i Catch the delightfully raunchy British smash "The Full Monty" as it continues its rerelease at the Michigan Theater. Come dressed or undressed to this gyrating comic extravaganza, though the Michigan may frown on the latter. Don't miss the fun and feel free to leave your hats at the door. 9 p.m. Admission is $5. f1t Ld jigi 9Ot 0 Lucija Franetovic takes an inside look at the University Dance Company's brand new show. 0 Tuesday February 3, 1998 i Update doesn't lower 'Expectations. By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud Daily Arts Writer How do you spice up a Victorian tale? Add a dash of Ethan Hawke, a pinch of Gwyneth Paltrow and stir in some sex. Charles Dickens' classic Great Expectations has been loosely adapted into a movie that is more enter- taining and interesting than, even if it is not as thoughtful and universal as, the original novel. "Great Expectations" starts out as a nostalgic exploration of a child's world. Young Finnegan Bell (Jeremy James Kissner) is a meditative, artistic boy who draws the scenery of Florida. In the shallow waters of pretty beach, Finn meets an escaped prisoner (Robert De Niro) who will have a big impact on his life. One day, he follows his uncle Joe (Chris Cooper) to the crumbling home of the wealthy Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), whose estate, overrun by wild weeds, tangled trees and creeping vines, symbolically mirrors the owner's damaged state of mind. Dinsmoor sees Finn as an opportunity to avenge the wrong she once suffered by being stood up at the altar. Summoned to entertain Dinsmoor's niece, Estella, Finn eventually falls for the young beauty. Finn dances with Estella every week for years until they become young adults, played by Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. This moment seems to be the turning point for a movie that had until then been enchantingly evoca- tive. What was an child's fantasy becomes a fairly conventional love story. Estella leaves for France, urged on by the bitter old Dinsmoor, and breaks poor Finn's heart. He turns to a life of fishing and drinking, abandoning his painter's brush for the fisherman's net. Ten years later, Finn is offered the opportunity to paint once again. Brought to New York by an unknown benefactor, Finn launches a successful art career and fulfills some pretty great expec- Expe on his handsome face throughout the movie. What can be going on behind those vacant eves? In addition, Hawke is given the task of narrating the action periodically throughout the film. His words usually lack the eloquence needed to correspond fit- Great ctations At Briarwood & Showcase tingly to the visual expressiveness. Paltrow, on the other hand, offers a strong performance. Both self-assured and insecure, tfl actress shows us how seductive and coy her character can be. Anne Bancroft offers the film's best performance as a tragic example of the spurned woman, While her cracked make-up covers a face riddled with wrinkles, Bancroft reveals the wicked and pitiful life of an tations. By chance, Finn is reunited with Estella, in a particularly erotic drinking fountain scene. "Great Expectations" has a lot of great aspects. Director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki does a marvelous job of shooting this modern Dickensian world. Rich and textured, there is not a single shot in this movie that lacks visual power. A In fact, the beauty of the film completely over- whelms the flimsy plot. Once young Finn is aban- doned in favor of Hawke's dopiness, the film fails to maintain its thematic integrity. It is perhaps too tempting to turn "Great Expectations" into a love story starring Paltrow and Hawke. Hawke's acting is by far the weakest part of the film. Hawke seems to hold the same bewildered look aging spinster. ° "Great Expectations" is dazzling to look at but often feels very clich Moments of tenderness are often lessened by a trite screenplay and are always over- powered by the visual strength of the film. As the main character, Hawke fails to live up to expecta- tions, looking more like a vapid 20-something than ar introspective artist. Nonetheless, the movie does succeed on lyricism and aching splendor alone. "Great Expectations" mad not be the masterpiece Dickens wrote, but it's still a pretty good movie. Photos courtesy of 20th century Fox Fools in love Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke (top)and dancing fool Anne Bancroft (above right) trip the light fantastic in "Great Expectations." CBS prepares for Olympics; networks plan sweeps strategies Los Angeles Times The February sweeps aren't all that sweeping this year because of CBS' 17- day coverage of the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. The international sports event not only takes up more than half of the network's prime - time schedule for the month, but also intimidates rivals from throwing big-budget pro- gramming against it. So you'll have to wait until May for the big block- buster. (February, May and November are the months when net- works prime th programming pumps to help their local sta- tions, which are of such theatrical films as "Crimson Tide," "Tommy Boy" and "A Circle of Friends." Cable's offerings include Spike Lee's acclaimed documentary "4 Little Girls," a new Disney Channel documentary series and the HBO satire, "The Pentagon Wars," starring Kelsey Grammer. Here are some of the month's highlights: ABC U "Motown 40: The Music Is Forever:" Diana Ross hosts this four-hour special commemorating the 40th anniver- sary of Motown Records. Smokey rtesy of Columbia Pictures Robinson, Aretha ntary "4 Little Franklin, Mariah . 