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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2001)
Page 4 AGGIELIFE Thursday. Mi THE BATTALION PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROTHERS Cats & Dogs Starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Goldblum and Elizabeth Perkins Directed by Lawrence Guterman Rated PG Who will you root for? Cats, or dogs? Well, it was quite obvi ous in the recent animal talkie, Cats & Dogs, that viewers really do not have a choice at all. Dog lovers will enjoy seeing cats por trayed as evil creatures. Howev er, the director, clearly shows his bias as a dog-lover, whjle at the same time, revealing his true feelings about cats. Besides not giving the view ers much choice on who should \Vin the war between the two species, the film’s special effects, prchestrated by Ed Jones, are Aot that impressive. True, this movie is for children, and they iire less likely to notice that the main character, “Lou the Bea gle” (voiced by Tobey Maguire), fs a girl puppy for half of the movie and a hoy puppy during the other half. And true, kids are more interested in what is silly and goofy as opposed to grown ups who would rather spend their six bucks on a flop like Bat- Meship Earth than watch talking dogs and cats. < This movie is not a horrible movie by any means, but Cats & Dogs may seem to go over the deep end. It was entertain ing, and it did have its funny parts. However, do not take a date to see this movie. You would have a better chance tak ing a niece, nephew or younger sibling. They will enjoy it, and perhaps the sheer satisfaction of seeing him or her laughing and smiling will help you to en joy the movie as well. The Brody’s, played by Jeff Goldblum and Elizabeth Perkins, are the perfect “Dis ney” couple, and their freckle faced son is the icing on the cake. She is a real estate agent, and he is a scientist trying to come up with an allergy medi cine that will make humans free from dog allergies. The story begins when the family’s dog is catnapped by a band of frisky felines. With the dog gone, the “cat under ground” would be able to steal the allergy research from Brody’s lab and change the for mula to make humans allergic to dogs and not to cats. Thus, giv ing cats the green light to take over the world and become man’s new best friend. The plotjs imaginative. The movie does a wonderful" job of capturing and keeping the viewers’ attentions. This is not a bad movie for children. How ever, if adults want to be enter tained and need to feel like their six dollars was not spent in vain, they should wait until Cats & Dogs comes out on video and spend their money on a movie they truly will enjoy. (Grade: B-) — Beth Maldoon crazy/beautiful Starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez Directed by John Stockwell Rated PG-13 Poised to take over the world in next summer’s Spidennan, Dunst presently is on the path to Oscar gold. As one of Entertain ment Weekly’s “It” people of en tertainment, she takes a tremen dous turn in this raw, high school drama set in the city of angels. Nicole (Dunst) and Carlos (Hernandez) attend Pacific High School together and par ticipate in polar opposite school activities. He is in school to suc ceed, and she is there because her father makes her. Fate finds these two and soon turns their worlds upside down. At times, the movie borders on fairy-tale love, but the great performances by Dunst and newcomer Hernandez over shadow the impossibility that one can find the love of their life at the age of 17. Carlos’ family lives in a tough neighborhood with a view of the L.A. skyline. His mother speaks very little English and wants nothing more from her son than to live out his dreams^ Carlos’ family and friends may be stereotyped, but some of the film’s funnier moments happen when words fly out of their highly accented mouths. Nicole’s over-the-top, drunk en best friend Maddy, played by Taryn Manning, acts crazy and fun, creating a feeling that it would be nice to know what it would be like to be that carefree. T hroughout the struggles of Nicole’s family and turmoil of dating a Mexican-American in an apparently judgmental socie ty, this film is truly a diamond in the rough of this summer’s blow up action films. (Grade: A-) —JeffKempf *• Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Featuring the voices of Alec Baldwin, Donald Southerland and Steve Buscemi Directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Motonori Sakakibara Rated PG-13 PHOTO COURTESY OF TOUCHSTONE PICTURES Goodbye Julia. See vou later Mel. Well, not exactly. The full-length, digitally an imated film by Square Pictures may confuse the eye, but replac ing live-action Hollywood he roes with all computer-animat ed stars does not seem likely. In the year 2065, people are held captive in barrier cities. The known world is wasteland, and aliens of all shapes and sizes in habit the landscape. In order to free the human race from the protective, bubble-like cities, the world is relying on two possible courses of action to rid the plan et Earth of phantom creatures. Translucent and glowing, the phantoms are simply amazing to see. They slither, fly and pass through solid objects with grace and beauty, but one must re member they are killers. The mouth-dropping actions of the human-like characters are almost unbelievable, but every tiny detail that makes up the fu turistic setting steals the show. Steel looks like steel, earth looks PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA! like earth, fire looks likefe somehow the world offk tasy becomes a real, live: Getting lost in the frecklf l.ishcs, nuiM.! strands of hair is easy, l> most difficult thing to as that in 64 years planet Er be as technologically advr we are led to believe. Will irony, that is the best pan science fiction extrav;. I lologram control pads an itally recordable dreams one hope that, maybe one will be possible to espes these marvels. Unfortur: when the movie was.over. to get back into an autoc and simply drive to wort With the animators^ ing a beat when it comet u la ting human movemc; facial expressions, the os j d i gi ta 1 anima tors will