4B - The Michigan Daily - W"ue.4, U - Thursday, January 25, 1996 Lawrence Fishburne: Moving among the stars By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer When the subject ofHollywood's fin- est actors arises, numerous household names like De Niro, Pacino, Hackman aid Hanks are thrown around. However, little consideration is given to Laurence Fishbume, whose willingness to take risks has allowed him to become one of the most entertaining performers in the mo- t~n picture industry. Fishbume's first role in a major film was in Francis Ford Coppola's epic war movie"Apocalypse Now,"whereheplays a naive, young soldier who is barely old enough to enlist. Although he is not nec- essarily a featured character and does not have many lines, the actor certainly dis- plays his potential by expertly portraying araw, inexperiencedman-childwho does not understand the nature of war. However, it wasn't until nearly a de- cade later that Fishburne made a name for himself with a remarkable part in John Singleton's "Boyz N the Hood." He stars as Furious Styles, a father who serves as the perfect mentor for his son, Tre. Fishburne's Furious is strong, stubborn, proud, caring and wise. He understands the perilous conflicts that his son faces, yet, he expects and demands that Tre overcome these obstacles. Determined to make his son a man, Furious is the main reason for the success of Tre. Simply put, Singleton could not have picked a more suitable actor for the role. After "Boyz N the Hood," the sud- denly marketable star earned a feAture role in "Deep Cover," as an undercover cop whose mission is to fight drug deal- ers. The mediocre film overshadows an- other strong performance by Fishburne. Yet, it was not until his next movie, "What's Love Got to Do With It," that Fishburne was nominated for the greatesthonorasil- ver screen per-Y former can receive - an Academy AwardforBestAc- tor. Fishburne stars as the manipulative and jealous Ike Turner, who on several occasions nearly fatally, abuses his wife, Mi. Tina. Ike's anger, powerfully por- trayed by Fishburne, stems from envy of his wife's success. lackluster performance makes him un- popular with several of his African Ameri- can pupils. Working with Fishburne for a second time, Singleton presented the ac- tor with an opportunity to expand the characterization of the positive black in- fluence. Still, to many, Fishburne's greatest achievement may turn out to be his por- trayal of the title character in "Othello." In this recently re- leased film, the ac- tor brings passion and spice to a role that requires it. Fishburne'sOthello is enslaved by the ;..allegations of infi- delity planted in his head, and he is dominated by his emotions. The actor isconvincingly able to make the transi- tion from passion- ate lover to enraged h u s b a n d. Fishburne's perfor- mance in "Othello" should for once and for all make his ver- 'than just chess. satility apparent to everyone. It is difficult to overlook an individual who can masterfully play a strong-willed. father, an undercover cop, a jealous mu- sician, a haughty professor and a suspi- cious warrior with equal skill. This, how- ever, has been the case with Laurence Fishburne. Soon, Fishburne may receive the acco- lade that he has been deserving in the form of an Oscar. And, if he does win, don't be too surprised if he chooses to celebrate by once again playing a role that tests his ability as an actor. Fishburne has shown us that he is always up for this challenge. Bullock on sappy streak 9" In roles such as Furious and Ike Flshbume plays more Turner, Fishburne displayed his range by being as convinc- ing a scumbag as he was a strong father. And even though he was already a well- known performer, "What's Love Got to Do With It" gave Fishburne a permanent respect that would allow him the opportu- nities to play roles that may not have been offered to him before. One such role was as a professor at Columbus University in Singleton's "HigherLearning." In this film, Fishburne plays an arrogant Ph.D. who refuses to allow his color to be an excuse for failure. However, his unwillingness to accept the racial situation as a potential reason for By Christopher Corbett Daily Arts Writer You're kickingback in yourlocal movie theater with your date, waiting for the lights to dim. Sandra Bullock's new- movie, "Two if by Sea," comes on, and your date forgets you, slaps your hand back toward your own lap and absorbs herself in the romantic comedy. You are left to wonder why lately Bullock has devoted herself to movies that work to block your actions; movies that have your date frowning upon you; movies where a strong female character screams at, punches and causes some sort of destruction to a man. And you think, "Why can't I somehow nip such a career move in the bud?" Imagine ... YOU (as Judge in the People's Court of Hollywood): Sandra Bullock, you have been charged with making roman- tic comedies. We let it slide when you starred in'95's "While You Were Sleep- ing"with Bill Pullman. Your career had just taken off and you might not have1 been thinking clearly in your over- whelmed state (you had made three successful films in two years). Besides, you were, when your character was selling bus tokens in "Sleeping," like the apple juice: Very Fine. But you are taking things too far now, with your latest film which co-stars Denis Leary, "Two if by Sea." HER: Well, like, what about Meg. Ryan? YOU: (The response causes gasps of "Unclean!") How dare you speak that name? We will deal with that menace when we apprehend her. Now, why can't you stick to action flicks like 1993's "Demolition Man?" You looked killer in between Wesley "Rodman 'do" Snipes and Sylvester "duh" Stallone. Your innocence and charm made us want to leap right into the story and rescue you from the bullets and bomb blasts. The sucky sap stuff must stop. HER: What about my pores? You couldn't see any of them! Not one! YOU: Yes, of course. About a-yes and a halfago, the Hollywood buzzsai you were the top choice for the role of psychologist Chase Meridian, in-, "Batman Forever." You didn't do it; because you wanted to make "While You Were Sleeping." You could have kissed Batman! Don't you know whit' that would have meant? Guys -wh . we were 7 years old - tried to be coi* like Batman. Drop yourself some sci- ence: Since we grew up identifyii; with a character like Batman, your kiss. ing him would have done it for us. HER: Bill Pullman and Denis Leary. are, like, really nice people. And all ihat matters is what's inside. YOU: Then somebody oughta tarnr themselves inside out. Now, what wil* your next project be? The big-screem' adaptation of"A Time to Kill," the first novel by John 'I could write "Ha-Choo" . and 28 million people would buyi ' Grisham? OK. That's better. Wait minute ... Now that you're here, weJust remembered that you have committe a most heinous, despicable offense. , HER: Why must you, like, torture-e so? YOU: We also charge you with aid- ing and abetting the career of Keanu Reeves. Yes, we know "Speed" launched your career - it raked in' hundreds of millions ofdollIars and cat pulted you to super stardom. But it also gave Canoe a hit movie, as well. HER: I'm sorry, it's just that, like, he was so cute and all, and then, lik,'his butt, like (lip starts to quiver, fingers go to eyes). YOU: She's crying? Oh, n'o-, PLEASE! Anything but THAT!'UGet her some puppies or something! Some- body do something, quick! You come out ofthe dream shiverihZ' and see your date smiling at you as t film ends. "Two if by Sea" has pnt a romantic look in her eye, and you think, "Then again, maybe I could get used'to this after all." FREE PRIZES Lp 03' OFF aLL. US'EDP' Tkc 14 Lp'r REC~ostasjE SED ct' 617 1'ACDARc'> 663-3(4441 Not long ago, Chris was down to 40 lbs. Today, after three years of chemotherapy, his leukemia continues to stay in remission. Chris loves being able to feel good most of the time. He even loves his sister It's patients like Chris who make the years in school worth it. And now that you're ready to think about residency, you want to choose a program that will help you make the next three years worth it, as well. 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