The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 20, 1997 -9A .'Last Summer' is not quite a 'Scream' By Matthew Barrett Forlhe Daly ,irst things first: Despite what the advertisements say, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" is not "Scream." It is nothing like "Scream." In fact, the only thing that they have in common is their screenwriter, Kevin Williamson. Directed by Jim Gillespie, "I Know What You Did '.ast Summer"jumps around with no particular rhyme or reason, until a satisfying conclusion. The cast includes two of television's brightest young stars, Jennifer Love Hewitt ("Party of Five") and Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). But they are both shown up by relative unknown Ryan Phillipe, who plays Barry Cox, the ringleader of the group. Phillipe's performance domi- nates the other actors when they share the screen. Other members of I the cast include Freddie Prinze Jr., Di as the fourth member of the group, (9 Anne Heche and Bridgette Wilson. The plot, which seems fairly simple at first, is really quite intri- cate and should keep you guessing throughout the movie. Four friends are driving home after a party one summer night when they hit someone in the road. After checking him out, they pronounce him dead, and after debating it for awhile, decide to throw the body in a lake. One problem: he's not dead. The movie then jumps to the following summer, and it's clear that their little secret is taking quite a toll on the group. To make matters worse, notes start to appear, telling them "I know what you did last sum- mer." The mystery man then begins to stalk the char- acters and seems more interested in toying with them than killing them. The characters begin to unravel before our eyes, and then the inevitable finger point- ing begins. It is too bad that the school year in between the accident and the summer is not included in the movie, because this is when we would have had the chance to see the characters develop and decay. They go from lively, cocky, high school seniors to walking zombies in a matter of seconds, and this REVIEW Know What You id Last Summer At Biarwood & Showcase much feeling for the ters. is a tough pill for the audience to swallow. For a "horror" movie, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" doesn't have very much suspense. Sure, we won- der about the identity of the killer, but it is hard to muster up mainly one-dimensional charac- It would have been nice to know a little bit more about their families and how they dealt with the dra- matic change in their members. Whether or not it's right, this movie will be com- pared to "Scream," and it doesn't stack up. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" eases into its plot, whereas "Scream" reaches out, grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. It is nowhere near as humorous as "Scream," and it lacks the all-star cast of victims. So, let's write it off as Williamson's sophomore jinx, and start getting ready for the return of the Williamson we know and love on Dec. 12, when "Scream 2" is released. Apparently, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie; Prinze Jr. auditioned for a Gap commercial last summer. iving after nine years aiah Michelle Gellar doesn't know what's happening ,bLast Summer." IHomer time: 1 ,I Aaron Rennie like "The Daily Music Editor Susan" hav Fall. The season has many connota- solely bas tiops: football games at the Big House, been sa leaves changing .color and the return S f The Greatest REV I E how on Earth. ''ingling Brothers The Simp Circus, you might ask? Instead, I'm .referring to the most Sundaysa corsistently brilliant cpmedy in the history of television (at Homer in t least in our lifetime), "The Simpsons." was a little The wacky adventures of Homer J. "Eat My S Simpson and company have now show has I titered their ninth full season on Fox, ous niche. though for the second year in a row Homer, pure comedic bliss has been rudely less-than-b interrupted by the Major League Simpsons" Baseball playoffs. leading ma Nevertheless, Fox has been good to he's a cart "The Simpsons" and the sitcom's many "Cheers" w fans over the years. The network's line- had a dyna up has been so pitiful in recent years that omnipresen it couldn't help but give "The winning "S }Simpsons" a big push, airing lots of works its pisode trailers all week long. Castellanet NBC, on the other hand, doesn't face deliciousne this problem at all, as horrible shows Take for 0 S w 4 Q k k a 4 k b a X 4 Cuned-in 'Simpsons' clan still thr i i f Single Guy" and "Suddenly te received whopping ratings ed on the fact that they've ndwiched between the "Seinfeld" and "ER" jugger- W nauts. Ever since sons "The Simpsons" FOX switched the Fox focus of the show at 8 p.m. from Bart Simpson to he second season - the first bit shaky and had too many Shorts"-like Bartisms - the found its own unique, hilari- the