iw able to create in a studid chemistry between tv • Sure, if you area reallfy person, this drama r make you cry, butlif/W tween the virtual disk's the warmth and preseffioit screen teams. But the cm 1 do successfully maketki characters look and some move like Jennifer jasonli and Ben Affleck. Amazing special effects,d pled with an original it makes this nontraditional mated flick one movie: should not miss. (GradeB) PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRAMAX Scary Movie 2 Starring Anna Paris, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans Directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans Rated R If Scary Movie did not have enough raunchy humor or countless parodies for the average moviegoer, then Scary Movie 2 will quench the thirst that many conservatives would call tasteless and vulgar. The movie finds Cindy Campbell (Faris) and her friends from the last movie living the college life. In the movie, Cindy and her friends are tricked into spend ing the night at a haunted mansion where they encounter peculiar situations. Of course, the ghostly encounters have the Wayans brothers’ humor written all over them. The movie is definitely gut-busting hilarious. There is not a moment in the movie when some one in the audience does not start laughing un controllably. The sequel takes the same humor from Scary Movie and adds more lewd and out landish comedic acts. The Wayans brothers prove to be the master of parodies by spoofing many pop culture movies. From The Exorcist to Dude, Where’s My Car? and even Charlie’s Angels, Scaiy Movie 2 of fers side-splitting, bizarre parodies that will have everyone either laughing out loud or totally dis gusted. This shows that the Wayans brother: not make this movie for the whole family. When one goes to see this movie, do no! pect to find cinematic value or a deep,® ingful storyline. People should, however, pect to laugh for the entire 95 minutes hope that their soda does not come squi out of their noses. Scaiy Movie 2 is a mo« see for a good laugh or to be lewdly er tained. (Grade: C+) — D'ml fvwvmwww'mvm A = instant classic : D = don't buy it — B = a cut above C = averag F = burn in effigy People in the News Gibson to film Signs at a Philadelphia college DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Mel Gibson is playing a farmer in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, which will be filmed outside Philadelphia starting in September. After a lengthy search of area farmland, producers have decided to film the movie at Doylestown's Delaware Valley College, a private 4our-year school known for its agri- jcultural program. >1 The college has signed an agree- jtient to rent 100 acres of its cornfields through the end of the year. Filming is expected to start in September. Gibson plays a farmer who discov ers large circles and other patterns in -his fields. ** “Our biggest concern is that when they leave, they leave the fields the way They found them," said Dr. Thomas Ueamer, president of the college, which T^cals call The farm school.' “That's part w of the agreement.'' Shyamalan, who lives in neighbor ing Montgomery County, made the 1999 thriller The Sixth Sense, which earned nearly $300 million, and last year's Unbreakable, both filmed in Philadelphia. Magic Johnson keeping eye on L.A. mayorial spot LOS ANGELES (AP) — Magic John son says he will be watching Mayor James Hahn over the next four years. If the former Los Angeles Lakers star does not like what he sees, he might make a mayoral bid. "It's definitely something I would entertain and really seriously consider because I love L.A. and I want to see our city grow," Johnson said in a phone interview Tuesday. "What you have now is a lot of businessmen run ning cities. It's about management skills and I have those from running my own company." Johnson and his office were swamped with offers of support after he recently mentioned a possible bid for elected office. He campaigned for Hahn, who was elected last month. “I am a guy who loves and supports him, but I'm also a guy that's going to hold him accountable," he said. “I know Jim Hahn is going to do a good job. ... If for some reason it doesn't happen, I would look at it." Johnson retired from the Los Ange les Lakers nearly 1 0 years ago after learning he tested positive for HIV. He made two comebacks with the Lakers and briefly served as their coach before returning to his business interests. 2 women sue chef Perrier for sexual harassment PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two women who worked for famed Philadelphia chef Georges Perrier are suing him, saying they were subjected to groping and lewd comments by Perrier and others, and, in one case, unfairly de nied a promotion. Suzanne Moses of Mount Laurel, N.J., a former manager at Brasserie Per rier, and Sharon Patrick of Laurel Springs, N.J., a former hostess, said they endured a “hostile work environ ment" that included unwanted touch ing, sexual propositions and lewd comments between late 1996 and June 200CL The suits were filed Tuesday in a U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The suits follows reviews of the al legations by the state Human Rela tions Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commis sion, required before the federal court filing. Perrier helped launch the city's restaurant renaissance three decades ago with the opening of Le Bee-Fin, his five-star French restaurant, and now runs the contemporary bistro Brasserie Perrier and the informal Le Mas Perrier in suburban Wayne. Housing Continued from Pol desired. The major differ between the private res® communities and re : f apartment buildings istfo mosphere surrounding ( According to Wade, ther ; many freshmen who li f The Callaway House 1^' it offers the independent an apartment but also more structured lifestyle younger students may and parents may prefer, i' lar apartment buildingsaf signed with the complete dom of the tenant in min they often do not include ! munity kitchens or halls for the residents. T fore, it is important tod exactly what type of l I | conditions you will be fortable with and to choo' apartment accordingly,
