Speed2: Cruise Control—While Titanic is still cruising along at the box office, Sandra Bullock’s ship was underwater even before it left the dock. 4. Boogie Nights—Bad, bad, bad. A pointless flick whose premise wears thin soon after the opening cred its. I waited, hoping this movie would develop a plot. The only thing it should have developed was a case of the clap. 5. Dante’s Peak / Volcano— Face it, they’re the same movie and both could have used a good studio execu tive to say, “No!” Oscar Favorites • Best Picture—The award will go to Titanic, but L.A. Confidential deserves to take home the statue thanks to its excellent direction and powerful performances. • Best Actress — No real favorite in this category this year, but Helen Hunt bowled me over with her portrayal of a strong single mother in As Good As It Gets. The only thing holding her back is she is still on TV and Academy voters think the small screen is beneath them, so she is out. They might honor Judi Dench for her riveting por trayal of Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown. • Best Actor — Jack Nicholson. Hands down the most moving, funny performance of the year in As Good It Gets. • Best Supporting Actress—There is nothing to offer in this category. There is no Mira Sorvino to dominate the pack. In fact there isn’t even a Lauren Bacall to fawn over. The only woman who seems to have the prerequi site quality role and acting pedigree is Joan Cusack in In and Out. After delivering several great performances in movies such as Gross Pointe Blank and Nine Months, Cusack is the only actress this year who actually de serves an Oscar. • Best Supporting Actor — “From the moment I Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt share a tender dinner moment in the film, As Good As It Gets, where Nicholson portrays a man suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. r Quote for the Day a New Year’s resolutions represent the scapegoat for society’s problems when, in actuality, people should sit down, make a plan and act on it, not just talk about it.” — Jon Tallert Sophomore microbiology major it# 1 ' re(«' : ed' !:: S Uos ( tof Wdg the Dog Starring Robert DeNiro* Dustin Hoffman and Anne Heehe Directed by Barry Levinsoi Flaying at Hollywood 16 Travis Irby staff writer Wag the Dog bites the Hollywood hand that feeds it with a barbed look at the thin line between enter tainment and politics. The movie uses sharp writing, a solid cast and good direction to create one of the more caustical ly funny movies in recent memory. Be warned: this movie not for people who is have any faith in the electoral process. The movie begins with the president facing scandal 11 days before the election, when a young Firefly Girl accuses the president of using his “pocket veto” inappropriately. Enter Conrad Breen (Robert DeNiro), a Wash ington spinmaster without equal. He and White House aide Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) must find a way to make the public forget about the unfortunate case of presidential flesh-pressing. Breen decides the best way to accomplish the task is with a war, or as he says, “the appearance of a war.” He and Ames go to Hollywood to recruit the help of Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman), a hel met-haired producer with an ego the size of Los Angeles. This triumvirate of trickery decides to make Albania the next great international threat and attempt to make the public believe the same thing. Such a task includes playing the public like a fiddle and setting up merchandise tie-ins, such as songs and alarm clocks to foment the coun try’s thirst for war. The performances in Wag the Dog are superb. De Niro, breaking away from his usual psycho- killer-criminal roles, is great as the charmingly manipulative Breen. Hoffman is a hoot as the neurotic Motss. With his pompadour, bottled tan and tinted glasses, Motss is a Hollywood stereotype made flesh. His role is the best in the movie. He treats the idea of a war like pitch meeting, with a handsome help ing of a “let’s do lunch” attitude. As presidential advisor Ames, Heche embod ies a sort of wide-eyed wonder as she watches the two masters work. Ames is the perfect “straight” (no pun intended) woman to Breen and Motss’ antics. Small roles by Dennis Leary, Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson add even more zing to the film. Director Barry Levinson handles the action and dialogue with kinetic energy. Every scene is crisp and the pace never lags. He shows a sharp eye for satire in scenes involving news footage of “the war.” The real star of Wag the Dog is the biting script by David Mamet and Hilary Henkin. It skewers not only Hollywood and Washington, but also the electorate who swallows up the whole thing. The writers’ cynical view on things such as yellow ribbons and war-inspired music will leave audiences questioning the media’s intentions for the next decade. The suggestion of a incestuous relationship between show business, politics and the media, is not new, but not until now has it been handled with such unadulterated glee. Wag the Dog’s bite is much bigger than its bark, and moviegoers will be glad to feel the brunt of its attack. An invitation to all students: The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System invites you to an Open House m at the Regent’s Annex (Ibcated on the West side of the MSC, across from Cain Hall) 6 - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 21, 1998 Refreshments will be served. / LET US HELP YOU PUT A LITTLE BOUNCE BACK IN YOUR STEP. 50% OFF BUY 8 CLASSES GET 8 CLASSES FREE New students only. Offer expires 1/30/98 jazzercise Wellborn @ Grove, C.S. 764-1 183 or 776-6696 Serving BICS for 20 years! Seniors and Graduate Students Engineering Business Communications Career Opportunities in TELECOMMUNICATIONS Submit Your Resume Electronically via the Web! Meet Recruiters on Feb. 2-3, 5 - 6:30 p.m. in Exhibit Hall Renaissance Hotel in Austin, Texas Limited Student Registration Available for Conference! Second Annual Telecommunications Conference February 2-4, 1998 Austin, Texas Check Out the Details Today! www.utexas.edu/coe/sqi or call 512-471-4922 or (800) 687-8012 Sponsored by The University of Texas at Austin