lovable, Duff-guzzling, brilliant patriarch of "The clan, is perhaps the greatest n in television history - and oon! Sure, Sam Malone on was fantastic, but Ted Danson amite supporting cast and an nt laugh track, not unlike the einfeld" cast. Homer's charm way solely through Dan ita's vocal chords and the ess of the show's scripts. example one of many scenes where Homer has an interesting conver- sation with his brain. Homer is desper- ately searching his couch for a single peanut when he finds a $20 bill. Homer is disappointed and moans, but then his brain tells him, "Wait, S20 can buy you many peanuts." H o m e r responds, "Tell me how." His brain says, "Money can be exchanged for goods and ser- vices." After a brief pause, Homer cries out his trademark, "Woo-hoo!" I mean, "Seinfeld" may be the best sitcom with real actors on TV, but Jerry . has nothing on Homer. "The Simpsons" is not just about Homer, however, nor does it exclusively focus on his wife, Marge, or his chil- dren, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Instead, a 60-plus member cartoon ensemble has emerged over the years, with each char- acter having some integral role to play in the world of Springfield, U.S.A. Ralph Wiggum, for example, is an adorable, mindless second-grader who causes one's ribs to hurt from laughing nearly every time he opens his mouth. Addressing his teacher in one episode, Ralph says, "Miss Hoover?! My worm crawled in my mouth and then I ate it. Can I have another one?" She coldly responds, "There are no more worms, Ralph. Just put your head down and go to sleep." Excited by this news, Ralph says, "Oh, boy, sleep! That's where I'm a viking!" Such comedic genius is clearly the handiwork of a bunch of gifted writers. Matt Groening, artist and writer of the "Life Is Hell" comic strip, is the creator of "The Simpsons," but the dirty work is done by the young staffers, many of whom work 80-plus hour weeks. While largely unrecognized for their work, one former writer has indeed hit the big-time: Conan O'Brien. The "Late Night" host on NBC was the driving force behind many a "Simpsons" classic, including one to which students can somewhat relate, in which Homer goes to college. The episode drops pop culture refer- ences such as "Animal House," "Porky's" and Trekkies, and finds Homer loading up his car with case upon case of Duff for a weekend of "beer-fuelled mayhem." Now, c'mon, would you rather hang out with Homer J., or one of those Hootie-ador ng wankers from "Friends?" No contest'. Hopefully the magical run of "The Simpsons" will last for a good, 1ong time, but in all likelihood the fair people of Springfield will disappear from Fs Sunday night line-up in a coupleo years. Whenever the new episodes;eqd, however, the fabulous old ones willn tinue to live on in perpetual syndicati~p, like Fox's other, considerably less futY standby, "Married With Children.',Ii the meantime, like many other students at this fair school and millions through- out the world, when 8 p.m. rolls around on Sundays, I pray that the phone does n't ring and interrupt Homer time. If you think you're pregnant... call us-we listen, we care. PROBLEM PREGNANCY HELP, 975-4357 Any time, any day, 24 hours. Fully confIdential. Serving Students since 1970. 1 r - bI FANTASY ATTIC COSTUMES I Prepare -to - D'ress fPor tke Oewasion~ C: - .t .., . _ :. .. __ Im Extended Halloween Hours 305 S. Main 665-2680 Just a Short Walk Downtown from Main Campus. Consider the University of Michigan for graduate studies in EDUCATION Prospective Graduate Students' Meeting Saturday, October 25, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. "Yes men. l MEMENIff Educational Studies Programs: Curriculum Development (M.A.) Early Childhood Education (M.A., Ph.D.) Educational Administration and Policy (M.A., Ph.D.) Educational Foundations and Policy (M.A., Ph.D.) Educational Technology (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.) English Education (M.A.) Learning Disabilities and Literacy (M.A.) Literacy Education (M.A., Ph.D.) Master of Arts with Certification (M.A.) Mathematics Education (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.) Science Education (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.) Social Studies Education (M.A.)' Special Education (Ph.D.) Teacher Education (Ph.D.) Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education Programs: Academic Affairs (Ed.D., Ph.D.) Community College Administration (M.A.) ('nmmnit,,C fnlleaa (iGvernance and e.arsimn (Ed.D.) aol y9 CIE? Presented by Donald Coffey, Ph.D. Professor of Urology, Oncology & Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine President of the American Association of Cancer Research World renowned scientist and noted speaker Donald Coffey is coming to Ann Arbor to discuss these topics. His presentation has been well received by audiences around the world. 7 n m Tcrlnau fltnhar 21 Wh y? . :«;