23 on HBO. Carey, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Berry Gordy are among those fea- tured. Feb. 15 and 19. * "Elmopalooza!:" Jon Stewart hosts a musical tribute to "Sesame Street," fea- turing classic songs from the children's series and original music videos per- formed by Elmo and Jim Henson's Muppets. Feb. 20. * "Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding": Halle Berry, Lynn Whitfield, Carl Lumbly, Eric Thal and Michael Warren star in a drama about an black woman with only two days to decide if she should marry a poor, white musician or a successful, seductive black man. Cou Spike Lee's documen Girls" premieres Feb. Feb. 22-23. * "Home Improvement": Tim and Jill discuss having a baby girl in tonight's episode, then find in the Feb. 24 install- ment that one of their sons is smoking pot. * "Pocahontas": Mel Gibson, Irene Bedard and David Ogden Stiers supply the voices for the 1995 Disney animated blockbuster. March 1. "Christopher Reeve: Circle of Friends": All-star benefit to honor the actor-director and to raise money for the Christopher Reeve Foundation. March 1. CBS * "The Grammy Awards": Kelsey Grammer makes his debut as host of the three-hour extravaganza honoring the best in music. Feb. 25. * "The Long Way Home": Jack Lemmon and Betty Garrett star in a drama directed by Glenn Jordan. March I. "The Winter Olympics": The action begins Friday and continues through Feb. 22. Fox * "The X-Files": Besides the episode from horror master King (airing Sunday), Fox's most popular series also will feature a two-parter in which Mulder uncovers new evidence of extraterrestrial existence. Feb. 22 and March 1. E "The World's Scariest Police Chases 4:" A new edition hosted by retired Oregon Lt. Sheriff John Bunnell. Feb. 17. E "Moment of Impact": Bunnell also hosts this special, featuring National Safety Transportation Board footage of highway mishaps. Feb. 17. * "Daredevils Live! Shattering the Records:" Two hours of first-time-ever, record-breaking stunts. Feb. 24. * "Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed 2": Mitch Pileggi hosts this sequel to last year's blockbuster. March 3. * "Party of Five": The season cliffhanger finds Charlie receiving his final test results for cancer. March 4. NBC Theatrical films: The roster includes "Circle of Friends" on Feb. 13, "Tommy Boy" on Feb. 14, "Something to Talk About" on Feb. 15 and "Crimson Tide" on Feb. 22. "Mad About You": Series star Helen Hunt makes her directorial debut with Sydney Pollack guest-starring as the Buchmans' new marriage counselor. Feb. 24. "The 14th Annual Soap Opera Awards": Leeza Gibbons and Drake Hogestyn host the show, in which fans vote for their favorite soap stars and day- time series. Feb. 27. "The Gold Champions" Three-hour ice skating special. Feb. 28. * "Frasier": Bebe Neuwirth returns as Lilith and shocks everyone by reveal- ing her seductive, feminine side. March 3. Garth Brooks: The country super- star headlines a new special. March 4. Cable "4 Little Girls": Spike Lee's docu- mentary about the tragedy of a bomb that tore through the basement of a black Baptist church in Birmingham, Ala., in the early 1960s. HBO, Feb. 23. "Spytek": Roger Moore narrates a three-part series examining the secret world of spy technology. Discovery, Feb. 23. "Bug Juice": New 18-part docu- mentary series for kids that captures the experience of summer camp. Disney Channel. Sneak preview on Feb. 28; the series officially begins March 1. "The Sweetest Gift:" Helen Shaver and Diahann Carroll star in a drama about two families, divided by racial and social attitudes, who learn the true mean- ing of friendship. Showtime, Feb. 28. "The Pentagon Wars": Kelsey Grammer and Cary Elwes star in a satire about government spending gone awry. HBO Feb. 28. Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures "Oh, Pocahontas, Isn't It great that we're making our network debut on March I as part of ABC's rejuvenated 'Wonderful World of Disney'?" surveyed during these periods. The ratings help deter- mine how much advertisers are charged for commercial time.) Still, there is some high-profile pro- gramming between now and March 4, when the sweeps end. ABC, in particu- lar, is charging ahead with a four-hour documentary on Motown, a four-hour drama from executive producer Oprah Winfrey and a celebration of 30 years of "Sesame Street." Fox has an "X-Files" episode on tap that was co-written by none other than Stephen King. NBC is countering the Olympics with the broadcast premi eres N y pre-med at nyu I i I " Principles of Biology I and II " Human Physiology " Human ,. Reproduction and Development " Introduction to Lab Techniques " Organic Chemistry and Lab I and II " Introduction to Quantitative Analysis AM& N v /0". NV Courtesy of Fox Television Network GlIllan Anderson and David Duchovny find themselves embroiled In many conspira- cies on "The X-FIles" this month, with one episode penned by Stephen King. * Biochemistry I and II " General Physics " Genetics I and II . College Chemistry " Calculus I and II I and II summer n the city New Vork U Iniversrit 6 r Internship Pursuit Date 2/3 2/4 Program(s) Internships in Government and Public Service FORUM for Internships Registration Session n7. " -AO-Rk Imram I ii a'~~~ I f..........1.i.