The Battalion
)nday • March 9, 1998
ir-oicl
The Big Lebowski
Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman
and Julianne Moore
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated R
Playing at Hollywood 16
Critique: A
m
Travis
Irby
staff writer
I he Coen brothers
roll a perfect 10
with the oddball
comedy The Big Lebows
ki. The quirk-filled film is
not for everyone as it
spins a tale about bowl
ing and betrayal.
The film starts out
with a look at the life of
Jeff Lebowski, a.k.a. The
Dude (Jeff Bridges), a
pot-smoking, white
Russian-swilling, counter-culture reject.
The only thing that The Dude lives for is
his bowling with buddies: the psychotic vet
Walter (John Goodman) and the lovable,
but dumb Donnie (Steve Buscemi).
The Dude comes home one day and
finds a couple of thugs ready to trash him.
The goons are looking for a large
amount of cash owed by a Mr. Jeff Lebows
ki. They have the right name, but the
wrong dude.
The Dude is so poor that the roaches in
his apartment think they are slumming.
The Jeff Lebowski the bad guys are look
ing for is an elderly, wheelchair-bound
millionaire.
When The Dude visits The Big Lebows
ki to straighten out the whole situation,
he is sucked into a kidnapping plot in
volving Lebowski’s sex bomb wife, his
avant garde artist daughter, German Ni
hilists and pornographers.
The movie is as strange as they come
with dream sequences, incontinent
toughs, a marmot and lots of bowling.
Discussing the plot anymore would give
away the movie’s surprises.
The Big Lebowski is more in tune with
the Coen’s classic Raising Arizona than
their recent Fargo.
The comedy is subtle, yet over the top.
A great example is a scene in which The
Dude’s bowling rival Jesus, played hilari
ously by John Turturro, is introduced ac
companied by a Spanish language version
of The Eagle’s “Hotel California.”
This moment is pure Coen, bizarre but
never boring.
Bridges plays The Dude with dead head,
dead-pan gusto. His hippie dialect is pep
pered with the phrase “hey man.” He cares
about nothing more than toking doobies
and bowling strikes.
Goodman, however, steals the show as
the nutso Walter.
Walter, a practitioner of orthodox Ju
daism, is ready to send people to a world of
pain if they cheat in bowling.
And even so, he thinks he is the most
level-headed individual on the planet.
Julianne Moore plays The Big Lebowski’s
bohemian daughter. She likes to wear as
little as possible, while talking in a clipped
eastern accent.
Sam Elliot, Turturro and even Flea of
Red Hot Chili Peppers' fame all provide
laughs in the small but notable roles.
The beauty of The Big Lebowski is that
some people will love it or hate it, there is
no in between.
After all, it is the Coen brothers way.
James
Francis
aggie life editor
Ihe
one
fac
tor that
made The
Fugitive so
popular
was Harri
son Ford,
a man cel
ebrated
for his cin
ematic
works. It
was even a plus to see him
work with Tommy Lee Jones,
another actor people usually
keep up with. But in the case of
U.S. Marshals, there is no Har
rison Ford and Tommy Lee
Jones seems tired.
At the start of the film,
Mark Sheridan (Wesley
Snipes) becomes involved in a
traffic accident, but Chicago
police take fingerprints from
his truck and find that he is
wanted for murdering two
men in New York City. Sheri
dan, under the name of Mark
Roberts, tells his girlfriend not
to worry and that it is just a
case of mistaken identity.
Somebody smell conspiracy
here? No matter the attempt, it
is a weak and cliched use of the
“wrong man” syndrome.
US. Marshals
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes
and Robert Downey, Jr.
Directed by: Stuart Baird
Rated R
•i-JWllSgfl
Playing at Hollywood 16
IMlM
Critique: D+
Soon Roberts... well, Sheri
dan (oh what does it matter?) is
convicted of murdering two
government officials, but as he
is being flown from Chicago to
New York on a prisoner trans
port plane (Con Air anyone?),
another prisoner attempts to
shoot him, which misses, shat
ters a window and causes peo
ple to be sucked out into the
high-altitude air.
If that sounds confusing, it’s
only the beginning of a film
that throws in Robert Downey,
Jr. as a government agent as
signed to the team tracking
Snipes’ character, adds a bit of
intrigue concerning a Chinese
spy ring and glosses all of that
over with a heaping spdonful
of the United Nations.
But, the action scenes are
pretty cool, and that is what
action films are all about,
right? Wrong.
With an invisible storyline,
U.S. Marshals does not mea
sure up to its predecessor,
The Fugitive. The acting is ac
ceptable, but somebody
please find Harrison Ford
and tell him not to waste his
time watching the sequel.
Lt. Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) holds Mark Sheridan (Wesley
Snipes) at gunpoint during one of the chase scenes in U.S. Marshals.
d. Peace Prize Recipient &
Stonier South. African President
.ef Economist of
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for
j’ormer Deputy Commander-in-
Hiief U.S. European Command
Fanner Public Prosecutor Zambia
it and Human Rights Expert
lie Road To Stability:
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March 27, 1998 at Rudder Auditorium
flWILEY
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The Forum
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALI 846-4242
Computing Toolbox
Computing News at Texas A<&M
by Computing & Information Services
Hey Ags! Here's a little multiple choice quiz for y'all .
Question*. It’s okay to share a computer account with a friend...
A. Only if the friend is a student here too.
B. Anytime, since it’s my account.
C. Only during the semester that my friend and I are
taking the same class.
D. If the friend is a trustworthy relative
E. Never.
Answer: E. Surprised?!
Check http://www.tamu.edu/cis/qapcm/policy_info.html
for common computing violations to avoid.
Awareness through education is
your first line of defense in
maintaining the confidentiality,
reliability, availability, and integrity
of Texas A&M University Computing
Resources. Users must respect the
rights of other users and comply
with local, state, federal and
international laws, and university
rules. Texas A&AA University
reserves the right to limit, restrict
or deny computing privileges to
anyone violating university rules
<and/9r tows.
The No Electronic Theft Act, signed
by President Clinton on December
16th, 1997, takes a harsh approach
to copyright violations. It provides
for a fine of at least $1,000 for
anyone who infringes on a copyright,
even if they don't profit. Depending
on the nature and extent of the
infringement, violators could face a
fine of up to $250,000 and five
years in prison. To view the text of
the Act, enter the bill number
H.R.2265 at: http://thomas.loc.gov/
home/cl05auerv html
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W To a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning literary
classic, comes to life on March 10 and 11 in Rudder Auditorium. Set
JiS in a Depression-era southern town, Atticus Finch, attorney and
yfT jt widowed father of two young children, stands against fellow
townspeople by defending a young black man falsely accused of
raping a white woman. Featuring unforgettable characters like Scout, Jem
and Boo Radley, To Kill a Mockingbird tells a story that will live in the hearts
and minds of everyone forever.
to Kill a Mockingbird
March 10 & 11 at 8 PM f Rudder Auditorium
Call 845-1234 for tickets.
sponsored by
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>PAS
Opera & Performing Arts Society