166- The Michigan Daily Weeke a g-zi Thursday, January 15, 1998

40

"


FILM
Continued from Page 3B
ago. When Michael Keaton was given
the original role as "Batman," little
did we know that the performance of
this small, unassuming comedian
would be the
series' best by
far. But in the Saving tl
movie's defensel
we were enlight- for ast, P
ened as to just
how many punsts ,
about col d thd
ice Arnold heyear
Schwarzeneggerthe
could make in al
two-hour time fr d
span. 47478
One of this
year's quietly surprising continua-
tions is "Chasing Amy," the third
volume of the trilogy that began
with the low-budget classic
"Clerks." This comical and unique
look at the East Coast dating scene
makes for some great laughs while
poignantly exploring the relation-
ship between love and sexuality.
Joey Lauren Adams plays Alyssa,
a lesbian comic-book creator who
develops a relationship with another
comic artist, Holden McNeil (Ben
Affleck). Possibly the best romance
of the year, it is also one of the most
innovative of all time.
Excuse the pun, but a few other
notable comedies came out of the
closet this year, sporting well-played
gay characters. In "In and Out,"
Kevin Kline's portrayal of a gay
teacher playing straight in a small
town is one of his better acting jobs.
And Rupert Everett's gay best friend
in "My Best Friend's Wedding"
saves the movie - and kept Julia
Roberts' career afloat.
In a surprising 1997 trend, who'd
have guessed that a candidate for the
year's best screenwriter would be
Henry James? The early- 20th-cen-
tury British writer produced the nov-
els that inspired Nicole Kidman's
"The Portrait of a Lady";
"Washington Square," starring
Jennifer Jason Leigh; and "The

..
I
p+
d

Wings of the Dove."
The latter is the story of a twisted
love triangle crossing the boundaries
of social class, and featuring an
Oscar-caliber performance by
Helena Bonham Carter.
The crime-thriller trend is one
that is often
safely followed,
best and these films
provided a num-
OSSibly ber of 1997
uVieof " L . A .
Confidential" is
an incredible
- - story, making
an outside run
at movie of the
year.
And "Donnie
Brasco"? Fuggedaboudit! Heckuva

because they established themselves
outside these boundaries.
"Boogie Nights" is the story of a
triple-X star in the '70s porn indus-
try. Starring the immortal Marky
Mark, "Nights" met critical success.
and started the debate that has yet to
be concluded, "Was it real or was it
fake?"
"Titanic" chronicles the sinking
of the unsinkable ship and tackled a
touchy historical event. While the
juxtaposed love story and Leonardo
DiCaprio's acting seem suspect, the
portrayal of the historical event is
incredible and the special effects on
the ship are unmatched.
Saving the best for last, possibly
the best movie of the year debuted
near the beginning of '98. The brain-
child of Matt Damon and Ben
Affleck, "Good Will Hunting" was
written during their college days at
Harvard.
~t Films The story of a
young genius
997 (Damon) who
cleans the floors
dential" at MIT,
"Hunting" brings
Huntg forth and innova-
Hunting" tively explores

flick, and another
mance by Al
Pacino. Just
when the gang-
ster movie
looked to have
passed the way
of Johnny Depp's
career, "Brasco"
revived the
genre, and
should make
Scorsese proud.
Parodying the
James Bond
films, "Austin
P o w e r s:
International
Man of Mystery"
is Mike Myers'
best comic effort
since "Wayne's
World."
Playing both
Austin Powers
and his arch-
enemy, Dr. Evil,
Myers also wrote
and directed this

fantastic perfor-

10 Bes
of 14

1. "L.A. Confi4
2. "The Ice St
3. "Good Will
.lan.c

4 ntaniC
5. "Donnie Brasco
6. "Boogie Nights"
7. "Chasing Amy"
8. "The Sweet Hereafter"
9. "The Full Monty"
10. "Contact"
Honorable mentioh:
* "In the Company of
Men"
* "The Wings of the
Dove"
- Compiled 1y the Daily Film Staff

the themes of
loveisuccess and
intelligence.
It also features
Robin Williams'
best performance
in a number of
years, which is a
welcome sight.
The development
of the friendship
between his and
Damon's charac-
ters is emotional-
ly moving, and
both actors

"Amistad" (top) and "The Wings of the Dove" (bottom) were two of the epic films
that came to movie screens in 1997.

film. Exploiting

the classic Bond movies only
enhanced the comedy, and this was a
trend well-continued.
Because there were so many pop
trends in the industry in 1997, some
of the best films stood out solely

deserve Oscar
consideration.
So, with such an eclectic collec-
tion of films, is there any one sym-
bol that can truly embody the movie
industry for 1997? How about a
UFO? Possibly a giant number two?
Or maybe a big, prosthetic ... uh ..
nose? Yeah, a nose. That's it.

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